The Shih King

By Legge, James

Book Id: WPLBN0000624299
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 258.50 KB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	The Shih King
Author:	Legge, James
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Literature, Literature & thought, Writing.
Collections:	Blackmask Online Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Blackmask Online


Citation APA MLA Chicago Legge, J. (n.d.). The Shih King. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.us/

Description
Excerpt: Chapter 1. THE NAME AND CONTENTS OF THE CLASSIC. 1. Among the Chinese classical books next after the Shu in point of antiquity comes the Shih or Book of Poetry. The meaning of the character Shih. The character Shu, as formed by the combination of two others, one of which signified ?a pencil,? and the other ?to speak,? supplied, we saw in its structure, an indication of its primary significance, and furnished a clue to its different applications. The character Shih was made on a different principle, that of phonetical formation, in the peculiar sense of these words when applied to a large class of Chinese terms. The significative portion of it is the character for ?speech,? but the other half is merely phonetical, enabling us to approximate to its pronunciation or name. The meaning of the compound has to be learned from its usage. Its most common significations are ?poetry,? a poem, or poems,? and a collection of poems! This last is its meaning when we speak of the Shih or the Shih King. The earliest Chinese utterance that we have on the subject of poetry is that in the Shu by the ancient Shun, when he said to his Minister of Music, ?Poetry is the Expression of earnest thought, and singing, is the prolonged utterance of that expression.? To the same effect is the language of a Preface to the Shih, sometimes ascribed to Confucius and certainly older than our Christian era: ?Poetry is the product of earnest thought. Thought cherished in the mind becomes earnest; then expressed in words, it becomes poetry. The feelings move inwardly, and are embodied in words. When words are insufficient for them, recourse is had to sighs and exclamations. When sighs and exclamations are insufficient for them, recourse is had to the prolonged utterance of song. When this again is insufficient, unconsciously the hands begin to move and the feet to dance.... To set forth correctly the successes and failures (of government), to affect Heaven and Earth, and to move spiritual beings, there is no readier instrument than poetry.?

Table of Contents
Table of Contents: The Shih King, 1 -- James Legge, 1 -- Chapter I, 3 -- Chapter II, 5 -- Chapter III, 8 -- Chapter IV, 11 -- ODE 1. THE NA [1], 18 -- ODE 2. THE LIEH ZU, 19 -- ODE 3. THE HSUeAN NIAO, 19 -- ODE 4. THE KHANG FA, 20 -- ODE 5. THE YIN WU, 22 -- ODE 3. THE PHAN SHUI, 37 -- ODE 4. THE PI KUNG, 39 -- ODE 5, STANZA 1. THE FA MU, 42 -- ODE 6. THE THIEN PAO, 42 -- ODE 9, STANZA 4. THE TI TU, 43 -- ODE 5, STANZAS 5 TO 9. THE SZE KAN, 43 -- ODE 6, STANZA 4. THE WU YANG, 44 -- ODE 7. THE KIEH NAN SHAN, 44 -- ODE 8, STANZAS 4, 5, AND 7. THE KANG YUeEH, 46 -- ODE 9. THE SHIH YUeEH KIH KIAO, 46 -- ODE 10, STANZAS I AND 3. THE YUe WU KANG, 48 -- ODE 1, STANZAS 1, 2, AND 3. THE HSIAO MIN, 48 -- ODE 2, STANZAS I AND 2. THE HSIAO YUeAN, 48 -- ODE 3, STANZAS 1 AND 3. THE HSIAO PAN, 49 -- ODE 4, STANZA 1. THE KHIAO YEN, 49 -- ODE 6, STANZAS 5 AND 6. THE HSIANG PO, 50 -- ODE 9. THE TA TUNG, 50 -- ODE 3, STANZAS 1, 4, AND 5. THE HSIAO MING, 51 -- ODE 5. THE KHU ZHZE, 52 -- ODE 6. THE HSIN NAN SHAN, 53 -- ODE 7. THE PHU THIEN, 54 -- ODE 8. THE TA THIEN, 56 -- ODE 1, STANZA 1. THE SANG HU, 56 -- ODE 6, STANZAS 1 AND 2. THE PIN KIH KHU YEN, 57 -- ODE 5, STANZAS 1 AND 2. THE PO HWA, 58 -- ODE 1. THE WAN WANG, 58 -- ODE 2. THE TA MING, 60 -- ODE 3. THE MIEN, 61 -- ODE 4, STANZAS I AND 2. THE YI PHO, 63 -- ODE 5. THE HAN LU, 63 -- ODE 6. THE SZE KAI, 64 -- ODE 7. THE HWANG I, 65 -- ODE 9. THE HSIA WU, 67 -- ODE 10. THE WAN WANG YU SHANG, 68 -- ODE 1. THE SHANG MIN, 69 -- ODE 2. THE HSIN WEI, 71 -- ODE 3. THE KI ZUI, 72