Shi Ji Zhuan :: :: University of Virginia Library

How admirable ! how complete !
Here are set our hand-drums and drums .
The drums resound harmonious and loud ,
To delight our meritorious ancestor .
The descendant of Tang invites him with this music ,
That he may soothe us with the realization of our thoughts .
Deep is the sound of the hand-drums and drums ;
Shrilly sound the flutes ;
All harmonious and blending together ,
According to the notes of the sonorous gem .
Oh ! majestic is the descendant of Tang ;
Very admirable is his music .
The large bells and drums fill the ear ;
The various dances are grandly performed .
We have admirable visitors ,
Who are pleased and delighted .
From the old , before our time ,
The former men set us the example ;—
How to be mild and humble from morning to night ,
And to be reverent in discharging the service .
May he regard our sacrifices in summer and autumn ,
[Thus] offered by the descendant of Tang !

302. 烈祖 LIE ZU

嗟嗟烈祖、有秩斯祜。
申錫無疆、及爾思所。
既載清酤、賚我思成。
亦有和羹、既戒既平。
鬷假無言、時靡有爭。
綏我眉壽、黃耇無疆。
約軧錯衡、八鸞鶬鶬。
以假以享、我受命溥將。
自天降康、豐年穰穰。
來假來饗、降福無疆。
顧予烝嘗、湯孫之將。

Ah ! ah ! our meritorious ancestor !
Permanent are the blessings coming from him ,
Repeatedly conferred without end :—
They have come to you in this place .
The clear spirits are in our vessels ,
And there is granted to us the realization of our thoughts .
There are also the well-tempered soups ,
Prepared beforehand , the ingredients rightly proportioned .
By these offerings we invite his presence , without a word ,
Nor is there now any contention [in any part of the service] .
He will bless us with the eyebrows of longevity ,
With the grey hair and wrinkled face , in unlimited degree .
With the naves of their wheels bound with leather , and their ornamented yokes ,
With the eight bells at their horses' bits all tinkling ,
[The princess] come and assist at the offerings .
We have received the appointment in all its greatness ,
And from Heaven is our prosperity sent down ,
Fruitful years of great abundance .
[Our ancestor] will come and enjoy [our offerings] ,
And confer [on us] happiness without limit .
May he regard our sacrifices in summer and winter ,
[Thus] offered by the descendant of Tang !

303. 玄鳥 XUAN NIAO

天命玄鳥、降而生商、宅殷土芒芒。
古帝命武湯、正域彼四方。
方命厥后、奄有九有。
商之先后、受命不殆、在武丁孫子。
武丁孫子、武王靡不勝。
龍旂十乘、大饎是承。
邦畿千里、維民所止、肇域彼四海。
四海來假、來假祁祁、景員維河。
殷受命咸宜、百祿是何。

Heaven commissioned the swallow ,
To descend and give birth to [the father of our] Shang .
[His descendants] dwelt in the land of Yin , and became great .
[Then] long ago God appointed the martial Tang ,
To regulate the boundaries throughout the four quarters .
[In those] quarters he appointed the princes ,
And grandly possessed the nine regions [of the kingdom] .
The first sovereign of Shang ,
Received the appointment without any element of instability in it ,
And it is [now] held by the descendant of Wu-ding .
The descendant of Wu-ding ,
Is a martial king , equal to every emergency .
Ten princes , [who came] with their dragon-emblazoned banners ,
Bear the large dishes of millet .
The royal domain of a thousand Li ,
Is where the people rest ;
But there commence the boundaries that reach to the four seas .
From the four seas they come [to out sacrifices] ;
They come in multitudes ;—
King has the He for its outer border .
That Yin should have received the apppointment [of Heaven] was entirely right ;—
[Its sovereign] sustains all its dignities .

304. 長發 CHANG FA

濬哲維商、長發其祥。
洪水芒芒、禹敷下土方、外大國是疆。
幅隕既長、有娀方將、帝立子生商。

玄王桓撥、受小國是達、受大國是達。
率履不越、遂視既發。
相土烈烈、海外有截。

帝命不違、至于湯齊。
湯降不遲、聖敬日躋。
昭假遲遲、上帝是祗、帝命式于九圍。

受小球大球、為下國綴旒。
何天之休、不競不絿、不剛不柔、敷政優優、百祿是遒。

受小共大共、為下國駿厖。
何天之龍、敷奏其勇、不震不動、不戁不竦、百祿是總。

武王載旆、有虔秉鉞。
如火烈烈、則莫我敢曷。
苞有三蘗、莫遂莫達、九有有截。
韋顧既伐、昆吾夏桀。

昔在中葉、有震且業。
允也天子、降于鄉士、實維阿衡、實左右商王。

Profoundly wise were [the lords of] Shang ,
And long had there appeared the omens [of their dignity ].
When the waters of the deluge spread vast abroad ,
Yu arranged and divided the regions of the land ,
And assigned to the exterior great States their boundaries ,
With their borders extending all over [the kingdom] .
Then the State of Song began to be great ,
And God raised up the son [of its daughter] , and founded [the Family of] Shang .

The dark king exercised an effective sway .
Charged with a small State , he commanded success ;
Charged with a large State , he commanded success .
He followed his rules of conduct without error ;
Wherever he inspected [the people] , they responded [to his instructions] .
[Then came] Xiang-tu , all-ardent ,
And all [within] the seas , beyond [the middle region] , acknowledged his restraints .

The favour of God did not leave [Shang] ,
And in Tang was found the subject for its display .
Tang was not born too late ,
And his wisdom and virtue daily advanced .
Brilliant was the influence of his character [on Heaven] for long ,
And God appointed him to be model to the nine regions .

He received the rank-tokens [of the States] , small and large ,
Which depended on him , like the pendants of a banner ;—
So did he receive the blessing of Heaven .
He was neither violent nor remiss ,
Neither hard nor soft .
Gently he spread his instructions abroad ,
And all dignities and riches were concentrated iin him .

He received the tribute [of the States] , large and small ,
And he supported them as a strong steed [does its burden] ;—
So did he receive the favour of Heaven .
He displayed everywhere his valour ,
Unshaken , unmoved ,
Unterrified , unscared :—
All dignities were united in him .

The martial king displayed his banner ,
And with reverence grasped his axe .
It was like [the case of] a blazing fire ,
Which no one can repress .
The root , with its three shoots ,
Could make no progress , no growth .
The nine regions were effectually secured by him .
Having smitten [the princes of] Wei and Gu ,
He dealt with [the prince of] Kun-wu , and with Jie of Xia .

Formerly in the middle of the period [before Tang] ,
There was a time of shaking and peril ,
But truly did Heaven [then] deal with him as its son ,
And sent him down a minister ,
Namely A-heng ,
Who gave his assistance to the king of Shang .

305. 殷武 YIN WU

撻彼殷武、奮伐荊楚。
深入其阻、裒荊之旅。
有截有所、湯孫之緒。

維女荊楚、居國南鄉。
昔有成湯、自彼氐羌、莫幹不來享、莫幹不來王、曰商是常。

天命多辟、設都于禹之績。
歲事來辟、勿予禍適、稼穡匪解。

天命降監、下民有嚴。
不僭不濫、不敢怠遑。
命于下國、封建厥福。

商邑翼翼、四方之極。
赫赫厥聲、濯濯厥靈。
壽考且寧、以保我後生。

陟彼景山、松柏丸丸。
是斷是遷、方斲是虔。
松桷有梴、旅楹有閑、寢成孔安。

Rapid was the warlike energy of [our king of] Yin ,
And vigorously did he attack Jing-Chu .
Boldly he entered its dangerous passes ,
And brought the multitudes of King together ,
Till the country was reduced under complete restraint :—
Such was the fitting achievement of the descendant of Tang .

'Ye people , ' [he said] , ' of Jing-chu ,
Dwell in the southern part of my kingdom .
Formerly , in the time of Tang the Successful ,
Even from the Jiang of Di ,
They dared not but come with their offerings ;
[Their chiefs] dared not but come to seek acknowledgment :—
Such is the regular rule of Shang . '

Heaven has given their appointments [to the princes] ,
But where their capitals had been assigned within the sphere of the labours of Yu ,
For the business of every year , they appeared before our king ,
[Saying] , ' Do not punish nor reprove us ;
We have not been remiss in our husbandry . '

When Heaven by its will is inspecting [the kingdom] ,
The lower people are to be feared .
[Our king] showed no partiality [in rewarding] , no excess [in punishing] ;
He dared not to allow himself in indolence :—
So was his appointment [established] over the States ,
And he made his happiness grandly secure .

The capital of Shang was full of order ,
The model for all parts of the kingdom ,
Glorious was his fame ;
Brilliant , his energy .
Long lived he and enjoyed tranquillity ,
And so he preserves us , his descendants .

We ascended the hill of King ,
Where the pines and cypresses grew symmetrical .
We cut them down , and conveyed them here ;
We reverently hewed them square .
Long are the projecting beams of pine ;
Large are the many pillars .
The temple was completed , — the tranquil abode [of his tablet] .