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dankodes * I found the best option for the weekly reminder emails, via Gmail. The external service options are more involved than our purposes require. Does anyone know anything about how to arrange an Apps Script? Basically all it has to do is tell ten people, on Saturdays, to come and get their juice/poems.
Until someone knows what to do there, I'll send out manual messages weekly. If you'd like to receive these and are not getting them, please let me know.
* If you haven't read it yet, chapter one, on tetrasyllabic shi poetry, in How to Read Chinese Poetry is hugely useful for the Book of Odes, imo.
* Remember you can also look at How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context.
* IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN or have other ideas, please let me know on this post.
* Every week I search the poems' English results to see if I can find any scholarship or neat bits and pop the results in Resources. Here is this week's collection.
**NEXT BATCH MAY 10.**
Until someone knows what to do there, I'll send out manual messages weekly. If you'd like to receive these and are not getting them, please let me know.
* If you haven't read it yet, chapter one, on tetrasyllabic shi poetry, in How to Read Chinese Poetry is hugely useful for the Book of Odes, imo.
* Remember you can also look at How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context.
* IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN or have other ideas, please let me know on this post.
* Every week I search the poems' English results to see if I can find any scholarship or neat bits and pop the results in Resources. Here is this week's collection.
**NEXT BATCH MAY 10.**
215. 桑扈 - Sang Hu
君子樂胥、受天之祜。
They flit about, the green-beaks,
With their variegated wings.
To be rejoiced in are these princes!
May they receive the blessing of Heaven!
交交桑扈、有鶯其領。
君子樂胥、萬邦之屏。
They flit about, the green-beaks,
With their glancing necks.
To be rejoiced in are these princes!
They are screens to all the States.
之屏之翰、百辟為憲。
不戢不難、受福不那。
These screens, these buttresses, -
All the chiefs will take them as a pattern.
Are they not self-restrained? Are they not careful?
Will they not receive much happiness?
兕觥其觩、旨酒思柔。
彼交匪敖、萬福來求。
How long is that cup of rhinoceros' horn!
Good are the spirits in it and soft.
While it passes round, they show no pride;
All blessing must come to seek them.
Re: 215. 桑扈 - Sang Hu
Re: 215. 桑扈 - Sang Hu
216. 鴛鴦 - Yuan Yang
君子萬年、福祿宜之。
The Yellow ducks fly about,
And are taken with hand-nets and spread-nets.
May our sovereign live for ten thousand years,
Enjoying the happiness and wealth which are his due!
鴛鴦在梁、戢其左翼。
君子萬年、宜其遐福。
The Yellow ducks are on the dam,
With their left wings gathered up.
May our sovereign live for ten thousand years,
Enjoying the happiness and wealth which are his due!
乘馬在廄、摧之秣之。
君子萬年、福祿艾之。
The teams of steeds are in the stable,
Fed with forage and grain.
May our sovereign live for ten thousand years,
Sustained in his happiness and wealth!
乘馬在廄、秣之摧之。
君子萬年、福祿綏之。
The teams of steeds are in the stable,
Fed with grain and forage.
May our sovereign live for ten thousand years,
In the comfort of his happiness and wealth!
Re: 216. 鴛鴦 - Yuan Yang
Re: 216. 鴛鴦 - Yuan Yang
The left wings gathered up bit is bc when the ducks perch/rest, they stick their beaks under their left wings.
These ducks, if you didn't know, are a major symbol for an affectionate couple in China; Baike notes that ancient people called them "mated/paired birds".
Lots of potential interpretations; as always Mao's commentary says it's a satirization of the king of Zhou. Other interpretations include celebrating a new marriage, or a response by the feudal princes to 215 (i.e. 215 was written by the emperor to the feudal princes). Baike's interpretation section reads the poem as a celebration of marriage.
217. 頍弁 - Kui Bian
爾酒既旨、爾殽既嘉。
豈伊異人、兄弟匪他。
蔦與女蘿、施于松柏。
未見君子、憂心弈弈。
既見君子、庶幾說懌。
Those in the leather caps, -
Who are they?
Since your spirits are [so] good,
And your viands are [so] fine,
How can they be strangers?
They are your brethren, and no others.
[They are like] the mistletoe and the dodder.
Growing over the pine and the cypress.
While they do not see you, O king,
Their sorrowful hearts are all-unsettled.
When they do see you,
They begin to be happy and glad.
有頍者弁、實維何期。
爾酒既旨、爾殽既時。
豈伊異人、兄弟具來。
蔦與女蘿、施于松上。
未見君子、憂心怲怲。
既見君子、庶幾有臧。
Those in the leather caps, -
Who are they?
Since your spirits are [so]good,
And your viands are all of the season.
How can they be strangers?
They are your brethren, all assembled.
[They are like] the mistletoe and the dodder.
Growing over the pine.
While they do not see you, O king,
Their hearts are full of sorrow.
When they do see you,
They begin to feel that things are right.
有頍者弁、實維在首。
爾酒既旨、爾殽既阜。
豈伊異人、兄弟甥舅。
如彼雨雪、先集維霰。
死喪無日、無幾相見。
樂酒今夕、君子維宴。
There are those in the leather caps,
Which they wear on their heads.
Since your spirits are [so] good,
And your viands are [so] abundant,
How can they be strangers?
They are your brethren, and your relatives by affinity.
When there is going to be a fall of snow,
There is first the descent of sleet.
Death and ruin may come any day,
It is not long that you will see one another.
Rejoice over your spirits for the present evening;
O king, enjoy the feast.
Re: 217. 頍弁 - Kui Bian
"Those in the leather caps" court wear?
"When there is going to be a fall of snow,
There is first the descent of sleet." what's this doing?
"Death and ruin may come any day,
It is not long that you will see one another." is this specific to anything, or just about the inevitable brevity of life?
Re: 217. 頍弁 - Kui Bian
All baike says about the leather caps is that they had an angular appearance, made of white deer leather, with a dome-like appearance. (Unsure how it is both angular and dome-like?)
Baike seems to think the graupel (not really sleet) is meant ominously, like, they don't know when they're going to die.
But yeah, Baike thinks pessimism, social unrest, the future is unknown type thing.
Re: 217. 頍弁 - Kui Bian
Mao's commentary says this satirizes Zhou You wang, who has no relatives and cannot peacefully make merry with his family.
Although the tone of the poem is about a banquet, it also describes the relationships between the aristocrats. Beneath the surface of a lively atmosphere, they are pessimistic and disappointed, so it's a mood of "make merry while you can". It is an expression of the decline of last years of the Western Zhou Dynasty. (Also, Baike keeps referring to the aristocrats as 奴隶主贵族, which translates to the slave owning aristocrats, and I'm not sure if there is some connotation to the 'slave owner' part that I'm missing?)
Baike also notes that some scholars believe this wasn't meant as satire, just a song about enjoying life, but the people reading into it adds this meaning.
218. 車舝 - Che Xia
匪飢匪渴、德音來括。
雖無好友、式燕且喜。
Jian-guan went the axle ends of my carriage,
As I thought of the young beauty, and went [to fetch her].
It was not that I was hungry or thirsty,
But [I longed] for one of such virtuous fame to come and be with me.
Although no good friends be with us,
We will feast and be glad.
依彼平林、有集維鷮。
辰彼碩女、令德來教。
式燕且譽、好爾無射。
Dense is that forest in the plain,
And there sit the long-tailed pheasants.
In her proper season that well-grown lady,
With her admirable virtue, is come to instruct me.
We will feast, and I will praise her.
' I love you, and will never be weary of you. '
雖無旨酒、式飲庶幾。
雖無嘉殽、式食庶幾。
雖無德與女、式歌且舞。
Although I have no good spirits,
We will drink [what I have], and perhaps [be satisfied].
Although I have no good viands,
We will eat [what I have], and perhaps [be satisfied].
Although I have no virtue to impart to you,
We will sing and dance.
陟彼高岡、析其柞薪。
析其柞薪、其葉湑兮。
鮮我覯爾、我心寫兮。
I ascend that lofty ridge,
And split the branches of the oaks for firewood.
I split the branches of the oaks for firewood,
Amid the luxuriance of their leaves.
I see you whose match is seldom to be seen,
And my whole heart is satisfied.
高山仰止、景行行止。
四牡騑騑、六轡如琴。
覯爾新昏、以慰我心。
The high hill is looked up to;
The great road is easy to be travelled on.
My four steeds advanced without stopping;
The six reins [made music] in my hands like lute-[strings].
I see you my bride,
To the comfort of my heart.
Re: 218. 車舝 - Che Xia
But [I longed] for one of such virtuous fame to come and be with me." so it's not lust, but admiration
"Although no good friends be with us,
We will feast and be glad." just--getting married alone, I guess? for some reason?
"In her proper season that well-grown lady,
With her admirable virtue, is come to instruct me.
We will feast, and I will praise her.
' I love you, and will never be weary of you. '"
the shi jing's shizunfucker vibe: *intensifies*
Re: 218. 車舝 - Che Xia
I think baike is a little snarky and says that although the poem naively says the bit about how it's not about lust but admiration for her virtues, it's a 'doth protest too much' situation (the idiom they use means 'to reveal what one intends to hide').
219. 青蠅 - Qing Ying
豈弟君子、無信讒言。
They buzz about, the blue flies,
Lighting on the fences.
O happy and courteous sovereign,
Do not believe slanderous speeches.
營營青蠅、止于棘。
讒人罔機、交亂四國。
They buzz about, the blue flies,
Lighting on the jujube trees.
The slanderers observe no limits,
And throw the whole kingdom into confusion.
營營青蠅、止于榛。
讒人罔機、構我二人。
They buzz about, the blue flies,
Lighting on the hazel trees.
The slanderers observe no limits,
And set us two at variance.
Re: 219. 青蠅 - Qing Ying
Re: 219. 青蠅 - Qing Ying
Baike says there's some controversy over who the object of slander and the author of the poem is. Mao's commentary says it was an official satirizing Zhou You wang, so the gentleman in the poem (sovereign in the Legge tl) could be Zhou You wang. Wei Yuan thought it was written about Zhou You wang listening to Baosi (his concubine and a famous beauty) and abandoning his son.
220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
籩豆有楚、殽核維旅。
酒既和旨、飲酒孔偕。
鐘鼓既設、舉醻逸逸。
大侯既抗、弓矢斯張。
射夫既同、獻爾發功。
發彼有的、以祈爾爵。
When the guests first approach the mats,
They take their places on the left and the right in an orderly manner.
The dishes of bamboo and wood are arranged in rows,
With the sauces and kernels displayed in them.
The spirits are mild and good,
And they drink, all equally reverent.
The bells and drums are properly arranged;
And they raise their pledge-cups with order and ease.
[Then] the great target is set up;
The bows and arrows are made ready for the shooting;
The archers are matched in classes.
' Show your skill in shooting, ' [it is said].
' I shall hit that mark, ' [it is responded],
'And pray you to drink the cup. '
籥舞笙鼓、樂既和奏。
烝衎烈祖、以洽百禮。
百禮既至、有壬有林。
錫爾純嘏、子孫其湛。
其湛曰樂、各奏爾能。
賓載手仇、室人入又。
酌彼康爵、以奏爾時。
The dancers move with their flutes to the notes of the organ and drum,
While all the instruments perform in harmony.
All this is done to please the meritorious ancestors,
Along with the observance of all ceremonies.
When all the ceremonies have been performed,
Grandly and fully,
'We confer on you great blessings, ' [says the representative of the dead],
'And may your descendants [also] be happy! '
They are happy and delighted,
And each of them exerts his ability.
A guest draws the spirits,
An attendant enters again, with a cup,
And fills it, - the cup of rest.
Thus are performed your seasonal ceremonies.
賓之初筵、溫溫其恭。
其未醉止、威儀反反。
曰既醉止、威儀幡幡。
舍其坐遷、屢舞僊僊。
其未醉止、威儀抑抑。
曰既醉止、威儀怭怭。
是曰既醉、不知其秩。
When the guests first approach the mats,
All harmonies are they and reverent.
Before they have drunk too much,
Their deportment is carefully observant of propriety;
But when they have drunk too much,
Their deportment becomes light and frivolous:
They leave their seats, and go elsewhere,
They keep dancing and capering.
Before they have drunk too much,
Their deportment is cautious and grave:
But when they have drunk too much,
Their deportment becomes indecent and rude:
Thus when they have too mcuh,
They lose all sense of orderliness.
賓既醉止、載號載呶。
亂我籩豆、屢舞僛僛。
是曰既醉、不知其郵。
側弁之俄、屢舞傞傞。
既醉而出、並受其福。
醉而不出、是謂伐德。
飲酒孔嘉、維其令儀。
When the guests have drunk too much,
They shout out and brawl.
They disorder the dishes;
They keep dancing in a fantastic manner.
Thus when they have drunk too much,
They become insensible of their errors.
With their caps on one side, and like to fall off,
They keep dancing and will not stop.
If, when they have drunk too much, they went out,
Both they [and their host] would be happy;
But remaining after they are drunk,
Is what is called doing injury to virtue.
Drinking is a good institution,
Only when there is good deportment in it.
凡此飲酒、或醉或否。
既立之監、或佐之史。
彼醉不臧、不醉反恥。
式勿從謂、無俾大怠。
匪言勿言、匪由勿語。
由醉之言、俾出童羖。
三爵不識、矧敢多又。
On every occasion of drinking,
Some get drunk, and some do not.
An inspector is appointed,
With a recorder to assist him.
But those drunkards, in their vileness,
Are shamed of those who do not get drunk.
These have no opportunity to speak,
And prevent the others from proceeding to such great abandonment.
[They might say], ' Do not speak what you ought not to speak;
Do not say what you have no occasion to say,
If you speak, drunk as you are,
We will make you produce a ram without horns.
With three cups you lose your memories; -
How dare you go on to more? '
Re: 220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
Ancient Greece used to have ritual funeral games. Maybe this is a kind of similar practice, and an archery competition persists as a good Thing to Do to open a formal ceremony or banquet. Maybe the CQL conference-opening archery competition is partaking in the long comet tail of the aesthetics or habitude of this.
every other shi jing poem is like, o do not be the asshole/who gets wasted at someone's gran's funeral!/hearken unto me, and do not be That Guy
'some people just have a drink
and it's chill
but if you get plastered on ritual rice wine
just absolutely fuck you
seriously' (but every line is groupings of 4 characters)
Last stanza a bit confusing.
Re: 220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
Also, this might association also render the Jin staging their ceremony as they do a bit politically assumptive: it could look like quasi-imperial grandiosity.
"Food, Sacrifice, and Sagehood in Early China" says some good stuff about the tension between reverence and pleasure in ritual drinking. (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Q2ygZMdf2YYC&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=Bin+Zhi+Chu+Yan+poem&source=bl&ots=puB1qjvL-_&sig=ACfU3U3XCjYvBQNhOemAclxh2rj6ZanQHw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFwYTS5KzwAhVyRBUIHcYUACgQ6AEwEHoECAQQAw#v=onepage&q=Bin%20Zhi%20Chu%20Yan%20poem&f=false)
Re: 220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
Isn't the last stanza just being like, yep, don't drink if you can't handle it?
Re: 220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
The archery targets are made of tiger, bear, AND leopard skins. Ordinary targets would have just been made of cloth.
The historical commentary mostly says it was written by Wei Wu gong who had to host these banquets and regretted it, but didn't dare admonish Zhou You wang.
Re: 220. 賓之初筵 - Bin Zhi Chu Yan
221. 魚藻 - Yu Zao
王在在鎬、豈樂飲酒。
The fishes are there, there among the pondweed,
Showing their large heads.
The king is here, here in Hao,
At ease and happy, while he drinks.
魚在在藻、有莘其尾。
王在在鎬、飲酒樂豈。
The fishes are there, there among the pondweed,
Showing their long tails.
The king is here, here in Hao,
Drinking, happy and at ease.
魚在在藻、依于其蒲。
王在在鎬、有那其居。
The fishes are there, there among the pondweed,
Sheltered by the rushes.
The king is here, here in Hao,
Dwelling in tranquillity.
Re: 221. 魚藻 - Yu Zao
Re: 221. 魚藻 - Yu Zao
Baike mostly talks about how cheerful and happy the poem is, and good the combination of form and content is, but we could go for Mao's commentary this time and say it's satirizing Zhou You wang.
Re: 221. 魚藻 - Yu Zao
me: oh, hi
Mao Commentary: yeah so that ^ is satirising the king lol
222. 采菽 - Cai Shu
君子來朝、何錫予之。
雖無予之、路車乘馬。
又何予之、玄袞及黼。
They gather the beans, they gather the beans,
In their baskets, square and round.
The princes are coming to court,
And what gifts have I to give them?
Although I have none to give them,
There are the state carriages and their teams.
What more have I to give them?
The dark-coloured [upper] robes with the dragon,
And the [lower garments with the] hatchet.
觱沸檻泉、言采其芹。
君子來朝、言觀其旂。
其旂淠淠、鸞聲嘒嘒。
載驂載駟、君子所屆。
Right up bubbles the water from the spring,
And they gather the cress [about it].
The princes are coming to court,
And I see their dragon flags; -
Their dragon flags moving [in the wind],
While the sound of their bells comes hui-hui.
There are the two outside horses, there are the whole teams, -
Proofs that the princes are come.
赤芾在股、邪幅在下。
彼交匪紓、天子所予。
樂只君子、天子命之。
Their red covers on their knees,
And their buskins below,
There is no remissness in their demeanour; -
Of such should the son of Heaven approve.
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
And the son of Heaven gives them the badges of his favour.
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
And their happiness and dignities are renewed and extended.
維柞之枝、其葉蓬蓬。
樂只君子、殿天子之邦。
樂只君子、萬福攸同。
平平左右、亦是率從。
On the branches of the oaks,
How abundant are the leaves!
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
Guardians of the regions of the son of Heaven.
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
Around whom all the blessings collect.
Discriminating and able are their attendants,
Who also have followed them hither.
汎汎楊舟、紼纚維之。
樂只君子、天之葵之。
樂只君子、福祿膍之。
優哉游哉、亦是戾矣。
It floats about, the boat of willow wood,
Fastened by the band of the rope.
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
And the son of Heaven scans [their merits].
To be rejoiced in are the princes,
And their happiness and dignities are enlarged.
How joyous, how happy,
Is their coming here!
Re: 222. 采菽 - Cai Shu
In their baskets, square and round."
what do beans have to do with anything?
"The princes are coming to court,
And what gifts have I to give them?
Although I have none to give them,
There are the state carriages and their teams.
What more have I to give them?
The dark-coloured [upper] robes with the dragon,
And the [lower garments with the] hatchet."
kind of unclear in its meaning
"On the branches of the oaks,
How abundant are the leaves!" how does this xing connect up with the subject?
"It floats about, the boat of willow wood,
Fastened by the band of the rope." ibid.
Re: 222. 采菽 - Cai Shu
The first stanza, is the narrator guessing what gifts the king of Zhou might give the feudal princes when they come to court.
The tree xing is (I think?) comparing to how there are feudal princes in all directions (like the spreading branches) and how they're happy and thriving (with the lush leaves)
It's interesting to have this after a bunch of insulting Zhou You wang poems. Baike says it could be about Zhou Kang wang or Zhou Xuan wang.
223. 角弓 - Jiao Gong
騂騂角弓、翩其反矣。
兄弟昏姻、無胥遠矣。
Well fashioned is the bow adorned with horn,
And swift is its recoil.
Brothers and relatives by affinity,
Should not be treated distantly.
爾之遠矣、民胥然矣。
爾之教矣、民胥傚矣。
When you keep yours at a distance,
The people all do the same with theirs.
What you teach,
The people all imitate.
此令兄弟、綽綽有裕。
Those brothers who are good,
Continue to display much generous feeling;
But between brothers who are not good,
Their intercourse is marked by troubles.
民之無良、相怨一方。
受爵不讓、至于已斯亡。
People who have no conscience,
Repine against each other, each one holding his own point of view;
One gets a place, and shows no humility -
Till they all come to ruin.
老馬反為駒、不顧其後。
如食宜饇、如酌孔取。
An old horse, notwithstanding, thinks himself a colt,
And has no regard to the future.
It is like craving a superabundance of food,
And an excess of drink.
毋教猱升木、如塗塗附。
君子有徽猷、小人與屬。
Do not teach a monkey to climb trees; -
[You act] like adding mud to one in the mud.
If the sovereign have good ways,
The small people will accord with them.
雨雪瀌瀌、見晛曰消。
莫肯下遺、式居婁驕。
The snow may have fallen abundantly,
But when it feels the sun's heat, it dissolves.
You are not willing to discountenance [those parties],
And so they become [more] troublesome and arrogant.
雨雪浮浮、見晛曰流。
如蠻如髦、我是用憂。
The snow may have fallen largely,
But when it feels the sun's heat, it flows away.
They become like the Man or the Mao; -
This is what make me sad.
Re: 223. 角弓 - Jiao Gong
And swift is its recoil." what's this xing do?
"[You act] like adding mud to one in the mud." ??
"They become like the Man or the Mao; -
This is what make me sad." ??
Re: 223. 角弓 - Jiao Gong
Like the bow which should not be relaxed, the brothers should not become estranged.
The mud line is about how easy/natural it is to add mud to walls (the walls being made of mud, and mud easily sticking to mud) -- it's a metaphor for the small people who naturally don't have virtues and need to be led by example.
The Man and Mao are names for southwest minority groups. (So the narrator is concerned that the small people will become like barbarians)
Re: 223. 角弓 - Jiao Gong
224. 菀柳 - Wan Liu
上帝甚蹈、無自暱焉。
俾予靖之、後予極焉。
There is a luxuriant willow tree; -
Who would not wish to rest [under it]?
[But this] god is very changeable; -
Do not approach him.
If I were to [try and] order his affairs,
His demands afterwards would be extreme.
有菀者柳、不尚愒焉。
上帝甚蹈、無自瘵焉。
俾予靖之、後予邁焉。
There is a luxuriant willow tree; -
Who would not wish to take shelter [under it]?
[But this] god is very changeable,
Do not get yourself into trouble with him.
If I were to [try and] order his affairs,
His demands on me afterwards would be beyond measure.
有鳥高飛、亦傅于天。
彼人之心、于何其臻。
曷予靖之、居以凶矜。
There is a bird flying high,
Even up to heaven.
The heart of that man, -
To what will it proceed?
Why should I [try to] order his affairs?
I should only find myself in pitiable misery.
Re: 224. 菀柳 - Wan Liu
Re: 224. 菀柳 - Wan Liu