The Shih King, or, Book of Poetry Part 9

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 thres.h.i.+ng or treading, and winnowing, after which the groin would be brought into the houses.

2 It has been observed that under the Kau dynasty, red was 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.]

sacrifice, in the ancestral temple, to the personators of the dead, described on p. 301. Ku Hsi 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[1]. (He inspects) the tripods, large and small, And the curved goblet of rhinoceros horn[2]. The good spirits are mild, (But) there is no noise, no insolence:--An auspice (this) of great longevity.

ODE 8. THE KO.

AN ODE IN PRAISE OF KING Wu, 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 Wu;--see on the last piece of the second decade.

Oh! powerful was the king's army, But he nursed it, in obedience to circ.u.mstances, while the

[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 a.s.sisting at the sacrifices of the king or of a feudal prince. There were two buildings outside the princ.i.p.al 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.

2 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.]

time was yet dark. When the time was clearly bright, He thereupon donned his grand armour. We have been favoured to receive What the martial king accomplished. To deal aright with what we have inherited, We have to be sincere imitators of thy course, (O king).

ODE 9. THE HWAN.

CELEBRATING THE MERIT AND SUCCESS OF KING Wu.

According to a statement in the Zo Kwan, this piece also was sung in connexion with the dance of Wu. The Preface says it was used in declarations of war, and in sacrificing to G.o.d and the Father of War.

Perhaps it came to be used on such occasions; but we must refer it in the first place to the reign of king Khang.

There is peace throughout our myriad regions. There has been a succession of plentiful years:--Heaven does not weary in its favour. The martial king Wu Maintained (the confidence of) his officers, And employed them all over the kingdom, So securing the establishment of his family. Oh! glorious was he in the sight of Heaven, Which kinged him in the room (of Shang).

ODE 10. THE LaI.

CELEBRATING THE PRAISE OF KING WAN.

This is the only account of the piece that can be given from itself. The Zo Kwan, however, refers it to the dance of king Wu; and the Preface says it contains the words with which Wu accompanied his grant of fiefs and appanages in the ancestral temple to his princ.i.p.al followers.

King Wan laboured earnestly:--Right is it we should have received (the kingdom). We will diffuse (his virtue), ever cheris.h.i.+ng the thought of him; Henceforth we will seek only the settlement (of the kingdom). It was he through whom came the appointment of Kau. Oh! let us ever cherish the thought of him.

ODE 11. THE PAN.

CELEBRATING THE GREATNESS OF KaU, AND ITS FIRM POSSESSION OF THE KINGDOM, AS SEEN IN THE PROGRESSES OF ITS REIGNING SOVEREIGN.

In the eighth piece of the first decade we have an ode akin to this, relating a tentative progress of king Wu, to test the acceptance of his sovereignty. This is of a later date, and should be referred, probably, to the reign of king Khang, when the dynasty was fully acknowledged.

Some critics, however, make it, like the three preceding, a portion of what was sung at the Wu dance.

Oh! great now is Kau. We ascend the high hills, Both those that are long and narrow, and the lofty mountains. Yes, and (we travel) along the regulated Ho, All under the sky, a.s.sembling those who now respond to me.

Thus it is that the appointment belongs to Kau.

III. THE PRAISE ODES OF Lu.

IT is not according to the truth of things to cla.s.s the Sung of Lu among the sacrificial odes, and I do not call them such. Ku Hsi says:--'King Khang, because of the great services rendered by the duke of Kau, granted to Po-khin, (the duke's eldest son, and first marquis of Lu), the privilege of using the royal ceremonies and music, in consequence of which Lu had its Sung, which were sung to the music in its ancestral temple. Afterwards, they made in Lu other odes in praise of their rulers, which they also called Sung.' In this way it is endeavoured to account for there being such pieces in this part of the s.h.i.+h as the four in this division of it. Confucius, it is thought, found them in Lu, bearing the name of Sung, and so he cla.s.sed them with the true sacrificial odes, bearing that designation. If we were to admit, contrary to the evidence in the case, that the s.h.i.+h was compiled by Confucius, this explanation of the place, of the Sung of Lu in this Part would not be complimentary to his discrimination.

Whether such a privilege as Ku states was really granted to the first marquis of Lu, is a point very much controverted. Many contend that the royal ceremonies were usurped in the state,--in the time of duke Hsi (B.C. 659 to 627). But if this should be conceded, it would not affect the application to the odes in this division of the name of Sung. They are totally unlike the Sung of Shang and of Kau. It has often been asked why there are no Fang of Lu in the first Part of the s.h.i.+h. The pieces here are really the Fang of Lu, and may be compared especially with the Fang of Pin.

Lu was one of the states in the east, having its capital in Khu-fau, which is still the name of a district in the department of Yen-kau, Shan-tung. According to Ku, king Khang invested the duke of Kau's eldest son with the territory. According to Sze-ma Khien, the duke of Kau was himself appointed marquis of Lu; but being unable to go there in consequence of his duties at the royal court, he sent his son instead.

After the expiration of his 'regency, the territory was largely augmented, but he still remained in Kau.

I pa.s.s over the first two odes, which have no claim to a place among 'sacred texts.' And only in one stanza of the third is there the expression of a religious sentiment. I give it entire, however.

ODE 3. THE PHAN SHUI.

IN PRAISE OF SOME MARQUIS OF Lu, CELEBRATING HIS INTEREST IN THE STATE COLLEGE, WHICH HE HAD, PROBABLY, REPAIRED, TESTIFYING HIS VIRTUES, AND AUSPICING FOR HIM A COMPLETE TRIUMPH OVER THE TRIBES OF THE HWaI, WHICH WOULD BE CELEBRATED IN THE COLLEGE.

The marquis here celebrated was, probably, Shan, or 'duke Hsi,'

mentioned above. The immediate occasion of its composition must have been some opening or inauguration service in connexion with the repair of the college.

1. Pleasant is the semicircular water [1], And we gather the cress about it. The marquis of Lu is coming to it, And we see his dragon-figured banner. His banner waves in the wind, And the bells of his horses tinkle harmoniously. Small and great, All follow the prince in his progress to it.

2. Pleasant is the semicircular water, And we gather the pondweed in it.

The marquis of Lu has come to it, With his horses so stately. His horses are grand; His fame is brilliant. Blandly he looks and smiles; Without any impatience he delivers his instructions.

3. Pleasant is the semicircular water, And we gather the mallows about it. The marquis of Lu has come to it, And in the college he is drinking.

He is drinking the good spirits. May there be

[1. It is said in the tenth ode of the first decade of the Major Odes of the Kingdom, that king Wu in his capital of Hao built 'his hall with its circlet of water.' That was the royal college built in the middle of a circle of water; each state had its grand college with a semicircular pool in front of it, such is may now be seen in front of the temples of Confucius in the metropolitan cities of the provinces. It is not easy to describe all the purposes which the building served. In this piece the marquis of Lu appears feasting in it, delivering instructions, taking counsel with his ministers, and receiving the spoils and prisoners of war. The Li Ki, VIII, ii, 7, refers to sacrifices to Hau-ki in connexion with the college of Lu. There the officers of the state in autumn learned ceremonies; in winter, literary studies; in spring and summer, the use of arms; and in autumn and winter, dancing. There were celebrated trials of archery; there the aged were feasted; there the princes held council with their ministers. The college was in the western suburb of each capital.]

given to him such old age as is seldom enjoyed! May he accord with the grand ways, So subduing to himself all the people!

4. Very admirable is the marquis of Lu, Reverently displaying his virtue, And reverently watching over his deportment, The pattern of the people.

With great qualities, both civil and martial, Brilliantly he affects his meritorious ancestors [1]. In everything entirely filial, He seeks the blessing that is sure to follow.

5. Very intelligent is the marquis of Lu, Making his virtue ill.u.s.trious.

He has made this college with its semicircle of water, And the tribes of the Hwai will submit to him [2]. His martial-looking tiger-leaders Will here present the left ears (of their foes)[3]. His examiners, wise as Kao-yao [4] Will here present the prisoners.

6. His numerous officers, Men who have enlarged their virtuous minds, With martial energy conducting their expedition, Will drive far away those tribes of the east and south. Vigorous and

[1. The meaning is that the fine qualities of the marquis 'reached to'