Classic of Documents
周書 Zhōu shū
冏命 第五十四 Book Fifty-four · Jiǒng mìng
王若曰：「伯冏！惟予弗克于德，嗣先人宅丕后。怵惕惟厲，中夜以興，思免厥愆。
The king spoke thus:—“Pih-keung, I come short in virtue, and have now succeeded to the former kings, to occupy the great throne. I am fearful and conscious of the peril of my position. I rise at midnight, and think how I can avoid falling into faults.
「昔在文、武，聰明齊聖，小大之臣，咸懷忠良。其侍御僕從，罔匪正人，以旦夕承弼厥辟，出入起居，罔有不欽，發號施令，罔有不臧，下民祗若，萬邦咸休。
Formerly, Wăn and Woo were endowed with all intelligence, august and sage, while their ministers, small and great, all cherished loyalty and goodness. Their servants, charioteers, attendants, and followers, were all men of correctness, morning and evening waiting on their sovereign’s wishes or supplying his deficiencies. Those kings, going out and coming in, rising up and sitting down, were thus made reverent. Their every warning and command was good. The people yielded a reverent obedience, and the myriad regions were all happy.
「惟予一人無良，實賴左右前後有位之士，匡其不及。繩愆糾謬，格其非心，俾克紹先烈。
But I, the one man, am destitute of goodness, and really depend on the officers who have places about me to help my deficiencies, applying the line to my faults, and exhibiting my errors, thus correcting my bad heart, and enabling me to be the successor of my meritorious predecessors.
「今予命汝作大正，正于群僕侍御之臣，懋乃后德，交修不逮；
“Now I appoint you to be High Chamberlain, to see that all belonging to your department and my personal attendants are correct, that you may strive to promote the virtue of your sovereign, and together supply my deficiencies.
「慎簡乃僚，無以巧言令色，便辟側媚，其惟吉士。
Be careful in choosing your officers. Do not employ men of artful speech and insinuating looks, men whose likes and dislikes are ruled by mine, one-sided men and flatterers; but employ good men.
「僕臣正，厥后克正，僕臣諛，厥后自聖；后德惟臣，不德惟臣。
When these household officers are correct, their sovereign will be correct; when they are flatterers, the sovereign will consider himself a sage. The sovereign’s virtue and his want of it depend equally on those officers.
「爾無昵于憸人，充耳目之官，迪上以非先王之典；
Cultivate no intimacy with flatterers, nor get them to fill the offices of my ears and eyes;—they will lead their sovereign to disregard the statutes of the former kings.
「非人其吉，惟貨其吉；若時瘝厥官；惟爾大弗克祗厥辟，惟予汝辜。」
If you choose your men not for the goodness of their personal qualities, but for the sake of their bribes, the offices will thus be all made of no effect. Your great want of reverence for your sovereign will be apparent, and to you I will impute the blame.”
王曰：「嗚呼！欽哉！永弼乃后于彝憲。」
The king said, “Oh! be reverent! Ever help your sovereign to follow the regular laws of duty which he should exemplify.”