The Shih King (Book of Poetry)ConfucianismAccepted ScriptureClassical ChineseShareSacrificial Odes of Kau 5James Legge (1871) - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableJames Legge (1871)LanguageEnglishEspañol‹Sacrificial Odes of Shang 1Sacrificial Odes of Shang 2Sacrificial Odes of Shang 3Sacrificial Odes of Shang 4Sacrificial Odes of Shang 5Sacrificial Odes of Kau 1Sacrificial Odes of Kau 2Sacrificial Odes of Kau 3Sacrificial Odes of Kau 4Sacrificial Odes of Kau 5Sacrificial Odes of Kau 6Sacrificial Odes of Kau 7Sacrificial Odes of Kau 8Sacrificial Odes of Kau 9Sacrificial Odes of Kau 10›Ode 5: THIEN ZO — APPROPRIATE TO A SACRIFICE TO KING THÂI.Sacrificial Odes of Kau 5ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapterHeaven made the lofty hill, And king Thâi brought (the country about) it under cultivation. He made the commencement with it, And king Wan tranquilly (carried on the work), (Till) that rugged (mount) Khî Had level roads leading to it. May their descendants ever preserve it! There are the blind musicians; there are the blind musicians; In the court of (the temple of) Kâu. There are (the music-frames with their) face-boards and posts, The high toothed-edge (of the former), and the feathers stuck (in the latter); With the drums, large and small, suspended from them; And the hand-drums and sounding-stones, the instrument to give the signal for commencing, and the stopper. These being all complete, the music is struck up. The pan-pipe and the double flute begin at the same time . Harmoniously blend their sounds; In solemn unison they give forth their notes. Our ancestors will give ear. Our visitors will be there;--Long to witness the complete performance. They clear away the grass and the bushes; And the ground is laid open by their ploughs. In thousands of pairs they remove the roots, Some in the low wet land, some along the dykes. There are the master and his eldest son; His younger sons, and all their children; Their strong helpers, and their hired servants. How the noise of their eating the viands brought to them resounds! (The husbands) think lovingly of their wives; (The wives) keep close to their husbands. (Then) with their sharp ploughshares They set to work on the south-lying acres. They sow their various kinds of grain, Each seed containing in it a germ of life. In unbroken lines rises the blade, And, well nourished, the stalks grow long. Luxuriant looks the young grain, And the weeders go among it in multitudes. Then come the reapers in crowds, And the o-rain is piled up in the fields, Myriads, and hundreds of thousands, and millions (of stacks); For spirits and for sweet spirits, To offer to our ancestors, male and female, And to provide for all ceremonies. Fragrant is their aroma, Enhancing the glory of the state. Like pepper is their smell, To give comfort to the aged. It is not here only that there is this (abundance); It is not now only that there is such a time:--From of old it has been thus. ‹Previous chapterSacrificial Odes of Kau 4Next chapterSacrificial Odes of Kau 6›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain