University of Virginia Library

Grandly lofty are the mountains ,
With their large masses reaching to the heavens .
From these mountains was sent down a Spirit ,
Who gave birth to [the princes of] Fu and shen .
Fu and Shen ,
Are the support of Zhou ,
Screens to all the States ,
Diffusing [their influence] over the four quarters of the kingdom .

Full of activity is the chief of Shen ,
And the king would employ him to continue the services [of his fathers] ,
With his capital in Xie ,
Where he should be a pattern to the States of the south .
The king gave charge to the earl of Zhou ,
To arrange all about the residence of the chief of Shen ,
Where he should do what was neccessary for the regions of the south ,
And where his posterity might maintain his merit .

The king gave charge to the chief of Shen ,
'Be a pattern to the regions of the south ,
And by means of those people of Xie ,
Proceed to display your merit . '
The king gave charge to the earl of Zhou ,
To make the statutory definition of the territory and fields of the chief of Shen .
The king gave charge to the chief 's steward ,
To remove the members of his family to the spot .

Of the services of the chief of Shen ,
The foundation was laid by the earl of Zhou ,
Who built first the walls [of this city] ,
And then completed his ancestral temple .
When the temple was completed , wide and grand ,
The king conferred on the chief of Shen ,
Four noble steeds ,
With their hooks for the trappings of the breast-bands , glittering bright .

The king sent away the chief of Shen ,
With its carriage of state and its team of horses .
'I have consulted about your residence ,
That it had best be fixed in the South .
I confer on you a great sceptre ,
As the symbol of your dignity .
Go , my uncle ,
And protect the country of the South .'

The chief of Shen took his departure ,
And the king gave him a parting feast in Mei .
Then the chief of Shen returned , [and proceeded] to the south ,
And found himself at last in Xie .
The king had given charge to the earl of Zhou ,
To make the statutory division of the lands ,
And to lay up stores of provisions ,
That the progress of the chief might be accelerated .

Martial-like , the chief of Shen ,
Entered into Xie .
His footmen and charioteers were numerous ,
And throughout the regions of Zhou all rejoiced .
'You have got a good support :—
Very distinguished is the chief of Shen ,
The great uncle of the king ,
The pattern of the officers , both civil and military . '

The virtue of the chief of Shen ,
Is mild , and regulated , and upright .
He will keep all these countries in order ,
And be famed throughout the kingdom .
[I] , Ji-fu , made this song ,
An ode of great excellence ,
Of influence good ,
To present to the chief of Shen .