the luxuriance of the fir and the cypress;—May such be thy succeeding line!
Ode 9, Stanza 4. The Tî tû.
The Tî Tû is an ode of congratulation, intended for the men who have returned from military duty and service on the frontiers.
The congratulation is given in a description of the anxiety and longing of the soldiers' wives for their return. We must suppose one of the wives to be the speaker throughout. The fourth stanza shows how she had resorted to divination to allay her fears about her husband.
They have not packed up, they do not come. My sorrowing heart is greatly distressed. The time is past, and he is not here, To the multiplication of my sorrows. Both by the tortoise-shell and the reeds have I divined, And they unite in saying he is near. My warrior is at hand.
The Fourth Decade, or that of Khî fû.
Ode 5, Stanzas 5 to 9. The Sze Kan.
The Sze Kan was probably made for a festival on the completion of a palace; containing a description of it, and proceeding to good wishes for the builder and his posterity. the stanzas here given show how divination was resorted to for the interpretation of dreams.
The piece is referred to the time of king Hsüan (B.C. 827 to 782).
Level and smooth is the courtyard, And lofty are the pillars around it. Pleasant is the exposure of the chamber to the light, And deep and wide are its recesses. Here will our noble lord repose.
On the rush-mat below and that of fine bamboos above it, May he repose in slumber! May he sleep
