Shih King, the Book of Odes

←Classic of Poetry

Shih King, the Book of Odes Various, translated by James Legge

Shi Jing (traditional Chinese: 詩經; simplified Chinese: 诗经; pinyin: Shī Jīng; Wade-Giles: Shih Ching), translated variously as the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Songs or the Book of Odes, is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems. It comprises 305 poems, some possibly written as early as 1000 BC. The Confucian tradition holds that the collection, one of the Wu Jing, or Five Classics, came to what we have today after the editing of Confucius. The poems are written in four-character lines. The airs are in the style of folk songs, although the extent to which they are real folk songs or literary imitations is debated. The odes deal with matters of court and historical subjects, while the hymns blend history, myth and religious material. — Excerpted from Shi Jing on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

THE SHIH KING

OR

BOOK OF POETRY:

ALL THE PIECES AND STANZAS IN IT ILLUSTRATING THE RELIGIOUS VIEWS AND PRACTICES OF THE WRITERS AND THEIR TIMES.

Translated by
James Legge

From the Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 3

First Published 1879

Contents

Introduction

• Chapter I. The Name and Contents of the Classic
• Chapter II. The Shih Before Confucius, and What, If Any, Were His Labours Upon It
• Chapter III. The Shih From the Time of Confucius Till the General Acknowledgment of the Present Text
• Chapter IV. The Formation of the Collection of the Shih

Part I: Odes of the Temple and the Altar

• Introduction

I. The Sacrificial Odes of Shang

• Introduction
• Ode 1. The Nâ
• Ode 2. The Lieh Ȝû
• Ode 3. The Hsüan Niâo
• Ode 4. The Khang Fâ
• Ode 5. The Yin Wû

II. The Sacrificial Odes of Kâu

• Ode 1. The Khing Miâo
• Ode 2. The Wei Thien Kih Ming
• Ode 3. The Wei Khing
• Ode 4. The Lieh Wăn
• Ode 5. The Thien Ȝo
• Ode 6. The Hâo Thien Yû Khăng Ming
• Ode 7. The Wû Kiang
• Ode 8. The Shih Mâi
• Ode 9. The Kih King
• Ode 10. The Sze Wăn

• Ode 1. The Khăn Kung
• Ode 2. The Î Hsî
• Ode 3. The Kâu Lû
• Ode 4. The Făng Nien
• Ode 5. The Yû Kû
• Ode 6. The Khien
• Ode 6. The Yung
• Ode 8. The Ȝâi Hsien
• Ode 9. The Yû Kho
• Ode 10. The Wû

• Ode 1. The Min Yü
• Ode 2. The Fang Lo
• Ode 3. The King Kih
• Ode 4. The Hsiâo Pî
• Ode 5. The Ȝâi Shû
• Ode 6. The Liang Sze
• Ode 7. The Sze Î
• Ode 8. The Ko
• Ode 9. The Hwan
• Ode 10. The Lâi
• Ode 11. The Pan

III. The Praise Odes of Lû

• Introduction
• Ode 3. The Phan Shui
• Ode 4. The Pî Kung

Part II: Minor Odes of the Kingdom

The First Decade, or that of Lû-ming

• Ode 5, Stanza 1. The Fâ Mû
• Ode 6. The Thien Pâo
• Ode 9, Stanza 4. The Tî Tû

The Fourth Decade, or that of Khî fû

• Ode 5, Stanzas 5 to 9. The Sze Kan
• Ode 6, Stanza 4. The Wû Yang
• Ode 7. The Kieh Nan Shan
• Ode 8, Stanzas 4, 5, and 7. The Kăng Yüeh
• Ode 9. The Shih Yüeh Kih Kiâo
• Ode 10, Stanzas 1 And 3. The Yü Wû Kăng

The Fifth Decade, or that of Hsiâo Min

• Ode 1, Stanzas 1, 2, And 3. The Hsiâo Min
• Ode 2, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Hsiâo Yüan
• Ode 3, Stanzas 1 and 3. The Hsiâo Pan
• Ode 4, Stanza 1. The Khiâo Yen
• Ode 6, Stanzas 5 and 6. The Hsiang Po
• Ode 9. The Tâ Tung

The Sixth Decade, or that of Pei Shan

• Ode 3, Stanzas 1, 4, and 5. The Hsiâo Ming
• Ode 5. The Khû Ȝhze
• Ode 6. The Hsin Nan Shan
• Ode 7. The Phû Thien
• Ode 8. The Tâ Thien

The Seventh Decade, or that of Sang Hû

• Ode 1, Stanza 1. The Sang Hû
• Ode 6, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Pin Kih Khû Yen

The Eighth Decade, or that of Po Hwâ

• Ode 5, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Po Hwâ

Part III: Major Odes of the Kingdom

The First Decade

• Ode 1. The Wăn Wang
• Ode 2. The Tâ Ming
• Ode 3. The Mien
• Ode 4, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Yî Pho
• Ode 5. The Han Lû
• Ode 6. The Sze Kâi
• Ode 7. The Hwang Î
• Ode 9. The Hsiâ Wû
• Ode 10. The Wăn Wang Yû Shăng

The Second Decade, or that of Shăng Min

• Ode 1. The Shăng Min
• Ode 2. The Hsin Wei
• Ode 3. The Kî Ȝui
• Ode 4. The Hû Î
• Ode 5, Stanza 1. The Kiâ Lo
• Ode 8. The Khüan Â
• Ode 9, Stanza 1. The Min Lâo
• Ode 10. The Pan

The Third Decade, or that of Tang

• Ode 1. The Tang
• Ode 2. The Yî
• Ode 3, Stanzas 1, 2, 3, 4, And 7. The Sang Zâu
• Ode 4. The Yun Han
• Ode 5, Stanzas 1, 2, and 4. The Sung Kâo
• Ode 6, Stanzas 1 and 7. The Kăng Min
• Ode 7, Stanzas 1 and Part of 3. The Han Yî
• Ode 8, Stanzas 4 and 5. The Kiang Han
• Ode 10, Stanzas 1, 5, 6, And 7. The Kan Zang
• Ode 11, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Shâo Min

Part IV: Lessons from the States

• Introduction

Book II. The Odes of Shâo and the South

• Introduction
• Ode 2. The Zhâi Fan
• Ode 4. The Zhâi Pin
• Ode 12. The Yeh Yu Ssŭ Chün

Book III. The Odes of Phei

• Introduction
• Ode 4. The Zăh Yüeh
• Ode 15, Stanza 1. The Pei Măn

Book IV. The Odes of Yung

• Ode 1. The Pai Kâu
• Ode 3, Stanza 2. The Kün-ȝze Kieh Lâo
• Ode 6, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Ting Kih Fang Kûng

Book V. The Odes of Wei

• Introduction
• Ode 4, Stanzas 1 and 2. The Măng

Book VI. The Odes of The Royal Domain

• Introduction
• Ode 1, Stanza 1. The Shû-Lî
• Ode 9, Stanzas 1 and 3. The Tâ Kü

Book X. The Odes of Thang

• Introduction
• Ode, 8, Stanza 1. The Pâo Yü
• Ode 11. The Ko Shăng

Book XI. The Odes of Khin

• Introduction
• Ode 6, Stanza 1. The Hwang Niâo

Book XV. The Odes of Pin

• Introduction
• Ode 1, Stanza 8. The Khî Yüeh

This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.