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無羊

誰謂爾無羊。
三百維群。
誰謂爾無牛。
九十其犉。
爾羊來思。
其角濈濈。
爾牛來思。
其耳濕濕。
或降于阿。
或飲于池。
或寢于訛。
爾牧來思。
何蓑何笠。
或負其餱。
三十維物。
爾牲則具。
爾牧來思。
以薪以蒸。
以雌以雄。
爾羊來思。
矜矜兢兢。
不騫不崩。
麾之以肱。
畢來既升。
牧人乃夢。
眾維魚矣。
旐維旟矣。
大人占之。
眾維魚矣。
實維豐年。
旐維旟矣。
室家溱溱。

WU YANG

Who can say that you have no sheep?
There are three hundred in [each] herd.
Who says that you have no cattle?
There are ninety, which are black-lipped.
Your sheep come,
Horned, but all agreeing.
Your cattle come,
Flapping their ears.
Some are descending among the mounds;
Some are drinking at the pools;
Some are lying down, some are moving about.
Your herdsmen come,
Bearing their rain-coats and bamboo-hats,
Or carrying on their backs their provisions.
In thirties are the creatures arranged according to their colours;
For your victims there is abundant provision.
Your herdsmen come,
With their large faggots, and smaller branches,
And with their prey of birds and beasts.
Your sheep come,
Vigorous and strong,
None injured, no infection in the herd.
At the wave of the [herdsman's] arm,
All come, all go up [into the fold].
Your herdsmen shall dream, --
Of multitudes and then of fishes;
Of the tortoise-and serpent; and then of the falcon banners.
The chief diviner will divine the dreams,
How the multitudes dissolving into fishes,
Betoken plentiful years;
How the tortoise-and-serpent dissolving into falcon banners,
Betoken the increasing population of the kingdom.
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IATHPublished by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003 by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia