|
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. |
|
When the marquis of Han left the court, he sacrificed to the Spirit of the road; |
|
He went forth, and lodged for the night in Tu. |
|
There Xian-fu gave him the parting feast; -- |
|
With a hundred vases of clear spirits. |
|
And what were the viands? |
|
Roast turtle and fresh fish. |
|
And what were the vegetables? |
|
Bamboo sprouts and pu. |
|
And what were the gifts? |
|
A carriage of state with its team. |
|
Many were the vessels of sauces and fruits; |
|
And the other princes [at court] joined in the feast. |
|
The marquis of Han took to himself a wife, -- |
|
A niece of king Fen, |
|
The daughter of Jue-fu. |
|
The marquis of Han went to receive her. |
|
To the residence of Jue. |
|
His hundred chariots were in grand array, |
|
The eight bells of each emitting their tinkling; -- |
|
Illustrious was the glory [of the occasion]. |
|
The virgins, her companions, followed the lady, |
|
Leisurely like a beautiful cloud. |
|
The marquis of Han looked round at them, |
|
Filling the gate with their splendour. |
|
Jue-fu is very martial, |
|
And there is no State which he had not visited. |
|
When he would select a home for Han-ji, |
|
There seemed none so pleasant as Han, |
|
Very pleasant is the territory of Han, |
|
With its large streams and meres, |
|
Full of big bream and tench; |
|
With its multitudes of deer, |
|
With its bears and grisly bears; |
|
With its wild-cats and tigers. |
|
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, |
|
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. |