THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

152 THE BOOK OP POETEY. [PART I. BK X. X.] THE BOOK OP POETEY. 153
This piece is referred, we may presume correctly, to some time after
duke Ch'aou, when, for more than fifty years, a struggle went on between
the ambitious chiefs of K'euh-yuh, and the marquises proper of Tsin.
The people were in the main loyal to Tsin, and one king and another sent
expeditions to support them. There was of course great trouble and
confusion in the State, and the work of agriculture was much interfered
with.
1 The wild geese fly the bushy oaks around,
With clamour loud. Suh-suh their wings resound,
As for their feet poor resting-place is found.
The king's affairs admit of no delay ;
Our millets still unsown, we haste away.
No food is left our parents to supply ;
When we are gone, on whom can they rely ?
O azure Heaven, that shinest there afar,
When shall our homes receive us from the war ?
2 The wild geese on the bushy jujube trees
Attempt to settle, and are ill at ease;—
Suh-suh their wings go flapping in the breeze.
The king's affairs admit of no delay;
Our millets still unsown, we haste away.
How shall our parents their requirements get ? '
How in our absence shall their wants be met ?
O azure Heaven, that shinest there afar,
When shall our homes receive us from the war ?
8 The bushy mulberry trees the geese in rows
Seek eager, and to rest around them close,—
With rustling loud, as disappointment grows.
The king's affairs admit of no delay;
To plant our rice and maize we cannot stay.
How shall our parents find their wonted food ?
When we are gone, who will to them be good ?
O azure Heaven, that shinest there afar,
When shall our homes receive us from the war ?
IX.
The Woo e ; narrative. A BEQUEST TO THE KING'S ENVOY FOB THE
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OP DUKE WOO AS MAEQUIS OP
In B.C. 678 the struggle between the branches of the House of Tsin
was brought to a close, and Chihg, earl of K'euh-yuh, called after his
death duke Woo, made himself master of the whole State. It was an
act of spoliation, but the usurper bribed the reigning king He, and got
himself acknowledged as marquis of Tsin. In this piece \ve must sup
pose that application is made by one of his officers to an envoy from the
capital for the royal confirmation.
The different ranks in ancient China were marked by the number of
carriages, robes, &c., conferred by the king. The prince of a great State
had seven of the ten royal symbolic figures on his robes. Those had pre-
, viously belonged to the marquises of Tsin, and Woo might have assumed
' them at once, but he wished to have the king's sanction in doing so. The
prince of a State, when serving at court as a minister of the crown, was
held to be of lower rank by one degree; hence the seven symbols of
stanza 1 appear in 2 as only 6.
1 State robes can he be said to want ?
His robes the seven high symbols show.
But let him have them by your grant:—
That peace and fortune will bestow.
2 State robes can he be said to want ?
The symbols six his robes display.
But let him have them by your grant,
And that will lasting peace convey.
X.
The Tern teclie, too; metaphorical. SOME ONE REGRETS THE POVERTY
OP HIS CIRCUMSTANCES, WHICH PREVENTED HIM FROM GATHERING
ABOUND HIM COMPANIONS WHOM HE ADMIRED.
1 On the left of the way, a i-usset pear tree
Stands there all alone,—a fit image of me.
There is that princely man ! 0 that he would come,
And in my poor dwelling with me be at home !
In the core of my heart do I love him, but say,
Whence shall I procure him the wants of the day.
2 At the bend in the way a russet pear tree
Stands there all alone,—a fit image of me.
There is that princely man ! 0 that he would come,
And rambling with me be himself here at home !
In the core of my heart I love him, but say,
Whence shall I procure him the wants of the day.