The wondrous Oracles of Shui Lu Tsung Kwan Kung.
水陸總管公靈籤
ShuiLu Zhongguan gong Lingqian
The Numinous Lots of the God of Water and Land
I have taken this interesting text from Doolittle’s Vocabulary and Handbook of the Chinese Language. This is a translation by one C.F.R. Allen of a lot oracle through Jiaobei, taken from a Temple near Fuzhou. I have already translated a similar lot oracle—under the patronage of Gyuanyin on this blog, and for more about how the lot oracle works.
In brief, the querent throws a pair of “moon blocks” thrice, and notes the pattern in which they fall (both up, both down or one up and on down), and looks up at the relevant entry. There are 27 entries, plus one more for when the blocks stand up on end 側 thrice. They make 28, the number of Chinese xiu or constellations. Accordingly, each of the lots has the name of a xiu, but they are not in order: 1-14 are the odd-numbered xiu, whilst 15-28 are the even numbered ones (I suspect this is because Allen had a copy where the lots were arranged in two rows on a page, and Allen translated across the page rather than vertically: I have made a similar mistake too in the past!)
The names of each of the 28 xiu are usually the first character of each poem; accordingly I have set them in bold. Sometimes the names are used semantically (eg lot 26 below, the Willow) whilst other poems use characters that are graphically similar to constellations (eg lot no. 2) However, one constellation 危 is missing (it should be lot no. 20). I am not sure why this is the case, or why its name has been substituted with 龍- dragon.
It is worth noting that In some modern Chinese almanacs, there is a lot oracle called 土地杯- The God of Earth’s Jiaobei. This oracle is very similar to the one translated below. However there is a key difference: Whilst all oracles in The Numinous Lots of the God of Water and Land are written as four lines of five-characters each, the lots in the The God of Earth’s Jiaobei are irregular: some are written as couplets; others are written in lines of three characters each. The Numinous Lots of the God of Water and Land may thus represent an earlier version of the The God of Earth’s Jiaobei. I hope to post a translation of the God of Earth’s Jiaobei on this blog soon.
~ Notes on the text~
I have transcribed the text form this copy in Google books. https://books.google.com/books?id=KTsOAAAAIAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA504#v=onepage&q&f=false Some entries have comments by Allen, either explaining obscure terms or the import of the lot. I have added “Allen” to the end of each. I have added some comments of my own. These are prefaced by “ed”
TWENTY-EIGHT TEMPLE ORACLES OR STANZAS
From a Temple in the southern suburbs of Foo-chow, where the Chiao-pei (or Kapue : see “ Social Life of the Chinese,” Vol. 2., page 108) , are used three times in succession by a worshipper. Shêng [聖] is when the two blocks fall on the ground with one oval side up and one oval side down. Yin [陰] is when both flat surfaces fall towards the ground. Yan [陽]is when both flat surfaces fall upwards. Tsê [側] is when both pieces fall on their large end. The Chinese has been translated by C. F. R. ALLEN, Esq.
NOTE. The first character in each of these 28 stanzas, is that of one of the 28 Chinese constellations.
The wondrous Oracles of Shui Lu Tsung Kwan
Kung. [The universal Protector of land and
water, i. e . the God of Travellers. ]
水陸總管公靈籤
ShuiLu Zhongguan gong Lingqian
No. 1. Sheng Sheng Yin. 聖聖陰
角聲三弄響。無雪心自寒。
勸君休憂慮。合營人馬安
The horn is blown thrice.
Though it is not winter time, your heart turns cold with fright.
I advise you to lay your trouble and care aside,
for throughout the camp the forces are resting in quiet.
No. 2. Yin Yin Yang. 陰 陰陽
低*頭偷眼看。暗想好佳人,
若與相談應, 只恐未成親
You bend your head, and take a shy look at her,
and think what a pretty girl she is.
But though you want to have a chat with her,
I fear you will never be able to marry her.
* The name of the constellation is 氐, not低 (Allen)
[Ed: The two words are homophones and graphically similar. ]
No. 3. Yang Yin Yin. 陽陰陽
心事未分明, 又兼炎鬼驚,
細想難敢救, 暗路失明燈.
You can think of no plan,
and there is moreover a fiend from hell to frighten you.
I have been taking earnest thought for you
But can find no means to help you,
for you have lost your lamp on a dark road.
No. 4. Yang Sheng Sheng. 陽聖聖.
箕箒是夫妻, 搬盡垢濁坭,
一朝入皇殿, 便得貴人持
The sieve and broom are husband and wife*,
whose duty is to clear out all dirt and filth .
One day they are taken into the palace,
and the most honourable handle them.
* “The Poker and the Tongs/To each other belongs”-- S. Lover. (Allen)
No. 5. Yin Yang Yang. 陰陰陽
牛飽欄中眠, 牧童在眼前,
有人知得我, 快樂似神仙-
The ox after eating his fill is sleeping in the stall,
And the cowherd is looking after him.
If there is any one that understands the meaning of this,
He will be as happy as a spirit.
[The meaning is : Be easy and contented,for there is a providence looking after you.] (Allen)
No. 6. Sheng Yin Sheng . 聖陰聖
虛空多感應 你必用虔誠,
所求皆遂意 顧知有親情
Heaven is propitious or the reverse according to your deserts.
If you are true and sincere in your worship,
everything you pray for shall be granted you;
for I am pretty sure you are faithful to the duties of relationship.
No. 7. Yang Yin Yang. 陽陰陽
室家事已成, 四序盡和平,
若要心頭快 , 青雲足下生
Your marriage has been duly accomplished .
The four seasons are all favourable .
If you wish for complete happiness,
you will emerge with blue clouds under your feet :
[i.e. you will gain great honors] (Allen)
No. 8. Sheng Yang Yang. 聖陽陽
奎聲報與君, 你且聽知聞,
上看十一口, 下看十八分
The sound Kui (in Fokien Ki'ai, the crowing of a cock at daylight) is borne to your ears.
As soon as you hear it, you know what is meant.
At first you meet the character for 11 persons, (i.e 吉 fortunate)
And afterwards that for 18 parts. ( the name of a wood, 枌)
[The meaning is, that you will be very lucky at first, but afterwards you will have only eighteen twentieths of your former luck] (Allen)
Ed: The first line works on a pun: the name for the 8th lunar mansion, Kui, khe is similar to Hokkien word for chicken koe. As for the last 2 lines, they are decomposed Chinese characters. Allen has gotten the first character correct, but he has almost certainty gotten the interpretation of the second character wrong. The intended character is 利- profitable: The left component 禾 can be fudged to be composed of 十八 (maybe the original said 千八?) and the right component is 刂, knife, which represents splitting.
No. 9. Sheng Yin Yin, 聖陰陰
胃肚脈和調, 安身聯一宵,
任他兵馬動 , 我且自無聊 .
Your internal organs and your circulation are healthy,
and you sleep with your body in perfect repose.
Though he sets all his forces in motion,
I should not trouble myself about him.
No. 10. Sheng Yang Yin,聖陽陰
畢竟西風起, 定招遠客驚,
秋下休嫌冷, 惟有月下明.
At last the west wind begins to blow,
and certainly it blows in a way that astonishes strangers.
But when autumn comes, you must not be disgusted at cold weather,
for the moon at any rate shines brightly.
[ There is some good mixed with every ill fortune.] (Allen)
No. 11. San Sheng. 三聖
參宿元來吉, 勸君不用疑,
所求皆遂意, 好事大家知
The constellation Shen has ever been a lucky one.
I advise you to have no fear.
Everything you pray for shall be granted as you wish,
and every one shall hear of your good fortune.
No. 12. Yin Sheng Yang. 陰聖陽
鬼祟作災殃, 關防守看祥,
火中跳出馬, 四向却無傷
Supernatural* evils bring great calamities.
But your guards and protectors shall be fortunate.
Your horse will leap out of the flames,
and no harm shall happen to you from any quarter.
* Ed: a literal translation would be ‘ghost’ the name of this constellation—
No. 13. Yin Yin Sheng. 陰陰聖
星辰光燦爛。河溪一路通。
牛女纔相見。泪後各西東。
All the stars are shining bright.
The river in heaven [ The Milky Way] flows on.
The Niu and the Nü stars* have just met ;
and after weeping they go to opposite quarters.
*These stars are supposed to cross the Milky Way on a bridge formed by magpies. Their meeting takes place once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month. (Allen)
No. 14. Yang Yin Sheng . 陽陰聖
翼飛萬里程, 引出在雲霄。
一載風雲起, 身蹄黑裡飄
The bird takes a flight for 10,000 li
and mounts into the heavens.
But after a year winds and clouds spring up,
and it is blown away into the darkness.
No. 15. Sheng Sheng Yang. 聖聖陽.
亢宿卦金龍, 常行子丑宮,
時存身在未, 急急避他鄉。
The constellation K'ang hangs in heaven like a golden dragon.
As a rule it passes to the Tzu Ch'ou period,
but now its form is in Wei.
So go and conceal yourself as fast as you can.
Ed: This verse is obscure. It uses astrological jargon. The Lunar mansion Kang is associated with the dragon, and the element associated with it is metal, or gold 金. The second and third lines have astrological significance that I cannot gather for now. “You are now travelling in the palaces of Zi 子 and Chou 丑 (I.e. the first and 2nd earthly branches) /For now your body is in Wei未 (i.e. the 8th earthly branch)”
The first two lines might refer to the Lunar mansion of Kang being in the tropical signs corresponding to the earthly branches of Zi and Chou, (i.e. tropical Aquarius and Capricorn respectively), but by the 18th century, the constellation had already processed into Mao (I,e. Scorpio) [for more see the 星度指南/果老星宗 On the other hand, if one uses the elemental cycle or the ‘12 stages of growth’ 十二長生 for the heavenly stem of yin metal, Xin辛, it is born 生長 in zi, nourished 養 in Chou and ails 哀 in Wei. If anyone more educated in Chinese astrology has a suggestion, I would be glad to hear of it—Ed.
No. 16. Yin Yang Yin. 陰陽陰
房中生瑞草。孕婦喜臨盆。
親眷皆來慶, 麒麟是子孫
A beautiful plant is springing in your house.
For you wife shall, to your joy, have a son.
Your connexions and relations shall all come to congratulate you,
and your descendants shall be famous and admirable.
No. 17. Yin Sheng Sheng . 陰聖聖
尾與頭相似, 不寒亦不温,
行人須早止, 宿客便尋村.
The end will be as the beginning
neither hot nor yet cold.
Let the travellers stop at once,
and let the wayfarers search for a village to rest in.
Νο. 18. Yang Yang Yin. 陽陽陰
斗秤不公平, 恐他不至誠,
兩邊交易了, 到底亦相争
The measure* and the balance are unequal.
I fear that there is dishonesty there,
and that intercourse between the two will cease,
and hereafter there will be a quarrel between the parties.
*Ed: A more literal translation would be “Dipper” or ‘bushel’ the name of the constellation
Νο. 19. San Yin 三陰
女子覓良媒, 通情乃得成,
相看却未了, 好事自天宮
Your daughter has found a good marriage broker.
The transaction on both sides have been duly completed.
The meeting of the bride and groom is the only thing unaccomplished.
May heaven grant all happiness.
No. 20. Yin Sheng Yin. 陰聖陰
龍途實可憂, 未免得無愁,
細思千里外, 山水兩悠悠
The path of the dragon* is indeed a difficult one.
You cannot avoid being anxious,
You think of him who is so far away,
while the hills and waters between you are so vast.
* There is no constellation 龍 . There is one called危 (Allen)
No. 21. Three Yang 三陽
璧*月在雲間, 驅魚上急灘,
若要魚共 月, 上下兩 艱難
The bright moon is at present behind the clouds,
and the fish are rushing madly up the rapids.
If you want to catch fish or to see the moon,
you will find it hard to succeed in either case.
* Should be 壁 – (Allen)
Ed: The name of the constellation is bi 壁, the walls. The first character here is 璧; jade disc, which is both a homophone and graphically similar
No. 22. Sheng Yin Yang. 聖陰陽
姜*氏頭戴珠， 身穿子路衣,
人人皆道是， 我且自生疑
Hsiang put a pearl in her cap
and disguised herself in Zilu’s clothes .
Every one said that she was right,
but I cannot help feeling a little suspicious.
* Should be 婁 (Allen)
Ed: Allen’s text is probably corrupt. The first character of this poem is 姜, the surname Jiang, but the lunar mansion’s name is lou 婁, which is not only graphically similar, is also a surname.
The lunar mansion’s name, Lou婁, is comprised of the character for ‘woman’ 女 under the character for ‘to string up’ 串—which also looks something like a pair of pearls with a string though them. This explains the woman “having a pearl in her cap” in the first line. The Zilu mentioned in the second time was a disciple of Confucius. He came from an extremely poor family, and often had to carry rice for 100 chinese miles to feed his parents, and hence became a paragon of filial piety. In light of these two things, As such, I believe the lot criticises a person who makes a show of filial piety by carrying rice for her parents, but at the same time keeps far more valuable objects (pearls) for herself.
Other lot oracles have a similar verse that has is very similar: it goes 娄氏头载米，身穿子路衣，人人道是，我且堪疑。 “Madam Lou carries rice on her head; she dresses in Zilu’s clothes; everyone says it is so, I alone am doubtful.” https://www.zhouyi.cc/lingqian/yudi/5957.html This lot appears to be a modification of the version that translated by Allen, that is based on simplified characters. : In simplified Chinese, The surname “lou” 娄 is written as the word for ‘woman’ with the word ‘rice’ on top;
This site, however, describes another interpretation of the poem: https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1738912758605283827.html?qbpn=2_3&tx=&word=%E5%A8%84%E6%B0%8F%E5%A4%B4%E6%88%B4%E7%B1%B3%EF%BC%8C%E8%BA%AB%E7%A9%BF%E5%AD%90%E8%B7%AF%E8%A1%A3%EF%BC%8C%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%BA%E7%9A%86%E8%87%AA%E6%98%AF%2C%E6%88%91%E4%B8%94%E7%8A%B9%E5%A0%AA%E7%96%91%E3%80%82%E5%B8%AE%E5%BF%99%E8%A7%A3%E7%AD%BE%E3%80%82%E6%B1%82%E5%A9%9A%E7%83%9F&fr=
The Chinese character for ‘good’ 好 is written as the word of woman 女 beside the word zi 子, the first syllable of Zilu’s name. Thus, only if one is willing to carry rice like Zilu—i.e. be a filial child— will all things go well.
No. 23. Sheng Yang Sheng. 聖陽盛
昴星頭戴日，炎盛亦不多,
欲趨去就熱，無便被他應
The star Mao bears the sun over his head,
And the heat will not last long now,
Although you are eager to get at the heat to warm yourself.
I have none to give you for your comfort.*
* The phrase Ch'ü yen chih jen 趨炎之人 means a man who runs to the heat, a parasite, or in a better sense an eager petitioner (Allen)
No. 24. San ce 三側
嘴†占崐山玉，凡人知吉凶,
勸君急退步， 恐久墮坑中
My predictions are like jade from the Kun* mountains,
from which all may know their good and bad omens.
I advise you to retrace your steps at once.
For if you lose any more time you will fall into a pit .
† The name of the constellation is properly 觜 (Allen)
* The Kunlun mountains in Thibet. (Allen)
Ed: This lot is probably the prediction for what happens when the blocks stand up on end thrice. The first line of the lot is better translated as ‘My oral predictions are like jade of Kunlun’. The name of this constellation is 觜, beak, which is very close to 嘴, mouth.
No. 25. Yang Sheng Yin. 陽聖陰
井泉清且甘, 薰風便是南,
呼童來取水, 跳出路高巖
The well water is bright and sweet,
and the odorous wind blows from the South.
Tell the lad to fetch me some water,
and I will spring out and ascend to the highest point of enjoyment.
No 26. Yang Sheng Yang. 陽聖陽
柳絮舞春風。 向西又向東。
行人開口笑。可作老萊翁。
The willow flowers are blown about in the spring breeze
and sway from east to west.
Strangers laugh when they see it and say,
You will be a regular old Lai*
* One of the [24] examples of filial piety (Allen)
[Ed: An allusion to Lao Lai Zi, a man in his 70s who pretended to be a baby to amuse his parents who were in their 90s]
No 27. Yang Yang Sheng. 陽陽聖
張舍出賢人，流傳世代新,
到頭歸澗谷， 此事實為真
Distinguished characters come from the Zhang* family.
In every generation there is a fresh one.
At the end they all retire into private life.
This is really a fact.
[All fame and glory come to an end sooner or later] (Allen)
* A family in Jiangxi who have hereditary charge of the 江西廣信府龍虎山天師府 (Allen)
Ed: This is evidently an allusion to the Zhang Family Heavenly Masters/Tianshi; the heirs of Zhang Daoling
No 28. Yin Yang Sheng 陰陽聖
軫當廿八位, 思想不甘心
有話無相答, 依然口自吟。
The constellation Chên must be the twenty eighth (and last.)
My thoughts are troubled,
for (being the last,) I can get no answer to my words,
and am left murmuring alone.
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