Yi Jing, Oracle of the Moon

神數

“Shen Shu”, Spirit Numbers 265-288

Numbers
1-24
25-48
49-72
73-96
97-120
121-144
145-168
169-192
193-216
217-240
241-264
265-288
289-312
313-336
337-360
361-384

265 Six ears

日中不決
日到方明
一場好事
六耳同成

At noon not resolved
The day becomes brighter
At the gathering a good turn
Six ears succeed together

  日中 Noon or solstice.
  六耳 Six ears: 3 people.
  同Harmony, together (name of hexagram 13)

266 Recluse

孤宿是妖星
猿猴及樹精
入山遇此曜
迷了性和心

All night in my solitude there are evil stars
And apes and monkeys as well as tree spirits
Living as a recluse meeting this dazzling sight
I lose my bearings and the harmony of my heart

  星 comets or evil stars.
   入山 Live the life of a recluse; enter the mountains.
   迷 enchant, lose one's bearings, enthusiast.

267 The waterclock

滴漏聲
催雞唱
趲行人
逐隊放
晚渡關津
前程無量

The waterclock sounds
Reminding the roosters to crow
Hurrying the people
Set yourself free from following the crowd
In the evening ferry across
from the mooring place
Your future boundless

  放 set free, let oneself go, let sb. have his own way.

268 Nature as medicine

人在天涯外
久乏信音來
家人頻望眼
草木暢胸懷

A person is abroad at the far corners of the earth
For a long time no messages or sounds come anymore
Family members are frequently gazing into the distance
The green outdoors frees the mind

  望 gaze into the distance, long, look (forward to), full moon.
  草木 Grass and trees: vegetation.

269 The governor of Nanke *

這顆樹下
一穴生成
若遷此上
福祿駢臻

This small hole under the tree
Is the beginning of a cave
It seems when moving into this
Both happiness and riches will be attained

  This poem is about the story 'The Governor of Nanke'.
  南柯一梦Nangke Yimeng, illusory joy; pipe dream.

270 Plowing

躬耕隴畝
形神似勞
無拘無繫
其樂陶陶

Plowing in person in a rural community
Body and spirit are one in the labor
Unrestrained and unconcerned
Full of joy

  躬耕 Plowing in person: said of an emperor, heralding the start of ploughing the fields.
  陶 earthenware, cultivate, happy, happy-go-lucky.

271 Ghosts

禍來見鬼
鬼病淹纏
金羊得路
身脫災殃

Misfortune comes and you meet ghosts!
Ghosts and disease linger a long time
The golden sheep achieves the way
You escape from physical calamity

  鬼病 Ghosts and disease: trickery and fraud
  金羊 Golden sheep: an animal associated with peace, harmony and protection, 8th year in the Chinese Sexagenary Cycle.

272 Heaven’s pillars

急起行
急起行
前途去
結同盟
隻手擎天柱
史冊好標名

Start the journey now!
Start the journey now!
Get rid of the former route
Form alliances
Singlehandedly hold up Heaven’s pillars
In the annals fame is awarded

  前途去 Get rid of the former route; the future leaves.
  擎天柱 'Hold up heaven's pillars', the most important leader of a cause/enterprise/etc., leading an organization, in a responsible position.

273 The tiger's roar

深山踞猛虎
虎嘯出山窩
揚威抖擻
何怕人多

Deep in the mountains crouches a ferocious tiger
The tiger’s roar issues forth from the remote mountain area
Flaunting his strength he is unnerving
Why should he fear a crowd of people?

  出山: to issue forth from the mountains: come out to carry the mantle of leadership; leave retirement and take a government post.

274 Organized battle

三天門
四地戶
布障成
明聚路
軍馬齊奔
鳴鼓進步

Three Gates of Heaven
Four Doors of Earth
Troops in rank and files as a result
Gather openly on the road
Army horses of equal speed
Advance beating the drums

  成 Chen the completer
  明 Openly - or next day
  三天門,四地戶 two ancient battle formations.

275 A hut like the sky

山山山
山上建茅菴
不此人間棟宇
卻如天上雲曇

Mountain after mountain
High on a mountain you build a thatched hut
Not like a house of the human world
But like the sky covered with clouds

  建 Erect or has been erected.

276 Coming and going

來去原無定處
時来時去安身
跋涉無虞
榮辱不計

Coming and going are fundamentally not indeterminate
There is a time to come and there is a time to leave and take a rest
An arduous road with unexpected turns
Glory or dishonor are not considered

  沬: dusk; Mei river; Zhou dynasty place-name; (Cant.) to go underwater, to dive. Or it might be a writing error for 来 lái, come or 未 not-yet.
  虞 Expect or worry in advance.

277 In its element

有子長成永扁時
遇火反發福
不必過憂煎
人心苦不足

A child grows up
Water crushes it down for periods
Things turn about when it meets fire
and it radiates happiness
There is no need for big agonies of worry
The human heart can suffer from not having enough

278 Good advice

黑夜裡勿前往
一有值 要著慌
牢牢記須結黨

On dark nights do not go out
If you have something valuable you should be nervous
Firmly keep in mind you must form a group

  黨 a union, political party, clique, gang.

279 Spring rain

蟄龍已出去
頭角首生成
雲興雨澤
得濟蒼生

The hibernating dragon is already coming into the world
First the tops of his horns come forth
Clouds are rising and rain falls on the swamps
The peasants receive the benefits

蒼生 dark green life - maybe plants instead of people?

280 A raging fire

火勢薰天
天邊盡赤
遇際水源
庶乎底極

A raging fire sends smoke up to the sky
Heaven turns red to the ends of the earth
You find the border of a water source
You nearly reach the bottom

281 A friend who knows the songs

向南有大道
乘馬人杭城
不知吳人唱
更有一知音

The road to the south is wide
On horseback you enter the city of Hángzhōu
You don’t know the songs of the Wu people
But there is one understanding friend

282 Your field

有田一畝
儘可耕耘
無窮收穫
都在西成

You have a field of one acre
Cultivate it to the greatest extent
Bringing in inexhaustible crops
Already harvesting

  西成 Harvesting: lit. Western achievement.
   耕耘 Cultivate: lit. plow and weed.

283 Empathy

勿嫌兒無唇
疾足追不及
納入援穴中
走狗何處覓

Do not dislike children without lips
Or pursue those with diseased feet as inferior
Bring them into the cave for help
How can the hunting dogs find them?

284 Six oxen

六牛耕地
墾開無疆
收成結實
盈稟盈倉

Six oxen plowing
Cultivating land endlessly
The harvest is strong and substantial
Full granaries and full storehouses

285 Go out early

大奮沖天志
勿苦戀家鄉
七八君行早
揚武在沙場

Big actions and a towering will
No emotional ties to your hometown
Very likely rulers go out early
Raising the military at the battlefield

七八 Seven or eight; seventy eight; July-August; very likely.

286 Sunflowers

葵花向日
忠赤傾心
大開廣廈
樂享太平

Sunflowers turn toward the sun
Loyal and sincere and with admiration
Open wide a spacious mansion
And enjoy pleasure in peace and tranquility

  葵花向日 Sunflowers turn toward the sun; the loyal always look to their masters.

287 The mysterious gate

人不識仙
那有真訣
一入玄門
津津有益

People are ignorant of the immortals
How can there be genuine ritual?
Once one enters the mysterious gate
There is overflowing benefit

  玄門 Term from Daoism, Buddhism.

288 Profound

勿謂說話太沈
泥了就不成真
悟出千般奧妙
方識仙道最神

Do not say the words are too profound
Stubbornness just won’t really do
You come to realize various wonderful mysteries
The way to recognize the dao of immortals of the highest spirit