Book of Songs Quick Read – The Singing of the Ancestors

Author: Pei Pu-Yan (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: The books selected here are ones you will inevitably read at some point in your lifetime, whether you are ten, thirty, or seventy years old! A minimalist reading list of Chinese culture. From the vast collection of ancient classics, sixty essential works are chosen for the first time to present the style and appearance of Chinese five thousand years of culture in an accessible and engaging way. A renowned Taiwanese authority on traditional Chinese studies revisits classical texts with a 21st-century perspective, traversing time and space, guiding you through the "unfenced museum of Chinese culture."
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The Book of Songs is one of our oldest collections of poetry, produced over two and a half to three thousand years ago. Its language is archaic and difficult to understand. In this selected reading, the author introduces it to general young readers in an accessible manner. However, the original Book of Songs contains 305 poems, and due to space constraints, only a portion can be included here: 68 poems from the Odes of the States, 15 from Small Elegies, 5 from Great Elegies, 5 from Hymns to Zhou, 1 from Odes of Lu, and 1 from Odes of Shang. In total, 95 poems are selected.
Although the Book of Songs is a collection of poetry, many of its poems involve historical events. Therefore, when introducing these poems, some historical context is provided. However, the selections tend to emphasize (interest) and (educational value). Even poems that discuss negative events are included because their purpose is satire, serving as cautionary tales for readers. Thus, they are also featured in this book.