Chinese Literature | Page 7

to departed spirits not
belonging to one's own family.
"It is moral cowardice to leave undone what one perceives to be right to
do."
[Footnote 2: Of Lu (Confucius's native State).]
[Footnote 3: Head of one of the "Three Families" of Lu.]

BOOK III

Abuse of Proprieties in Ceremonial and Music
Alluding to the head of the Ki family, [4] and the eight lines of
posturers [5] before their ancestral hall, Confucius remarked, "If the Ki
can allow himself to go to this extent, to what extent will he not allow
himself to go?"
The Three Families [6] were in the habit, during the Removal of the
sacred vessels after sacrifice, of using the hymn commencing,
"Harmoniously the Princes Draw near with reverent tread, Assisting in
his worship Heaven's Son, the great and dread."
"How," exclaimed the Master, "can such words be appropriated in the
ancestral hall of the Three Families?"
"Where a man," said he again, "has not the proper feelings due from
one man to another, how will he stand as regards the Rules of Propriety?
And in such a case, what shall we say of his sense of harmony?"
On a question being put to him by Lin Fang, a disciple, as to what was
the radical idea upon which the Rules of Propriety were based, the
Master exclaimed, "Ah! that is a large question. As to some rules,
where there is likelihood of extravagance, they would rather demand
economy; in those which relate to mourning, and where there is
likelihood of being easily satisfied, what is wanted is real sorrow."
Speaking of the disorder of the times he remarked that while the
barbarians on the North and East had their Chieftains, we here in this
great country had nothing to compare with them in that respect:--we
had lost these distinctions!
Alluding to the matter of the Chief of the Ki family worshipping on
Tai-shan, [7] the Master said to Yen Yu, "Cannot you save him from
this?" He replied, "It is beyond my power." "Alas, alas!" exclaimed the
Master, "are we to say that the spirits of T'ai-shan have not as much
discernment as Lin Fang?"

Of "the superior man," the Master observed, "In him there is no
contentiousness. Say even that he does certainly contend with others, as
in archery competitions; yet mark, in that case, how courteously he will
bow and go up for the forfeit-cup, and come down again and give it to
his competitor. In his very contest he is still the superior man."
Tsz-hiá once inquired what inference might be drawn from the lines--
"Dimples playing in witching smile, Beautiful eyes, so dark, so bright!
Oh, and her face may be thought the while Colored by art, red rose on
white!"
"Coloring," replied the Master, "requires a pure and clear background."
"Then," said the other, "rules of ceremony require to have a
background!" "Ah!" exclaimed the Master, "you are the man to catch
the drift of my thought. Such as you may well introduce a discussion on
the Odes."
Said the Master, "As regards the ceremonial adopted and enforced by
the Hiá dynasty, I am able to describe it, although their own
descendants in the State of Ki can adduce no adequate testimony in
favor of its use there. So, too, I am able to describe the ceremonial of
the Yin dynasty, although no more can the Sung people show sufficient
reason for its continuance amongst themselves. And why cannot they
do so? Because they have not documents enough, nor men learned
enough. If only they had such, I could refer them to them in support of
their usages.
"When I am present at the great quinquennial sacrifice to the manes of
the royal ancestors," the Master said, "from the pouring-out of the
oblation onwards, I have no heart to look on."
Some one asked what was the purport of this great sacrifice, and the
Master replied, "I cannot tell. The position in the empire of him who
could tell you is as evident as when you look at this"--pointing to the
palm of his hand.
When he offered sacrifices to his ancestors, he used to act as if they

were present before him. In offering to other spirits it was the same.
He would say, "If I do not myself take part in my offerings, it is all the
same as if I did not offer them."
Wang-sun Kiá asked him once, "What says the proverb, 'Better to court
favor in the kitchen than in the drawing-room'?" The Master replied,
"Nay, better say, He who has sinned against Heaven has none other to
whom prayer may be addressed."
Of the Chow dynasty the Master remarked, "It looks back upon two
other dynasties; and what a rich possession it has in its records