Shi Ji Zhuan :: :: University of Virginia Library

I ascend that northern hill ,
And gather the medlars .
An officer , strong and vigorous ,
Morning and evening I am engaged in service .
The king's business is not to be slackly performed ;
And my parents are left in sorrow .

Under the wide heaven ,
All is the king's land .
Within the sea-boundaries of the land ,
All are the king's servants .
His great officers are unfair ,—
Making me serve thus as if I alone were worthy .

My four horses never halt ;
The king's business allows no rest .
They praise me as not yet old ;
They think few like me in vigour .
While the backbone retains its strength ,
I must plan and labour in all parts of the kingdom .

Some enjoy their ease and rest ,
And some are worn out in the service of the State ;
Some rest and loll upon their couches ,
And some never cease marching about .

Some never hear a sound ,
And some are cruelly toiled ;
Some lazily roost , on their backs looking up ,
And some are all-bustled in the service of the king .

Some indulge long in pleasure and drinking ,
And some are miserable , in apprehension of blame ;
Some , at home and abroad , pass critical remarks ,
And some have everything to do .

206. 無將大車 WU JIANG DA CHE

無將大車、祇自塵兮。
無思百憂、祇自疧兮。

無將大車、維塵冥冥。
無思百憂、不出于熲。

無將大車、維塵雝兮。
無思百憂、祇自重兮。

Do not push forward a waggon ;—
You will only raise the dust about yourself .
Do not think of all your anxieties ;—
You will only make yourself ill .

Do not push forward a waggon ;—
The dust will only blind you .
Do not think of all your anxieties ;—
You will not emerge from imperfect views .

Do not push forward a waggon ;—
The dust will only becloud you .
Do not think of all your anxieties ;—
You will only weigh yourself down .

207. 小明 XIAO MING

明明上天、照臨下土。
我征徂西、至于艽野。
二月初吉、載離寒暑。
心之憂矣、其毒大苦。
念彼共人、涕零如雨。
豈不懷歸、畏此罪罟。

昔我往矣、日月方除。
曷云其還、歲聿云莫。
念我獨兮、我事孔庶。
心之憂矣、憚我不暇。
念彼共人、睠睠懷顧。
豈不懷歸、畏此譴怒。

昔我往矣、日月方奧。
曷云其還、政事愈蹙。
歲聿云莫、采蕭穫菽。
心之憂矣、自始伊戚。
念彼共人、興言出宿。
豈不懷歸、畏此反覆。

嗟爾君子、無恆安處。
靖共爾位、正直是興。
神之聽之、式穀以女。

嗟爾君子、無恆安息。
靖共爾位、好是正直。
神之聽之、介爾景福。

O bright and high Heaven ,
Who enlightenest and rulest this lower world !
I marched on this expedition to the west ,
As far as this wilderness of Qiu .
From the first day of the second month ,
I have passed through the cold and the heat .
My heart is sad ;
The poison [of my lot] is too bitter .
I think of those [at court] in their offices ,
And my tears flow down like rain .
Do I not wish to return ?
But I fear the net for crime .

Formerly , when I set out ,
The sun and moon had renewed the year .
When shall I return ?
The year is now late .
I think how I am alone ,
While the affairs devolving on me are very many .
My heart is sad ;
And I am toiled without any leisure .
I think of those [at court] in their offices ,
Looking back to them with fond regard .
Do I not wish to return ?
But I am afraid of reproof and anger .

Formerly , when I set out ,
The sun and moon were giving a mild warmth .
When shall I return ?
The affairs of government are become more urgent .
It is late in the year ,
And we are gathering the southernwood , and reaping the beans .
My heart is sad ;
I give myself nothing but distress .
When I think of those [at court] in their offices ,
I rise and pass the night outside .
Do I not wish to return ?
But I am afraid of the vicissitudes of things .

Ah ! ye gentlemen !
Do not reckon on your rest being permanent .
Quietly fulfil the duties of your offices ,
Associating with the correct and upright .
So shall the Spirits hearken to you ,
And give you good .

Ah ! ye gentlemen !
Do not reckon on your repose being permanent .
Quietly fulfil the duties of your offices ,
Loving the correct and upright .
So shall the Spirits hearken to you ,
And give you large measures of bright happiness .

208. 鼓鍾 GU ZHONG

鼓鍾將將、淮水湯湯。
憂心且傷。
淑人君子、懷允不忘。

鼓鍾喈喈、淮水湝湝。
憂心且悲。
淑人君子、其德不回。

鼓鍾伐鼛、淮有三洲。
憂心且妯。
淑人君子、其德不猶。

鼓鍾欽欽、鼓瑟鼓琴。
笙磬同音。
以雅以南、以籥不偕。

His bells ring out jiang-jiang ,
While the waters of the Huai go sweeping on ;
Sad is my heart and wouded .
The virtuous sovereigns [of old] ,—
In my heart , indeed , I cannot forget them .

His drums ring out jie-jie ,
While the waters of the Huai rush along ;
My heart is sad and grieved .
Of the virtuous sovereigns [of old] ,
The virtue was without flaw .

His bells ring out , his large drums resound ,
There are the three islands in the Huai ;
Sad is my heart and moved .
Of the virtuous sovereigns [of old] ,
The virtue was different from this .

His bells ring out qin-qin ;
His lutes , large and small , give their notes ;
The tones of his organs and sounding stones are in unison .
They sing the Ya and the Nan ,
Dancing to their flutes without error .

209. 楚茨 CHU CI

楚楚者茨、言抽其棘。
自昔何為、我蓺黍稷。
我黍與與、我稷翼翼。
我倉既盈、我庾維憶。
以為酒食、以饗以祀。
以妥以侑、以介景福。

濟濟蹌蹌、絜爾牛羊、以往烝嘗。
或剝或亨、或肆或將。
祝祭于祊、祀事孔明。
先祖是皇、神保是饗。
孝孫有慶。
報以介福、萬壽無疆。

執爨踖踖、為俎孔碩、或燔或炙。
君婦莫莫、為豆孔庶。
為賓為客、獻酬交錯。
禮儀卒度、笑語卒獲。
神保是格。
報以介福、萬壽攸酢。

我孔熯矣、式禮莫愆。
工祝致告、徂賚孝孫。
苾芬孝祀、神嗜飲食。
卜爾百福、如幾如式。
既齊既稷、既匡既敕。
永錫爾極、時萬時憶。

禮儀既備、鍾鼓既戒。
孝孫徂位、工祝致告。
神具醉止、皇尸載起。
鼓鍾送尸、神保聿歸。
諸宰君婦、廢徹不遲。
諸父兄弟、備言燕私。

樂具入奏、以綏後祿。
爾殽既將、莫怨具慶。
既醉既飽、小大稽首。
神嗜飲食、使君壽考。
孔惠孔時、維其盡之。
子子孫孫、勿替引之。

Thick grew the tribulus [on the ground] ,
But they cleared away its thorny bushes .
Why did they this of old ?
That we might plant our millet and sacrificial millet ;
That our millet might be abundant ,
And our sacrificial millet luxuriant .
When our barns are full ,
And our stacks can be counted by tens of myriads ,
We proceed to make spirits and prepare viands ,
For offerings and sacrifice ;
We seat the representatives of the dead , and urge them to eat :—
Thus seeking to increase our bright happiness .

With correct and reverent deportment ,
The oxen and sheep all pure ,
We proceed to the winter and autumnal sacrifices .
Some flay [the victims] ; some boil [their flesh] ;
Some arrange [the meat] ; some adjust [the pieces of it] .
The priest sacrifices inside the temple gate ,
And all the service is complete and brilliant .
Grandly come our progenitors ;
Their Spirits happily enjoy the offerings ;
Their filial descendent receives blessing :—
They will reward him with great happiness ,
With myriads of years , life without end .

They attend to the furnaces with reverence ;
They prepare the trays , which are very large ;—
Some for the roast meat ; some for the broiled .
Wives presiding are still and reverent ,
Preparing the numerous [smaller] dishes .
The guests and visitors ,
Present the cup , and drink all round .
Every form is according to rule ;
Every smile and word are as they should be .
The Spirits quietly come ,
And respond with great blessings ;—
Myriads of years as the [fitting] reward .

We are very much exhausted ,
And have performed every ceremony without error .
The able priest announces [the will of the Spirits] ,
And goes to the filial descendent to convey it .
' Fragrant has been your filial sacrifice ,
And the Spirits have enjoyed your spirits and viands .
They confer upon you a hundred blessings ;
Each as it is desired , each as sure as law .
You have been exact and expeditions ;
You have been correct and careful :
They will ever confer on you the choicest favours ,
In myriads and tens of myriads . '

The ceremonies having thus been completed ,
And the bells and drums having given their warning ,
The filial descendent goes to his place ,
And the able priest makes his announcement ,
' The Spirits have drunk to the full . '
The great representative of the dead then rises ,
And the bells and drums escort his withdrawal ,
[On which] the Spirits tranquilly return [to their place] .
All the servants, and the presiding wives ,
Remove [the trays and dishes] without delay .
The [descendant's] uncles and cousins ,
All repair to the private feast .

210. 信南山 XIN NAN SHAN

信彼南山、維禹甸之。
畇畇原隰、曾孫田之。
我疆我理、南東其畝。

上天同雲、雨雪雰雰。
益之以霢霂、既優既渥、既霑既足、生我百穀。

疆場翼翼、黍稷彧彧。
曾孫之穡、以為酒食。
畀我尸賓、壽考萬年。

中田有廬、疆場有瓜。
是剝是菹、獻之皇祖。
曾孫壽考、受天之祜。

祭以清酒、從以騂牡、享于祖考。
執其鸞刀、以啟其毛、取其血膋。

是烝是享、苾苾芬芬、祀事孔明。
先祖是皇。
報以介福、萬壽無疆。

Yes , [all about] that southern hill ,
Was made manageable by Yu .
Its plains and marshes being opened up ,
It was made into fields by the distant descendant .
We define their boundaries , we form their smaller divisions ,
And make the acres lie , here to the south , there to the east .

The heavens over head are one arch of clouds ,
Snowing in multitudinous flakes .
There is superadded the drizzling rain .
When [the land] has received the moistening ,
Soaking influence abundantly ,
It produces all our kinds of grain .

The boundaries and smaller divisions are nicely adjusted ,
And the millets yield abundant crops ,
The harvest of the distant descendant .
We proceed to make therewith spirits and food ,
To supply our representatives of the dead , and our guests ;—
To obtain long life , extending over myriads of years .

In the midst of the fields are the huts ,
And along the bounding divisions are gourds .
The fruits is sliced and pickled ,
To be presented to our great ancestors ,
That their distant descendant may have long life ,
And receive the blessing of Heaven .

We sacrifice [first] with pure spirits ,
And then follow with a red bull ;
Offering them to our ancestors .
[Our lord] holds the knife with tinkling bells ,
To lay open the hair of the victim ,
And takes its flesh and fat .

Then we present , then we offer ;
All round the fragrance is diffused .
Complete and brilliant is the sacrificial service ;
Grandly come our ancestors .
They will reward [their descendant] with great blessing ,—
Long life , years without end .

211. 甫田 FU TIAN

倬彼甫田、歲取十千。
我取其陳、食我農人。
自古有年。
今適南畝、或耘或耔、黍稷薿薿。
攸介攸止、烝我髦士。

以我齊明、與我犧羊、以社以方。
我田既臧、農夫之慶。
琴瑟擊鼓、以御田祖。
以祈甘雨、以介我稷黍、以穀我士女。

曾孫來止、以其婦子、饁彼南畝、田畯至喜。
攘其左右、嘗其旨否。
禾易長畝、終善且有。
曾孫不怒、農夫克敏。

曾孫之稼、如茨如梁。
曾孫之庾、如坻如京。
乃求千斯倉、乃求萬斯箱。
黍稷稻梁、農夫之慶。
報以介福、萬壽無疆。

Bright are those extensive fields ,
A tenth of whose produce is annually levied .
I take the old stores ,
And with them feed the husbandmen ,
From of old we have had good years ,
And now I go to the south-lying acres ,
Where some are weeding , and some gather the earth about the roots .
The millets look luxuriant ;
And in a spacious resting place ,
I collect and encourage the men of greater promise .

With my vessels full of bright millet ,
And my pure victim-rams ,
We sacrificed to [the Spirits of] the land , and to [those of] the four quarters .
That my fields are in such good condition ,
Is matter of joy to my husbandmen .
With lutes , and with drums beating ,
We will invoke the Father of husbandry ,
And pray for sweet rain ,
To increase the produce of our millets ,
And to bless my men and their wives .

The distant descendant comes ,
When their wives and children ,
Are bringing food to those [at work] in the south-lying acres .
The surveyor of the fields [also] comes , and is glad .
He takes [of the food] on the left and the right ,
And tastes whether it be good or not .
The grain is well cultivated , all the acres over ;
Good will it be and abundant .
The distant descendant has no displacency ;
The husbandmen are encouraged to diligence .

The crops of the distant descendant ,
Look [thick] as thatch , and [swelling] like a carriage cover .
The stacks of the distant descendant ,
Will stand like islands and mounds .
He will seek for thousands of granaries ;
He will seek for myriads of carts .
The millets , the paddy , and the maize ,
Will awake the joy of the husbandmen ;
[And they will say] , ' May he be rewarded with great happiness .
With myriads of years , life without end !

212. 大田 DA TIAN

大田多稼、既種既戒。
既備乃事、以我覃耜、俶載南畝、播厥百穀。
既庭且碩、曾孫是若。

既方既皁、既堅既好。
不稂不莠、去其螟螣。
及其蟊賊、無害我田稚。
田祖有神、秉畀炎火。

有渰萋萋、興雨祁祁。
雨我公田、遂及我私。
彼有不稚、此有不斂穧。
彼有遺秉、此有滯穗、伊寡婦之利。

曾孫來止、以其婦子。
饁彼南畝、田畯至喜。
來方禋祀、以其騂黑。
與其黍稷、以享以祀。
以介景福。

Large are the fields , and various is the work to be done .
Having selected the seed , and looked after the implements ,
So that all preparations have been made for our labour ,
We take our sharp plough-shares ,
And commence on the south-lying acres .
We sow all the kinds of grain ,
Which grow up straight and large ,
So that the wish of the distant descendant is satisfied .

It ears , and the fruit lies soft in its sheath ;
It hardens and is of good quality ;
There is no wolf ' s-tail grass , nor darnel .
We remove the insects that eat the heart and the leaf ,
And those that eat the roots and the joints .
So that they shall not hurt the young plants of our fields .
May the Spirit , the Father of husbandry ,
Lay hold of them , and put them in the blazing fire !

The clouds form in dense masses ,
And the rain comes down slowly .
May it rain first on our public fields ,
And then come to our private !
There shall be young grain unreaped ,
And here some sheaves ungathered ;
There shall be handfuls left on the ground ,
And here ears untouched :—

The distant descendant will come ,
When their wives and children ,
Are bringing food to those [at work] on the south-lying acres .
The surveyor of the fields [also] will come and be glad .
They will come and offer pure sacrifices to the Spirits of the four quarters ,
With their preparations of millet :
Thus offering , thus sacrificing ,
Thus increasing our bright happiness .

213. 瞻彼洛矣 ZHAN BI LUO YI

瞻彼洛矣、維水泱泱。
君子至止、福祿如茨。
韎韐有奭、以作六師。

瞻彼洛矣、維水泱泱。
君子至止、鞞琫有珌。
君子萬年、保其家室。

瞻彼洛矣、維水泱泱。
君子至止、福祿既同。
君子萬年、保其家邦。

Look at the Luo ,
With its waters broad and deep .
Thither has come our lord ,
In whom all happiness and dignity are concentrated .
Red are his madder-dyed knee covers ,
In which he might raise his six armies .

Look at the Luo ,
With its waters broad and deep .
Thither has our lord come ,
The gems at his scabbard ' s mouth all-gleaming .
May our lord live myriads of years ,
Preserving his House !

Look at the Luo ,
With its waters broad and deep .
Thither has our lord come ,
In whom all happiness and dignities are united .
May our lord live myriads of years ,
Preserving his clans and States !

214. 裳裳者華 CHANG CHANG ZHE HUA

裳裳者華、其葉湑兮。
我覯之子、我心寫兮。
我心寫兮、是以有譽處兮。

裳裳者華、芸其黃矣。
我覯之子、維其有章矣。
維其有章矣、是以有慶矣。

裳裳者華、或黃或白。
我覯之子、乘其四駱。
乘其四駱、六轡沃若。

左之左之、君子宜之。
右之右之、君子有之。
維其有之、是以似之。

Splendid are the flowers ,
And the leaves are luxuriant .
I see these princes ,
And my heart is entirely satisfied .
My heart is entirely satisfied .
Right is it they should have praise and prosperity !

Splendid are the flowers ,
And deep is their yellow .
I see these princes ,
Full of all elegance .
They are full of all elegance ;—
Right is it they should have every blessing !

Splendid are the flowers ,
Some yellow , some white .
I see these princes ,
Drawn by their four white steeds , black-maned .
They are drawn by their four white steeds , black-maned .
And the six reins are glossy !

To the left [they move] , to the left ,
And they execute the movement properly .
To the right [they move] , to the right ,
And they execute the movement properly .
They are possessed of the ability ,
And right is it their movements should indicate it .