| Shih King: Minor Odes: The Eighth Decade, or that of Po Hwâ | Title page | Shih King: Major Odes: The Second Decade, or that of Shăng Min |
[ p. 377 ]
PIECES AND STANZAS ILLUSTRATING THE RELIGIOUS VIEWS AND PRACTICES OF THE WRITERS AND THEIR TIMES.
CELEBRATING KING WĂN, DEAD AND ALIVE, AS THE FOUNDER OF THE DYNASTY OF KÂU, SHOWING HOW HIS VIRTUES DREW TO HIM THE FAVOURING REGARD OF HEAVEN OR GOD, AND MADE HIM A BRIGHT PATTERN TO HIS DESCENDANTS AND THEIR MINISTERS.
The composition of this and the other pieces of this decade is attributed to the duke of Kâu, king Wăn’s son, and was intended by him for the benefit of his nephew, the young king Khăng. Wăn, it must be borne in mind, was never actually king of China. He laid the foundations of the kingly power, which was established by his son king Wû, and consolidated by the duke of Kâu. The title of king was given to him and to others by the duke, according to the view of filial piety, that has been referred to on p. 299.
King Wăn is on high. Oh! bright is he in heaven. Although Kâu was an old country, The (favouring) appointment lighted on it recently [^472]. Illustrious was the House of Kâu, And the [ p. 378 ] appointment of God came at the proper season. King Wăn ascends and descends On the left and the right of God [^473].
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, In the direct line and the collateral branches for a hundred generations [^474]. 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 [^475]\—The descendants of the sovereigns of Shang Were in number more [ p. 379 ] 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 [^476]. They assist at those libations, Always wearing the hatchet-figures on their lower garments and their peculiar cap [^477]. 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 [^478]. 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 [ p. 380 ] smell [^479]. Take your pattern from king Wăn, And the myriad regions will repose confidence in you.
HOW THE APPOINTMENT OF HEAVEN OR GOD CAME FROM HIS FATHER TO KING WĂN, AND DESCENDED TO HIS SON, KING WÛ, WHO OVERTHREW THE DYNASTY OF SHANG BY HIS VICTORY AT MÛ; CELEBRATING ALSO THE MOTHER AND WIFE OF KING WĂN.
The illustration of illustrious (virtue) is required below, And the dread majesty is or, high [^480]. 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.
_Z_ăn, the second of the princesses of Kih [^481], From (the domain of) Yin-shang, Came to be married to (the prince of) Kâu, And became his wife in his [ p. 381 ] capital. Both she and king Kî Were entirely virtuous. (Then) Thâi-_z_ăn 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 [^482];—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 [^483].
In a large state was the lady, Like a fair denizen of heaven. The ceremonies determined the auspiciousness (of the union) [^484], 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 kin 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, [ p. 382 ] 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 [^485].’
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).
SMALL BEGINNINGS AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH OF THE HOUSE OF KÂU IN KÂU. ITS REMOVAL FROM PIN UNDER THAN-FÛ, WITH ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN KÂU, WITH THE PLACE THEN GIVEN TO THE BUILDING OF THE ANCESTRAL TEMPLE, AND THE ALTAR TO THE SPIRITS OF THE LAND. CONSOLIDATION OF ITS FORTUNES BY KING WĂN.
‘The ancient duke Than-fû’ was the grandfather of king Wăn, and was canonized by the duke of Kâu as ‘king Thâi.’ As mentioned in a note on p. 316, he was the first of his family to settle in Kâu, removing there from Pin. the site of their earlier settlement, ‘the country about the Khü and the Khî.’
In long trains ever increasing grow the gourds [^486]. When (our) people first sprang, From the country about the Khü and the Khî [^487], The ancient duke [ p. 383 ] Than-fû Made for them kiln-like huts and caves, Ere they had yet any houses [^488].
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 [1]; And there he and the lady Kiang [2] 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 [3].
He encouraged the people, and settled them; Here on the left, there on the right. He divided the ground, and subdivided it; If he dug the ditches; he defined the acres. From the east to the west, There was nothing which he did not take in hand [4].
[ p. 384 ]
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 [5].
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) [6].
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 [7].
[ p. 385 ]
Thus though he could not prevent the rage of his foes [8], 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 _Z_ui [9] 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.
[ p. 386 ]
IN PRAISE OF KING WĂN, CELEBRATING HIS INFLUENCE, DIGNITY IN THE TEMPLE SERVICES, ACTIVITY, AND CAPACITY TO RULE.
Abundant is the growth of the buckthorn and shrubby trees, Supplying firewood; yea, stores of it [10]. 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) [11]:—They bore them with solemn gravity, As beseemed such eminent officers.
IN PRAISE OF THE VIRTUE OF KING WĂN, BLESSED BY HIS ANCESTORS, AND RAISED TO THE HIGHEST DIGNITY WITHOUT’ SEEKING OF HIS OWN.
Look at the foot of the Han [12], How abundantly grow the hazel and arrow-thorn [13]. 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 [ p. 387 ] yellow liquid sparkling in it [14]. 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 [15]. 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 [16];—To offer, to sacrifice, To increase his bright happiness.
Thick grow the oaks and the buckthorn, Which the people use for fuel [17]. Easy and self-possessed was our prince, Cheered and encouraged by the spirits [17:1].
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.
THE VIRTUE OF WĂN, WITH HIS FILIAL PIETY AND CONSTANT REVERENCE, AND THEIR WONDERFUL EFFECTS. THE EXCELLENT CHARACTER OF HIS MOTHER AND WIFE.
Pure and reverent was Thâi _Z_ăn [18], The mother of king Wăn. Loving was she to Kâu Kiang [19];— [ p. 388 ] A wife becoming the House of Kâu. Thâi Sze [20] inherited her excellent fame, And from her came a hundred sons [21].
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 [22]: 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.
[ p. 389 ]
SHOWING THE RISE OF THE HOUSE OF KÂU TO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE FAVOUR OF GOD, THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF KINGS THÂI AND KÎ, AND ESPECIALLY OF KING WĂN.
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 [23] 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 [24]. 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 [ p. 390 ] state, raised up a proper ruler [25] for it,—From the time of Thâi-po and king Kî (this was done) [25:1]. 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) [26]. 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 [27]. When (the sway) came to king Wăn, His [ p. 391 ] 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 [28], ‘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 [29] were disobedient, Daring to oppose our great country, And invaded Yüan, marching to Kung [30]. 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 [31], On the banks of [ p. 392 ] 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 [32].’
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 [33]. He had sacrificed to God and to the Father of War [^522], Thus seeking to induce [ p. 393 ] 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) [34], and made an end of its existence; And throughout the kingdom none dared to oppose him.
IN PRAISE OF KING WÛ, WALKING IN THE WAYS OF HIS FOREFATHERS, AND BY HIS FILIAL PIETY SECURING THE THRONE TO HIMSELF AND HIS POSTERITY.
Successors tread in the steps (of their predecessors) in our Kâu. For generations there had been wise kings; The three sovereigns were in heaven [35]; And king (Wû) was their worthy successor in his capital [36].
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 [ p. 394 ] 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?
THE PRAISE OF KINGS WĂN AND WÛ:—HOW THE FORMER DISPLAYED HIS MILITARY PROWESS ONLY TO SECURE THE TRANQUILLITY OF THE PEOPLE; AND HOW THE LATTER, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RESULTS OF DIVINATION, ENTERED IN HIS NEW CAPITAL OF HÂO, INTO THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE KINGDOM WITH THE SINCERE GOOD WILL OF ALL THE PEOPLE.
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 [37]. He fixed his (capital) city in Făng [38]. A sovereign true was king Wăn!
[ p. 395 ]
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 [39]!’
In the capital of Hâo he built his hall with its circlet of water [40]. 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 [41], And king Wû completed the city. A sovereign true was king Wû!
[ p. 396 ]
By the Făng-water grows the white millet [^531];—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!
| Shih King: Minor Odes: The Eighth Decade, or that of Po Hwâ | Title page | Shih King: Major Odes: The Second Decade, or that of Shăng Min |
377:1 The family of Kâu, according to its traditions, was very ancient, but it did not. occupy the territory of Kâu, from which it subsequently took its name, till B.C. 1326; and it was not till the time of Wăn (B.C. 1231 to 1135) that the divine purpose concerning its supremacy in the kingdom was fully manifested. ↩︎
378:1 According to Kû Hsî, the first and last two lines of this stanza are to be taken of the spirit of Wăn in heaven. Attempts have been made to explain them otherwise, or rather to explain them away. But language could not more expressly intimate the existence of a supreme personal God, and the continued existence of the human spirit. ↩︎
378:2 The text, literally, is, ‘The root and the branches:’ the root (and stem) denoting the eldest sons, by the recognised queen, succeeding to the throne; and the branches, the other sons by the queen and concubines. The former would grow up directly from the root; and the latter, the chief nobles of the kingdom, would constitute the branches of the great Kâu tree. ↩︎
378:3 The Shang or Yin dynasty of kings superseded by Kâu. ↩︎
379:1 These officers of Yin would be the descendants of the Yin kings and of their principal nobles, scions likewise of the, Yin stock. They would assist, at the court of Kâu, at the services in the ancestral temple, which began with a libation of fragrant spirits to bring down the spirits of the departed. ↩︎
379:2 These, differing from the dress worn by the representatives of the ruling House, were still worn by the officers of Yin or Shang, by way of honour, and also by way of warning. ↩︎
379:3 There was God in heaven hating none, desiring the good of all the people; there were the sovereigns on earth, God’s vicegerents, maintained by him so long as they carried out in their government his purpose of good. ↩︎
380:1 These two lines are quoted in the last paragraph of the Doctrine of the Mean, as representing the ideal of perfect virtue. They are indicative of Power, operating silently, and not to be perceived by the senses, but resistless in its operations. ↩︎
380:2 ‘The first two lines,’ says the commentator Yen _Ȝh_an, ‘contain a general sentiment, expressing the principle that governs the relation between Heaven and men. According to line 1, the good or evil of a ruler cannot be concealed; according to 2, Heaven, in giving its favour or taking it away, acts with strict decision. When below there is the illustrious illustration (of virtue), that reaches up on high. When above there is the awful majesty, that exercises a survey below. The relation between Heaven and men ought to excite our awe.’ ↩︎
380:3 The state of Kih must have been somewhere in the royal domain of Yin. Its lords had the surname of _Z_ăn, and the second daughter of the House became the wife of Kî of Kâu. She is called in the eighth line Thâi-_z_ăn, by which name she is still famous in China. ‘She commenced,’ it is said, ‘the instruction of her child when he was still in her womb, looking on no improper sight, listening to no licentious sound, uttering no word of pride.’ ↩︎
381:1 Heaven is here represented as arranging for the fulfilment of its purposes beforehand. ↩︎
381:2 The name of the state was Hsin, and it must have been near the Hsiâ and the Wei, somewhere in the south-east of the present Shen-hsî. ↩︎
381:3 ‘The ceremonies’ would be various; first of all, divination by means of the tortoise-shell. ↩︎
382:1 See the account of the battle of Mû in the third Book of the fifth Part of the Shû. Shang-fû was one of Wû’s principal leaders and counsellors, his ‘Grand-Master Shang-fû’ in the next stanza. ↩︎
382:2 As a gourd grows and extends, with a vast development of its tendrils and leaves, so had the House of Kâu increased. ↩︎
382:3 These were two rivers in the territory of Pin, which name still p. 383 remains in the small department of Pin Kâu, in Shen-hsî. The Khü flows into the Lo, and the Khî into the Wei. ↩︎
383:1 According to this ode then, up to the time of Than-fû, the Kâu people had only had the dwellings here described; but this is not easily reconciled with other accounts, or even with other stanzas of this piece. ↩︎ ↩︎
383:2 See a graphic account of the circumstances in which this migration took place, in the fifteenth chapter of the second Part of the first Book of Mencius, very much to the honour of the ancient duke. ↩︎
383:3 This lady is known as Thâi-_k_iang, the worthy predecessor of Thâi-_z_ăn. ↩︎
383:4 This stanza has reference to the choice—by council and divination—of a site for what should be the chief town of the new settlement. ↩︎
383:5 This stanza describes the general arrangements for the occupancy and cultivation of the plain of Kâu, and the distribution of the people over it. ↩︎
384:1 This stanza describes the preparations and processes for erecting the buildings of the new city. The whole took place under the direction of two officers, in whom we have the germ probably of the Six Heads of the Boards or Departments, whose functions are described in the Shû and the Official Book of Kâu. The materials of the buildings were earth and lime pounded together in frames, as is still to be seen in many parts of the country. The first great building taken in hand was the ancestral temple. Than-fû would make a home for the spirits of his fathers, before he made one for himself. However imperfectly directed, the religious feeling asserted the supremacy which it ought to possess. ↩︎
384:2 The bustle and order of the building all over the city is here graphically set forth. ↩︎
384:3 Than-fû was now at leisure to build the palace for himself, which appears to have been not a very large building, though the Chinese names of its gates are those belonging to the two which p. 385 were peculiar to the palaces of the kings of Kâu in the subsequent times of the dynasty. Outside the palace were the altars appropriate to the spirits of the four quarters of the land, the ‘great’ or royal altar being peculiar to the kings, though the one built by Than-fû is here so named. All great undertakings, and such as required the co-operation of all the people, were preceded by a solemn sacrifice at this altar. ↩︎
385:1 Referring to Than-fû’s relations with the wild hordes, described by Mencius, and which obliged him to leave Pin. As the new settlement in Kâu grew, they did not dare to trouble it. ↩︎ ↩︎
385:2 The poet passes on here to the time of king Wăn. The story of the chiefs of Yü and _Z_ui (two states on the east of the Ho) is this:—They had a quarrel about a strip of territory, to which each of them laid claim. Going to lay their dispute before the lord of Kâu, as soon as they entered his territory, they saw the ploughers readily yielding the furrow, and travellers yielding the path, while men and women avoided one another on the road, and old people had no burdens to carry. At his court, they beheld the officers of each inferior grade giving place to those above them. They became ashamed of their own quarrel, agreed to let the disputed ground be an open territory, and withdrew without presuming to appear before Wăn. When this affair was noised abroad, more than forty states, it is said, tendered their submission to Kâu. ↩︎
386:1 It is difficult to trace the connexion between-these allusive lines and the rest of the piece. ↩︎
386:2 Here we have the lord of Kâu in his ancestral temple, assisted by his ministers or great officers in pouring out the libations to the spirits of the departed. The libation-cup was fitted with a handle of jade, that used by the king having a complete kwei, the obelisk-like symbol of rank, while the cups used by a minister had for a handle only half a kwei. ↩︎
386:3 Where mount Han was cannot now be determined. ↩︎
386:4 As the foot of the hill was favourable to vegetable growth, so were king Wăn’s natural qualities to his distinction and advancement. ↩︎
387:1 As a cup of such quality was the proper receptacle for the yellow, herb-flavoured spirits, so was the character of Wăn such that all blessing must accrue to him. ↩︎
387:2 It is the nature of the hawk to fly and of fishes to swim, and so there went out an influence from Wăn unconsciously to himself. ↩︎
387:3 Red, we have seen, was the proper colour for victims in the ancestral temple of Kâu. ↩︎
387:4 As it was natural for the people to take the wood and use it, so it was natural for the spirits of his ancestors, and spiritual beings generally, to bless king Wăn. ↩︎
387:5 Thâi _Z_ăn is celebrated, above, in the second ode. ↩︎
387:6 Kâu Kiang is ‘the lady Kiang’ of ode 3, the wife of Than-fû or p. 388 king Thâi, who came with him from Pin. She is here called Kâu, as having married the lord of Kâu. ↩︎
388:1 Thâi Sze, the wife of Wăn, we are told in ode 2, was from the state of Hsin. The surname Sze shows that its lords must have been descended from the Great Yü. ↩︎
388:2 We are not to suppose that Thâi Sze had herself a hundred sons. She had ten, and her freedom from jealousy so encouraged the fruitfulness of the harem, that all the sons born in it are ascribed to her. ↩︎
388:3 Where there was no human eye to observe him, Wan still felt that he was open to the observation of spiritual beings. ↩︎
389:1 Those of Hsiâ and Shang. ↩︎
389:2 The same as ‘the hordes of the Khwăn’ in ode 3. Mr. T. W. Kingsmill says that ‘Kwan’ here should be ‘Chun,’ and charges the transliteration Kwan with error (journal of the Royal Asiatic Society for April, 1878). He had not consulted his dictionary for the proper pronunciation of the Chinese character. ↩︎