During the time of King Xuan of Zhou, Heaven sent down a drought, and the harvest was ruined.
2 [Consequently,] the king worried about this. An
Ode declares:
“Bright is the River of Clouds [i.e., the Milky Way],
shining it encircles the sky;
the king says:
Alas, what guilt rests upon us now?
Heaven sends down death and chaos;
repeatedly there is famine and starvation.
It is not that we have not sacrificed to the spirits;
it is not that we begrudge the victims;
We have used up the jade scepters and jade disks;
how can none [of the spirits] hear us?
The drought is long and very severe,
with heat and thunder and sultry weather.
We have unceasingly offered the Yin and Zi sacrifices,
[hastening between] suburban altar and ancestral temple.
To [the powers] above and below, we have offered up and buried [sacrificial gifts];
there are no spirits to which we have not given reverence;
but Lord Millet does not avail us,
and the High God does not come near;
They spread destruction and slaughter above and below;
King Xuan thought that these calamities occurred because he was not able to communicate with Lord Millet or the High God. When these calamities occurred, he grew ever more anxious and attempted to serve Heaven further. If Heaven had not given [the Mandate] to this family, how could this family have been established as the Son of Heaven? It was established as the Son of Heaven because Heaven gave [the Mandate] to it. “Heaven gives [the Mandate] to this family” means that Heaven commands this family. If Heaven had already given [the Mandate] to this family and commanded it, how could it not be able to communicate with Heaven! Therefore whenever the Spring and Autumn raised criticisms concerning the Suburban Sacrifice, it never once held the virtue of the ruler to be insufficient to perform it. However, if sacrifices to the mountains and rivers were performed and the Suburban Sacrifice was not performed, [the Spring and Autumn considered this to] violate ritual norms, [the king] having lost the proper sequence of sacrifice. Therefore it necessarily criticized these instances. From this, we see that those who do not sacrifice to Heaven cannot sacrifice to the lesser spirits.
The Suburban Sacrifice accords with the divination that precedes it. If [the divination] is inauspicious, [the king] will not dare perform the Suburban Sacrifice. The sacrifices to the numerous [lesser] spirits are not preceded by divination; only the Suburban Sacrifice is preceded by divination. The Suburban Sacrifice is the most important sacrifice. The Spring and Autumn criticizes the performance of [ordinary] sacrifices during mourning [for a parent], but it does not criticize the performance of the Suburban Sacrifice during mourning. If performing the Suburban Sacrifice does no harm to mourning, and moreover, mourning itself is not harmed by it, how much less [can it harm] other things? The Suburban Invocation states:
“How august is Heaven above.
Heaven radiates and approaches earth below.
Heaven gathers together the numerous beings of the earth.
Heaven sends down fragrant winds and rain,
and the multitudes of living things obtain what is proper to each.
Whether present or past, Heaven confers it on the one man [that is, the ruler,]
who is reverently thankful for august Heaven’s blessings.”
[The Son of Heaven] does not speak one his own behalf but for the growth and development of the multitude of living things. If the people approach Heaven in a heartfelt way, they will not be criticized [by Heaven]. If Heaven makes no reproach and your words are reverent and compliant, it is fitting that it should bring happiness.
4 [69/69/3–15]