Book of Songs

魏风·伐檀

Wèi fēng · Fá tán

佚名

Yì míng

Kǎn kǎn fá tán xī, zhì zhī hé zhī gān xī. Hé shuǐ qīng qiě lián yī. Bù jià bù sè, hú qǔ hé sān bǎi chán xī? Bù shòu bù liè, hú zhān ěr tíng yǒu xuán huán xī? Bǐ jūn zǐ xī, bù sù cān xī!

坎坎伐檀兮，寘之河之干兮。河水清且涟猗。不稼不穑，胡取禾三百廛兮？不狩不猎，胡瞻尔庭有县貆兮？彼君子兮，不素餐兮！

Kǎn kǎn fá fú xī, zhì zhī hé zhī cè xī. Hé shuǐ qīng qiě zhí yī. Bù jià bù sè, hú qǔ hé sān bǎi yì xī? Bù shòu bù liè, hú zhān ěr tíng yǒu xuán tè xī? Bǐ jūn zǐ xī, bù sù shí xī!

坎坎伐辐兮，寘之河之侧兮。河水清且直猗。不稼不穑，胡取禾三百亿兮？不狩不猎，胡瞻尔庭有县特兮？彼君子兮，不素食兮！

Kǎn kǎn fá lún xī, zhì zhī hé zhī chún xī. Hé shuǐ qīng qiě lún yī. Bù jià bù sè, hú qǔ hé sān bǎi qūn xī? Bù shòu bù liè, hú zhān ěr tíng yǒu xuán chún xī? Bǐ jūn zǐ xī, bù sù sūn xī!

坎坎伐轮兮，寘之河之漘兮。河水清且沦猗。不稼不穑，胡取禾三百囷兮？不狩不猎，胡瞻尔庭有县鹑兮？彼君子兮，不素飧兮！

Translation

Thud, thud—the sandalwood is felled and set beside the riverbank. The river is clear, rippling in waves. You neither sow nor reap; why then do you take so much grain? You neither hunt nor chase game; why then are beasts hanging in your courtyard? Those gentlemen—do they not eat without labor? Thud, thud—the spokes are cut and set by the river’s side. The water runs clear and straight. You neither sow nor reap; why then do you take such stores of grain? You neither hunt nor chase game; why then is game hanging in your yard? Those gentlemen—do they not feed on others’ labor? Thud, thud—the wheels are cut and set at the river’s edge. The water is clear, curling in eddies. You neither sow nor reap; why then do you fill your granaries? You neither hunt nor chase game; why then are quails hanging in your courtyard? Those gentlemen—do they not dine for nothing?

Analysis

“Felling the Sandalwood” is one of the most sharply satirical poems in the Book of Songs. It begins with the sound of labor: the heavy, repeated thud of cutting wood. The clear river and the placed timber create a plain, almost austere scene. Then the poem turns suddenly into accusation: if you do not sow or reap, why do you take the grain? If you do not hunt, why is game hanging in your courtyard? The word “gentlemen” is deeply ironic here. These are not moral exemplars but people who enjoy the fruits of labor without performing it. The three stanzas repeat with variation, making the charge stronger each time. The poem’s power lies in the contrast between real labor and unearned consumption.

About the Author

The airs in the Book of Songs were largely drawn from regional songs of the Zhou world, and their individual authors are unknown. They are therefore traditionally attributed to “Anonymous.” These poems preserve voices from folk singing, ritual occasions, labor, love, marriage, complaint, longing, and public life. Their language is simple yet highly shaped by repetition, rhythm, and image. Because they are not tied to a single named poet, they carry a broader collective memory of early Chinese society and form one of the deepest sources of the Chinese poetic tradition.