University of Virginia Library

They clear away the grass and the bushes ;
And the ground is laid open by their ploughs .
In thousands of pairs they remove the roots ,
Some in the low wet lands , some along the dykes .
There are the master and his eldest son ;
His younger sons , and all their children ;
Their strong helpers , and their hired servants .
How the noise of their eating the viands brought to them resounds !
[The husbands] think lovingly of their wives ;
[The wives] keep close to their husbands .
[Then] with their sharp plough-shares ,
They set to work on the south-lying acres .
They sow their different kinds of grain ,
Each seed containing in it a germ of life .
In unbroken lines rises the blade ,
And well-nourished the stalks grow long .
Luxuriant looks the young grain ,
And the weeders go among it in multitudes .
Then come the reapers in crowds ,
And the grain is piled up the fields ,
Myriads , and hundreds of thousands , and millions [of stacks] ;
For spirits and for sweet spirits ,
To offer to our ancestors , male and female ,
And to provide for all ceremonies .
Fragrant is their aroma ,
Enhancing the glory of the State .
Like pepper is their smell ,
To give comfort to the aged .
It is not here only that there is this [abundance] ;
It is not now only that there is such a time :—
From of old it has been thus .