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With pleased sounds the deer call to one another, |
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Eating the celery of the fields. |
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I have here admirable guests; |
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The lutes are struck, and the organ is blown [for them]; -- |
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The organ is blown till its tongues are all moving. |
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The baskets of offerings [also] are presented to them. |
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The men love me, |
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And will show me the perfect path. |
|
With pleased sounds the deer call to one another, |
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Eating the southernwood of the fields. |
|
I have here admirable guests; |
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Whose virtuous fame is grandly brilliant. |
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They show the people not to be mean; |
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The officers have in them a pattern and model. |
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I have good wine, |
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Which my admirable guests drink, enjoying themselves. |
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With pleased sounds the deer call to one another, |
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Eating the salsola of the fields. |
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I have here admirable guests; |
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For whom are struck the lutes, large and small. |
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The lutes, large and small, are struck, |
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And our harmonious joy is long-continued. |
|
I have good wine, |
|
To feast and make glad the hearts of my admirable guests. |
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My four steeds advanced without stopping; |
|
The way from Zhou was winding and tedious. |
|
Did I not have the wish to return? |
|
But the king's business was not to be slackly performed; |
|
And my heart was wounded with sadness. |
|
My four steeds advanced without stopping; |
|
They panted and snorted, the white steeds black-maned. |
|
Did I not have the wish to return? |
|
But the king's business was not to be slackly performed; |
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And I had not leisure to kneel or to sit. |
|
The Filial doves keep flying about, |
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Now soaring aloft, and now descending, |
|
Collecting on the bushy oaks; |
|
But the king's business was not to be slackly performed; |
|
And I had not leisure to nourish my father. |
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The Filial doves keep flying about, |
|
Now flying, now stopping, |
|
Collecting on the bushy medlars; |
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But the king's business was not to be slackly performed; |
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And I had not leisure to nourish my mother. |
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I yoked my four white steeds, black-maned; |
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They hurried away with speed. |
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[But] did I not wish to return? |
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Therefore I make this song, |
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Announcing my wish to nourish my mother. |
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Brilliant are the flowers, |
|
On those level heights and the low grounds. |
|
Complete and alert is the messenger, with his suite, |
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Ever anxious lest he should not succeed. |
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My horses are young; |
|
The six reins look as if they were moistened. |
|
I gallop them, and urge them on, |
|
Everywhere pushing my inquiries. |
|
My horses are piebald; |
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The six reins are like silk. |
|
I gallop them, and urge them on, |
|
Everywhere seeking information and counsel. |
|
My horses are white and black-maned; |
|
The six reins look glossy. |
|
I gallop them, and urge them on, |
|
Everywhere seeking information and advice. |
|
My horses are grey; |
|
The six reins are well in hand. |
|
I gallop them, and urge them on, |
|
Everywhere seeking information and suggestions. |
|
The flowers of the cherry tree -- |
|
Are they not gorgeously displayed? |
|
Of all the men in the world, |
|
There are none equal to brothers. |
|
On the dreaded occasions of death and burial, |
|
It is brothers who greatly sympathize. |
|
When fugitives are collected on the heights and low grounds, |
|
They are brothers who will seek one another out. |
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There is the wagtail on the level height; -- |
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When brothers are in urgent difficulties, |
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Friends, though they may be good, |
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Will [only] heave long sighs. |
|
Brothers may quarrel inside the walls, |
|
But they will oppose insult from without, |
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When friends, however good they may be, |
|
Will not afford help. |
|
When death and disorder are past, |
|
And there are tranquillity and rest; |
|
Although they have brothers, |
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[Some] reckon them not equal to friends. |
|
Your dishes may be set in array, |
|
And you may drink to satiety; |
|
But it is when your brothers are all present, |
|
That you are harmonious and happy, with child-like joy. |
|
Loving union with wife and children, |
|
Is like the music of lutes; |
|
But it is the accord of brothers, |
|
Which makes the harmony and happiness lasting. |
|
For the ordering of your family, |
|
For your joy in yor wife and children, |
|
Examine this and study it; -- |
|
Will you not find that it is truly so? |
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On the trees go the blows ding-ding; |
|
And the birds cry out ying-ying. |
|
One issues from the dark valley, |
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And removes to the lofty tree, |
|
While ying goes its cry, |
|
Seeking with its voice its companion. |
|
Look at the bird, |
|
Bird as it is, seeking with its voice its companion; |
|
And shall a man, |
|
Not seek to have his friends? |
|
Spiritual beings will then hearken to him; |
|
He shall have harmony and peace. |
|
Xu-xu they go, as they fell the trees. |
|
I have strained off my spirits, till they are fine, |
|
And the fatted lambs are provided, |
|
To which to invite my paternal uncles. |
|
It is better that something should keep them from coming, |
|
Than that I should not have regarded them. |
|
Oh! brightly I have sprinkled and swept my courtyard, |
|
And arranged my viands, with eight dishes of grain, along with my fatted meat, |
|
To which to invite my maternal uncles. |
|
It is better that something should keep them from coming, |
|
Than that there should be blame attaching to me. |
|
They fell down the trees along the hill-side. |
|
I have strained off my spirits in abundance; |
|
The dishes stand in rows, |
|
And none of my brethren are absent. |
|
The loss of kindly feeling among people, |
|
May arise from faults in the matter of dry provisions. |
|
If I have spirits I strain them, do I; |
|
If I have no spirits, I buy them, do I; |
|
I make the drums beat, do I; |
|
I lead on the dance, do I. |
|
Whenever we have leisure, |
|
Let us drink the sparkling spirits. |
|
Heaven protects and establishes thee, |
|
With the greatest securtiy; |
|
Makes thee entirely virtuous, |
|
That thou mayest enjoy every happiness; |
|
Grants thee much increase, |
|
So that thou hast all in abundance. |
|
Heaven protects and establishes thee, |
|
It grants thee all excellence, |
|
So that thine every matter is right, |
|
And thou receivest every heavenly favour. |
|
It sends down to thee long-during happiness, |
|
Which the days are not sufficient to enjoy. |
|
Heaven protects and establishes thee, |
|
So that in every thing thou dost prosper, |
|
Like the high hills, and the mountain masses, |
|
Like the topmost ridges, and the greatest bulks; |
|
That, as the stream ever coming on, |
|
Such is thine increase. |
|
With happy auspices and purifications, thou bringest the offerings, |
|
And dost filially present them; |
|
In spring, summer, autumn, and winter, |
|
To the dukes and former kings, |
|
Who says, ' We give to thee, |
|
Myriad of years of duration unlimited. ' |
|
The spirits come, |
|
And confer on thee many blessings. |
|
The people are simple and honest, |
|
Daily enjoying their meat and drink. |
|
All the black-haired race, in all their surnames, |
|
Universally practise your virtue. |
|
Like the moon advancing to the full, |
|
Like the sun ascending the heavens, |
|
Like the age of the southern hills, |
|
Never waning, never falling, |
|
Like the luxuriance of the fir and the cypress; -- |
|
May such be thy succeeding line! |
|
Let us gather the thorn-ferns, let us gather the thorn-ferns; |
|
The thorn-ferns are now springing up. |
|
When shall we return? When shall we return? |
|
It will be late in the [next] year. |
|
Wife and husband will be separated, |
|
Because of the Xian-yun. |
|
We shall have no leisure to rest, |
|
Because of the Xian-yun. |
|
Let us gather the thorn-ferns, let us gather the thorn-ferns; |
|
The thorn-ferns are now tender. |
|
When shall we return? When shall we return? |
|
Our hearts are sorrowful; |
|
Our hearts are sad and sorrowful; |
|
We shall hunger, we shall thirst. |
|
While our service on guard is not finished, |
|
We can send no one home to enquire about our families. |
|
Let us gather the thorn-ferns, let us gather the thorn-ferns; |
|
The thorn-ferns are now hard. |
|
When shall we return? When shall we return? |
|
The year will be in the tenth month. |
|
But the king's business must not be slackly performed; |
|
We shall have no leisure to rest. |
|
Our sorrowing hearts are in great distress; |
|
But we shall not return from our expedition. |
|
What is that so gorgeous? |
|
It is the flowers of the cherry tree. |
|
What carriage is that? |
|
It is the carriage of our general. |
|
His war carriage is yoked; |
|
The four steeds are strong. |
|
Dare we remain inactive? |
|
In one month we shall have three victories. |
|
The four steeds are yoked, |
|
The four steeds, eager and strong; -- |
|
The confidence of the general, |
|
The protection of the men. |
|
The four steeds move regularly, like wings; -- |
|
There are the bow with its ivory ends, and the seal-skin quiver. |
|
Shall we not daily warn one another? |
|
The business of the Xian-yun is very urgent. |
|
At first, when we set out, |
|
The willows were fresh and green; |
|
Now, when we shall be returning, |
|
The snow will be falling in clouds. |
|
Long and tedious will be our marching; |
|
We shall hunger; we shall thirst. |
|
Our hearts are wounded with grief, |
|
And no one knows our sadness. |
|
We proceeded with our carriage, |
|
To those pasture grounds. |
|
' From the place of the son of Heaven, |
|
Came an order to me to march, ' [said the general]. |
|
So he called his carriage-officers, |
|
And told them to get the carriages all ready. |
|
' The king's business, ' [said he], ' is surrounded with difficulties; |
|
We must use despatch. ' |
|
We proceeded with our carriage, |
|
To that suburban region. |
|
The banner with tortoises and serpents was raised, |
|
And the ox-tails set up at the top of its staff; |
|
Did not it and the falcon banner, |
|
Fly about grandly? |
|
The [general's] heart was anxious and sad, |
|
And the carriage-officers appeared full of care. |
|
The king charged Nan Zhong, |
|
To go and build a wall in the [disturbed] region. |
|
How numerous were his chariots! |
|
How splendid his dragon, his tortoise and serpent flags! |
|
The son of Heaven had charged us, |
|
To build a wall in that northern region. |
|
Awe-inspiring was Nan Zhong; |
|
The Xian-yun were sure to be swept away! |
|
When we were marching at first, |
|
The millets were in flower. |
|
Now that we are returning, |
|
The snow falls, and the roads are all mire. |
|
The king's business was not to be slackly performed, |
|
And we had not leisure to rest. |
|
Did we not long to return? |
|
But we were in awe of the orders in the tablets. |
|
' Yao-yao go the grass-insects, |
|
And the hoppers leap about. |
|
While we do not see our husbands, |
|
Our hearts must be full of grief. |
|
Let us but see our husbands, |
|
And our hearts will be at rest. ' |
|
The awe-inspiring Nan Zhong, |
|
Is smiting the Rong of the west. |
|
The spring-days are lengthening out; |
|
The plants and trees grow full of verdure; |
|
The oriole's cry comes jie-jie; |
|
[Our wives] go in crowds to gather the white southernwood. |
|
With our prisoners for the question and our captive crowd, |
|
We return. |
|
Awe-inspiring is Nan zhong; |
|
The Xian-yun are pacified. |
|
Solitary stands the russet pear tree, |
|
With its fruit so bright. |
|
The king's business must not be slackly performed, |
|
And the days are prolonged with us one after another. |
|
The sun and moon are in the tenth month. |
|
My woman's heart is wounded; |
|
My soldier might have leisure [to return]! |
|
Solitary stands the russet pear tree, |
|
With its leaves so luxuriant. |
|
The king's business must not be slackly performed, |
|
And my heart is wounded and sad. |
|
The plants and trees are luxuriant, |
|
But my heart is sad. |
|
O that my soldier might return! |
|
I ascended that hill in the north, |
|
To gather the medlars. |
|
The king's business must not be slackly performed, |
|
And our parents are made sorrowful. |
|
His chariot of sandal wood must be damaged; |
|
His four horses must be worn out; |
|
My soldier cannot be far off. |
|
They have not packed up, they do not come; |
|
My sorrowing heart is greatly distressed. |
|
The time is past, and he is not here, |
|
To the multiplication of my sorrows. |
|
Both by the tortoise shell and the reeds have I divined, |
|
And they unite in saying he is near. |
|
My soldier is at hand! |