The history of the Xia Dynasty is too long, and there were no mature written records at that time. So almost no poetry has survived, let alone pastoral poetry. The lesser poems are "Song of the Five Sons" which expresses the people's hatred of Xia Jie in "Book·Tangzhu", "Every day is mourning, and you will all perish!" and "Song of the Five Sons".
"Song of the Five Sons" is a lament for the demise of China's earliest emperors. It embodies China's earliest and most primitive political thoughts and comes from the "Book of Xia" in "Shangshu". The content is "The people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is strong and the country is in peace."
If you want to find more and more decent early pastoral poems, you should look at the agricultural poems in the "Book of Songs". Here are two examples:
Zhaonan · Picking Apples
Why pick apples? The shore of Nanjian. Why collect algae? He is in trouble.
Yu Yisheng? Wei basket and 筥. In Yixiang? Wei Qi and cauldron.
Want to lay a foundation for it? The clan door is closed. Whose body is it? There is Qi Ji's daughter.
Translation:
Where can I go to pick apples? Just on the south side of Jianshui River. Where can I go to collect algae? It's in the shallow swamp where the water accumulates.
What can I put things in? There are round baskets and square baskets. What can be cooked? There is that pot and that cauldron.
Where are the sacrifices placed? Under the window of the ancestral hall. Who is the officiant today? The girl is respectful and pious.
Binfeng·July
In July, fire flows, and in September, clothes are given.
On the first day, there is hair, and on the second day, the body is strong.
How can one die without clothes or brown?
On the third day, I will be in Shu, and on the fourth day, I will raise my toes.
My wife and I are happy to share the southern acres and the fields.
The fire flows in July, and the clothes are given in September.
On a sunny day in spring, there is a song called Cang Geng.
The woman holds the Yi basket, follows his subtle movements, and seeks the softness of love.
The spring is late, and the harvest is coming.
The woman's heart is sad, and she almost died with the young master.
In July, there is flowing fire, in August, there are weeds.
The silkworms and moon strips of mulberry are taken from the axe.
To attack Yuanyang, I will fight against that female mulberry.
In the seventh month, the chanting of the zhe is played, and in the eighth month, achievements are recorded.
Zi Xuan Zai Huang, I, Zhu Kongyang, am the prince.
The fragrant flowers show in April and the fragrant flowers bloom in May.
It was harvested in August and fell in October.
On one day, I took a raccoon dog and took that fox and made it the prince's fur.
On the second day of the month, they went together to show off their martial arts.
In May the katydids move their stock, and in June the partridge flutters its feathers.
July is outdoors, August is in the house, September is at home, and in October crickets come under my bed.
The sky suffocated the smoked rats and forced them towards Yihu.
My wife said that she wanted to change her age, so she came into this room.
In June, Yu and Shu are eaten, and in July, Kui and Shu are eaten.
Peel dates in August and harvest rice in October.
This is the spring wine to promote longevity.
In the seventh month, I eat melons, in August I break the pot, in the ninth month I gather tea and firewood, and I feed my farmers.
Build fields and gardens in September, harvest crops in October.
Millet and millet are heavy on grain, and hemp and wheat are heavy.
Hey, I am a farmer. Since we have the same crops, I will go to the palace to perform the merits.
You stay in the Mao during the day, and you stay in bed at night.
As soon as he takes advantage of the house, he begins to sow hundreds of grains.
On the second day, the ice was cut and rushed, and on the third day, it was collected in the cold sky.
On the fourth day, when there are fleas, a lamb is sacrificed to a leek.
Shuang in September, cleansing in October.
Wine and drink, kill a lamb, enter the court, and drink wine, live forever!
Translation:
In July the fires fall to the west, and in September women sew cold clothes.
The north wind blows strongly in November, and the cold air blows in December.
How can I spend the end of the year without good clothes or rough clothes?
In the first month, we start to repair the hoe and plow, and in the second month, we go to the fields to cultivate.
He took his wife and children with him and sent the food to the south. The field official came to have wine and food.
In July the fires fall to the west, and in September women sew cold clothes.
The sunshine is warm in spring, and the oriole is singing gracefully.
The girl carried a deep bamboo basket and walked along the path.
Reach out your hands to pick the tender mulberry leaves, the days are getting longer in spring.
People come and go to pick white wormwood. The girl feels very sad and wants to marry a noble man in another country.
The fire will fall to the west in July, and the reeds will be cut in August.
Prune the mulberry branches in March and get a sharp axe.
Cut off the tall and long branches and pick the young mulberries on the thin branches.
Shrikes cry in July and start weaving linen in August.
Dyeing silk can be either black or yellow, but my red is brighter, dedicated to making clothes for noble people.
Polygala bears seeds in April, and cicadas scream in May.
The fields are busy harvesting in August, and the leaves on the trees fall off in October.
Go hunting raccoon dogs in the mountains in November. The fox furs you hunt are good and are given to nobles to make fur coats.
In December, the hunters gather and continue to practice their hunting skills.
The little pigs you hunt will be yours, and the big pigs you hunt will be offered to the prince.
In May, grasshoppers bounce their legs and cry, in June, weavers flutter their wings.
Crickets are in the fields in July, and come under the eaves in August.
Crickets come through the door in September, and crawl under my bed in October.
Block the rat holes to fume the rats, seal the north window and paste the cracks in the door.
My wife and children are so pitiful. At the end of the year and the New Year approaching, I moved into this house for safety.
Plums and grapes are eaten in June, and sunflower and beans are cooked in July.
Begin to beat red dates in August, and go to the fields to harvest rice in October.
Brewed spring wine is delicious and fragrant, praying for longevity for the master.
Melons can be eaten in July, and gourds can be picked in August.
In September, we pick up autumn pockmarks, pick bitter herbs and cut firewood to feed farmers and give them peace of mind.
The threshing floor is built in September, and the crops are harvested in October.
Millet, early rice and late rice, millet, hemp, beans and wheat are all put into the warehouse.
I lament how hard it is for me as a farmer. I have just finished harvesting my crops and am building a palace for the official family.
I have to cut thatch during the day and rub the rope at night.
Hurry up and repair the house, and you have to plant hundreds of grains in the spring.
The ice is cut in December and moved into the ice cellar in the first month.
At the beginning of February, ancestors are worshiped and leeks and lambs are offered.
In September, frost begins to fall, and in October, the threshing floor is cleaned.
Two tanks of fine wine were served to the guests, and a lamb was slaughtered for everyone to taste.
Go to the master’s temple, raise a toast to the master, and shout loudly in unison for longevity.