THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

24 THE PREFACE TO THE SHE.
hands, and not give entire credit to it.1 But when Maou
no longer published the Preface as a separate document,
but each ode appeared with the introductory notice as a
portion of the text, this seemed to give to it the authority
of the text itself. Then after the other texts disappeared
and Maou's had the field to itself, this means of testing
the accuracy of its prefatory notices no longer existed.
They appeared as if they were the production of the
poets themselves, and the odes seemed to be made from
them as so many themes. Scholars handed down a faith
in them from one to another, and no one ventured to
express a doubt of their authority. The text was twisted
and chiseled to bring it into accordance with them, and
nobody would undertake to say plainly that they were
the work of the scholars of the Han dynasty."
1 That the other texts, as Maou's, all had their prefaces, often differing
from the views of the odes given in that, is a very important fact.
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OP THE ODES. 25
APPENDIX.
A TABLE
OF THE PIECES IN THE SHE CHEONOLOGICALLT ARRANGED.
I. BELONGING TO THE SHANG DYNASTY ... B.C. 1765 1122.
Five pieces ; the Sacrificial odes of Shang. Of the
No, (I.), the LeeJi tsoo (II.), and the Ch'angfafi (IV.),
the date of the composition is uncertain. I think that
Ode IV. is the oldest, and may have been made any time
after B.C. 1719.
The Heuen neami (III.) and the Tin moo (V.) were
made after B.C. 1261. Ode V. should be referred, pro
bably, to the reign of Te-yih, B.C. 1190 1154.
II. BELONGING TO THE TIME OF KING WAN 1184 1134.
Thirty-four or thirty-five pieces. These are com
monly included in the three hundred and six pieces of
the Chow dynasty ; but we can only date the commence
ment of that from the reign of Wan's son, king Woo.
The composition, or the collection at least, of most of
the Odes relating to Wan aud his affairs, is attributed
to his son Tan, the duke of Chow, and must be referred
to the reigns of kings Woo and Ch'iug ... ... 1121 1076.
These pieces embrace:
In Part I., all the 11 pieces of Book i.: the Kitaa,
ts'eu, the KoJi fan, the Knnen iirJi, the Kern muJi, the
mr"iwng-sze, the T'ami yam, the 'Qoo tscu, the Fum e, the
in kwang, the Joo fun, and the Lin eJie cite ; and
12!,
or perhaps 13 pieces, of Book ii.: the Ts'culi r/i'aou,
the Ts'ae fan, the Tsfavu cli'wig, the Ts'ae pin, the
Sang loo, the Kaou yang, the Yin k'e lity, the P'aanu
yctv mei, the Seaou sing, the Tay yem sze Iteun, the
Keang yew sze, and the Tso-tv yu, with perhaps also the
Kan t-ang (V.)
In Part II., 8 pieces of Book i,: the Luh ming, the
Sze iiwtv, the Enung-hivang chay Ivnsa, the Fall imih,
the T-een paou, the Ts'ae we, the Ch'uli hen, and the
Te too.
In Part III., 3 pieces of Book i - the Tihp'oh, the
Ban Ink, and the Ling t'ae.
III. BELONGING TO THE CHOW DYNASTY.
[i.] Of the time of king Woo 1121 1115.
I