University of Virginia Library

The illustration of illustrious [virtue] is required below ,
And the dread majesty is on high .
Heaven is not readily to be relied on ;
It is not easy to be king .
Yin's rightful heir to the heavenly seat ,
Was not permitted to possess the kingdom .

Jin , the second of the princesses of Zhi ,
From [the domain of] Yin-shang ,
Came to be married to the prince of Zhou ,
And because his wife in his capital ,
Both she and king Ji ,
Were entirely virtuous .
[Then] Da-ren became pregnant ,
And gave birth to our king Wen .

This king Wen ,
Watchfully and reverently ,
With entire intelligence served God ,
And so secured the great blessing .
His virtue was without deflection ;
And in consequence he received [the allegiance of] the States from all quarters .

Heaven surveyed this lower world ;
And its appointment lighted [on king Wen] .
In his early years ,
It made for him a mate ;—
On the north of the Qia ;
On the banks of the Wei .
When king Wen would wive ,
There was the lady in a large State .

In a large State was the lady ,
Like a fair denizen of Heaven .
The ceremonies determined the auspiciousness [of the union] .
And in person he met her on the Wei .
Over it he made a bridge of boats ;—
The glory [of the occasion] was illustrious .

The favouring appointment was from Heaven ,
Giving the throne to our king Wen ,
In the capital of Zhou .
The lady-successor was from Xin ,
Its eldest daughter , who came to marry him .
She was blessed to give birth to king Wu ,
Who was preserved , and helped , and received also the appointment ,
And in accordance with it smote the great Shang .

The troops of Yin-shang ,
Were collected like a forest ,
And marshalled in the wilderness of Mu .
We rose [to the crisis] ;—
'God is with you , ' [said Shang-fu to the king] ,
'Have no doubts in your heart . '

The wilderness of Mu spread out extensive ;
Bright shone the chariots of sandal ;
The teams of bays , black-maned and white-bellied , galloped along ;
The grand-master Shang-fu ,
Was like an eagle on the wing ,
Assisting king Wu ,
Who at one onset smote the great Shang .
That morning's encounter was followed by a clear bright [day] .