The Book of Songs

The Book of Songs

The Book of Songs is China's earliest collection of poetry. It offers a window into how poetry emerged in ancient times. It contains 311 poems from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period (approximately from the 11th century B.C. to the 6th century B.C.). During the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the royal court dispatched envoys to collect folk songs across the land during the busy farming seasons. These songs were then compiled and edited by official historians and musicians to allow the ruler to have a glimpse of his people's lives and their opinions.

The Book of Songs can be divided into three parts based on the topics they deal with: Airs of the States or guofeng; Hymns or ya; and Eulogies or song. Airs of the States are mostly folk poems totaling 160 with strong regional characteristics. Hymns are musical pieces used in ceremonies and banquets during the Zhou Dynasty (770-256 B.C.). They are further divided into Minor Court Hymns and Major Court Hymns, totaling 105 poems. Eulogies are religious poems used in imperial sacrifices, including Eulogies of Zhou, Eulogies of Lu, and Eulogies of Shang, totaling 40 poems.

The Book of Songs reflects various aspects of life during the Zhou Dynasty. Its simple and natural artistic style, together with its beautiful, rich and expressive language, has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese literature.

《诗经》

《诗经》是中国最早的一部诗歌总集，是中国古代诗歌的开端。《诗经》收录了西周初年至春秋中叶（约前11世纪—前6世纪）的诗歌，共311篇。西周初年，朝廷派出专门的使者在农忙时到全国各地采集民谣，由史官和乐师编纂整理后给天子看，目的是了解民情。

按内容不同，《诗经》可分为《风》《雅》《颂》三部分。《风》又称《国风》，大多数是民间诗歌，带有浓烈的地域色彩，共160篇。《雅》是指周朝统治地区的音乐，分为宴请宾客的音乐《小雅》和群臣朝拜的音乐《大雅》，共105篇。《颂》是宗庙祭祀用的诗歌，分为《周颂》《鲁颂》和《商颂》，共40篇。

《诗经》内容丰富，真实反映了周代社会生活方方面面，其朴素自然的艺术风格、优美丰富的语言表达，对中国文学发展产生了深远影响。