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天子適四方，先柴。郊之祭也，迎長日之至也，大報天而主日也。兆於南郊，就陽位也。掃地而祭，於其質也。器用陶匏，以象天地之性也。於郊，故謂之郊。牲用騂，尚赤也；用犢，貴誠也。郊之用辛也，周之始郊日以至。卜郊，受命于祖廟，作龜于禰宮，尊祖親考之義也。卜之日，王立于澤，親聽誓命，受教諫之義也。獻命庫門之內，戒百官也。大廟之命，戒百姓也。 |
| Jiao Te Sheng: |
The son of Heaven, in his tours (of Inspection) to the four quarters (of the kingdom), as the first thing (on his arrival at each) reared the pile of wood (and set fire to it). At the (Great) border sacrifice, he welcomed the arrival of the longest day. It was a great act of thanksgiving to Heaven, and the sun was the chief object considered in it'. The space marked off for it was in the southern suburb - the place most open to the brightness and warmth (of the heavenly influence). The sacrifice was offered on the ground which had been swept for the purpose;--to mark the simplicity (of the ceremony). The vessels used were of earthenware and of gourds - to emblem the natural (productive power of) heaven and earth. The place was the suburb, and therefore the sacrifice was called the suburban or border. The victim was red, that being the colour preferred by the (Zhou) dynasty; and it was a calf - to show the estimation of simple sincerity. For (all) sacrifices in the border they used a xin day; because when Zhou first offered the border sacrifice, it was the longest day, and its name began with xin. When divining about the border sacrifice, (the king) received the reply in the fane of his (great) ancestor, and the tortoise-shell was operated on in that of his father; honour being thus done to his ancestor, and affection shown to his father. On the day of divination, he stood by the lake, and listened himself to the declarations and orders which were delivered, showing an example of receiving lessons and reproof. (The officers) having communicated to him the orders (to be issued), he gives warning notice of them to all the officers (of a different surname from himself), inside the Ku gate (of the palace), and to those of the same surname, in the Grand temple. |
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祭之日，王皮弁以聽祭報，示民嚴上也。喪者不哭，不敢凶服，汜掃反道，鄉為田燭。弗命而民聽上。祭之日，王被袞以象天，戴冕，璪十有二旒，則天數也。乘素車，貴其質也。旗十有二旒，龍章而設日月，以象天也。天垂象，聖人則之。郊所以明天道也。帝牛不吉，以為稷牛。帝牛必在滌三月，稷牛唯具。所以別事天神與人鬼也。萬物本乎天，人本乎祖，此所以配上帝也。郊之祭也，大報本反始也。 |
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On the day of the sacrifice, the king in his skin cap waits for the news that all is ready, showing the people how they ought to venerate their superiors. Those who were engaged in mourning rites did not wail nor venture to put on their mourning dress. (The people) watered and swept the road, and turned it up afresh with the spade; at (the top of) the fields in the neighbourhood they kept torches burning - thus without special orders complying with (the wish of) the king. On that day, the king assumed the robe with the ascending dragons on it as an emblem of the heavens. He wore the cap with the pendants of jade-pearls, to the number of twelve, which is the number of heaven. He rode in the plain carriage, because of its simplicity. From the flag hung twelve pendants, and on it was the emblazonry of dragons, and the figures of the sun and moon, in imitation of the heavens. Heaven hangs out its brilliant figures, and the sages imitated them. This border sacrifice is the illustration of the way of Heaven. If there appeared anything infelicitous about the victim intended for God, it was used for that intended for Ji. That intended for God required to be kept in its clean stall for three months. That intended for Ji simply required to be perfect in its parts. This was the way in which they made a distinction between the spirits of Heaven and the manes of a man. All things originate from Heaven; man originates from his (great) ancestor. This is the reason why Ji was associated with God (at this sacrifice). In the sacrifices at the border there was an expression of gratitude to the source (of their prosperity and a going back in their thoughts to the beginning of (all being). |
