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,
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withdrawn.[9]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of heaven will be withdrawn[9]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.