A Reconstruction of the Text of the Poem “You Bi” of the Liturgies of Lu Section of the Classic of Poetry

Abstract

Abstract When ancient texts copied repeated words, they commonly used the notation = to represent it; successive repeated words written as A=B= could be read as either AABB or as ABAB. In Pre-Qin manuscripts unearthed in recent years, there have been examples in which these duplication marks can also be read multiple times. Referring to this usage of duplication marks, I raise several hypotheses regarding the poem “You bi” 有駜 (There are Stout Steeds) in the Liturgies of Lu section of the Classic of Poetry, suggesting that the lines 振振鷺，鷺于下 and 振振鷺，鷺于飛 in the first two stanzas of the poem would have been written in early manuscripts as 振=鷺=于下 and 振=鷺=于飛. 振= 鷺=于下 should be read as 振鷺振鷺，振鷺于下 “Flapping egrets, flapping egrets, Flapping egrets are there below,” and 振=鷺=于飛 should be read as 振鷺振鷺， 振鷺于飛 “Flapping egrets, flapping egrets, Flapping egrets are taking flight.” On the basis of this, I attempt a reconstruction of the original text of “You bi.”