The Shih King, or, Book of Poetry Part 18

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-fu 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.]

Thus though he could not prevent the rage of his foes[1], 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 Khwan disappeared, Startled and panting.

(The chiefs of) Yu and Zui [2] 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.

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

2. The poet pa.s.ses on here to the time of king Wan. The story of the chiefs of Yu 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 Kau.]

ODE 4, STANZAS I AND 2. THE Yi PHO.

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[1]. 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)[2]:--They bore them with solemn gravity, As beseemed such eminent officers.

ODE 5. THE HAN Lu.

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[3], How abundantly grow the hazel and arrow-thorn[4]. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, In his pursuit of dignity (still) easy and self-possessed.

Ma.s.sive 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.

2. Here we have the lord of Kau in his ancestral temple, a.s.sisted 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 obelisk-like symbol of rank, while the cups used by a minister had for a handle only half a kwei.

3. Where mount Han was cannot now be determined.

4 As the foot of the hill was favourable to vegetable growth, so were king Wan's natural qualities to his distinction and advancement.]

yellow liquid sparkling in it[1]. 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 [2]. 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[3];--To offer, to sacrifice, To increase his bright happiness.

Thick grow the oaks and the buckthorn, Which the people use for fuel [4]. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, Cheered and encouraged by the spirits [4].

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

ODE 6. THE SZE KaI.

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 Zan[5], The mother of king Wan. Loving was she to Kau Kiang [6];--

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

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

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

4. 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 Wan.

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

6. Kau Kiang is 'the lady Kiang' of ode 3, the wife of Than-fu or king Thai, who came with him from Pin. She is here called Kau, as having married the lord of Kau.]

A wife becoming the House of Kau. Thai Sze [1] inherited her excellent fame, And from her came a hundred sons [2].

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.

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[3]: 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.

[1. Thai Sze, the wife of Wan, 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.

2. 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.

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

ODE 7. THE Hw.a.n.g i.

SHOWING THE RISE OF THE HOUSE OF KaU TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE FAVOUR OF G.o.d, THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF KINGS THaI AND Ki, AND ESPECIALLY OF KING WAN.

Great is G.o.d, 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 [1] 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. G.o.d having brought about the removal thither of this intelligent ruler, The Kwan hordes fled away[2].

Heaven had raised up a helpmeet for him, And the appointment he had received was made sure.

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

[1. Those of Hsia and Shang.