Library of Chinese Classics: The Book of Poetry

Series: Library of Chinese Classics
Hardcover: 727 pages （2 Volumes）
Publisher: Hunan Publishing House (January 2008)
Language: Chinese
ISBN-10: 7543852446
ISBN-13: 978-7543852440
ASIN: B002AO8N9O
Package Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 2.1 inches

The Book of Poetry (The Shi Jing) is one of the earliest collections of poems in the world. It contains the Chinese poems written from the 11th century BC to the 6th century BC. The poems written during this period amounted to more than 3000, from which Confucius selected 305 to complete this anthology. The poems in The Book of Poetry are classified into the three categories of the regional song (160 poems), the odes (105 poems) and the hymns (40 poems); the techniques of description, metaphor and allusion are employed in composing these poems. These poems constitute the origin of the Chinese poetry.
The Book of Poetry has been translated into different languages in the world. The earliest English translation was done in the 19th century and several English translations have been published. The present translation is the latest effort in rendering these poems into English in their profound insight and linguistic enchantment.