The Classic of Poetry

The Classic of Poetry was one of my favorite pieces that we have read so far in this class.  Like Gilgamesh and Ramayana, the Classic of Poetry discusses many issues that people commonly deal with at various points in their life.  Unlike Gilgamesh and Ramayana, which are epic tales, the Classic of Poetry is a collection of lyric poetry written from the viewpoints of many different people from various stations in life.  What I find so great about this collection of poetry is that it uses fairly simple vernacular and direct statements to make some very profound comments about life and how to deal with its various challenges.  In “Plums Are Falling,”  a women laments that just as the plum trees produce less and less fruit as time passes, she, too, loses her ability to bear children as more time passes without finding a husband to marry.   In “Quince,” the poet examines the disparity between the beautiful gems that he bestows upon his lover and the meager fruit that she gives to him.  He justifies this inequality by noting that he receives her lasting love in return.  In “Chung-tzu, Please,” the poet examines the issue of proper courtship in the eyes of society.  She obviously cares for Chung-tzu and doesn’t mind him courting her, but she wants him to properly court her so as not to upset her family or cause the neighbors to talk poorly of her.  The entire collection of poetry eloquently addresses a myriad of life events, joyous, mundane, and terrifying alike, in a way that allows the reader to examine them in the context of what is socially and morally acceptable.  The reader can rely upon the poems for guidance when faced with similar events in their own lives.