Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
酒誥 第三十八 Book Thirty-eight · Jiǔ gào
王若曰：「明大命于妹邦。
“The king speaks to this effect:—‘Do you clearly make known my great commands in the country of Mei.
「乃穆考文王，肇國在西土，厥誥毖庶邦庶士，越少正、御事，朝夕曰：『祀茲酒。』惟天降命，肇我民惟元祀。
‘When your reverent father, the king Wăn, laid the foundations of our kingdom in the western region, he delivered announcements and cautions to the princes of the various States, all the high officers, with their assistants, and the managers of affairs, saying, morning and evening, “For sacrifices spirits should be employed.” When Heaven was sending down its favouring decree, and laying the foundations of the eminence of our people, spirits were used only in the great sacrifices.
「天降威，我民用大亂喪德，亦罔非酒惟行；越小大邦用喪，亦罔非酒惟辜。
When Heaven has sent down its terrors, and our people have thereby been greatly disorganized and lost their virtue, this might also be invariably traced to their indulgence in spirits; yea, the ruin of States, small and great, by these terrors, may be also traced invariably to their crime in the use of spirits.
「文王誥教小子：有正、有事，無彝酒；越庶國，飲惟祀，德將無醉。
‘King Wăn admonished and instructed the young and all who were charged with office and in employment, that they should not ordinarily use spirits. Throughout all his States, he required that they should be drunk only on occasion of sacrifices, and then that virtue should preside so that there might be no drunkenness.
「惟曰我民迪，小子惟土物愛；厥心臧，聰聽祖考之彝訓越小大德，小子惟一。
He said, “Let my people teach their young men that they are to love only the productions of the ground, for so will their hearts be good. Let the youth also hearken diligently to the constant lessons of their fathers. Let them look at virtuous actions whether great or small in the same light.”
「妹土嗣爾股肱，純其藝黍稷，奔走事厥考厥長。肇牽車牛，遠服賈用，孝養厥父母；厥父母慶，自洗腆，致用酒。
‘Ye people of the land of Mei, if you can employ your limbs, largely cultivating your millet, and hastening about in the service of your fathers and elders; and if with your carts and oxen you traffic to a distance, that you may thereby filially minister to your parents:—then, when your parents are happy, you may set forth your spirits clear and strong, and use them.
「庶士、有正，越庶伯、君子，其爾典聽朕教：爾大克羞耇惟君，爾乃飲食醉飽。丕惟曰：爾克永觀省，作稽中德，爾尚克羞饋祀，爾乃自介用逸。茲乃允惟王正事之臣；茲亦惟天若元德，永不忘在王家。」
‘Hearken constantly to my instructions, all ye high officers, ye assistants, and all ye noble chiefs:—when you have largely done your duty in ministering to your aged and serving your sovereign, you may eat and drink freely and to satiety. And to speak of greater things:—when you can maintain a constant watchful examination of yourselves, and your conduct is in accordance with correct virtue, then may you minister the offerings of sacrifice, and at the same time indulge yourselves in festivity. In such case you will indeed be ministers doing right service to your king, and Heaven likewise will approve your great virtue, so that you shall never be forgotten in the royal House.’”
王曰：「封！我西土棐徂，邦君、御事、小子，尚克用文王教，不腆于酒。故我至于今，克受殷之命。」
“The king says, ‘O Fung, in our western regions, the princes of States, the managers of affairs, and the youths, who in former days assisted our ancestor, were able to obey the lessons of king Wăn, and indulge in no excess of spirits; and so it is that I have now received the appointment which belonged to Yin.’”
王曰：「封。我聞惟曰：『在昔殷先哲王，迪畏天顯小民，經德秉哲。自成湯咸至于帝乙，成王畏。相惟御事，厥棐有恭，不敢自暇自逸，矧曰其敢崇飲？
“The king says, ‘O Fung, I have heard it said that formerly the first wise sovereign of Yin manifested a reverential awe of the bright principles of Heaven, and of the lower people, steadfast in his virtue, and holding fast his wisdom. From him, T‘ang the Successful, down to the emperor Yih, the sovereigns all completed their royal virtues, and revered their chief ministers, so that their managers of affairs respectfully discharged their helping duties, and dared not to allow themselves in idleness and pleasure;—how much less would they dare to indulge in drinking!
「『越在外服，侯、甸、男、衛、邦伯；越在內服，百僚、庶尹、惟亞、惟服、宗工，越百姓里居，罔敢湎于酒，不惟不敢，亦不暇。惟助成王德顯，越尹人祗辟。』
Moreover, in the exterior domains, the princes of the States of the How, Teen, Nan and Wei, with their chiefs; and in the interior domain, all the various officers, the directors of the several departments, the inferior officers and employes, and the Heads of great Houses, with the men of honoured name living in retirement, all eschewed indulgence in spirits. Not only did they not dare to indulge in them, but they had not leisure, being occupied with helping to complete their king’s virtue and make it more distinguished, and helping the directors of affairs reverently to attend to the service of the sovereign.
「我聞亦惟曰：『在今後嗣王酣身，厥命罔顯于民祗，保越怨，不易。誕惟厥縱淫泆于非彝，用燕喪威儀，民罔不衋傷心。惟荒腆于酒，不惟自息，乃逸。厥心疾很，不克畏死；辜在商邑，越殷國滅無罹。弗惟德馨香，祀登聞于天；誕惟民怨，庶群自酒，腥聞在上。故天降喪于殷，罔愛于殷，惟逸。天非虐，惟民自速辜。』」
‘I have heard it said likewise, that in these times the last successor of those kings was addicted to drink, so that no charges came from him brightly before the people, and he was reverently and unchangingly bent on doing and cherishing what provoked resentment. Greatly abandoned to extraordinary lewdness and dissipation, for pleasure’s sake he ruined all his majesty. The people were all sorely grieved and wounded in heart, but he gave himself wildly up to spirits, not thinking of ceasing, but continuing his excess, till his mind was frenzied, and he had no fear of death. His crimes accumulated in the city of Shang, and though the extinction of the dynasty of Yin was imminent, this gave him no concern, and he wrought not that any sacrifices of fragrant virtue might ascend to heaven. The rank odour of the people’s resentments, and the drunkenness of his herds of creatures, went loudly up on high, so that Heaven sent down ruin on Yin and showed no love for Yin,—because of such excesses. There is not any cruel oppression of Heaven; people themselves accelerate their guilt, and its punishment.’”
王曰：「封。予不惟若茲多誥。古人有言曰：『人無於水監，當於民監。』今惟殷墜厥命，我其可不大監撫于時？
“The king says, ‘O Fung, I have no pleasure in making you this long announcement; but the ancients have said, “Let not men look only into water; let them look into the glass of other people.” Now that Yin has lost its appointment, ought we not to look much to it as our glass, and learn how to secure the repose of our time?
「予惟曰：『汝劼毖殷獻臣，侯、甸、男、衛；矧太史友、內史友，越獻臣百宗工；矧惟爾事：服休、服采；矧惟若疇：圻父薄違，農父若保，宏父定辟，矧汝剛制于酒。』
‘I say to you,—Strenuously warn the worthy ministers of Yin, and the princes in the How, the Teen, the Nan, and Wei domains; and still more, your friends, the great Recorder and the Recorder of the interior, and all your worthy ministers, the Heads of great Houses; and still more, those whom you serve—with whom you calmly converse, and who carry out your measures; and still more, those who are, as it were, your mates,—your minister of War, who deals with the rebellious, your minister of Agriculture, who is like a protector to the people, and your minister of Works, who settles the boundaries; and above all, do you sternly keep yourself from drink.
「厥或誥曰：『群飲，汝勿佚，盡執拘以歸于周，予其殺。
‘If you are told that there are companies who drink together, do not fail to apprehend them all, and send them here to Chow, where I may put them to death.
「『又惟殷之迪諸臣惟工，乃湎于酒，勿庸殺之，姑惟教之。
‘As to the ministers and officers of Yin, who have been led to it, and been addicted to drink, it is not necessary to put them to death;—let them be taught for a time.
「『有斯明享，乃不用我教辭，惟我一人弗恤，弗蠲乃事，時同于殺。』」
If they keep these lessons, I will give them bright distinction. If you disregard my lessons, then I, the one man, will show you no pity. As you cannot cleanse your way, you shall be classed with those who are to be put to death.’”
王曰：「封。汝典聽朕毖，勿辯乃司民湎于酒。」
“The king says, ‘O Fung, give constant heed to my admonitions. If you do not manage right your officers, the people will continue lost in drink.’”