詩 經 Shi Jing – The Book of Odes

生民
厥初生民、時維姜嫄。
生民如何、克禋克祀、以弗無子。
履帝武敏歆、攸介攸止、
載震載夙、載生載育、時維后稷。

誕彌厥月、先生如達、
不坼不副、無菑無害。
以赫厥靈、上帝不寧、
不康禋祀、居然生子。

誕寘之隘巷、牛羊腓字之。
誕寘之平林、會伐平林。
誕寘之寒冰、鳥覆翼之。
鳥乃去矣、后稷呱矣、
實覃實訏、厥聲載路。

誕實匍匐、克歧克嶷、以就口食。
蓺之荏菽、荏菽旆旆、禾役穟穟、
麻麥懞懞、瓜瓞唪唪。

誕后稷之穡、有相之道。
茀厥豐草、種之黃茂。
實方實苞、實種實褎、
實發實秀、實堅實好、實穎實栗。
即有邰家室。

誕降嘉種、維秬維秠、維穈維芑。
恆之秬秠、是穫是畝。
恆之穈芑、是任是負。
以歸肇祀。

誕我祀如何。
或舂或揄、或簸或蹂。
釋之叟叟、烝之浮浮。
載謀載惟、取蕭祭脂、取羝以軷。
載燔載烈、以興嗣歲。

卬盛于豆、于豆于登。
其香始升、上帝居歆。
胡臭亶時、后稷肇祀、
庶無罪悔、以迄于今。

原文 245

The first birth of [our] people,
Was from Jiang Yuan.
How did she give birth to [our] people ?
She had presented a pure offering and sacrificed,
That her childlessness might be taken away.
She then trod on a toe-print made by God, and was moved,
In the large place where she rested.
She became pregnant ; she dwelt retired ;
She gave birth to, and nourished [a son],
Who was Hou-ji.

When she had fulfilled her months,
Her first-born son [came forth] like a lamb.
There was no bursting, nor rending,
No injury, no hurt ; –
Showing how wonderful he would be.
Did not God give her the comfort ?
Had He not accepted her pure offering and sacrifice,
So that thus easily she brought forth her son ?

He was placed in a narrow lane,
But the sheep and oxen protected him with loving care.
He was placed in a wide forest,
Where he was met with by the wood-cutters.
He was placed on the cold ice,
And a bird screened and supported him with its wings.
When the bird went away,
Hou-ji began to wail.
His cry was long and loud,
So that his voice filled the whole way.

When he was able to crawl,
He looked majestic and intelligent.
When he was able to feed himself,
He fell to planting large beans.
The beans grew luxuriantly ;
His rows of paddy shot up beautifully ;
His hemp and wheat grew strong and close ;
His gourds yielded abundantly.

The husbandry of Hou-ji,
Proceeded on the plan of helping [the growth].
Having cleared away the thick grass,
He sowed the ground with the yellow cereals.
He managed the living grain, till it was ready to burst ;
Then he used it as seed, and it sprang up ;
It grew and came into ear ;
It became strong and good ;
It hung down, every grain complete ; –
And thus he was appointed lord of Tai.

He gave his people the beautiful grains : –
The black millet, and the double-kernelled ;
The tall red, and the white.
They planted extensively the black and the double-kernelled,
Which were reaped and stacked on the ground.
They planted extensively the tall red and the white,
Which were carried on their shoulders and backs,
Home for the sacrifices which he founded.

And how as to our sacrifices [to him] ?
Some hull [the grain] ; some take it from the mortar ;
Some sift it ; some tread it.
It is rattling in the dishes ;
It is distilled, and the steam floats about.
We consult ; we observe the rites of purification ;
We take southernwood and offer it with the fat ;
We sacrifice a ram to the Spirit of the path ;
We offer roast flesh and broiled : –
And thus introduce the coming year.

We load the stands with the offerings,
The stands both of wood and of earthenware.
As soon as the fragrance ascends,
God, well pleased, smells the sweet savour.
Fragrant is it, and in its due season !
Hou-ji founded the sacrifice,
And no one, we presume, has given occasion for blame or regret in regret to it,
Down to the present day.

Legge 245