88 t He Han Dy na s t y
C 4. 3
Behold, the Grand Unity 惟泰元 (wéi tài yuán)Behold, the Grand Unity is the most esteemed, 惟泰元尊 (wéi tài yuán zūn)
2 We present abundant smoke in tribute to the gods
to obtain numerous blessings. 媼神蕃釐 (yùn shén fán lí)
He created the warp and weft of heaven and earth, 經緯天地 (jīng wěi tiān dì)
4 And made the four seasons. 作成四時 (zuò chéng sì shí)
His essence forms the sun and the moon, 精建日月 (jīng jiàn rì yuè)
6 Constellations are regulated and in order. 星辰度理 (xīng chén dù lĭ)
Yin and Yang, and Five Phases 陰陽五行 (yīn yáng wŭ xíng)
8 Revolve and rejuvenate. 周而復始 (zhōu ér fù shĭ)
He causes clouds, wind, thunder, lightning, 雲風靁電 (yún fēng léi diàn)
10 And lets fall sweet dew and rain. 降甘露雨 (jiàng gān lù yŭ)
The people flourish and prosper, 百姓蕃滋 (băi xìng fán zī)
12 All following his lineage. 咸循厥緒 (xián xún jué xù)
We continue this heritage, reverently and
diligently, 繼統共勤 (jì tŏng gòng qín)
14 Following the virtue of the august heaven. 順皇之德 (shùn huáng zhī dé)
Simurgh carriages spread like dragon scales, 鸞路龍鱗 (luán lù lóng lín)
16 None of them is not completely decorated. 罔不肸飾 (wăng bú xī shì)
Fine ritual baskets are displayed, 嘉籩列陳 (jiā biān liè chén)
18 Sincerely hoping you will come to enjoy them. 庶幾宴享 (shù jī yàn xiăng)
You will reduce and rid disasters, 滅除凶災 (miè chú xiōng zāi)
20 Your splendor reaches the eight wilds. 烈騰八荒 (liè téng bā huāng)
Bells, drums, pipes, and reed organ, 鐘鼓竽笙 (zhōng gŭ yú shēng)
22 The cloud dance soars and soars. 雲舞翔翔 (yún wŭ xiáng xiáng)
The numinous banner painted with
the Twinkling Indicator, 招搖靈旗 (zhāo yáo líng qí)
24 The Nine Yi tribes shall come to pay tribute in
obedience. 九夷賓將 (jiŭ yí bīn jiāng)
[HS 22.1057]10The first two lines are problematic in their various possible readings. The char-
acter yun in line 2, for example, can also be read as ao, meaning “old woman.” The
commentators Li Qi (n.d.) and Yan Shigu (583–645) agree that yuanzun refers to
heaven and aoshen to the goddess of the earth, although they disagree on the in-
terpretation of the term fanli.11 Wang Xianqian argues convincingly that taiyuan
must refer to the Grand Unity because line 3 mentions that heaven and earth are
controlled by the deity, and yun refers to the abundance of the smoke created to
communicate with the god.12 The poem’s opening laudatory exclamation to the
deity is composed in the formal tetrasyllabic meter, appropriate to its ceremo-
nial function. That the Grand Unity allegedly was a celestial spirit residing in the
center of the polestar had tremendous influence on the formation of later Daoist