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Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Assist me to bear the burden (of my position), And show me how to display a virtuous conduct. Ope 4. Tue HstAo Pt. KING KHANG ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE HAD ERRED, AND STATES HIS PURPOSE TO BE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE; HE WILL GUARD AGAINST THE SLIGHT BEGINNINGS OF EVIL; AND IS PENETRATED WITH A SENSE OF HIS OWN INCOMPETENCIES. This piece has been considered by some critics as the conclusion of the council in the ancestral temple, with which the previous two also are thought to be connected. The Preface says that the king asks in it for the assistance of his ministers, but no such request is expressed. I seem myself to see in it, with SQ KAeh and others, a reference to the suspicions which Aang at one time, we know, entertained of the fidelity of the duke of Kau, _ when he was inclined to believe the rumours spread against him by his other uncles, who joined in rebellion with the son of the last king of Shang. I condemn myself (for the past), And will be on my guard against future calamity. I will have nothing to do with a wasp, To seek for myself its painful sting. At first indeed it seemed to be 1 The meaning is this: ‘The way of Heaven is very clear, to bless the good, namely, and punish the bad. But its favour is thus dependent on men themselves, and hard to preserve.’ ODE 5. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 331 (but) a wren', But it took wing, and became a large bird. I am unequal to the many difficulties of the kingdom, And am placed in the midst of bitter experiences. Ope 5. Tue 3Ar1 Sut. THE CULTIVATION OF THE GROUND FROM THE FIRST BREAKING OF IT UP, TILL IT YIELDS ABUNDANT HARVESTS ;—AVAILABLE SPECIALLY FOR SACRIFICES AND FESTIVE OCCASIONS. WHETHER INTENDED TO BE USED ON OCCASIONS OF THANKSGIVING, OR IN SPRING WHEN PRAYING FOR A GOOD YEAR, CANNOT BE DETERMINED. The Preface says that this ode was used in spring, when the king in person turned up some furrows in the field set apart for that purpose, and prayed at the altars of the spirits of the land and the grain, foran abundant year. AQ Hs? says he does not know on what occasion it was intended to be used; but comparing it with the fourth ode of the second decade, he is inclined to rank it with that as an ode of thanksgiving. There is nothing in the piece itself to determine us in favour of either view. It brings before us a series of pleasing pictures of the husbandry of those early times. The editors of the imperial edition say that its place in the Sung makes it clear that it was an accompaniment of some royal sacrifice. We need not controvert this ; but the poet evidently singled out some large estate, and describes the labour on it, from the first bringing it under cultivation to the state in which it was before his eyes, and concludes by saying that the picture which he gives of it had long been applicable to the whole country. They clear away the grass and the bushes; And the ground is laid open by their ploughs.
2They clear away the grass and the bushes; And the ground is laid open by their ploughs. In thousands of pairs they remove the roots, Some in the low wet land, some along the dykes. 1 The Chinese characters here mean, literally, ‘peach-tree insect,’ or, as Dr. Williams has it, ‘ peach-bug.’ Another name for the bird is ‘the clever wife,’ from the artistic character of its nest, which would point it out as the small ‘tailor bird.’ But the name is applied to various small birds. 332 THE SHIH KING. DECADE III. There are the master and his eldest son; His younger sons, and all their children; Their strong helpers, and their hired servants. How the noise of their eating the viands brought to them resounds! (The husbands) think lovingly of their wives; (The wives) keep close to their husbands. (Then) with their sharp ploughshares They set to work on the south-lying acres. They sow their various kinds of grain, Each seed containing in it a germ of life. In unbroken lines rises the blade, And, well nourished, the stalks grow long. Luxuriant looks the young grain, And the weeders go among it in multitudes. Then comé the reapers in crowds, And the grain is piled up in the fields, Myriads, and hundreds of thousands, and millions (of stacks); For spirits and for sweet spirits, To offer to our ancestors, male and female, And to provide for all ceremonies. Fragrant is their aroma, Enhancing the glory of the state. Like pepper is their smell, To give comfort to the aged. . It is not here only that there is this (abundance) ; It is not now only that there is such a time :— From of old it has been thus. Ove 6. Tue Lianc Sze. PRESUMABLY, AN ODE OF THANKSGIVING IN THE AUTUMN TO THE SPIRITS OF THE LAND AND GRAIN. Very sharp are the excellent shares, With which they set to work on the south-lying acres. | They sow their various kinds of grain, Each seed containing in it a germ of life. ODE 7. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 333 There are those who come to see them, With their baskets round and square, Containing the provisions of millet. With their light splint hats on their heads, They ply their hoes on the ground, Clearing away the smartweed on the dry land and wet. The weeds being decayed, The millets grow luxuriantly. They fall rustling before the reapers. The gathered crop is piled up solidly, High as a wall, United together like the teeth of a comb; And the hundred houses are opened (to receive the grain) '. Those hundred houses being full, The wives and children have a feeling of repose. (Now) we kill this black-muzzled tawny bull 2, with his crooked horns, To imitate and hand down, To hand down (the observances of) our ancestors. Ove 7. Tue Sze f. AN ODE APPROPRIATE TO THE PREPARATIONS AND PROGRESS OF A FEAST AFTER A SACRIFICE. The Preface and the editors of the Yung-4Aang Shih say that the piece has reference to the entertainment given, the day after a
3Ove 7. Tue Sze f. AN ODE APPROPRIATE TO THE PREPARATIONS AND PROGRESS OF A FEAST AFTER A SACRIFICE. The Preface and the editors of the Yung-4Aang Shih say that the piece has reference to the entertainment given, the day after a 1¢The hundred houses,’ or chambers in a hundred family residences, are those of the hundred families, cultivating the space which was bounded by a brook ;—see note on the second ode of the preceding decade. They formed a society, whose members helped one another in their field work, so that their harvest might be said to be carried home at the same time. Then would come the threshing or treading, and winnowing, after which the grain would be brought into the houses. * It has been observed that under the Kau dynasty,.red was the 334 THE SHIH KING. DECADE III. sacrifice, in the ancestral temple, to the personators of the dead, described on p. 301. AQ Hs? denies this, and holds simply that it belongs to the feast after a sacrifice, without further specifying what sacrifice. The old view is probably the more correct. In his silken robes, clean and bright, With his cap on his head, looking so respectful, From the hall he goes to the foot of the stairs, And (then) from the sheep to the oxen’. (He inspects) the tripods, large and small, And the curved goblet of rhinoceros horn®. The good spirits are mild, (But) there is no noise, no insolence :—An auspice (this) of great longevity. Ove 8 Tue Xo. AN ODE IN PRAISE OF KING wi, AND RECOGNISING THE DUTY TO FOLLOW HIS COURSE. This was sung, according to the Preface, at the conclusion of the dance in honour of king Wi;—see on the last piece of the second decade. Oh! powerful was the king’s army, But he nursed it, in obedience to circumstances, while the colour of the sacrificial victims. So it was for the ancestral temple ; but in sacrificing to the spirits of the land and grain, the victim was a ‘yellow’ bull with black lips. 1 The subject of these lines must be an ordinary officer, for to such the silk robes and a purple cap were proper, when he was assisting at the sacrifices of the king or of a feudal prince. There were two buildings outside the principal gate leading to the ancestral temple, and two corresponding inside, in which the personators of the departed ancestors were feasted. We must suppose the officer in question descending from the upper hall to the vestibule of the gate, to inspect the dishes, arranged for the feast, and then proceeding to see the animals, and the tripods for boiling the flesh, &c. ? The goblet of rhinoceros horn was to be drained, as a penalty, by any one offending at the feast against the rules of propriety ; but here there was no occasion for it. ODE I0. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 335
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.
1Assist me to bear the burden (of my position), And show me how to display a virtuous conduct. Ope 4. Tue HstAo Pt. KING KHANG ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE HAD ERRED, AND STATES HIS PURPOSE TO BE CAREFUL IN THE FUTURE; HE WILL GUARD AGAINST THE SLIGHT BEGINNINGS OF EVIL; AND IS PENETRATED WITH A SENSE OF HIS OWN INCOMPETENCIES. This piece has been considered by some critics as the conclusion of the council in the ancestral temple, with which the previous two also are thought to be connected. The Preface says that the king asks in it for the assistance of his ministers, but no such request is expressed. I seem myself to see in it, with SQ KAeh and others, a reference to the suspicions which Aang at one time, we know, entertained of the fidelity of the duke of Kau, _ when he was inclined to believe the rumours spread against him by his other uncles, who joined in rebellion with the son of the last king of Shang. I condemn myself (for the past), And will be on my guard against future calamity. I will have nothing to do with a wasp, To seek for myself its painful sting. At first indeed it seemed to be 1 The meaning is this: ‘The way of Heaven is very clear, to bless the good, namely, and punish the bad. But its favour is thus dependent on men themselves, and hard to preserve.’ ODE 5. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 331 (but) a wren', But it took wing, and became a large bird. I am unequal to the many difficulties of the kingdom, And am placed in the midst of bitter experiences. Ope 5. Tue 3Ar1 Sut. THE CULTIVATION OF THE GROUND FROM THE FIRST BREAKING OF IT UP, TILL IT YIELDS ABUNDANT HARVESTS ;—AVAILABLE SPECIALLY FOR SACRIFICES AND FESTIVE OCCASIONS. WHETHER INTENDED TO BE USED ON OCCASIONS OF THANKSGIVING, OR IN SPRING WHEN PRAYING FOR A GOOD YEAR, CANNOT BE DETERMINED. The Preface says that this ode was used in spring, when the king in person turned up some furrows in the field set apart for that purpose, and prayed at the altars of the spirits of the land and the grain, foran abundant year. AQ Hs? says he does not know on what occasion it was intended to be used; but comparing it with the fourth ode of the second decade, he is inclined to rank it with that as an ode of thanksgiving. There is nothing in the piece itself to determine us in favour of either view. It brings before us a series of pleasing pictures of the husbandry of those early times. The editors of the imperial edition say that its place in the Sung makes it clear that it was an accompaniment of some royal sacrifice. We need not controvert this ; but the poet evidently singled out some large estate, and describes the labour on it, from the first bringing it under cultivation to the state in which it was before his eyes, and concludes by saying that the picture which he gives of it had long been applicable to the whole country. They clear away the grass and the bushes; And the ground is laid open by their ploughs.
2They clear away the grass and the bushes; And the ground is laid open by their ploughs. In thousands of pairs they remove the roots, Some in the low wet land, some along the dykes. 1 The Chinese characters here mean, literally, ‘peach-tree insect,’ or, as Dr. Williams has it, ‘ peach-bug.’ Another name for the bird is ‘the clever wife,’ from the artistic character of its nest, which would point it out as the small ‘tailor bird.’ But the name is applied to various small birds. 332 THE SHIH KING. DECADE III. There are the master and his eldest son; His younger sons, and all their children; Their strong helpers, and their hired servants. How the noise of their eating the viands brought to them resounds! (The husbands) think lovingly of their wives; (The wives) keep close to their husbands. (Then) with their sharp ploughshares They set to work on the south-lying acres. They sow their various kinds of grain, Each seed containing in it a germ of life. In unbroken lines rises the blade, And, well nourished, the stalks grow long. Luxuriant looks the young grain, And the weeders go among it in multitudes. Then comé the reapers in crowds, And the grain is piled up in the fields, Myriads, and hundreds of thousands, and millions (of stacks); For spirits and for sweet spirits, To offer to our ancestors, male and female, And to provide for all ceremonies. Fragrant is their aroma, Enhancing the glory of the state. Like pepper is their smell, To give comfort to the aged. . It is not here only that there is this (abundance) ; It is not now only that there is such a time :— From of old it has been thus. Ove 6. Tue Lianc Sze. PRESUMABLY, AN ODE OF THANKSGIVING IN THE AUTUMN TO THE SPIRITS OF THE LAND AND GRAIN. Very sharp are the excellent shares, With which they set to work on the south-lying acres. | They sow their various kinds of grain, Each seed containing in it a germ of life. ODE 7. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 333 There are those who come to see them, With their baskets round and square, Containing the provisions of millet. With their light splint hats on their heads, They ply their hoes on the ground, Clearing away the smartweed on the dry land and wet. The weeds being decayed, The millets grow luxuriantly. They fall rustling before the reapers. The gathered crop is piled up solidly, High as a wall, United together like the teeth of a comb; And the hundred houses are opened (to receive the grain) '. Those hundred houses being full, The wives and children have a feeling of repose. (Now) we kill this black-muzzled tawny bull 2, with his crooked horns, To imitate and hand down, To hand down (the observances of) our ancestors. Ove 7. Tue Sze f. AN ODE APPROPRIATE TO THE PREPARATIONS AND PROGRESS OF A FEAST AFTER A SACRIFICE. The Preface and the editors of the Yung-4Aang Shih say that the piece has reference to the entertainment given, the day after a
3Ove 7. Tue Sze f. AN ODE APPROPRIATE TO THE PREPARATIONS AND PROGRESS OF A FEAST AFTER A SACRIFICE. The Preface and the editors of the Yung-4Aang Shih say that the piece has reference to the entertainment given, the day after a 1¢The hundred houses,’ or chambers in a hundred family residences, are those of the hundred families, cultivating the space which was bounded by a brook ;—see note on the second ode of the preceding decade. They formed a society, whose members helped one another in their field work, so that their harvest might be said to be carried home at the same time. Then would come the threshing or treading, and winnowing, after which the grain would be brought into the houses. * It has been observed that under the Kau dynasty,.red was the 334 THE SHIH KING. DECADE III. sacrifice, in the ancestral temple, to the personators of the dead, described on p. 301. AQ Hs? denies this, and holds simply that it belongs to the feast after a sacrifice, without further specifying what sacrifice. The old view is probably the more correct. In his silken robes, clean and bright, With his cap on his head, looking so respectful, From the hall he goes to the foot of the stairs, And (then) from the sheep to the oxen’. (He inspects) the tripods, large and small, And the curved goblet of rhinoceros horn®. The good spirits are mild, (But) there is no noise, no insolence :—An auspice (this) of great longevity. Ove 8 Tue Xo. AN ODE IN PRAISE OF KING wi, AND RECOGNISING THE DUTY TO FOLLOW HIS COURSE. This was sung, according to the Preface, at the conclusion of the dance in honour of king Wi;—see on the last piece of the second decade. Oh! powerful was the king’s army, But he nursed it, in obedience to circumstances, while the colour of the sacrificial victims. So it was for the ancestral temple ; but in sacrificing to the spirits of the land and grain, the victim was a ‘yellow’ bull with black lips. 1 The subject of these lines must be an ordinary officer, for to such the silk robes and a purple cap were proper, when he was assisting at the sacrifices of the king or of a feudal prince. There were two buildings outside the principal gate leading to the ancestral temple, and two corresponding inside, in which the personators of the departed ancestors were feasted. We must suppose the officer in question descending from the upper hall to the vestibule of the gate, to inspect the dishes, arranged for the feast, and then proceeding to see the animals, and the tripods for boiling the flesh, &c. ? The goblet of rhinoceros horn was to be drained, as a penalty, by any one offending at the feast against the rules of propriety ; but here there was no occasion for it. ODE I0. THE SACRIFICIAL ODES OF KAU. 335
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.
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