The Book of Songs: The Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry by Arthur Waley (PDF)

Description

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 from antiquity. Where the other Confucian classics treat “outward things: deeds, moral precepts, the way the world works,” as Stephen Owen tells us in his foreword, The Book of Songs is “the classic of the human heart and the human mind.”

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From the Back Cover Joseph R. Allen’s new edition of The Book of Songs restores Arthur Waley’s definitive English translations to the original order and structure of the two-thousand-year-old Chinese text. One of the five Confucian classics, The Book of Songs is the oldest collection of poetry in world literature and the finest treasure of traditional songs that antiquity has left us. Arthur Waley’s translations, now supplemented by fifteen new translations by Allen, are superb; the songs speak to us across millennia with remarkable directness and power. Where the other Confucian classics treat “outward things, deeds, moral precepts, the way the world works”, Stephen Owen tells us in his foreword, The Book of Songs is “the Classic of the human heart and the human mind”.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐”The Book of Songs” is the oldest of the Chinese classics, a collection of 305 songs that date back over two thousand years to the Zhou kingdom. These songs/poems held a huge importance in Confucianism and in Chinese literature. They are presented in the order they appeared in the classic edition known as the Mao version. I knew little about this prior to reading the book, and I apologize for any mistakes I’ve made in my comments.Now classed as poetry, the original versions derived from songs: folk songs, songs from rituals, ceremonial songs — some of them perhaps courtship songs with men and women singing in call and response, some of them perhaps accompanied by dance as well as music. Although they arose from songs, the music has been lost. Add to this the difficulty of translating lyrics, where it is almost impossible to preserve rhythm, rhyme, sound, and it doesn’t surprise me that I found the English renditions rather flat. I imagine reading a song like Greensleeves in translation and without the music.This book contains Arthur Waley’s translation of the bulk of the songs along with his comments. In addition, it contains a foreword by Stephen Owen, plus Joseph R. Allen’s translations of fifteen songs that Waley omitted, plus Allen’s comments and an extensive postface that Allen wrote on the literary history of “The Book of Songs.” The foreword and postface help explain the origins of the songs/poems, their historical importance, and the commentaries and interpretations that were attached to them.The postface uses song 81 as an example of how later material attached to the text. Here is Allen’s translation: Along the Highroad If along the highroad I caught hold of your cuff, Do not hate me; Old ways take time to overcome. If along the highroad I caught hold of your hand, Do not be angry with me; Love takes time to overcome.The influential Mao version of the book, dating from about two thousand years ago, contained accompanying notes both of a lexical nature and on the general meaning. Of number 81, it says, ‘”Along the Highroad” describes thinking of one’s noble lord; Duke Zhuang of Zheng neglected the proper way and the noble lords abandoned him. The men of the state longed for them/him.’ [Note that the original contains no mention of Duke Zhuang.]Another influential version of the book, Kong Ying-da’s version from 641 CE, went into greater length on the general meaning–still tying it to Duke Zhuang–and on specific words. (Allen’s postface quotes the discussion of the word translated as cuff.)Whereas in the 12th century, a paraphrase by Zhu Xi has no mention of Duke Zhuang, saying instead “A licentious woman was abandoned by someone; upon the point of him leaving her, she grabbed his cuff in order to detain him…. These too are the lyrics of a love song between a man and a woman.”Historically, the interpretations that attached to “The Book of Songs” were very important. For myself, I am most interested in what the songs/poems show of life in China thousands of years ago: farming, courtship, being a soldier or a servant or a wife, divination, beliefs about ancestors. I liked it when I felt the emotion behind the songs/poems. I liked how some of the lines remain very timely, e.g. from number 195: Shallow words are what they heed, And shallow words make their debate.Some of the notes are fascinating, for instance the brief statement on number 280 that “Musicians were generally blind men,” or the explanation preceding number 209 that a young man, referred to as the Dead One, would impersonate their dead ancestor during sacrifices.As poetry, stripped of music, translated into English, this book is somewhat lacking. As a record of a Chinese classic, plus a discussion of its historical importance, plus a glimpse into life thousands of years ago, it is fascinating. Hard to rate overall, but I’ll settle on 4 out of 5 Confucian stars.About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don’t end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn’t like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I’ve loved).

⭐This is translated very well. I was worried at first but I am happy with my purchase. Now you can really get a glimpse of history and poetry from another culture. This is a thick book so you get your moneys worth. Great conversation starter as well.

⭐I stumbled upon the Book of Songs in a James Michener library in PA. It was an incredible experience for reading and learning song structure, like varying similar stanzas and repeating verses. It was my introduction to Chinese literature also. The Book of Songs is Waley’s selection of popular songs throughout Chinese history. You might also enjoy Lao Tzu, the philosopher, and Li Po, the wandering poet. These little songs rival the great Japanese haiku in terms of human condition content and in emotional expressions of love and loss. There are no cliches though. The love songs are stamped with the mark of real love affairs and experiences. The book is probably PG rated, mostly G rated. I give it only 4 stars, as the book is not quite comprehensive enough, although it does include new song translations added after Waley passed on.

⭐Pretty much the best translation out there in English of this book. But sometimes the translations are silly. In a famous poem the poet compares a girl about to be married to a peach tree. So Waley speaks of the bosom of the peach tree. But there is no bosom of the peach tree in the original poem or in other translations. Waley commits a bleed-through. Still, these poems are magnificent, the love poems in the beginning poignant, the hymns and odes later on chock full of Zhou history, and used by historians to help understand the history of that time. Really you must read this book.

⭐This is a great compilation of poems with amazing footnotes and detailed history of the poems. It’s the first poetry book I’ve read on my own in 15 years and I LOVED it. By the time I was done, I was (almost) able to see the rhythm of poems, their unique points of view, and could visualize them. Before reading this book, I was no where near that level.

⭐After reading modern and contemporary poetry, it’s a pleasure to taste the clarity and feeling of verse written prior to the era of Confucius. This is a beautiful book both to hold and to read. The new format orders the poems by geography and dynasty, as in the original Chinese version, which I find much more informative than ordering the poems by theme. Waley’s notes are a great help in understanding the historical and literary context of the poems. The Book of Songs is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the possibilities and breadth of poetry.

⭐Excellent book. This is not just a reprint of Waley’s earlier version. It restores the original order of the verses (Waley reorganized the order according to his personal preference), and the editor, Stephen Owen, has translated and included some dozen of the poems that Waley deleted from the collection. Beautiful layout, and crystal-clear translations, plus a valuable study of the history and content of this collection of some 300 poems from ancient China. In my view, the best translation of this important collection of early Chinese verse.

⭐The book is well laid-out, but the print is a bit small and the actual Chinese poetry frankly doesn’t do very much for me. I suppose it makes a good reference just in case, though.

⭐The poems/songs in this book are really well done. The translations and extra tidbits the author/translator supplies are great. They’re pretty much essential in understanding some poems actually since the book is from another time. Birds circling doesn’t mean the same thing or as much in today’s world, but the translator makes you the reader sees the poem in its historical context so the poem can truly mean what it ought. It’s makes the book so much better with said extras. I don’t usually like poetry, and these songs do come across as poems to me. The point is that I do like these poems. The book arrived in good condition and in quick order. There are no complaints on any end with this purchase.

⭐I had heard of this book in a movie series I was watching on Netflix…it was a chinese romance and in it the chef prepared food according to many of the poems in this book, so I had to purchase for myself. I simply love it. Must comment the translator for the difficult task in translating this collection to capture the original meaning.

⭐It is simply beautiful.

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