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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.C. 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 righteousness." Although Confucius
probably did not do much to alter the original text, his interest in it ensured
the book's survival, for "The master said, 'It is by the Odes that the
mind is aroused.'"1
The stanzas are replete with admonitions to rulers overzealous for power and
glory. An excellent example is the following passage ascribed to the Earl of
Fan against King Yu (ca. 780-770 B.C.), "The Royal Domain has over-run
private holdings; if the feudal lords had retainers, you have usurped them;
the people are as birds in a net, the innocent lie in the sprung trap of the
stocks, and the criminals walk up and down boasting."2
The central lesson of these poems is that the prince should rule with compassion
and moderation.
Endnotes
[1] Confucius, The Annalects,
in The Four Books, trans. James Legge (New York: Paragon Books, 1966),
p. 100.
[2] Shih-Ching, The Classic
Anthology Defined by Confucius, trans. Ezra Pound (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
University Press, 1982), p. 194.
Bibliography
Karlgren, Bernhard, trans. The Book of Odes. Stockholm: The Museum
of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1950.
Legge, James, trans. The Book of Poetry. China: The Commercial Press,
Ltd., 1930-31
Source
The biographical material about the author originally appeared on The
Goodrich Room: Interactive Tour website.
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