University of Virginia Library

King Wen is on high ;
Oh ! bright is he in heaven .
Although Zhou was an old country ,
The [favouring] appointment lighted on it recently .
Illustrious was the House of Zhou ,
And the appointment of God came at the proper season .
King Wen ascends and descends ,
On the left and the right of God .

Full of earnest activity was king Wen ,
And his fame is without end .
The gifts [of God] to Zhou ,
Extend to the descendants of king Wen ;—
To the descendants of king Wen ,
In the direct line and the collateral branches for a hundred generations .
All the officers of Zhou ,
Shall [also] be illustrious from age to age .

They shall be illustrious from age to age ,
Zealously and reverently pursuing their plans .
Admirable are the many officers ,
Born in this royal kingdom .
The royal kingdom is able to produce them ,—
The suppporters of [the House of] Zhou .
Numerous is the array of officers ,
And by them king Wen enjoys his repose .

Profound was king Wen ;
Oh ! continuous and bright was his feeling of reverence .
Great is the appointment of Heaven !
There were the descendants of [the sovereigns] of Shang ;—
The descendants of the sovereigns of Shang ,
Were in number more than hundreds of thousands ;
But when God gave the command ,
They became subject to Zhou .

They became subject to Zhou .
The appointment of Heaven is not constant .
The officers of Yin , admirable and alert ,
Assist at the libations in [our] capital ;—
They assist at those libations ,
Always wearing the hatchets on their lower garment and their peculiar cap .
O ye loyal ministers of the king ,
Ever think of your ancestor !

Ever think of your ancestor ,
Cultivating your virtue ,
Always striving to accord with the will [of Heaven] .
So shall you be seeking for much happiness .
Before Yin lost the multitudes ,
[Its kings] were the assessors fo God .
Look to Yin as a beacon ;
The great appointment is not easily [preserved] .

The appointment is not easily [preserved] ,
Do not cause your own extinction .
Display and make bright your righteousness and name ,
And look at [the fate of] Yin in the light of Heaven .
The doings of High Heaven ,
Have neither sound nor smell .
Take your pattern from king Wen ,
And the myriad regions will repose confidence in you .