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The Sixth Preface
Created by: Bill B.
Title: |
The Sixth Preface |
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Text: |
Written in the year dingmao (1627) of the reign Tianqi in the Ming Dynasty The compilation of a genealogy is to illuminate the generations, to deepen the affection with the lineage, to honor its famous figures, to glorify its worthy recluses, to show the connecting relationships between relatives, and to set forth warning examples. This is why the genealogy is as important as the national history. I have found that [the ancient sage king] Yao first promoted cordial relations in his family, thus the harmony of society was achieved; the Zhou Dynasty deepened the affection among imperial relatives, thus the Odes “Tangdi”[1] and “Xingwei”[2] were composed. The emperors and kings in the past regarded the lineage relationship as most important. Therefore the historian Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty composed the imperial annals and the hereditary houses, all of which traced the origins of their subjects, thus uniting what was separated. It is like myriads of surging tributaries-all originated from one source; it is like a mile wide field of colorful flowers-all stem from a single root. Thus the idea of harmonizing the lineageis profound and far-reaching! In later ages, customs declined and clans separated, some were rich and others poor. In the first generation descendants discuss the affairs of life face to face, but in the second generation they regard each other as distant strangers. Alas! Even the mallow is able to protect its roots. How could this have been why the ancestors benefited the lineage and illuminating great virtue so as to nourish and extend the lineage? In the past, I heard from my teacher Lu Kuiri of Gujiang that from Wuzhou (Jinhua) to the east the mountains and the rivers are verdant and luxuriant; the trees are exuberant and the waters are fragrant; its refined material force (qi) has converged in one famous family and has formed extraordinary people. This was the first time I learned of the Lu lineage of Yaxi. Before long, my friends Yao Tongsuo and Zhang Yufeng served in turn as magistrates of Dongyang. Over and again, they also told me that the descendants of the Lu lineage are flourishing like katydids[3], and the form of their ancestral hall is plain and solemn. The Lu lineage originated from Gaosun Xi, the descendant of the Duke Tai of Qi and the son of Duke Wen (lived between the 9th and 8th centuries BC). He was enfeoffed in Lu, therefore he took Lu as his surname. During the Han and Tang dynasties, the Lu produced many famous Confucian scholars, talented people, generals, prime ministers, ranking officials, and hereditary houses. In the early years of the Xianping reign period (998-1007) of the Song dynasty, it they moved from Zhuolu [in modern southern Hebei] to Taizhou [in eastern Zhejiang]. Early in the Zhiping reign period (1064-1067), they moved west of Wuning [= Jinhua]. Soon they moved to Yaxi. They then immersed themselves in the Classics and histories and there were many famous and worthy figures in each generation. Outstanding ones, who spoke frankly about politics and involved themselves in worldly affairs, became eminent at court. Worthy ones, who maintained their purity and integrity, exerted themselves at home in the countryside. Instructions in “learning with reed stems” and “bear-gall pills”[4] were passed down in the family. The descendants of those who “asked for ropes” and “rode on sweating horses”[5] enjoyed hereditary office. The loyalty, integrity, filial piety, and the righteousness of the Lu family surpass popular custom. These extraordinary literati, like the calyx of the sweet olive and the bud of the orchid, are splendid, prosperous, and harmonious. Are they no what was called “a village of literati,” do they not illustrate the ancient saying that “the descendants of literati will often also become literati”? I have admired them for a long time and have been thinking of composing a biography to record their success, such as that of Mr. Wandan’s family in the Western Han dynasty.[6] It so happened that my disciple Honglan [of the Lu family] brought the newly recompiled genealogy of the Yaxi Lu lineage and asked me for a preface. I read the genealogy over and again. It records the good deeds and the extraordinary feats in former generations. Generations of famous officials and eminent lords, like the rising colorful clouds, reflect each other’s brilliance. I could not help but exclaim: Oh! There is a source for the prosperity of the Lu lineage! In the past, Mr. Yu brought fame to the family by accumulating good deeds and Yang Baobrought success to his descendants by his virtue.[7] [The descendants of the Wang and Xie families][8] were like the orchids and jades of Black-Clothes Alley[9], standing elegantly southeast of the Yangzi River. And indeed they were founded by [the virtuous sons] Wang Xiang and Wang Lan and Xie Hongwei.[10] I have heard that the Lu lineage live in the bottom of Bao Mountain. The jeweled peak is high and steep; the painting-like river is clear and whirling. The great spirit is prominent; the gentlemen are prosperous. They could easily be arrogant and given to luxury, yet the atmosphere of the Lu lineage is pure; their style is tranquil and elegant. They till the fields passed down from their ancestors and strictly follow the ancestral rules. Their behavior serving the elders and worshipping the ancestors are so austere and respectable that they can be a model for society. The elders are simple and plain; dressed in ancient gowns and caps, they resemble the hermits of Shang Mountain.[11] The young ones are attractive and graceful; they stand straight as jade and concentrate on the civil service examinations. In their humility they are as obedient and deferential as maiden. Their seriousness and consonance (Suyong[12]) leads to harmony; cordial goodness plants virtue; there is a wonderful atmosphere, free of profligacy and contentiousness. . Are we not witnessing once again the pure customs of Tao Tang and the Zhou under King Cheng[13]? The people of the southeast compete for fame and fortune; they criticize others without any grounds; they intimidate their inferiors and bully their superiors; their evil takes a myriad forms. When their youths have any literary talent at all they look down upon the whole world. They can only bring to their group and destroy their lineage. The Lu lineage is to them as the finest perfume is the dung beetle. Thus I say that the Lu lineage’s source is deep and its flow reaches far; its roots are healthy and its branches lush. There is no need to compare them to the Yu and Yang. Moreover, [like the descendants of the Wang and Xie families] who densely populated in Black-Clothes Alley in the southeast and whose prosperity surpassed the other hereditary houses of the Six Dynasties, the Lu of Yaxi have thrived without diminution. My home is in Yuchen, but I have gotten to know Lu Honggui, known by the style-name Chubai. When I served in the Ministry of Rites I had the same position as Chubai. Our friendship is greater because we passed the civil service examination in the same year and there is a long-standing friendship between our two families. Therefore I have respectfully composed the preface and described their mores. I hope to submit [an account of] their customs to the court, thus to let the world know why the Lu lineage prospers so as to clean out the bad and return to purity, and in doing so extend the profound intention that lies behind the ancient kings’ moral instructions. As for this compilation, Instructor [Lu] Maoxian was solely responsible; the work of compilation was done collaboratively by the the lineage elders Xiaori, Zhongting, Zhongbin, Zhongkeng, Zhonghong, Zhongzhun, Zhonggong, Zhonglin, Zhongzun, Hongji, Hongbi, and Hongdai. On the auspicious day in the second month of spring of the year dingmao, in the seventh year of the Tianqi reignperiod(1627), Respectfully written by Dong Qichang of Huating, bearing the title of Metropolitan Graduate, Grand Master for Assisting toward Goodness, Supreme Chief Minister for Administration, Minister of Rites in the Southern Capital, the former Director of Studies of the Directorate of Education, the Daily Lecturer in the Classics Colloquium, and the Compiler of the Veritable Record.
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Collection: | Texts: Lu Family Compound |
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