Their hatred and spite they will not restrain,
So confusion, malice, and mischief reign.

3.

Ah, be not careless, dear lord, be wise,

And crush these men, as we crush the flies;

Lest the friendship between old friends should fail, And contentious strife in its stead prevail.

THE SHIH KING

PART III

SONGS FOR THE GREATER FESTIVALS

SONG ONE

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHAU DYNASTY 1

'Tis to King Wan above to whom we owe
The present glories of the House of Chau.

The State of Chau might boast an ancient name,
But ere his time no honors could it claim.
He made it glorious, so to us by heaven
The gift of Empire was in due time given.
And now his soul has soared beyond the sky,
To sit amongst the chosen ones on high.

So earnest, so determined was the king,
To future days his fame and praise shall ring.
Nor this alone; to stock and branch descend
Rewards and gifts divine that know no end.
Throughout all ages honor and renown
Princes and nobles of the State shall crown;
For these with ardor and with reverent zeal
Effect wise measures for our common weal.
As long as their array shall here be found,
King Wan's repose is sweet, his slumber sound.

Heaven's great behest that he should rule the land
King Wan received, obedient to command.

1 This didactic poem, which in the original is not wanting in dignity, is said to have been written by Duke Chau, for the instruction of his nephew King Cheng.

The reader should perhaps be reminded that the dynasty preceding the Chau was the Shang, which was afterward called the Yin. It is interesting to see that when the adherents of the Chau family had overthrown the Yin Dynasty, the princes of the latter were not exterminated, but were invited to take parts in the sacrificial rites of their

successors.

Nor failed to let his loyal followers see

His ceaseless reverence for this grand decree.

Once myriad princes of the Shang bore sway. The word was passed. King Wan they must obey. The Powers can both exalt and overthrow;

So now, obedient to the house of Chau,
Adorned with bonnets and embroidered dress,
To our libations see Yin's nobles press.

Now ye who serve the king with loyalty
Forget not him who ruled in days gone by.
Be virtuous, be obedient, so shall peace
And happiness throughout the realm increase.

Ere Empire passed from Shang's now fallen state,
Her monarch was heaven's favorite and mate.
Let this then prove a warning not to slight
Divine decrees, lest, if we hold them light,
We in our turn may fall and pass away.
Let us instead a righteous name display,
Remembering this; the acts of heaven on high
Call for a watchful ear, a wakeful eye.
Let but King Wan your pattern still remain,
Long o'er the myriad regions shall you reign.

KING WAN AND KING WU

KING WAN

1.

How was it that King Wan earned his fame?

By this that peace was alone his aim;

And he saw that his work was completely done. A ruler true was our good King Wan.

2.

By heaven's command he had overthrown.
The city of Ts'ung which he made his own.
His home, and his kingdom's center, too,
For our good King Wan was a ruler true.

VOL. XI.-12.

3.

It was not self-love bade the king repair
The moat and walls he demolished there.
But respect for the past he would thus evince,
For filial and true was our royal prince.

4.

And there his merit shone bright and clear;
And the folk came thither from far and near,
And hailed him as guardian with reverence due,
For our royal prince was a ruler true.

To the east of the city a river rolled;
'Twas banked by Yu in the days of old.
Where the people flock and allegiance bring
To Wu, their monarch, their mighty king.

6.

Who removed to Hao, where a hall they raise,
And around it a circle of water plays.

Then from north to south and from east to west,
By all was he monarch and king confest.

7.

By a tortoise-shell then the king divined,
For the capital this is the spot designed.
So the city was built complete by Wu,
And worthy a monarch so good and true.

8.

By the river the millet was shining white,
To choose such a country was wise and right,
That his sons might enjoy the advantage, too,
And bless their father the good King Wu.

2 King Wu is the subject of stanza 5 and the following stanzas. The epithet Huang, "Imperial," is applied to him, which is supposed to

THE LEGEND OF HOU CHI:

Chiang Yuan was the first of our race; she lived in the days

of yore;

Now list to the wondrous tale of her and the son she bore. She brought an offering pure to the gods, and prayed them to bless

The mother, who fain would be freed from the curse of her barrenness.

And it came to pass that she stepped on the footprint a god had made,

And thus in a marvelous way was answered the prayer she

prayed.

She conceived; so she dwelt retired, till she brought forth her son; and he,

Whom she bore and nourished there, was the wonderful child, Hou Chi.

So kind were the gods that when the months ere his birth

were run,

The mother was spared all pangs in bearing her first-born

son.

As a lamb without hurt or pain is dropped on the flowering lea,

So without distress or throe did his mother bring forth Hou Chi.

show that he actually was king of China. I have tried to indicate this in my verses by giving him the title of monarch, with which I have not dignified King Wan on this occasion. It is almost unnecessary to note that Yu is the "Great Yu" who has been mentioned before.

3 King Cheng is taught by this legend the blessings conferred on himself and his people by the introduction of agriculture, and the necessity of never forgetting the grateful rites which are due to heaven for such benefits.

This poem is full of interest, for several reasons. It is the only poem in the whole classic which we can frankly acknowledge to be a solar myth. The most striking parallel to the legend of Hou Chi is the story of Chandragupta, whose mother, "relinquishing him to the protection of the devas, places him at the door of a cattle-pen. Here a bull named Chando comes to him and guards him, and a herdsman, noting this wonder, takes the child and rears him as his own."