Classic of Poetry
collection of Chinese poetry, comprising works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC
The Classic of Poetry, also Shijing or Shih-ching, translated variously as the Book of Songs, Book of Odes, or simply known as the Odes or Poetry is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC. It is one of the "Five Classics" traditionally said to have been compiled by Confucius, and has been studied and memorized by scholars in China and neighboring countries over two millennia. Since the Qing dynasty, its rhyme patterns have also been analysed in the study of Old Chinese phonology.
Book of Odes
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關關雎鳩，在河之洲。
窈窕淑女，君子好逑。
Guan guan ju jiu, zai he zhi zhou.
Yao tiao shu nu, jun zi hao qiu.
A pair of turtledoves;
A good young man is wooing
A fair maiden he loves.
- 關關雎鳩，在河之洲。
窈窕淑女，君子好逑。- "Guan! Guan!" go the ospreys,
On the islet in the river.
The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady:
For our prince a good mate she.- trans. James Legge (1871)
- Waterfowl their mates are calling,
On the islets in the stream.
Chaste and modest maid! fit partner,
For our lord (thyself we deem).- trans. William Jennings (1891)
- On the river-island—
The ospreys are echoing us
Where is the pure-hearted girl
To be our princess?- trans. Witter Bynner (1920)
- "Fair, fair," cry the ospreys
On the island in the river.
Lovely is this noble lady,
Fit bride for our lord.- trans. Arthur Waley (1937)
- Merrily the ospreys cry,
On the islet in the stream.
Gentle and graceful is the girl,
A fit wife for the gentleman.- trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang (1955)
- Gwan! Gwan! cry the fish hawks
on sandbars in the river:
a mild-mannered good girl,
fine match for the gentleman.- trans. Burton Watson (1984)
- By riverside are cooing
A pair of turtledoves;
A good young man is wooing
A fair maiden he loves.- trans. Yuanchong Xu (1992)
- "Guan! Guan!" go the ospreys,
Brilliant are its flowers.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.
- 桃之夭夭，灼灼其華。
之子于歸，宜其室家。- The peach tree is young and elegant;
Brilliant are its flowers.
This young lady is going to her future home,
And will order well her chamber and house.- trans. James Legge
- The peach tree is young and elegant;
摽有梅，其實七兮。
求我庶士，迨其吉兮。摽有梅，其實三兮。
求我庶士，迨其今兮。摽有梅，頃筐塈之。
求我庶士，迨其謂之。Plop fall the plums; but there are still seven.
Let those gentlemen that would court me
Come while it is lucky!Plop fall the plums; there are still three.
Let any gentleman that would court me
Come before it is too late!Plop fall the plums; in shallow baskets we lay them.
Any gentleman who would court me
Had better speak while there is time.- trans. Arthur Waley
- 舒而脫脫兮，無感我帨兮，無使尨也吠。
- [She says], Slowly; gently, gently;
Do not move my handkerchief;
Do not make my dog bark.- trans. James Legge
- [She says], Slowly; gently, gently;
- 汎彼柏舟，亦汎其流。
耿耿不寐，如有隱憂。
- 微我無酒，以敖以遊。
- Nor wine, nor sport
Can ease my pain.- trans. Arthur Waley
- Nor wine, nor sport
- 我心匪鑒，不可以茹。
- My heart is not a mirror,
To reflect what others will.- trans. Arthur Waley
- My heart is not a mirror,
- 亦有兄弟，不可以據。
薄言往愬，逢彼之怒。
- 我心匪石，不可轉也。
我心匪席，不可卷也。- My heart is not a stone,
To be rolled aside;
My heart is not a mat,
To be folded away.- trans. Arthur Waley
- My heart is not a stone,
- 憂心悄悄，慍于群小。
覯閔既多，受侮不少。
靜言思之，寤辟有摽。- My heart is dull with dread;
I am girt around
With the scorn of little men.
Much torment have I seen,
Much insolence endured,
Have sunk in idle thought
And, waking, beat my breast.- trans. Arthur Waley
- My heart is dull with dread;
- 日居月諸，胡迭而微。
心之憂矣，如匪澣衣。- O sun, ah, moon,
Why are you changed and dim?
Sorrow clings to me
Like an unwashed dress.- trans. Arthur Waley
- O sun, ah, moon,
- 靜言思之，不能奮飛。
- Silently I think of my case,
But I cannot spread my wings and fly away.- trans. James Legge
- Silently I think of my case,
終風且暴，顧我則笑。
謔浪笑敖，中心是悼。終風且霾，惠然肯來。
莫往莫來，悠悠我思。終風且曀，不日有曀。
曀曀其陰，虺虺其靁。
寤言不寐，願言則嚏。
寤言不寐，願言則懷。All day the wind blew wild.
You looked at me and laughed;
But your jest was lewdness and your laughter mockery.
Sick was my heart within.All day the wind blew with a whirl of dust.
Kindly you seemed to come,
Came not, nor went away.
Long, long I think of you.The dark wind will not suffer
The sky is black with clouds;
Clean skies to close the day.
Cloud trails on cloud. Oh, cruel thoughts!
I lie awake and moan.
The far-off thunder rolls;
I have woken and cannot sleep, for the thought of you
Fills all my heart with woe.- trans. Arthur Waley
- 死生契闊，與子成說。
執子之手，與子偕老。- For life or for death, however separated,
To our wives we pledged our word.
We held their hands;—
We were to grow old together with them.- trans. James Legge
- For life or for death, however separated,
- 有匪君子，如切如磋，如琢如磨。
- There is our elegant and accomplished prince,—
As from the knife and the file,
As from the chisel and the polisher!- trans. James Legge
- There is our elegant and accomplished prince,—
- "The one who is longing strongly is daunted by no difficulties", Bernhard Karlgren, The Book of Odes (1950), p. 43
誰謂河廣，一葦杭之。
誰謂河廣，曾不容刀。
誰謂宋遠，跂予望之。
誰謂宋遠，曾不崇朝。Who says that the [river] Ho is wide?
Who says that the Ho is wide?
With (a bundle of) reeds I can cross it.
Who says that Sung is distant?
On tiptoe I can see it.
It will not admit a little boat.
Who says that Sung is distant?
It would not take a whole morning to reach it.- trans. James Legge
- 投我以木桃，报之以琼瑶。
匪报也，永以为好也。- There was presented to me a peach,
And I returned for it a beautiful Yao-gem;
Not as a return for it,
But that our friendship might be lasting.- trans. James Legge
- There was presented to me a peach,
- 知我者，谓我心忧，不知我者，谓我何求。
悠悠苍天，此何人哉。- Those who knew me,
Said I was sad at heart.
Those who did not know me,
Said I was seeking for something.
O distant and azure Heaven!
By what man was this [brought about]?- trans. James Legge
- Those who knew me,
- 彼采蕭兮。
一日不見，如三秋兮。- To gather reed goes she.
When her I do not see,
One day seems long as seasons three.- trans. Yuanchong Xu
- To gather reed goes she.
- 风雨如晦，鸡鸣不已。
既见君子，云胡不喜。- Through the wind and rain all looks dark,
And the cock crows without ceasing.
But I have seen my husband,
And how should I not rejoice?- trans. James Legge
- Through the wind and rain all looks dark,
- 青青子衿，悠悠我心。
- Oh, you with the blue collar,
On and on I think of you.- trans. Arthur Waley
- Oh, you with the blue collar,
- 東方之日兮。
彼姝者子，在我室兮。
在我室兮，履我即兮。- The eastern sun is red;
The maiden like a bloom
Follows me to my room.
The maiden in my room
Follows me to my bed.- trans. Yuanchong Xu
- The eastern sun is red;
- 蟋蟀在堂，歲聿其莫。
今我不樂，日月其除。- The cricket is in the hall,
And the year is drawing to a close.
If we do not enjoy ourselves now,
The days and months will be leaving us.- trans. James Legge
- The cricket is in the hall,
Sometimes to play your lute,
Sometimes to laugh and sing,
Sometimes to steal new playtime from the night?
Shall it be so till you are dead
And others have your house?
- 山有樞，隰有榆。
子有衣裳，弗曳弗婁。
子有車馬，弗馳弗驅。
宛其死矣，他人是愉。- There grows an elm-tree on the hill,
And by the mere an alder-tree—
You have a coat, but do not wear it,
You have a gown, but do not trail it,
You have a horse, but do not ride it,
A coach, but do not drive it,
So will it be till you are dead
And others can enjoy them!- trans. Arthur Waley
- There grows an elm-tree on the hill,
- 山有漆，隰有栗。
子有酒食，何不日鼓瑟。
且以喜樂，且以永日。
宛其死矣，他人入室。- There grows a gum-tree on the hill,
And by the mere a chestnut-tree.
You have wine and food, why do you forget
Sometimes to play your lute,
Sometimes to laugh and sing,
Sometimes to steal new playtime from the night?
Shall it be so till you are dead
And others have your house?- trans. Arthur Waley
- There grows a gum-tree on the hill,
- 蒹葭蒼蒼，白露為霜。
所謂伊人，在水一方。- Thick grow the rush leaves;
Their white dew turns to frost.
He whom I love
Must be somewhere along this stream.- trans. Arthur Waley
- Thick grow the rush leaves;
- 遡洄从之，道阻且长。
遡游从之，宛在水中央。- I go up the stream in quest of him,
But the way is difficult and long.
I go down the stream in quest of him,
And lo! he is right in the midst of the water.- trans. James Legge
- I go up the stream in quest of him,
How lovely is that beautiful lady!
O to have my deep longings for her relieved!
How anxious is my toiled heart!
- 月出皎兮，佼人僚兮。
舒窈纠兮，劳心悄兮。- The moon comes forth in her brightness;
How lovely is that beautiful lady!
O to have my deep longings for her relieved!
How anxious is my toiled heart!- trans. James Legge
- The moon comes forth in her brightness;
- 伐柯伐柯，其則不遠。
- In hewing an axe-handle, in hewing an axe-handle,
The pattern is not far off.- trans. James Legge
- In hewing an axe-handle, in hewing an axe-handle,
- 昔我往矣，杨柳依依。
今我来思，雨雪霏霏。- When I left here,
Willows shed tear.
I come back now,
Snow bends the bough.- trans. Yuanchong Xu
- When I left here,
- 它山之石，可以攻玉。
- Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one.
- trans. unknown
- Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one.
- 彼有旨酒，又有嘉殽。
洽比其鄰，昏姻孔云。
念我獨兮，憂心慇慇。- They drink good wine,
They eat fine food,
Build houses side by side,
Kinsmen by marriage,
They make cause together.
But I am all alone,
In sorrow and dismay.- trans. Arthur Waley
- They drink good wine,
- 佌佌彼有屋，蔌蔌方有穀。
民今之無祿，天夭是椓。
哿矣富人，哀此惸獨。- Mean-like, those have their houses;
Abjects, they will have their emoluments.
But the people now have no maintenance.
For Heaven is pounding them with its calamities,
The rich may get through,
But alas for the helpless and solitary!- trans. James Legge
- Mean-like, those have their houses;
- 高岸为谷，深谷为陵。
- High banks become valleys;
Deep valleys become hills.- trans. James Legge
- High banks become valleys;
But it is caught by the hound.
- 他人有心，予忖度之。
躍躍毚兔，遇犬獲之。- What other men have in their minds,
I can measure by reflection.
Swiftly runs the crafty hare,
But it is caught by the hound.- trans. James Legge
- What other men have in their minds,
- 高山仰止，景行行止。
- The high hill is looked up to;
The great road is easy to be travelled on.- trans. James Legge
- The high hill is looked up to;
- 多将熇熇，不可救药 。
- But the troubles will multiply like flames,
Till they are beyond help or remedy.- trans. James Legge
- But the troubles will multiply like flames,
I return to him a plum.
- 投我以桃，報之以李。
- When one throws to me a peach,
I return to him a plum.- trans. James Legge
- When one throws to me a peach,
- 人有土田，女反有之。
人有民人，女覆奪之。
此宜無罪，女反收之。
彼宜有罪，女覆說之。- Some had fields and lands,
But you have taken them away.
Some had serfs and servants,
But you have laid hands upon them.
Some were innocent and you have bound them;
Some were guilty and you have pleaded for them.- trans. Arthur Waley
- Some had fields and lands,
External links
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Encyclopedic article on Classic of Poetry on Wikipedia
Works related to Classic of Poetry on Wikisource
