大dà雅yǎ·文wén王wáng之zhī什shén

King Wăn is on high. Oh! bright is he in heaven. Although Kâu was an old country, The (favouring) appointment lighted on it recently. Illustrious was the House of Kâu, And the appointment of God came at the proper season. King Wăn ascends and descends On the left and the right of God. Full of earnest activity was king Wăn, And his fame is without end. The gifts (of God) to Kâu Extend to the descendants of king Wăn;— To the descendants of king Wăn, In the direct line and the collateral branches for a hundred generations. All the officers of Kâu Shall (also) be illustrious from age to age. They shall be illustrious from age to age, Zealously and reverently pursuing their plans. Admirable are the many officers, Born in this royal kingdom. The royal kingdom is able to produce them, The supporters of (the House of) Kâu. Numerous is the array of officers, And by them king Wăn enjoys his repose. Profound was king Wăn; Oh! continuous and bright was his feeling of reverence. Great is the appointment of Heaven! There were the descendants of (the sovereigns of) Shang— The descendants of the sovereigns of Shang Were in number more than hundreds of thousands. But when God gave the command, They became subject to Kâu. They became subject to Kâu, (For) the appointment of Heaven is not unchangeable. The officers of Yin, admirable and alert, Assist at the libations in our capital. They assist at those libations, Always wearing the hatchet-figures on their lower garments and their peculiar cap. O ye loyal ministers of the king, Ever think of your ancestor! Ever think of your ancestor, Cultivating your virtue, Always seeking to accord with the will (of Heaven):— So shall you be seeking for much happiness, Before Yin lost the multitudes, (Its kings) were the correlates of God. Look to Yin as a beacon; The great appointment is not easily preserved. The appointment is not easily (preserved):— Do not cause your own extinction. Display and make bright your righteousness and fame, And look at (the fate of) Yin in the light of Heaven. The doings of high Heaven Have neither sound nor smell. Take your pattern from king Wăn, And the myriad regions will repose confidence in you.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

The illustration of illustrious (virtue) is required below, And the dread majesty is on high. Heaven is not readily to be relied on; It is not easy to be king. Yin's rightful heir to the heavenly seat Was not permitted to possess the kingdom. Zăn, the second of the princesses of Kih, From (the domain of) Yin-shang, Came to be married to (the prince of) Kâu, And became his wife in his capital. Both she and king Kî Were entirely virtuous. (Then) Thâi-zăn became pregnant, And gave birth to our king Wăn. This king Wăn, Watchfully and reverently, With entire intelligence served God, And so secured the great blessing. His virtue was without deflection; And in consequence he received (the allegiance of) the states from all quarters. Heaven surveyed this lower world; And its appointment lighted (on king Wăn). In his early years, It made for him a mate;— On the north of the Hsiâ, On the banks of the Wei. When king Wăn would marry, There was the lady in a large state. In a large state was the lady, Like a fair denizen of heaven. The ceremonies determined the auspiciousness (of the union), And in person he met her on the Wei. Over it he made a bridge of boats; The glory (of the occasion) was illustrious. The favouring appointment was from Heaven, Giving the throne to our king Wăn, In the capital of Kâu. The lady-successor was from Hsin, Its eldest daughter, who came to marry him. She was blessed to give birth to king Wû, Who was preserved, and helped, and received (also) the appointment, And in accordance with it smote the great Shang. The troops of Yin-shang Were collected like a forest, And marshalled in the wilderness of Mû. We rose (to the crisis); 'God is with you,' (said Shang-fû to the king), 'Have no doubts in your heart.' The wilderness of Mû spread out extensive; Bright shone the chariots of sandal; The teams of bays, black-maned and white-bellied, galloped along; The Grand-Master Shang-fû Was like an eagle on the wing, Assisting king Wû, Who at one onset smote the great Shang. That morning's encounter was followed by a clear, bright (day).

Legge · 1879 · public domain

In long trains ever increasing grow the gourds. When (our) people first sprang, From the country about the Khü and the Khî, The ancient duke Than-fû Made for them kiln-like huts and caves, Ere they had yet any houses. The ancient duke Than-fû Came in the morning, galloping his horses, Along the banks of the western rivers, To the foot of mount Khî; And there he and the lady Kiang Came and together looked out for a site. The plain of Kâu looked beautiful and rich, With its violets, and sowthistles (sweet) as dumplings. There he began by consulting (with his followers); There he singed the tortoise-shell, (and divined). The responses were there to stay and then; And they proceeded there to build. He encouraged the people, and settled them; Here on the left, there on the right. He divided the ground, and subdivided it; He dug the ditches; he defined the acres. From the east to the west, There was nothing which he did not take in hand. He called his Superintendent of Works; He called his Minister of Instruction; And charged them with the rearing of the houses. With the line they made everything straight; They bound the frame-boards tight, so that they should rise regularly: Uprose the ancestral temple in its solemn grandeur. Crowds brought the earth in baskets; They threw it with shouts into the frames; They beat it with responsive blows. They pared the walls repeatedly, till they sounded strong. Five thousand cubits of them arose together, So that the roll of the great drums did not overpower (the noise of the builders). They reared the outer gate (of the palace), Which rose in lofty state. They set up the gate of audience, Which rose severe and exact. They reared the great altar to the spirits of the land, From which all great movements should proceed. Thus though he could not prevent the rage of his foes, He did not let fall his own fame. The oaks and the buckthorns were (gradually) thinned, And roads for travellers were opened. The hordes of the Khwăn disappeared, Startled and panting. (The chiefs of) Yü and Zui were brought to an agreement By king Wăn's stimulating their natural virtue. Then, I may say, some came to him, previously not knowing him; Some, drawn the last by the first; Some, drawn by his rapid successes; And some by his defence (of the weak) from insult.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

Abundant is the growth of the buckthorn and shrubby trees, Supplying firewood; yea, stores of it. Elegant and dignified was our prince and king; On the left and the right they hastened to him. Elegant and dignified was our prince and king; On his left and his right they bore their half-mace (libation-cups):— They bore them with solemn gravity, As beseemed such eminent officers.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

Look at the foot of the Han, How abundantly grow the hazel and arrow-thorn. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, In his pursuit of dignity (still) easy and self-possessed. Massive is that libation-cup of jade, With the yellow liquid sparkling in it. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, The fit recipient of blessing and dignity. The hawk flies up to heaven, The fishes leap in the deep. Easy and self-possessed was our prince:— Did he not exert an influence on men? His clear spirits were in the vessels; His red bull was ready;— To offer, to sacrifice, To increase his bright happiness. Thick grow the oaks and the buckthorn, Which the people use for fuel. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, Cheered and encouraged by the spirits. Luxuriant are the dolichos and other creepers, Clinging to the branches and stems. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, Seeking for happiness by no crooked ways.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

Pure and reverent was Thâi Zăn, The mother of king Wăn. Loving was she to Kâu Kiang;— A wife becoming the House of Kâu. Thâi Sze inherited her excellent fame, And from her came a hundred sons. He conformed to the example of his ancestors, And their spirits had no occasion for complaint. Their spirits had no occasion for dissatisfaction; And his example acted on his wife, Extended to his brethren, And was felt by all the clans and states. Full of harmony was he in his palace; Full of reverence in the ancestral temple. Unseen (by men), he still felt that he was under inspection: Unweariedly he maintained his virtue. Though he could not prevent (some) great calamities, His brightness and magnanimity were without stain. Without previous instruction he did what was right; Without admonition he went on (in the path of goodness). So, grown up men became virtuous (through him), And young men made (constant) attainments. (Our) ancient prince never felt weariness, And from him were the fame and eminence of his officers.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

Great is God, Beholding this lower world in majesty. He surveyed the four quarters (of the kingdom), Seeking for some one to give establishment to the people. Those two earlier dynasties Had failed to satisfy him with their government; So, throughout the various states, He sought and considered For one on whom he might confer the rule. Hating all the great states, He turned his kind regards on the west, And there gave a settlement (to king Thâi). (King Thâi) raised up and removed The dead trunks and the fallen trees. He dressed and regulated The bushy clumps and the (tangled) rows. He opened up and cleared The tamarisk trees and the stave trees. He hewed and thinned The mountain mulberry trees. God having brought about the removal thither of this intelligent ruler, The Kwan hordes fled away. Heaven had raised up a helpmeet for him, And the appointment he had received was made sure. God surveyed the hills, Where the oaks and the buckthorn were thinned, And paths made through the firs and cypresses. God, who had raised the state, raised up a proper ruler for it,— From the time of Thâi-po and king Kî (this was done). Now this king Kî In his heart was full of brotherly duty. Full of duty to his elder brother, He gave himself the more to promote the prosperity (of the country), And secured to him the glory (of his act). He accepted his dignity and did not lose it, And (ere long his family) possessed the whole kingdom. This king Kî Was gifted by God with the power of judgment, So that the fame of his virtue silently grew. His virtue was highly intelligent,— Highly intelligent, and of rare discrimination; Able to lead, able to rule, To rule over this great country; Rendering a cordial submission, effecting a cordial union. When (the sway) came to king Wăn, His virtue left nothing to be dissatisfied with, He received the blessing of God, And it was extended to his descendants. God said to king Wăn, 'Be not like those who reject this and cling to that; Be not like those who are ruled by their likings and desires;' So he grandly ascended before others to the height (of virtue). The people of Mî were disobedient, Daring to oppose our great country, And invaded Yüan, marching to Kung. The king rose, majestic in his wrath; He marshalled his troops, To stop the invading foes; To consolidate the prosperity of Kâu; To meet the expectations of all under heaven. He remained quietly in the capital, But (his troops) went on from the borders of Yüan. They ascended our lofty ridges, And (the enemy) arrayed no forces on our hills, On our hills, small or large, Nor drank at our springs, Our springs or our pools. He then determined the finest of the plains, And settled on the south of Khî, On the banks of the Wei, The centre of all the states, The resort of the lower people. God said to king Wăn, 'I am pleased with your intelligent virtue, Not loudly proclaimed nor pourtrayed, Without extravagance or changeableness, Without consciousness of effort on your part, In accordance with the pattern of God.' God said to king Wăn, 'Take measures against the country of your foes. Along with your brethren, Get ready your scaling ladders, And your engines of onfall and assault, To attack the walls of Khung.' The engines of onfall and assault were (at first) gently plied, Against the walls of Khung high and great; Captives for the question were brought in, one after another; The left ears (of the slain) were taken leisurely. He had sacrificed to God and to the Father of War, Thus seeking to induce submission, And throughout the region none had dared to insult him. The engines of onfall and assault were (then) vigorously plied, Against the walls of Khung very strong. He attacked it, and let loose all his forces; He extinguished (its sacrifices), and made an end of its existence; And throughout the kingdom none dared to oppose him.

Legge · 1879 · public domain

High, high is the king's wisdom, The multitude bring their plans. I take my stand, I make my move, And ask the great tortoise. 'Let all be ordered well', Says the tortoise — and the people approve. Sorrow, oh sorrow! There is a plan that brings disaster. Three men, without a leader — How can they agree? I am old, and full of years, But who will hear me? I bend my bow, I fear its strength. One feather, added to the shaft, Will bring down the bird. I walk gently — but fear to stumble. Let the matter be arranged!

GLM · 2025 · machine-generated

Successors tread in the steps (of their predecessors) in our Kâu. For generations there had been wise kings; The three sovereigns were in heaven; And king (Wû) was their worthy successor in his capital. King (Wû) was their worthy successor in his capital, Rousing himself to seek for the hereditary virtue, Always striving to be in accordance with the will (of Heaven); And thus he secured the confidence due to a king. He secured the confidence due to a king, And became the pattern of all below him. Ever thinking how to be filial, His filial mind was the model (which he supplied). Men loved him, the One man, And responded (to his example) with a docile virtue. Ever thinking how to be filial, He brilliantly continued the doings (of his fathers). Brilliantly! and his posterity, Continuing to walk in the steps of their forefathers, For myriads of years, Will receive the blessing of Heaven. They will receive the blessing of Heaven, And from the four quarters (of the kingdom) will felicitations come to them. For myriads of years Will there not be their helpers?

Legge · 1879 · public domain

King Wăn is famous; Yea, he is very famous. What he sought was the repose (of the people); What he saw was the completion (of his work). A sovereign true was king Wăn! King Wăn received the appointment (from Heaven), And achieved his martial success. Having overthrown Khung He fixed his (capital) city in Făng. A sovereign true was king Wăn! He repaired the walls along the (old) moat. His establishing himself in Făng was according to (the pattern of his forefathers), It was not that he was in haste to gratify his wishes;— It was to show the filial duty that had come down to him. A sovereign true was the royal prince! His royal merit was brightly displayed By those walls of Făng. There were collected (the sympathies of the people of) the four quarters, Who regarded the royal prince as their protector. A sovereign true was the royal prince! The Făng-water flowed on to the east (of the city), Through the meritorious labour of Yü. There were collected (the sympathies of the people of) the four quarters, Who would have the great king as their ruler. A sovereign true was the great king! In the capital of Hâo he built his hall with its circlet of water. From the west to the east, From the south to the north, There was not a thought but did him homage. A sovereign true was the great king! He examined and divined, did the king, About settling in the capital of Hâo. The tortoise-shell decided the site, And king Wû completed the city. A sovereign true was king Wû! By the Făng-water grows the white millet;— Did not king Wû show wisdom in his employment of officers? He would leave his plans to his descendants, And secure comfort and support to his son. A sovereign true was king Wû!

Legge · 1879 · public domain