Jiaoshi Yilin Volume 2: Sui (Following) through Gu (Decay)
焦氏易林卷二·隨至蠱
Jiaoshi Yilin Volume 2: Sui (Following) through Gu (Decay)
焦氏易林卷二·隨至蠱
Sui to Qian (Following to Creative)
隨之乾
鼻目易處，不知香臭君迷於事，失其寵位
Nose and eyes switch their places -- / One cannot tell fragrance from stench. / The ruler, confused in his affairs, / Loses his favored position.
Volume 2 of the Yilin covers hexagrams 17-32 in the received sequence, from Sui (Following) through the end of the Upper Classic. Each hexagram has 64 verses -- one for each possible transformation target -- yielding 1,024 verses in this volume alone. The verse for Sui-to-Qian warns of sensory and moral confusion: when a follower rises to the creative position without merit, judgment fails.
Sui to Kun (Following to Receptive)
隨之坤
唐虞相輔，鳥獸喜舞安康無事，國家富有
Tang and Yu assist each other -- / Birds and beasts dance with joy. / Peace and health, no troubles -- / The state is wealthy and abundant.
唐虞 (Tang Yu): Tang and Yu refer to the legendary sage-emperors Yao (of Tang) and Shun (of Yu), paragons of virtuous rulership in the Confucian tradition. Their reigns (traditionally c. 2356-2205 BC) were idealized as an age when ruler and minister worked in perfect harmony, and even the animals responded to the benevolent government.
Sui to Zhun (Following to Difficulty)
隨之屯
左楠右弼，金玉滿匱常盈不亡，富如敖倉
With pillars of camphor on the left and supports on the right, / Gold and jade fill the coffers. / Always overflowing, never depleted -- / Rich as the granaries of Ao.
敖倉 (Ao Cang): The Ao Granary was a massive state grain depot established during the Qin dynasty at Aocang Mountain near the confluence of the Yellow River and the Bian Canal. It was a strategic prize in the wars founding the Han dynasty; its capture by Liu Bang's forces was decisive. By the Han period, 'rich as the Ao Granary' was proverbial for boundless wealth.
Selected Verses: Sui to Meng through Sui to Tai
隨之蒙至隨之泰（選譯）
東龍見獨，與石相觸摧折兩角 釣日厭部，薦逐人走來嫁無夫，不安其廬 逐兔驅狼，避去不祥山忠北行，與善相逢 齊貝蹢狸，不聽我辭繫於虎鬚，牽不得來 載共輿，中道別去喪我元夫，獨與孤苦 奮翅鼓翼，將之嘉國征期失時，乃得所欲 日傾心惑，夏姬在側中公顛倒，巫臣亂國 搏鳩彈鵲，獵兔山北九盡日暮，失獲無得
Sui to Meng: The eastern dragon appears alone, / Striking against a rock -- / Both horns snapped off. Sui to Xu: Fishing rods and hunting traps, / Recommend and then chase people away. / A bride comes but has no husband -- / Uneasy in her dwelling. Sui to Song: Chasing rabbits, driving wolves, / Avoiding and departing from misfortune. / Heading north through loyal mountains -- / Encountering goodness on the way. Sui to Shi: Qi's cowries and pacing foxes -- / They will not heed my words. / Tied to the tiger's whiskers, / Pulled but cannot come free. Sui to Bi: Riding together in one carriage, / Parting ways midjourney. / I have lost my lord and husband -- / Alone with grief and hardship. Sui to Xiaoxu: Spreading wings and beating pinions, / Heading toward the fair land. / The appointed time of departure is missed, / Yet one obtains what one desired. Sui to Lv: The sun tilts, the heart is bewildered -- / Lady Xia Ji stands at his side. / Duke Zhong loses his balance; / The shaman-minister throws the state into chaos. Sui to Tai: Striking at doves, shooting at magpies, / Hunting rabbits on the north slope. / Nine exhausted, the day grows dark -- / Nothing caught, nothing gained.
夏姬 (Xia Ji): Lady Xia Ji was a noblewoman of the state of Chen during the Spring and Autumn period (6th century BC). Her legendary beauty was said to have caused the downfall of multiple rulers. Duke Ling of Chen (中公) and his minister Xia Zheng were both infatuated with her, leading to political murder and the eventual intervention of Chu forces. The shaman-minister Wu Chen (巫臣) later absconded with her to Jin, precipitating a diplomatic crisis. Her story is recorded in the Zuozhuan.
Remaining Palaces of Volume 2 (Overview)
卷二其他宮（概述）
花燈百枝，消暗夜微精光訖盡，奄有灰飛 顔叔子夏，遊遨仁宇溫良受福，不失其所 百川朝海流行不止道雖遼遠無不到者
[Volume 2 continues with the following hexagram palaces, each containing 64 verses:] Sui (Following, #17) -- 64 verses on themes of allegiance, being led, and the perils of blind following. Gu (Decay, #18) through Li (Clinging, #30) -- each palace with 64 transformation verses. Representative verses: Sui to Dayou: A hundred branches of flower-lanterns / Dispel the darkness of the night. / Their faint glow exhausted at last -- / Suddenly all is ash and flight. Sui to Qian (Modesty): Yan Shuzi and Zixia / Roam through the halls of humaneness. / Warm and good, they receive their blessings / And never lose their rightful place. Sui to Wuwang: A hundred rivers all flow toward the sea, / Moving ceaselessly onward. / Though the way is far and long, / There is nothing they cannot reach. [The volume contains a total of approximately 1,024 four-line verses covering hexagrams 17 through 32, each verse serving as an oracular pronouncement for the specific hexagram transformation it represents.]
顏叔子夏 (Yan Shuzi Xia): Yan Shuzi (顏叔子) and Zixia (子夏) are both disciples of Confucius known for their moral uprightness and learning. Their pairing in this verse evokes the ideal of the virtuous scholar who achieves fulfillment through humility (the hexagram Qian/Modesty) rather than ambition.
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