Classics of Poetry 5/21/2016

The Classic of Poetry, a collection of 305 poems that is also referred to as Book of Songs or Book of Odes, is the oldest compilation of East Asian poetry (756). It covers a broad spectrum of subjects important to early Chinese society, reflecting upon such issues as proper governance, marriage and love, life and death, and agriculture (756). Tradition states that Confucius, famed Chinese philosopher credited with the school of thought known as Confucianism, compiled the poetry, himself, in order to record lessons on the rhetoric, morals, and virtues celebrated in China.

Worth noting is the fact that poetry was a celebrated art form in Medieval China, giving voice to peasants and kings, alike (757). It was even used in many aspects of education, a usage for poetry that even Plato would have admonished against religiously (Plato). The fact that it was used as a code of ethics and continues to be viewed in such light is not unusual, even if other cultures would have viewed it as strange.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature only provides a sampling of the poetry found in the Classics of Poetry, but it allows the reader to have a decent glimpse into the lessons chosen by Confucius to preserve the moral code of early China. For example, the poem “Fishhawk” discusses the extreme longing felt by a young man for a maiden, though it is was not chosen to show romanticism; rather, it praises the wife of a King for not becoming jealous when he chose to give affection to another woman, a behavioral quality found in the most desirable of women (758).

The Classics of Poetry speak of more than just romanticism. “Huge Rat” is written from the viewpoint of a fieldworker, continuously paying the lord of the area but receiving no gratitude in return. After years of mistreatment, the worker swears to stop allowing the lord to use him, threatening to move to a “happier place” should he continue (764).

Though only two are discussed here, I am safely able to conclude that many of the poems found in the Classics should only be viewed  as indicative of the desired morals in the time that they were written. Of course, I say that as a child of the 1980s, and definitely not of Chinese descent. That is not to say that I do not appreciate the poetry found in the classics-- on the contrary, I find it to be beautiful and worthy of the highest praise. I just cannot see how praising women for smiling at their husband’s infidelity is a good lesson for the 21st century. “Huge Rat,” of course, can be used today in many nations around the globe; it is, in essence, timeless.

Education-wise, the poetry does not provide strong rhetoric on values, though it can provide mental fodder for poetry-buffs and those wanting to study the lifestyle and virtues of Medieval China.

Plato. "Book X." The Republic. Trans. Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. 244-363. Print

Puchner, Martin, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.