075.许渊冲英译《诗经与诗意画》大雅·生民

大雅Book of Epics
生民
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。

Hou Ji, the Lord of Corn*
Who gave birth to the Lord of Corn?
By Lady Jiang Yuan he was born.
How gave she birth to her son nice?
She went afield for sacrifice.
Childless, she prayed for a son, so
She trod on the print of God’s toe.
She stood there long and took a rest,
And she was magnified and blessed.
Then she conceived, then she gave birth,
It was the Lord of Corn on earth.
When her carrying time was done,
Like a lamb slipped down her first son.
Of labor she sufered no pain;
She was not hurt, nor did she strain.
How could his birth so wonderful be?
Was it against Heaven’s decree?
Was God displeased with her sacrifice.
To give a virgin a son nice?
The son abandoned in a lane
Was milked by the cow or sheep.
Abandoned in a wooded plain,
He’s fed by men in forest deep.
Abandoned on the coldest ice,
He was warmed by birds with their wings.
When flew away those birds so nice,
The cry was heard of the nursling’s.
He cried and wailed so long and loud
The road with his voice was o’erflowed.
He was able to crawl aground
And then rose to his feet.
When he sought food around,
He learned to plant large beans and wheat.
The beans he planted grew tall;
His millet grew in rows;
His gourds teemed large and small;
His hemp grew thick and close.
The Lord of Corn knew well the way
To help the growing of the grain.
He cleared the grasses rank away
And sowed with yellow seed the plain.
The new buds began to appear;
They sprang up, grew under the feet.
They flowered and came into ear;
They drooped down, each grain complete.
They became so good and so strong,
Our Lord would live at Tai for long.
Heaven gave them the lucky grains
Of double-kernelled millet black
And red and white ones on the plains,
Black millet reaped was piled in stack
Or carried back on shoulders bare.
Red and white millet growing nice
And reaped far and wide, here and there,
Was brought home for the sacrifice.
What is our sacrifice?
We hull and ladle rice,
We sift and tread the grain,
Swill and scour it again.
It’s steamed and then distilled;
We see the rites fulfilled.
We offer fat with southern wood
And a skinned ram as food.
Flesh roast or broiled with cheer
Brings good harvest next year.
We load the stands with food,
The stands of earthernware or wood.
God smells its fragrance rise;
He’s well pleased in the skies.
What smell is this, so nice?
It’s Lord of Corn’s sacrifice.
This is a winning way;
It’s come down to this day.