|
How vast is God, |
|
The ruler of men below! |
|
How arrayed in terrors is God, |
|
With many things irregular in His ordinations! |
|
Heaven gave birth to the multitudes of the people, |
|
But the nature it confers is not to be depended on. |
|
All are [good] at first, |
|
But few prove themselves to be so at the last. |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
That you should have such violently oppressive ministers, |
|
That you should have such extortionate exactors, |
|
That you should have them in offices, |
|
That you should have them in the conduct of affairs! |
|
Heaven made them with their insolent dispositions, |
|
But it is you who employ them, and gave them strength. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
You ought to employ such as are good, |
|
But [you employ instead] violent oppressors, who cause many dissatisfactions. |
|
They respond to you with baseless stories, |
|
And [thus] robbers and thieves are in your court. |
|
Thence come oaths and curses, |
|
Without limit, without end. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
You show a strong fierce will in the centre of the kingdom, |
|
And consider the contracting of enmities a proof of virtue. |
|
All unintelligent are you of your [proper] virtue, |
|
And so you have no [good] men behind you, nor by your side. |
|
Without any intelligence of your [proper] virtue, |
|
You have no [good] intimate adviser nor minister. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
It is not Heaven that flushes your face with spirits, |
|
So that you follow what is evil and imitate it. |
|
You go wrong in all your conduct; |
|
You make no distinction between the light and the darkness; |
|
But amid clamour and shouting, |
|
You turn the day into night. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
[All around you] is like the noise of cicadas, |
|
Or like the bubbling of boiling soup. |
|
Affairs, great and small, are approaching to ruin; |
|
And still you [and your creatures] go on in this course. |
|
Indignation is rife against you here in the Middle kingdom, |
|
And extends to the demon regions. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
It is not God that has caused this evil time, |
|
But it arises from Yin's not using the old [ways]. |
|
Although you have not old experienced men, |
|
There are still the ancient statutes and laws. |
|
But you will not listen to them, |
|
And so your great appointment is being overthrown. ' |
|
King Wen said, 'Alas! |
|
Alas! you [sovereign of] Yin-shang, |
|
People have a saying, |
|
'When a tree falls utterly, |
|
While its branches and leaves are yet uninjured, |
|
It must first have been uprooted. ' |
|
The beacon of Yin is not far-distant; -- |
|
It is in the age of the [last] sovereign of Xia. ' |
|
An outward demeanour, cautious and grave, |
|
Is an indication of the [inward] virtue. |
|
People have the saying, |
|
'There is no wise man who is not [also] stupid. ' |
|
The stupidity of the ordinary man, |
|
Is determined by his [natural] defects. |
|
The stupidity of the wise man, |
|
What is most powerful is the being the man; -- |
|
In all quarters [of the State] men are influenced by it. |
|
To an upright virtuous conduct, |
|
All in the four quarters of the State render obedient homage. |
|
With great counsels and determinate orders, |
|
With far-reaching plans and timely announcements, |
|
And with reverent care of his outward demeanour, |
|
One will become the pattern of the people. |
|
Is from his doing violence [to his natural character]. |
|
As for the circumstances of the present time, |
|
You are bent on error and confusion in your government. |
|
Your virtue is subverted; |
|
You are besotted by drink. |
|
Although you thus pursue nothing but pleasure, |
|
How is it you do not think of your relation to the past, |
|
And do not widely study the former kings, |
|
That you might hold fast their wise laws? |
|
Shall not those whom great Heaven does not approve of, |
|
Surely as the waters flow from a spring, |
|
Sink down together to ruin? |
|
Rise early and go to bed late, |
|
Sprinkle and sweep your court-yard; -- |
|
So as to be a pattern to the people. |
|
Have in good order your chariots and horses, |
|
Your bows and arrows, and [other] weapons of war; -- |
|
To be prepared for warlike action, |
|
To keep at a distance [the hordes of] the South. |
|
Perfect what concerns your officers and people; |
|
Be careful of your duties as a prince [of the kingdom]; -- |
|
To be prepared for unforeseen dangers. |
|
Be cautious of what you say; |
|
Be reverently careful of your outward demeanour; |
|
In all things be mild and correct. |
|
A flaw in a mace of white jade, |
|
May be ground away, |
|
But for a flaw in speech, |
|
Nothing can be done. |
|
Do not speak lightly; -- your words are your own: -- |
|
Do not say, ' This is of little importance. ' |
|
No one can hold my tongue for me; |
|
Words are not to be cast away. |
|
Every word finds its answer; |
|
Every good deed has its recompense. |
|
If you are gracious among your friends, |
|
And to the people, as if they were your children, |
|
Your descendants will continue in unbroken line, |
|
And all the people will surely be obedient to you. |
|
Looked at in friendly intercourse with superior men, |
|
You make your countenance harmonious and mild; -- |
|
Anxious not to do anything wrong. |
|
Looked at in your chamber, |
|
You ought to be equally free from shame before the light which shines in. |
|
Do not say, ' This place is not public; |
|
No one can see me here. ' |
|
The approaches of spiritual Beings, |
|
Cannot be calculated [beforehand]; |
|
But the more should they not be slighted. |
|
O prince, let your practice of virtue, |
|
Be entirely good and admirable. |
|
Watch well over your behaviour, |
|
And allow nothing wrong in your demeanour. |
|
Committing no excess, doing nothing injurious; -- |
|
There are few who will not in such a case take you for their pattern. |
|
When one throws to me a peach, |
|
I return to him a plum. |
|
To look for horns on a young ram, |
|
Will only weary you, my son. |
|
The soft and elastic wood, |
|
Can be fitted with the silken string. |
|
The mild and the respectful man, |
|
Possesses the foundation of virtue. |
|
There is a wise man; -- |
|
I tell him [good] words, |
|
And he yields to them the practice of docile virtue. |
|
There is a stupid man; -- |
|
He says on the contrary that my words are not true: -- |
|
So different are people's minds. |
|
Oh! my son, |
|
When you did not know what was good, and what was not good, |
|
Not [only] did I lead you on by the hand, |
|
But I showed the difference by appealing to affairs. |
|
Not [only] did I charge you face to face, |
|
But I held you by the ears. |
|
And still perhaps you do not know, |
|
Although you have held a son in your arms. |
|
If people are not self-sufficient, |
|
Who comes [only] to a late maturity after early instruction? |
|
Great Heaven is very intelligent, |
|
And I pass my life without pleasure. |
|
When I see you so dark and stupid, |
|
My heart is full of pain. |
|
I taught you with assiduous repetition, |
|
And you listened to me with contempt. |
|
You would nto consider me your teacher, |
|
But regarded me as troublesome. |
|
Still perhaps you do not know; -- |
|
But you are very old. |
|
Oh! my son, |
|
I have told you the old ways. |
|
Hear and follow my counsels; -- |
|
Then shall you have no cause for great regret. |
|
Heaven is now inflicting calamities, |
|
And is destroying the State. |
|
My illustrations are not taken from things remote; -- |
|
Great Heaven makes no mistakes. |
|
If you go on to deteriorate in your virtue, |
|
You will bring the people to great distress. |
|
Luxuriantly is that young mulberry tree, |
|
And beneath it wide is the shade; |
|
But they will pluck its leaves till it is quite destroyed. |
|
The distress inflicted on these [multitudes of the ] people, |
|
Is an unceasing sorrow to my heart; -- |
|
My commiseration fills [my breast]. |
|
O thou bright and great Heaven, |
|
Shouldest thou not have compassion on us? |
|
The four steeds [gallop about], eager and strong; |
|
The tortoise-and-serpent and the falcon banners fly about. |
|
Disorder grows, and no peace can be secured. |
|
Every State is being ruined; |
|
There are no black heads among the people; |
|
All are reduced to ashes, [as it were], by calamity. |
|
Oh! alas! |
|
The doom of the kingdom hurries on. |
|
There is nothing to arrest the doom of the kingdom; |
|
Heaven does not nourish us. |
|
There is no place in which to stop securely; |
|
There is no place to which to go. |
|
Superior men are the bonds [of the social state], |
|
Allowing no love of strife in their hearts. |
|
Who reared the steps of the dissatisfaction, |
|
Which has reached the present distress? |
|
The grief of my heart is extreme, |
|
And I dwell on [the condition of] our territory. |
|
I was born at an unhappy time, |
|
To meet with the severe anger of Heaven. |
|
From the west to the east, |
|
There is no quiet place of abiding. |
|
Many are the distresses I meet with; |
|
Very urgent is the trouble on our borders. |
|
You have your counsels; you employ caution; |
|
But the disorder grows and dismemberments ensue. |
|
I tell you the subjects for anxiety; |
|
I instruct you how to distinguish the orders of men. |
|
Who can hold anything hot? |
|
Must he not dip it [first] in water? |
|
How can you [by your method] bring a good state of things about? |
|
You [and your advisers] will sink together in ruin. |
|
[The state of things] is like going in the teeth of the wind, |
|
Which makes one quite breathless. |
|
Some have a mind to go forward, |
|
But they are made to think it is of no use to do so. |
|
They attach themselves to husbandry, |
|
And labour like the people instead of eating [the bread of office]. |
|
Their sowing and reaping are precious to them; |
|
They love this substitute for [official] emolument. |
|
Heaven is sending down death and disorder, |
|
And has put an end to our king. |
|
It is sending down those devourers of the grain, |
|
So that the husbandry is all in evil case. |
|
All is in peril and going to ruin; |
|
I have no strength [to do anything], |
|
And think of [the Power in] the azure vault. |
|
Here is a good and righteous ruler, |
|
Who is looked up to by the people and by all; -- |
|
He keeps his heart, and his plans are formed on mature deliberation, |
|
Searching carefully for helpers. |
|
There is one who has no such character, |
|
But reckons only to his own views to be good; -- |
|
He holds only to his own thoughts, |
|
And causes the people to be distracted. |
|
Look into the middle of that forest, |
|
At the herds of deer roaming together. |
|
[But here] friends are insincere, |
|
And do not help one another in what is good. |
|
People have the saying, |
|
'To go forwards or backwards is alike impracticable. ' |
|
Here is a wise man; -- |
|
His views and words reach to a hundred Li, |
|
There is a stupid man; -- |
|
He on the contrary rejoices in his madness. |
|
It is not that I could not speak [all this]; -- |
|
How is it I was withheld by my fear? |
|
Here is a good man, |
|
But he is not sought out nor employed. |
|
There is a hard-hearted man, |
|
And he is thought of and promoted once and again. |
|
The people [in consequence] desire disorder, |
|
And find emjoyment in bitter, poisonous ways. |
|
Great winds have a path; -- |
|
They come from the large empty valleys. |
|
Here is a good man, |
|
Whose doings will be good. |
|
There is a man unobservant of the right, |
|
Whose goings will be according to his inward filthiness. |
|
Great winds have a path; -- |
|
The covetous men try to subvert their peers. |
|
I would speak, if he would hear my words, |
|
But I can [only] croon them over as if I were drunk. |
|
He will not employ the good, |
|
And on the contrary causes me [such] distress. |
|
Ah! my friends, |
|
Is it in ignorance that I make [this ode]? |
|
[But it may happen] as in the case of a bird on the wing, |
|
Which sometimes is hit and caught. |
|
I go to do you good, |
|
But you become the more incensed against me. |
|
The unlimited disorder of the people, |
|
Is owing to those hypocrites, skilful to prevaricate. |
|
They work out the injury of the people, |
|
As if their efforts were not equal to it. |
|
The depravity of the people, |
|
Is brought about by their strenuous endeavours. |
|
That the people are unsettled, |
|
Is owing to the robbers that prey on them. |
|
Hypocritical, they say ' These men will not do; ' |
|
But when their backs are turned, they show their skill in reviling [the good]. |
|
Although you say, ' We did not do this, ' |
|
I have made this song about you. |
|
Bright was that milky way, |
|
Shining and revolving in the sky. |
|
The king said, 'Oh! |
|
What crime is chargeable on us now, |
|
That Heaven [thus] sends down death and disorder? |
|
Famine comes again and again. |
|
There is no victim I have grudged; |
|
Our maces and other tokens are exhausted: -- |
|
How is it that I am not heard? |
|
'The drought is excessive; |
|
Its fervours become more and more tormenting. |
|
I have not ceased offering pure sacrifices; |
|
From the border altars I have gone to the ancestral temple. |
|
To the [Powers] above and below I have presented my offerings and then buried them: -- |
|
There is no Spirit whom I have not honoured. |
|
Hou-ji is not equal to the occasion; |
|
God does not come to us. |
|
This wasting and ruin of our country, -- |
|
Would that it fell [only] on me! |
|
'The drought is excessive; |
|
And I may not try to excuse myself. |
|
I am full of terror and feel the peril, |
|
Like the clap of thunder or the roll. |
|
Of the remnant of Zhou, among the black-haired people, |
|
There will not be half a man left; |
|
Nor will God from His great heaven, |
|
Exempt [even] me. |
|
Shall we not mingle our fears together? |
|
[The sacrifices to] my ancestors will be extinguished. |
|
'The drought is excessive; |
|
And it cannot be stopped. |
|
More fierce and fiery, |
|
It is leaving me no place. |
|
My end is near; -- |
|
I have none to look up to, none to look around to. |
|
The many dukes and their ministers of the past, |
|
Give me no help. |
|
O ye parents and [nearer] ancestors, |
|
How can ye bear to see us thus? |
|
'The drought is excessive; -- |
|
Parched are the hills, and the streams are dried. |
|
The demon of drought exercises his oppression. |
|
As if scattering flames and fire. |
|
My heart is terrified with the heat; -- |
|
My sorrowing heart is as if on fire. |
|
The many dukes and their ministers of the past, |
|
Do not hear me, |
|
O God, from Thy great heaven, |
|
Grant me the liberty to withdraw [into retirement]! |
|
'The drought is excessive; -- |
|
I struggle, and fear to go away. |
|
How is it I am afflicted with this drought? |
|
I cannot ascertain the cause of it. |
|
In praying for a good year I was abundantly early; |
|
I was not late [in sacrificing] to [the Spirits] of the four quarters and of the land. |
|
God in the great heaven, |
|
Does not consider me. |
|
Reverent to the intelligent Spirits, |
|
I ought not to be thus the object of their anger. |
|
'The drought is excessive; -- |
|
All is dispersion, and the bonds of government are relaxed. |
|
Reduced to extremities are the Heads of departments; |
|
Full of distress are my chief minister, |
|
The master of the horse, the commander of the guards, |
|
The chief cook, and my attendants. |
|
There is no one who has not [tried to] help [the people]; |
|
They have not refrained on the ground of being unable. |
|
I look up to the great heaven; -- |
|
Why am I plunged in this sorrow? |
|
'I look up to the great heaven, |
|
But its stars sparkle bright. |
|
My great officers and excellent men, |
|
Ye have drawn near [to Heaven] with reverence with all your powers. |
|
Death is approaching, |
|
But do not cast away what you have done. |
|
You are seeking not for me only, |
|
But to give rest to all our departments. |
|
I look up to the great heaven; -- |
|
When shall I be favoured with repose? |
|
Grandly lofty are the mountains, |
|
With their large masses reaching to the heavens. |
|
From these mountains was sent down a Spirit, |
|
Who gave birth to [the princes of] Fu and shen. |
|
Fu and Shen, |
|
Are the support of Zhou, |
|
Screens to all the States, |
|
Diffusing [their influence] over the four quarters of the kingdom. |
|
Full of activity is the chief of Shen, |
|
And the king would employ him to continue the services [of his fathers], |
|
With his capital in Xie, |
|
Where he should be a pattern to the States of the south. |
|
The king gave charge to the earl of Zhou, |
|
To arrange all about the residence of the chief of Shen, |
|
Where he should do what was neccessary for the regions of the south, |
|
And where his posterity might maintain his merit. |
|
The king gave charge to the chief of Shen, |
|
'Be a pattern to the regions of the south, |
|
And by means of those people of Xie, |
|
Proceed to display your merit. ' |
|
The king gave charge to the earl of Zhou, |
|
To make the statutory definition of the territory and fields of the chief of Shen. |
|
The king gave charge to the chief 's steward, |
|
To remove the members of his family to the spot. |
|
Of the services of the chief of Shen, |
|
The foundation was laid by the earl of Zhou, |
|
Who built first the walls [of this city], |
|
And then completed his ancestral temple. |
|
When the temple was completed, wide and grand, |
|
The king conferred on the chief of Shen, |
|
Four noble steeds, |
|
With their hooks for the trappings of the breast-bands, glittering bright. |
|
The king sent away the chief of Shen, |
|
With its carriage of state and its team of horses. |
|
'I have consulted about your residence, |
|
That it had best be fixed in the South. |
|
I confer on you a great sceptre, |
|
As the symbol of your dignity. |
|
Go, my uncle, |
|
And protect the country of the South.' |
|
The chief of Shen took his departure, |
|
And the king gave him a parting feast in Mei. |
|
Then the chief of Shen returned, [and proceeded] to the south, |
|
And found himself at last in Xie. |
|
The king had given charge to the earl of Zhou, |
|
To make the statutory division of the lands, |
|
And to lay up stores of provisions, |
|
That the progress of the chief might be accelerated. |
|
Martial-like, the chief of Shen, |
|
Entered into Xie. |
|
His footmen and charioteers were numerous, |
|
And throughout the regions of Zhou all rejoiced. |
|
'You have got a good support: -- |
|
Very distinguished is the chief of Shen, |
|
The great uncle of the king, |
|
The pattern of the officers, both civil and military. ' |
|
The virtue of the chief of Shen, |
|
Is mild, and regulated, and upright. |
|
He will keep all these countries in order, |
|
And be famed throughout the kingdom. |
|
[I], Ji-fu, made this song, |
|
An ode of great excellence, |
|
Of influence good, |
|
To present to the chief of Shen. |
|
Heaven, in giving birth to the multitudes of the people, |
|
To every faculty and relationship annexed its law. |
|
The people possess this normal nature, |
|
And they [consequently] love its normal virtue. |
|
Heaven beheld the ruler of Zhou, |
|
Brilliantly affecting it by his conduct below; |
|
And to maintain him, its Son, |
|
Gave birth to Zhong Shan-fu. |
|
The virtue of Zhong Shan-fu, |
|
Is mild and admirable, according as it ought to be. |
|
Good is his deportment; good his looks; |
|
The lessons of antiquity are his law; |
|
He is strenuously attentive to his deportment. |
|
In full accord with the Son of Heaven, |
|
He is employed to spread abroad his bright decrees. |
|
The king gave charge to Zhong Shan-fu: -- |
|
'Be a pattern to all the princes; |
|
Continue [the services of] your ancestors. |
|
You have to protect the royal person; |
|
Give out the royal decrees, and report on them. |
|
Be the king's throat and tongue; |
|
Spread his government abroad, |
|
So that in all quarters it shall be responded to. ' |
|
Most dignified was the king's charge, |
|
And Zhong Shan-fu carries it into execution. |
|
In the States, the princes, be they good or bad, |
|
Are clearly distinguished by Zhong Shan-fu. |
|
Intelligent is he and wise, |
|
Protecting his own person; |
|
Never idle, day or night, |
|
In the service of the One man. |
|
The people have a saying: -- |
|
'The soft is devoured, |
|
And the hard is ejected from the mouth. ' |
|
But Zhong Shan-fu, |
|
Does not devour the soft, |
|
Nor eject the powerful. |
|
He does not insult the poor or the widow; |
|
He does not fear the strong or the oppressive. |
|
The people have a saying: -- |
|
'Virtue is light as a hair, |
|
But few are able to lift it. ' |
|
When I think of the matter, |
|
It is only Zhong Shan-fu that can lift it. |
|
I love him, but can do nothing to help him. |
|
Any defects in the king's duties, |
|
Are supplied by Zhong Shan-fu. |
|
Zhong Shan-fu went forth, having sacrificed to the Spirit of the road. |
|
His four steeds were strong; |
|
His men were alert; |
|
He was always anxious lest he should not be equal to his commission; |
|
His steeds went on without stopping, |
|
To the tinkling of their eight bells. |
|
The king had given charge to Zhong Shan-fu, |
|
To fortify the city there in the east. |
|
With his four steeds so strong, |
|
And their eight bells, all tinkling, |
|
Zhong Shan-fu proceeded to Qi; -- |
|
And he will soon return. |
|
I, Yin Ji-fu, have made this song: -- |
|
May it enter like a quiet wind, |
|
Among the constant anxieties of Zhong Shan-fu, |
|
To soothe his mind! |
|
Very grand is the mountain of Liang, |
|
Which was made cultivable by Yu. |
|
Bright it is the way from it, |
|
[Along which came] the marquis of Han to receive investiture. |
|
The king himself gave the charge: -- |
|
'Continue the services of your ancestors; |
|
Let not my charge to you come to nought. |
|
Be diligent, early and late, |
|
And reverently discharge your duties; -- |
|
So shall my appointment of you not change. |
|
Be a support against those princes who do not come to court, |
|
Thus assisting your sovereign. ' |
|
With his four steeds, all noble, |
|
Very long, and large, |
|
The marquis of Han came to court, |
|
With the large sceptre of his rank; -- |
|
He entered and appeared before the king. |
|
The king gave him, |
|
A fine dragon-flag, with its feathery ornaments; |
|
A chequered bamboo-screen, and an ornamented yoke; |
|
A dark-coloured robe with the dragons on it, and the redslippers; |
|
The hooks for the trappings of the breast-bands, and the carved frontlets; |
|
The leaning-board bound with leather, and a tiger's skin to cover it, |
|
The ends of the reins, with their metal rings. |
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When the marquis of Han left the court, he sacrificed to the Spirit of the road; |
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He went forth, and lodged for the night in Tu. |
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There Xian-fu gave him the parting feast; -- |
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With a hundred vases of clear spirits. |
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And what were the viands? |
|
Roast turtle and fresh fish. |
|
And what were the vegetables? |
|
Bamboo sprouts and pu. |
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And what were the gifts? |
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A carriage of state with its team. |
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Many were the vessels of sauces and fruits; |
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And the other princes [at court] joined in the feast. |
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The marquis of Han took to himself a wife, -- |
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A niece of king Fen, |
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The daughter of Jue-fu. |
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The marquis of Han went to receive her. |
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To the residence of Jue. |
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His hundred chariots were in grand array, |
|
The eight bells of each emitting their tinkling; -- |
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Illustrious was the glory [of the occasion]. |
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The virgins, her companions, followed the lady, |
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Leisurely like a beautiful cloud. |
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The marquis of Han looked round at them, |
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Filling the gate with their splendour. |
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Jue-fu is very martial, |
|
And there is no State which he had not visited. |
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When he would select a home for Han-ji, |
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There seemed none so pleasant as Han, |
|
Very pleasant is the territory of Han, |
|
With its large streams and meres, |
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Full of big bream and tench; |
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With its multitudes of deer, |
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With its bears and grisly bears; |
|
With its wild-cats and tigers. |
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Glad was he of so admirable a situation, |
|
And here Han-ji found rest and joy. |
|
Large is the wall of [the city of] Han, |
|
Built by the multitudes of Yan. |
|
As his ancestor had received charge, |
|
To preside over all the wild tribes [of that quarter], |
|
The king [now] gave to the marquis of Han, |
|
The Qi and the Mo, |
|
Forthwith to hold the States of the north, |
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And to preside over them as their chief; |
|
Making strong his walls, and deep his moats, |
|
Laying out his fields, regulating his revenues, |
|
Presenting his skins of the white fox, |
|
With those of the red panther and the yellow grisly bear. |
|
Large was the volume of the Jiang and the Han, |
|
And the troops advanced like a flowing current. |
|
There was no resting, no idle wandering; -- |
|
We were seeking for the tribes of the Huai. |
|
We had sent forth our chariots; |
|
We had displayed our falcon-banners. |
|
There was no resting, no remissness; -- |
|
Against the tribes of the Huai were we marshalled. |
|
Large flowed the Jiang and the Han, |
|
And grandly martial looked the troops. |
|
The whole country had been reduced to order, |
|
And an announcement of our success had been made to be king. |
|
When the whole country was pacified, |
|
The king's State began to feel settled. |
|
There was then an end of strife, |
|
And the king's heart was composed. |
|
On the banks of the Jiang and the Han, |
|
The king had given charge to Hu of Zhou: -- |
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'Open up the whole of the country; |
|
Make the statutory division of my lands there; |
|
Not to distress the people, nor with urgency, |
|
But making them conform to the royal state. |
|
Make the larger and the smaller divisions of hte ground, |
|
As far as the southern sea. ' |
|
The king gave charge to Hu of Zhou: -- |
|
'You have everywhere diffused [and carried out my orders]. |
|
When Wen and Wu received their appointment, |
|
The duke of Zhou was their strong support. |
|
You do not [only] have a regard to me the little child, |
|
But you try to resemble that duke of Zhou. |
|
You have commenced and earnestly displayed your merit; |
|
And I will make you happy. |
|
'I give you a large libation-cup of jade, |
|
And a jar of herb-flavoured spirits from the black millet. |
|
I have made announcement to the accomplished one, |
|
And confer on you hills, lands, and fields. |
|
In Yu-zhou shall you receive investiture, |
|
According as your ancestor received his. ' |
|
Hu bowed with his head to the ground, [and said], |
|
'May the Son of Heaven live for ever! ' |
|
Hu bowed with his head to the ground, |
|
And in response displayed the goodness of the king, |
|
And roused himself to maintain the fame of his ancestor. |
|
'May the Son of Heaven live for ever! |
|
Very intelligent is the Son of Heaven; |
|
His good fame shall be without end. |
|
Let him display his civil virtues, |
|
Till they permeate all quarters of the kingdom. |
|
Grandly and clearly, |
|
The king gave charge to his minister, |
|
A descendant of Nan Zhong, |
|
The Grand-master Huang-fu: -- |
|
'Put my six armies in order, |
|
And get ready all my apparatus of war. |
|
Be reverent, be cautious, |
|
That we may give comfort to the States of the south. ' |
|
The king said to the Head of the Yin clan, |
|
'Give a charge to Xiu-fu, earl of Cheng, |
|
To undertake the arrangement of the ranks, |
|
And to warn all my troops. |
|
Along the bank of the Huai, |
|
[We go] to see the land of Xu, |
|
Not delaying [our march], not occupying [the territory], |
|
That the threefold labours [of husbandry ] may proceed in order. ' |
|
Full of grandeur and strength, |
|
The Son of Heaven looked majestic. |
|
Leisurely and calmly the king advanced, |
|
Not with his troops in masses, nor in broken lines. |
|
The region of Xu from stage to stage was moved; |
|
It shook and was terrified, -- the region of Xu. |
|
As by the roll of thunder or its sudden crash, |
|
The region of Xu shook and was terrified. |
|
The king aroused his warlike energy, |
|
As if he were moved with anger. |
|
He advanced his tiger-like officers. |
|
Looking fierce like raging tigers. |
|
He displayed his masses along the bank of the Huai, |
|
And forthwith seized a crowd of captives. |
|
Securely kept was the country about the bank of the Huai, |
|
Occupied by the royal armies. |
|
The royal legions were numerous; |
|
[Swift] as if they flew on wings, |
|
[Imposing] as the current of the Jiang and the Han; |
|
Firm as a mountain; |
|
Rolling on like a stream; |
|
Continuous and orderly; |
|
Inscrutable, invincible; |
|
Grandly proceeding to set in order the States of Xu. |
|
The king's plans were directed in truth and sincerity, |
|
And the region of Xu came [at once to terms]; |
|
Its [chiefs] were all collected together; -- |
|
Through the merit of the Son of Heaven. |
|
The country was all reduced to order; |
|
Its [chiefs] appeared before the king. |
|
They would not again change their minds, |
|
And the kings said, ' Let us return. ' |
|
I look up to great Heaven, |
|
But it shows us no kindness. |
|
Very long have we been disquieted, |
|
And these great calamities are sent down [upon us]. |
|
There is nothing settled in the country; |
|
Officers and people are in distress. |
|
Through the insects from without and from within, |
|
There is no peace or limit [to our misery]. |
|
The net of crime is not taken up, |
|
And there is no peace nor cure [for our state]. |
|
Men had their ground and fields, |
|
But you have them [now]. |
|
Men had their people and followers, |
|
But you have violently taken them from them. |
|
Here is one who ought to be held guiltless, |
|
But you snare him [in the net of crime]. |
|
There is one who ought to be held guilty, |
|
But you let him escape [from it]. |
|
A wise man builds up the wall [of a city], |
|
But a wise woman overthrows it. |
|
Admirable may be the wise woman, |
|
But she is [no batter than] an owl. |
|
A woman with a long tongue, |
|
Is [like] a stepping-stone to disorder. |
|
[Disorder] does not come down from heaven; -- |
|
It is produced by the woman. |
|
Those from whom come no lessons, no instruction, |
|
Are women and eunuchs. |
|
They beat men down, hurtful, deceitful. |
|
Their slanders in the beginning may be falsified in the end, |
|
But they do not say [that their words were] very wrong; -- |
|
[They say], ' What evil was there in them? |
|
As if in the three times cent per cent of traffic, |
|
A superior man should have any knowledge of it; |
|
So a woman who has nothing to do with public affairs, |
|
Leaves her silk-worms and weaving. |
|
Why is it that Heaven is [thus] reproving [you]? |
|
Why is it that the Spirits are not blessing [you]? |
|
You neglect your great barbarian [foes], |
|
And regard me with hatred. |
|
You are reagrdless of the evil omens [that abound], |
|
And your demeanour is all-unseemly; |
|
[Good] men are going away, |
|
And the country is sure to go to ruin. |
|
Heaven is letting down its net, |
|
And many [are the calamities in it]. |
|
[Good] men are going away, |
|
And my heart is sorrowful. |
|
Heaven is letting down its net, |
|
And soon [will all be caught in it ]. |
|
Good men are going away. |
|
And my heart is sad. |
|
Right from the spring comes the water bubbling, |
|
Revealing its depth. |
|
The sorrow of my heart, -- |
|
Is it [only] of to-day? |
|
Why were these things not before me? |
|
Or why were they not after me? |
|
But myteriously Great Heaven, |
|
Is able to strengthen anything; |
|
Do not disgrace your great ancestors, |
|
And it will save your posterity. |
|
Compassionate Heaven is arrayed in angry terrors; |
|
Heaven is indeed sending down ruin, |
|
Afflicting us with famine, |
|
So that the people are all wandering fugitives; -- |
|
In the settled regions and on the borders all is desolation. |
|
Heaven sends down its net of crime; -- |
|
Devouring insects, who weary and confuse men's minds, |
|
Ignorant, oppressive, neglient, |
|
Breeders of confusion, utterly perverse: -- |
|
These are the men employed to tranquilize our country. |
|
Insolent and slanderous, -- |
|
[The king] does not know a flaw in them. |
|
We, careful and feeling in peril, |
|
For long in unrest, |
|
Are constantly subjected to degradation. |
|
As in a year of drought, |
|
The grass not attaining to luxuriance; |
|
As water plants attached to a tree; |
|
So do I see in this country, |
|
All going to confusion. |
|
The wealth of former days,, |
|
Was not like our present condition. |
|
The distress of the present, |
|
Did not previously reach this degree. |
|
Those are [like] coarse rice, these are [like] fine; -- |
|
Why do you not retire of yourselves, |
|
But prolong my anxious sorrow? |
|
A pool becomes dry, -- |
|
Is it not because no water comes to it from its banks? |
|
A spring becomes dry, -- |
|
Is it not because no water rises in it from itself? |
|
Great is the injury [all about]. |
|
So that my anxious sorrow is increased. |
|
Will not calamity light on my person? |
|
Formerly when the former kings received their appointment, |
|
There were such ministers as the duke of Zhou, |
|
Who would in a day enlarge the kingdom a hundred Li; |
|
Now it is contracted in a day a hundred Li. |
|
Oh! Alas! |
|
Among the men of the present day, |
|
Are there not still some with the old virtue? |