鹿鳴
The Deer Call
Anonymous 佚名 (c. 11th–6th century BCE)
Pre-Qin · Zhou dynasty, before c. 600 BCE

Cold Library · Open Stacks · S-001004 · https://coldlibrary.com/s/001004
Rights: A song from the Book of Songs (Shijing), compiled by about the sixth century BCE. Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Source: Wikisource, https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/詩經/鹿鳴 (retrieved 2026-10-11)
English translation: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
Generated 2026-10-14 from https://coldlibrary.com/en/open-stacks/shijing-the-deer-call

----

呦呦鹿鳴，
食野之苹。
我有嘉賓，
鼓瑟吹笙。
吹笙鼓簧，
承筐是將。
人之好我，
示我周行。

呦呦鹿鳴，
食野之蒿。
我有嘉賓，
德音孔昭。
視民不恌，
君子是則是傚。
我有旨酒，
嘉賓式燕以敖。

呦呦鹿鳴，
食野之芩。
我有嘉賓，
鼓瑟鼓琴。
鼓瑟鼓琴，
和樂且湛。
我有旨酒，
以燕樂嘉賓之心。

----

呦呦鹿鸣，
食野之苹。
我有嘉宾，
鼓瑟吹笙。
吹笙鼓簧，
承筐是将。
人之好我，
示我周行。

呦呦鹿鸣，
食野之蒿。
我有嘉宾，
德音孔昭。
视民不恌，
君子是则是效。
我有旨酒，
嘉宾式燕以敖。

呦呦鹿鸣，
食野之芩。
我有嘉宾，
鼓瑟鼓琴。
鼓瑟鼓琴，
和乐且湛。
我有旨酒，
以燕乐嘉宾之心。

----

English translation by Claude (an AI)

Yu, yu, the deer are calling,
grazing on the wild sedge.
I have good guests with me:
play the zither, blow the reed-pipes.
Blow the pipes and sound the reeds,
bring out the baskets full of gifts.
These friends who care for me
will show me the right road.

Yu, yu, the deer are calling,
grazing on the wild wormwood.
I have good guests with me,
their good name shining clear.
They show the people how not to be mean;
the gentlemen take them as their pattern.
I have fine wine:
let my guests feast and be at ease.

Yu, yu, the deer are calling,
grazing on the wild herbs.
I have good guests with me:
pluck the zithers, great and small.
Pluck the zithers, great and small,
in harmony and lasting joy.
I have fine wine
to gladden the hearts of my guests.