Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
旅獒 第三十三 Book Thirty-three · Lǚ áo
惟克商，遂通道于九夷八蠻。西旅底貢厥獒。太保乃作旅獒，用訓于王。
After the conquest of Shang, the way being open to the nine wild and the eight savage tribes, the people of the western tribe of Leu sent in as tribute some of their hounds, on which the Great-guardian made “The Hounds of Leu,” by way of instruction to the king.
曰：「嗚呼！明王慎德，四夷咸賓。無有遠邇，畢獻方物，惟服食器用。
He said, “Oh! the intelligent kings have paid careful attention to their virtue, and the wild tribes on every side have willingly acknowledged subjection to them. The nearer and the more remote have all made offerings of the productions of their countries;—clothes, food, and vessels for use.
「王乃昭德之致于異姓之邦，無替厥服。分寶玉于伯叔之國，時庸展親。人不易物，惟德其物。
The kings have then displayed the things thus produced by their virtue, and distributed them to the princes of the States of different surnames, to encourage them not to neglect their duties. The precious things and gems they have distributed among their uncles in charge of States, thereby increasing their attachment to the throne. The recipients have thus not despised the things, but have seen in them the power of virtue.
「德盛不狎侮；狎侮君子，罔以盡人心；狎侮小人，罔以盡其力。
“Complete virtue allows no contemptuous familiarity. When a prince treats superior men with such familiarity, he cannot get them to give him all their hearts; when he so treats inferior men, he cannot get them to put forth for him all their strength.
「不役耳目，百度惟貞。
If he be not in bondage to his ears and eyes, all his conduct will be ruled by correctness.
「玩人喪德，玩物喪志。
By trifling with men he ruins his virtue; by finding his amusement in things he ruins his aims.
「志以道寧，言以道接。
“The aims should repose in what is right; words should be listened to according to their relation to right.
「不作無益害有益，功乃成；不貴異物賤用物，民乃足。犬馬非其土性不畜；珍禽奇獸，不育于國。不寶遠物，則遠人格；所寶惟賢，則邇人安。
“A prince should not do what is unprofitable to the injury of what is profitable, and then his merit may be completed. He should not value strange things to the contemning things that are useful, and then his people will be able to supply all his needs. Even dogs and horses which are not native to his country he will not keep; fine birds and strange animals he will not nourish in his kingdom. When he does not look on foreign things as precious, foreigners will come to him; when it is worth which is precious to him, his own people near at hand will enjoy repose.
「嗚呼！夙夜罔或不勤，不矜細行，終累大德；為山九仞，功虧一簣；
“Oh! early and late never be but earnest. If you do not attend jealously to your small actions, the result will be to affect your virtue in great matters;—as when, in raising a mound of nine fathoms the work is unfinished for want of one basket of earth.
「允迪茲，生民保厥居，惟乃世王。」
If you really follow this course, the people will preserve their possessions, and the throne will descend from generation to generation.”