The Book of Songs (Alternative translations: "Classic of Poetry", "Canon of Odes")

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《大雅·荡之什》

抑抑威仪，维德之隅。人亦有言：靡哲不愚，庶人之愚，亦职维疾。

哲人之愚，亦维斯戾。无竞维人，四方其训之。有觉德行，四国顺之。

訏谟定命，远犹辰告。敬慎威仪，维民之则。其在于今，兴迷乱于政。

颠覆厥德，荒湛于酒。女虽湛乐从，弗念厥绍。罔敷求先王，克共明刑。

四皇天弗尚，如彼泉流，无沦胥以亡。夙兴夜寐，洒扫庭内，维民之章。

修尔车马，弓矢戎兵，用戒戎作，用逷蛮方。质尔人民，谨尔侯度，用戒不虞。

慎尔出话，敬尔威仪，无不柔嘉。白圭之玷，尚可磨也；斯言之玷，不可为也！

无易由言，无曰苟矣，莫扪朕舌，言不可逝矣。无言不仇，无德不报。

惠于朋友，庶民小子。子孙绳绳，万民靡不承。视尔友君子，辑柔尔颜，不遐有愆。

相在尔室，尚不愧于屋漏。无曰不显，莫予云觏。神之格思，不可度思，矧可射思！

辟尔为德，俾臧俾嘉。淑慎尔止，不愆于仪。不僭不贼，鲜不为则。投我以桃，报之以李。

彼童而角，实虹小子。荏染柔木，言缗之丝。温温恭人，维德之基。

其维哲人，告之话言，顺德之行。其维愚人，覆谓我僭。民各有心。

于乎小子，未知臧否。匪手携之，言示之事。匪面命之，言提其耳。

借曰未知，亦既抱子。民之靡盈，谁夙知而莫成？昊天孔昭，我生靡乐。

视尔梦梦，我心惨惨。诲尔谆谆，听我藐藐。匪用为教，覆用为虐。

借曰未知，亦聿既耄。于乎，小子，告尔旧止。听用我谋，庶无大悔。

天方艰难，曰丧厥国。取譬不远，昊天不忒。回遹其德，俾民大棘。

Introduction to the *Book of Songs*:

1. The Book of Songs marks the beginning of ancient Chinese poetry and is the earliest anthology of poetry. It collects poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (11th century BCE to 6th century BCE), totaling 311 poems. Among these, six are "title-only poems"—that is, they have titles but no content—known as the Six Title-Only Poems (Nan Gai, Bai Hua "Hua Shu," "You Geng," "Chong Qiu," and "You Yi"), reflecting the social landscape over approximately five centuries from the early to late Zhou period.

2. The authors of the *Book of Songs* are anonymous; the vast majority cannot be verified. It is traditionally attributed to Yin Jifu for collection and Confucius for compilation. In terms of content, the *Book of Songs* is divided into three sections: *Feng*, *Ya*, and *Song*. The *Feng* consists of folk songs from various regions of the Zhou dynasty; the *Ya* comprises the formal and elegant music of the Zhou people, further divided into *Xiao Ya* (Minor Elegance) and *Da Ya* (Major Elegance); the *Song* consists of ritual songs performed at the Zhou royal court and in the ancestral temples of the nobility, further divided into *Zhou Song*, *Lu Song*, and *Shang Song*.

3. Confucius summarized the purpose of the Book of Songs as “without deceit” and taught his disciples to read it as a standard for both speech and conduct. Among the pre-Qin philosophers, many quoted the Book of Songs; for instance, Mencius, Xunzi, Mozi, Zhuangzi, and Han Feizi frequently cited passages from the Book of Songs to enhance the persuasiveness of their arguments.

4. Artistic Characteristics of the *Book of Songs*:

(1) The use of the three poetic techniques—direct narration (fu), analogy (bi), and evocation (xing)—is a hallmark of the *Book of Songs*’s artistic style and established the fundamental methods of ancient Chinese poetry composition.

(2) The verse structure is primarily based on four-character lines, though mixed-length lines are also used. Structurally, the work frequently employs repeated stanzas and parallel lines, enhancing the poetry’s rhythmic sense and musical beauty.

(3) The language is rich and varied, making extensive use of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, rhyme, and word repetition, which render the poetry vivid and visually striking, with harmonious sound and rhythm.