Multiple poems at a time |
A lucky day was geng-wu.
We had selected our horses;
The haunts of the animals,
Where the does and stags lay numerous,
The grounds by the Qi and the Ju, --
That was the place for the son of Heaven [to hunt].
We looked to the midst of the plain,
Where the animals were large and abundant,
Now rushing about, now waiting together,
Here in threes, there in twos.
We led on all our attendants,
To give pleasure to the son of Heaven.
We have bent our bows;
We have our arrows on the string.
Here is a small boar transifixed;
There is a large rhinoceros killed.
The spoil will be presented to the visitors and guests,
Along with the cup of sweet wine.
【Source】 The English translation text was taken from The Chinese Classics, vol. 4 by James Legge (1898) and checked against a reprinted edition by Wen Zhi Zhe chu pan she (Taiwan, 1971).