Chinese poem illustration: 大雅 生民/ Daya – The People by Anonymous
Full video also available at Bilibili: 大雅 生民part1 part2
An epic poem about the very earlist Zhou people, the father Houji(后稷), he was treated as the very original ancestor of Zhou people. The poem is of pretty ancient wording even among the Book of Songs, might reveal the real folk story repeated generations by generations by ancient Zhou people. The Zhou spirits and characters are well refelected and traced down to father Houji.
Part1 is about paragraph 1st to 4th, the characters 震, 字, 岐, 嶷, 五谷 are analysed. 五谷(whole grains) is pin-pointed as 菽, 禾, 麻, 麦, 瓜.
“不坼不副，无菑无害，以赫厥灵” could also be explained as: baby Houji was born intact as a ball, the afterbirth does not split, neither could be cut open.
Part2 talked about the agriculture of Zhou poeple, how father Houji taught and assisted them for a good harvest, which is also his duty as the minister of agriculture. The position title(Houji/后稷) even is taken as his name afterwards, compared to his less popular real name Abandon(弃). With the grand harvest, Houji led the people preparing and completing their first ceremony for heaven(肇祀), by which Houji and Zhou people became a recognized decent tribe, a state under the mighty God, since then Zhou people are blessed with peaceful and happy life.
Character 实, 秬秠糜芑 are analysed.
大雅 生民
佚名
厥初生民，时维姜嫄。
生民如何？克禋克祀，以弗无子。
履帝武敏歆，攸介攸止，载震载夙。
载生载育，时维后稷。
诞弥厥月，先生如达。
不坼不副，无菑无害，以赫厥灵。
上帝不宁，不康禋祀，居然生子。
诞寘之隘巷，牛羊腓字之。
诞寘之平林，会伐平林。
诞寘之寒冰，鸟覆翼之。
鸟乃去矣，后稷呱矣。
实覃实訏，厥声载路。
诞实匍匐，克岐克嶷，以就口食，蓺之荏菽。
荏菽旆旆，禾役穟穟，麻麦幪幪，瓜瓞唪唪。
诞后稷之穑，有相之道。
茀厥丰草，种之黄茂。
实方实苞，实种实褎。
实发实秀，实坚实好。
实颖实栗，即有邰家室。
诞降嘉种，维秬维秠，维穈维芑。
恒之秬秠，是获是亩。
恒之穈芑，是任是负，以归肇祀。
诞我祀如何？或舂或揄，或簸或蹂。
释之叟叟，烝之浮浮。
载谋载惟，取萧祭脂。
取羝以軷，载燔载烈，以兴嗣岁。
昂盛于豆，于豆于登，其香始升。
上帝居歆，胡臭亶时。
后稷肇祀，庶无罪悔，以迄于今。
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