The Han Dynasty was a very superstitious era, the emperor took the lead in believing in ghosts and gods, and Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, although he was eloquent and strategic, believed in ghosts and gods very much, and took the lead in worshiping ghosts. This may be related to the lack of development of science and technology at that time, people's cognitive ability, for some phenomena that could not be explained at the time, they were explained by ghosts and gods, anyway, no one could see ghosts and gods, and people could not verify them. Since we believe in ghosts and gods, we must worship them, so in the Han Dynasty, there were temple sacrifices and suburbs, temple sacrifices are to worship ancestors, and suburbs are to worship the gods.
The suburban ritual was presided over by the emperor and was a national ceremony and a royal act. Not only are the rituals strict, but there are also hymns of praise to the gods. The Han Dynasty's poems praising the gods include 19 chapters of the Song of the Suburbs. Let's select a few songs to introduce to you, so that we can get a glimpse of the Han people's psychology of worship.
The song "Practice Time" reads: "The emperor is in the middle altar, the Quartet Chengyu, the rope will change, and it is ready for it." Qinghe Liuhe, the system number is five. The sea is tranquil, and the culture is prosperous. Houtu is rich and rich, and Zhaoming Sanguang. Mu Mu Youyou, Jiafu on the yellow. ”
Translated into the vernacular, it is: the Emperor of Heaven descends to the altar in the middle, and the gods of the four directions each bear a space, carefully in case of accidents, and each prepares in his own place. In the weather is clear and warm, the moon is built and the sun is combined, and five is used to count. The sea is tranquil, and the culture is relieved. The land is rich and prosperous, and the air of smoke is in the sky. Quiet and leisurely, the auspicious color of clothing is yellow.
In fact, it is some big talk, expressing the emperor's hope that God will take care of him, so that the country and the people will be safe, and the throne will be forever.
Another example is the song "Emperor Lining", which is written: "Qingyang starts, the roots are followed, the anointing and love, and the trampling is finished." The sound of thunder is glorious, the place is heard, and the withered and resuming production is a fate. The crowd is bustling, giving to the pregnancies, and the masses are crying, but the spring is the Qi. ”
Translated into the words we can read, it should be: In spring, all things are activated, roots grow, and with the blessing of sweet rain, we will soon be able to catch up. The sound of thunder revived the grass and trees, and the stinging insects in the caves listened, and the withered dead grass and rotten trees began to grow again, forming life again. All kinds of creatures are very happy, infecting the young and embryos, and all living beings are abundant, which is the blessing brought by spring.
The nineteen chapters of songs are like this, and the reality cannot be seen from them, but it seems that it is better to be able to hear the emperor's heart, so that people can peek into the dark hearts of the emperors through these poems.