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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 II — Minor odes of the kingdom
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Chapter 6 — Decade of Bei Shan

205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214

Shijing II. 6. (205)

I ascend that northern hill,
And gather the medlars.
An officer, strong and vigorous,
Morning and evening I am engaged in service.
The king's business is not to be slackly performed ;
And my parents are left in sorrow.

Under the wide heaven,
All is the king's land.
Within the sea-boundaries of the land,
All are the king's servants.
His great officers are unfair, –
Making me serve thus as if I alone were worthy.

My four horses never halt ;
The king's business allows no rest.
They praise me as not yet old ;
They think few like me in vigour.
While the backbone retains its strength,
I must plan and labour in all parts of the kingdom.

Some enjoy their ease and rest,
And some are worn out in the service of the State ;
Some rest and loll upon their couches,
And some never cease marching about.

Some never hear a sound,
And some are cruelly toiled ;
Some lazily roost, on their backs looking up,
And some are all-bustled in the service of the king.

Some indulge long in pleasure and drinking,
And some are miserable, in apprehension of blame ;
Some, at home and abroad, pass critical remarks,
And some have everything to do.

Legge 205

Shijing II. 6. (206)

Do not push forward a waggon ; –
You will only raise the dust about yourself.
Do not think of all your anxieties ; –
You will only make yourself ill.

Do not push forward a waggon ; –
The dust will only blind you.
Do not think of all your anxieties ; –
You will not emerge from imperfect views.

Do not push forward a waggon ; –
The dust will only becloud you.
Do not think of all your anxieties ; –
You will only weigh yourself down.

Legge 206

Shijing II. 6. (207)

O bright and high Heaven,
Who enlightenest and rulest this lower world !
I marched on this expedition to the west,
As far as this wilderness of Qiu.
From the first day of the second month,
I have passed through the cold and the heat.
My heart is sad ;
The poison [of my lot] is too bitter.
I think of those [at court] in their offices,
And my tears flow down like rain.
Do I not wish to return ?
But I fear the net for crime.

Formerly, when I set out,
The sun and moon had renewed the year.
When shall I return ?
The year is now late.
I think how I am alone,
While the affairs devolving on me are very many.
My heart is sad ;
And I am toiled without any leisure.
I think of those [at court] in their offices,
Looking back to them with fond regard.
Do I not wish to return ?
But I am afraid of reproof and anger.

Formerly, when I set out,
The sun and moon were giving a mild warmth.
When shall I return ?
The affairs of government are become more urgent.
It is late in the year,
And we are gathering the southernwood, and reaping the beans.
My heart is sad ;
I give myself nothing but distress.
When I think of those [at court] in their offices,
I rise and pass the night outside.
Do I not wish to return ?
But I am afraid of the vicissitudes of things.

Ah ! ye gentlemen !
Do not reckon on your rest being permanent.
Quietly fulfil the duties of your offices,
Associating with the correct and upright.
So shall the Spirits hearken to you,
And give you good.

Ah ! ye gentlemen !
Do not reckon on your repose being permanent.
Quietly fulfil the duties of your offices,
Loving the correct and upright.
So shall the Spirits hearken to you,
And give you large measures of bright happiness.

Legge 207

Shijing II. 6. (208)

His bells ring out jiang-jiang,
While the waters of the Huai go sweeping on ;
Sad is my heart and wouded.
The virtuous sovereigns [of old], –
In my heart, indeed, I cannot forget them.

His drums ring out jie-jie,
While the waters of the Huai rush along ;
My heart is sad and grieved.
Of the virtuous sovereigns [of old],
The virtue was without flaw.

His bells ring out, his large drums resound,
There are the three islands in the Huai ;
Sad is my heart and moved.
Of the virtuous sovereigns [of old],
The virtue was different from this.

His bells ring out qin-qin ;
His lutes, large and small, give their notes ;
The tones of his organs and sounding stones are in unison.
They sing the Ya and the Nan,
Dancing to their flutes without error.

Legge 208

Shijing II. 6. (209)

Thick grew the tribulus [on the ground],
But they cleared away its thorny bushes.
Why did they this of old ?
That we might plant our millet and sacrificial millet ;
That our millet might be abundant,
And our sacrificial millet luxuriant.
When our barns are full,
And our stacks can be counted by tens of myriads,
We proceed to make spirits and prepare viands,
For offerings and sacrifice ;
We seat the representatives of the dead, and urge them to eat : –
Thus seeking to increase our bright happiness.

With correct and reverent deportment,
The oxen and sheep all pure,
We proceed to the winter and autumnal sacrifices.
Some flay [the victims] ; some boil [their flesh] ;
Some arrange [the meat] ; some adjust [the pieces of it].
The priest sacrifices inside the temple gate,
And all the service is complete and brilliant.
Grandly come our progenitors ;
Their Spirits happily enjoy the offerings ;
Their filial descendent receives blessing : –
They will reward him with great happiness,
With myriads of years, life without end.

They attend to the furnaces with reverence ;
They prepare the trays, which are very large ; –
Some for the roast meat ; some for the broiled.
Wives presiding are still and reverent,
Preparing the numerous [smaller] dishes.
The guests and visitors,
Present the cup, and drink all round.
Every form is according to rule ;
Every smile and word are as they should be.
The Spirits quietly come,
And respond with great blessings ; –
Myriads of years as the [fitting] reward.

We are very much exhausted,
And have performed every ceremony without error.
The able priest announces [the will of the Spirits],
And goes to the filial descendent to convey it.
' Fragrant has been your filial sacrifice,
And the Spirits have enjoyed your spirits and viands.
They confer upon you a hundred blessings ;
Each as it is desired, each as sure as law.
You have been exact and expeditions ;
You have been correct and careful :
They will ever confer on you the choicest favours,
In myriads and tens of myriads. '

The ceremonies having thus been completed,
And the bells and drums having given their warning,
The filial descendent goes to his place,
And the able priest makes his announcement,
' The Spirits have drunk to the full. '
The great representative of the dead then rises,
And the bells and drums escort his withdrawal,
[On which] the Spirits tranquilly return [to their place].
All the servants, and the presiding wives,
Remove [the trays and dishes] without delay.
The [descendant's] uncles and cousins,
All repair to the private feast.

Legge 209

Shijing II. 6. (210)

Yes, [all about] that southern hill,
Was made manageable by Yu.
Its plains and marshes being opened up,
It was made into fields by the distant descendant.
We define their boundaries, we form their smaller divisions,
And make the acres lie, here to the south, there to the east.

The heavens over head are one arch of clouds,
Snowing in multitudinous flakes.
There is superadded the drizzling rain.
When [the land] has received the moistening,
Soaking influence abundantly,
It produces all our kinds of grain.

The boundaries and smaller divisions are nicely adjusted,
And the millets yield abundant crops,
The harvest of the distant descendant.
We proceed to make therewith spirits and food,
To supply our representatives of the dead, and our guests ; –
To obtain long life, extending over myriads of years.

In the midst of the fields are the huts,
And along the bounding divisions are gourds.
The fruits is sliced and pickled,
To be presented to our great ancestors,
That their distant descendant may have long life,
And receive the blessing of Heaven.

We sacrifice [first] with pure spirits,
And then follow with a red bull ;
Offering them to our ancestors.
[Our lord] holds the knife with tinkling bells,
To lay open the hair of the victim,
And takes its flesh and fat.

Then we present, then we offer ;
All round the fragrance is diffused.
Complete and brilliant is the sacrificial service ;
Grandly come our ancestors.
They will reward [their descendant] with great blessing, –
Long life, years without end.

Legge 210

Shijing II. 6. (211)

Bright are those extensive fields,
A tenth of whose produce is annually levied.
I take the old stores,
And with them feed the husbandmen,
From of old we have had good years,
And now I go to the south-lying acres,
Where some are weeding, and some gather the earth about the roots.
The millets look luxuriant ;
And in a spacious resting place,
I collect and encourage the men of greater promise.

With my vessels full of bright millet,
And my pure victim-rams,
We sacrificed to [the Spirits of] the land, and to [those of] the four quarters.
That my fields are in such good condition,
Is matter of joy to my husbandmen.
With lutes, and with drums beating,
We will invoke the Father of husbandry,
And pray for sweet rain,
To increase the produce of our millets,
And to bless my men and their wives.

The distant descendant comes,
When their wives and children,
Are bringing food to those [at work] in the south-lying acres.
The surveyor of the fields [also] comes, and is glad.
He takes [of the food] on the left and the right,
And tastes whether it be good or not.
The grain is well cultivated, all the acres over ;
Good will it be and abundant.
The distant descendant has no displacency ;
The husbandmen are encouraged to diligence.

The crops of the distant descendant,
Look [thick] as thatch, and [swelling] like a carriage cover.
The stacks of the distant descendant,
Will stand like islands and mounds.
He will seek for thousands of granaries ;
He will seek for myriads of carts.
The millets, the paddy, and the maize,
Will awake the joy of the husbandmen ;
[And they will say], ' May he be rewarded with great happiness.
With myriads of years, life without end !

Legge 211

Shijing II. 6. (212)

Large are the fields, and various is the work to be done.
Having selected the seed, and looked after the implements,
So that all preparations have been made for our labour,
We take our sharp plough-shares,
And commence on the south-lying acres.
We sow all the kinds of grain,
Which grow up straight and large,
So that the wish of the distant descendant is satisfied.

It ears, and the fruit lies soft in its sheath ;
It hardens and is of good quality ;
There is no wolf ' s-tail grass, nor darnel.
We remove the insects that eat the heart and the leaf,
And those that eat the roots and the joints.
So that they shall not hurt the young plants of our fields.
May the Spirit, the Father of husbandry,
Lay hold of them, and put them in the blazing fire !

The clouds form in dense masses,
And the rain comes down slowly.
May it rain first on our public fields,
And then come to our private !
There shall be young grain unreaped,
And here some sheaves ungathered ;
There shall be handfuls left on the ground,
And here ears untouched : –

The distant descendant will come,
When their wives and children,
Are bringing food to those [at work] on the south-lying acres.
The surveyor of the fields [also] will come and be glad.
They will come and offer pure sacrifices to the Spirits of the four quarters,
With their preparations of millet :
Thus offering, thus sacrificing,
Thus increasing our bright happiness.

Legge 212

Shijing II. 6. (213)

Look at the Luo,
With its waters broad and deep.
Thither has come our lord,
In whom all happiness and dignity are concentrated.
Red are his madder-dyed knee covers,
In which he might raise his six armies.

Look at the Luo,
With its waters broad and deep.
Thither has our lord come,
The gems at his scabbard ' s mouth all-gleaming.
May our lord live myriads of years,
Preserving his House !

Look at the Luo,
With its waters broad and deep.
Thither has our lord come,
In whom all happiness and dignities are united.
May our lord live myriads of years,
Preserving his clans and States !

Legge 213

Shijing II. 6. (214)

Splendid are the flowers,
And the leaves are luxuriant.
I see these princes,
And my heart is entirely satisfied.
My heart is entirely satisfied.
Right is it they should have praise and prosperity !

Splendid are the flowers,
And deep is their yellow.
I see these princes,
Full of all elegance.
They are full of all elegance ; –
Right is it they should have every blessing !

Splendid are the flowers,
Some yellow, some white.
I see these princes,
Drawn by their four white steeds, black-maned.
They are drawn by their four white steeds, black-maned.
And the six reins are glossy !

To the left [they move], to the left,
And they execute the movement properly.
To the right [they move], to the right,
And they execute the movement properly.
They are possessed of the ability,
And right is it their movements should indicate it.

Legge 214

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The Book of Odes – Shi Jing II. 6. – Chinese on/offFrançais/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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