University of Virginia Library

Who can say that you have no sheep ?
There are three hundred in [each] herd .
Who says that you have no cattle ?
There are ninety , which are black-lipped .
Your sheep come ,
Horned , but all agreeing .
Your cattle come ,
Flapping their ears .
Some are descending among the mounds ;
Some are drinking at the pools ;
Some are lying down , some are moving about .
Your herdsmen come ,
Bearing their rain-coats and bamboo-hats ,
Or carrying on their backs their provisions .
In thirties are the creatures arranged according to their colours ;
For your victims there is abundant provision .
Your herdsmen come ,
With their large faggots , and smaller branches ,
And with their prey of birds and beasts .
Your sheep come ,
Vigorous and strong ,
None injured , no infection in the herd .
At the wave of the [herdsman's] arm ,
All come , all go up [into the fold] .
Your herdsmen shall dream ,—
Of multitudes and then of fishes ;
Of the tortoise-and serpent ; and then of the falcon banners .
The chief diviner will divine the dreams ,
How the multitudes dissolving into fishes ,
Betoken plentiful years ;
How the tortoise-and-serpent dissolving into falcon banners ,
Betoken the increasing population of the kingdom .