The Temple of Seclusion
"Bi Gong"
Preface: The poem "Bi Gong" praises Duke Xi of Lu for restoring the territory that the Duke of Zhou had opened up.
How solemn and serene the quiet ancestral temple stands, lofty and spacious, solid and fine.
Glorious and radiant is Jiang Yuan, her virtue pure and without flaw.
God relied on her virtue, causing her to be free from harm and disaster, and she carried the full term without delay.
Thus she gave birth to Hou Ji, and Heaven bestowed upon him a hundred blessings.
Millet and grain, both early and late varieties, along with beans and wheat, Hou Ji possessed all the lands under Heaven, teaching the people to sow and reap.
He had both panicled millet and common millet, both rice and black millet, and he possessed all the lands under Heaven, carrying on the work of Yu the Great.
The descendants of Hou Ji were Gu Gong Dan Fu, the Grand King.
He dwelt at the southern foot of Mount Qi, and began to plan the overthrow of the Shang dynasty.
Then came King Wen and King Wu, who continued the Grand King's enterprise.
They executed Heaven's punishment on Shang at the place of Mu Ye,
"Be not of two minds, be not deceitful, for God is watching over you."
They gathered and captured the Shang army, and together they accomplished this great merit.
King Cheng said, "Uncle, establish your eldest son as a feudal lord, and let him go to Lu to be a lord, greatly expanding your territory, to serve as a support for the Zhou royal house."
Then he ordered the Duke of Lu, Bo Qin, to go east and become a feudal lord, granting him mountains, rivers, lands, and dependent states.
These are the descendants of the Duke of Zhou, and also the sons of Duke Zhuang.
They raise the dragon banner in sacrifices, with six reins soft and easy.
In spring and autumn they do not slacken in their offerings, and their sacrifices are without error.
Great and mighty is God on High, great and mighty is the ancestor Hou Ji.
They offer a pure red sacrifice, and the spirits receive it with favor, bestowing blessings already abundant.
Great is the ancestor, the Duke of Zhou, who also grants blessings to you.
In autumn the taste sacrifice begins, in summer a crossbar is bound to the ox's horns, with white bulls and red bulls, and wine vessels carved with ox forms, making a clanging sound.
There are roasted meats, large cuts, and broths, bamboo and wooden vessels and great platters, the grand Wan dance spreads vast and wide, and filial sons and grandsons have blessings and joy.
May you flourish and prosper, may you live long and be virtuous, protecting the eastern regions, and may Lu endure forever.
May it not diminish or collapse, may it not shake or boil, may you be friends with the Three Longevities, and be as stable as hills and ridges.
The Duke of Lu's chariots number a thousand, with spearheads red-tasseled and bows wrapped in green strings, with two lances and two bows.
The Duke of Lu's foot soldiers number thirty thousand, with helmets adorned with red threads, the multitudes layered and dense.
They strike against the Rong and Di, they punish the Jing and Shu, and none dare oppose them.
May you flourish and thrive, may you live long and be wealthy, with yellowing hair and mottled backs, living long enough to match each other.
May you flourish and grow strong, may you live long and reach old age, living ten thousand years and a thousand, with long life and no calamity.
Mount Tai is lofty, what Lu looks up to.
They possess Mount Gui and Mount Meng, extending to the farthest east.
They reach the states by the sea, the Huai Yi come to meet, none are disobedient—this is the merit of the Lord of Lu.
They hold Mount Fu and Mount Yi, extending to the old lands of Xu, reaching the states by the sea, the Huai Yi, the Man, the Mo,
And the southern barbarians, none are disobedient. None dare not to obey, all submit to the Lord of Lu.
Heaven bestows great blessings on the Duke of Lu, granting long life to preserve Lu, dwelling in Chang and Xu, restoring the territory of the Duke of Zhou.
The Lord of Lu holds a feast of celebration, with a virtuous wife and a long-lived mother, in harmony with the great officers and all the nobles, and the state is thereby possessed.
They have already received many blessings, with yellowing hair and teeth growing anew like a child's.
Pines from Mount Culai, cypresses from Mount Xinfu, they cut them and measure them, taking eight-foot and one-foot lengths.
The pine square rafters are thick and large, the main hall is very grand, the newly built ancestral temple gleams brightly—this was built by Xi Si.
The temple hall is long and vast, and the myriad people follow him.
"Bi Gong" has eight stanzas: two stanzas each of seventeen lines, one stanza of twelve lines, one stanza of thirty-eight lines, two stanzas each of eight lines, and two stanzas each of ten lines.
The "Jiong" poems total four pieces, twenty-three stanzas, and two hundred and forty-three lines.
Shang Song