Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
金縢 第三十四 Book Thirty-four · Jīn téng
既克商二年，王有疾，弗豫。
Two years after the conquest of the Shang dynasty, the king fell ill, and was quite disconsolate.
二公曰：「我其為王穆卜。」
The two dukes said, “Let us reverently consult the tortoise concerning the king”;
周公曰：「未可以戚我先王。」
but the duke of Chow said, “You may not so distress our former kings.”
公乃自以為功，為三壇同墠。為壇于南方，北面周公立焉；植璧秉珪，乃告太王、王季、文王。
He then took the business on himself, and made three altars of earth, on the same cleared space; and having made another altar on the south, facing the north, he there took his own position. The convex symbols were put on their altars and he himself held his mace, while he addressed the kings T‘ae, Ke, and Wăn.
史乃冊祝曰：「惟爾元孫某，遘厲虐疾；若爾三王，是有丕子之責于天，以旦代某之身。
The grand historian by his order wrote on tablets his prayer to the following effect:— “A. B., your chief descendant, is suffering from a severe and dangerous sickness;—if you three kings have in heaven the charge of watching over him, Heaven’s great son, let me Tan be a substitute for his person.
「予仁若考，能多材多藝，能事鬼神。乃元孫不若旦多材多藝，不能事鬼神。
I have been lovingly obedient to my father; I am possessed of many abilities and arts which fit me to serve spiritual beings. Your chief descendant on the other hand has not so many abilities and arts as I, and is not so capable of serving spiritual beings.
「乃命于帝庭，敷佑四方，用能定爾子孫于下地，四方之民，罔不祗畏。嗚呼！無墜天之降寶命，我先王亦永有依歸。
And moreover he was appointed in the hall of God to extend his aid to the four quarters of the empire, so that he might establish your descendants in this lower world. The people of the four quarters stand in reverent awe of him. Oh! do not let that precious Heaven-conferred appointment fall to the ground, and all our former kings will also have a perpetual reliance and resort.
「今我即命于元龜，爾之許我，我其以璧與珪，歸俟爾命；爾不許我，我乃屏璧與珪。」
I will now seek for your orders from the great tortoise. If you grant what I request, I will take these symbols and this mace, and return and wait for the issue. If you do not grant it, I will put them by.”
乃卜三龜，一習吉。啟籥見書，乃并是吉。
The duke then divined with the three tortoises, and all were favourable. He took a key, opened and looked at the oracular responses which also were favourable.
公曰：「體，王其罔害。予小子新命于三王，惟永終是圖，茲攸俟，能念予一人。」
He said, “According to the form of the prognostic, the king will take no injury. I, who am but a child, have got his appointment renewed by the three kings, by whom a long futurity has been consulted for. I have to wait the issue. They can provide for our one man.”
公歸，乃納冊于金縢之匱中。王翼日乃瘳。
Having said this, he returned, and placed the tablets in the metal-bound coffer; and next day the king got better.
武王既喪，管叔及其群弟乃流言於國，曰：「公將不利於孺子。」
Afterwards, upon the death of king Woo, the duke’s elder brother, he of Kwan, and his younger brothers, spread a baseless rumour through the kingdom, saying, “The duke will do no good to the king’s young son.”
周公乃告二公曰：「我之弗辟，我無以告我先王。」
Upon this the duke of Chow represented to the two dukes, saying, “If I do not take the law to these men, I shall not be able to make my report to our former kings.”
周公居東二年，則罪人斯得。
He resided accordingly in the east for two years, when the criminals were got and brought to justice.
于後。公乃為詩以貽王，名之曰鴟鴞；王亦未敢誚公。
Afterwards he made a poem to present to the king, and called it “The Owl.” The king on his part did not dare to blame the duke.
秋大熟，未穫，天大雷電以風，禾盡偃，大木斯拔，邦人大恐。王與大夫盡弁，以啟金縢之書，乃得周公所自以為功代武王之說。
In the autumn, when the grain was abundant and ripe, but before it was reaped, Heaven sent a great storm of thunder and lightning, along with wind, by which the grain was all beaten down, and great trees torn up. The people were greatly terrified; and the king and great officers, all in their caps of state, proceeded to open the metal-bound coffer, and examine the writings, when they found the words of the duke of Chow when he took on himself the business of taking the place of king Woo.
二公及王乃問諸史與百執事。對曰：「信。噫公命我勿敢言。」
The king and the two dukes asked the grand historian and all the other officers about the thing. They replied, “Ah! it was really thus; but the duke charged us that we should not presume to speak about it.”
王執書以泣，曰：「其勿穆卜。昔公勤勞王家，惟予沖人弗及知；今天動威，以彰周公之德；惟朕小子其新逆，我國家禮亦宜之。」
The king held the writing, and wept, saying, “We need not now go on reverently to divine. Formerly the duke was thus earnest for the royal House, but I, being a child, did not know it. Now Heaven has moved its terrors to display the virtue of the duke of Chow. That I meet him a new man, is what the rules of propriety of our empire require.”
王出郊，天乃雨，反風，禾則盡起。二公命邦人，凡大木所偃，盡起而築之，歲則大熟。
The king then went out to the borders, when Heaven sent down rain; and by virtue of a contrary wind, the grain all rose up. The two dukes gave orders to the people to take up all the large trees which had fallen, and replace them. The year then turned out very fruitful.