Shi Jing – The Book of Odes

Great and wide Heaven,
How is it you have contracted your kindness,
Sending down death and famine,
Destroying all through the kingdom ?
Compassionate Heaven, arrayed in terrors,
How is it you exercise no forethought, no care ?
Let alone the criminals : –
They have suffered for their offences ;
But those who have no crime,
Are indiscriminately involved in ruin.

The honoured House of Zhou is [nearly] extinguished,
And there is no means of stopping or settling [the troubles].
The Heads of the officers have left their places,
And no one knows my toil.
The three high ministers, and [other] great officers,
Are unwilling [to attend to their duties] early and late.
The lords of the various States,
Are unwilling [to appear at court] morning and evening.
If indeed he would turn to good, –
But on the contrary he proceeds to [greater] evil.

How is it, O great Heaven,
That he will not hearken to the justest words ?
He is like a man going [astray],
[Who knows] not where he will proceed to.
All ye officers,
Let each of you reverently attend to his duties.
How do ye not stand in awe of one another ?
Ye do not stand in awe of Heaven.

War has done its work, but he withdraws not [from evil] ;
Famine has done its work, but he goes not on [to good] ;
So that I, a [mere] groom of the chambers,
Am full of grief and in pain daily.
All ye officers,
Ye are unwilling to declare [the truth to him].
When you hear a question, you [simply] answer it,
And when slander touches you, you withdraw.

Alas that [right words] cannot be spoken,
Which come not from the tongue [only] !
The speakers of them are sure to suffer.
Well is it for the words that can be spoken !
The artful speech flows like a stream,
And the speakers dwell at ease in prosperity.

It may be said about taking office,
That it is full of hazard and peril.
By [advice] that he says cannot be followed,
You offend against the Son of Heaven.
By advice that he says will be followed,
You excite the resentment of your friends.

I say to you, ' Remove to the royal capital, '
And ye say that you have not got houses there.
Painful are my inmost thoughts, and I weep blood ; –
Every word I speak makes me hated ;
But when you formerly left to reside elsewhere,
Who was it that made houses for you ?

Legge 194