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皇矣

皇矣上帝。
臨下有赫。
監觀四方。
求民之莫。
維此二國。
其政不獲。
維彼四國。
爰究爰度。
上帝耆之。
憎其式廓。
乃眷西顧。
止維與宅。
作之屏之。
其菑其翳。
脩之平之。
其灌其栵。
啟之辟之。
其檉其椐。
攘之剔之。
其 yan 其柘。
帝遷明德。
串夷載路。
天立厥配。
受命既固。
帝省其山。
柞棫斯拔。
松柏斯兌。
帝作邦作對。
自大伯王季。
維此王季。
因心則友。
則友其兄。
則篤其慶。
載錫之光。
受祿無喪。
奄有四方。
維此王季。
帝度其心。
貊其德音。
其德克明。
克明克類。
克長克君。
王此大邦。
克順克比。
比于文王。
其德靡悔。
既受帝祉。
施于孫子。
帝謂文王。
無然畔援。
無然歆羨。
誕先登于岸。
密人不恭。
敢距大邦。
侵阮徂共。
王赫斯怒。
爰整其旅。
以按徂旅。
以篤于周祜。
以對于天下。
依其在京。
侵自阮疆。
陟我高岡。
無矢我陵。
我陵我阿。
無飲我泉。
我泉我池。
度其鮮原。
居歧之陽。
在渭之將。
萬邦之方。
下民之王。
帝謂文王。
予懷明德。
不大聲以色。
不長夏以革。
不識不知。
順帝之則。
帝謂文王。
詢爾仇方。
同爾兄弟。
以爾鉤援。
與爾臨衝。
以我崇墉。
臨衝閑閑。
崇墉言言。
執訊連連。
攸馘安安。
是類是禡。
是致是附。
四方以無悔。
臨衝茀茀。
崇墉仡仡。
是伐是肆。
是絕是忽。
四方以無拂。
厭 +木

HUANG YI

Great is God,
Beholding this lower world in majesty.
He surveyed the four quarters [of the kingdom],
Seeking for some one to give settlement to the people.
Those two [earlier] dynasties,
Had failed to satisfy Him with their government;
So throughout the various States,
He sought and considered,
For one on which he might confer the rule.
Hating all the great [States],
He turned His kind regards on the west,
And there gave a settlement [to king Da].
[King Da] raised up and removed,
The dead trunks, and the fallen trees.
He dressed and regulated,
The bushy clumps, and the [tangled] rows.
He opened up and cleared,
The tamarix trees, and the stave-trees.
He hewed and thinned,
The mountain-mulberry trees.
God having brought about the removal thither of this intelligent ruler,
The Guan hordes fled away.
Heaven raised up a helpmeet for him.
And the appointment he had received was made sure.
God surveyed the hills,
Where the oaks and yu were thinned,
And paths made through the firs and cypresses.
God, who had raised the State, raised up a proper ruler for it; --
From the time of Da-bo and king Ju [this was done].
Now this king Ju,
In his heart was full of brotherly duty.
Full of duty to his elder brother,
He gave himself the more to promote the prosperity [of the country],
And secured to him the glory [of his act].
He accepted his dignity, and did not lose it,
And [ere long his family] possessed the whole kingdom.
The king Ju,
Was gifted by God with the power of judgement,
So that the fame of his virtue silently grew.
His virtue was highly intelligent; --
Highly intelligent and of rare discrimination;
Able to lead, able to rule, --
To rule over this great country;
Rendering a cordial submission, effecting a cordial union.
When [the sway] came to king Wen,
His virtue left nothing to be dissatisfied with.
He received the blessing of God,
And it was extended to his descendants.
God said to king Wen,
' Be not like those who reject this and cling to that;
Be not like those who are ruled by their likings and desires; '
So he grandly ascended before others to the height [of virtue].
The people of Mi were disobedient,
Daring to oppose our great country,
And invaded Yuan, marching to Gung.
The king rose majestic in his wrath;
He marshalled his troops,
To stop the invading foes;
To consolidate the prosperity of Zhou;
To meet [the expectations of ] all under heaven.
He remained quietly in the capital;
But [his troops] went on from the borders of Yuan.
They ascended our lofty ridges,
And [the enemy] arrayed no forces on our hills,
On our hills, small or large,
Nor drank at our springs,
Our springs or our pools.
He then determined the finest of the plains,
And settled on the south of Ju,
On the side of the Wei;
The centre of all the States,
The resort of the lower people.
God said to king Wen,
'I am pleased with your intelligent virtue,
Not loudly proclaimed nor pourtrayed,
Without extravagance or changeableness,
Without consciousness of effort on your part,
In accordance with the pattern of God. '
God said to king Wen,
' Take measures against the country of your foes.
Along with your brethren,
Get ready your scaling ladders,
And yoru engines of onfall and assault,
To attack the walls of Chong. '
The engines of onfall and assault were gently plied,
Against the walls of Chong high and great;
Captives for the question were brought in one after another;
' The left ears [of the slain] were taken leisurely.
He sacrificed to God, and to the Father of War,
Thus seeking to induce submission;
And throughout the kingdom none dared to insult him.
The engines of onfall and assault were vigorously plied,
Against the walls of Chong very strong;
He attacked it, and let loose all his forces;
He extinguished [its sacrifices], and made an end of its existence;
And throughout the kingdom none dared to oppose him.'
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IATHPublished by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003 by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia