Introduction to The Book of Songs
As the first collection of poems in china, The Book of Songs (or another kind of translation —shī jīng) recorded a total of 305 poems created over a period of 500 years or so, from the early Western Zhou Dynasty (西周) to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period . It had a history as long as two thousand and five hundred years. Generally believed that agriculture began and developed in the Zhou Dynasty. And in the Book of Songs, a lot of proms are about farming activities.
In the other hand, The Book of Songs is closely related to ancient musical activities and dancing. So some take it as the first written music book of ancient China. The more ancient a poem in the Book of Songs is, the closer relation between it and official/ sacrificial（祭祀） music. Later poems of the Book of Songs are folk songs. Unfortunately after 5th century B.C., the original music scores（乐谱） were completely lost.
The book later became one of the six classics ：（《诗经》《尚书》《仪礼》《乐经》《周易》《春秋》)of the Confucian school(儒学); And also the fountainhead(源头)of Chinese literature.
Generally the Book of Songs would be divided into 3 sections: Folk Songs, Odes[əʊdz], and Hymns[him]. And Hymns[him] is divided into Greater Odes & Lesser Odes).
Introduction—Folk Songs
• Songs NO. 1-160.
• Contains 15 groups of songs with folk features, from 15 geographical areas(地理区域）.
• These folk songs are Rich in content, dealing with labor, love affairs, marriage, hardships of the unprivileged(弱势群体）, and protests against tyranny(暴政) and war.
Introduction—Odes
• In total 105 poems, NO.161-265.
• Some poems overlap with the Folk Song in folk attributes, and others composed for banquets and feasts(宴会和节日).
• 2 kinds: Greater Odes大雅, Lesser Odes小雅.
Introduction—Hymns
• No. 266-305
• It is divided into the Zhou hymns (周颂), Lu hymns (鲁颂), and Shang hymns (商颂), i.e., hymns from different dynasties (王朝), and the home state of Confucius.
• Most of these are formal, ritual hymns that praise the ancestors envisioned (展望), in the rites (仪式).
Introduction
• Totally the subject matter of the poems varies greatly from one section to another.
• While in the presentation of theme the tone may be positive or censuring, the later editor of the book, Confucius (孔子), commented that the poems could be described as “Having no depraved thoughts(思无邪)”.
Style of the Book of Songs
• In general, straightforward and natural.
• Typical of ancient literature: the immediacy (直接反映) of imagery and persuasive musical quality.
• The poems are rich in metaphors (隐喻) and similes (明喻), both direct (兴) and indirect(比), as well as narrative displays (赋).
Style of the Book of Songs
• The majority of the poems were composed spontaneously(自发地) before specific audiences.
• Poems: no title, usually the first two Chinese characters will be used as the title.
• Poets: anonymous (匿名的) except three.
The Book of Songs: Guan Ju(关雎)
• The most famous and well-known poem in Shijing.
• The Ode celebrates the virtue of the bride of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty(周文王).
• His name in Chinese is literally synonymous with “culture” (文) or “civilization.” He is remembered for his piety towards the gods and ancestors, and his concern for the well-being of the people.
Book of Songs: “Rats”
• Strong criticism of the situation at that time.
• Being a farmer, one has to work very hard for survival but officials are like big rats eating their production.
Influence of the Book of Songs
• The Book of Songs occupies an important place in the history of Chinese literature.
• The Book of Songs has exerted a profound influence upon the entire course of the development of Chinese poetry.
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