THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

312 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET III. BE II. VI.] THE BOOK OF POETEY. 313
VI.
The Kuny Lew ; narrative. THE STORY OF DUKE JjEW :—HO TV HE
MADE HIS FIRST SETTLEMENT IN PlN, BUILDING THERE, LAYING OUT
THE GROUND, FORMING ARMIES, AEBANGING FOR A BEVENUE, TILL EVEN
PlN BECAME TOO SMALL FOR ALL HIS PEOFLE.
I call this the story of duke Lew, instead of legend, as in the case of
what we are told about How-tseih in the first piece of this Book, because
the events related in it are not of the same marvellous character. There
is probably an element of history in them ; but, when we compare what
is said here of his doings and of the growth of Pin with the intima
tions as to the condition of the settlement and the people in the time of
T'an-foo, as we have them in the 3rd ode of the first Book, it is evident
that what we have here are mainly pictures of fancy. Who shall gather
out the grains of ore from the rubbish in which they are imbedded?
The composition of the piece is ascribed to duke K'ang of Shaou,—the
famous Shib of the Shoo. He made it, we are told, for the young king
Ching, when he undertook the duties of the government, to remind him
of the devotion to the people, and to the business of the people, which
characterized his great ancestor.
Where did Lew come from to Pin ? According to Maou, he was living
previously in T'ae, the principality with which How-tseih was invested,
and was driven out of it at a time when the rule of Hea was in great
disorder. This is contrary to the generally received view, which I have
given on the title of Book i., Pt I. According to that, Puh-chueh, the
grandfather of Lew, was obliged to fly from the Hea, or middle kingdom
of that time, altogether, and take refuge among the wild tribes of the
north and west. Puh-chueh, again, is said to have been the son of How-
tseih, whose great-grandson Lew would thus be. This could not be, if
the standard chronology is anything nearly correct in fixing the settlement
of Pin in R.c. 1796. It places K'e's—How-tseih's—investiture with T'ae
in B.o. 2276, so that from him to his great-grandson a period of 480 yeara
elapsed, during which there had been the reigns of Shun, and of Yu and
19 of his descendants, besides an interregnum of 40 years. I must be
lieve—if belief at all can be spoken of in such a case—that one of K'e's
descendants had taken refuge among the uncivilized people in the west,
not far from Pin, and that Lew, one of his descendants again, came forth
from among them, moving in the direction of the east, towards the end
of the Hea dynasty.
The valleys of Hwang and Kwo I have not found exactly identified.
The Juy rises on the north-west of mount Woo, and flows east, till it joins
the King.
1 Duke Lew we sing, with generous ardour fired,
Whose breast his people's good alone inspired.
In their old seat no longer could he rest;
Its narrow limits forced him from the west.
The produce of the many fields he reaps;
What can be spared, in store he safely keeps.
Here in the barn, there in the field, it lies ;
His forethought then wrapper and sack supplies,
This hoard of grain and dried meat to contain,
When they should move, a glorious fame to gain.
Then ready further with his weapons all,
Bows, arrows, shields, spears, axes great and small,
His people to the march he forth did call.
2 Duke Lew we sing, with generous ardour fired,
Whose breast his people's good alone inspired.
O'er all the plain he ranged with eager eye,
But could not space for thronging crowds descry.
In pity for the numbers thus confined,
He told to all the measure in his mind.
Loth to abandon their much-loved repose,
At first, but not for long, their murmurs rose.
Each lofty hill-top now the duke ascends ;
Back to the plains he comes, and eastward bends
His course. Lo ! at his girdle-pendant seen,
The jade, and gems of yaou, emit their sheen !
Sheathed in its glittering scabbard hangs the sword,
That safety from the foeman shall afford.
3 Duke Lew we sing, with generous ardour fired,
Whose breast his people's good alone inspired.
To Pin now come, where gush the hundred springs,
His followers all about him there he brings.
Eound him there lay the bright and ample plain ;
He climbs a ridge, a wider view to gain.
Behold ! a spacious table-land he spies,
Where his new settlement may well arise.
For multitudes large space could be assigned,
And immigrants still room for booths would find.
Here then he dwelt, and would his plans unfold;
Here counsel took, and heard what others told.
4 Duke Lew we sing, with generous ardour fired,
Whose breast his people's good alone inspired.
When on the height his rest he thus had found,
His officers all stand in state around.
The mats are spread, with stools upon them set;
Both old and young, they here are joyous met.