The plainness confucius, chinas most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have influenced the civilization of east asia. The shi king, or book of poetry, from which these poems are rendered through the prose translations of professor legge in his great series of chinese classics, was compiled by confucius about 500 b. Believed to be compiled by confucius, shih ching or book of odes is a collection of 305 poems, dating from to 600 bc. Read book ii think no evil of the sayings of confucius by confucius. In fact, only a small part of the whole canon dates from the time in which confucius lived, which was called. Authorship was partially attribtued to confucius himself, especially concerning the socalled five classics wujing. Confucius, the great chinese sage, was born june 19th, 551 b. 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. The shih ching the book of poetry predates confucius by some three centuries, although he is often credited with arranging it into its current form sometime. Or, the book of poetry legge, james, confucius, james, mencius, james on. James legge legge, james, 18151897 the online books page.
Confucius himself is said to have compiled the three hundred songs another early name for the text out of a body of 3,000, removing duplicates and. The four books refers to the great learning, the doctrine of the mean, confucian analects and the works of mencius. His followers competed successfully with many other schools during the hundred schools of thought era only to be suppressed in. The classical literature of the time preceding confucius, including poetry, history, and divination. He also did a chineseenglish version for a 7volume chinese classics series 785 pages as reprinted in 1960, and theres also on sacred texts a selection of the book of poetry as it reflects religion. The confucian classics is a canon of important writings reflecting the teachings of the philosopher confucius kongzi, 551479 bce. Sishu wujing are the authoritative books of confucianism in china written before 300 bc.
The philosopher tsang being ill, he cared to him the disciples of his school, and said, uncover my feet, uncover my hands. The same word shi later became a generic term for poetry. Early references refer to the anthology as the 300 poems, with the use of three hundred being typically inexact. The book of odes contains different categories of poems, including folk songs and hymns used in sacrifice. Confucius regards the book of songs as an indispensable portion of chinese acquisition because it is the digest. Cummingswhich he considered the finest of its type. Tszekung wished to do away with the offering of a sheep connected with the inauguration of the first day of each month. The four books and the five classics were the canonical works of the confucian culture in the feudal society in ancient china.
Translations of the analects, mencius, zhuangzi, other early chinese texts, and various classroom teaching materials on early china. According to yale university, the sacred texts of confucianism are five books that legend states confucius wrote. When confucius returned from wei to loo, he brought with him the odes which he had gotten in other states and digested them, along with those which were to be. These are non simply narratives or odes that tell about things of their mundane life. Although three of the above mentioned four books are traditionally attributed to confucius kungtzu, 551479 b. Classic of poetry the first anthology of chinese poetry. This work is a compilation of some three hundred verses of poetry illustrating the proper conduct of a sovereign and general rules for inculcation of propriety and. The book of songs shi jing is one of the seminal works of chinese civilization, along with the book of changes yi jing, the book of history shu jing and the book of rites li chi. Pdf the columbia book of chinese poetry download full pdf. The book, in a different form and known as the annals of lu, was in existence before confucius, and his task seems, after all, to have been to edit and amplify it. The book of odes, also known as the classic of poetry, is the oldest existing collection of chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries bc. The odes, you see, are a collection of 305 folk songs and poems. The book of songs, confucius and analects essay sample.
Sep 18, 2010 poem hunter all poems of by confucius poems. The analects are a long and seemingly disorganised book of short events, filled with strange conversations between confucius and his disciples, like this one. Confusian literature the four books and the five classics. Book of odes by confucius, free pdf, ebook global grey. The classic anthology defined by confucius, by ezra pound, cambridge. The book of songs is the first collection of ancient chinese poetry, and it ranks as one of the confucian classics. His followers competed successfully with many other schools during the hundred schools of thought era only to be suppressed in favor of the legalists during the qin. The book of changes well known in america as the i ching, this was confucius favorite book in the collection. And the five classics includes the book of poetry also known as the book of songs, the book of odes. These books are the book of history, the book of poetry, the book of changes, the book of rites, and the spring and autumn annals. James legge legge, james, 18151897 a wikipedia article about this author is available legge, james, 18151897, trans analects of confucius, by confucius html with chapter headings at.
Book of chinese poetry the chinese philosopher confucius 500 bc, while not being the author, is generally credited with compiling from earlier editions many of chinas literary classics. The book, one of the five classics wujing, contains 305 poems and. The sayings of confucius full audiobook greatest audio. Full text of the odes of confucius internet archive. The shih ching the book of poetry predates confucius by some three centuries, although he is often credited with arranging it into its current form sometime around 520 b. Perhaps this is the legge englishonly translation of the entire book of poetry. These are believed to be the oldest existing examples of chinese poetry. It was whilst he was teaching in his school that confucius started to write. As confucianism makes a comeback in china, daniel a. It aims to break down barriersbetween language and culture, poetry and historythat have stood in the way of teaching and learning chinese poetry. It is said in the book of poetry, we should be apprehensive and cautious, as if on the brink of a deep gulf, as if treading on thin ice, i and so have i been. The master said, the three hundred poems are summed up in the one line, think no evil. While i didnt love the anthology by any means, it was my first time being exposed to many of these poets, especially those whom pound elects to include in translation. Kong the master, or teacher, which the jesuit missionaries latinized into confucius.
In fact the book was assembled before, during, and after the life of confucius. We know very little for certain about the life of the chinese philosopher confucius a westernised version of his name, which means master kong. The shi king, the old poetry classic of the chinese. A s china modernises, it is increasingly returning to its traditional culture. Confucius the book of life is the brain of the school of life, a gathering of the best ideas around wisdom and emotional intelligence. Now and hereafter, i know my escape from all injury to my person. How to read chinese poetry in context is an introduction to the golden age of chinese poetry, spanning the earliest times through the tang dynasty 618907. The analects of confucius book i summary and analysis. One of the major reasons that confucius was considered the sage of china was because of his pivotal role in bringing guan xue to a wider populace without considering their family background. Confucius did a lot of editing, selecting many songs with a moral lesson. Bilingual edition, english and chinese classic of poetry, book of songs ebook. According to the shiji, confucius taught poetry the shi, history the book of documents, ceremony li, and music yue to 3000 or so students.
The master said, guide the people by law, aline them by punishment. The collection includes refined folk songs, ritualistic poems, dynastic legends and hymns for ancestral temples. Chinese verse began with rhyme, and it seems see the festal odes of shang, the oldest in the book that the older the poetry is, the greater is the frequency of rhymes. Apr 25, 2017 the book of songs, by arthur waley, edited with additional translations by joseph r. A set containing the five classics for practice in memorizing terms for the world religions dsst exam. Certainly, the resurgence of confucian thinking is part of this re. For those interested in confucianism it is, of course, required reading anyway, and those interested in. Read all poems of confucius and infos about confucius.
Book of poetry, by xu yuanchong, edited by jiang shengzhang, hunan, china. And the five classics includes the book of poetry also known as the book of songs, the book of odes, the book of history, the book of rites, the book of changes, and the spring and autumn annals, the five classics got its name during the reign of emperor wudi of the han dynasty, and there emerged a group of scholars responsible for the interpretation of these. In addition to having written or edited parts of a diverse body of literature that includes the book of changes and the book of poems, classics to this day, he was a scholar, a minister of state. Book of poetry full text database, fully browsable and searchable online. Xuepen sun and xiaoqian zheng, universit y of virginia chinese text initiative. Classic of poetry wikisource, the free online library. Confucius s life, in contrast to his tremendous importance, seems starkly undramatic, or, as a chinese expression has it, it seems plain and real. This idea is repeated and expanded upon more than once, including in chapter 16 at the end of book 1. Two collections of poetry were the book of odes shijing or shi king and the book of documents shujing or shu king.
The classic of poetry, also shijing or shihching, 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. Other important books of confucianism include the great. The master said, he that rules by mind is like the north star, steady in his seat, whilst the stars all bend to him. It is one of the five classics traditionally said to have been compiled by confucius. It is one this complete edition of the book of odes shijing features both english and chinese sidebyside for easy reference and bilingual support. The lament of a lover poem by confucius poem hunter. The best book to read about confucius is lunyu the analects of confucius written and compiled by the sages disciples.
I suppose that much of confucius and menciuss praise of them comes from their cultural significance, and from the value of beauty both in itself and in the effect it has on a reader. With book i, the text introduces two of the basic themes of the work. Tradition says that it was edited into its present form by the sage of sages, confucius himself. Of the attention paid to the study of the book of poetry from the death of confucius to the rise of the tsin dynasty, we have abundant evidence in the writings of his grandson tszesze, of mencius, and of seun king. About the electronic version shi jing book of odes anonymous. Why did confucius see the book of songs as so of import to chinese acquisition. Confucius removed those which were only repetitions of others, and. Dao tao the mysterious origin of the universe, which is present in everything. Confucius was a chinese poet and philosopher of the spring and autumn period of chinese history.
Its importance is illustrated by zengzis foreword that this is the gateway of learning. His own name was kong, but his disciples called him kongfutse, i. May 30, 2018 through poetry, rites and music, confucian education sought to teach moral subtleties easily memorised in the form of singing, the book of songs helped to lay down rules for behaviour. The book of poetry this is one of the oldest collections of chinese poetry or songs. It was compiled by the ancient sage confucius 551479 bc and cited by him as a model of literary expression, for, despite its numerous themes, the subject matter was. One of the five confucian classics, the book of songs shijing is the oldest collection of poetry in world literature and the finest treasure of traditional songs left. The shih ching, usually translated as either the book of songs or the classic of poetry, is the first great collection of chinese poetry. Bell, a professor of philosophy at tsinghua university in beijing, lists which books to read for an understanding of confucius and his legacy. The odes first became known as a jing, or a classic book, in the canonical sense, as part of the han dynasty official adoption of confucianism as the guiding principles of chinese society.
Confucius september 28, 551 479 bc was a chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the spring and autumn period of chinese history. Confucius, on seeing his son, addressed him thus have you read the odes. The she king, or, the book of ancient poetry, translated in english verse with essays and notes page images at hathitrust legge, james, 18151897, trans the shih king, or, book of poetry from the sacred books of the east collection html at. The oldest of these odes belong to the shang dynasty, 17651122 b. Phenomenal woman, still i rise, the road not taken, if you forget me, dreams. Daodejing tao te ching the classic scripture of daoism. It was compiled by the ancient sage confucius 551479 bc and cited. Even ezra pound, the great poet, translator, and admirer of confucius, once expressed confusion as to what exactly the confucians saw in them. The quotation from the master master kong, or confucius that starts the book introduces an important quality of a gentleman. One day his son le was passing hurriedly through the court, when he met his father standing alone lost in thought. The shi king, the old poetry classic of the chinese online. The philosophy of confucius emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity.
In his time, music was considered of great social significance, linking rulers to subjects, parents to children. This anthology is ezra pounds own choice of the poetry of various ages and culturesranging from his translations of the confucian odes up to e. The great importance that confucius placed upon the book of poetry may be gathered from the following anecdote. These terms can also be found on nathandjoness confucianism set. Shi, is the oldest existing collection of chinese poetry, comprising 305 works dating from the 11th to 7th centuries bc. Traditionally considered to have been compiled by confucius, but probably older, this collection of 305 songs is today valued for its glimpses into ordinary life of the midzhou period, so that they would have been old by confucius time. The work as it has come down to us, however, undoubtedly unchanged since the han dynasty, is a bare record of events, almost utterly devoid of instruction and even of interest. The book of odes is comprised of 305 poems dealing with a range of issues, including love and marriage, agricultural concerns, daily lives, and war. Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the chinese philosopher confucius kong fuzi, or kungfutzu, lit. The book of odes has been a revered confucian classic since the han dynasty, and has been studied and memorized by. Book of odes the book of odes is also translated as the book of songs or book of poetry. Shi jing the book of odes, the book of songs poetry, folklore.
All four of these books were already old when confucius flourished, and tradition states that they were edited by him into their present form. English, ezra pound, the classic anthology defined by confucius, cambridge. Confucius reportedly made a practice of dancing with his disciples every day. The best books on confucius five books expert recommendations.