| | 君奭: |
召公為保，周公為師，相成王為左右。召公不說，周公作《》。 |
| | 君奭: |
周公若曰：「君奭！弗弔天降喪于殷，殷既墜厥命，我有周既受。我不敢知曰厥基永孚于休。若天棐忱，我亦不敢知曰其終出于不祥。嗚呼！君已曰時我，我亦不敢寧于上帝命，弗永遠念天威越我民；罔尤違，惟人。在我後嗣子孫，大弗克恭上下，遏佚前人光在家，不知天命不易，天難諶，乃其墜命，弗克經歷。嗣前人，恭明德，在今予小子旦非克有正，迪惟前人光施于我沖子。」又曰：「天不可信，我道惟寧王德延，天不庸釋于文王受命。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke of Zhou spoke to the following effect: 'Prince Shi, Heaven, unpitying, sent down ruin on Yin. Yin has lost its appointment (to the throne), which our House of Zhou has received. I do not dare, however, to say, as if I knew it, "The foundation will ever truly abide in prosperity. If Heaven aid sincerity,"Nor do I dare to say, as if I knew it, "The end will issue in our misfortunes." Oh! you have said, O prince, "It depends on ourselves." I also do not dare to rest in the favour of God, not forecasting at a distance the terrors of Heaven in the present time, when there is no murmuring or disobedience among the people; (the issue) is with men. Should our present successor to his fathers prove greatly unable to reverence (Heaven) above and (the people) below, and so bring to an end the glory of his predecessors, could we in (the retirement of) our families be ignorant of it? The favour of Heaven is not easily preserved; Heaven is difficult to be depended on. Men lose its favouring appointment, because they cannot pursue and carry out the reverence and brilliant virtue of their forefathers. Now I, Dan, the little child, am not able to make (the king) correct. I would simply conduct him to the glory of his fathers, and make him, who is my young charge, partaker of that.' He also said, 'Heaven is not to be trusted. Our course is only to seek the prolongation of the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, that Heaven may not find occasion to remove its favouring decree which king Wen received.' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「君奭！我聞在昔成湯既受命，時則有若伊尹，格于皇天。在太甲，時則有若保衡。在太戊，時則有若伊陟、臣扈，格于上帝；巫咸乂王家。在祖乙，時則有若巫賢。在武丁，時則有若甘盤。率惟茲有陳，保乂有殷，故殷禮陟配天，多歷年所。天維純佑命，則商實百姓王人。罔不秉德明恤，小臣屏侯甸，矧咸奔走。惟茲惟德稱，用乂厥辟，故一人有事于四方，若卜筮罔不是孚。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'Prince Shi, I have heard that aforetime, when Tang the successful had received the appointment (to the throne), he had with him Yi Yin, making (his virtue) like that of great Heaven; that Tai Jia had (the same Yi Yin), the Bao-heng; that Tai-wu had Yi Zhi and Chen Hu, through whom (his virtue) was made to affect God, and Wu Xian who regulated the royal House; that Zu-yi had Wu Xian's son; and that Wu-ding had Gan Pan. (These ministers) carried out (their principles), and displayed (their merit), preserving and regulating the dynasty of Yin, so that, while its ceremonies lasted, (those sovereigns), when deceased, were assessors to Heaven, and its duration extended over many years. Heaven thus determinately maintained its favouring appointment, and Shang was replenished with men. The various heads of great surnames and members of the royal House, holding employments, all held fast their virtue, and showed an anxious solicitude (for the kingdom). The smaller ministers, and the guardian princes in the Hou and Dian domains, hurried about on their services. Thus did they all exert their virtue and aid their sovereign, so that whatever affairs he, the One man, had in hand, throughout the land, an entire faith was reposed in their justice as in the indications of the shell or the divining stalks.' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「君奭！天壽平格，保乂有殷，有殷嗣，天滅威。今汝永念，則有固命，厥亂明我新造邦。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'Prince Shi, Heaven gives length of days to the just and the intelligent; (it was thus that those ministers) maintained and regulated the dynasty of Yin. He who came last to the throne granted by Heaven was extinguished by its terrors. Do you think of the distant future, and we shall have the decree (in favour of Zhou) made sure, and its good government will be, brilliantly exhibited in our newly-founded state.' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「君奭！在昔上帝割申勸寧王之德，其集大命于厥躬？惟文王尚克修和我有夏；亦惟有若虢叔，有若閎夭，有若散宜生，有若泰顛，有若南宮括。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'Prince Shi, aforetime when God was inflicting calamity (on Yin), he encouraged anew the virtue of the Tranquillizing king, till at last the great favouring decree was concentrated in his person. (But) that king Wen was able to conciliate and unite the portion of the great kingdom which we came to possess, was owing to his having (such ministers) as his brother of Kuo, Hong Yao, San Yi-sheng, Tai Dian, and Nan-gong Kuo.' |
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又曰：「無能往來，茲迪彝教，文王蔑德降于國人。亦惟純佑秉德，迪知天威，乃惟時昭文王迪見冒，聞于上帝。惟時受有殷命哉。武王惟茲四人尚迪有祿。後暨武王誕將天威，咸劉厥敵。惟茲四人昭武王惟冒，丕單稱德。今在予小子旦，若游大川，予往暨汝奭其濟。小子同未在位，誕無我責收，罔勖不及。耇造德不降我則，鳴鳥不聞，矧曰其有能格？」 |
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He said further, 'But for the ability of those men to go and come in his affairs, developing his constant lessons, there would have been no benefits descending from king Wen on the people. And it also was from the determinate favour of Heaven that there were these men of firm virtue, and acting according to their knowledge of the dread majesty of Heaven, to give themselves to enlighten king Wen, and lead him forward to his high distinction and universal rule, till his fame, reached the ears of God, and he received the appointment that had been Yin's. There were still four of those men who led on king Wu to the possession of the revenues of the kingdom, and afterwards, along with him, in great reverence of the majesty of Heaven, slew all his enemies. These four men, moreover, made king Wu so illustrious that his glory overspread the kingdom, and (the people) universally and greatly proclaimed his virtue. Now with me Dan, the little child, it is as if I were floating on a great stream; With you, O Shi, let me from this time endeavour to cross it. Our young sovereign is (powerless), as if he had not yet ascended the throne. You must by no means lay the whole burden on me; and if you draw yourself up without an effort to supply my deficiencies, no good will flow to the people from our age and experience. We shall not hear the voices of the phoenixes, and how much less can it be thought that we shall be able to make (the king's virtue) equal (to Heaven)! |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「嗚呼！君肆其監于茲！我受命于疆惟休，亦大惟艱。告君，乃猷裕我，不以後人迷。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'Oh! consider well these things, O prince. We have received the appointment to which belongs an unlimited amount of blessing, but having great difficulties attached to it. What I announce to you are counsels of a generous largeness. I cannot allow the successor of our kings to go astray.' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「前人敷乃心，乃悉命汝，作汝民極。曰：『汝明勖偶王，在但乘茲大命，惟文王德丕承，無疆之恤！』」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'The former king laid bare his heart, and gave full charge to you, constituting you one of the guides and patterns for the people, saying, "Do you with intelligence and energy second and help the king; do you with sincerity support and convey forward the great decree. Think of the virtue of king Wen, and enter greatly into his boundless anxieties." ' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「君！告汝，朕允保奭。其汝克敬以予監于殷喪大否，肆念我天威。予不允惟若茲誥，予惟曰：『襄我二人，汝有合哉？』言曰：『在時二人。』天休茲至，惟時二人弗戡。其汝克敬德，明我俊民，在讓後人于丕時。 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'What I tell you, O prince, are my sincere. thoughts. O Shi, the Grand-Protector, if you can but reverently survey with me the decay and great disorders of Yin, and thence consider the dread majesty of Heaven (which warns) us! Am I not to be believed that I must reiterate my words? I simply say, "The establishment (of our dynasty) rests with us two." Do you agree with me? Then you (also) will say, "It rests with us two." And the favour of Heaven has come to us so largely: it should be ours to feel as if we could not sufficiently respond to it. If you can but reverently cultivate your virtue (now), and bring to light our men of eminent ability, then when you resign (your position) to some successor in a time of established security, (I will interpose no objection.) |
| | 君奭: |
嗚呼！篤棐時二人，我式克至于今日休？我咸成文王功于不怠。丕冒海隅出日，罔不率俾。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
'Oh! it is by the earnest service of us two that we have come to the prosperity of the present day. We must both go on, abjuring all idleness, to complete the work of king Wen, till it has grandly overspread the kingdom, and from the corners of the sea, and the sunrising, there shall not be one who is disobedient to the rule (of Zhou).' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「君！予不惠若茲多誥，予惟用閔于天越民。」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'O prince, have I not spoken in accordance with reason in these many declarations? I am only influenced by anxiety about (the appointment of) Heaven, and about the people.' |
| | 君奭: |
公曰：「嗚呼！君！惟乃知民德亦罔不能厥初，惟其終。祗若茲，往敬用治！」 |
| Prince Shi: |
The duke said, 'Oh! you know, O prince, the ways of the people, how at the beginning they can be (all we could desire); but it is the end (that is to be thought of). Act in careful accordance with this fact. Go and reverently exercise the duties of your office.' |
