Exploring the Origins of the Three Hundred Poems

Author: Zhu Dongrun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: The spirit of the era in which the "Three Hundred Poems" were compiled is a separate essay titled "Beyond the Four Arguments on Reading Poetry," written in 1946 after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan. An important textual examination in the article points out that the famous historical story of Wu Jiji visiting Lu to observe the Zhou music in the 29th year of Duke Xiang of the Zuo Zhuan is unreliable. Furthermore, based on the record in the 16th year of Duke Zhao of the Zuo Zhuan, where the six ministers of Zheng bid farewell to Han Xuanzi in the suburbs and Han Xuanzi did not know the Zheng poems, thus specially asking the six ministers to recite poems "to understand the intentions of Zheng," it is concluded that the "Three Hundred Poems" had not yet become a standardized collection by that year. According to Confucius' mention of "the Three Hundred Poems," the compilation date of the Book of Songs is determined to be between the visit of Han Xuanzi to Zheng and Confucius' youth. When this book was completed, the spirit of the era was as described in the Gongyang Zhuan in the 16th year of Duke Gong: "Internally, it regards its own state, externally, it regards the Four Seas; internally, it regards the Four Seas, and externally, it regards the barbarian tribes." This was an era of high nationalism, where the mission of the time was to pursue the unity of the tribes of the Four Seas and resist the invasion of other tribes. The compilation of the Book of Songs reflects this spirit of the era. This is a macroscopic historical interpretation of the Book of Songs, imbued with a sense of history. The text states: "Only after understanding the 'Three Hundred Poems' can we know why Chinese poets are filled with suffering yet possess a resilient spirit, and why the Chinese, despite constantly facing foreign hardships, ultimately remain an unconquered nation." Here, what we read is not only history but also the author's contemporary sentiments.