All Men Are Brothers – [Shui Hu Chuan] – Prologue #1

All Men Are Brothers – [Shui Hu Chuan] – Prologue #1

“CHANG, THE HEAVENLY TEACHER, CHIEF OF THE TAOISTS, BESEECHES THE GODS TO DRIVE AWAY THE EVIL FLUX. THE COMMANDER HUNG, IN HEEDLESSNESS, FREES THE SPIRITS.”

 

In the time of Five Kingdoms confusion reigned high,

But at last the clouds parted to show the clear sky,

For a hundred years the grass and the trees

Received once more the sun and the dews.

Peace reigned again over river and hill,

Men walked in silk robes everywhere at will.

Forth from the houses did music sound,

Peaceful the days passed idly by;

Endless the songs of the golden birds,

Endless the life of the blooming flowers,

Though the sun was high, yet was sleep profound.

It is said : These lines of verse were written by a famous scholar in the reign of the Emperor Shen Chung in the times of Sung now past. His surname was Shao, and his name was Yao Fu and he was otherwise named The Peaceful And Faithful. Now these were troublous years at the end of the T’ang Dynasty in the times of the Five Kingdoms, such times that in the morning the country belonged to the Liang Dynasty and by evening to the Chin Dynasty. Truly was it as men said,

“Chu, Li, Shi, Liu, Kuo,

Liang, T’ang, Chin, Han, Chou,

In these five dynasties

Fifteen emperors reigned,

Fifty years they roiled the land.”

Then was the very heart of Heaven moved and according to Heaven’s law the wheel turned and times changed. In the town of Chia Ma there was born the first Emperor of Sung, The Great Conqueror. When this great wise man was born a red light shone over the whole sky and the air was filled with varied fragrances, nor were they dispelled the whole night through. In truth he was the God Of Thunder And Lightning himself, born from above into human flesh, and he was a brave and fierce and heroic man. His intelligence, his tolerance, were supreme, nor was there ever any Emperor to compare with him. With his staff in his hand he marched on and conquered five hundred cities until they all acknowledged him. That Emperor indeed swept clean the land and washed away all evil from it.

The name of his empire was The Great Sung and his capital was in P’ien Liang, or K’ai Feng. Through nine dynasties and eight Emperors he was considered chief and he was first Emperor of four hundred years of the Sung Dynasty. Because of this Shao Yao Fu, the scholar, praised him, saying, “But at last the clouds parted to show the clear sky.”

Truly was it as though again and at last the people saw a day of sun.

<Continued – Prologue #2>