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22[1]

Of old Chieh made a wine pond with dikes made of the dregs
while he gave free rein to lascivious music.[2] There were 3000
[men][3] who drank [from the pond] like cattle. The ministers
clutched one another and sang,


61

The river water rushes,
Boats and oars separate;
Our king is wasteful,
Quickly let us turn to Po.
[For] Po is large too.[4]
They also said,

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Strong the four stallions[5]
Shining the six reins.[6]
Away from what is not good,
We go to the good![7]

I-yin realized that the mandate of heaven[8] was about to be
withdrawn.[9] Lifting a beaker, he approached Chieh and said, "If
Your Majesty does not listen to his servant's words, the mandate
of heaven will be withdrawn[9] and the day of disaster not far off."

Chieh clapped his hands with a smack and noisily laughed,
saying, "So you too speak of evil omens. My possessing the
empire is like the sky's having a sun; is the sun [ever] destroyed?
When the sun is destroyed, then I shall be destroyed too."[10]

Thereupon I-yin made haste without stopping until he came to
T`ang, who made him his minister. It can be said that he "went
to that happy land and there found his place."

The Ode says,[11]

We will leave you,
And go to that happy land;
Go to that happy land—[12]
There we shall find our place.
 
[1]

Hsin hsü 6.1a-b, SSTC 2.12b.

[2]

Shih chi 3.10b (Mém. hist. 1.200) attributes these acts to Chou of the Shang.
There can be no question but that Chieh is meant here, for the remarks of I-yin and
his reply about the sun are part of his legend, which seems to have acquired in
addition something from that of the tyrant Chou. Cf. also HSWC 4/2.

[3]

CHy rightly thinks a [OMITTED] has been omitted. It occurs in both Hsin hsü and SSTC.

[4]

Chou would follow Hsin hsü: [OMITTED]. After [OMITTED] B, C, D have [OMITTED] for [OMITTED]. Yüeh (CYTT 17.4a) thinks [OMITTED] for [OMITTED] is correct, as it marks the rhymes [OMITTED], and [OMITTED]. ([OMITTED] is not a rhyme), just as below [OMITTED], and [OMITTED] rhyme and are followed by [OMITTED], while [OMITTED] lacks it. (See note 7). This argument also supports the HSWC reading of [OMITTED] against Hsin hsü [OMITTED]. (Chao 57-8.)

[5]

Cf. Shih 96 No. 57/3. Chou and CHy are wrong in wanting to emend [OMITTED] to [OMITTED] (Chao Yu-wen 108.)

[6]

Cf. Shih 250 No. 163/4; 385 No. 214/3.

[7]

[OMITTED]: I follow CHy and Hsin hsü to read [OMITTED].

[8]

[OMITTED] as in Shu ching 199: [OMITTED]. Hsin hsü writes [OMITTED].

[9]

I follow B, C, D to read [OMITTED] for [OMITTED].

[9]

I follow B, C, D to read [OMITTED] for [OMITTED].

[10]

Cf. Shu ching 175.

[11]

Shih 172 No. 113/1.

[12]

Cf. HSWC 2/21, note 8.