Shi Jing – Le Canon des Poèmes

The first birth of [our] people,
Was from Jiang Yuan.
How did she give birth to [our] people ?
She had presented a pure offering and sacrificed,
That her childlessness might be taken away.
She then trod on a toe-print made by God, and was moved,
In the large place where she rested.
She became pregnant ; she dwelt retired ;
She gave birth to, and nourished [a son],
Who was Hou-ji.

When she had fulfilled her months,
Her first-born son [came forth] like a lamb.
There was no bursting, nor rending,
No injury, no hurt ; –
Showing how wonderful he would be.
Did not God give her the comfort ?
Had He not accepted her pure offering and sacrifice,
So that thus easily she brought forth her son ?

He was placed in a narrow lane,
But the sheep and oxen protected him with loving care.
He was placed in a wide forest,
Where he was met with by the wood-cutters.
He was placed on the cold ice,
And a bird screened and supported him with its wings.
When the bird went away,
Hou-ji began to wail.
His cry was long and loud,
So that his voice filled the whole way.

When he was able to crawl,
He looked majestic and intelligent.
When he was able to feed himself,
He fell to planting large beans.
The beans grew luxuriantly ;
His rows of paddy shot up beautifully ;
His hemp and wheat grew strong and close ;
His gourds yielded abundantly.

The husbandry of Hou-ji,
Proceeded on the plan of helping [the growth].
Having cleared away the thick grass,
He sowed the ground with the yellow cereals.
He managed the living grain, till it was ready to burst ;
Then he used it as seed, and it sprang up ;
It grew and came into ear ;
It became strong and good ;
It hung down, every grain complete ; –
And thus he was appointed lord of Tai.

He gave his people the beautiful grains : –
The black millet, and the double-kernelled ;
The tall red, and the white.
They planted extensively the black and the double-kernelled,
Which were reaped and stacked on the ground.
They planted extensively the tall red and the white,
Which were carried on their shoulders and backs,
Home for the sacrifices which he founded.

And how as to our sacrifices [to him] ?
Some hull [the grain] ; some take it from the mortar ;
Some sift it ; some tread it.
It is rattling in the dishes ;
It is distilled, and the steam floats about.
We consult ; we observe the rites of purification ;
We take southernwood and offer it with the fat ;
We sacrifice a ram to the Spirit of the path ;
We offer roast flesh and broiled : –
And thus introduce the coming year.

We load the stands with the offerings,
The stands both of wood and of earthenware.
As soon as the fragrance ascends,
God, well pleased, smells the sweet savour.
Fragrant is it, and in its due season !
Hou-ji founded the sacrifice,
And no one, we presume, has given occasion for blame or regret in regret to it,
Down to the present day.

Legge 245

In thick patches are those rushes, springing by the way (-side) ;
Let not the cattle and sheep trample them.
Anon they will burst up ; anon they will be completely formed,
With their leaves soft and glossy.
Closely related are brethren ; –
Let none be absent, let all be near.
For some there are spread mats ;
For some there are given stools [besides].

The mats are spread, and a second one above ;
The stools are given, and there are plenty of servants.
[The guests] are pledged, and they pledge [the host] in return ;
He rinses the cup, and the guests put theirs down.
Sauces and pickles are brought in,
With roast meat and broiled.
Excellent provisions there are [also] of tripe and cheek ;
With singing to lutes, and with drums.

The ornamented bows are strong,
And the four arrows are all balanced.
They discharge the arrows, and all hit,
And the guests are arranged according to their skill.
The ornamented bows are drawn full,
And the four arrows are grasped in the hand.
They go straight to the mark as if planted in it,
And the quests are arranged by the humble propriety of their demeanour.

The distant descendant presides over the feast ;
His sweet spirits are strong.
He fills their cups from a measure,
And prays for the hoary old [among his quests] ; –
That with hoary age and wrinkled back,
They may lead on one another [to virtue], and support one another [in it] ;
That so their old age may be blessed,
And their bright happiness [ever] increased.

Legge 246

You have made us drink to the full of your spirits ;
You have satiated us with your kindness,
May you enjoy, O our lord, myriads of years !
May your bright happiness [ever] be increased !

You have made us drink to the full of your spirits ;
Your viands were all set out before us.
May you enjoy, O our lord, myriads of years !
May your bright intelligence [ever] be increased !

May your bright intelligence become perfect,
High and brilliant, leading to a good end !
That good end has [now] its beginning : –
The personator of your ancestors announced it in his blessing.

What was his announcement ?
' [ The offerings in] your dishes of bamboo and wood are clean and fine.
Your friends asisting at the service,
Have done their part with reverent demeanour.

' Your reverent demeanour was altogether what the occasion required,
And not yours only, but that also of your filial son.
For such filial piety, without ceasing,
There will ever be conferred blessing on you.

' What will the blessings be ?
That along the passages of your palace,
You shall move for ten thousand years ;
And there will be granted to you for ever dignity and posterity.

' How as to your posterity ?
Heaven invests you with your dignity,
Yea for ten thousand years,
The bright appointment is attached to your person.

' How will it be attached ?
There is given you a heroic wife.
There is given you a heroic wife,
And from her shall come [the line of] descendants. '

Legge 247

The wild-ducks and widgeons are on the King ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and are happy.
Your spirits are clear,
Your viands are fragrant ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and drink ; –
Their happiness and dignity are made complete.

The wild-ducks and widgeons are on the sand ;
The personators of the dead enjoy the feast, their appropriate tribute.
Your spirits are abundant,
Your viands are good ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and drink ; –
Happiness and dignity lend them their aids.

The wild ducks and widgeons are on the islets ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and enjoy themselves.
Your spirits are strained,
Your viands are in slices ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and drink ; –
Happiness and dignity descend on them.

The wild ducks and widgeons are where the waters meet ;
The personators of your ancestors feast, and are honoured.
The feast is spread in the ancestral temple,
The place where happiness and dignity descend.
The personators of your ancestors feast and drink ; –
Their happiness and dignity are at the highest point.

The wild ducks and widgeons are in the gorge ;
The personators of your ancestors rest, full of complacency.
Your fine spirits are delicious,
Your flesh, roast and broiled, is fragrant ;
The personators of your ancestors feast and drink ; –
No troubles shall be theirs after this.

Legge 248

Of [our] admirable, amiable, sovereign,
Most illustrious is the excellent virtue.
He orders rightly the people, orders rightly the officers,
And receives his dignity from heaven,
Which protects and helps him, and [confirms] his appointment,
By repeated acts of renewal from heaven.

[So] does he seek for the emoluments of dignity, [and obtain] all blessings, –
Thousands and hundreds of thousands of descendants,
Of reverent virtue and admirable character,
Fit to be rulers [of States], fit to be king,
Erring in nothing, forgetful of nothing,
Observing and following the old statutes.

[May they] manifest all self-restraint in deportment,
And their virtuous fame be without fail !
Without resentments, without dislikes,
[May they] give free course to [the good among] the officers,
Receiving blessing without limit,
And regulating all within the four quarters [of the kingdom] !

Regulating all, and determining each point,
Giving repose to his friends,
All the princes and ministers,
Will love the son of Heaven.
Not idly occupying his office,
The people will find rest in him.

Legge 249

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
Unable to rest or take his ease [where he was],
He divided and subdivided the country into fields ;
He stored up the produce in the fields and in barns ;
He tied up dried meat and grain,
In bottomless bags and in sacks ; –
That he might hold [the people] together, and glorify [his tribe].
Then with bows and arrows all ready,
With shields and spears, and axes, large and small,
He commenced his march.

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
He had surveyed the plain [where he was settled] ;
[The people] were numerous and crowded ;
In sympathy with them, he made proclamation [of his contemplated measure],
And there were no perpetual sighings about it
He ascended to the hill-tops ;
He ascended again to the plains.
What was it that he carried at his girdle ?
Pieces of jade, and yao gems,
And his ornamented scabbard with its sword.

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
He went there to [the place of] the hundred springs,
And saw [around him] the wide plain.
He ascended the ridge on the south,
And looked at a large [level] height,
A height affording space for multitudes.
Here was room to dwell in ;
Here might booths be built for strangers ;
Here he told out his mind ;
Here he entered on deliberations.

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
When he had found rest on the height,
With his officers all in dignified order,
He caused mats to be spread, with stools upon them ;
And they took their places on the mats and leaned on the stools.
He had sent to the herds,
And taken a pig from the pen.
He poured out his spirits into calabashes ;
And so he gave them to eat and to drink,
Acknowledged by them as ruler, and honoured.

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
[His territory] being now broad and long,
He determined the points of the heavens by means of the shadows ; and then, ascending the ridges,
He surveyed the light and the shade,
Viewing [also] the [course of the] streams and springs.
His armies were three troops ;
He measured the marshes and plains ;
He fixed the revenue on the system of common cultivation of the fields ;
He measured also the fields west of the hills ;
And the settlement of Bin became truly great.

Of generous devotion to the people was duke Liu,
Having settled in temporary lodging houses in Bin,
He crossed the Wei by means of boats,
And gathered whetstones and iron.
When his settlement was fixed, and all boudaries defined,
The people became numerous and prosperous,
Occupying both sides of the Huang valley,
And pushing on up that of Guo ;
And as the population became dense,
They went on to the country beyond the Ju.

Legge 250

Take the pool-water from a distance ;
Draw it into one vessel and let it flow to another,
And it may be used to stream rice or millet.
[How much more should] the happy and courteous sovereign,
Be the parent of the people !

Take the pool-water from a distance ;
Draw it into one vessel and let it flow to another,
And it may be used to wash a [spirit] vase.
[How much more should] the happy and courteous sovereign,
Be the centre of attraction to the people !

Take the pool-water from a distance ;
Draw it into one vessel and let it flow to another,
And it may be used for all purpose of cleansing.
[How much more should] the happy and courteous sovereign,
Be the centre of rest to the people !

Legge 251

Into the recesses of the large mound,
Came the wind whirling from the south.
There was [our] happy, courteous sovereign,
Rambling and singing ;
And I took occasion to give forth my notes.

'Full of spirits you ramble ;
Full of satisfaction you rest.
O happy and courteous sovereign,
May you fulfill your years,
And end them like your ancestors !

'Your territory is great and glorious,
And perfectly secure.
O happy and courteous sovereign,
May you fulfill your years,
As the host of all the Spirits !

'You have received the appointment long-ackowledged,
With peace around your happiness and dignity.
O happy and courteous sovereign,
May you fulfill your years,
With pure happiness your constant possession !

'You have helpers and supporters,
Men of filial piety and of virtue,
To lead you on, and act as wings to you,
[So that], O happy and courteous sovereign,
You are a pattern to the four quarters [of the kingdom].

'Full of dignity and majesty [are they],
Like a jade-mace [in its purity],
The subject of praise, the contemplation of hope.
O happy and courteous sovereign,
[Through them] the four quarters [of the kingdom] are guided by you.

'The male and female phoenix fly about,
Their wings rustling,
While they settle in their proper resting place.
Many are your admirable officers, O king,
Ready to be employed by you,
Loving you, the son of Heaven.

'The male and female phoenix fly about,
Their wings rustling,
As they soar up to heaven.
Many are your admirable officers, O king,
Waiting for your commands,
And loving the multitudes of the people.

'The male and female phoenix give out their notes,
On that lofty ridge.
The dryandras grow,
They grow luxuriantly ;
And harmoniously the notes resound.

'Your carriages, O sovereign,
Are many, many.
Your horses, O sovereign,
Are well trained and fleet.
I have made my few verses,
In prolongation of your song. '

Legge 252

The people indeed are heavily burdened,
But perhaps a little ease may be got for them.
Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom,
To secure the repose of the four quarters of it.
Let us give no indulgence to the wily and obsequious,
In order to make the unconscientious careful,
And to repress robbers and oppressors,
Who have no fear of the clear will [of Heaven].
Then let us show kindness to those who are distant,
And help those who are near ; –
Thus establishing [the throne of] our king.

The people indeed are heavily burdened,
But perhaps a little rest may be got for them.
Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom,
And make it a gathering-place for the people.
Let us give no indulgence to the wily and obsequious,
In order to make the noisy braggarts careful,
And to repress robbers and oppressors ; –
So the people shall not have such sorrow.
Do not cast away your [former] service,
But secure the quiet of the king.

The people indeed are heavily burdened,
But perhaps a little relief may be got for them.
Let us cherish this capital,
To secure the repose of the States in the four quarters.
Let us give no indulgence to the wily and obsequious,
To make careful those who set no limit to themselves,
And to repress robbers and oppressors ; –
Not allowing them to act out their evil.
Then let us be reverently careful of our demeanour,
To cultivate association with the virtuous.

The people indeed are heavily burdened,
But perhaps a little repose may be got for them.
Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom,
That the sorrow of the people may be dispelled.
Let us give no indulgence to the wily and obsequious,
In order to make the multitudes of the evil careful,
And to repress robbers and oppressors,
So that the right shall not be over thrown.
Though you may be [but as] little children,
Your work is vast and great.

The people indeed are heavily burdened,
But perhaps a little tranquillity may be got for them.
Let us cherish this centre of the kingdom,
That it may not everywhere suffer such wounds.
Let us give no indulgence to the wily and obsequious,
In order to make the parasites careful,
And to repress robbers and oppressors,
So that the right shall not be reversed.
The king wishes to hold you as [sceptres of] jade,
And therefore I thus strongly admonish you.

Legge 253

God has reversed [His usual course of procedure],
And the lower people are full of distress.
The words which you utter are not right ;
The plans which you form are not far-reaching.
As there are not sages, you think you have no guidance ;
You have no reality in your sincerity.
[Thus] your plans do not reach far,
And I therefore strongly admonish you.

Heaven is now sending down calamities ; –
Do not be so complacent.
Heaven is now producing such movements ; –
Do not be so indifferent.
If your words were harmonious,
The people would become untied.
If your words were gentle and kind,
The people would be settled.

Though my duties are different from yours,
I am your fellow-servant.
I come to advise with you,
And you hear me with contemptuous indifference.
My words are about the [present urgent] affairs ; –
Do not think them matter for laughter.
The ancients had a saying : –
'Consult the grass and firewood-gatherers. '

Heaven is now exercising oppression ; –
Do not in such a way make a mock of things.
An old man, [I speak] with entire sincerity ;
But you, my juniors, are full of pride.
It is not that my words are those of age,
But you make a joke of what is sad.
But the troubles will multiply like flames,
Till they are beyond help or remedy.

Heaven is now displaying its anger ; –
Do not be either boastful or flattering,.
Utterly departing from all propriety of demeanour,
Till good men are reduced to personators of the dead.
The people now sigh and groan,
And we dare not examine [into the causes of their trouble].
The ruin and disorder are exhausting all their means of living,
And we show no kindness to our multitudes.

Heaven enlightens the people,
As the bamboo flute responds to the porcelain whistle ;
As two half maces form a whole one ;
As you take a thing, and bring it away in your hand,
Bringing it away without any more ado.
The enlightenment of the people is very easy.
They have [now] many perversities ; –
Do not you set up your perversity [before them].

Good men are a fence ;
The multitudes of the people are a wall ;
Great States are screens ;
Great Families are buttresses ;
The cherishing of virtue secures repose ;
The circle of [the king's] Relatives is a fortified wall.
We must not let the fortified wall get destroyed ;
We must not let him solitary be consumed with terrors.

Revere the anger of Heaven,
And presume not to make sport or be idle.
Revere the changing moods of Heaven,
And presume not to drive about [at your pleasure].
Great Heaven is intelligent,
And is with you in all your goings.
Great Heaven is clear-seeing,
And is with you in your wandering and indulgences.

Legge 254