1. 泰誓

上

惟十有三年，春，大會于孟津。王曰：「嗟我友邦冢君，越我御事庶士，明聽誓。惟天地，萬物父母；惟人，萬物之靈。亶聰明，作元後，元後作民父母。今商王受，弗敬上天，降災下民，沈緬冒色，敢行暴虐。罪人以族，官人以世。惟宮室、臺榭、陂池、侈服，以殘害于爾萬姓。焚炙忠良，刳剔孕婦。「皇天震怒，命我文考，肅將天威，大勛未集。肆予小子發，以爾友邦冢君，觀政于商，惟受罔有悛心，乃夷居，弗事上帝神祗，遺厥先宗廟弗祀。犧牲粢盛，既于兇盜。乃曰：『吾有民有命，罔懲其侮。』天佑下民，作之君、作之師。惟其克相上帝，寵綏四方。有罪無罪，予曷敢有越厥志？同力度德，同德度義，受有臣億萬，惟億萬心。予有臣三千，惟一心。商罪貫盈，天命誅之，予弗順天，厥罪惟鈞。予小子夙夜祗懼，受命文考，類于上帝，宜于冢土，以爾有眾，厎天之罰。天矜于民，民之所欲，天必從之。爾尚弼予一人，永清四海。時哉！弗可失。」

中

惟戊午，王次于河朔。群後以師畢會。王乃徇師而誓，曰：「嗚呼！西土有眾，咸聽朕言。我聞：吉人為善，惟日不足；兇人為不善，亦惟日不足。今商王受，力行無度，播棄犁老，昵比罪人。淫酗肆虐，臣下化之。朋家作仇，脅權相滅，無辜吁天，穢德彰聞。惟天惠民，惟辟奉天。有夏桀，弗克若天，流毒下國，天乃佑命成湯，降黜夏命。惟受罪浮于桀，剝喪元良，賊虐諫輔，謂己有天命，謂敬不足行，謂祭無益，謂暴無傷，厥監惟不遠，在彼夏王。「天其以予乂民，朕夢協朕卜，襲于休祥，戎商必克，受有億兆夷人，離心離德，予有亂臣十人，同心同德。雖有周親，不如仁人。天視自我民視，天聽自我民聽。百姓有過，在予一人。今朕必往，我武惟揚，侵于之疆，取彼兇殘，我伐用張，于湯有光。勖哉夫子，罔或無畏，寧執非敵。百姓檁檁，若崩厥角。嗚呼！乃一德一心，立定厥功，惟克永世。」

下

時厥明，王乃大巡六師，明誓眾士。王曰：「嗚呼！我西土君子，天有顯道，厥類惟彰。今商王受，狎侮五常，荒怠弗敬。自絕于天，結怨于民，斮朝涉之脛，剖賢人之心。作威殺戮毒痡四海。崇信奸回，放黜師保，屏棄典刑，囚奴正士，郊社不修，宗廟不享，作奇技淫巧以悅婦人。上帝弗順，祝降時喪。爾其孜孜，奉予一人，恭行天罰。古人有言曰：『撫我則後，虐我則讎。』獨夫受，洪惟作威，乃汝世讎。樹德務滋，除惡務本，肆予小子，誕以爾眾士，殄殲乃讎。爾眾士其尚迪果毅，以登乃辟。功多有厚賞，不迪有顯戮。嗚呼！惟我文考，若日月之照臨，光于四方，顯于西土。惟我有周，誕受多方。予克受，非予武，惟朕文考無罪。受克予，非朕文考有罪，惟予小子無良。」

BOOK I. THE GREAT DECLARATION.

¹

Section 1.

In the spring of the thirteenth year ² there was a great assembly at Mâng-king ³. The king said, 'Ah! ye hereditary rulers of my friendly states, and all ye my officers, managers of my affairs, hearken clearly to my declaration. 'Heaven and earth is the parent of all creatures; and of all creatures man is the most highly endowed.* The sincerely intelligent (among men) becomes the great sovereign; and the great sovereign is the parent of the people. But now, Shâu, the king of Shang, does not reverence Heaven above, and inflicts calamities on the people below.* Abandoned to drunkenness and reckless in lust, he has dared to exercise cruel oppression. He has extended the punishment of offenders to all their relatives. He has put men into offices on the hereditary principle. He has made it his pursuit to have palaces, towers, pavilions, embankments, ponds, and all other extravagances, to the most painful injury of you, the myriads of the people. He has burned and roasted the loyal and good. He has ripped up pregnant women. Great Heaven was moved with indignation, and charged my deceased father Wan to display its terrors; but (he died) before the work was completed.* 'On this account, I, Fâ, the little child, have by means of you, the hereditary rulers of my friendly states, contemplated the government of Shang; but Shâu has no repentant heart. He sits squatting on his heels, not serving God nor the spirits of heaven and earth, neglecting also the temple of his ancestors, and not sacrificing in it.* The victims and the vessels of millet all become the prey of wicked robbers, and still he says, "The people are mine; the (heavenly) appointment is mine," never trying to correct his contemptuous mind.* 'Heaven, for the help of the inferior people, made for them rulers, and made for them instructors, that they might be able to be aiding to God, and secure the tranquillity of the four quarters (of the kingdom). In regard to who are criminals and who are not, how dare I give any allowance to my own wishes?* '"Where the strength is the same, measure the virtue of the parties; where the virtue is the same, measure their righteousness." Shâu has hundreds of thousands and myriads of officers, but they have hundreds of thousands and myriads of minds; I have (but) three thousand officers, but they have one mind. The iniquity of Shang is full. Heaven gives command to destroy it. If I did not obey Heaven, my iniquity would be as great.* 'I, the little child, early and late am filled with apprehensions. I have received the command of my deceased father Wan; I have offered special sacrifice to God; I have performed the due services to the great earth; and I lead the multitude of you to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven.* Heaven compassionates the people. What the people desire, Heaven will be found to give effect to.* Do you aid me, the One man, to cleanse for ever (all within) the four seas. Now is the time!--It should not be lost.'

Section 2.

On (the day) Wû-wû ⁴, the king halted on the north of the Ho. When all the princes with their hosts were assembled, the king reviewed the hosts, and made the following declaration:--'Oh! ye multitudes of the west, hearken all to my words. 'I have heard that the good man, doing good, finds the day insufficient; and that the evil man, doing evil, also finds the day insufficient. Now Shâu, the king of Shang, with strength pursues his lawless way. He has driven away the timeworn sires, and cultivates intimacies with wicked men. Dissolute, intemperate, reckless, oppressive, his ministers have become assimilated to him; and they form combinations and contract animosities, and depend on their power to exterminate one another. The innocent cry to Heaven. The odour of such a state is felt on high.* 'Heaven loves the people, and the sovereign should reverently carry out (this mind of) Heaven. Kieh, the sovereign of Hsiâ, would not follow the example of Heaven, but sent forth his poisonous injuries through the states of the kingdom:--Heaven therefore gave its aid to Thang the Successful, and charged him to make an end of the appointment of Hsiâ.* But the crimes of Shâu exceed those of Kieh. He has degraded from office the greatly good man ⁵; he has behaved with cruel tyranny to his reprover and helper ⁶. He says that with him is the appointment of Heaven; he says that a reverent care of his conduct is not worth observing; he says that sacrifice is of no use; he says that tyranny is no harm.* The beacon for him to look to was not far off;--it was that king of Hsiâ. It would seem that Heaven is going by means of me to rule the people. My dreams coincide with my divinations; the auspicious omen is double.* My attack on Shang must succeed. 'Shâu has hundreds of thousands and millions of ordinary men, divided in heart and divided in practice;--I have of ministers, able to govern, ten men ⁷, one in heart and one in practice. Though he has his nearest relatives with him, they are not like my virtuous men. Heaven sees as my people see; Heaven hears as my people hear.* The people are blaming me, the One man, for my delay;--I must now go forward. My military prowess is displayed, and I enter his territories to take the wicked tyrant. My punishment (of evil) will be great, and more glorious than that executed by Thang. Rouse ye, my heroes! Do not think that he is not to be feared;--better think that he cannot be withstood. (His) people stand in trembling awe of him, as if the horns were falling from their heads. Oh! unite your energies, unite your hearts;--so shall you forthwith surely accomplish the work, to last for all ages!'

Section 3.

The time was on the morrow, when the king went round his six hosts in state, and made a clear declaration to all his officers. He said, 'Oh! my valiant men of the west, from Heaven are the illustrious courses of duty, of which the (several) requirements are quite plain. And now Shang, the king of Shâu, treats with contemptuous slight the five regular (virtues), and abandons himself to wild idleness and irreverence. He has cut himself off from Heaven, and brought enmity between himself and the people.* He cut through the leg-bones of those who were wading in the morning ⁸; he cut out the heart of the worthy man ⁹. By the use of his power, killing, and murdering, he has poisoned and sickened all within the four seas. His honours and confidence are given to the villainous and bad. He has driven from him his instructors and guardians. He has thrown to the winds the statutes and penal laws. He has imprisoned and enslaved the upright officer ¹⁰. He neglects the sacrifices to heaven and earth. He has discontinued the offerings in the ancestral temple. He makes contrivances of wonderful device and extraordinary cunning to please his wife ¹¹.--God will no longer indulge him, but with a curse is sending down on him this ruin.* Do ye with untiring zeal support me, the One man, reverently to execute the punishment appointed by Heaven. The ancients have said, "He who soothes us is our sovereign; he who oppresses us is our enemy." This solitary fellow Shâu, having exercised great tyranny, is your perpetual enemy. (It is said again), "In planting (a man's) virtue, strive to make it great; in putting away (a man's) wickedness, strive to do it from the roots." Here I, the little child, by the powerful help of you, all my officers, will utterly exterminate your enemy. Do you, all my officers, march forward with determined boldness to sustain your prince. Where there is much merit, there shall be large reward; where you do not so advance, there shall be conspicuous disgrace. 'Oh! (the virtue of) my deceased father Wan was like the shining of the sun and moon. His brightness extended over the four quarters of the land, and shone signally in the western region. Hence it is that our Kâu has received (the allegiance of) many states. If I subdue Shâu, it will not be from my prowess, but from the faultless (virtue of) my deceased father Wan. If Shâu subdue me, it will not be from any fault of my deceased father Wan, but because I, the little child, am not good.'