Sacred Books of the East/Volume 3/The Shih/Lessons from the States/Book 10/Ode 8

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Sacred Books of the East, Vol. III, The Shih King
translated by James Legge

Lessons from the States, Book X, Ode 8: The Pâo Yû, Stanza 1

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Bǎo Yǔ (鴇羽) corresponds to "the feathers of the wild geese" in the first line.

3754640Sacred Books of the East, Vol. III, The Shih King — Lessons from the States, Book X, Ode 8: The Pâo Yû, Stanza 1James Legge

Ode 8, Stanza 1. The Pâo Yü.

The men of Zin, called out to warfare by the king's order, mourn over the consequent suffering of their parents, and long for their return to their ordinary agricultural pursuits, making their appeal to Heaven.

Sû-sû go the feathers of the wild geese,
As they settle on the bushy oaks^[1].
The king's affairs must not be slackly discharged,
And (so) we cannot plant our millets;—
What will our parents have to rely on?
O thou distant and azure Heaven^[2]!
When shall we be in our places again?

↑ Trees are not the proper place for geese to rest on; and the attempt to do so is productive of much noise and trouble to the birds. The lines would seem to allude to the hardships of the soldiers' lot, called from their homes to go on a distant expedition.
↑ See note 2 on ode 1 of Book vi, where Heaven is appealed to in the same language.

[1] Trees are not the proper place for geese to rest on; and the attempt to do so is productive of much noise and trouble to the birds. The lines would seem to allude to the hardships of the soldiers' lot, called from their homes to go on a distant expedition.

[2] See note 2 on ode 1 of Book vi, where Heaven is appealed to in the same language.

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