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Rapid was the warlike energy of [our king of] Yin, |
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And vigorously did he attack Jing-Chu. |
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Boldly he entered its dangerous passes, |
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And brought the multitudes of King together, |
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Till the country was reduced under complete restraint: -- |
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Such was the fitting achievement of the descendant of Tang. |
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'Ye people, ' [he said], ' of Jing-chu, |
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Dwell in the southern part of my kingdom. |
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Formerly, in the time of Tang the Successful, |
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Even from the Jiang of Di, |
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They dared not but come with their offerings; |
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[Their chiefs] dared not but come to seek acknowledgment: -- |
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Such is the regular rule of Shang. ' |
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Heaven has given their appointments [to the princes], |
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But where their capitals had been assigned within the sphere of the labours of Yu, |
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For the business of every year, they appeared before our king, |
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[Saying], ' Do not punish nor reprove us; |
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We have not been remiss in our husbandry. ' |
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When Heaven by its will is inspecting [the kingdom], |
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The lower people are to be feared. |
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[Our king] showed no partiality [in rewarding], no excess [in punishing]; |
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He dared not to allow himself in indolence: -- |
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So was his appointment [established] over the States, |
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And he made his happiness grandly secure. |
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The capital of Shang was full of order, |
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The model for all parts of the kingdom, |
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Glorious was his fame; |
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Brilliant, his energy. |
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Long lived he and enjoyed tranquillity, |
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And so he preserves us, his descendants. |
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We ascended the hill of King, |
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Where the pines and cypresses grew symmetrical. |
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We cut them down, and conveyed them here; |
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We reverently hewed them square. |
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Long are the projecting beams of pine; |
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Large are the many pillars. |
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The temple was completed, -- the tranquil abode [of his tablet]. |
Published
by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003
by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia