Guo Feng (Airs of the States)
曾是在位？曾是在服？天降滔德，女興是力。
How can you hold such positions? How can you hold such offices? Heaven has sent down arrogant virtue, and you stir up such effort.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。而秉義類，彊禦多懟。
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. You hold on to the good among men, yet the violent and oppressive bring much resentment.
流言以對。寇攘式內。侯作侯祝，靡屆靡究。
They answer with slander. Bandits plunder within. They curse and they pray, without end and without limit.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。女炰烋於中國。斂怨以為德。
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. You roar within the central realm. You gather resentment and call it virtue.
不明爾德，時無背無側。爾德不明，以無陪無卿。
You do not make your virtue shine, and so you have no support behind and no help at your side. Your virtue does not shine, and so you have no assistants and no ministers.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。天不湎爾以酒，不義從式。
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. Heaven did not make you drown in wine, but you follow the unrighteous and imitate them.
既衍爾止。靡明靡晦。式號式呼。俾晝作夜。
You have already lost your dignified bearing. You know neither light nor dark. You shout and yell, and turn day into night.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。如蜩如螗，如沸如羹。
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. Like cicadas and mantises, like boiling water and hot soup.
小大近喪，人尚乎由行。內奰於中國，覃及鬼方。
Small and great are close to ruin, yet people go on the same. Inside there is anger at the central realm, which spreads to the Guifang.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。匪上帝不時，殷不用舊。
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. It is not that God above does not act in season; it is that Yin does not use the old statutes.
雖無老成人，尚有典刑。曾是莫聽，大命以傾。
Though there are no experienced elders, there are still models and laws. Yet you will not listen in this way, and so the great mandate is overturned.
文王曰諮，諮女殷商。人亦有言：顛沛之揭，
King Wen said: Alas, alas, you of Yin and Shang. People also have a saying: when a tree falls and its roots are lifted up,
枝葉未有害，本實先撥。殷鑑不遠，在夏後之世。
the branches and leaves are not yet harmed, yet the root has been pulled out first. The mirror of Yin is not far off; it lies in the age of the Xia sovereign.
抑抑威儀，維德之隅。人亦有言：靡哲不愚，庶人之愚，亦職維疾。
Dignified and stately bearing is the edge and corner of virtue. People also say: there is no wise man who is not a fool, and the foolishness of ordinary people is only a fault of their station.
哲人之愚，亦維斯戾。無競維人，四方其訓之。有覺德行，四國順之。
The foolishness of a wise man is only this kind of perversity. Nothing compares to having good men; the four quarters take them as teaching. When there is upright virtue, the four states follow it.
訏謨定命，遠猶辰告。敬慎威儀，維民之則。其在於今，興迷亂於政。
Great plans fix the commands, and far-reaching plans are announced in due time. Being careful of dignified bearing is the people's model. But now there arises confusion in government.
顛覆厥德，荒湛於酒。女雖湛樂從，弗念厥紹。罔敷求先王，克共明刑。
He overturns his virtue and is lost in and drowned by wine. Though you follow along in indulgent pleasure, you do not think of the succession. You do not seek widely among the former kings so as to hold on to clear punishments.
四皇天弗尚，如彼泉流，無淪胥以亡。夙興夜寐，灑掃庭內，維民之章。
August Heaven does not help (the source text has a variant character here for the word "therefore"). Like a spring that flows, do not follow each other into ruin and death. Rise early and sleep late, sprinkle and sweep the courtyard, and be an example to the people.
修爾車馬，弓矢戎兵，用戒戎作，用逷蠻方。質爾人民，謹爾侯度，用戒不虞。
Repair your carriages and horses, bows, arrows, and weapons, to guard against the outbreak of war and to ward off the distant barbarians. Rectify your people, and be careful of your rules as a lord, to guard against the unexpected.
慎爾出話，敬爾威儀，無不柔嘉。白圭之玷，尚可磨也；斯言之玷，不可為也！
Be careful of the words you speak, and be careful in your dignified bearing, so that nothing is other than gentle and fine. A blemish in a white jade tablet may still be ground away; but a blemish in a word cannot be mended!
無易由言，無曰苟矣，莫捫朕舌，言不可逝矣。無言不讎，無德不報。
Do not speak lightly, do not say "this will do"; no one holds my tongue, and a word cannot be taken back. No word is without a reply, and no virtue is without repayment.
惠於朋友，庶民小子。子孫繩繩，萬民靡不承。視爾友君子，輯柔爾顏，不遐有愆。
Be kind to friends, to commoners and the young. Your descendants will be careful in unbroken succession, and the myriad people will all receive it. See how you are friendly to the gentleman and soften your expression; how could you have faults?
相在爾室，尚不愧於屋漏。無曰不顯，莫予雲覯。神之格思，不可度思，矧可射思！
See how you are in your room; you should still not be ashamed before the spirit of the northwest corner. Do not say it is not apparent and no one sees me. The coming of the spirits cannot be fathomed, much less may one be weary of them!
闢爾為德，俾臧俾嘉。淑慎爾止，不愆於儀。不僭不賊，鮮不為則。投我以桃，報之以李。
Cultivate the virtue you practice, make it good and make it fine. Be good and careful in your dignified bearing, and do not err in ritual and propriety. If one does not overstep or harm others, one is seldom not made a model. Throw a peach to me, and I repay with a plum.
彼童而角，實虹小子。荏染柔木，言緡之絲。溫溫恭人，維德之基。
That young goat has horns; it truly confuses the young. The soft, fine wood is strung with silk strings. A warm, gentle, respectful person is the foundation of virtue.
其維哲人，告之話言，順德之行。其維愚人，覆謂我僭。民各有心。
If one is a wise man, tell him a good word, and he follows virtue in practice. If one is a fool, he instead says I overstep. People each have their own thoughts.
於乎小子，未知臧否。匪手攜之，言示之事。匪面命之，言提其耳。
Alas, young one, you still do not know good from evil. Not only did I lead you by the hand, I also pointed out matters to you. Not only did I command you face to face, I also pulled your ear.
借曰未知，亦既抱子。民之靡盈，誰夙知而莫成？昊天孔昭，我生靡樂。
If you say you still do not know, you are already holding a son in your arms. People do not become full; who can know early and succeed late? Vast Heaven is very bright, and I have no joy in living.
視爾夢夢，我心慘慘。誨爾諄諄，聽我藐藐。匪用為教，覆用為虐。
I see you dazed and dull, and my heart is grieved. I teach you earnestly, yet you listen with disdain. You do not take it as instruction, but rather take it as cruelty.
借曰未知，亦聿既耄。於乎，小子，告爾舊止。聽用我謀，庶無大悔。
If you say you still do not know, you are already old. Alas, young one, I tell you the old dignified ways. Listen to and use my plans, and perhaps there will be no great regret.
天方艱難，曰喪厥國。取譬不遠，昊天不忒。回遹其德，俾民大棘。
Heaven is in hardship, and it is said that his state will be lost. The comparison is not far off; vast Heaven makes no mistake. His virtue is perverse, and the people are in great distress.
菀彼桑柔，其下侯旬，捋采其劉，瘼此下民。不殄心憂，倉兄填兮。倬彼昊天，寧不我矜？
The lush, tender mulberry, its shade below is even; when its leaves are plucked sparse, the people below suffer. The heart's grief is unceasing, and the breath of ruin fills it. Vast Heaven, will you not take pity on me?
四牡騤騤，旟旐有翩。亂生不夷，靡國不泯。民靡有黎，具禍以燼。於乎有哀，國步斯頻。
The four stallions are strong and powerful, the falcon banners and dragon banners flutter. Disorder arises and is not settled, and there is no state that is not in turmoil. The people are few, and all have been turned to ashes by disaster. Alas, there is sorrow; the fate of the state is so precarious.
國步滅資，天不我將。靡所止疑，雲徂何往？君子實維，秉心無競。誰生厲階，至今為梗？
The state's fate has no resources, and Heaven does not support me. There is no place of rest or halting; where am I to go? The gentleman truly thinks and keeps his heart free of contention. Who gave rise to this stair of disaster, which still obstructs us today?
憂心殷殷，念我土宇。我生不辰，逢天僤怒。自西徂東，靡所定處。多我覯痻，孔棘我圉。
My heart is heavy with grief, thinking of my homeland. I was born at the wrong time, meeting Heaven's great wrath. From west to east there is no place of rest. I have met with many troubles, and my frontier is in great danger.
為謀為毖，亂況斯削。告爾憂恤，誨爾序爵。誰能執熱，逝不以濯？其何能淑，載胥及溺。
Make plans and be careful, and the state of disorder is thereby reduced. I tell you to be concerned, and teach you to arrange ranks and titles. Who can hold something hot without first washing his hands in water? How can that be well? We shall all drown in succession.
如彼溯風，亦孔之僾。民有肅心，荓雲不逮。好是稼穡，力民代食。稼穡維寶，代食維好？
Like going against the wind, it is also stifling. The people have a respectful heart, but say they cannot keep up. They love this farming; those who exert effort are replaced by those who sit and eat. Farming is a treasure; is it good to replace it with those who sit and eat?
天降喪亂，滅我立王。降此蟊賊，稼穡卒癢。哀恫中國，具贅卒荒。靡有旅力，以念穹蒼。
Heaven sends down ruin and disorder, and destroys the king we set up. It sends down these grain-eating pests, and the crops finally fall sick. I grieve for the central realm; all are burdened and in the end laid waste. I have no strength left to think of the vault of heaven.
維此惠君，民人所瞻。秉心宣猶，考慎其相。維彼不順，自獨俾臧。自有肺腸，俾民卒狂。
This compliant and kind ruler is the one the people look up to. He keeps his mind on making plans clear and examines carefully his assistants. That other, who is not compliant, makes himself good alone. He has his own lungs and bowels, and makes the people finally mad with disorder.
瞻彼中林，甡甡其鹿。朋友已譖，不胥以谷。人亦有言：進退維谷。
Looking into the forest, the deer are many and crowded. Friends already slander each other and do not treat each other well. People also have a saying: advancing or retreating, one is caught in difficulty.
維此聖人，瞻言百里。維彼愚人，覆狂以喜。匪言不能，胡斯畏忌？
This is a sage, whose gaze can see a hundred li. That other is a fool, who instead is wildly delighted. It is not that the words cannot be spoken; why are you so fearful and wary?
維此良人，弗求弗迪。維彼忍心，是顧是復。民之貪亂，寧為荼毒。
This is a good man, who neither seeks advancement nor recommends others. That cruel heart is so attached, so inconstant. The people crave disorder and would rather do poisonous harm.
大風有隧，有空大谷。維此良人，作為式谷。維彼不順，徵以中垢。
The great wind has its path, and there are great empty valleys. This good man acts with goodness. That other, not compliant, acts amid filth.
大風有隧，貪人敗類。聽言則對，誦言如醉。匪用其良，復俾我悖。
The great wind has its path, and the greedy ruin their own kind. Pleasant words are answered, but remonstrating words are heard as if drunk. They do not use those good men, and instead cause me to be bewildered.
嗟爾朋友，予豈不知而作。如彼飛蟲，時亦弋獲。既之陰女，反予來赫。
Alas, you friends, do I not know and yet still do it? Like those flying insects, sometimes they too are shot. I have sheltered you, and instead you come to threaten me.
民之罔極，職涼善背。為民不利，如雲不克。民之回遹，職競用力。
The people have no standard; they devote themselves to harshness and are good at betrayal. They do things that do not benefit the people, as if afraid of not being able to outdo others. The people are perverse and devote themselves to competing in effort.
民之未戾，職盜為寇。涼曰不可，覆背善詈。雖曰匪予，既作爾歌！
The people are not yet settled and devote themselves to being robbers and bandits. When told sincerely that it cannot be done, they are good at cursing behind one's back. Though it is said not to be aimed at me, I have already made this song for you!
倬彼雲漢，昭回於天。王曰：於乎！何辜今之人？天降喪亂，饑饉薦臻。
The vast Milky Way shines and turns in the sky. The king says: Alas! What offense do the people of today bear? Heaven sends down ruin and disorder, and famine comes repeatedly.
靡神不舉，靡愛斯牲。圭壁既卒，寧莫我聽？
There is no spirit I have not sacrificed to, and I did not spare these animal victims. The jade tablets and discs are already used up; will you not listen to me?
旱既大甚，蘊隆蟲蟲。不殄禋祀，自郊徂宮。上下奠瘞，靡神不宗。
The drought is already too severe, the heat accumulating fiercely. The sacrifices of purification have not stopped, from the suburbs to the palace. Sacrificing above and burying below, there is no spirit I have not honored.
后稷不克，上帝不臨。耗斁下土，寧丁我梗
Hou Ji cannot help, and God above does not come down. The lands below are ruined; could it be that I am meeting this calamity? (The source text appears to have a missing passage in this line.)
旱既大甚，則不可推。兢兢業業，如霆如雷。周餘黎民，靡有孑遺。
The drought is already too severe, and it cannot be pushed away. Fearful and trembling, as if struck by thunder. The remaining common people of Zhou have not a single one left.
昊天上帝，則不我遺。胡不相畏？先祖於摧。
God of vast Heaven, you do not spare me. Why do you not fear one another? The former ancestors are thus broken.
旱既大甚，則不可沮。赫赫炎炎，雲我無所。大命近止，靡瞻靡顧。
The drought is already too severe, and it cannot be stopped. Blazing and scorching, I have nowhere to go. The great mandate is nearly at an end, and there is nothing to look to and nothing to care for.
群公先正，則不我助。父母先祖，胡寧忍予？
All the former dukes and ministers do not help me. My parents and ancestors, why are you willing to be so hard-hearted toward me?
旱既大甚，滌滌山川。旱魃為虐，如惔如焚。我心憚暑，憂心如燻。
The drought is already too severe, and mountains and rivers are dried up. The drought demon rages, as if burning and scorching. My heart fears the heat, and my anxious heart is as if smoked.
群公先正，則不我聞。昊天上帝，寧俾我遁？
All the former dukes and ministers do not listen to me. God of vast Heaven, could you let me flee?
旱既大甚，黽勉畏去。胡寧瘨我以旱？憯不知其故。祈年孔夙，方社不莫。
The drought is already too severe, and I strive in fear to depart. Why are you willing to afflict me with drought? I do not know the reason. The prayers for the harvest were early, and the sacrifices to the four quarters and to the earth were not late.
昊天上帝，則不我虞。
God of vast Heaven, you do not take me into account.
敬恭明神，宜無悔怒。旱既大甚，散無友紀。鞫哉庶正，疚哉冢宰。
I have respectfully served the bright spirits, and there should be no regret or anger. The drought is already too severe, and all is scattered without order. The heads of the officials are exhausted, and the prime minister is in distress.