Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1? A worthy officer or thinker of Wei. One is not sure that his advice was altogether good. 160 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII. had not attained to the T4o, he may be said to have had some idea of it. 8. When Confucius was reduced to extreme distress between A’A4n and 3hai, for seven days he had no cooked meat to eat, but only some soup of coarse vegetables without any rice in it. His countenance wore the appearance of great exhaustion, and yet he kept playing on his lute and singing inside the house. Yen Hui (was outside), selecting the vegetables, while 3ze-li and 3ze-kung were talking together, and said to him, ‘The Master has twice been driven from Li; he had to flee from Wei; the tree (beneath which he rested) was cut down in Sung; he was reduced to extreme distress in Shang and /4u ; he is held in a state of siege here between A/an and 3h4i ; any one who kills him will be held guiltless ; there is no prohibition against making him a prisoner. And yet he keeps playing and singing, thrumming his lute without ceasing. Can a superior man be without the feeling of shame to such an extent as this?’ Yen Hui gave them no reply, but went in and told (their words) to Confucius, who pushed aside his lute, and said, ‘ YQ and 3hze are small men. Call them here, and I will explain the thing to them.’ When they came in, 3ze-lfi said, ‘Your present condition may be called one of extreme distress.’ Confucius replied, ‘What words are these! When the Superior man has free course with his principles, that is what we call his success ; when such course is denied, that is what we call his failure. Now I hold in my embrace the principles of benevolence and righteousness, and with them meet the evils of a disordered age ;—where is the proof. of my being PT. III. SECT. VI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-8ZE. 161 in extreme distress? Therefore looking inwards and examining myself, I have no difficulties about my principles; though I encounter such difficulties (as the present), I do not lose my virtue. It is when winter’s cold is come, and the hoar-frost and snow are falling, that we know the vegetative power of the pine and cypress. This strait between Aan and 3hAi is fortunate for me.’ He then took back his lute so that it emitted a twanging sound, and began to play and sing. (At the same time) 3ze-ld, hurriedly, seized a shield, and began to dance, while 3ze-kung said, ‘I did not know (before) the height of heaven nor the depth of the earth.’ The ancients who had got the T4o were happy when reduced to extremity, and happy when having free course. Their happiness was independent of both these conditions. The T4o and its characteristics !—let them have these and distress and success come to them as cold and heat, as wind and rain in the natural order of things. Thus it was that Hsii YQ found pleasure on the north of the river Ying, and that the earl of Kung enjoyed himself on the top of mount (Kung) ?.
2Thus it was that Hsii YQ found pleasure on the north of the river Ying, and that the earl of Kung enjoyed himself on the top of mount (Kung) ?. g. Shun proposed to resign the throne to his friend, the Northerner Wd-A4i?, who said, ‘A strange man you are, O sovereign! You (first) lived among the channeled fields, and then your 1 This takes us to the famous Kung-ho period (.c. 842-828), but our author evidently follows the account of it found in the ‘Bamboo Books;’—see the prolegomena to the Sha King, Pp. 154. 2 We found, in Book XXI (see vol. xxxix, p. 133), WO-Aai as the name of Thien 3ze-fang. Here is the same name belonging to a much earlier man, ‘a man of the north.’ [4°] M 162 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII. place was in the palace of Yao. And not only so:— you now further wish to extend to me the stain of your disgraceful doings. I am ashamed to see you.’ And on this he threw himself into the abyss of Khing-lang?. When Thang was about to attack Kieh, he took counsel with Pien Sui, who said, ‘It is no business of mine. Thang then said, ‘To whom should I apply?’ And the other said, ‘I do not know.’ Thang then took counsel with Wa Kwang, who gave the same answer as Pien Sui; and when asked to whom he should apply, said in the same way, ‘I do not know.’ ‘Suppose,’ Thang then said, ‘I apply to { Yin, what do you say about him?’ The reply was, ‘He has a wonderful power in doing what is disgraceful, and I know nothing more about him!’ Thang thereupon took counsel with { Yin, attacked Kieh, and overcame him, after which he proposed to resign the throne to Pien Sui, who declined it, saying, ‘When you were about to attack Kieh, and sought counsel from me, you must have supposed me to be prepared to bea robber. Now that you have conquered Xieh,-and propose to resign the throne to me, you must consider me to be greedy. I have been born in an age of disorder, and a man without principle twice comes, and tries to extend to me the stain of his disgraceful proceedings !— I cannot bear to hear the repetition of his proposals.’ With this he threw himself into the KAu? water and died. 1 At the foot of a hill in the present department of Nan-yang, Ho-nan. * The reading uncertain. PT. II], SECT.VI. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE, 163
3water and died. 1 At the foot of a hill in the present department of Nan-yang, Ho-nan. * The reading uncertain. PT. II], SECT.VI. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE, 163 Thang further made proffer of the throne to Wd Kwang}, saying, ‘The wise man has planned it ; the martial man has carried it through; and the benevolent man should occupy it:—this was the method of antiquity. Why should you, Sir, not take the position?’ Wf Kwang refused the proffer, saying, ‘To depose the sovereign is contrary to right; to kill the people is contrary to benevolence. When another has encountered the risks, if I should accept the gain of his adventure, I should violate my disinterestedness. I have heard it said, “Tf it be not right for him to do so, one should not accept the emolument; in an age of unprincipled (government), one should not put foot on the soil (of the) country :”—how much less should I accept this position of honour! I cannot bear to see you any longer. And with this he took a stone on his back, and drowned himself in the Lii water 2. 10. Formerly, at the rise of the KAu dynasty, there were two brothers who lived in Kf-203, and were named Po-t and Shf-£/1. They spoke together and said, ‘We have heard that in the west there is one who seems to rule according to the Right Way; let us go and see.’ (Accordingly) they came to the south of (mount) A%i; and when king Wd heard of them, he sent (his brother) Sh Tan to see them, and make a covenant with them, engaging that their wealth should be second (only to that of the king), and that their offices should be of the first rank, 1 Not elsewhere heard of, save in the same connexion. 2 In the west of Lido-tung. 8 A small principality, in the present Lwan-4u, department of Yung-phing ib-li. M 2 164 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII.
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.
1? A worthy officer or thinker of Wei. One is not sure that his advice was altogether good. 160 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII. had not attained to the T4o, he may be said to have had some idea of it. 8. When Confucius was reduced to extreme distress between A’A4n and 3hai, for seven days he had no cooked meat to eat, but only some soup of coarse vegetables without any rice in it. His countenance wore the appearance of great exhaustion, and yet he kept playing on his lute and singing inside the house. Yen Hui (was outside), selecting the vegetables, while 3ze-li and 3ze-kung were talking together, and said to him, ‘The Master has twice been driven from Li; he had to flee from Wei; the tree (beneath which he rested) was cut down in Sung; he was reduced to extreme distress in Shang and /4u ; he is held in a state of siege here between A/an and 3h4i ; any one who kills him will be held guiltless ; there is no prohibition against making him a prisoner. And yet he keeps playing and singing, thrumming his lute without ceasing. Can a superior man be without the feeling of shame to such an extent as this?’ Yen Hui gave them no reply, but went in and told (their words) to Confucius, who pushed aside his lute, and said, ‘ YQ and 3hze are small men. Call them here, and I will explain the thing to them.’ When they came in, 3ze-lfi said, ‘Your present condition may be called one of extreme distress.’ Confucius replied, ‘What words are these! When the Superior man has free course with his principles, that is what we call his success ; when such course is denied, that is what we call his failure. Now I hold in my embrace the principles of benevolence and righteousness, and with them meet the evils of a disordered age ;—where is the proof. of my being PT. III. SECT. VI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-8ZE. 161 in extreme distress? Therefore looking inwards and examining myself, I have no difficulties about my principles; though I encounter such difficulties (as the present), I do not lose my virtue. It is when winter’s cold is come, and the hoar-frost and snow are falling, that we know the vegetative power of the pine and cypress. This strait between Aan and 3hAi is fortunate for me.’ He then took back his lute so that it emitted a twanging sound, and began to play and sing. (At the same time) 3ze-ld, hurriedly, seized a shield, and began to dance, while 3ze-kung said, ‘I did not know (before) the height of heaven nor the depth of the earth.’ The ancients who had got the T4o were happy when reduced to extremity, and happy when having free course. Their happiness was independent of both these conditions. The T4o and its characteristics !—let them have these and distress and success come to them as cold and heat, as wind and rain in the natural order of things. Thus it was that Hsii YQ found pleasure on the north of the river Ying, and that the earl of Kung enjoyed himself on the top of mount (Kung) ?.
2Thus it was that Hsii YQ found pleasure on the north of the river Ying, and that the earl of Kung enjoyed himself on the top of mount (Kung) ?. g. Shun proposed to resign the throne to his friend, the Northerner Wd-A4i?, who said, ‘A strange man you are, O sovereign! You (first) lived among the channeled fields, and then your 1 This takes us to the famous Kung-ho period (.c. 842-828), but our author evidently follows the account of it found in the ‘Bamboo Books;’—see the prolegomena to the Sha King, Pp. 154. 2 We found, in Book XXI (see vol. xxxix, p. 133), WO-Aai as the name of Thien 3ze-fang. Here is the same name belonging to a much earlier man, ‘a man of the north.’ [4°] M 162 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII. place was in the palace of Yao. And not only so:— you now further wish to extend to me the stain of your disgraceful doings. I am ashamed to see you.’ And on this he threw himself into the abyss of Khing-lang?. When Thang was about to attack Kieh, he took counsel with Pien Sui, who said, ‘It is no business of mine. Thang then said, ‘To whom should I apply?’ And the other said, ‘I do not know.’ Thang then took counsel with Wa Kwang, who gave the same answer as Pien Sui; and when asked to whom he should apply, said in the same way, ‘I do not know.’ ‘Suppose,’ Thang then said, ‘I apply to { Yin, what do you say about him?’ The reply was, ‘He has a wonderful power in doing what is disgraceful, and I know nothing more about him!’ Thang thereupon took counsel with { Yin, attacked Kieh, and overcame him, after which he proposed to resign the throne to Pien Sui, who declined it, saying, ‘When you were about to attack Kieh, and sought counsel from me, you must have supposed me to be prepared to bea robber. Now that you have conquered Xieh,-and propose to resign the throne to me, you must consider me to be greedy. I have been born in an age of disorder, and a man without principle twice comes, and tries to extend to me the stain of his disgraceful proceedings !— I cannot bear to hear the repetition of his proposals.’ With this he threw himself into the KAu? water and died. 1 At the foot of a hill in the present department of Nan-yang, Ho-nan. * The reading uncertain. PT. II], SECT.VI. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE, 163
3water and died. 1 At the foot of a hill in the present department of Nan-yang, Ho-nan. * The reading uncertain. PT. II], SECT.VI. THE WRITINGS OF XWANG-3ZE, 163 Thang further made proffer of the throne to Wd Kwang}, saying, ‘The wise man has planned it ; the martial man has carried it through; and the benevolent man should occupy it:—this was the method of antiquity. Why should you, Sir, not take the position?’ Wf Kwang refused the proffer, saying, ‘To depose the sovereign is contrary to right; to kill the people is contrary to benevolence. When another has encountered the risks, if I should accept the gain of his adventure, I should violate my disinterestedness. I have heard it said, “Tf it be not right for him to do so, one should not accept the emolument; in an age of unprincipled (government), one should not put foot on the soil (of the) country :”—how much less should I accept this position of honour! I cannot bear to see you any longer. And with this he took a stone on his back, and drowned himself in the Lii water 2. 10. Formerly, at the rise of the KAu dynasty, there were two brothers who lived in Kf-203, and were named Po-t and Shf-£/1. They spoke together and said, ‘We have heard that in the west there is one who seems to rule according to the Right Way; let us go and see.’ (Accordingly) they came to the south of (mount) A%i; and when king Wd heard of them, he sent (his brother) Sh Tan to see them, and make a covenant with them, engaging that their wealth should be second (only to that of the king), and that their offices should be of the first rank, 1 Not elsewhere heard of, save in the same connexion. 2 In the west of Lido-tung. 8 A small principality, in the present Lwan-4u, department of Yung-phing ib-li. M 2 164 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK. XXVIII.
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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