University of Virginia Library

Bright was that milky way ,
Shining and revolving in the sky .
The king said , 'Oh !
What crime is chargeable on us now ,
That Heaven [thus] sends down death and disorder ?
Famine comes again and again .
There is no victim I have grudged ;
Our maces and other tokens are exhausted :—
How is it that I am not heard ?

'The drought is excessive ;
Its fervours become more and more tormenting .
I have not ceased offering pure sacrifices ;
From the border altars I have gone to the ancestral temple .
To the [Powers] above and below I have presented my offerings and then buried them :—
There is no Spirit whom I have not honoured .
Hou-ji is not equal to the occasion ;
God does not come to us .
This wasting and ruin of our country ,—
Would that it fell [only] on me !

'The drought is excessive ;
And I may not try to excuse myself .
I am full of terror and feel the peril ,
Like the clap of thunder or the roll .
Of the remnant of Zhou , among the black-haired people ,
There will not be half a man left ;
Nor will God from His great heaven ,
Exempt [even] me .
Shall we not mingle our fears together ?
[The sacrifices to] my ancestors will be extinguished .

'The drought is excessive ;
And it cannot be stopped .
More fierce and fiery ,
It is leaving me no place .
My end is near ;—
I have none to look up to , none to look around to .
The many dukes and their ministers of the past ,
Give me no help .
O ye parents and [nearer] ancestors ,
How can ye bear to see us thus ?

'The drought is excessive ;—
Parched are the hills , and the streams are dried .
The demon of drought exercises his oppression .
As if scattering flames and fire .
My heart is terrified with the heat ;—
My sorrowing heart is as if on fire .
The many dukes and their ministers of the past ,
Do not hear me ,
O God , from Thy great heaven ,
Grant me the liberty to withdraw [into retirement] !

'The drought is excessive ;—
I struggle , and fear to go away .
How is it I am afflicted with this drought ?
I cannot ascertain the cause of it .
In praying for a good year I was abundantly early ;
I was not late [in sacrificing] to [the Spirits] of the four quarters and of the land .
God in the great heaven ,
Does not consider me .
Reverent to the intelligent Spirits ,
I ought not to be thus the object of their anger .

'The drought is excessive ;—
All is dispersion , and the bonds of government are relaxed .
Reduced to extremities are the Heads of departments ;
Full of distress are my chief minister ,
The master of the horse , the commander of the guards ,
The chief cook , and my attendants .
There is no one who has not [tried to] help [the people] ;
They have not refrained on the ground of being unable .
I look up to the great heaven ;—
Why am I plunged in this sorrow ?

'I look up to the great heaven ,
But its stars sparkle bright .
My great officers and excellent men ,
Ye have drawn near [to Heaven] with reverence with all your powers .
Death is approaching ,
But do not cast away what you have done .
You are seeking not for me only ,
But to give rest to all our departments .
I look up to the great heaven ;—
When shall I be favoured with repose ?