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10. 西伯戡黎
西伯既戡黎，祖伊恐，奔告于王。曰：「天子！天既訖我殷命；格人元龜，罔敢知吉。非先王不相我後人，惟王淫戲用自絕。故天棄我；不有康食，不虞天性，不迪率典。今我民罔弗欲喪，曰：『天曷不降威？大命不摯。』今王其如臺！」王曰：「嗚呼！我生不有命在天？」祖伊反曰：「嗚呼！乃罪多參在上，乃能責命于天！殷之即喪，指乃功；不無戮于爾邦。」
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BOOK X. THE CHIEF OF THE WEST'S CONQUEST OF
LÎ.
1
The Chief of the West having subdued Lî, Zû Î was
afraid, and hastened to report it to the king. He said, 'Son of Heaven, Heaven is bringing to an end
the dynasty of Yin;* the wisest men and the shell of the great tortoise do not
presume to know anything fortunate for it.* It is not that the former kings do
not aid us, the men of this later time;* but by your dissoluteness and sport
you are bringing on the end yourself. On this account Heaven has cast us off,
and there are no good harvests to supply us with food.* Men have no regard to
their heavenly nature, and pay no obedience to the statutes (of the kingdom).
(Yea), our people now all wish (the dynasty) to perish, saying, "Why does not
Heaven send down its indignation? Why does not (some one with) its great
appointment make his appearance? What has the present king to do with
us?"' The king said, 'Oh! was not my birth in accordance with
the appointment of Heaven (in favour of my House)?' (On this) Zû Î returned (to
his own city), and said, 'Your crimes, which are many, are registered above,
and can you still appeal to the appointment of Heaven in your favour?* Yin will
perish very shortly. As to all your deeds, can they but bring ruin on your
country?'
Notes
1. THE reigns of seven more kings of Yin or Shang have
passed, and this Book brings us to the time of Kâu-hsin or Shâu, its last
sovereign, B.C. 1154-1123. The House of Kâu begins to come to the front, for
'the Chief of the West' was one of the acknowledged founders of the Kâu
dynasty;--whether Khang, known as king Wan, or his son Fâ, known as king Wû, is
uncertain. Khang's father, the duke of Kâu in the present department of
Fang-hsiang, Shen-hsî, had been appointed Chief of the West, that is, of all
the western portion of the kingdom, embracing Yü's provinces of Yung, Liang,
and King. The same jurisdiction descended to his son and grandson. The state of
Lî, the conquest of which is mentioned, was in the present department of Lû-an,
Shan-hsî, within the royal domain, so that the Chief of the West was no longer
confining himself to the west, but threatening the king himself. Zû Î, a loyal officer, hears of the conquest of Lî,
and hurries away to inform the king and warn him of the danger threatening the
dynasty through his evil conduct. The king gives no heed to his remonstrances,
and Zû Î retires, sighing over the ruin, which he sees is not to be
averted. The Book is classed, it would be hard to tell why,
among the 'Announcements.' |
Published
by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003
by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia