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Shi Jing Introduction Table of content – The Book of Odes

The oldest collection of Chinese poetry, more than three hundred songs, odes and hymns. Tr. Legge (en) and Granet (fr, incomplete).

Section III — Greater odes of the kingdom
1 2 3
Chapter 2 — Decade of Sheng Min

245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254

Shijing III. 2. (252)

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

Shi Jing III. 2. (252) IntroductionTable of content
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The Book of Odes – Shi Jing III. 2. (252) – Chinese off/onFrançais/English
Alias Shijing, Shi Jing, Book of Odes, Book of Songs, Classic of Odes, Classic of Poetry, Livre des Odes, Canon des Poèmes.

The Book of Odes, The Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Three-characters book, The Book of Changes, The Way and its Power, 300 Tang Poems, The Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies
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