eater Odes” focus on the king and Heaven, thus giving the poems a more mythic tone to them. The “Lesser Odes” also contains poems concerning military affairs, but as Owen points out, the focus of the poems in the “Lesser Odes” is not on the high ruler or Heaven, rather the spotlight is on the officers and soldiers. Political satire was also a common subject matter of the “Odes,” and there are even blatant complaints pointed towards those in power. The poems of the “Lesser Odes” can be in the first person, whereas in the “Great Odes” the poems are more in the third person. “Airs”The largest and latest section of the Shijing is known as the “Airs.” It is estimated that this section of poetry became fixed around the seventh century B.C. There is a scholarly debate as to whether the “Airs” represents the voice of the Zhou people, or whether the “Airs” came to fruition under the guidance of the Zhou feudal courts. If one looks at the works, this can be argued both ways. From the perspective of the Mao commentary, every poem is interpreted as in some way dealing with the “moral history of the Zhou Dynasty.” Therefore, any poem is seen as in some way as an allegorical reference to how the Zhou Dynasty dealt with dilemmas or attained greatness. “Hymns”The “Hymns” contains forty poems. It is important to note that in the other three sections of the Shijing, the even lines rhyme. This is not the case in some of the poems in the “Hymns.” The poems in the “Hymns” are the oldest of the poems in the Shijing. Like the “Odes,” matters of state are often touched upon. There are also many ceremonial poems that were sung or recited during religious ceremonies. The Chuci Tradition: “Encountering Sorrow” The opening work of the Chuci is called ...
