Literature - Bilingual Reader of Chinese Traditional Culture

Author: Wei Chongxin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The last compilation of the Book of Songs was probably completed around the 6th century BC, mainly collecting works from the early Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid-Spring and Autumn Period over more than 500 years. Unfortunately, the names of most of the authors have not been passed down. The poems in the Book of Songs were originally sung as musical songs, but later, as ancient music was lost, people had to read the musical songs as poetry. Traditionally, the Book of Songs is divided into three categories: Feng, Ya, and Song. Feng refers to local music, folk songs, with a total of 15 folk songs from different states. Ya refers to court music, divided into Da Ya and Xiao Ya, with most authors being noble scholars. Song refers to music used in temple sacrifices, mostly praising the merits of ancestors, divided into Zhou Song, Lu Song, and Shang Song. The finest poems in the Book of Songs are the simple folk songs, which are usually referred to as the 15 Feng poems, followed by Da Ya, Xiao Ya, and the three Songs.