is mentioned.
ODE I. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 397
That her childlessness might be taken away. She
then trod on a toe-print made by God, and was
moved \ In the large place where she rested. She
became pregnant ; she dwelt retired ; She gave
birth to, and nourished (a son). Who was Hau-/^'i.
When she had fulfilled her months, Her first-
born son (came forth) like a lamb. There was no
bursting, nor rending, No injury, no hurt ; Show-
ing how wonderful he would be. Did not God give
her the comfort ? Had he not accepted her pure
offering and sacrifice. So that thus easily she
brought forth her son ?
He was placed in a narrow lane, But the sheep
and oxen protected him with loving care '\ He was
placed in a wide forest. Where he was met with by
the wood-cutters. He was placed on the cold ice.
And a bird screened and supported him with its
wings. When the bird went away, Hau-/C'i began
to wail. His cry was long and loud, So that his
voice filled the whole way ^.
^ The ' toe-print made by God ' has occasioned much speculation
of the critics. We may simply draw the conclusion that the poet
meant to have his readers believe with him that the conception of
his hero was supernatural. We saw in the third of the Sacrificial
Odes of Shang that there was also a legend assigning a prseter-
nalural birth to the father of the House of Shang.
2 It does not appear from the ode who exposed the infant to
these various perils; nor did Chinese tradition ever fashion any
story on the subject. Mao makes the exposure to have been made
by ^iang Yuan's husband, dissatisfied with what had taken place ;
A'ang, by the mother herself, to show the more the wonderful
character of her child. Readers will compare the accounts with
the Roman legends about Romulus and Remus, their mother and
her father ; but the two legends differ according to the diff"erent
characters of the Chinese and Roman peoples.
398 THE SHIH KING. DECADE II.
When he was able to crawl, He looked majestic
and intelligent. When he was able to feed himself,
He fell to planting beans. The beans grew luxu-
riantly ; His rows of paddy shot up beautifully;
His hemp and wheat grew strong and close; His
gourds yielded abundantly.
The husbandry of Hau->^i Proceeded on the plan
of helping (the growth). Having cleared away the
thick grass, He sowed the ground with the yellow
cereals. He managed the living grain, till it was
ready to burst ; Then he used it as seed, and it
sprang up ; It grew and came into ear ; It became
strong and good ; It hung down, every grain com-
plete ; And thus he was appointed lord of Thai \
He gave (his people) the beautiful grains ; ā The
black millet and the double-kernelled, The tall red
and the white. They planted extensively the black
and the double-kernelled, Which were reaped and
stacked on the ground. They planted extensively
the tall red and the white. Which were carried, on
their shoulders and backs, Home for the sacrifices
which he founded ^.
And how as to our sacrifices (continued from him) ?
^ Hau-/^i's mother, we have seen, was a princess of Thai, in the
present district of Wu-kung, ^-^ien ^au, Shen-hsi. This may have
led to his appointment to that principality, and the transference of
the lordship from Alangs to Kxs. Evidently he was appointed to
that dignity for his services in the promotion of agriculture. Still
he has not displaced the older Shan-nung, with whom on his father's
side he had a connexion, as ' the Father of Husbandry.'
^ This is not to be understood of sacrifice in general, as if there
had been no such thing before Hau-z^t ; but of the sacrifices of the
House of A'au, ā those in the ancestral temple and others, ā which
began with him as its great ancestor.
ODE 2. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 399
Some hull (the grain) ; some take it from the
mortar ; Some sift it ; some tread it. It is rattling
in the dishes ; It is distilled, and the steam floats
about. We consult ^ ; we observe the rites of puri-
fication ; We take southernwood and offer it with
the fat ; We sacrifice a ram to the spirit of the
path ^ ; We offer roast flesh and broiled : ā And
thus introduce the coming year^
We load the stands with the offerings, The stands
both of wood and of earthenware. As soon as the
fragrance ascends, God, well pleased, smells the
sweet savour. Fragrant it is, and in its due season^
Hau-/^i founded our sacrifices, And no one, we
presume, has given occasion for blame or regret in
regard to them, Down to the present day.
Ode 2. The Hsin Wei.
A FESTAL ODE, CELEBRATING SOME ENTERTAINMENT GIVEN BY THE
KING TO HIS RELATIVES, WITH THE TRIAL OF ARCHERY AFTER THE
FEAST ; CELEBRATING ESPECIALLY THE HONOUR DONE ON SUCH
OCCASIONS TO THE AGED.
This ode is given here, because it is commonly taken as a prelude
to the next. KiS. Hsi interprets it of the feast, given by the
^ That is, we divine about the day, and choose the officers to
take part in the service.
^ A sacrifice was offered to the spirit of the road on commencing
a journey, and we see here that it was offered also in connexion
Y'ith the king's going to the ancestral temple or the border altar.
^ It does not appear clearly what sacrifices the poet had in view
here. I think they must be all those in which the kings of A'au
appeared as the principals or sacrificers. The concluding line is
understood to intimate that the kings were not to forget that a pros-
perous agriculture was the foundation of their prosperity.
* In this stanza we have the peculiar honour paid to Hau-^i by
his descendants at one of the great border sacrifices to God, ā the
same to which the last ode in the first decade of the Sacrificial
Odes of ^au belongs.
400 THE SHIH KING. DECADE II.
king, at the close of the sacrifice in the ancestral temple, to the
princes of his own surname. There are difficulties in the inter-
pretation of the piece on this view, which, however, is to be
preferred to any other.
In thick patches are those rushes, Springing by
the way-side : ā Let not the cattle and sheep trample
them. Anon they will grow up ; anon they will be
completely formed, With their leaves soft and
glossy ^. Closely related are brethren ; Let none
be absent, let all be near. For some there are
mats spread ; For some there are given stools 2.
The mats are spread, and a second one above ;
The stools are given, and there are plenty of ser-
vants. (The guests) are pledged, and they pledge
(the host) in return ; He rinses the cups (and refills
them, but the guests) put them down, Sauces and
pickles are brought in. With roasted meat and
broiled. Excellent provisions there are of tripe and
palates ; With singing to lutes, and with drums.
The ornamented bows are strong, And the four
arrows are all balanced. They discharge the arrows,
and all hit. And the guests are arranged accord-
ing to their skill. The ornamented bows are drawn
to the full. And the arrows are grasped in the
hand. They go straight to the mark as if planted
^ In the rushes growing up densely from a common root we
have an emblem of brothers all sprung from the same ancestor ;
and in the plants developing so finely, when preserved from in-
jury, an emblem of the happy fellowships of consanguinity, when
nothing is allowed to interfere with mutual confidence and good
feeling.
^ In a previous note I have said that chairs and tables had not
come into use in those early times. Guests sat and feasts were
spread on mats on the floor; for the aged, however, stools were
placed on which they could lean forward.
ODE 3. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 40 1
in it, And the guests are arranged according to
the humble propriety of their behaviour.
The distant descendant presides over the feast ;
His sweet spirits are strong. He fills their cups
from a large vase, And prays for the hoary old
(among his guests) : ā That with hoary age and
wrinkled back, They may lead on one another (to
virtue), and support one another (in it) ; That so
their old age may be blessed, And their bright
happiness ever increased.
Ode 3. The Kl 3ui.
RESPONSIVE TO THE LAST : THE UNCLES AND BRETHREN OF THE KING
EXPRESS THEIR SENSE OF HIS KINDNESS, AND THEIR WISHES FOR HIS
HAPPINESS, MOSTLY IN THE WORDS IN WHICH THE PERSONATORS OF
THE DEPARTED ANCESTORS HAD CONVEYED THEIR SATISFACTION
WITH THE SACRIFICE OFFERED TO THEM, AND PROMISED TO HIM
THEIR BLESSING.
You have made us drink to the full of your spirits;
You have satiated us with your kindness. May you
enjoy, O our lord, myriads of years ! May your
bright happiness (ever) be increased !
You have made us drink to the full of your spirits;
Your viands were set out before us. May you enjoy,
O our lord, myriads of years ! May your bright
intelligence ever be increased!
May your bright intelligence become perfect,
High and brilliant, leading to a good end! That
good end has (now) its beginning : ā The personators
of your ancestors announced it in their blessing.
What was their announcement ? * (The offerings)
in your dishes of bamboo and wood are clean and
[I] D d
402 THE SHIH KING. DECADE II.
fine. Your friends^, assisting in the service, Have
done their part with reverent demeanour.
' Your reverent demeanour was altogether what
the occasion required ; And also that of your filial
son 2. For such filial piety, continued without ceasing,
There will ever be conferred blessings upon you.'
What will the blessings be ? ' That along the
passages of your palace, You shall move for ten
thousand years, And there will be granted to you
for ever dignity and posterity.'
How as to your posterity ? 'Heaven invests you
with your dignity ; Yea, for ten thousand years,
The bright appointment is attached (to your line).'
How is it attached ? * There is given you a
heroic wife. There is given you a heroic wife, And
from her shall come the (line of) descendants.'
Ode 4. The Hu !.
AN ODE APPROPRIATE TO THE FEAST GIVEN TO THE PERSONATORS OF
THE DEPARTED, ON THE DAY AFTER THE SACRIFICE IN THE ANCES-
TRAL TEMPLE.
This supplementary sacrifice on the day after the principal service
in the temple appeared in the ninth Book of the fourth Part of
the Shu ; and of the feast after it to the personators of the dead
I have spoken on p. 301.
The wild-ducks and widgeons are on the A'ing ^ ;
^ That is, the guests, visitors, and officers of the court.
^ Towar 1s the end of the sacrificial service, the eldest son of
the king joined in pledging the representatives of their ancestors.
^ The ^mg is an affluent of the Wei, not far from Wia's capital
of Hao. The birds, feeling at home in its waters, on its sands, &c.,
serve to introduce the parties feasted, in a situation where they
might relax from the gravity of the preceding day, and be happy.
ODE 4. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 4O3
The personators of your ancestors feast and are
happy. Your spirits are clear ; Your viands are
fragrant. The personators of your ancestors feast
and drink ; ā Their happiness and dignity are made
complete.
The wild-ducks and widgeons are on the sand ;
The personators of the dead enjoy the feast, their
appropriate tribute. Your spirits are abundant ;
Your viands are good. The personators of your
ancestors feast and drink; ā Happiness and dignity
lend them their aids.
The wild-ducks and widgeons are on the islets ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and enjoy
themselves. Your spirits are strained ; Your viands
are in slices. The personators of your ancestors
feast and drink; ā Happiness and dignity descend
on them.
The wild-ducks and widgeons are where the
waters meet ; The personators of your ancestors
feast and are honoured. The feast is spread in the
ancestral temple, The place where happiness and
dignity descend. The personators of your ancestors
feast and drink ; ā Their happiness and dignity are
at the highest point.
The wild-ducks and widgeons are in the gorge ;
The personators of your ancestors rest, full of
complacency. The fine spirits are delicious ; Your
meat, roast and broiled, is fragrant. The personators
of your ancestors feast and drink ; ā No troubles will
be theirs after this.
D d 2
404 THE SHIH KING. DECADE II.
Ode 5, Stanza 1, The Kik Lo.
IN PRAISE OF SOME KING, WHOSE VIRTUE SECURED TO HIM THE
FAVOUR OF HEAVEN,
Perhaps the response of the feasted personators of the ancestors.
Of our admirable, amiable sovereign Most illus-
trious is the excellent virtue. He orders rightly
the people, orders rightly the officers, And receives
his dignity from Heaven, Which protects and helps
him, and (confirms) his appointment, By repeated
acts of renewal from heaven.
Ode 8. The A't/uan A.
ADDRESSED, PROBABLY, BY THE DUKE OF SHAO TO KING KH A'HG, DESIRING
FOR HIM LONG PROSPERITY, AND CONGRATULATING HIM, IN ORDER
TO ADMONISH HIM, ON THE HAPPINESS OF HIS PEOPLE, THE NUMBER
OF HIS ADMIRABLE OFFICERS, AND THE AUSPICIOUS OMEN ARISING
FROM THE APPEARANCE OF THE PHCENIX.
The duke of Shao was the famous Shih, who appears in the fifth
and other Books of the fifth Part of the Shii, the colleague of the
duke of Ki\x in the early days of the A'au dynasty. This piece
may have been composed by him, but there is no evidence in it
that it was so. The assigning it to him rests entirely on the
authority of the preface. The language, however, is that in
which an old statesman of that time might express his com-
placency in his young sovereign.
Into the recesses of the large mound Came the
wind, whirling from the south. There was (our)
happy, courteous sovereign. Rambling and singing;
And I took occasion to give forth my notes.
' Full of spirits you ramble ; Full of satisfaction
you rest. O happy and courteous sovereign, May
you fulfil your years, And end them like your
ancestors !
' Your territory is great and glorious, And per-
ODE 8. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 405
fectly secure. O happy and courteous sovereign,
May you fulfil your years, As the host of all the
spirits ^ !
'You have received the appointment long acknow-
ledged, With peace around your happiness and
dignity. O happy and courteous sovereign, May
you fulfil your years. With pure happiness your
constant possession !
' You have helpers and supporters, Men of filial
piety and of virtue. To lead you on, and act as
wings to you, (So that), O happy and courteous
sovereign. You are a pattern to the four quarters
(of the kingdom).
' Full of dignity and majesty (are they), Like a
^ 'Host of the hundred ā i.e., of all ā the spirits' is one of the
titles of the sovereign of China. It was and is his prerogative to
offer the great ' border sacrifices' to Heaven and Earth, or, as Con-
fucius explains them, to God, and to the spirits of his ancestors in
his ancestral temple ; and in his progresses (now neglected), among
the states, to the spirits of the hills and rivers throughout the king-
dom. Every feudal prince could only sacrifice to the hills and
streams within his own territory. Under the changed conditions of
the government of China, the sacrificial ritual of the emperor still
retains the substance of whatever belonged to the sovereigns in
this respect from the earliest dynasties. On the text here, Khung
Ying-ta of the Thang dynasty said, ' He who possesses all under the
sky, sacrifices to all the spirits, and thus he is the host of them all.'
K^ Hsi said on it, 'And always be the host of (the spirits of)
Heaven and Earth, of the hills and rivers, and of the departed.'
The term ' host' does not imply any superiority of rank on the
part of the entertainer. In the greatest sacrifices the emperor
acknowledges himself as ' the servant or subject of Heaven.' See
the prayer of the first of the present Marichau line of emperors, in
announcing that he had ascended the throne, at the altar of Heaven
and Earth, in 1644, as translated by the Rev. Dr. Edkins in the
chapter on Imperial Worship, in the recent edition of his ' Religion
in China.'
406 THE SHIH KING. DECADE II.
jade-mace(in its purity), The subject of praise, the
contemplation of hope. O happy and courteous
sovereign, (Through them) the four quarters (of
the kingdom) are guided by you.
' The male and female phoenix fly about \ Their
wings rustling, While they settle in their proper
resting-place. Many are your admirable officers,
O king, Ready to be employed by you, Loving
you, the Son of Heaven.
' The male and female phcenix fly about, Their
wings rustling, As they soar up to heaven. Many
are your admirable officers, O king. Waiting for
your commands. And loving the multitudes of the
people.
* The male and female phoenix give out their
notes, On that lofty ridge. The dryandras grow,
On those eastern slopes. They grow luxuriantly ;
And harmoniously the notes resound.
'^ The phcenix {so the creature has been named) is a fabulous
bird, 'the chief of the 360 classes of the winged tribes.' It is
mentioned in the fourth Book of the second Part of the Shu, as
appearing in the courtyard of Shun ; and the appearance of a
pair of them has always been understood to denote a sage on the
throne and prosperity in the country. Even Confucius (Analects,
IX, viii) could not express his hopelessness about his own times
more strongly than by saying that ' the phoenix did not make its
appearance.' He was himself also called ' a phoenix,' in derision, by
one of the recluses of his time (Analects, XVIII, v). The type of
the bird was, perhaps, the Argus pheasant, but the descriptions
of it are of a monstrous creature, having ' a fowl's head, a swallow's
chin, a serpent's neck, a fish's tail,' &c. It only lights on the
dryandra cordifolia, of which tree also many marvellous
stories are related. The poet is not to be understood as saying
that the phoenix actually appeared ; but that the king was sage
and his government prosperous, as if it had appeared.
ODE 9- THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 407
' Your chariots, O sovereign, Are numerous,
many. Your horses, O sovereign, Are well trained
and fleet. I have made my few verses, In pro-
longation of your song.'
Ode 9, Stanza 1. The Min Lao.
IN A TIME OF DISORDER AND SUFFERING, SOME OFFICER OF DISTINC-
TION CALLS ON HIS FELLOWS TO JOIN WITH HIM TO EFFECT A
REFORMATION IN THE CAPITAL, AND PUT AWAY THE PARTIES WHO
WERE THE CAUSE OF THE PREVAILING MISERY.
With the A7nian A, what are called the 'correct' odes of Part III,
or those belonging to a period of good government, and the
composition of which is ascribed mainly to the duke of A'au, come
to an end ; and those that follow are the ' changed ' Major Odes
of the Kingdom, or those belonging to a degenerate period, com-
mencing with this. Some among them, however, are equal to
any of the former class. The Min Lao has been assigned to
duke Mu of Shao, a descendant of duke Khang, the Shih of the
Shu, the reputed author of the A'^uan A, and was directed
against king Li, b. c. 878 to 828.
The people indeed are heavily burdened, But
perhaps a little relief may be got for them. Let
us cherish this centre of the kingdom, To secure
the repose of the four quarters of it. Let us give
no indulgence to the wily and obsequious, In order
to make the unconscientious careful. And to repress
robbers and oppressors, Who have no fear of the
clear will (of Heaven) ^ Then let us show kindness
to those who are distant, And help those who are
near, ā Thus establishing (the throne of) our king.
' ' The clear will,' according to A'u Hsi, is 'the clear appointment
of Heaven;' according to A'li Kung-/f//ien, 'correct principle.'
They both mean the law of human duty, as gathered from the
nature of man's moral constitution conferred by Heaven.
408 the shih king. decade ii.
Ode 10. The Pan.
AN OFFICER OF EXPERIENCE MOURNS OVER THE PREVAILING MISERY ;
COMPLAINS OF THE WANT OF SYMPATHY WITH HIM SHOWN BY OTHER
OFFICERS ; ADMONISHES THEM, AND SETS FORTH THE DUTY RE-
QUIRED OF THEM, ESPECIALLY IN THE ANGRY MOOD IN WHICH IT
MIGHT SEEM THAT HEAVEN WAS.
This piece, like the last, is assigned to the time of king Li.
God has reversed (his usual course of procedure) \
And the lower people are full of distress. The
words which you utter are not right ; The plans
which you form are not far-reaching. As there are
not sages, you think you have no guidance; ā You
have no real sincerity. (Thus) your plans do not
reach far, And I therefore strongly admonish you.
Heaven is now sending down calamities; ā Do not
be so complacent. Heaven is now producing such
movements ; ā Do not be so indifferent. If your
words were harmonious, The people would become
united. If your words were gentle and kind, The
people would be settled.
Though my duties are different from yours, I am
your fellow-servant. I come to advise with you.
And you hear me with contemptuous indifference.
My words are about the (present urgent) affairs ; ā
Do not think them matter for laughter. The ancients
had a saying: ā 'Consult the gatherers of grass
and firewood '^!
^ The proof of God's having reversed his usual course of pro-
cedure was to be found in the universal misery of the people,
whose good He was understood to desire, and for the securing of
which government by righteous kings was maintained by him.
"^ If ancient worthies thought that persons in such mean employ-
ments were to be consulted, surely the advice of the writer deserved
to be taken into account by his comrades.
ODE 10. THE MAJOR ODES OF THE KINGDOM. 409
Heaven is now exercising oppression ; ā Do not in
such a way make a mock of things. An old man,
(I speak) with entire sincerity; But you, my juniors,
are full of pride. It is not that my words are those
of age, But you make a joke of what is sad. But
the troubles will multiply like flames, Till they
are beyond help or remedy.
Heaven is now displaying its anger; ā Do not be
either boastful or flattering, Utterly departing from
all propriety of demeanour. Till good men are
reduced to personators of the dead \ The people
now sigh and groan, And we dare not examine
(into the causes of their trouble). The ruin and
disorder are exhausting all their means of living,
And we show no kindness to our multitudes.
Heaven enlightens the people ^ As the bamboo
flute responds to the earthen whistle ; As two half-
maces form a whole one ; As you take a thing,
and bring it away in your hand, Bringing it away,
without any more ado. The enlightenment of the
people is very easy. They have (now) many per-
versities ; ā Do not you set up your perversity
before them.
Good men are a fence ; The multitudes of the
people are a wall ; Great states are screens ; Great
families are buttresses ; The cherishing of virtue
^ During all the time of the sacrifice, the personators of the dead
said not a word, but only ate and drank. To the semblance of
them good men were now reduced.
^ The meaning is, that Heaven has so attuned the mind to virtue,
that, if good example were set before the people, they would cer-
tainly and readily follow it. This is illustrated by various instances
of things, in which the one succeeded the other freely and as if
necessarily ; so that government by virtue was really very easy.
4TO THE SHIH KING. DECADE III.
secures repose ; The circle of (the khig's) relatives
is a fortified wall. We must not let the fortified
wall get destroyed ; We must not let (the king)
be solitary and consumed with terrors.
Revere the anger of Heaven, And presume not
to make sport or be idle. Revere the changing
moods of Heaven, And presume not to drive about
(at your pleasure). Great Heaven is intelligent,
And is with you in all your goings. Great Heaven
is clear-seeing. And is with you in your wanderings
and indulofences.
The Third Decade, or that of Tang.
Ode 1. The Tang.
WARNINGS, SUPPOSED TO BE ADDRESSED TO KING LI, ON THE ISSUES
OF THE COURSE WHICH HE WAS PURSUING, SHOWING THAT THE
MISERIES OF THE TIME AND THE IMMINENT DANGER OF RUIN WERE
TO BE ATTRIBUTED, NOT TO HEAVEN, BUT TO HIMSELF AND HIS
MINISTERS.
This ode, like the ninth of the second decade, is attributed to duke
Mu of Shao. The structure of the piece is peculiar, for, after
the first stanza, we have king Wan introduced delivering a series
of warnings to A'au-hsin, the last king of the Shang dynasty.
They are put into Wan's mouth, in the hope that Li, if, indeed,
he was the monarch whom the writer had in view, would
transfer the figure of A'au-hsin to himself, and alter his course
so as to avoid a similar ruin.
How vast is God, The ruler of men below ! How
arrayed in terrors is God, With many things irre-
gular in his ordinations. Heaven gave birth to