Color Version 60 Chinese Literary Masterpieces That Will Influence Middle School Students' Lives

Author: Zhou Jinzhang, Xu Shenghua
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Introduction to the Authors of the Book of Songs The Book of Songs is an ancient Chinese collection of poems. It was not written by one or a few individuals. Some authors of the Book of Songs are mentioned in the poems themselves. For example, in the "Small Yue" section, "Jie Nan Shan" explicitly states "My father composed this," and "Xiang Bo" explicitly mentions "The eunuch Zuo Meng composed this." In the "Great Yue" section, both "Song Gao" and "Bao Min" explicitly state "Ji Fu composed this." Some authors can be traced through other ancient texts. For instance, the "Shang Shu" says the author of "Chi E" is the Duke of Zhou, and the "Zuo Zhuan" says the author of "Zai Chi" is the Lady of Xu Mu Gong. The "Guo Yi" says the author of "Chang Di" is the Duke of Zhou, while the "Zuo Zhuan" says it is Zao Mu Gong. However, only a very small number of poems have identifiable authors. Most of the poems were collected by officials from the (folk) and we cannot know the identities of the authors of those beautiful and graceful songs.
We can imagine a scenario: when people are happy or sad, they often want to express their feelings. When everyday language is insufficient, they resort to singing. During festivals, when people gather to worship deities and celebrate, they also use singing to express their thoughts. As songs multiplied and were remembered by people, they could be used to express emotions. If no suitable song was available, some would be modified until they were satisfactory. In this way, songs were refined by the masses and recorded by officials, eventually forming the collection we see today as the Book of Songs. It can be said that the authors of the Book of Songs were the collective of ancient times.
Background The dates of most works in the Book of Songs are uncertain, but the period covered by the poems is generally determined by the earliest and latest (widely accepted) poems. The "Dong Shan" and "Po Fu" in the "Bi Feng" section are said to reflect the "Eastern Expedition of the Duke of Zhou." The Eastern Expedition of the Duke of Zhou occurred around the fourth to third year of King Cheng of Zhou (1113 BC – 1112 BC). The latest poem in the Book of Songs is "Zhu Lin" from the "Chen Feng," which reflects the events of "criticizing Ling Gong." According to the "Zuo Zhuan," the debauchery of Chen Ling Gong was recorded in the seventh year of King Ding of Zhou (600 BC), which corresponds to the middle period of the Spring and Autumn period. Therefore, the era of the poems in the Book of Songs should date from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to no later than the middle period of the Spring and Autumn period.
During the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, the Zhou Dynasty implemented a feudal system, with China ruled by numerous vassal states. Each state had its own musicians, and music and singing were performed during diplomatic visits or banquets. Musicians not only collected songs from their own states but also from other states, gathering both lyrics and musical scores. Society at the time had two classes: the nobility and the common people. Musicians served the nobility, and the songs they collected naturally catered to the tastes of the nobility. Works by common people often had to be modified by musicians before being selected.
In addition to the collected songs, the masters of music preserved poems composed by the nobility for special occasions such as ancestral rites, banquets, housewarmings, military expeditions, and hunting. These can be considered ceremonial poems. There was also a custom where officials, when wanting to advise or praise the ruler, would not directly express their opinions but compose poems and present them to the ruler, having them sung by musicians. This was known as "presenting poems." The masters of music preserved over 300 such musical scores and lyrics, collectively referred to as "the Three Hundred Songs" at the time.
During the Warring States period, the nobility gradually declined, while the common people gained prominence. New music replaced old music, and professional musicians scattered, leading to the loss of musical scores. However, about 300 song lyrics still survived, which became the Book of Songs we know today.
Excerpts
"Guian jun you, in the river's isle.
Yao tiao shu nv, jun zhi hao qiu." – "Guan Ju" from Zhou Nan
"Xu wo wang yi, willows sway gently.
Jin wo lai si, snow falls in showers.
Xing dao chi chi, thirsty and hungry.
My heart aches, no one knows my sorrow." – "Cai Wei" from Xiao Yue
"Jian jia cang cang, white dew turns to frost.
The one I adore, on the water's shore.
I trace upstream, the path is long.
I trace downstream, she appears in the center of the stream." – "Jian Jia" from Qin Feng
"Jing shi zhi yao, in those days, they settled.
In those days, they lived in tents.
In those days, they spoke much.
In those days, they chatted." – "Gong Liu" from Dang Yue