Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ODE 3. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 307 Ope 3. THe Hsttan NiAo. APPROPRIATE TO A SACRIFICE IN THE ANCESTRAL TEMPLE OF SHANG ;— INTENDED SPECIALLY TO DO HONOUR TO THE KING wO-TING. If this ode were not intended to do honour to Wf-ting, the K4o 3ung of Shang, we cannot account for the repeated mention of him in it. AQ Hsf, however, in his note on it, says nothing about Wf-ting, but simply that the piece belonged to the sacrifices in the ancestral temple, tracing back the line of the kings of Shang to its origin, and to its attaining the sovereignty of the kingdom. Not at all unlikely is the view of X4ng Hsiian, that the sacrifice was in the third year after the death of WA-ting, and offered to him in the temple of Hsieh, the ancestor of the Shang dynasty. Heaven commissioned the swallow, To descend and give birth to (the father of our) Shang’. (His descendants) dwelt in the land of Yin, and became great. (Then) long ago God appointed the martial Thang, To regulate the boundaries throughout the four quarters (of the kingdom). (In those) quarters he appointed the princes, And grandly possessed the nine regions. The 1 The father of Shang is Hsieh, who has already been mentioned. The mother of Hsieh was a daughter of the House of the ancient state of Sung, and a concubine of the ancient ruler Khé (B.c. 2435). According to M4o, she accompanied Kh@, at the time of the vernal equinox, when the swallow made its appearance, to sacrifice and pray to the first match-maker, and the result was the birth of Hsieh. Sze-m& Khien and KAng make Hsieh’s birth more marvellous:—The lady was bathing in some open place, when a swallow made its appearance, and dropt an egg, which she took and swallowed; and from this came Hsieh. The editors of the imperial edition of the Shih, of the present dynasty, say we need not believe the legends ;—the important point is to believe that the birth of Hsieh was specially ordered by Heaven. * ‘The nine regions’ are the nine provinces into which Yi divided the kingdom. X 2 308 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4. first sovereign of Shang' Received the appointment without any element of instability in it, And it is (now) held by the descendant of Wating 3, The descendant of Wa-ting Is a martial sovereign, equal to every emergency. Ten princes, (who came) with their dragon-emblazoned banners, Bear the large dishes of millet. The royal domain of a thousand If Is where the people rest; But the boundaries that reach to the four seas commence there. From the four seas? they come (to our sacrifices); They come in multitudes. ing has the Ho for its outer border*. That Yin® should have received the appointment (of Heaven) was entirely right ;—(Its sovereign) sustains all its dignities. Ove 4. Tue Azw#anc FA. CELEBRATING HSIEH, THE ANCESTOR OF THE HOUSE OF SHANG; HSIANG-THO, HIS GRANDSON; THANG, THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY; AND i-YIN, THANG’S CHIEF MINISTER AND ADVISER.
2Ove 4. Tue Azw#anc FA. CELEBRATING HSIEH, THE ANCESTOR OF THE HOUSE OF SHANG; HSIANG-THO, HIS GRANDSON; THANG, THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY; AND i-YIN, THANG’S CHIEF MINISTER AND ADVISER. It does not appear on occasion of what sacrifice this piece was made. The most probable view is that of Mao, that it was the 1 That is, Thang. * If this ode were used, as King supposes, in the third year after WQ-ting’s death, this ‘descendant’ would be his son 3fkang, B. c. 1265 to 1259. * This expression, which occurs also in the Shf, indicates that the early Chinese believed that their country extended to the sea, east, west, north, and south. * KQ Hs? says he did not understand this line; but there is ground in the 30 Awan for our believing that King was the name of a hill in the region where the capital of Shang was. 5 We saw in the Shfi that the name Shang gave place to Yin after the time of Pan-king, B.c. 1401 to 1374. Wd-ting’s reign was subsequent to that of Pan-kang. ODE 4. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 309 ‘great Ti sacrifice,’ when the principal object of honour would be the ancient Khf, the father of Hsieh, with Hsieh as his correlate, and all the kings of the dynasty, with the earlier lords of Shang, and their famous ministers and advisers, would have their places at the service. I think this is the oldest of the odes of Shang. Profoundly wise were (the lords of) Shang, And long had there appeared the omens (of their dignity). When the waters of the deluge spread vast abroad, Yii arranged and divided the regions of the land, And assigned to the exterior great states their boundaries, With their borders extending all over (the kingdom). (Even) then the chief of Sung was beginning to be great, And God raised up the son (of his daughter), and founded (the line of) Shang}. , The dark king exercised an effective sway *. Charged with a small state, he commanded success ; Charged with a large state, he commanded success °. He followed his rules of conduct without error ; Wherever he inspected (the people), they responded (to his instructions). (Then came) Hsiang-thd all ardent 5, And all within the four seas, beyond (the middle regions), acknowledged his restraints. 1 This line refers to the birth of Hsieh, as described in the previous ode, and his being made lord of Shang. * It would be hard to say why Hsieh is here called ‘the dark king.’ There may be an allusion to the legend about the connexion of the swallow,— the dark bird,—with his birth. He never was ‘a king;’ but his descendants here represented him as such. 5 All that is meant here is, that the territory of Shang was enlarged under Hsieh. * There is a reference here to Hsieh’s appointment by Shun to be Minister of Instruction. ® Hsiang-th appears in the genealogical lists as grandson of Hsieh. We know nothing of him but what is related here. 310 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4.
3* There is a reference here to Hsieh’s appointment by Shun to be Minister of Instruction. ® Hsiang-th appears in the genealogical lists as grandson of Hsieh. We know nothing of him but what is related here. 310 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4. The favour of God did not leave (Shang), And in Thang was found the fit object for its display. Thang was not born too late, And his wisdom and reverence daily advanced :—Brilliant was the influence of his character (on Heaven) for long. God he revered, And God appointed him to be the model for the nine regions. He received the rank-tokens of the states, small and large, Which depended on him like the pendants of a banner :—So did he receive the blessing of Heaven. He was neither violent nor remiss, Neither hard nor soft. Gently he spread his instructions abroad, And all dignities and riches were concentrated in him. He received the tribute of the states, small and large, And he supported them as a strong steed (does its burden) :—So did he receive the favour of Heaven. He displayed everywhere his valour, Unshaken, unmoved, Unterrified, unscared : — All dignities were united in him. The martial king displayed his banner, And with reverence grasped his axe. It was like (the case of) a blazing fire which no one can repress. The root, with its three shoots, Could make no progress, no growth’. The nine regions were effectually secured by Thang. Having smitten (the princes of ) Wei and Kd, He dealt with (him of) Xiin-wd and with Kieh of Hsia. Formerly, in the middle of the period (before 1 By ‘the root’ we are to understand Thang’s chief opponent, Xieh, the last king of Hsia. ieh’s three great helpers were ‘ the three shoots,’'—the princes of Wei, Kf, and Xtin-w; but the exact sites of their principalities cannot be made out. ODE 5. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 3IL Thang), There was a time of shaking and peril’. But truly did Heaven (then) deal with him as a son, And sent him down a high minister, Namely, A-hing*, Who gave his assistance to the king of Shang. Ove 5. Tue Yin Wo. CELEBRATING THE WAR OF w0-TING AGAINST KinG-XKHD, ITS SUCCESS, AND THE GENERAL HAPPINESS AND VIRTUE OF HIS REIGN ;—-MADE, PROBABLY, WHEN A SPECIAL AND PERMANENT TEMPLE WAS BUILT FOR HIM AS THE ‘HIGH AND HONOURED’ KING OF SHANG. The concluding lines indicate that the temple was made on the occasion which I thus assign to it. After WQ-ting’s death, his spirit-tablet would be shrined in the ancestral temple, and he would have his share in the seasonal sacrifices; but several reigns would elapse before there was any necessity to make any other arrangement, so that his tablet should not be removed, and his share in the sacrifices not be discontinued. Hence the composition of the piece has been referred to the time of Ti-y?, the last but one of the kings of Shang. Rapid was the warlike energy of (our king of) Yin, And vigorously did he attack King-KA0
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ODE 3. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 307 Ope 3. THe Hsttan NiAo. APPROPRIATE TO A SACRIFICE IN THE ANCESTRAL TEMPLE OF SHANG ;— INTENDED SPECIALLY TO DO HONOUR TO THE KING wO-TING. If this ode were not intended to do honour to Wf-ting, the K4o 3ung of Shang, we cannot account for the repeated mention of him in it. AQ Hsf, however, in his note on it, says nothing about Wf-ting, but simply that the piece belonged to the sacrifices in the ancestral temple, tracing back the line of the kings of Shang to its origin, and to its attaining the sovereignty of the kingdom. Not at all unlikely is the view of X4ng Hsiian, that the sacrifice was in the third year after the death of WA-ting, and offered to him in the temple of Hsieh, the ancestor of the Shang dynasty. Heaven commissioned the swallow, To descend and give birth to (the father of our) Shang’. (His descendants) dwelt in the land of Yin, and became great. (Then) long ago God appointed the martial Thang, To regulate the boundaries throughout the four quarters (of the kingdom). (In those) quarters he appointed the princes, And grandly possessed the nine regions. The 1 The father of Shang is Hsieh, who has already been mentioned. The mother of Hsieh was a daughter of the House of the ancient state of Sung, and a concubine of the ancient ruler Khé (B.c. 2435). According to M4o, she accompanied Kh@, at the time of the vernal equinox, when the swallow made its appearance, to sacrifice and pray to the first match-maker, and the result was the birth of Hsieh. Sze-m& Khien and KAng make Hsieh’s birth more marvellous:—The lady was bathing in some open place, when a swallow made its appearance, and dropt an egg, which she took and swallowed; and from this came Hsieh. The editors of the imperial edition of the Shih, of the present dynasty, say we need not believe the legends ;—the important point is to believe that the birth of Hsieh was specially ordered by Heaven. * ‘The nine regions’ are the nine provinces into which Yi divided the kingdom. X 2 308 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4. first sovereign of Shang' Received the appointment without any element of instability in it, And it is (now) held by the descendant of Wating 3, The descendant of Wa-ting Is a martial sovereign, equal to every emergency. Ten princes, (who came) with their dragon-emblazoned banners, Bear the large dishes of millet. The royal domain of a thousand If Is where the people rest; But the boundaries that reach to the four seas commence there. From the four seas? they come (to our sacrifices); They come in multitudes. ing has the Ho for its outer border*. That Yin® should have received the appointment (of Heaven) was entirely right ;—(Its sovereign) sustains all its dignities. Ove 4. Tue Azw#anc FA. CELEBRATING HSIEH, THE ANCESTOR OF THE HOUSE OF SHANG; HSIANG-THO, HIS GRANDSON; THANG, THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY; AND i-YIN, THANG’S CHIEF MINISTER AND ADVISER.
2Ove 4. Tue Azw#anc FA. CELEBRATING HSIEH, THE ANCESTOR OF THE HOUSE OF SHANG; HSIANG-THO, HIS GRANDSON; THANG, THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY; AND i-YIN, THANG’S CHIEF MINISTER AND ADVISER. It does not appear on occasion of what sacrifice this piece was made. The most probable view is that of Mao, that it was the 1 That is, Thang. * If this ode were used, as King supposes, in the third year after WQ-ting’s death, this ‘descendant’ would be his son 3fkang, B. c. 1265 to 1259. * This expression, which occurs also in the Shf, indicates that the early Chinese believed that their country extended to the sea, east, west, north, and south. * KQ Hs? says he did not understand this line; but there is ground in the 30 Awan for our believing that King was the name of a hill in the region where the capital of Shang was. 5 We saw in the Shfi that the name Shang gave place to Yin after the time of Pan-king, B.c. 1401 to 1374. Wd-ting’s reign was subsequent to that of Pan-kang. ODE 4. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 309 ‘great Ti sacrifice,’ when the principal object of honour would be the ancient Khf, the father of Hsieh, with Hsieh as his correlate, and all the kings of the dynasty, with the earlier lords of Shang, and their famous ministers and advisers, would have their places at the service. I think this is the oldest of the odes of Shang. Profoundly wise were (the lords of) Shang, And long had there appeared the omens (of their dignity). When the waters of the deluge spread vast abroad, Yii arranged and divided the regions of the land, And assigned to the exterior great states their boundaries, With their borders extending all over (the kingdom). (Even) then the chief of Sung was beginning to be great, And God raised up the son (of his daughter), and founded (the line of) Shang}. , The dark king exercised an effective sway *. Charged with a small state, he commanded success ; Charged with a large state, he commanded success °. He followed his rules of conduct without error ; Wherever he inspected (the people), they responded (to his instructions). (Then came) Hsiang-thd all ardent 5, And all within the four seas, beyond (the middle regions), acknowledged his restraints. 1 This line refers to the birth of Hsieh, as described in the previous ode, and his being made lord of Shang. * It would be hard to say why Hsieh is here called ‘the dark king.’ There may be an allusion to the legend about the connexion of the swallow,— the dark bird,—with his birth. He never was ‘a king;’ but his descendants here represented him as such. 5 All that is meant here is, that the territory of Shang was enlarged under Hsieh. * There is a reference here to Hsieh’s appointment by Shun to be Minister of Instruction. ® Hsiang-th appears in the genealogical lists as grandson of Hsieh. We know nothing of him but what is related here. 310 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4.
3* There is a reference here to Hsieh’s appointment by Shun to be Minister of Instruction. ® Hsiang-th appears in the genealogical lists as grandson of Hsieh. We know nothing of him but what is related here. 310 THE SHIH KING. ODE 4. The favour of God did not leave (Shang), And in Thang was found the fit object for its display. Thang was not born too late, And his wisdom and reverence daily advanced :—Brilliant was the influence of his character (on Heaven) for long. God he revered, And God appointed him to be the model for the nine regions. He received the rank-tokens of the states, small and large, Which depended on him like the pendants of a banner :—So did he receive the blessing of Heaven. He was neither violent nor remiss, Neither hard nor soft. Gently he spread his instructions abroad, And all dignities and riches were concentrated in him. He received the tribute of the states, small and large, And he supported them as a strong steed (does its burden) :—So did he receive the favour of Heaven. He displayed everywhere his valour, Unshaken, unmoved, Unterrified, unscared : — All dignities were united in him. The martial king displayed his banner, And with reverence grasped his axe. It was like (the case of) a blazing fire which no one can repress. The root, with its three shoots, Could make no progress, no growth’. The nine regions were effectually secured by Thang. Having smitten (the princes of ) Wei and Kd, He dealt with (him of) Xiin-wd and with Kieh of Hsia. Formerly, in the middle of the period (before 1 By ‘the root’ we are to understand Thang’s chief opponent, Xieh, the last king of Hsia. ieh’s three great helpers were ‘ the three shoots,’'—the princes of Wei, Kf, and Xtin-w; but the exact sites of their principalities cannot be made out. ODE 5. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF SHANG. 3IL Thang), There was a time of shaking and peril’. But truly did Heaven (then) deal with him as a son, And sent him down a high minister, Namely, A-hing*, Who gave his assistance to the king of Shang. Ove 5. Tue Yin Wo. CELEBRATING THE WAR OF w0-TING AGAINST KinG-XKHD, ITS SUCCESS, AND THE GENERAL HAPPINESS AND VIRTUE OF HIS REIGN ;—-MADE, PROBABLY, WHEN A SPECIAL AND PERMANENT TEMPLE WAS BUILT FOR HIM AS THE ‘HIGH AND HONOURED’ KING OF SHANG. The concluding lines indicate that the temple was made on the occasion which I thus assign to it. After WQ-ting’s death, his spirit-tablet would be shrined in the ancestral temple, and he would have his share in the seasonal sacrifices; but several reigns would elapse before there was any necessity to make any other arrangement, so that his tablet should not be removed, and his share in the sacrifices not be discontinued. Hence the composition of the piece has been referred to the time of Ti-y?, the last but one of the kings of Shang. Rapid was the warlike energy of (our king of) Yin, And vigorously did he attack King-KA0
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
No commentary for this page.