The Shijing (詩經) are 305 poems reflecting the social, political, and religious life of ancient China during the Zhou dynasty, consisting of courtship, agriculture, warfare, family relationships, and ritual. These poems were recited and performed during ceremonies and were cited by scholars or officials to communicate criticism.
Confucius (551-479 BCE) regarded the Shijing as essential to moral education, intellectual development, and the cultivation of character. He taught that studying poetry developed the ability to observe society, understand human relationships, express criticism, and fulfill obligations to family and government (Analects 17.9). His followers preserved these teachings, and the Shijing became central to Confucian education and philosophy.
The Shijing appeared under several English titles, including Book of Songs, Book of Odes, and Book of Poetry. Three notable English translations are James Legge, The She King, and The Book of Ancient Poetry, Translated in English Verse, with Essays and Notes (London: Trübner & Co., 1876); Arthur Waley, The Book of Songs (New York: Grove Press, 1960; originally published 1937), and Bernhard Karlgren, The Book of Odes: Chinese Text, Transcription and Translation (Stockholm: Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, 1950).
I mainly read through online sources and the edition by James Legge, and marked down the following two that I enjoyed the most. These stood out to me, because they express ethical principles with the importance of individual conduct, intellectual independence, and responsibility of those in authority..
鶉之奔奔 – The Quails
鶉之奔奔，鵲之彊彊。
人之無良，我以為兄。
鵲之彊彊，鶉之奔奔。
人之無良，我以為君。
How the quails rush and jostle!
How fiercely the magpies clash!
Here is a person without virtue,
Yet I must call him my brother.
How fiercely the magpies clash!
How the quails rush and jostle!
Here is a person without virtue,
Yet I must call that person my lord.
角弓 – Horn Bow
騂騂角弓，翩其反矣。
兄弟昏姻，無胥遠矣。
爾之遠矣，民胥然矣。
爾之教矣，民胥傚矣。
此令兄弟，綽綽有裕。
不令兄弟，交相為瘉。
民之無良，相怨一方。
受爵不讓，至于己斯亡。
老馬反為駒，不顧其後。
如食宜饇，如酌孔取。
毋教猱升木，如塗塗附。
君子有徽猷，小人與屬。
雨雪瀌瀌，見晛曰消。
莫肯下遺，式居婁驕。
雨雪浮浮，見晛曰流。
如蠻如髦，我是用憂。
The horn-reinforced bow is well fashioned;
Its ends spring swiftly back.
Brothers and relatives joined by marriage
Should not keep one another at a distance.
When you distance yourself from your kin,
The people will do likewise.
Whatever example you set,
The people will imitate.
Good brothers
Are generous and forgiving.
Brothers without goodness
Bring suffering upon each other.
People without virtue
Blame one another, each taking his own side.
They seize the wine cup without yielding it,
And will not let it go until it is empty.
They treat an old horse as though it were a colt,
With no thought for what comes afterward.
When eating, they must have their fill;
When drinking, they take excessive amounts.
Do not teach a monkey to climb a tree;
It is like piling mud upon mud.
When a nobleman follows worthy principles,
The common people follow his example.
Snow falls thick and fast,
But melts when the sun appears.
They refuse to put aside those who do wrong,
And so those people grow ever more arrogant.
Snow falls and swirls,
But turns to water in the sunlight.
They behave like the Man and Mao peoples;
This is what fills me with sorrow.