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Yes, [all about] that southern hill, |
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Was made manageable by Yu. |
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Its plains and marshes being opened up, |
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It was made into fields by the distant descendant. |
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We define their boundaries, we form their smaller divisions, |
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And make the acres lie, here to the south, there to the east. |
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The heavens over head are one arch of clouds, |
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Snowing in multitudinous flakes. |
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There is superadded the drizzling rain. |
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When [the land] has received the moistening, |
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Soaking influence abundantly, |
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It produces all our kinds of grain. |
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The boundaries and smaller divisions are nicely adjusted, |
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And the millets yield abundant crops, |
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The harvest of the distant descendant. |
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We proceed to make therewith spirits and food, |
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To supply our representatives of the dead, and our guests; -- |
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To obtain long life, extending over myriads of years. |
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In the midst of the fields are the huts, |
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And along the bounding divisions are gourds. |
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The fruits is sliced and pickled, |
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To be presented to our great ancestors, |
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That their distant descendant may have long life, |
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And receive the blessing of Heaven. |
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We sacrifice [first] with pure spirits, |
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And then follow with a red bull; |
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Offering them to our ancestors. |
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[Our lord] holds the knife with tinkling bells, |
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To lay open the hair of the victim, |
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And takes its flesh and fat. |
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Then we present, then we offer; |
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All round the fragrance is diffused. |
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Complete and brilliant is the sacrificial service; |
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Grandly come our ancestors. |
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They will reward [their descendant] with great blessing, -- |
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Long life, years without end. |
Published
by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003
by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia