With the eight bells at their horses' bits all tinkling, We have received the appointment in all its greatness, Our ancestor will come and enjoy our offerings, May he regard our sacrifices of winter and autumn, ODE THREE. THE HSUAN NIAO 10 Heaven commissioned the swallow, To descend and give birth to the father of our Shang." To regulate the boundaries throughout the four quarters of the kingdom. These lines are descriptive of the feudal princes, who were present and assisted at the sacrificial service. The chariot of each was drawn by four horses yoked abreast, two insides and two outsides, on each side of the bits of which small bells were attached. 10 If this ode were not intended to do honor to King Wu-ting of Shang, we can not account for the repeated mention of him in it. Chu Hsi, however, in his note on it, says nothing about Wu-ting, but simply that the piece belonged to the sacrifices in the ancestral temple, tracing back the line of the kings of Shang to its origin, and to its attaining the sovereignty of the kingdom. Not at all unlikely is the view of Chang Hsuan, that the sacrifice was in the third year after the death of Wuting, and offered to him in the temple of Hsieh, the ancestor of the Shang Dynasty. 11 The father of Shang is Hsieh, who has already been mentioned. The mother of Hsieh was a daughter of the House of the ancient State of Sung, and a concubine of the ancient ruler Khu (2435 B.C.). According to Mao, she accompanied Khu, at the time of the vernal equinox, when the swallow made its appearance, to sacrifice and pray to the first match-maker, and the result was the birth of Hsieh. Sze-ma Chien and Chang make Hsieh's birth more marvelous: The lady was bathing in some open place, when a swallow made its appearance, and dropped an egg, which she took and swallowed; and from this came Hsieh. The editors of the imperial edition of the Shih, of the present dynasty, say we need not believe the legends; the important point is to believe that the birth of Hsieh was specially ordered by Heaven. 12 In those quarters he appointed the princes, 13 Received the appointment without any element of instability in it, And it is now held by the descendant of Wu-ting. The descendant of Wu-ting Is a martial sovereign, equal to every emergency. Ten princes, who came with their dragon-emblazoned ban ners, Bear the large dishes of millet. The royal domain of a thousand li Is where the people rest; But the boundaries that reach to the four seas commence there. From the four seas 14 they come to our sacrifices; They come in multitudes. Ching has the Ho for its outer border. That Yin 15 should have received the appointment of Heaven was entirely right; Its sovereign sustains all its dignities. ODE FOUR. THE CHANG FA 16 Profoundly wise were the lords of Shang, And long had there appeared the omens of their dignity. 12"The nine regions" are the nine provinces into which Yu divided the kingdom. 13 That is, Thang. 14 This expression, which occurs also in the Shu, indicates that the early Chinese believed that their country extended to the sea, east, west, north, and south. 15 We saw in the Shu that the name the time of Pan-kang, 1401 to 1374 B.C. to that of Pan-kang. Shang gave place to Yin after 16 It does not appear on what occasion of sacrifice this piece was made. The most probable view is that of Mao, that it was the "great Ti sacrifice," when the principal object of honor would be the ancient When the waters of the deluge spread vast abroad, And God raised up the son of his daughter, and founded the line of Shang.17 The dark king exercised an effective sway.' 18 Charged with a small State, he commanded success; Wherever he inspected the people, they responded to his instructions, 20 Then came Hsiang-thu all ardent,21 And all within the four seas, beyond the middle regions, acknowledged his restraints. The favor of God did not leave Shang, And in Thang was found the fit object for its display. Thang was not born too late, And his wisdom and reverence daily advanced : Brilliant was the influence of his character on Heaven for long. God he revered, And God appointed him to be the model for the nine regions. Khu, the father of Hsieh, with Hsieh as his correlate, and all the kings of the dynasty, with the earlier lords of Shang, and their famous ministers and advisers, would have their places at the service. This is probably the oldest of the odes of Shang. 17 This line refers to the birth of Hsieh, as described in the previous ode, and his being made lord of Shang. 18 It would be hard to say why Hsieh is here called "the dark king." There may be an allusion to the legend about the connection of the swallow" the dark bird"— with his birth. He never was his descendants here represented him as such. 66 a king"; but 19 All that is meant here is that the territory of Shang was enlarged under Hsieh. 20 There is a reference here to Hsieh's appointment by Shun to be Minister of Instruction. 21 Hsiang-thu appears in the genealogical lists as grandson of Hsieh. We know nothing of him but what is related here. He received the rank-tokens of the States, small and large, He was neither violent nor remiss, Neither hard nor soft. Gently he spread his instructions abroad, And all dignities and riches were concentrated in him. He received the tribute of the States, small and large, And he supported them as a strong steed does its burden: So did he receive the favor of Heaven. He displayed everywhere his valor, Unshaken, unmoved, Unterrified, unscared: All dignities were united in him. The martial king displayed his banner, And with reverence grasped his axe. It was like the case of a blazing fire which no one can repress. The root, with its three shoots, Could make no progress, no growth.22 The nine regions were effectually secured by Thang. Having smitten the princes of Wei and Ku, He dealt with him of Chun-wu and with Chieh of Hsia. Formerly, in the middle of the period before Thang, But truly did Heaven then deal with him as a son, Who gave his assistance to the king of Shang. 22 By "the root" we are to understand Thang's chief opponent, Chieh, the last king of Hsia. Chieh's three great helpers were "the three shoots "the princes of Wei, Ku, and Chun-wu; but the exact sites of their principalities can not be made out. 23 We do not know anything of this time of decadence in the fortunes of Shang between Hsieh and Thang. 24 A-hang is I Yin, who plays so remarkable a part in the Shu, IV, Books iv, v, and vi. Rapid was the warlike energy of our king of Yin, Boldly he entered its dangerous passes, And brought the multitudes of Ching together, Till the country was reduced under complete restraint: "Ye people," he said, " of Ching-Chu, Dwell in the southern part of my kingdom. Formerly, in the time of Thang the Successful, Even from the Chiang of Ti,27 They dared not but come with their offerings; Their chiefs dared not but come to seek acknowledgment:28 Such is the regular rule of Shang." Heaven had given their appointments to the princes, But where their capitals had been assigned within the sphere of the labors of Yu, For the business of every year they appeared before our king, 20 Saying, "Do not punish nor reprove us; We have not been remiss in our husbandry." 25 Celebrating the war of Wu-ting against Ching-chu, its success, and the general happiness and virtue of his reign; made, probably, when a special and permanent temple was built for him as the "high and honored" king of Shang. 26 Ching, or Chu, or Ching-Chu, as the names are combined here, was a large and powerful half-savage State, having its capital in the present Wu-pei. 27 The Ti Chiang, or Chiang of Ti, still existed in the time of the Han Dynasty, occupying portions of the present Kan-su. 28 The chiefs of the wild tribes, lying beyond the nine provinces of the kingdom, were required to present themselves once in their lifetime at the royal court. The rule, in normal periods, was for each chief to appear immediately after he had succeeded to the headship of his tribe. 29 The feudal lords had to appear at court every year. They did so, we may suppose, at the court of Wu-ting, the more so because of his subjugation of Ching-Chu. |