In the Han Dynasty, as the ruling group of the Han Dynasty, the sacrificial activities were divided into temple sacrifices and suburban rituals, the temple sacrifices were mainly to honor the ancestors, which can also be said to be family sacrifices, and the suburban rituals were to worship the heavens and were national acts. In the suburbs, not only certain ceremonies are held, but also poems are sung. In the "Hanshu Lile Zhi", nineteen lyrics of the suburbs of the Han Dynasty are included, and the lyrics of the first one are as follows:
Practice time, Hou is hopeful, Xiao Xiao, and the Quartet. Nine reopenings, the spirit of the slash, the grace of the pendulum, the rest of the Honghu. The spirit of the car, the clouds, the flying dragon, the feathers. Under the spirit, if the wind horse, the left cang dragon, the right white tiger. The spirit comes, the gods are abundant, first with rain, ordinary descendants. The spirit is to celebrate yin and yin, let go of each other, and shake the heart. The spirit has been sitting, the five tones, Yu Zhidan, and the spirit of the billion. Livestock cocoon chestnut, sheng incense, respect cinnamon wine, bin eight townships. Ling'an stays, sings green and yellow, looks all over here, and overlooks Yao Hall. All the wives are merged, they are beautiful, their faces are in full swing, and they are all gone. It was Chinese, toilet foggy, dragged Axi, and Pei Zhuyu. Xia Jia Night, Zhu Lanfang, calm face and, dedicated Jiazhen.
If we translate this lyric in today's vernacular, we may be able to understand it a little easier, but no matter how hard we try, the lyrics sung to the gods of the Emperor are not easy to understand.
This text, translated as this, should be like this, when you choose, you will go to the sacrifice hopefully! Ignite the grease and mugwort, and invite the gods of the four directions. The gates of heaven are wide open, and the gods travel to bring great blessings and good luck. The car of the gods, surrounding the green clouds, driving the flying dragon, and the flags decorated with bird feathers and yak tails fluttering one after another. Below the gods, galloping horses gallop like the wind, with a blue dragon on the left and a white tiger on the right. The arrival of the gods was so fast, it rained first, and it rained. The gods arrived, covering the sky and covering the sky, and the scene seemed to shake people's hearts. After the gods are seated, the five tones are neat, and the music is played until dawn, and the calf and the fragrant millet in the sacrificial vessel and the osmanthus wine in the bottle are used to feast the gods of all parties, so that the gods are quiet. The gods stayed very quietly, chanted green and yellow music, and looked around here**, looking at the Yao Hall. Many beauties are together, soft and beautiful, their faces are in full swing, and the people are vying for it. Dressed in gorgeous costumes, as light as a cloud, holding filament bundles, wearing jewels. They carry vanilla in their arms, emitting the fragrance of angelica, and they are serene and relaxed, and they offer good wine.
Through this lyric, we seem to see the gods right in front of our eyes, but in fact, there is nothing, just the imagination of the ruler, but we believe it to be true. Therefore, the "Historical Records" wrote at the beginning of "Xiaowu Benji": "When Emperor Xiaowu first ascended the throne, he especially respected the worship of ghosts and gods. "It's insightful. Liu Che, the talented Emperor of the Han Dynasty, actually has his shortcomings, and it is a fatal shortcoming, which allows us to look at him from the perspective of civilians, of course, we have to evaluate an ancient king historically.