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Texts of Confucianism, Part I: The Shû King, the Religious Portions of the Shih King, the Hsiâo King — SBE Vol. 3 (trans. James Legge, 1879)

English·1879–1910·trans. Georg Bühler & James Legge·397 passages

The text · part 14 of 19

1 Here, as in so many other places, the sovereign Power, ruling in the lots of men, is referred to as Heaven.

2 The fat was taken from the victim, and then burnt along with fragrant herbs, so as to form a cloud of incense. On the taking of the ‘blood,’ it is only said, that it was done to enable the sacrificer to announce that a proper victim had been slain.

* This line, literally, is, ‘Yearly are taken ten (and a) thousand ;’ meaning the produce of ten acres in every hundred, and of a thousand in every ten thousand.

p. 371

stores, And with them feed the husbandmen. From of old we have had good years; And now I go to the south-lying acres, Where some are weeding, and some gather the earth about the roots. The millets look luxuriant; And in a spacious restingplace, I collect and encourage the men of greater promise },

With my vessels full of bright millet, And my pure victim-rams, We sacrificed at the altar of the spirits of the land, and at (the altars of those of the four) quarters *, That my fields are in such good condition Is matter of joy to the husbandmen. With lutes, and with drums beating, We will invoke the Father of Husbandry*, And pray for sweet rain, To increase the produce of our millets, And. to bless my men and their wives,

The distant descendant comes, When their wives and children Are bringing food to those (at work) in the south-lying acres, The surveyor of the fields (also) comes and is glad. He takes (of the food) on the left and the right, And tastes whether

1 The general rule was that the sons of husbandmen should continue husbandmen ; but their superior might select those among them in whom he saw promising abilities, and facilitate their advancement to the higher grade of officers.

2 The sacrifices here mentioned were of thanksgiving at the end of the harvest of the preceding year. The one was to ‘sovereign Earth,’ supposed to be the supreme Power in correla: . tion with Heaven, or, possibly, to the spirits supposed to preside over the productive energies of the land; the other to the spirits presiding over the four quarters of the sky, and ruling all atmospherical influences.

8 This was the sacrifice that had been, or was about to be, offered in spring to ‘the Father of Husbandry,’—probably the ancient mythical Tf, Shin Nang.

Bb 2

372 THE SHIH KING. DECADE vr.

it be good or not. The grain is well cultivated, all the acres over; Good will it be and abundant. The distant descendant has no displacency ; The husbandmen are encouraged to diligence.

The crops of the distant descendant Look (thick) as thatch, and (swelling) like a carriage-cover. His stacks will stand like islands and mounds. He will seek for thousands of granaries; He will seek for tens of thousands of carts. The millets, the paddy, and the maize Will awake the joy of the husbandmen; (And they will say), ‘May he be rewarded with great happiness, With myriads of years, life without end!’

Ove 8. Tue TA THIEN.

He will seek for thousands of granaries; He will seek for tens of thousands of carts. The millets, the paddy, and the maize Will awake the joy of the husbandmen; (And they will say), ‘May he be rewarded with great happiness, With myriads of years, life without end!’

Ove 8. Tue TA THIEN.

FURTHER PICTURES OF HUSBANDRY, AND SACRIFICES CONNECTED WITH IT.

Large are the fields, and various is the work to be done. Having selected the seed, and looked after the implements, So that all preparations have been made for our labour, We take our sharp ploughshares, And commence on the south-lying acres. We sow all the kinds of grain, Which grow up straight and large, So that the wish of the distant descendant is satisfied.

It ears and the fruit lies soft in its sheath; It hardens and is of good quality; There is no wolf'stail grass nor darnel. We remove the insects that eat the heart and the leaf, And those that eat the roots and the joints, So that they shall not hurt the young plants of our fields. May the spirit, the Father of Husbandry!, Lay hold of them, and put them in the blazing fire!

? The ancient Shin Nang, as in the preceding ode.

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The clouds form in dense masses, And the rain comes down slowly. May it first rain on our public fields', And then come to our private?! Yonder shall be young grain unreaped, And here some bundles ungathered; Yonder shall be handfuls left on the ground, And here ears untouched :—For the benefit of the widow 2.

The distant descendant will come, When their wives and children Are bringing food to those (at work) on the south-lying acres. The surveyor of the fields (also) will come and be glad. They will come and offer pure sacrifices to (the spirits of the four) quarters, With their victims red and black *, With their preparations of millet :—Thus offering, thus sacrificing, Thus increasing our bright happiness.

The Seventh Decade, or that of Sang Ha.
Ope 1, Stanza 1. Tue Sano Ho.

THE KING, ENTERTAINING THE CHIEF AMONG THE FEUDAL PRINCES,
EXPRESSES HIS ADMIRATION OF THEM, AND GOOD WISHES FOR THEM.

They flit about, the greenbeaks*, With their

1 These are two famous lines, continually quoted as showing the loyal attachment of the people to their superiors in those ancient times.

* Compare the legislation of Moses, in connexion with the harvest, for the benefit of the poor, in Deuteronomy xxiv. 19-22.

* They would not sacrifice to these spirits all at once, or all in one place, but in the several quarters as they went along on their progress through the domain. For each quarter the colour of the victim was different. A red victim was offered to the spirit of the south, and a black to that of the north.

‘ The greenbeaks appeared in the second ode of the fifth decade. The bird had many names, and a beautiful plumage,p. 374 variegated wings. To be rejoiced in are these princes! May they receive the blessing of Heaven!!

Ope 6, Stanzas 1 AND 2. Tue Pin xin gut YEN,

AGAINST DRUNKENNESS. DRINKING ACCORDING TO RULE AT ARCHERY CONTESTS AND THE SEASONAL SACRIFICES, AND DRINKING TO EXCESS,

There are good grounds for referring the authorship of this piece to duke WA of Wei (8.c. 812 to 758), who played an important part in the kingdom, during the affairs which terminated in the death of king YQ, and the removal of the capital from H&o to Lo. The piece, we may suppose, is descriptive of things as they were at the court of king YQ.

When the guests first approach the mats?, They take their places on the left and the right in an orderly manner. The dishes of bamboo and wood are arranged in rows, With the sauces and kernels displayed in them. The spirits are mild and good, . And they drink, all equally reverent. The bells and drums are properly arranged*, And they raise their pledge-cups with order and ease*. (Then) the great made use of here to compliment the princes on the elegance of their manners, and perhaps also the splendour of their equipages. The bird is here called the ‘mulberry H4,’ because it appeared when the mulberry tree was coming into leaf,

1 This line is to be understood, with XQ Hsf, as a prayer of the king to Heaven for his lords.

* The mats were spread on the floor, and also the viands of the feast. Chairs and tables were not used in that early time.

8 The archery took place in the open court, beneath the hall or raised apartment, where the entertainment was given. Near the steps leading up to the hall was the regular place for the bells and drums, but it was necessary now to remove them more on one side, to leave the ground clear for the archers.

‘ The host first presented a cup to the guest, which the latter drank, and then he returned a cup to the host. After this prep. 375target is set up; The bows and arrows are made ready for the shooting. The archers are arranged in classes; ‘Show your skill in shooting,’ (it is said by one). ‘I shall hit that mark’ (is the response), ‘And pray you to drink the cup?

The dancers move with their flutes to the notes of the organ and drum, While all the instruments perform in harmony. All this is done to please the meritorious ancestors, Along with the observance of all ceremonies. When all the ceremonies have been fully performed, Grandly and fully, (The personators of the dead say), ‘We confer on you great blessings, And may your descendants also be happy!’ These are happy and delighted, And each of them exerts his ability. A guest? draws the spirits; An attendant enters again with a cup, And fills it,—the cup of rest? Thus are performed your seasonal ceremonies °.

A guest? draws the spirits; An attendant enters again with a cup, And fills it,—the cup of rest? Thus are performed your seasonal ceremonies °.

liminary ceremony, the company all drank to one another,—‘ took up their cups,’ as it is here expressed. -

1 Each defeated archer was obliged to drink a large cup of spirits as a penalty.

* This guest was, it is supposed, the eldest of all the scions of the royal House present on the occasion. At this point, he presented a cup to the chief among the personators of the ancestors, and received one in return. He then proceeded to draw more spirits from one of the vases of supply, and an attendant came in and filled other cups,—we may suppose for all the other personators. This was called ‘the cup of repose or comfort ;’ and the sacrifice was thus concluded,—in all sobriety and decency.

3 The three stanzas that follow this, graphically descriptive of the drunken revel, are said to belong to the feast of the royal relatives that followed the conclusion of the sacrificial service, and is called ‘the second blessing’ in the sixth ode of the preceding decade. This opinion probably is correct; but as the piece does not itself say so, and because of the absence from the text of religious sentiments, I have not given the stanzas here.

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The Eighth Decade, or that of Po Hwa.

Ope 5, StanzaS 1 anD 2. THE Po HwA.

THE QUEEN OF KING y0 COMPLAINS OF BEING DEGRADED AND
FORSAKEN.

The fibres from the white-flowered rush Are bound with the white grass!. This man’s sending me away makes me dwell solitary.

The light and brilliant clouds Bedew the rush and the grass* The way of Heaven is hard and difficult ?;—-This man does not conform (to good principle).

1 The stalks of the rush were tied with the grass in bundles, in order to be steeped ;—an operation which ladies in those days might be supposed to be familiar with. The two lines suggest the idea of the close connexion between the two plants, and the necessariness of the one to the other ;—as it should be between husband and wife.

* The clouds bestowed their dewy influence on the plants, while her husband neglected the speaker.

® «The way of Heaven’ is equivalent to our ‘ The course of Providence.’ The lady’s words are, literally, ‘The steps of Heaven.’ She makes but a feeble wail; but in Chinese opinion discharges thereby, all the better, the duty of a wife.

THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM.

PIECES AND STANZAS ILLUSTRATING THE RELIGIOUS
ViEwS AND PRACTICES OF THE WRITERS AND
THEIR TIMES.

The First Decade, or that of Wan Wang.

Ope 1. THe WAN Wane.

CELEBRATING KING WAN, DEAD AND ALIVE, AS THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY OF KAv, SHOWING HOW HIS VIRTUES DREW TO HIM THE FAVOURING REGARD OF HEAVEN OR GOD, AND MADE HIM A BRIGHT PATTERN TO HIS DESCENDANTS AND THEIR MINISTERS.

The First Decade, or that of Wan Wang.

Ope 1. THe WAN Wane.

The composition of this and the other pieces of this decade is attributed to the duke of Kau, king Wan’s son, and was intended by him for the benefit of his nephew, the young king Aang. Wan, it must be borne in mind, was never actually king of China. He laid the foundations of the kingly power, which was established by his son king WA, and consolidated by the duke of Kau. The title of king was given to him and to others by the duke, according to the view of filial piety, that has been referred to on p. 299.

King W4n is on high. Oh! bright is he in heaven. Although Au was an old country, The (favouring) appointment lighted on it recently 1. Illustrious was the House of Adu, And the

1 The family of Kau, according to its traditions, was very ancient, but it did not occupy the territory of Au, from which it subsequently took its name, till B.c. 1326; and it was not till the time of W&n (s.c. 1231 to 1135) that the divine purpose concerning its supremacy in the kingdom was fully manifested.

p. 1

; appointment of God came at the proper season. King Wan ascends and descends On the left and the right of God?

Full of earnest activity was king Wan, And his fame is without end. The gifts (of God) to K4u Extend to the descendants of king Wan, In the direct line and the collateral branches for a hundred generations*, All the officers of K4u Shall (also) be illustrious from age to age.

‘Phey shall be illustrious from age to age, Zealously and reverently pursuing their plans. Admir- ‘able are the many officers, Born in this royal kingdom. The royal kingdom is able to produce them, The supporters of (the House of) 4u. Numerous is the array of officers, And by them king Wn enjoys his repose.

Profound was king Wan; Oh! continuous and bright was his feeling of reverence. Great is the appointment of Heaven! There were the descendants of (the sovereigns of ) Shang*—The descendants of the sovereigns of Shang Were in number more ae

1 According to AG Hsi, the first and last two lines of this stanza-are.to be taken of-the spirit of Win in heaven. Attempts have been made to explain them otherwise, or rather to explain them away. But language could not more expressly intimate the existence of a supreme personal God, and the continued existence of the human spirit.

2 The text, literally, is, ‘The root and the branches:’ the root (and stem) denoting the eldest sons, by the recognised queen, succeeding to the throne; and the branches, the other sons by the queen and concubines. The former would grow up directly from the root; and the latter, the chief nobles of the kingdom, would constitute the branches of the great Au tree.

The former would grow up directly from the root; and the latter, the chief nobles of the kingdom, would constitute the branches of the great Au tree.

* The Shang or Yin dynasty of kings superseded by Kau.

p. 379

than hundreds of thousands. But when God gave the command, They became subject to K4u.

They became subject to K4u, (For) the appointment of Heaven is not unchangeable. The officers of Yin,-admirable and alert, Assist at the libations”. {n- dur ‘capital’, They assist at those libations, Always wearing the hatchet-figures on their lower garments and their peculiar cap* O ye loyal ministers of the king, Ever think of your ancestor!

Ever think of your ancestor, Cultivating your virtue, , Always seeking to accord with the will (of Heaven):—So shall you be seeking for much happiness, Before Yin lost the multitudes, (Its kings) were the correlates of God*. Look to Yin asa beacon; The great appointment is not easily preserved: .

The appointment is not easily (preserved) :—Do not cause your own extinction. Display and make bright your righteousness and fame, And _ look at (the fate of) Yin in the light of Heaven. The doings of high Heaven Have neither sound nor

1 These officers of Yin would be the descendants of the Yin kings and of their principal nobles, scions likewise of the Yin stock. They would assist, at the court of A4u, at the services in the ancestral temple, which began with a libation of fragrant spirits to bring down the spirits of the departed.

® These, differing from the dress worn by the representatives of the-ruling House, were still worn by the officers of Yin or Shang, by way of honour, and also by way of warning.

3 There was God in heaven hating none, desiring the good of all the people; there were the sovereigns on earth, God’s vicegerents, maintained by him so long as they carried out in their government his purpose of good.

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smell’, Take your pattern from king Wan, And the myriad regions will repose confidence in you.

Ove 2. Tue TA Mina.

HOW THE APPOINTMENT OF HEAVEN OR GOD CAME FROM HIS FATHER TO KING WAN, AND DESCENDED TO HIS SON, KING wt, WHO OVER- THREW THE DYNASTY OF SHANG BY HIS VICTORY AT MO; CELE- BRATING ALSO THE MOTHER AND WIFE OF KING WAN.

The illustration of illustrious (virtue) is required below, And the dread majesty is on high®. Heaven is not readily to be relied on; It is not easy to be king. Yin’s rightful heir to the heavenly seat Was not permitted to possess the kingdom.

Z&n, the second of the princesses of Xih*, From (the domain of) Yin-shang, Came to be married to (the prince of ) Kau, And became his wife in his

* These two lines are quoted in the last paragraph of the Doctrine of the Mean, as representing the ideal of perfect virtue. They are indicative of Power, operating silently, and not to be perceived by the senses, but resistless in its operations.

They are indicative of Power, operating silently, and not to be perceived by the senses, but resistless in its operations.

2 ‘The first two lines,’ says the commentator Yen 3/an, ‘ contain a general sentiment, expressing the principle that governs the relation between Heaven and men. According to line 1, the good or evil of a ruler cannot be concealed ; according to 2, Heaven, in giving its favour or taking it away, acts with strict decision. When below there is the illustrious illustration (of virtue), that reaches up on high. When above there is the awful majesty, that exercises a survey below. The relation between Heaven and men ought to excite our awe.’

5 The state of Xih must have been somewhere in the royal domain of Yin. Its lords had the surname of Z4n. and the second daughter of the House became the wife of Ki of Kau. She is called in the eighth line Thai-zin, by which name she is still famous in China. ‘She commenced,’ it is said, ‘the instruction of her child when he was still in her womb, looking on no improper sight, listening to no licentious sound, uttering no word of pride.’ -p. 381 capital. Both she and king At Were entirely virtuous. (Then) Th4i-zin became pregnant, And gave birth to our king Wan.

This king Wan, Watchfully and reverently, With entire intelligence served God, And so secured the great blessing. His virtue was without deflection ; And in consequence he received (the allegiance of) the states from all quarters.

Heaven surveyed this lower world; And its appointment lighted (on king Wan). In his early years, It made for him a mate!;—On the north of the Hsia, On the banks of the Wei. When king Wan would marry, There was the lady in a large state *%,

In a large state was the lady, Like a fair denizen of heaven. The ceremonies determined the auspiciousness (of the union)*, And in person he met her on the Wei. Over it he made a bridge of boats; The glory (of the occasion) was illustrious.

The favouring appointment was from Heaven, Giving the throne to our king W4n, In the capital of Kau. The lady-successor was from Hsin, Its eldest daughter, who came to marry him. She was blessed to give birth to king Wd, Who was preserved, and helped, and received (also) the appoint-

' Heaven is here represented as arranging for the fulfilment of its purposes beforehand.

* The name of the state was Hsin, and it must have been near the Hsia and the Wei, somewhere in the south-east of the present Shen-hs?.

5 «The ceremonies’ would be various ; | first of all, divination by means of the tortoise-shell.

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ment, And in accordance with it smote the great Shang.

The troops of Yin-shang Were collected like a forest, And marshalled in the wilderness of Ma. We rose (to the crisis); ‘God is with you,’ (said Shang-f0 to the king), ‘Have no doubts in your heart }’

p. 382

ment, And in accordance with it smote the great Shang.

The wilderness of Mf spread out extensive ; Bright shone the chariots of sandal; The teams of bays, black-maned and white-bellied, galloped along; The Grand-Master Shang-f Was like an eagle on the wing, Assisting king Wa, Who at one onset smote the great Shang. That morning’s encounter was followed by a clear, bright (day).

Ope 8. THE MIEN.

SMALL BEGINNINGS AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH OF THE HOUSE OF XAU IN KAU. ITS REMOVAL FROM PIN UNDER THAN-F(, WITH ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN KAU, WITH THE PLACE THEN GIVEN TO THE BUILDING OF THE ANCESTRAL TEMPLE, AND THE ALTAR TO THE SPIRITS OF THE LAND. CONSOLIDATION OF ITS FORTUNES BY KING WAN.

‘The ancient duke Than-fi’ was the grandfather of king W&n, and was canonized by the duke of Kau as ‘king Thai.’ As mentioned in a note on p. 316, he was the first of his family to settle in K4u, removing there from Pin, the site of their earlier settlement, ‘the country about the XAii and the XAi,’

In long trains ever increasing grow the gourds *, When (our) people first sprang, From the country about the A4Aii and the A&t’, The ancient duke

1 See the account of the battle of Mf in the third Book of the fifth Part of the ShQ. Shang-f was one of Wis principal leaders and counsellors, his ‘Grand-Master Shang-fQ’ in the next stanza.

* As a gourd grows and extends, with a vast development of its tendrils and leaves, so had the House of Au increased.

* These were two rivers in the territory of Pin, which name still

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Than-ff Made for them kiln-like huts and caves,
Ere they had yet any houses}.

The ancient duke Than-fa Came in the morning, galloping his horses, Along the banks of the western rivers, To the foot of mount AAt?2; And there he and the lady Xiang* Came and together looked out for a site.

. The plain of AK4u looked beautiful and rich, With its violets, and sowthistles (sweet) as dumplings. There he began by consulting (with his followers); There he singed the tortoise-shell, (and divined). The responses were there to stay and then; And they proceeded there to build +.

He encouraged the people, and settled them;
Here on the left, there on the right. He divided
the ground, and subdivided it; He dug the ditches;
he defined the acres. From the east to the west,
There was nothing which he did not take in hand 5.

remains in the small department of Pin Xu, in Shen-hsf. The K/hii flows into the Lo, and the XA? into the Wei.

1 According to this ode then, up to the time of Than-fa, the Kau people had only had the dwellings here described; but this is not easily reconciled with other accounts, or even with other stanzas of this piece.

The
K/hii flows into the Lo, and the XA? into the Wei.

3 See a graphic account of the circumstances in which this migration took place, in the fifteenth chapter of the second Part of the first Book of Mencius, very much to the honour of the ancient duke.

® This lady is known as Théi-Aiang, the worthy predecessor of Thai-san.

‘ This stanza has reference to the choice—by council and divination—of a site for what should be the chief town of the new settlement.

* This stanza describes the general arrangements for the occupancy and cultivation of the plain of X4u, and the distribution of the people over it,

p. 384

He called his Superintendent of Works; He called his Minister of Instruction; And charged them with the rearing of the houses. With the line they made everything straight; They bound the frame-boards tight, so that they should rise regularly: Uprose the ancestral temple in its solemn grandeur ?.

Crowds brought the earth in baskets; They threw it with shouts into the frames; They beat it with responsive blows. They pared the walls repeatedly, till they sounded strong. Five thousand cubits of them arose together, So that the roll of the great drums did not overpower (the noise of the builders)*.

They reared the outer gate (of the palace), Which rose in lofty state. They set up the gate of audience, Which rose severe and exact. They reared the great altar to the spirits of the land, From which all great movements should proceed *.

1 This stanza describes the preparations and processes for erecting the buildings of the new city. The whole took place under the direction of two officers, in whom we have the germ probably of the Six Heads of the Boards or Departments, whose functions are described in the Sh and the Official Book of A4u. The materials of the buildings were earth and lime pounded together in frames, as is still to be seen in many parts of the country. The first great building taken in hand was the ancestral temple. Than-fQ would make a home for the spirits of his fathers, before he made one for himself. However imperfectly directed, the religious feeling asserted the supremacy which it ought to possess.

* The bustle and order of the building all over the city is here graphically set forth.

* Than-ff was now at leisure to build the palace for himself, which appears to have been not a very large building, though the Chinese names of its gates are those belonging to the two which

p. 385

Thus though he could not prevent the rage of his foes!, He did not let fall his own fame. The oaks and the buckthorns were (gradually) thinned, And roads for travellers were opened. The hordes of the Khw&n disappeared, Startled and panting.

p. 385

(The chiefs of) Yi and Zui? were brought to an agreement By king WAn’s stimulating their natural virtue. Then, I may say, some came to him, previously not knowing him; Some, drawn the last by the first; Some, drawn by his rapid successes; And some by his defence (of the weak) from insult.

were peculiar to the palaces of the kings of Au in the subsequent times of the dynasty. Outside the palace were the altars appropriate to the spirits of the four quarters of the land, the ‘great’ or royal altar being peculiar to the kings, though the one built by Than-ff is here so named. All great undertakings, and such as required the co-operation of all the people, were preceded by a solemn sacrifice at this altar.

1 Referring to Than-f(’s relations with the wild hordes, described by Mencius, and which obliged him to leave Pin. As the new settlement in Au grew, they did not dare to trouble it.

2 The poet passes on here to the time of king Wan. The story of the chiefs of Yti and Zui (two states on the east of the Ho) is this:— They had a quarrel about a strip of territory, to which each of them laid claim. Going to lay their dispute before the lord of Kau, as soon as they entered his territory, they saw the ploughers readily yielding the furrow, and travellers yielding the path, while men and women avoided one another on the road, and old people had no burdens to carry. At his court, they beheld the officers of each inferior grade giving place to those above them. They became ashamed of their own quarrel, agreed to let the disputed ground be an open territory, and withdrew without presuming to appear before Wan. When this affair was noised abroad, more than forty states, it is said, tendered their submission to K4u.

(1) cc

p. 386

Ope 4, Stanzas 1 anD 2. Tue Yf Puo.

IN PRAISE OF KING WAN, CELEBRATING HIS INFLUENCE, DIGNITY IN THE
TEMPLE SERVICES, ACTIVITY, AND CAPACITY TO RULE.

Abundant is the growth of the buckthorn and shrubby trees, Supplying firewood; yea, stores of it’, Elegant and dignified was our prince and king ; On the left and the right they hastened to him.

Elegant and dignified was our prince and king ; On his left and his right they bore their half-mace (libation-cups)?:—They bore them with solemn gravity, As beseemed such eminent officers.

Ope 6. Tue Han LO.

IN PRAISE OF THE VIRTUE OF KING WAN, BLESSED BY HIS ANCESTORS,

AND RAISED TO THE HIGHEST DIGNITY WITHOUT SEEKING OF HIS
OWN.

Look at the foot of the Han’, How abundantly grow the hazel and arrow-thorn*. Easy and selfpossessed was our prince, In his pursuit of dignity (still) easy and self-possessed.

Massive is that libation-cup of jade, With the

Look at the foot of the Han’, How abundantly grow the hazel and arrow-thorn*. Easy and selfpossessed was our prince, In his pursuit of dignity (still) easy and self-possessed.

Massive is that libation-cup of jade, With the

1 It is difficult to trace the connexion between these allusive lines and the rest of the piece.

* Here we have the lord of X4u in his ancestral temple, assisted by his ministers or great officers in pouring out the libations to the spirits of the departed. The libation-cup was fitted with a handle of jade, that used by the king having a complete kwei, the obelisklike symbol of rank, while the cups used by a minister had for a handle only half a kwei.

' § Where mount Han was cannot now be determined. * As the foot of the hill was favourable to vegetable growth, so were king Wan’s natural qualities to his distinction and advancement.

p. 387

yellow liquid sparkling in it’. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, The fit recipient of blessing and dignity.

The hawk flies up to heaven, The fishes leap in the deep*% Easy and self-possessed was our prince :—Did he not exert an influence on men ?

His clear spirits were in the vessels; His red bull was ready*;—To offer, to sacrifice, To increase his bright happiness.

Thick grow the oaks and the buckthorn, Which the people use for fuel *. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, Cheered and encouraged by the spirits ¢.

Luxuriant are the dolichos and other creepers, Clinging to the branches and stems. Easy and selfpossessed was our prince, Seeking for happiness by no crooked ways.

Ove 6. Tue Sze KA.

THE VIRTUE OF WAN, WITH HIS FILIAL PIETY AND CONSTANT REVERENCE,
AND THEIR WONDERFUL EFFECTS. THE EXCELLENT CHARACTER OF
HIS MOTHER AND WIFE.

Pure and reverent was Thai Z4n5, The mother of king Wan. Loving was she to Kau Kiang * ;—

1 As a cup of such quality was the proper receptacle for the yellow, herb-flavoured spirits, so was the character of Win such that all blessing must accrue to him.

* It is the nature of the hawk to fly and of fishes to swim, and so there went out an influence from Wn unconsciously to himself.

5 Red, we have seen, was the proper colour for victims in the ancestral temple of Kau.

* As it was natural for the people to take the wood and use it, so it was natural for the spirits of his ancestors, and spiritual beings generally, to bless king W4n.

5 Thai Zan is celebrated, above, in the second ode.

* K4u Kiang is ‘the lady Kiang’ of ode 3, the wife of Than-fa or

Cc2

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A wife becoming the House of Aéu. Thai Sze! inherited her excellent fame, And from her came a hundred sons ?,

He conformed to the example of his ancestors,
And their spirits had no occasion for complaint.
Their spirits had no occasion for dissatisfaction ;
And his example acted on his wife, Extended to
his brethren, And was felt by all the clans and
states.

Their spirits had no occasion for dissatisfaction ; And his example acted on his wife, Extended to his brethren, And was felt by all the clans and states.

Full of harmony was he in his palace; Full of reverence in the ancestral temple. Unseen (by men), he still felt that he was under inspection ®: Unweariedly he maintained his virtue.

Though he could not prevent (some) great calamities, His brightness and magnanimity were without stain. Without previous instruction he did what was right; Without admonition he went on (in the path of goodness).

So, grown up men became virtuous (through him), And young men made (constant) attainments. (Our) ancient prince never felt weariness, And from him were the fame and eminence of his officers.

king Thai, who came with him from Pin. She is here called Ku, as having married the lord of Ku.

1 Thi Sze, the wife of W4n, we are told in ode 2, was from the state of Hsin. The surname Sze shows that its lords must have been descended from the Great Yu.

* We are not to suppose that Thai Sze had herself a hundred sons. She had ten, and her freedom from jealousy so encouraged the fruitfulness of the harem, that all the sons born in it are ascribed to her.

® Where there was no human eye to observe him, Wan still felt that he was open to the observation of spiritual beings.

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Ope 7. Tue Hwanc f.

SHOWING THE RISE OF THE HOUSE OF XAU TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE FAVOUR OF GOD. THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF KINGS THAI AND Xf, AND ESPECIALLY OF KING WAN.

Great is God, Beholding this lower world in majesty. He surveyed the four quarters (of the kingdom), Seeking for some one to give establishment 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 whom 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 Thai).

(King Thai) 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 tamarisk 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 Kwan hordes fled away*?. Heaven had raised up a helpmeet for him, And the appointment he had received was made sure.

God surveyed the hills, Where the oaks and the buckthorn were thinned, And paths made through the firs and cypresses. God, who had raised the

* Those of Hsia and Shang.

2 The same as ‘the hordes of the Khw&n’ in ode 3. Mr. T. W. Kingsmill says that ‘Kwan’ here should be ‘Chun,’ and charges the transliteration Kwan with error (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for April, 1878). He had not consulted his dictionary for the proper pronunciation of the Chinese character.

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Mr. T. W. Kingsmill says that ‘Kwan’ here should be ‘Chun,’ and charges the transliteration Kwan with error (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for April, 1878). He had not consulted his dictionary for the proper pronunciation of the Chinese character.

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state, raised up a proper ruler! for it,—From the time of Thai-po and king A? (this was done)?. Now this king A? 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.

This king At Was gifted by God with the power of judgment, 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 Wan, His

' King W4n is ‘the proper ruler’ intended here, and the next line intimates that this was determined before there was any likelihood of his becoming the ruler even of the territory of K4u;— another instance of the foreseeing providence ascribed to God. Thai-po was the eldest son of king Thai, and king A? was, perhaps, only the third. The succession ought to have come to Théi-po; but he, seeing the sage virtues of Khang (afterwards king Wan), the son of A7, and seeing also that king Thai was anxious that this boy should ultimately become ruler of 4u, voluntarily withdrew from du altogether, and left the state to Ai and his son. See the remark of Confucius on Thi4i-po’s conduct, in the Analects, VIII, i.

* The lines from six to ten speak of king A7 in his relation to his elder brother. He accepted Thai-po’s act without any failure of his own duty to him, and by his own improvement of it, made his brother more glorious through it. His feeling of brotherly duty was simply the natural instinct of his heart. Having accepted the act, it only made him the more anxious to promote the good of the state, and thus he made his brother more glorious by showing what advantages accrued from his resignation and withdrawal from Kau.

* This line refers to Xi’s maintenance of his own loyal duty

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virtue left nothing to be dissatisfied with, He received the blessing of God, And it was extended to his descendants. -

God said to king Wan!, ‘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 Yiian, marching to Kung*, The king rose, majestic in his wrath; He marshalled his troops, To stop the invading foes ; To consolidate the prosperity of Kau; To meet the expectations of all under heaven.

The people of Mi? were disobedient, Daring to oppose our great country, And invaded Yiian, marching to Kung*, The king rose, majestic in his wrath; He marshalled his troops, To stop the invading foes ; To consolidate the prosperity of Kau; To meet the expectations of all under heaven.

He remained quietly in the capital, But (his troops) went on from the borders of Yiian. 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 AAt*, On the banks of to the dynasty of Shang, and his making all the states under his presidency loyal also.

1 The statement that ‘God spake to king Wan,’ repeated in stanza 7, vexes the Chinese critics, and they find in it simply an intimation that W&n’s conduct was ‘in accordance with the will of Heaven.’ I am not prepared to object to that view of the meaning; but it is plain that the writer, in giving such a form to his meaning, must have conceived of God as a personal Being, knowing men’s hearts, and able to influence them.

2 Mt? or Mi-hsti was a state in the present King-ning Au, of Phing-liang department, Kan-sf.

* Yuan was a state adjacent to Mi,—the present King K4u, and Kung must have been a place or district in it.

* Win, it appears, made now a small change in the site of his capital, but did not move to Fang, where he finally settled.

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the Wei, The centre of all the states, The resort of the lower people.

God said to king Wan, ‘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 Wan, ‘Take measures against the country of your foes. Along with your brethren, Get ready your scaling ladders, And your engines of onfall and assault, To attack the walls of Kung'.’

The engines of onfall and assault were (at first) gently plied, Against the walls of AZung high and and great; Captives for the question were brought in, one after another; The left ears (of the slain) were taken leisurely *. He had sacrificed to God and to the Father of War’, Thus seeking to induce

1 Khung was a state, in the present district of Hf, department Hsf-an, Shen-hsf. . His conquest of Aung was an important event in the history of king Wan. He moved his capital to it, advancing so much farther towards the east, nearer to the domain of Shang. According to Sze-m4 Xhien the marquis .of Khung had slandered the lord of K4u, who was president of the states of the west, to Kau-hsin, the king of Shang, and our hero was put in prison. His friends succeeded in effecting his deliverance by means of various gifts to the tyrant, and he was reinstated in the west with more than his former power. Three years afterwards he attacked the marquis of Kung.

His friends succeeded in effecting his deliverance by means of various gifts to the tyrant, and he was reinstated in the west with more than his former power. Three years afterwards he attacked the marquis of Kung.

* So far the siege was prosecuted slowly and, so to say, tenderly, Wan hoping that the enemy would be induced to surrender without great sacrifice of life.

* The sacrifice to God had been offered in Ku, at the commencement of the expedition; that to the Father of War, on the army’s arriving at the borders of Khung. We can hardly tell who is intended by the Father of War. Af Hsf and others would require the plural ‘ Fathers,’ saying the sacrifice was to Hwang Tt and X4ih YQ, who are found engaged in hostilities far back in the opg9. |THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 393 submission, And throughout the region none had dared to insult him. The engines of onfall and assault were (then) vigorously plied, Against the walls of Kung 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.

Oor 9. Tue HsiA Wo.

IN PRAISE OF KING wo, WALKING IN THE WAYS OF HIS FOREFATHERS,
AND BY HIS FILIAL PIETY SECURING THE THRONE TO .HIMSELF AND
HIS POSTERITY.

Successors tread in the steps (of their predecessors) in our Kau. For generations there had been wise kings; The three sovereigns were in heaven ?; And king (Wd) was their worthy successor in his capital 8, .

King (Wa) was their worthy successor in his capital, Rousing himself to seek for the hereditary virtue, Always striving to be in accordance with the mythical period of Chinese history. But AAih YO appears as a rebel, or opposed to the One man in all the country who was then fit to rule. It is difficult to imagine how they could be associated, and sacrificed to together.

1 The extinction of its sacrifices was the final act in the extinction of a state. Any members of its ruling House who might survive could no longer sacrifice to their ancestors as having been men of princely dignity. The family was reduced to the ranks of the people.

2 «The three sovereigns, or ‘ wise kings,’ are to be understood of the three celebrated in ode 7,—Thai, A?, and Wan. We are thus obliged, with all Chinese scholars, to understand this ode of king Wf. The statement that ‘the three kings were in heaven’ is very express.

8 The capital here is H&o, to which Wf removed in B.c. 1134,
the year after his father’s death. It was on the east of the river
Fang, and only avout eight miles from Wan’s capital of Fang.

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will (of Heaven); And thus he secured the confidence due to a king.

He secured the confidence due to a king, And became the pattern of all below him. Ever thinking how to be filial, His filial mind was the model (which he supplied).

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will (of Heaven); And thus he secured the confidence due to a king.

He secured the confidence due to a king, And became the pattern of all below him. Ever thinking how to be filial, His filial mind was the model (which he supplied).

Men loved him, the One man, And responded (to his example) with a docile virtue. Ever thinking how to be filial, He brilliantly continued the doings (of his fathers).

Brilliantly! and his posterity, Continuing to walk in the steps of their forefathers, For myriads of years, Will receive the blessing of Heaven.

They will receive the blessing of Heaven, And from the four quarters (of the kingdom) will felicitations come to them. For myriads of years Will there not be their helpers ?

Ope 10. THe WAN Wanc yt SHANG.

THE PRAISE OF KINGS WAN AND WO) :—HOW THE FORMER DISPLAYED HIS MILITARY PROWESS ONLY TO SECURE THE TRANQUILLITY OF THE PEOPLE ; AND HOW THE LATTER, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESULTS (OF DIVINATION, ENTERED IN HIS NEW CAPITAL OF HAO, INTO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE KINGDOM WITH THE SINCERE GOOD WILL OF ALL THE PEOPLE.

King W&n is famous; Yea, he is very famous.
What he sought was the repose (of the people) ;
What he saw was the completion (of his work). A
sovereign true was king WAn!

King W4n received the appointment (from Heaven), And achieved his martial success. Having overthrown Khung! He fixed his (capital) city in Fang A sovereign true was king Wan!

1 As related in ode 7. * Fang had, probably, been the capital of Khung, and Wan

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He repaired the walls along the (old) moat. His establishing himself in Fang was according to (the pattern of his forefathers), It was not that he was in haste to gratify his wishes ;—It was to show the filial duty that had come down to him. A sovereign true was the royal prince !

His royal merit was brightly displayed By those walls of Fang. There were collected (the sympathies of the people of) the four quarters, Who regarded the royal prince as their protector. A sovereign true was the royal prince!

The Fang-water flowed on to the east (of the city), Through the meritorious labour of Yi. There were collected (the sympathies of the people of) the four quarters, Who would have the great king as their ruler. A sovereign true was the great king?!

In the capital of Hao he built his hall with its circlet of water *. From the west to the east, From the south to the north, There was not a thought but did him homage. A sovereign true was the great king!

He examined and divined, did the king, About settling in the capital of Hao. The tortoise-shell decided the site*, And king Wd completed the city. A sovereign true was king Wa!

removed to it, simply making the necessary repairs and alterations, This explains how we find nothing about the divinations which should have preceded so important a step as the founding of a new capital.

1 The writer has passed on to WA, who did actually become king.

3 See on the third of the Praise Odes of LA in Part IV.

’ Ho was built by Wf, and hence we have the account of his divining about the site and the undertaking.

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By the Fang-water grows the white millet ?;— Did not king Wa show wisdom in his employment of officers? He would leave his plans to his descendants, And secure comfort and support to his son. A sovereign true was king Wa!

The Second Decade, or that of Shang Min.
Ope 1. Tue SHANG Min.

THE LEGEND OF HAU-X? :—HIS CONCEPTION; HIS BIRTH; THE PERILS OF HIS INFANCY; HIS BOYISH HABITS OF AGRICULTURE; HIS SUBSE- QUENT METHODS AND TEACHING OF AGRICULTURE; HIS FOUNDING OF CERTAIN SACRIFICES; AND THE HONOURS OF SACRIFICE PAID TO HIM BY THE HOUSE OF KAU.

Of Hau-Aét there is some notice on the tenth ode of the first decade of the Sacrificial Odes of Kau. To him the kings of _4u traced their lineage. Of Xiang Yiian, his mother, our knowledge is very scanty, It is said that she was a daughter of the House of Thai, which traced its lineage up to Shan-nung in prehistoric times. From the first stanza of this piece it appears that she was married, and had been so for some time without having any child. But who her husband was it is impossible to say with certainty. As the KAu surname was Aji, — he must have been one of the descendants of Hwang Ti.

The first birth of (our) people? Was from Kiang
Yiian. How did she give birth to (our) people ?
She had presented a pure offering and sacrificed %,

1 «The white millet,’ a valuable species, grown near the Fang, suggests to the writer the idea of all the men of ability whom WO collected around him.

? Our ‘people’ is of course the people of Kau. The whole Piece is about the individual from whom the House of Xu sprang, of which were the kings of the dynasty so called.

* To whom Xiang Yuan sacrificed and prayed we are not told, but I 1eceive the impression that it was to God,—see the next stanza,—and that she did so all alone with the special object which is mentioned.

ODE 1r. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 397

That her childlessness might be taken away. She then trod on a toe-print made by God, and was moved!, In the large place where she rested. She became pregnant; she dwelt retired; She gave birth to, and nourished (a son), Who was Hau-At.

When she had fulfilled her months, Her firstborn son (came forth) like a lamb. There was no bursting, nor rending, No injury, no hurt; Showing how wonderful he would be. Did not God give her the comfort? Had he not accepted her pure offering and sacrifice, So that thus easily she brought forth her son?

There was no bursting, nor rending, No injury, no hurt; Showing how wonderful he would be. Did not God give her the comfort? Had he not accepted her pure offering and sacrifice, So that thus easily she brought forth her son?

He was placed in a narrow lane, But the sheep and oxen protected him with loving care*. He was placed in a wide forest, Where he was met with by the wood-cutters. He was placed on the cold ice, And a bird screened and supported him with its wings. When the bird went away, Hau-4t began to wail. His cry was long and loud, So that his voice filled the whole way *.

1 The ‘toe-print made by God’ has occasioned much speculation of the critics. We may simply draw the conclusion that the poet meant to have his readers believe with him that the conception of his hero was supernatural, We saw in the third of the Sacrificial Odes of Shang that there was also a legend assigning a preternatural birth to the father of the House of Shang.

* It does not appear from the ode who exposed the infant to these various perils; nor did Chinese tradition ever fashion any story on the subject. M4o makes the exposure to have been made by Xiang Yian’s husband, dissatisfied with what had taken place; Kang, by the mother herself, to show the more the wonderful character of her child. Readers will compare the accounts with the Roman legends about Romulus and Remus, their mother and her father; but the two legends differ according to the different characters of the Chinese and Roman peoples.

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When he was able to crawl, He looked majestic and intelligent. When he was able to feed himself, He fell to planting beans. The beans grew luxuriantly; His rows of paddy shot up beautifully; His hemp and wheat grew strong and close; His gourds yielded abundantly,

The husbandry of H4u-4t Proceeded on the plan of helping (the growth). Having cleared away the thick grass, He sowed the ground with the yellow cereals, He managed the living grain, till it was ready to burst; Then he used it as seed, and it sprang up; It grew and came into ear; It became strong and good; It hung down, every grain complete; And thus he was appointed lord of Thai’.

He gave (his people) the beautiful grains ;—The black millet and the double-kernelled, The tall red and the white. They planted extensively the black and the double-kernelled, Which were reaped and stacked on the ground. They planted extensively the tall red and the white, Which were carried on their shoulders and backs, Home for the sacrifices which he founded 2.

And how as to our sacrifices (continued from him) ?

They planted extensively the tall red and the white, Which were carried on their shoulders and backs, Home for the sacrifices which he founded 2.

And how as to our sacrifices (continued from him) ?

1 H4u-4i’s mother, we have seen, was a princess of Th4i, in the present district of W-kung, Khien K4u, Shen-hst. This may have led to his appointment to that principality, and the transference of the lordship from Kiangs to Kis. Evidently he was appointed to that dignity for his services in the promotion of agriculture. Still he has not displaced the older Shin-nung, with whom on his father’s side he had a connexion, as ‘the Father of Husbandry.’

3 This is not to be understood of sacrifice in general, as if there had been no such thing before Hau-M; but of the sacrifices of the House of X4u,—those in the ancestral temple and others,—which began with him as its great ancestor.

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Some hull (the grain); some take it from the mortar; Some sift it; some tread it. It is rattling in the dishes; It is distilled, and the steam floats about. We consult!; we observe the rites of purification; We take southernwood and offer it with the fat; We sacrifice a ram to the spirit of the path?; We offer roast flesh and broiled :—And thus introduce the coming year.

We load the stands with the offerings, The stands both of wood and of earthenware. As soon as the fragrance ascends, God, well pleased, smells the sweet savour. Fragrant it is, and in its due season‘. Hau-ét founded our sacrifices, And no one, we presume, has given occasion for blame or regret in regard to them, Down to the present day.

Opt 2. Tue Hsin WE1.

A FESTAL ODE, CELEBRATING SOME ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY THE KING TO HIS RELATIVES, WITH THE TRIAL OF ARCHERY AFTER THE FEAST; CELEBRATING ESPECIALLY THE HONOUR DONE ON SUCH OCCASIONS TO THE AGED.

This ode is given here, because it is commonly taken as a prelude to the next. AQ Hsf interprets it of the feast, given by the

1 That is, we divine about the day, and choose the officers to take part in the service.

3 A sacrifice was offered to the spirit of the road on commencing a journey, and we see here that it was offered also in connexion with the king’s going to the ancestral temple or the border altar.

® It does not appear clearly what sacrifices the poet had in view here. I think they must be all those in which the kings of Kau appeared as the principals or sacrificers. The concluding line is understood to intimate that the kings were not to forget that a prosperous agriculture was the foundation of their prosperity.

‘ In this stanza we have the peculiar honour paid to Hau-&i by his descendants at one of the great border sacrifices to God,—the same to which the last ode in the first decade of the Sacrificial Odes of Kau belongs.

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king, at the close of the sacrifice in the ancestral temple, to the princes of his own surname. There are difficulties in the inter-

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king, at the close of the sacrifice in the ancestral temple, to the princes of his own surname. There are difficulties in the interpretation of the piece on this view, which, however, is to be preferred to any other.

In thick patches are those rushes, Springing by the way-side:—Let not the cattle and sheep trample them. Anon they will grow up. anon they will be completely formed, With their leaves soft and glossy. Closely related are brethren; Let none be absent, let all be near. For some there are mats spread; For some there are given stools *

The mats are spread, and a second one above; The stools are given, and there are plenty of servants. (The guests) are pledged, and they pledge (the host) in return; He rinses the cups (and refills them, but the guests) put them down, Sauces and pickles are brought in, With roasted meat and broiled. Excellent provisions there are of tripe and palates; With singing to lutes, and with drums.

The ornamented bows are strong, And the four arrows are all balanced. They discharge the arrows, and all hit, And the guests are arranged according to their skill, The ornamented bows are drawn to the full, And the arrows are grasped in the hand. They go straight to the mark as if planted

1 In the rushes growing up densely from a common root we have an emblem of brothers all sprung from the same ancestor ; and in the plants developing so finely, when preserved from injury, an emblem of the happy fellowships of consanguinity, when nothing is allowed to interfere with mutual confidence and good feeling.

2 In a previous note I have said that chairs and tables had not come into use in those early times. Guests sat and feasts were spread on mats on the floor; for the aged, however, stools were placed on which they could lean forward.

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in it, And the guests are arranged according to the humble propriety of their behaviour.

The distant descendant presides over the feast ; His sweet spirits are strong. He fills their cups from a large vase, And prays for the hoary old (among his guests): — That with hoary age and wrinkled back, They may lead on one another (to virtue), and support one another (in it); That so their old age may be blessed, And their bright happiness ever increased.

Ope 3. Tue A? 8u1.

RESPONSIVE TO THE LAST :—THE UNCLES AND BRETHREN OF THE KING EXPRESS THEIR SENSE OF HIS KINDNESS, AND THEIR WISHES FOR HIS HAPPINESS, MOSTLY IN THE WORDS IN WHICH THE PERSONATORS OF THE DEPARTED ANCESTORS HAD CONVEYED THEIR SATISFACTION WITH THE SACRIFICE OFFERED TO THEM, AND PROMISED TO HIM THEIR BLESSING.

You have made us drink to the full of your spirits; You have satiated us with your kindness. May you enjoy, O our lord, myriads of years! May your bright happiness (ever) be increased!