Chinese poem illustration: 小雅 斯干/ Xiaoya – The Main Trunk by Anonymous
Full video also available at Bilibili: 小雅 斯干
Build a new town(house), get married and have a new baby is still the standard life formula to today’s Chinese, a formula full of joy and happiness. This tradition at least started since Zhou dynasty by solid record of this poem. It give us so many details of the normally life of a lord’s new town and his family, it also created the vocabularies of Playing Jade（弄璋, refering a baby boy） and Playing Tile(弄瓦, refering a baby girl) still used today.
Two other poems about building new town are good references to this poem. With the same joy and happiness, the three poems show different focus and feelings. The other two poem is Yong Wind Decision at Noon(鄘风 定之方中) and Daya Endless(大雅 绵)
小雅 斯干
佚名
秩秩斯干，幽幽南山。
如竹苞矣，如松茂矣。
兄及弟矣，式相好矣，无相犹矣。
似续妣祖，筑室百堵，西南其户。
爰居爰处，爰笑爰语。
约之阁阁，椓之橐橐。
风雨攸除，鸟鼠攸去，君子攸芋。
如跂斯翼，如矢斯棘，如鸟斯革，如翚斯飞，君子攸跻。
殖殖其庭，有觉其楹。
哙哙其正，哕哕其冥。君子攸宁。
下莞上簟，乃安斯寝。
乃寝乃兴，乃占我梦。
吉梦维何？维熊维罴，维虺维蛇。
大人占之：维熊维罴，男子之祥；维虺维蛇，女子之祥。
乃生男子，载寝之床。
载衣之裳，载弄之璋。
其泣喤喤，朱芾斯皇，室家君王。
乃生女子，载寝之地。
载衣之裼，载弄之瓦。
无非无仪，唯酒食是议，无父母诒罹。
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