The Classic of Poetry: Ancient China’s Songbook

The Classic of Poetry (Shijing), also known as the ＂Mao Poetry＂ (Mao Shi), is the oldest existing collection of poetry in China, or indeed anywhere in the world. As a fountainhead of the Chinese literary tradition, it has endured over two and a half millennia of continuous readership. In this volume, eminent sinologist Edward L. Shaughnessy presents a complete English translation of the 305 discrete poems from the Classic of Poetry, divided into the Feng 風 ＂airs,＂ Ya 雅 ＂odes,＂ and Song 頌 ＂hymns.＂ Combining the received text with newly unearthed manuscript discoveries, Shaughnessy offers a modern, authoritative interpretation that departs from the dated translations of earlier scholars. His masterful rendering encapsulates the essence of this poetic treasury, reflecting the diverse aspects of life, love, nature, and ritual in ancient China.

Edward L. Shaughnessy (translator) is the Lorraine J. and Herrlee G. Creel Distinguished Service Professor in Early China Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Most recently the author of The Tsinghua University Warring States Manuscripts, Volume 2: The Shang Shu and Pseudo-Shang Shu Chapters (2024), Writing Early China (2023), A Brief History of Ancient China (2023), and The Origin and Early Development of the Zhou Changes (2022), he specializes in the textual heritage of ancient China, both the received literary tradition and also unearthed documents.