BOOK XX

_Extracts from the Book of History_

The Emperor Yau said to Shun, "Ah, upon you, upon your person, lies

the Heaven-appointed order of succession! Faithfully hold to it,

without any deflection; for if within the four seas necessity and want

befall the people, your own revenue will forever come to an end."

Shun also used the same language in handing down the appointment to Yu.

The Emperor T[']ang in his prayer, said, "I, the child Li, presume to

avail me of an ox of dusky hue, and presume to manifestly announce to

Thee, O God, the most high and Sovereign Potentate, that to the

transgressor I dare not grant forgiveness, nor yet keep in abeyance

Thy ministers. Judgment rests in Thine heart, O God. Should we ourself

transgress, may the guilt not be visited everywhere upon all. Should

the people all transgress, be the guilt upon ourself!"

Chow possessed great gifts, by which the able and good were richly

endowed.

"Although," said King Wu, "he is surrounded by his near relatives,

they are not to be compared with men of humane spirit. The people are

suffering wrongs, and the remedy rests with me--the one man."

After Wu had given diligent attention to the various weights and

measures, examined the laws and regulations, and restored the degraded

officials, good government everywhere ensued.

He caused ruined States to flourish again, reinstated intercepted

heirs, and promoted to office men who had gone into retirement; and

the hearts of the people throughout the empire drew towards him.

Among matters of prime consideration with him were these--food for the

people, the duty of mourning, and sacrificial offerings to the departed.

He was liberal and large-hearted, and so won all hearts; true, and so

was trusted by the people; energetic, and thus became a man of great

achievements; just in his rule, and all were well content.

Tsz-chang in a conversation with Confucius asked, "What say you is

essential for the proper conduct of government?"

The Master replied, "Let the ruler hold in high estimation the five

excellences, and eschew the four evils; then may he conduct his

government properly."

"And what call you the five excellences?" he was asked.

"They are," he said, "bounty without extravagance; burdening without

exciting discontent; desire without covetousness; dignity without

haughtiness; show of majesty without fierceness."

"What mean you," asked Tsz-chang, "by bounty without extravagance?"

"Is it not this," he replied--"to make that which is of benefit to the

people still more beneficial? When he selects for them such labors as

it is possible for them to do, and exacts them, who will then

complain? So when his desire is the virtue of humaneness, and he

attains it, how shall he then be covetous? And if--whether he have to

do with few or with many, with small or with great--he do not venture

ever to be careless, is not this also to have dignity without

haughtiness? And if--when properly vested in robe and cap, and showing

dignity in his every look--his appearance be so imposing that the

people look up to and stand in awe of him, is not this moreover to

show majesty without fierceness?"

"What, then, do you call the four evils?" said Tsz-chang.

The answer here was, "Omitting to instruct the people and then

inflicting capital punishment on them--which means cruel tyranny.

Omitting to give them warning and yet looking for perfection in

them--which means oppression. Being slow and late in issuing

requisitions, and exacting strict punctuality in the returns--which

means robbery. And likewise, in intercourse with men, to expend and to

receive in a stingy manner--which is to act the part of a mere

commissioner."

"None can be a superior man," said the Master, "who does not recognize

the decrees of Heaven.

"None can have stability in him without a knowledge of the proprieties.

"None can know a man without knowing his utterances."

THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS

[_Translated into English by James Legge_]

INTRODUCTION

A hundred years after the time of Confucius the Chinese nation seemed

to have fallen back into their original condition of lawlessness and

oppression. The King's power and authority was laughed to scorn, the

people were pillaged by the feudal nobility, and famine reigned in

many districts. The foundations of truth and social order seemed to be

overthrown. There were teachers of immorality abroad, who published

the old Epicurean doctrine, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we

die." This teaching was accompanied by a spirit of cold-blooded

egotism which extinguished every spark of Confucian altruism. Even the

pretended disciples of Confucius confused the precepts of the Master,

and by stripping them of their narrow significance rendered them

nugatory. It was at this point that Mang-tsze, "Mang the philosopher,"

arose. He was sturdy in bodily frame, vigorous in mind, profound in

political sagacity and utterly fearless in denouncing the errors of

his countrymen. He had been brought up among the disciples of

Confucius, in whose province he was born B.C. 372, but he was much

more active and aggressive, less a Mystic than a fanatic, in

comparison with his Master. He resolved on active measures in stemming

the tendency of his day. He did indeed surround himself with a school

of disciples, but instead of making a series of desultory travels,

teaching in remote places and along the high-road, he went to the

heart of the evil. He presented himself like a second John the Baptist

at the courts of kings and princes, and there boldly denounced vice

and misrule. It was not difficult for a Chinese scholar and teacher to

find access to the highest of the land. The Chinese believed in the

divine right of learning, just as they believed in the divine right of

kings. Mang employed every weapon of persuasion in trying to combat

heresy and oppression; alternately ridiculing and reproving: now

appealing in a burst of moral enthusiasm, and now denouncing in terms

of cutting sarcasm the abuses which after all he failed to check. The

last prince whom he successfully confronted was the Marquis of Lu, who

turned him carelessly away. He accepted this as the Divine sentence of

his failure, "That I have not found in this marquis, a ruler who would

hearken to me is an intimation of heaven." Henceforth he lived in

retirement until his ninety-seventh year; but from his apparent

failure sprang a practical success. His written teachings are amongst

the most lively and epigrammatic works of Chinese literature, have

done much to keep alive amongst his countrymen the spirit of

Confucianism, and even Western readers may drink wisdom from this

spring of Oriental lore. The following selections from his sayings

well exhibit the spirit of his system of philosophy and morality:

E. W.

BOOK I

_King Hwuy of Leang_

PART I

Mencius went to see King Hwuy of Leang.[35] The king said, "Venerable

Sir, since you have not counted it far to come here a distance of a

thousand li, may I presume that you are likewise provided with

counsels to profit my kingdom?" Mencius replied, "Why must your

Majesty use that word 'profit'? What I am likewise provided with are

counsels to benevolence and righteousness; and these are my only

topics.

"If your Majesty say, 'What is to be done to profit my kingdom?' the

great officers will say, 'What is to be done to profit our families?'

and the inferior officers and the common people will say, 'What is to

be done to profit our persons?' Superiors and inferiors will try to

take the profit the one from the other, and the kingdom will be

endangered. In the kingdom of ten thousand chariots, the murderer of

his ruler will be the chief of a family of a thousand chariots. In the

State of a thousand chariots, the murderer of his ruler will be the

chief of a family of a hundred chariots. To have a thousand in ten

thousand, and a hundred in a thousand, cannot be regarded as not a

large allowance; but if righteousness be put last and profit first,

they will not be satisfied without snatching all.

"There never was a man trained to benevolence who neglected his parents.

There never was a man trained to righteousness who made his ruler an

after consideration. Let your Majesty likewise make benevolence and

righteousness your only themes--Why must you speak of profit?"

When Mencius, another day, was seeing King Hwuy of Leang, the King

went and stood with him by a pond, and, looking round on the wild

geese and deer, large and small, said, "Do wise and good princes also

take pleasure in these things?" Mencius replied, "Being wise and good,

they then have pleasure in these things. If they are not wise and

good, though they have these things, they do not find pleasure." It is

said in the 'Book of Poetry':--

'When he planned the commencement of the Marvellous tower,

He planned it, and defined it,

And the people in crowds undertook the work,

And in no time completed it.

When he planned the commencement, he said, "Be not in a hurry."

But the people came as if they were his children.

The king was in the Marvellous park,

Where the does were lying down--

The does so sleek and fat;

With the white birds glistening.

The king was by the Marvellous pond;--

How full was it of fishes leaping about!'

King Wan used the strength of the people to make his tower and pond,

and the people rejoiced to do the work, calling the tower 'the

Marvellous Tower,' and the pond 'the Marvellous Pond,' and being glad

that he had his deer, his fishes and turtles. The ancients caused

their people to have pleasure as well as themselves, and therefore

they could enjoy it.

"In the Declaration of T[']ang it is said, 'O Sun, when wilt thou

expire? We will die together with thee.' The people wished for Keeh's

death, though they should die with him. Although he had his tower, his

pond, birds and animals, how could he have pleasure alone?"

King Hwuy of Leang said, "Small as my virtue is, in the government of my

kingdom, I do indeed exert my mind to the utmost. If the year be bad

inside the Ho, I remove as many of the people as I can to the east of

it, and convey grain to the country inside. If the year be bad on the

east of the river, I act on the same plan. On examining the governmental

methods of the neighboring kingdoms, I do not find there is any ruler

who exerts his mind as I do. And yet the people of the neighboring kings

do not decrease, nor do my people increase--how is this?"

Mencius replied, "Your Majesty loves war; allow me to take an

illustration from war. The soldiers move forward at the sound of the

drum; and when the edges of their weapons have been crossed, on one

side, they throw away their buff coats, trail their weapons behind

them, and run. Some run a hundred paces and then stop; some run fifty

paces and stop. What would you think if these, because they had run

but fifty paces, should laugh at those who ran a hundred paces?" The

king said, "They cannot do so. They only did not run a hundred paces;

but they also ran." Mencius said, "Since your Majesty knows this you

have no ground to expect that your people will become more numerous

than those of the neighboring kingdoms.

"If the seasons of husbandry be not interfered with, the grain will be

more than can be eaten. If close nets are not allowed to enter the

pools and ponds, the fish and turtles will be more than can be

consumed. If the axes and bills enter the hill-forests only at the

proper times, the wood will be more than can be used. When the grain

and fish and turtles are more than can be eaten, and there is more

wood than can be used, this enables the people to nourish their living

and do all offices for their dead, without any feeling against any.

But this condition, in which the people nourish their living, and do

all offices to their dead without having any feeling against any, is

the first step in the Royal way.

"Let mulberry trees be planted about the homesteads with their five

acres, and persons of fifty years will be able to wear silk. In

keeping fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, let not their time of breeding

be neglected, and persons of seventy years will be able to eat flesh.

Let there not be taken away the time that is proper for the

cultivation of the field allotment of a hundred acres, and the family

of several mouths will not suffer from hunger. Let careful attention

be paid to the teaching in the various schools, with repeated

inculcation of the filial and fraternal duties, and gray-haired men

will not be seen upon the roads, carrying burdens on their backs or on

their heads. It has never been that the ruler of a State where these

results were seen, persons of seventy wearing silk and eating flesh,

and the black-haired people suffering neither from hunger nor cold,

did not attain to the Royal dignity.

"Your dogs and swine eat the food of men, and you do not know to store

up of the abundance. There are people dying from famine on the roads,

and you do not know to issue your stores for their relief. When men

die, you say, 'It is not owing to me; it is owing to the year.' In

what does this differ from stabbing a man and killing him, and then

saying, 'It was not I; it was the weapon'? Let your Majesty cease to

lay the blame on the year and instantly the people, all under the sky,

will come to you."

King Hwuy of Leang said, "I wish quietly to receive your

instructions." Mencius replied, "Is there any difference between

killing a man with a stick and with a sword?" "There is no

difference," was the answer.

Mencius continued, "Is there any difference between doing it with a

sword and with governmental measures?" "There is not," was the answer

again.

Mencius then said, "In your stalls there are fat beasts; in your

stables there are fat horses. But your people have the look of hunger,

and in the fields there are those who have died of famine. This is

leading on beasts to devour men. Beasts devour one another, and men

hate them for doing so. When he who is called the parent of the people

conducts his government so as to be chargeable with leading on beasts

to devour men, where is that parental relation to the people? Chung-ne

said, 'Was he not without posterity who first made wooden images to

bury with the dead?' So he said, because that man made the semblances

of men and used them for that purpose; what shall be thought of him

who causes his people to die of hunger?"

King Hwuy of Leang said, "There was not in the kingdom a stronger

State than Ts[']in, as you, venerable Sir, know. But since it

descended to me, on the east we were defeated by Ts[']e, and then my

eldest son perished; on the west we lost seven hundred li of territory

to Ts[']in; and on the south we have sustained disgrace at the hands

of Ts[']oo. I have brought shame on my departed predecessors, and wish

on their account to wipe it away once for all. What course is to be

pursued to accomplish this?"

Mencius replied, "With a territory only a hundred li square it has

been possible to obtain the Royal dignity. If your Majesty will indeed

dispense a benevolent government to the people, being sparing in the

use of punishments and fines, and making the taxes and levies of

produce light, so causing that the fields shall be ploughed deep, and

the weeding well attended to, and that the able-bodied, during their

days of leisure, shall cultivate their filial piety, fraternal duty,

faithfulness, and truth, serving thereby, at home, their fathers and

elder brothers, and, abroad, their elders and superiors, you will

then have a people who can be employed with sticks which they have

prepared to oppose the strong buff-coats and sharp weapons of the

troops of Ts[']in and Ts[']oo.

"The rulers of those States rob their people of their time, so that

they cannot plough and weed their fields in order to support their

parents. Parents suffer from cold and hunger; elder and younger

brothers, wives and children, are separated and scattered abroad.

Those rulers drive their people into pitfalls or into the water; and

your Majesty will go to punish them. In such a case, who will oppose

your Majesty? In accordance with this is the saying, 'The benevolent

has no enemy!' I beg your Majesty not to doubt what I said."

Mencius had an interview with King Seang[36] of Leang. When he came

out he said to some persons, "When I looked at him from a distance, he

did not appear like a ruler; when I drew near to him, I saw nothing

venerable about him. Abruptly he asked me, 'How can the kingdom, all

under the sky, be settled?' I replied, 'It will be settled by being

united under one sway.'

"'Who can so unite it?' he asked.

"I replied, 'He who has no pleasure in killing men can so unite it.'

"'Who can give it to him?' he asked.

"I replied, 'All under heaven will give it to him. Does your Majesty

know the way of the growing grain? During the seventh and eighth

months, when drought prevails, the plants become dry. Then the clouds

collect densely in the heavens, and send down torrents of rain, so

that the grain erects itself as if by a shoot. When it does so, who

can keep it back? Now among those who are shepherds of men throughout

the kingdom, there is not one who does not find pleasure in killing

men. If there were one who did not find pleasure in killing men, all

the people under the sky would be looking towards him with

outstretched necks. Such being indeed the case, the people would go to

him as water flows downwards with a rush, which no one can repress."

King Seuen of Ts[']e asked, saying, "May I be informed by you of the

transactions of Hwan of Ts[']e and Wan of Ts[']in?"

Mencius replied, "There were none of the disciples of Chung-ne who

spoke about the affairs of Hwan and Wan, and therefore they have not

been transmitted to these after-ages; your servant has not heard of

them. If you will have me speak, let it be about the principles of

attaining to the Royal sway."

The king said, "Of what kind must his virtue be who can attain to the

Royal sway?" Mencius said, "If he loves and protects the people, it is

impossible to prevent him from attaining it."

The king said, "Is such an one as poor I competent to love and protect

the people?" "Yes," was the reply. "From what do you know that I am

competent to that?" "I have heard," said Mencius, "from Hoo Heih the

following incident:--'The king,' said he, 'was sitting aloft in the

hall, when some people appeared leading a bull past below it. The king

saw it, and asked where the bull was going, and being answered that

they were going to consecrate a bell with its blood, he said, "Let it

go, I cannot bear its frightened appearance--as if it were an innocent

person going to the place of death." They asked in reply whether, if

they did so, they should omit the consecration of the bell, but the

king said, "How can that be omitted? Change it for a sheep." "I do not

know whether this incident occurred."

"It did," said the king, and Mencius replied, "The heart seen in this

is sufficient to carry you to the Royal sway. The people all supposed

that your Majesty grudged the animal, but your servant knows surely

that it was your Majesty's not being able to bear the sight of the

creature's distress which made you do as you did."

The king said, "You are right; and yet there really was an appearance

of what the people imagined. But though Ts[']e be narrow and small,

how should I grudge a bull? Indeed it was because I could not bear its

frightened appearance, as if it were an innocent person going to the

place of death, that therefore I changed it for a sheep."

Mencius said, "Let not your Majesty deem it strange that the people

should think you grudged the animal. When you changed a large one for

a small, how should they know the true reason? If you felt pained by

its being led without any guilt to the place of death, what was there

to choose between a bull and a sheep?" The king laughed and said,

"What really was my mind in the matter? I did not grudge the value of

the bull, and yet I changed it for a sheep! There was reason in the

people's saying that I grudged the creature."

Mencius said, "There is no harm in their saying so. It was an artifice

of benevolence. You saw the bull, and had not seen the sheep. So is

the superior man affected towards animals, that, having seen them

alive, he cannot bear to see them die, and, having heard their dying

cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. On this account he keeps

away from his stalls and kitchen."

The king was pleased and said, "The Ode says,

'What other men have in their minds,

I can measure by reflection.'

This might be spoken of you, my Master. I indeed did the thing, but when

I turned my thoughts inward and sought for it, I could not discover my

own mind. When you, Master, spoke those words, the movements of

compassion began to work in my mind. But how is it that this heart has

in it what is equal to the attainment of the Royal sway?"

Mencius said, "Suppose a man were to make this statement to your

Majesty, 'My strength is sufficient to lift three thousand catties,

but is not sufficient to lift one feather; my eyesight is sharp enough

to examine the point of an autumn hair, but I do not see a wagon-load

of fagots,' would your Majesty allow what he said?" "No," was the

king's remark, and Mencius proceeded, "Now here is kindness sufficient

to reach to animals, and yet no benefits are extended from it to the

people--how is this? is an exception to be made here? The truth is,

the feather's not being lifted is because the strength was not used;

the wagon-load of firewood's not being seen is because the eyesight

was not used; and the people's not being loved and protected is

because the kindness is not used. Therefore your Majesty's not

attaining to the Royal sway is because you do not do it, and not

because you are not able to do it."

The king asked, "How may the difference between him who does not do a

thing and him who is not able to do it be graphically set forth?"

Mencius replied, "In such a thing as taking the T[']ae mountain under

your arm, and leaping with it over the North Sea, if you say to

people, 'I am not able to do it,' that is a real case of not being

able. In such a matter as breaking off a branch from a tree at the

order of a superior, if you say to people, 'I am not able to do it,'

it is not a case of not being able to do it. And so your Majesty's not

attaining to the Royal sway is not such a case as that of taking the

T[']ae mountain under your arm and leaping over the North Sea with it;

but it is a case like that of breaking off a branch from a tree.

"Treat with reverence due to age the elders in your own family, so

that those in the families of others shall be similarly treated; treat

with the kindness due to youth the young in your own family, so that

those in the families of others shall be similarly treated--do this

and the kingdom may be made to go round in your palm. It is said in

the 'Book of Poetry,'

'His example acted on his wife,

Extended to his brethren,

And was felt by all the clans and States;'

telling us how King Wan simply took this kindly heart, and exercised it

towards those parties. Therefore the carrying out of the feeling of

kindness by a ruler will suffice for the love and protection of all

within the four seas; and if he do not carry it out, he will not be able

to protect his wife and children. The way in which the ancients came

greatly to surpass other men was no other than this, that they carried

out well what they did, so as to affect others. Now your kindness is

sufficient to reach to animals, and yet no benefits are extended from it

to the people. How is this? Is an exception to be made here?

"By weighing we know what things are light, and what heavy. By

measuring we know what things are long, and what short. All things are

so dealt with, and the mind requires specially to be so. I beg your

Majesty to measure it.

"Your Majesty collects your equipments of war, endangers your soldiers

and officers and excites the resentment of the various princes--do

these things cause you pleasure in your mind?"

The king said, "No. How should I derive pleasure from these things? My

object in them is to seek for what I greatly desire."

Mencius said, "May I hear from you what it is that your Majesty

greatly desires?"

The king laughed, and did not speak. Mencius resumed, "Are you led to

desire it because you have not enough of rice and sweet food for your

mouth? or because you have not enough of light and warm clothing for

your body? or because you have not enough of beautifully colored

objects to satisfy your eyes? or because there are not voices and

sounds enough to fill your ears? or because you have not enough of

attendants and favorites to stand before you and receive your orders?

Your Majesty's various officers are sufficient to supply you with all

these things. How can your Majesty have such a desire on account of

them?" "No," said the king, "my desire is not on account of them."

Mencius observed, "Then what your Majesty greatly desires can be

known. You desire to enlarge your territories, to have Ts[']in and

Ts[']oo coming to your court, to rule the Middle States, and to

attract to you the barbarous tribes that surround them. But to do what

you do in order to seek for what you desire is like climbing a tree to

seek for fish."

"Is it so bad as that?" said the king. "I apprehend it is worse," was

the reply. "If you climb a tree to seek for fish, although you do not

get the fish, you have no subsequent calamity. But if you do what you

do in order to seek for what you desire, doing it even with all your

heart, you will assuredly afterwards meet with calamities." The king

said, "May I hear what they will be?" Mencius replied, "If the people

of Tsow were fighting with the people of Ts[']oo, which of them does

your Majesty think would conquer?" "The people of Ts[']oo would

conquer," was the answer, and Mencius pursued, "So then, a small State

cannot contend with a great, few cannot contend with many, nor can the

weak contend with the strong. The territory within the seas would

embrace nine divisions, each of a thousand li square. All Ts[']e

together is one of them. If with one part you try to subdue the other

eight, what is the difference between that and Tsow's contending with

Ts[']oo? With the desire which you have, you must turn back to the

proper course for its attainment.

"Now, if your Majesty will institute a government whose action shall

all be benevolent, this will cause all the officers in the kingdom to

wish to stand in your Majesty's court, the farmers all to wish to

plough in your Majesty's fields, the merchants, both travelling and

stationary, all to wish to store their goods in your Majesty's

market-places, travellers and visitors all to wish to travel on your

Majesty's roads, and all under heaven who feel aggrieved by their

rulers to wish to come and complain to your Majesty. When they are so

bent, who will be able to keep them back?"

The king said, "I am stupid and cannot advance to this. But I wish

you, my Master, to assist my intentions. Teach me clearly, and

although I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I should like to

try at least to institute such a government."

Mencius replied, "They are only men of education, who, without a

certain livelihood, are able to maintain a fixed heart. As to the

people, if they have not a certain livelihood, they will be found not

to have a fixed heart. And if they have not a fixed heart, there is

nothing which they will not do in the way of self-abandonment, of

moral deflection, of depravity, and of wild license. When they have

thus been involved in crime, to follow them up and punish them, is to

entrap the people. How can such a thing as entrapping the people be

done under the rule of a benevolent man?"

"Therefore, an intelligent ruler will regulate the livelihood of the

people, so as to make sure that, above, they shall have sufficient

wherewith to serve their parents, and below, sufficient wherewith to

support their wives and children; that in good years they shall always

be abundantly satisfied, and that in bad years they shall not be in

danger of perishing. After this he may urge them, and they will

proceed to what is good, for in this case the people will follow after

that with readiness.

"But now the livelihood of the people is so regulated, that, above,

they have not sufficient wherewith to serve their parents, and, below,

they have not sufficient wherewith to support their wives and

children; even in good years their lives are always embittered, and in

bad years they are in danger of perishing. In such circumstances their

only object is to escape from death, and they are afraid they will not

succeed in doing so--what leisure have they to cultivate propriety and

righteousness?

"If your Majesty wishes to carry out a benevolent government, why not

turn back to what is the essential step to its attainment?

"Let mulberry trees be planted about the homesteads with their five

acres, and persons of fifty years will be able to wear silk. In

keeping fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, let not their times of breeding

be neglected, and persons of seventy years will be able to eat flesh.

Let there not be taken away the time that is proper for the

cultivation of the field-allotment of a hundred acres, and the family

of eight mouths will not suffer from hunger. Let careful attention be

paid to the teaching in the various schools, with repeated inculcation

of the filial and fraternal duties, and gray-haired men will not be

seen upon the roads, carrying burdens on their backs or on their

heads. It has never been that the ruler of a State, where these

results were seen, the old wearing silk and eating flesh, and the

black-haired people suffering neither from hunger nor cold, did not

attain to the Royal dignity."

[Footnote 35: The title of this book in Chinese is--"King Hwuy of

Leang; in chapters and sentences." Like the Books of the Confucian

Analects, those of this work are headed by two or three words at or

near the commencement of them. Each Book is divided into two parts.

This arrangement was made by Chaou K[']e, and to him are due also the

divisions into chapters, and sentences, or paragraphs, containing, it

may be, many sentences.]

[Footnote 36: Seang was the son of King Hwuy. The first year of his

reign is supposed to be B.C. 317. Seang's name was Hih. As a

posthumous epithet, Seang has various meanings: "Land-enlarger and

Virtuous"; "Successful in Arms." The interview here recorded seems to

have taken place immediately after Hih's accession, and Mencius, it is

said, was so disappointed by it that he soon after left the country.]

[_Books II, III, and IV are omitted_]

BOOK V

_Wan Chang_[37]

PART I

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "When Shun went into the fields, he

cried out and wept towards the pitying heavens. Why did he cry out and

weep?" Mencius replied, "He was dissatisfied and full of earnest

desire."

Wan Chang said, "When his parents love him, a son rejoices and forgets

them not; and when they hate him, though they punish him, he does not

allow himself to be dissatisfied. Was Shun then dissatisfied with his

parents?" Mencius said, "Ch[']ang Seih asked Kung-ming Kaou, saying,

'As to Shun's going into the fields, I have received your

instructions; but I do not understand about his weeping and crying out

to the pitying heavens, and to his parents.' Kung-ming Kaou answered

him, 'You do not understand that matter.' Now Kung-ming Kaou thought

that the heart of a filial son like Shun could not be so free from

sorrow as Seih seemed to imagine he might have been. Shun would be

saying, 'I exert my strength to cultivate the fields, but I am thereby

only discharging my duty as a son. What is there wrong in me that my

parents do not love me?'

"The emperor caused his own children--nine sons and two daughters--the

various officers, oxen and sheep, store-houses and granaries, all to

be prepared for the service of Shun amid the channeled fields. Most of

the officers in the empire repaired to him. The emperor designed that

he should superintend the empire along with himself, and then to

transfer it to him. But because his parents were not in accord with

him, he felt like a poor man who has nowhere to turn to.

"To be an object of complacency to the officers of the empire is what

men desire; but it was not sufficient to remove the sorrow of Shun.

The possession of beauty is what men desire: but though Shun had for

his wives the two daughters of the emperor, it was not sufficient to

remove his sorrow. Riches are what men desire, but though the empire

was the rich property of Shun, it was not enough to remove his sorrow.

Honors are what men desire, but though Shun had the dignity of being

the son of Heaven, it was not sufficient to remove his sorrow. The

reason why his being the object of men's complacency, the possession

of beauty, riches, and honors, could not remove his sorrow was because

it could be removed only by his being in entire accord with his parents.

"The desire of a child is towards his father and mother. When he

becomes conscious of the attractions of beauty, his desire is towards

young and beautiful women. When he comes to have a wife and children,

his desire is towards them. When he obtains office, his desire is

towards his ruler; and if he cannot get the regard of his ruler, he

burns within. But the man of great filial piety, all his life, has his

desire towards his parents. In the great Shun I see the case of one

whose desire was towards them when he was fifty years old."

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "It is said in the 'Book of Poetry,'

'How do we proceed in taking a wife?

Announcement must first be made to our parents.'

If the rule be indeed as thus expressed, no one ought to have

illustrated it so well as Shun--how was it that Shun's marriage took

place without his informing his parents?" Mencius replied, "If he had

informed them, he would not have been able to marry. That male and

female dwell together is the greatest of human relations. If Shun had

informed his parents, he must have made void this greatest of human

relations, and incurred thereby their resentment. It was on this

account that he did not inform them."

Wan Chang said, "As to Shun's marrying without making announcement to

his parents, I have heard your instructions. But how was it that the

emperor gave him his daughters as wives without informing his

parents?" Mencius said, "The emperor also knew that, if he informed

his parents, he could not have given him his daughters as wives."

Wan Chang said, "His parents set Shun to repair a granary, and then

removed the ladder by which he had ascended; after which Koo-sow set

fire to it. They sent him to dig a well, from which he managed to get

out; but they, not knowing this, proceeded to cover it up. His

brother, Seang, said, 'Of this scheme to cover up the city-farming

gentleman the merit is all mine. Let my parents have his oxen and

sheep; let them have his granaries and store-houses. His shield and

spear shall be mine; his lute shall be mine; his carved bow shall be

mine; and I will make his two wives attend for me to my bed.' Seang

then went away and entered Shun's house, and there was Shun upon a

couch with his lute. Seang said, 'I am come simply because I was

thinking anxiously about you,' and at the same time he looked ashamed.

Shun said to him, 'There are all my officers; do you take the

management of them for me.' I do not know whether Shun was ignorant of

Seang's wishing to kill him." Mencius replied, "How could he be

ignorant of it? But when Seang was sorrowful, he was also sorrowful,

and when Seang was joyful, he was also joyful."

Wan Chang continued, "Then was Shun one who rejoiced hypocritically?"

"No," was the reply. "Formerly some one sent a present of a live fish

to Tsze-ch[']an of Ch[']ing. Tsze-ch[']an ordered his pond-keeper to

feed it in the pond; but the man cooked it and reported the execution

of his commission, saying, 'When I first let it go, it looked

embarrassed. In a little while it seemed to be somewhat at ease, and

then it swam away as if delighted.' 'It had got into its element!'

said Tsze-ch[']an. The pond-keeper went out and said, 'Who calls

Tsze-ch[']an wise? When I had cooked and eaten the fish, he said, "It

has got into its element! It has got into its element!"' "Thus a

superior man may be imposed on by what seems to be as it ought to be,

but it is difficult to entrap him by what is contrary to right

principle. Seang came in the way in which the love of his elder

brother would have made him come, and therefore Shun truly believed

him, and rejoiced at it. What hypocrisy was there?"

Wan Chang said, "Seang made it his daily business to kill Shun; why

was it that, when the latter was raised to be the son of Heaven, he

only banished him?" Mencius replied, "He invested him with a State,

and some have said that it was banishing him." When Chang said, "Shun

banished the Superintendent of Works to Yew-chow, sent away Hwan-tow

to Mount Ts[']ung, slew the Prince of San Meaou in San-wei, and

imprisoned K[']wan on Mount Yu. When those four criminals were thus

dealt with, all under heaven submitted to him; it was a cutting off of

men who were destitute of benevolence. But Seang was of all men the

most destitute of benevolence, and Shun invested him with the State of

Pe; of what crime had the people of Pe been guilty? Does a benevolent

man really act thus? In the case of other men, he cut them off; in the

case of his brother, he invested him with a State." Mencius replied,

"A benevolent man does not lay up anger, nor cherish resentment

against his brother, but only regards him with affection and love.

Regarding him with affection, he wishes him to enjoy honor; loving

him, he wishes him to be rich. The investing him with Pe was to enrich

and ennoble him. If while Shun himself was emperor, his brother had

been a common man, could he have been said to regard him with

affection and love?"

Wan Chang said, "I venture to ask what is meant by some saying that it

was a banishing of Seang." Mencius replied, "Seang could do nothing of

himself in his State. The emperor appointed an officer to manage its

government, and to pay over its revenues to him; and therefore it was

said that it was a banishing of him? How indeed could he be allowed

the means of oppressing the people there? Nevertheless, Shun wished to

be continually seeing him, and therefore he came unceasingly to court,

as is signified in that expression, 'He did not wait for the rendering

of tribute, or affairs of government, to receive the prince of Pe.'"

Heen-k[']ew Mung asked Mencius, saying, "There is the old saying, 'An

officer of complete virtue cannot be employed as a minister by his

ruler, nor treated as a son by his father.' Shun stood with his face

to the south, and Yaou, at the head of all the feudal princes,

appeared in his court with his face to the north. Koo-sow also

appeared at Shun's court with his face to the north; and when Shun saw

him, his countenance assumed a look of distress. Confucius said, 'At

this time the empire was in a perilous condition indeed! How unsettled

was its state!' I do not know whether what is thus said really took

place." Mencius said, "No. These are not the words of a superior man,

but the sayings of an uncultivated person of the east of Ts[']e. When

Yaou was old, Shun took the management of affairs for him. It is said

in the Canon of Yaou, 'After twenty-eight years, Fang-heun demised,

and the people mourned for him as for a parent three years. All within

the four seas, the eight instruments of music were stopped and

hushed." Confucius said, "'There are not two suns in the sky, nor two

sovereigns over the people. If Shun had already been in the position

of the son of Heaven, and had moreover led on all the feudal princes

of the empire to observe the three years' mourning for Yaou, there

must in that case have been two sons of Heaven.'"

Heen-k[']ew Mung said, "On the point of Shun's not employing Yaou as a

minister, I have received your instructions. But it is said in the

'Book of Poetry,'

'Under the wide heaven,

All is the king's land;

Within the sea-boundaries of the land,

All are the king's servants.'

When Shun became emperor, I venture to ask how it was that Koo-sow was

not one of his servants." Mencius replied, "That Ode is not to be

understood in that way; it speaks of being laboriously engaged in the

king's business, and not being able to nourish one's parents, as if

the subject of it said, 'This is all the king's business, but I alone

am supposed to have ability, and made to toil in it.' Therefore those

who explain the Odes must not insist on one term so as to do violence

to a sentence, nor on a sentence so as to do violence to the general

scope. They must try with their thoughts to meet that scope, and then

they will apprehend it. If we simply take single sentences, there is

that in the Ode called the 'Yun Han,'

'Of the remnant of Chow, among the black-haired people,

There will not be half a man left.'

If it had really been as thus expressed, then not an individual of the

people of Chow would have been left.

"Of all that a filial son can attain to, there is nothing greater

than his honoring his parents. Of what can be attained to in honoring

one's parents, there is nothing greater than the nourishing them with

the empire. To be the father of the son of Heaven is the height of

honor. To be nourished with the empire is the height of nourishment.

In this was verified the sentiment in the 'Book of Poetry,'

'Ever thinking how to be filial,

His filial mind was the model which he supplied.'

"In the 'Book of History' it is said, 'With respectful service he

appeared before Koo-sow, looking grave and awestruck, till Koo-sow

also was transformed by his example.' This is the true case of the

scholar of complete virtue not being treated as a son by his father."

Wan Chang said, "It is said that Yaou gave the empire to Shun; was it

so?" Mencius replied, "No; the emperor cannot give the empire to

another." "Yes; but Shun possessed the empire. Who gave it to him?"

"Heaven gave it to him," was the reply.

"Heaven gave it to him? Did Heaven confer the appointment on him with

specific injunctions?" Mencius said, "No. Heaven does not speak. It

simply showed its will by his personal conduct, and by his conduct of

affairs."

"'It showed its will by his personal conduct, and by his conduct of

affairs,'" returned the other; "how was this?" Mencius said, "The

emperor can present a man to Heaven, but he cannot make Heaven give

that man the empire. A feudal prince can present a man to the emperor

to take his place, but he cannot make the emperor give the princedom

to that man. A great officer can present a man to his prince, but he

cannot cause the prince to make that man a great officer in his own

room. Anciently Yaou presented Shun to Heaven, and Heaven accepted

him; he displayed him to the people, and the people accepted him.

Therefore I say, 'Heaven does not speak. It simply indicated its will

by his personal conduct, and by his conduct of affairs.'"

Chang said, "I presume to ask how it was that Yaou presented Shun to

Heaven, and Heaven accepted him, and displayed him to the people, and

the people accepted him." The reply was, "He caused him to preside

over the sacrifices, and all the Spirits were well pleased with them;

thus it was that Heaven accepted him. He caused him to preside over

the conduct of affairs, and affairs were well administered, so that

all the people reposed under him; thus it was that the people accepted

him. Heaven gave the empire to him, and the people gave it to him.

Therefore I said, 'The emperor cannot give the empire to another.'

"Shun assisted Yaou in the government for twenty and eight years; this

was more than man could have done, and was from Heaven. When the three

years' mourning consequent on the death of Yaou were accomplished,

Shun withdrew from the son of Yaou to the south of the southern Ho.

The princes of the empire, however, repairing to court, went not to

the son of Yaou, but to Shun. Litigants went not to the son of Yaou,

but to Shun. Singers sang not the son of Yaou, but Shun. Therefore I

said that it was Heaven that gave him the empire. It was after this

that he went to the Middle State, and occupied the seat of the son of

Heaven. If he had before these things taken up his residence in the

palace of Yaou, and applied pressure to his son, it would have been an

act of usurpation, and not the gift of Heaven.

"This view of Shun's obtaining the empire is in accordance with what

is said in The Great Declaration--'Heaven sees as my people see,

Heaven hears as my people hear.'"

Wan Chang said, "People say, 'When the disposal of the empire came to

Yu, his virtue was inferior to that of Yaou and Shun, and he did not

transmit it to the worthiest, but to his son.' Was it so?" Mencius

replied, "No; it was not so. When Heaven gave the empire to the

worthiest, it was given to the worthiest; when Heaven gave it to the

son of the preceding emperor, it was given to that son. Formerly Shun

presented Yu to Heaven for a period of seventeen years; and when the

three years' mourning, consequent on the death of Shun, were

accomplished, Yu withdrew from the son of Yu to Yang-shing. The people

of the empire followed him as, after the death of Yaou, they had not

followed his son, but followed Shun. Yu presented Yih to Heaven for a

period of seven years; and when the three years' mourning consequent

on the death of Yu were accomplished, Yih withdrew from the son of Yu

to the north of Mount Ke. The princes repairing to court, and

litigants, went not to Yih, but to K[']e, saying, 'He is the son of

our ruler.' Singers did not sing Yih, but they sang K[']e, saying, 'He

is the son of our ruler.'

"That Tan-choo was not equal to his father, and Shun's son also not

equal to his; that Shun assisted Yaou, and Yu assisted Shun, for a

period of many years, conferring benefits on the people for a long

time; that K[']e was virtuous and able, and could reverently enter

into and continue the ways of Yu; that Yih assisted Yu for a period of

a few years, conferring benefits on the people not for a long time;

that the length of time that Shun, Yu, and Yih, assisted in the

government was so different; and that the sons of the emperors were

one a man of talents and virtue, and the other two inferior to their

fathers:--all these things were from Heaven, and what could not be

produced by man. That which is done without any one's seeming to do it

is from Heaven. That which comes to pass without any one's seeming to

bring it about is from Heaven.

"In the case of a private man's obtaining the empire, there must be in

him virtue equal to that of Shun and Yu, and moreover there must be

the presenting him to Heaven by the preceding emperor. It was on this

latter account that Chung-ne did not obtain the kingdom.

"When the throne descends by natural succession, he who is displaced

by Heaven must be like Keeh or Chow. It was on this account that Yih,

E Yin, and the duke of Chow did not obtain the kingdom.

"E Yin assisted T[']ang so that he became sovereign of the kingdom.

After the demise of T[']ang, T[']ae-ting having died without being

appointed in his place, Wae-ping reigned two years, and Chung-jin

four. T[']ae-Keah then was turning upside down the canons and examples

of T[']ang, and E Yin placed him in T[']ung for three years. There he

repented of his errors, was contrite, and reformed himself. In T[']ung

he came to dwell in benevolence and moved towards righteousness,

during those three years listening to the lessons given to him by E

Yin, after which that minister again returned with him to Poh.

"The duke of Chow's not getting the kingdom was like that of Yih's not

getting the throne of Hea, or E Yin's that of Yin.

"Confucius said, 'T[']ang and Yu resigned the throne to the worthiest;

the founders of the Hea, Yin, and Chow dynasties transmitted it to

their sons. The principle of righteousness was the same in all the

cases.'"

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "People say that E Yin sought an

introduction to T[']ang by his knowledge of cookery; was it so?" Mencius

replied, "No, it was not so. E Yin was farming in the lands of the State

of Sin, delighting in the principles of Yaou and Shun. In any matter

contrary to the righteousness which they prescribed, or to the course

which they enjoined, though he had been salaried with the empire, he

would not have regarded it; though there had been yoked for him a

thousand teams, he would not have looked at them. In any matter contrary

to the righteousness which they prescribed, or to the course which they

enjoined, he would not have given nor taken even a single straw.

"T[']ang sent persons with presents of silk to ask him to enter his

service. With an air of indifference and self-satisfaction, he said,

'What can I do with these silks with which T[']ang invites me? Is it

not best for me to abide in these channeled fields, and therein

delight myself with the principles of Yaou and Shun?'

"T[']ang thrice sent persons thus to invite him. After this, with the

change of purpose displayed in his countenance, he spoke in a

different style, saying, 'Instead of abiding in the channeled fields,

and therein delighting myself with the principles of Yaou and Shun,

had I not better make this ruler one after the style of Yaou and Shun?

had I not better make this people like the people of Yaou and Shun?

had I not better in my own person see these things for myself?

Heaven's plan in the production of this people is this:--That they who

are first informed, should instruct those who are later in being

informed, and those who first apprehend principles should instruct

those who are slower to do so. I am the one of Heaven's people who

have first apprehended; I will take these principles and instruct this

people in them. If I do not instruct them, who will do so?'

"He thought that among all the people of the kingdom, even the private

men and women, if there were any that did not enjoy such benefits as

Yaou and Shun conferred, it was as if he himself pushed them into a

ditch. He took upon himself the heavy charge of all under Heaven in

this way, and therefore he went to T[']ang, and pressed upon him the

duty of attacking Hea, and saving the people.

"I have not heard of one who bent himself and at the same time made

others straight; how much less could one disgrace himself, and thereby

rectify the whole kingdom? The actions of the sages have been

different. Some have kept far away from office, and others have drawn

near to it; some have left their offices, and others have not done so;

that in which these different courses all meet, is simply the keeping

of their persons pure.

"I have heard that E Yin sought an introduction to T[']ang by the

principles of Yaou and Shun; I have not heard he did so by his

knowledge of cookery.

"In the 'Instructions of E,' it is said, 'Heaven, destroying Keeh,

commenced attacking him in the palace of Muh; we commenced in Poh.'"

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "Some say that Confucius in Wei lived

with an ulcer-doctor, and in Ts[']e with Tseih Hwan, the chief of the

eunuchs; was it so?" Mencius said, "No, it was not so. Those are the

inventions of men fond of strange things.

"In Wei he lived in the house of Yen Ch[']ow-yew. The wife of the

officer Mei and the wife of Tsze-lu were sisters. Mei-tsze spoke to

Tsze-lu, saying, 'If Confucius will lodge with me, he may get to be a

high noble of Wei.' Tsze-lu reported this to Confucius, who said,

'That is as ordered by Heaven.' Confucius advanced according to

propriety, and retired according to righteousness. In regard to his

obtaining office and honor or not obtaining them, he said, 'That is as

ordered.' But if he had lodged with an ulcer-doctor and with Tseih

Hwan, the chief of the eunuchs, that would neither have been according

to righteousness nor any ordering of Heaven.

"When Confucius, being dissatisfied in Lu and Wei, had left those

States, he met with the attempt of Hwan, the master of the Horse, in

Sung, to intercept and kill him, so that he had to pass through Sung

in the dress of a private man. At that time, though he was in

circumstances of distress, he lodged in the house of Ching-tsze, the

minister of works, who was then a minister of Chow, the marquis of

Ch[']in.

"I have heard that ministers in the service of a court may be known

from those to whom they are hosts, and that ministers coming from a

distance may be known from those with whom they lodge. If Confucius

had lodged with an ulcer-doctor and with Tseih Hwan, the chief of the

eunuchs, how could he have been Confucius?"

Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, "Some say that Pih-le He sold himself

to a cattle-keeper of Ts[']in for five sheepskins, and fed his cattle

for him, to seek an introduction to Duke Muh of Ts[']in; is this

true?" Mencius said, "No, it was not so. This is the invention of some

one fond of strange things.

"Pih-le He was a man of Yu. The people of Ts[']in by the inducement of

a _peih_ of Ch[']uy-Keih and a team of Keuh-ch[']an horses were asking

liberty to march through Yu to attack Kwoh. Kung Che-k[']e

remonstrated with the duke of Yu, asking him not to grant their

request, but Pih-le He did not remonstrate.

"When he knew that the duke of Yu was not to be remonstrated with, and

went in consequence from that State to Ts[']in, he had reached the age

of seventy. If by that time he did not know that it would be a

disgraceful thing to seek for an introduction to Duke Muh of Ts[']in

by feeding cattle, could he be called wise? But not remonstrating

where it was of no use to remonstrate, could he be said not to be

wise? Knowing that the duke of Yu would be ruined, and leaving his

State before that event, he could not be said to be not wise. As soon

as he was advanced in Ts[']in, he knew that Duke Muh was one with whom

he could have a field for action, and became chief minister to him;

could he be said to be not wise? Acting as chief minister in Ts[']in,

he made his ruler distinguished throughout the kingdom, and worthy to

be handed down to future ages; if he had not been a man of talents and

virtue, could he have done this? As to selling himself in order to

bring about the destruction of his ruler, even a villager who had a

regard for himself, would not do such a thing; and shall we say that a

man of talents and virtue did it?"

[Footnote 37: The Book is named from Wan Chang, who is almost the only

interlocutor with Mencius in it. The tradition is that it was in

company with Wan's disciples that Mencius, baffled in all his hopes of

doing public service, and having retired into privacy, composed the

Seven Books which constitute his works. The part which follows is all

occupied with discussions in vindication of Shun and other ancient

worthies.]

THE SHI-KING

[_Metrical translation by James Legge_]

INTRODUCTION

The wisdom of Confucius as a social reformer, as a teacher and guide

of the Chinese people, is shown in many ways. He not only gave them a

code of personal deportment, providing them with rules for the

etiquette and ceremony of life, but he instilled into them that

profound spirit of domestic piety which is one of the strongest

features in the Chinese character. He took measures to secure also the

intellectual cultivation of his followers, and his Five Canons contain

all the most ancient works of Chinese literature, in the departments

of poetry, history, philosophy, and legislation. The Shi-King is a

collection of Chinese poetry made by Confucius himself. This great

anthology consists of more than three hundred pieces, covering the

whole range of Chinese lyric poetry, the oldest of which dates some

eighteen centuries before Christ, while the latest of the selections

must have been written at the beginning of the sixth century before

Christ. These poems are of the highest interest, and even nowadays may

be read with delight by Europeans. The ballad and the hymn are among

the earliest forms of national poetry, and the contents of the

Shi-King naturally show specimens of lyric poetry of this sort. We

find there not only hymns, but also ballads of a really fine and

spirited character. Sometimes the poems celebrate the common pursuits,

occupations, and incidents of life. They rise to the exaltation of the

epithalamium, or of the vintage song; at other times they deal with

sentiment and human conduct, being in the highest degree sententious

and epigrammatic. We must give the credit to Confucius of having

saved for us the literature of China, and of having set his people an

example in preserving the monuments of a remote antiquity. While the

literatures of ancient Greece and Rome have largely perished in the

convulsions that followed the breaking up of the Roman empire in

Europe, when the kingdom of China fell into disorder and decrepitude

this one great teacher stepped forward to save the precious record of

historic fact, philosophical thought, and of legislation as well as

poetry, from being swept away by the deluge of revolution. Confucius

showed his wisdom by the high value he set upon the poetry of his

native land, and his name must be set side by side with that of the

astute tyrant of Athens who collected the poems of Homer and preserved

them as a precious heritage to the Greek world. Confucius has given us

his opinion with regard to the poems of the Shi-King. No man, he says,

is worth speaking to who has not mastered the poems of an anthology,

the perusal of which elevates the mind and purifies it from all

corrupt thoughts. Thanks to the work of modern scholarship, English

readers can now verify this dictum for themselves.

E. W.

_PART I.--LESSONS FROM THE STATES_

BOOK I

_The Odes of Chow and the South_

CELEBRATING THE VIRTUE OF KING WAN'S BRIDE

Hark! from the islet in the stream the voice

Of the fish-hawks that o'er their nests rejoice!

From them our thoughts to that young lady go,

Modest and virtuous, loth herself to show.

Where could be found to share our prince's state,

So fair, so virtuous, and so fit a mate?

See how the duckweed's stalks, or short or long,

Sway left and right, as moves the current strong!

So hard it was for him the maid to find!

By day, by night, our prince with constant mind

Sought for her long, but all his search was vain.

Awake, asleep, he ever felt the pain

Of longing thought, as when on restless bed,

Tossing about, one turns his fevered head.

Here long, there short, afloat the duckweed lies;

But caught at last, we seize the longed-for prize.

The maiden modest, virtuous, coy, is found;

Strike every lute, and joyous welcome sound.

Ours now, the duckweed from the stream we bear,

And cook to use with other viands rare.

He has the maiden, modest, virtuous, bright;

Let bells and drums proclaim our great delight.

CELEBRATING THE INDUSTRY OF KING WAN'S QUEEN

Sweet was the scene. The spreading dolichos

Extended far, down to the valley's depths,

With leaves luxuriant. The orioles

Fluttered around, and on the bushy trees

In throngs collected--whence their pleasant notes

Resounded far in richest melody.

The spreading dolichos extended far,

Covering the valley's sides, down to its depths,

With leaves luxuriant and dense. I cut

It down, then boiled, and from the fibres spun

Of cloth, both fine and coarse, large store,

To wear, unwearied of such simple dress.

Now back to my old home, my parents dear

To see, I go. The matron I have told,

Who will announcement make. Meanwhile my clothes,

My private clothes I wash, and rinse my robes.

Which of them need be rinsed? and which need not?

My parents dear to visit, back I go.

IN PRAISE OF A BRIDE

Graceful and young the peach-tree stands;

How rich its flowers, all gleaming bright!

This bride to her new home repairs;

Chamber and house she'll order right.

Graceful and young the peach-tree stands;

Large crops of fruit it soon will show.

This bride to her new home repairs;

Chamber and house her sway shall know.

Graceful and young the peach-tree stands,

Its foliage clustering green and full.

This bride to her new home repairs;

Her household will attest her rule.

CELEBRATING T[']AE-SZE's FREEDOM FROM JEALOUSY

In the South are the trees whose branches are bent,

And droop in such fashion that o'er their extent

All the dolichos' creepers fast cling.

See our princely lady, from whom we have got

Rejoicing that's endless! May her happy lot

And her honors repose ever bring!

In the South are the trees whose branches are bent,

And droop in such fashion that o'er their extent

All the dolichos' creepers are spread.

See our princely lady, from whom we have got

Rejoicing that's endless! Of her happy lot

And her honors the greatness ne'er fade!

In the South are the trees whose branches are bent,

And droop in such fashion that o'er their extent

All the dolichos' creepers entwine.

See our princely lady, from whom we have got

Rejoicing that's endless! May her happy lot

And her honors complete ever shine!

THE FRUITFULNESS OF THE LOCUST

Ye locusts, winged tribes,

Gather in concord fine;

Well your descendants may

In numerous bright hosts shine!

Ye locusts, winged tribes,

Your wings in flight resound;

Well your descendants may

In endless lines be found!

Ye locusts, winged tribes,

Together cluster strong;

Well your descendants may

In swarms forever throng!

LAMENTING THE ABSENCE OF A CHERISHED FRIEND

Though small my basket, all my toil

Filled it with mouse-ears but in part.

I set it on the path, and sighed

For the dear master of my heart.

My steeds, o'er-tasked, their progress stayed,

When midway up that rocky height.

Give me a cup from that gilt vase--

When shall this longing end in sight?

To mount that lofty ridge I drove,

Until my steeds all changed their hue.

A cup from that rhinoceros's horn

May help my longing to subdue.

Striving to reach that flat-topped hill,

My steeds, worn out, relaxed their strain;

My driver also sank oppressed:--

I'll never see my lord again!

CELEBRATING THE GOODNESS OF THE DESCENDANTS OF KING WAN

As the feet of the _lin_, which avoid each living thing,

So our prince's noble sons no harm to men will bring.

They are the _lin_!

As the front of the _lin_, never forward thrust in wrath,

So our prince's noble grandsons of love tread the path.

They are the _lin_!

As the horn of the _lin_, flesh-tipped, no wound to give,

So our prince's noble kindred kindly with all live.

They are the _lin_!

[NOTE.--The "lin" is the female of "K[']e"--a fabulous animal--the

symbol of all goodness and benevolence; having the body of a deer,

the tail of an ox, the hoofs of a horse, one horn, the scales of a

fish, etc. Its feet do not tread on any living thing--not even on

live grass; it does not butt with its forehead; and the end of its

horn is covered with flesh--to show that, while able for war, it

wills to have peace. The "lin" was supposed to appear inaugurating

a golden age, but the poet finds a better auspice of that in the

character of Wan's family and kindred.]

THE VIRTUOUS MANNERS OF THE YOUNG WOMEN

High and compressed, the Southern trees

No shelter from the sun afford.

The girls free ramble by the Han,

But will not hear enticing word.

Like the broad Han are they,

Through which one cannot dive;

And like the Keang's long stream,

Wherewith no raft can strive.

Many the fagots bound and piled;

The thorns I'd hew still more to make.

As brides, those girls their new homes seek;

Their colts to feed I'd undertake.

Like the broad Han are they,

Through which one cannot dive;

And like the Keang's long stream,

Wherewith no raft can strive.

Many the fagots bound and piled;

The Southern-wood I'd cut for more.

As brides, those girls their new homes seek;

Food for their colts I'd bring large store.

Like the broad Han are they,

Through which one cannot dive;

And like the Keang's long stream,

Wherewith no raft can strive.

PRAISE OF A RABBIT-CATCHER

Careful he sets his rabbit-nets all round;

_Chang-chang_ his blows upon the pegs resound.

Stalwart the man and bold! his bearing all

Shows he might be his prince's shield and wall.

Careful he is his rabbit-nets to place

Where many paths of rabbits' feet bear trace.

Stalwart the man and bold! 'tis plain to see

He to his prince companion good would be.

Careful he is his rabbit-nets to spread,

Where in the forest's depth the trees give shade.

Stalwart the man and bold! fit his the part

Guide to his prince to be, and faithful heart.

THE SONG OF THE PLANTAIN-GATHERERS

We gather and gather the plantains;

Come gather them anyhow.

Yes, gather and gather the plantains,

And here we have got them now.

We gather and gather the plantains;

Now off the ears we must tear.

Yes, gather and gather the plantains,

And now the seeds are laid bare.

We gather and gather the plantains,

The seeds in our skirts are placed.

Yes, gather and gather the plantains.

Ho! safe in the girdled waist!

THE AFFECTION OF THE WIVES ON THE JOO

Along the raised banks of the Joo,

To hew slim stem and branch I wrought,

My lord away, my husband true,

Like hunger-pang my troubled thought!

Along the raised banks of the Joo,

Branch and fresh shoot confessed my art.

I've seen my lord, my husband true,

And still he folds me in his heart.

As the toiled bream makes red its tail,

Toil you, Sir, for the Royal House;

Amidst its blazing fires, nor quail:--

Your parents see you pay your vows.

BOOK II

_The Odes of Shaou and the South_

THE MARRIAGE OF A PRINCESS

In the magpie's nest

Dwells the dove at rest.

This young bride goes to her future home;

To meet her a hundred chariots come.

Of the magpie's nest

Is the dove possessed.

This bride goes to her new home to live;

And escort a hundred chariots give.

The nest magpie wove

Now filled by the dove.

This bride now takes to her home her way;

And these numerous cars her state display.

THE INDUSTRY AND REVERENCE OF A PRINCE'S WIFE

Around the pools, the islets o'er,

Fast she plucks white Southern-wood,

To help the sacrificial store;

And for our prince does service good.

Where streams among the valleys shine,

Of Southern-woods she plucks the white;

And brings it to the sacred shrine,

To aid our prince in solemn rite.

In head-dress high, most reverent, she

The temple seeks at early dawn.

The service o'er, the head-dress see

To her own chamber slow withdrawn.

THE WIFE OF SOME GREAT OFFICER BEWAILS HIS ABSENCE

Shrill chirp the insects in the grass;

All about the hoppers spring.

While I my husband do not see,

Sorrow must my bosom wring.

O to meet him!

O to greet him!

Then my heart would rest and sing.

Ascending high that Southern hill,

Turtle ferns I strove to get.

While I my husband do not see,

Sorrow must my heart beset.

O to meet him!

O to greet him!

Then my heart would cease to fret.

Ascending high that Southern hill,

Spinous ferns I sought to find.

While I my husband do not see,

Rankles sorrow in my mind.

O to meet him!

O to greet him!

In my heart would peace be shrined.

THE DILIGENCE OF THE YOUNG WIFE OF AN OFFICER

She gathers fast the large duckweed,

From valley stream that southward flows;

And for the pondweed to the pools

Left on the plains by floods she goes.

The plants, when closed her toil, she puts

In baskets round and baskets square.

Then home she hies to cook her spoil,

In pans and tripods ready there.

In sacred chamber this she sets,

Where the light falls down through the wall.

'Tis she, our lord's young reverent wife,

Who manages this service all.

THE LOVE OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE DUKE OF SHAOU

O fell not that sweet pear-tree!

See how its branches spread.

Spoil not its shade,

For Shaou's chief laid

Beneath it his weary head.

O clip not that sweet pear-tree!

Each twig and leaflet spare.

'Tis sacred now,

Since the lord of Shaou,

When weary, rested him there.

O touch not that sweet pear-tree!

Bend not a twig of it now.

There long ago,

As the stories show,

Oft halted the chief of Shaou.

THE EASY DIGNITY OF THE OFFICERS AT SOME COURT

Arrayed in skins of lamb or sheep,

With five silk braidings all of white,

From court they go, to take their meal,

All self-possessed, with spirits light.

How on their skins of lamb or sheep

The five seams wrought with white silk show!

With easy steps, and self-possessed,

From court to take their meal, they go.

Upon their skins of lamb or sheep

Shines the white silk the seams to link.

With easy steps and self-possessed,

They go from court to eat and drink.

ANXIETY OF A YOUNG LADY TO GET MARRIED

Ripe, the plums fall from the bough;

Only seven-tenths left there now!

Ye whose hearts on me are set,

Now the time is fortunate!

Ripe, the plums fall from the bough;

Only three-tenths left there now!

Ye who wish my love to gain,

Will not now apply in vain!

No more plums upon the bough!

All are in my basket now!

Ye who me with ardor seek,

Need the word but freely speak!

BOOK III

_The Odes of P[']ei_

AN OFFICER BEWAILS THE NEGLECT WITH WHICH HE IS TREATED

It floats about, that boat of cypress wood,

Now here, now there, as by the current borne.

Nor rest nor sleep comes in my troubled mood;

I suffer as when painful wound has torn

The shrinking body. Thus I dwell forlorn,

And aimless muse, my thoughts of sorrow full.

I might with wine refresh my spirit worn;

I might go forth, and, sauntering try to cool

The fever of my heart; but grief holds sullen rule.

My mind resembles not a mirror plate,

Reflecting all the impressions it receives.

The good I love, the bad regard with hate;

I only cherish whom my heart believes.

Colleagues I have, but yet my spirit grieves,

That on their honor I cannot depend.

I speak, but my complaint no influence leaves

Upon their hearts; with mine no feelings blend;

With me in anger they, and fierce disdain contend.

My mind is fixed, and cannot, like a stone,

Be turned at will indifferently about;

And what I think, to that, and that alone,

I utterance give, alike within, without;

Nor can like mat be rolled and carried out.

With dignity in presence of them all,

My conduct marked, my goodness who shall scout?

My foes I boldly challenge, great and small,

If there be aught in me they can in question call.

How full of trouble is my anxious heart!

With hate the blatant herd of creatures mean

Ceaseless pursue. Of their attacks the smart

Keeps my mind in distress. Their venomed spleen

Aye vents itself; and with insulting mien

They vex my soul; and no one on my side

A word will speak. Silent, alone, unseen,

I think of my sad case; then opening wide

My eyes, as if from sleep, I beat my breast, sore-tried.

Thy disc, O sun, should ever be complete,

While thine, O changing moon, doth wax and wane.

But now our sun hath waned, weak and effete,

And moons are ever full. My heart with pain

Is firmly bound, and held in sorrow's chain,

As to the body cleaves an unwashed dress.

Silent I think of my sad case; in vain

I try to find relief from my distress.

Would I had wings to fly where ills no longer press!

A WIFE DEPLORES THE ABSENCE OF HER HUSBAND

Away the startled pheasant flies,

With lazy movement of his wings.

Borne was my heart's lord from my eyes;--

What pain the separation brings!

The pheasant, though no more in view,

His cry, below, above, forth sends.

Alas! my princely lord, 'tis you--

Your absence, that my bosom rends.

At sun and moon I sit and gaze,

In converse with my troubled heart.

Far, far from me my husband stays!

When will he come to heal its smart?

Ye princely men who with him mate,

Say, mark ye not his virtuous way.

His rule is--covet nought, none hate;--

How can his steps from goodness stray?

THE PLAINT OF A REJECTED WIFE

The east wind gently blows,

With cloudy skies and rain.

'Twixt man and wife should ne'er be strife,

But harmony obtain.

Radish and mustard plants

Are used, though some be poor;

While my good name is free from blame,

Don't thrust me from your door.

I go along the road,

Slow, with reluctant heart.

Your escort lame to door but came,

There glad from me to part.

Sow-thistle, bitter called,

As shepherd's purse is sweet;

With your new mate you feast elate,

As joyous brothers meet.

Part clear, the stream of King

Is foul beside the Wei.

You feast elate with your new mate,

And take no heed of me.

Loose mate, avoid my dam,

Nor dare my basket move!

Person slighted, life all blighted,

What can the future prove?

The water deep, in boat,

Or raft-sustained, I'd go;

And where the stream did narrow seem,

I dived or breasted through.

I labored to increase

Our means, or great or small;

When 'mong friends near death did appear,

On knees to help I'd crawl.

No cherishing you give,

I'm hostile in your eyes.

As pedler's wares for which none cares,

My virtues you despise.

When poverty was nigh,

I strove our means to spare;

You, now rich grown, me scorn to own;

To poison me compare.

The stores for winter piled

Are all unprized in spring.

So now, elate with your new mate,

Myself away you fling.

Your cool disdain for me

A bitter anguish hath.

The early time, our love's sweet prime,

In you wakes only wrath.

SOLDIERS OF WEI BEWAIL SEPARATION FROM THEIR FAMILIES

List to the thunder and roll of the drum!

See how we spring and brandish the dart!

Some raise Ts[']aou's walls; some do field work at home;

But we to the southward lonely depart.

Our chief, Sun Tsze-chung, agreement has made,

Our forces to join with Ch[']in and with Sung.

When shall we back from this service be led?

Our hearts are all sad, our courage unstrung.

Here we are halting, and there we delay;

Anon we soon lose our high-mettled steeds.

The forest's gloom makes our steps go astray;

Each thicket of trees our searching misleads.

For death as for life, at home or abroad,

We pledged to our wives our faithfulest word.

Their hands clasped in ours, together we vowed,

We'd live to old age in sweetest accord.

This march to the South can end but in ill;

Oh! never shall we our wives again meet.

The word that we pledged we cannot fulfil;

Us home returning they never will greet.

AN OFFICER TELLS OF HIS MEAN EMPLOYMENT

With mind indifferent, things I easy take;

In every dance I prompt appearance make:--

Then, when the sun is at his topmost height,

There, in the place that courts the public sight.

With figure large I in the courtyard dance,

And the duke smiles, when he beholds me prance.

A tiger's strength I have; the steeds swift bound;

The reins as ribbons in my hands are found.

See how I hold the flute in my left hand;

In right the pheasant's plume, waved like a wand;

With visage red, where rouge you think to trace,

While the duke pleased, sends down the cup of grace!

Hazel on hills; the _ling_ in meadow damp;--

Each has its place, while I'm a slighted scamp.

My thoughts go back to th' early days of Chow,

And muse upon its chiefs, not equalled now.

O noble chiefs, who then the West adorned,

Would ye have thus neglected me and scorned?

AN OFFICER SETS FORTH HIS HARD LOT

My way leads forth by the gate on the north;

My heart is full of woe.

I hav'n't a cent, begged, stolen, or lent,

And friends forget me so.

So let it be! 'tis Heaven's decree.

What can I say--a poor fellow like me?

The King has his throne, sans sorrow or moan;

On me fall all his cares,

And when I come home, resolved not to roam,

Each one indignant stares.

So let it be! 'tis Heaven's decree.

What can I say--a poor fellow like me?

Each thing of the King, and the fate of the State,

On me come more and more.

And when, sad and worn, I come back forlorn,

They thrust me from the door.

So let it be! 'tis Heaven's decree.

What can I say--a poor fellow like me?

THE COMPLAINT OF A NEGLECTED WIFE

When the upper robe is green,

With a yellow lining seen,

There we have a certain token,

Right is wronged and order broken.

How can sorrow from my heart

In a case like this depart?

Color green the robe displays;

Lower garment yellow's blaze.

Thus it is that favorite mean

In the place of wife is seen.

Vain the conflict with my grief;

Memory denies relief.

Yes, 'twas you the green who dyed,

You who fed the favorite's pride.

Anger rises in my heart,

Pierces it as with a dart.

But on ancient rules lean I,

Lest to wrong my thoughts should fly.

Fine or coarse, if thin the dress,

Cold winds always cause distress.

Hard my lot, my sorrow deep,

But my thoughts in check I keep.

Ancient story brings to mind

Sufferers who were resigned.

[NOTE.--Yellow is one of the five "correct" colors of the Chinese,

while green is one of the "intermediate" colors that are less

esteemed. Here we have the yellow used merely as a lining to the

green, or employed in the lower, or less honorable, part of the

dress;--an inversion of propriety, and intimating how a favorite

had usurped the place of the rightful wife and thrust her down.]

IN PRAISE OF A MAIDEN

O sweet maiden, so fair and retiring,

At the corner I'm waiting for you;

And I'm scratching my head, and inquiring

What on earth it were best I should do.

Oh! the maiden, so handsome and coy,

For a pledge gave a slim rosy reed.

Than the reed is she brighter, my joy;

On her loveliness how my thoughts feed!

In the pastures a _t'e_ blade she sought,

And she gave it, so elegant, rare.

Oh! the grass does not dwell in my thought,

But the donor, more elegant, fair.

DISCONTENT

As when the north winds keenly blow,

And all around fast falls the snow,

The source of pain and suffering great,

So now it is in Wei's poor state.

Let us join hands and haste away,

My friends and lovers all.

'Tis not a time will brook delay;

Things for prompt action call.

As when the north winds whistle shrill,

And drifting snows each hollow fill,

The source of pain and suffering great,

So now it is in Wei's poor state.

Let us join hands, and leave for aye,

My friends and lovers all,

'Tis not a time will brook delay;

Things for prompt action call.

We look for red, and foxes meet;

For black, and crows our vision greet.

The creatures, both of omen bad,

Well suit the state of Wei so sad.

Let us join hands and mount our cars,

My friends and lovers all.

No time remains for wordy jars;

Things for prompt action call.

CHWANG KEANG BEMOANS HER HUSBAND'S CRUELTY

Fierce is the wind and cold;

And such is he.

Smiling he looks, and bold

Speaks mockingly.

Scornful and lewd his words,

Haughty his smile.

Bound is my heart with cords

In sorrow's coil.

As cloud of dust wind-blown,

Just such is he.

Ready he seems to own,

And come to me.

But he comes not nor goes,

Stands in his pride.

Long, long, with painful throes,

Grieved I abide.

Strong blew the wind; the cloud

Hastened away.

Soon dark again, the shroud

Covers the day.

I wake, and sleep no more

Visits my eyes.

His course I sad deplore,

With heavy sighs.

Cloudy the sky, and dark;

The thunders roll.

Such outward signs well mark

My troubled soul.

I wake, and sleep no more

Comes to give rest.

His course I sad deplore,

In anguished breast.

[_Selections from Books IV, V, and VI have been omitted._]

BOOK VII

_The Odes of Ch[']ing_

THE PEOPLE'S ADMIRATION FOR DUKE WOO

The black robes well your form befit;

When they are worn we'll make you new.

Now for your court! oh! there we'll sit,

And watch how you your duties do.

And when we to our homes repair,

We'll send to you our richest fare,

Such is the love to you we bear!

Those robes well with your virtue match;

When they are worn we'll make you new.

Now for your court! There will we watch,

Well pleased, how you your duties do.

And when we to our homes repair,

We'll send to you our richest fare,

Such is the love to you we bear!

Those robes your character beseem;

When they are worn we'll make you new.

Now for your court! oh! there we deem

It pleasure great your form to view.

And when we to our homes repair,

We'll send to you our richest fare,

Such is the love to you we bear!

A WIFE CONSOLED BY HER HUSBAND'S ARRIVAL

Cold is the wind, fast falls the rain,

The cock aye shrilly crows.

But I have seen my lord again;--

Now must my heart repose.

Whistles the wind, patters the rain,

The cock's crow far resounds.

But I have seen my lord again,

And healed are my heart's wounds.

All's dark amid the wind and rain,

Ceaseless the cock's clear voice!

But I have seen my lord again;--

Should not my heart rejoice?

IN PRAISE OF SOME LADY

There by his side in chariot rideth she,

As lovely flower of the hibiscus tree,

So fair her face; and when about they wheel,

Her girdle gems of _Ken_ themselves reveal.

For beauty all the House of Keang have fame;

Its eldest daughter--she beseems her name.

There on the path, close by him, walketh she,

Bright as the blossom of hibiscus tree,

And fair her face; and when around they flit,

Her girdle gems a tinkling sound emit.

Among the Keang she has distinguished place,

For virtuous fame renowned, and peerless grace.

A MAN'S PRAISE OF HIS WIFE

My path forth from the east gate lay,

Where cloud-like moved the girls at play.

Numerous are they, as clouds so bright,

But not on them my heart's thoughts light.

Dressed in a thin white silk, with coiffure gray,

Is she, my wife, my joy in life's low way.

Forth by the covering wall's high tower,

I went, and saw, like rush in flower,

Each flaunting girl. Brilliant are they,

But not with them my heart's thoughts stay.

In thin white silk, with head-dress madder-dyed,

Is she, my sole delight, 'foretime my bride.

AN ENTREATY

Along the great highway,

I hold you by the cuff.

O spurn me not, I pray,

Nor break old friendship off.

Along the highway worn,

I hold your hand in mine.

Do not as vile me scorn;

Your love I can't resign.

A WOMAN SCORNING HER LOVER

O dear! that artful boy

Refuses me a word!

But, Sir, I shall enjoy

My food, though you're absurd!

O dear! that artful boy

My table will not share!

But, Sir, I shall enjoy

My rest, though you're not there!

A LADY MOURNS THE ABSENCE OF HER STUDENT LOVER

You student, with the collar blue,

Long pines my heart with anxious pain.

Although I do not go to you,

Why from all word do you refrain?

O you, with girdle strings of blue,

My thoughts to you forever roam!

Although I do not go to you,

Yet why to me should you not come?

How reckless you, how light and wild,

There by the tower upon the wall!

One day, from sight of you exiled,

As long as three long months I call.

BOOK VIII

_The Odes of Ts[']e_

A WIFE URGING HER HUSBAND TO ACTION

His lady to the marquis says,

"The cock has crowed; 'tis late.

Get up, my lord, and haste to court.

'Tis full; for you they wait."

She did not hear the cock's shrill sound,

Only the blueflies buzzing round.

Again she wakes him with the words,

"The east, my lord, is bright.

A crowded court your presence seeks;

Get up and hail the light."

'Twas not the dawning light which shone,

But that which by the moon was thrown.

He sleeping still, once more she says,

"The flies are buzzing loud.

To lie and dream here by your side

Were pleasant, but the crowd

Of officers will soon retire;

Draw not on you and me their ire!"

THE FOLLY OF USELESS EFFORT

The weeds will but the ranker grow,

If fields too large you seek to till.

To try to gain men far away

With grief your toiling heart will fill.

If fields too large you seek to till,

The weeds will only rise more strong.

To try to gain men far away

Will but your heart's distress prolong.

Things grow the best when to themselves

Left, and to nature's vigor rare.

How young and tender is the child,

With his twin tufts of falling hair!

But when you him ere long behold,

That child shall cap of manhood wear!

THE PRINCE OF LOO