Poetry is innocent

Chapter 20 Song Zhuxi's "Book of Songs" and "Poetry Preface" (1)
These two books were very much attacked by Sinologists in the Qing Dynasty—in fact, people who were at the same time as Zhu Zi had already had many disputes. —Many people think he is a worthless "fabricated" book.But according to my opinion, he is hundreds of times higher than Mao Gong's biography and Zheng Jun's notes.It is the important works of later generations, such as Chen Qiyuan's "Mao Shi Ji Gu Bian", Chen Huan's "Mao Shi Zhuan Shu", Ma Ruichen's "Mao Shi Zhuan Jian Tong Shi", although the textual research is considered a victory, the knowledge is still solid Very, far away from Zhu Hui'an.I will divide it into three questions and answer them one by one.

What is the "poetry" in "The Book of Songs"

Later scholars all said that it was the "Classic" deleted by Confucius, in which "there is the way", and it was by no means "playing with things and losing one's ambition".In fact, this statement is not particularly pedantic and ridiculous, and as far as the text of the poem is concerned, it definitely does not make sense.Therefore, we must first overthrow the poetry narrative, and then the true meaning of "poetry" can be seen; we must first recognize that "poetry" is literature, not Taoism, and then the true value of "poetry" can be said.Confucius' words on poetry in "The Analects" are very clear, and they are by no means the words of scholars below Mao Gong.Now use his words to prove the nature of poetry.

"'Tang Di's glory is the opposite. Don't you think about it, the room is far away'. The master said: 'Thinking before the end, how far is the husband'"?This is the poem that Confucius deleted.The reason why Confucius deleted it is because it doesn't make sense and has no literary meaning.From this it can be seen that the standard that Confucius cut out depends only on the value of literature.Comparing this chapter with "He Guang" in "Wei Feng", this chapter is tasteless.That chapter of the poem is interesting (the text of the poem is "Whoever calls Heguang once tolerated swords; whoever calls Song Yuan never worshiped the dynasty").So keep the other.

"Trying to be independent, I went to the court and said: "Learn poetry?" But in the court, he said, "Learn about etiquette?" 'To Japan,' not yet. ''If you don't learn rituals, you can't stand. 'Carp retreated to learn etiquette. "This section clearly distinguishes between poetry and etiquette. Poetry is literature, so after learning poetry, the language will be good: there is an elegant and tame demeanor, and the rough tone is gone. Ritual is the ritual of governing the body Therefore, if you learn the etiquette, you will be able to act properly. The poems taught by Mr. Daoxue are exactly the etiquette that Confucius talked about.

"The Master said: 'Prosper in poetry, establish in ritual, and succeed in music.'" Judging from this section, it can be seen that Confucius' education paid great attention to the cultivation of aesthetic feeling.Poetry is literature, so it can stimulate emotions.If it is as Taoists mean, it should not be said that "Xing Yu Poetry".It should be said "standing in poetry".

"The Master said: 'Recite three hundred poems, and teach them politics. If they are not successful, they will be sent to the four directions, and they will not be right. Although there are many, do you think it?'" In this section, it is said that politics is because of the "Ya" in "The Book of Songs" "Mostly talk about the politics and customs of the day, and you must know the situation of the day before you can "reach" in politics. Therefore, Confucius said this, not because he learned poetry and then "with a sincere heart, he can engage in politics."As for the theory of "specifically speaking", it is the same as the "unspoken" mentioned above.When communicating on missions on that day, you must always pay attention to language, so with the cultivation of literature, you can be a "pedestrian".

"The Master said: 'Poetry can be prospered, seen, grouped, and resented. Those who are near are related to the father, and those who are far away are related to the king. Most of them are known in the names of plants, trees, birds and animals."'The so-called "prosperity", "view" and "group" "Resentment" is both an emotional term and a literary event.As for the two sentences of serving the father and serving the king, they can be used as an excuse for Mr. Daoxue.But thinking about it carefully, Confucius said these two sentences, but he emphasized the influence of literature (emphasized).It means that only with the cultivation of poetry can the temperament develop properly, and all actions will be effective, which has nothing to do with the words of "the way of husband and wife, the beginning of human relations".

Based on the above evidence, it can be concluded that the function of poetry is only a matter of literature.There is a passage in Mr. Hu Shizhi's "Outline of the History of Chinese Philosophy":

Confucius was a man with literary vision.He chose the "Book of Songs" to preserve [-] extremely ancient and wonderful articles for human beings.This book is of supreme literary value and has no other purpose.Unexpectedly, later rotten scholars thought that the poems deleted by Confucius must be rotten.So they make poetry narratives, interpreting those wonderful love poems and love songs as fables of Mr. Taoism.For example, the various chapters of "Zhou Nan" are mostly love poems about idiots complaining about women and seeking husbands and thinking about women, but those rotten Confucians want to say that they are "the virtue of concubines and the transformation of King Wen".For example, "Guanju" is about the love between men and women, from helpless unrequited love to reunion, so Confucius said, "Happy but not lewd, sad but not hurt"; Solid and deep, and so on."Literature has become Taoism.

This passage was spoken with great joy.Totally agree with me.I still remember saying to a friend last year: "Confucius only Xu Zigong, Zixia and Yan Shi. Zigong is famous for his words, and Zixia is famous for his literature. The two have the power to push one to know the other. When used in literature, it can stimulate the imagination the most, so it can be used with poetry. If the "Book of Songs" is really a book of Taoism, Yan Yuan and Min Ziqian should do it." (But this is a bit sour)
All in all, poetry is literature, which can be proved by the words of Confucius, and can be tested from the text of poetry.Poetry is Taoism, and it must be proved by the words of commentators, and it must be obtained by breaking away from the text of poetry.It is not convenient for us to "talk casually and contradict biography, it is the last teacher rather than the past".It is better to discuss poetry in terms of poetry, not to sacrifice poetry, but to obey what Mao Heng and Wei Hong said.

What do the poems in the "Book of Songs" teach us

Although it is now determined that poetry is literature, since ancient times there have been so many literatures, why is it that the "Book of Songs" is specifically cited?I answered this question myself: precisely because of the literature in The Book of Songs, there are few ancient and modern Chinese rhymes.Now we want to create a new kind of free-style vernacular poetry in addition to four, five, and seven-character poems, words, and tunes, which has a lot to borrow from the "Book of Songs".In other words, although the "Book of Songs" is old, it still has several new lessons for us!
The first lesson of the "Book of Songs" for us is the word truth.Comparing "Book of Songs" with "Chu Ci", the taste of the article is just the opposite. The most moving part of "The Songs of Chu" is that it has far-reaching feelings. Although it is unreal, illusory but not real, it also has unique strengths. However, this wonderful use of fantasy has become worse and worse in the hands of future generations.At first it is strange in meaning, then in language and finally in words; In The Book of Songs, there is not a single sentence in "Guofeng" and "Xiaoya" that is whimsical, and there is not a single sentence that is not local.Writing scenes will be as vivid as the present, and writing emotions will move people's hearts.What a painter cannot paint, he can write.Such as:

The reeds are green, and the white dew is frost.The so-called Iraqis are on the water side.If you go back and follow it, the road is long and obstructive; if you go back and follow it, you will be in the middle of the water.

At the end of the day, the sheep and cattle came down.

Or fall into the river, or drink in the pool.Either sleep or lie, Ermu comes to think.He Xiaohe He Li, or bear it... with the arm, it will be promoted after all.

Its hands are like catkins, its skin is like creamy fat, its collar is like a grub, its teeth are like gourd rhinoceros, its head is like a moth's eyebrows.Qiaoxiaoqianxi, beautiful eyes looking forward to Xi.

Qi water is on the right, and the spring is on the left.The joy of clever laughter, the Nuo of Peiyu.

There is also "sound and emotion", which really "transfers my feelings", such as:

The girl calls it "Chicken Crowing" and the scholar calls it "Mei Dan". "Zixing watches the night, and stars die".

Wind and rain Xiaoxiao, chicken glue glue.

Xiao Xiao Ma Ming, leisurely Jing Jing.

Swallows fly, and their feathers are uneven.The son returns home and is sent far away to the wild.Looking forward, weeping like rain.

The stork sings in the anthill, and the woman sighs in the room.Sweep the dome and suffocate, and I will come.

There are also situations that are so realistic that we fall into them as soon as we think about them, such as:

Summer days, winter nights, after a hundred years, return to its residence.

Its new Kongjia, how is it old?

Who calls tea bitter, its sweetness is like a shepherd's chestnut.Yan'er is newly married, like a brother like a brother.Don't die on my beams, don't send out my bamboo shoots.I don't read it, let alone sympathize with me.

Picking and picking ears, not full of baskets.Sigh, I cherish people, and set them around.

I have no wine in the slightest, and I travel with Ao. ...... The thin words to complain, meet the other's anger. ... Worry quietly, sullen at the small group.I have read a lot, and I have been insulted a lot.Thinking about it quietly, there is a lot to do.

In the past, I went away, Yangliu Yiyi, now I come to think, rain and snow are falling.

The life and death agreement is broad, and Zicheng said. Hold your hand and grow old together.

There are stains and stains, both to deceive me.For those who don't miss the past, Yi Yu comes here.

The other millet is Lili, the seedling of the other millet.Walking is extravagant, the center is shaking.Those who know me say that I am worried; those who do not know me say what I want.Long sky, who is this?

Examples like this abound. "Daya" and "Ode", because they are restricted by genre, should be discussed separately. For example, in "Guofeng" and "Xiaoya", there is no sentence that is not true scenery, true emotion, and true interest, and no sentence is artificial.For this kind of reality, it is absolutely natural, for the sake of absolute nature, so even though it has been more than 2000 years, it is still lively and lively. Once I read it, it immediately assimilates with our minds.When a literati writes poems, he often has a bit of pretentiousness, the scene is a literal scene, and the taste is his exclusive taste.So at that time, it could only be called fake literature. The articles in "The Book of Songs" have three unique features: [-]. Universal; [-]. Permanent;It's all a natural consequence.Let's compare "Chu Ci" with it. There are thousands of words in "Li Sao", which go up to the world, but they are not as full as the few words in "Book of Songs"!
The second lesson of the Book of Songs for us is plain and unadorned.In a word, when (Primitive) literature is in the hands of literati, it often goes the wrong way.Therefore, the literature of the early people has been passed down to the present society, and still occupies a large part of the literary world. The "Guofeng" and "Xiaoya" in "The Book of Songs" were neither written by literati, nor were they written in an era of great culture, so there are only natural charms, but no artificial ones; The "unsexy" lady of "The River".For example:
Fire flows in July, and clothes are granted in September.In the spring day, there is Yang, and there is Ming Canggeng.The woman holds the basket, obeys the other, and seeks the soft mulberry.The spring is late, and the harvest is flourishing.The woman's heart is sad, and she will return with the son.

In May, katydids move their stocks, in June Shakespeare shakes their feathers, in July they live in the wild, in August they live in the sky, in September they live in the house, in October crickets come under my bed.The dome chokes the smoked rat and stuffs it into the door.Sigh my wife, said to change the year, enter this room.

On the second day, the ice was cut and washed, on the third day, it was accepted in Lingyin, and on the fourth day, the fleas were sacrificed, and the lamb was sacrificed to wine.Suppressing frost in September, washing field in October.When friends drink wine, they say to kill the lamb.Entering the other court, called the other Si Gong, and live forever.

From the east of Bo, the head is like a flying canopy.Is there no ointment swimming, who is suitable for the guest?
"July" is really a wonderful "farmer song".In addition, each article also has the meaning of the early people-straight, simple, and thus lifelike.For example, the first chapter of "Kaishang" says: "Zihui thinks about me, and Kaishang is involved in Qin. If you don't think about yourself, how can there be no one else? The madness of a mad boy!" It can be said to be extremely despicable.But when I think about the scene of those words, I just rejoice in its verisimilitude and vividness, and forget its filthiness.Later generations write poems, even if the meaning is very good, the writing is very embellished, and the sentiment is often unavoidable. There are no witty words in the "Book of Songs", they are all very common words, but they are all very common words, so they always have very unusual value. Chaucer's Tales (stories) are still used as teachers for ordinary people even now, just because they are primitive literature. The same is true for our teachings in the Book of Songs.

The third lesson of the Book of Songs for us is simplicity of style.The most annoying problem in the article is to talk endlessly.Needless to say, later Fu families fell into this disease very much.Even poets, lyricists, and composers with five or seven characters mostly seek to vent as much as possible, not knowing that speaking less is more effective than speaking more. The poems in "Book of Songs", except "Da Ya" and "Ode" are a bit extravagant, the rest are in the simplest style.It should be known that the most fearful thing about an article between heaven and earth is that it will be exhausted; the most lovable thing is that the author gives readers very few words, but makes readers have unlimited feelings.In other words, the author does not tell the whole story of his situation, but makes the readers feel it themselves. "Xiaoya" and "Guofeng" don't have much to say, so there is nothing loose in structure, so there is nothing without implicitness, so there is nothing lacking in artistic conception beyond words.If the author doesn't tell the whole story, he just makes the reader fall into it completely.This is the only literary device in The Book of Songs.

The fourth lesson of the Book of Songs for us is the natural harmony of syllables.Poetry is inseparable from syllables, and all syllables are prose.But this syllable is not easy to talk about.Rhythm poetry stresses syllables, but its syllables are all "sound diseases" caused by reciting innocence and affectation. The genre in The Book of Songs can really be said to be free verse.However, the emphasis on syllables is more natural and refined than regulated poetry.The method of rhyming is not limited to one pattern; there are also phonetic and rhyme organizations in the sentence.The characters with double tones and overlapping rhymes are connected with each other from top to bottom, making "a piece of palace business".All in all, the poems in the "Book of Songs" have free genres, uneven rhymes, and sentences are organized with sound and rhyme.Such free and delicate syllables are an example for us to write vernacular poems (Mr. Kong Xunxuan's "Shi Sheng Lei" talks about the rhyme of "The Book of Songs" in detail; Mr. Qian Xiaozheng's "Yang Xin Lu" also has a section on You can refer to the organization of syllables in "The Book of Songs"; I have seen the manuscript of Mr. Ding Yi's "Mao Shi Zheng Yun", which is really the most detailed and complete book on the sound of poetry).

The above four items were just thought of by chance, and I wrote them down by the way.In fact, the "Book of Songs" has more lessons for us than this.Roughly speaking, the "Book of Songs" can be divided into two major sections: one is "Guofeng" and "Xiaoya", and the other is "Daya" and "Song".The latter item is the origin of later temple literature, and we can learn no useful lessons from it.As for the former item, it is free style vernacular poetry 2000 years ago, not only using vernacular as material, but also using vernacular as spirit; not only freedom of style, but also freedom of thought, taste, intention and other items.We have such model vernacular poems, of course we need to spend some time studying them.

Why Zhu Hui'an's "Poetry Collection Biography" and "Poetry Preface"

Zhu Hui'an's two books were actually worthless in the eyes of ordinary Sinologists in the Qing Dynasty; in fact, this is a very unfair view.According to my personal humble opinion, the works on "The Book of Songs" have not surpassed his.

As far as exegesis is concerned, exegesis is certainly not the specialty of this collection of biographies.But the "Mao Zhuan", which the world thinks is the most exegetical, does not see any benefits: such as "Shi, Yiye";Later generations didn't understand what he meant, so they "resigned for it", saying that he was speaking the basic training of writing.He was clearly making annotations to the "Book of Songs", but it involved the scriptures of the text, which made the meaning even more unclear.What kind of a living is that?Another example is the sentence "Lu Di Wu Minxin", the penetration of "Mao Zhuan" can be said to have reached the extreme.In fairness, Mr. Mao is just Mr. Dong Hong, fortunately he was born earlier, so he can roughly remember a few old teachings;Later generations said that he invented each other with "Zuo Zhuan" and "Zhou Li".Besides, the preface was written by Wei Hong, and there are clear texts in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty", so the "Gu Xun Zhuan" can be imagined.I don't know if it's true or not.Zheng Kangcheng's notes are actually better than "Gu Xun Zhuan".Wherever the texts are different, the texts are always right and wrong.Let me give you an example: "Bin·July" says that "a woman's heart is sad, and the childe will return with her."According to the legend, "Master Er bowed and led his people to go out and return at the same time".Jian said, "When you are sad, you have the ambition to return home with the son, and you want to marry Yan."This is really more accessible than "The Legend of Mao".I usually joked and said: "Zheng Kangcheng can't help being a bit pedantic, and he won't be like Little Mao Gong's winter weather."

A book of "Justice" is even more insignificant.Whenever the biography is reversed, he first speaks for the biography, and then for the paper, fighting with himself.This is simply the encyclopedia of the Ming Dynasty, and the high-level lectures of the Qing Dynasty.The writings of Song Dynasty people on "The Book of Songs" are very fragmentary.On the level of exegesis, except for Zhu Zi's "Ji Zhuan", there is nothing else.The people of the Qing Dynasty contributed a lot to sorting out and inventing the exegesis of The Book of Songs.Not to mention the scattered ones, but in terms of special books, "Mao Shi Ji Gu Pian", "Mao Shi Zhuan Jian Tong Shi" and "Mao Shi Zhuan Shu" are all important works.But these works are all based on the absurd "Preface to Poetry", and they are all a bit "fundamentally wrong". Therefore, when they talk about rituals, stories, and "the poet's righteousness", they are constantly stabbing. Nonsense.

Although Zhu Zi's "Ji Zhuan" is unavoidably rough in exegesis, it rarely has the problem of "fundamental fallacies".Since he overthrew the Xiaoxu, the old precepts are on the one hand a little more solid and inaccurate.Moreover, among Song Confucians, Zhu Zi was originally a man of great knowledge.His exegesis was not plagiarized, and there are many correct places.Even Dai Dongyuan, who opposed him, had to quote him when annotating poems.There is another level, when we read "The Book of Songs", we just understand his articles for our reference, where is there a whole time to "master a skill in three years"?Therefore, those heavy exegesis can be ignored, or it is better to discuss quickly.Although Zhu Zi's book is not sophisticated, it is still simple!

As for the meaning of poetry, Zhu Zi's two books are really proud.Zhu Zi overturned the preface of the poem.His way of overturning the preface of the poems is to prove his failure with the text of the "Book of Songs".This is really brilliant.

Gaozi in the preface of the poem is what Mencius called "the old man Gaozai".The poem preface is made from the disciples and grandchildren of this kind of person, can I still get it?Therefore, "Guanju" and other chapters must add concubines, which is really pedantic and ridiculous.No one can tell who the concubine is, and as for the "lady", it is even more difficult to determine.Zheng Kangcheng actually insisted on putting the concubine on, and Mr. Zhang Taiyan said whimsically, "It's also about King Wen and Zhou. Concubines and ladies are not the ghosts and maids."It is even more metaphorical and thorough, and readers will laugh if they have not read it.However, this incident cannot be blamed on Taiyan, it was all seduced by the arbitrariness of adding the word concubine in the "Preface to Poetry".

All in all, the major flaws in the "Preface to Poetry" are pedantry, persuasiveness, appendages, false references to ceremonies, and fabrication of facts.

"Righteousness", "sincerity", "xiuqizhiping" (although these terms are not emphasized by Han Confucians, but Mao poetry already has this atmosphere), they are already very strong, so they descend from him, and the poetic style People can't help but have the phenomenon of "teacher with a high hat".The Lu and Han families at the same time as Mao's poems or before them are all poems of the Taoist school. "Han Shi Wai Zhuan" has a lot of Dao Qi, Qi Shi, Yi's family, and some five-element prophecies, Dao Qi changed into demon Qi, and became the poetics of the alchemist school (this is all based on the words of Mr. Hu Shizhi; Taoism and Alchemist were also created by Mr. Hu).People in the Song and Yuan Dynasties were all scholars of Taoism when they talked about poetry, and there were a few of them who talked about utilitarianism in poetry and politics, which is especially ridiculous.Even Wang Bo's suspicious poems are still very serious.He dared to delete poems, which is considered to have strong courage, but the reason why he doubted poems was still Mr. Daoist's psychology of hating love poems, so he wanted to delete Zheng Wei.Only Zhang Ruyu's insights are extremely thorough.He said: "It is enabling scholars to deeply appreciate its meaning, and then they can get it for themselves. The meaning of a poet is not as small as that of "Spring and Autumn" and "Yi". Scholars can think deeply about it, and know it without waiting for the sequence." This is really thorough.Cheng Bozi is a very clever man, and he has some profound insights into the "Book of Songs".Although he said that the "Preface to Poems" was made by the history of the country, we can use his words to prove that the "Preface to Poems" is not reliable.Because he said, "If it wasn't made by national history, how could Confucius make it out of thin air" (I forgot the original text of this sentence, but the meaning is true).

Zhu Zi's "Ji Zhuan" still has a bit of Taoism, but its specialty is:

(End of this chapter)