THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

!
194 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART H.
6 With dishes in array,
The cup may oft go round;
But only where brothers are there,
The feast is truly found.
'Tis when they all appear,
And each is in his place,
That child-like joy, without alloy,
Crowns harmony with grace.
7 Children and wife we love;
Union with them, is sweet
As lute's soft strain that soothes our pain.
How joyous do we meet!
But brothers, more than they,
Can satisfy the heart.
'Tis their accord does peace afford,
And lasting joy impart.
8 For ordering of your homes,
For joy with child and wife,
Consider well the truth I tell;—
This is the charm of life !
v.
The Fah muTi; allusive. A FESTAL ODE, SITNG AT THE ENTERTAIN
MENT OF FRIENDS ; INTENDED TO CELEBRATE THE DUTY AND VALUE
OF FRIENDSHIP, EVEN TO THOSE OF THE HIGHEST BANK.
1 The woodmen's blows responsive ring,
As on the trees they fall;
And when the birds their sweet notes sing,
They to each other call.
From the dark valley comes a bird,
And seeks the lofty tree.
Ying goes its voice, and thus it cries,
" Companion, come to me."
The bird, although a creature small,
Upon its mates depends;
And shall we men, who rank o'er all,
Not seek to have our friends ?
BK I. v.] THE BOOK OF POETET. 195
All Spirits love the friendly man,
And hearken to his prayer.
What harmony and peace they can
Bestow, his lot shall share.
2 Hoo-hoo the woodmen all unite
To shout, as trees they fell.
Tlwy do their work with all their might ;-
What I have done I'll tell.
I've strained and made my spirits clear,
The fatted lambs I've killed.
With friends who my own surname bear,
My hall I've largely filled.
Some may be absent, casually,
And leave a broken line;
But better this than absence by
An oversight of mine.
My court I've sprinkled and swept clean,
Viands in order set.
Eight dishes loaded stand with grain;
There's store of fatted meat.
My mother's kith and kin I wis
I've widely called by name.
That some be hindered better is
Than I give cause for blame.
3 On the hill-side the trees they fell,
All working with good will.
I labour too, with equal zeal,
And the host's part fulfil.
Spirits I've set in order meet,
The dishes stand in rows.
The guests are here ; no vacant seat
A brother absent shows.
The loss of kindly feeling oft
From slightest things shall grow,
Where all the fare is dry and spare,
Resentments fierce may glow.
My store of spirits is well strained.
If short prove the supply,
My messengers I straightway send,
And what is needed buy.
13*