The Book of Songs
Imagine a world where the knowledge of poetry can lead one to greatness. Doors to good, secure jobs open for those who can recite poetry from memory and respect is lavished on those who study poetry. Government officials must be able to quote passages from classic poems to gain and keep their positions and those who write poetry are given the highest esteem. Artists create beautiful illustrations for poems and even the common people enjoy poetry and find their lives described in famous poems. Such a world once existed and not just as a wishful fantasy.
Poetry has not only been central to the Chinese literary heritage, for some time periods, notably the Zhou Dynasty (1122 - 256 BC) and the Han Dynasty (202 BC - AD 220), it helped shape the government and reflected the times. It is notable that the earliest piece of Chinese literature is a collection of poems called the Book of Songs (Shijing). It is composed of 305 poems mainly meant to be sung as odes or hymns. While most date the earliest poems from around 1000 BC, a few scholars place certain lyrics from as early as 1700 BC in the Shang Dynasty. The poems cover a wide range of sentiment, from ancestor worship to the lives of common people. Some are highly ritualistic, while others complain about the hardships of daily life. Take this example.
Which plant is not brown?
Which man is not sad?
Have pity on us soldiers,
Treated as though we were not men!
The man credited for the reverence and survival of the Book of Songs was none other than Confucius (551 - 479 BC). Some believe, and legend claims, that he actually compiled the songs himself. While many doubt that, it is certainly true that he exhorted his students to study the classics, including the Book of Songs, and often quoted from it during his lessons.
One facet of Confucian philosophy clearly delineated the roles of men and women in society. While women writers would later play an important role in Chinese literature, during the Zhou period, society more often viewed the influence of women in light of the following poem.
Clever men build cities,
Clever women topple them.
Beautiful, these clever women may be
But they are owls and kites.
Women have long tongues
That lead to ruin.
Disorder does not come down from heaven;
It is produced by women.
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