Original Book of Songs (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Fang Yurun (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Features: This book is Fang Yurun's work from his later years. In the diary entry for the year Tongzhi (1865), there is a mention of the catalog of the Hongmeng Study's collected works, which included "Shijing Tongzhi Pingjie," but the book itself was never found. Mr. Xiang Da said, "Whether the 'Shijing Tongzhi Pingjie' was eventually completed is uncertain."
On the fifth day of the seventh month in the eighth year of the Tongzhi era (1869), the diary records: "The 'Poetry' has no fixed interpretation, and many make arbitrary assumptions, making it particularly difficult to explain compared to other classics. I intend to extensively gather various interpretations, reach a consensus, and leave it as a textbook for the family. I named it 'Yuanzhi,' as I wish to explore the original intent of ancient poetry and return to its beginnings. The title is derived from the first two characters of the poem, and a preface summarizes the main idea of the entire poem. Below the title, in the style of ancient yuefu but without the 'Preface,' readers can immediately grasp the meaning of poetry. Next, the poem itself is recorded, following the example of ancient yuefu with 'first interpretation' and 'second interpretation,' but without the clichés of 'allusion' and 'metaphor.' This way, the entire poem is connected in a single breath, while the structure of chapters and paragraphs remains clear and distinct. After the poem, a general explanation of the main idea of poetry is provided, mostly between the 'Small Preface' and the 'Collected Commentary,' and the interpretations of other scholars are also included. Then, explanations of names and objects are collected, and the meaning and tone are marked. Above the poem, there are marginal notes and comments, and the good parts of the poem are highlighted and circled to make the text clearer. Only then can the entire poem be free of hidden meanings, capable of touching the heart and soul."
Except for the mention of Yao Jiheng's "Shijing Tongyu," the arrangement and arguments of the later "Shijing Yuanzhi" largely followed this method. In Volume 3 of "Xinglie Diary Huaya," there are nine discussions on the 'Poetry,' with only one recorded in the tenth year of Tongzhi, the rest being from the same year. The content of these discussions was later included in the "Yuanzhi." The preface to "Shijing Yuanzhi" is signed on the "first day of the small Yin month in the Xinwei year of Tongzhi," which is 1871. This shows that Fang Yurun spent more than two years from planning to completing the book. The printing of this book began in the second winter of 1871 and was completed in the first spring of 1873. This is the third of the thirty-six works in the "Hongmeng Study Collected Works," with the title not signed but printed. The cover is inscribed in Fang Yurun's handwriting, and his disciples were responsible for proofreading the entire book.
In 1914, the Yunnan Library included this book in the "Yunnan Collected Works," listing it as "Classical Studies, Volume 7." Later, the Shanghai Taidong Publishing House used the Yunnan edition for stone printing, which led to its wider dissemination.