| Multiple poems at a time |
Elegant and dignified was our prince and king;
On his left and his right they bore their half-mace [libation-cups]; --
They bore their instruments with solemn gravity,
As beseemed such eminent officers.
They rush along, -- those boats on the King.
All the rowers labouring at their oars.
The king of Zhou marched on,
Followed by his six hosts.
Vast is that Milky Way,
Making a brilliant figure in the sky.
Long years did the king of Zhou enjoy; --
Did he not exert an influence upon men?
Engraved and chiselled are the ornaments;
Of metal and of jade is their substance.
Ever active was our king,
Giving law and rules to the four quarters [of the kingdom].
【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).