Mencius. Book 3, Part 1, Chapter 2.
Book 3, T'ang Wan Kung. Part 1.
1. When the duke Ting of T'ang died, the crown prince said toYen Yew, "formerly, Mencius spoke with me in Sung, and in my mind I have never forgotten his words. Now, alas! this great duty to my father devolves upon me; I wish to send you to ask the advice of Mencius, and then to proceed to its various services."
2. Yen Yew accordingly proceeded to Tsow, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, "Is this not good? In discharging the funeral duties to parents, men indeed feel constrained to do their utmost. The philosopher Tsang said, 'When parents are alive, they should be served according to propriety; when they are dead, they should be buried according to propriety; and they should be sacrificed to according to propriety: ‹ this may be called filial piety.' The ceremonies to be observed by the princes I have not learned, but I have heard these points: ‹ that the three years' mourning, the garment of coarse cloth with its lower edge even, and the eating of congee, were equally prescribed by three dynasties, and binding on all, from the emperor to the mass of the people."
3. Yen Yew reported the execution of his commission, and the prince determined that the three years' mourning should be observed. His aged relatives, and the body of the officers, did not wish that it should be so, and said, "The former princes of Loo, that kingdom which we honor, have, none of them, observed this practice, neither have any of our own former princes observed it. For you to act contrary to their example is not proper. Moreover, the History says, ‹ 'In the observances of mourning and sacrifice, ancestors are to be followed,' meaning that they received those things from a proper source to hand them down.'
4. The prince said again to Yen Yew, "Hitherto, I have not given myself to the pursuit of learning, but have found my pleasure in horsemanship and sword exercise and now I don't come up to the wishes of my aged relatives and the officers. I am afraid I may not be able to discharge my duty in the great business that I have entered on; do you again consult Mencius for me. On this, Yen Yew went again to Tsow, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, "It is so, but he may not seek a remedy in others but only in himself. Confucius said, 'When a prince dies, his successor entrusts the administration to the prime minsiter. He sips the congee. His face is of a deep black. He approaches the place of mourning, and weeps. Of all the officers and inferior ministers there is not one who will presume not to join in the lamentation, he setting them this example. What the superior loves, his inferiors will be found to love exceedingly. The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows upon it.' The business depends on the prince."
5. Yen Yew returned with this answer to his commission, and the prince said, "It is so. The matter does indeed depend on me." So for five months he dwelt in the shed, without issuing an order or a caution. All the officers and his relatives said, "He may be said to understand the ceremonies." When the time of interment arrived, from all quarters of the state, they came to witness it. Those who had come from other states to condole with him, were greatly pleased with the deep dejection of his countenance and the mournfulness of his wailing and weeping.
Book 3, T'ang Wan Kung. Part 1.
1. When the duke Ting of T'ang died, the crown prince said toYen Yew, "formerly, Mencius spoke with me in Sung, and in my mind I have never forgotten his words. Now, alas! this great duty to my father devolves upon me; I wish to send you to ask the advice of Mencius, and then to proceed to its various services."
2. Yen Yew accordingly proceeded to Tsow, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, "Is this not good? In discharging the funeral duties to parents, men indeed feel constrained to do their utmost. The philosopher Tsang said, 'When parents are alive, they should be served according to propriety; when they are dead, they should be buried according to propriety; and they should be sacrificed to according to propriety: ‹ this may be called filial piety.' The ceremonies to be observed by the princes I have not learned, but I have heard these points: ‹ that the three years' mourning, the garment of coarse cloth with its lower edge even, and the eating of congee, were equally prescribed by three dynasties, and binding on all, from the emperor to the mass of the people."
3. Yen Yew reported the execution of his commission, and the prince determined that the three years' mourning should be observed. His aged relatives, and the body of the officers, did not wish that it should be so, and said, "The former princes of Loo, that kingdom which we honor, have, none of them, observed this practice, neither have any of our own former princes observed it. For you to act contrary to their example is not proper. Moreover, the History says, ‹ 'In the observances of mourning and sacrifice, ancestors are to be followed,' meaning that they received those things from a proper source to hand them down.'
4. The prince said again to Yen Yew, "Hitherto, I have not given myself to the pursuit of learning, but have found my pleasure in horsemanship and sword exercise and now I don't come up to the wishes of my aged relatives and the officers. I am afraid I may not be able to discharge my duty in the great business that I have entered on; do you again consult Mencius for me. On this, Yen Yew went again to Tsow, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, "It is so, but he may not seek a remedy in others but only in himself. Confucius said, 'When a prince dies, his successor entrusts the administration to the prime minsiter. He sips the congee. His face is of a deep black. He approaches the place of mourning, and weeps. Of all the officers and inferior ministers there is not one who will presume not to join in the lamentation, he setting them this example. What the superior loves, his inferiors will be found to love exceedingly. The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and grass. The grass must bend, when the wind blows upon it.' The business depends on the prince."
5. Yen Yew returned with this answer to his commission, and the prince said, "It is so. The matter does indeed depend on me." So for five months he dwelt in the shed, without issuing an order or a caution. All the officers and his relatives said, "He may be said to understand the ceremonies." When the time of interment arrived, from all quarters of the state, they came to witness it. Those who had come from other states to condole with him, were greatly pleased with the deep dejection of his countenance and the mournfulness of his wailing and weeping.
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Text source: The Works of Mencius. Translated by James Legge.
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