University of Virginia Library

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] .