Article on Oracle Texts (David Keightley)

[IrfanK]

Here's a link to a fun reading from Indiana University on the use of oracles in the Shang era, with an imaginative recreation by some guy called David Keightley (not the author, but quoted at length: the article is actually reading material for some university course):

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/...459/3.3-Bones-2010.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Here's a teaser:

Filtering through the portal of the ancestral temple, the sunlight wakens the eyes of the monster mask, bulging with life on the garish bronze tripod. At the center of the temple stands the king, at the center of the four quarters, the center of the Shang world. Ripening millet glimpsed through the doorway shows that his harvest rituals have found favor. Bronze cauldrons with their cooked meat offerings invite the presence of his ancestors, their bodies buried deep and safely across the river, but their spirits, some benevolent, some not, still reigning over the royal house and the king’s person. One is angry, for the king’s jaw ached all the night before and is aching still, on the eve of his departure to follow Zhi Guo on campaign against the Bafang.

Five turtle shells lie on the rammed earth altar. The plastrons have been polished like jade, but are scarred on their inner side with rows of oval hollows, some already blackened by fire. Into one of the unburned hollows, on the right side of the shell, the diviner Que is thrusting a brand of flaming thorn. As he does so he cries “The sick tooth is not due to Father Jia!” Fanned by an assistant to keep the flowing tip intensely hot, the stick flames again against the surface of the shell. Smoke rises.The seconds slowly pass. The stench of scorched bone mingles with the aroma of millet wine scattered in libation. And then, with a sharp, clear, puk-like sound, the turtle, most silent of creatures, speaks. A crack has formed in the hollow where the plastron was scorched. Once again the brand is thrust, now into the matching hollow on the left side of the shell: “It is due to Father Jia!” More time passes; another crack forms in response. Moving to the next plastron, Que repeats the charges: “It is not due to Father Jia!” Puk! “It is due to Father Jia!” He rams the brand into the hollows and cracks the second turtle shell, then the third, the fourth, and the fifth.

Follow this to find the index page, with links to numerous more writing on other topics such as the founding of the Shou dynasty and so on. All in nice, easy writing style:

https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/History/Schedule.html

 

[charly]

Here's a link to a fun reading from Indiana University on the use of oracles in the Shang era, with an imaginative recreation by some guy called David Keightley (not the author, but quoted at length: the article is actually reading material for some university course):

https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/...459/3.3-Bones-2010.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Here's a teaser:

Filtering through the portal of the ancestral temple, the sunlight wakens the eyes of the monster mask, bulging with life on the garish bronze tripod. At the center of the temple stands the king, at the center of the four quarters, the center of the Shang world. Ripening millet glimpsed through the doorway shows that his harvest rituals have found favor. Bronze cauldrons with their cooked meat offerings invite the presence of his ancestors, their bodies buried deep and safely across the river, but their spirits, some benevolent, some not, still reigning over the royal house and the king’s person. One is angry, for the king’s jaw ached all the night before and is aching still, on the eve of his departure to follow Zhi Guo on campaign against the Bafang.

Five turtle shells lie on the rammed earth altar. The plastrons have been polished like jade, but are scarred on their inner side with rows of oval hollows, some already blackened by fire. Into one of the unburned hollows, on the right side of the shell, the diviner Que is thrusting a brand of flaming thorn. As he does so he cries “The sick tooth is not due to Father Jia!” Fanned by an assistant to keep the flowing tip intensely hot, the stick flames again against the surface of the shell. Smoke rises.The seconds slowly pass. The stench of scorched bone mingles with the aroma of millet wine scattered in libation. And then, with a sharp, clear, puk-like sound, the turtle, most silent of creatures, speaks. A crack has formed in the hollow where the plastron was scorched. Once again the brand is thrust, now into the matching hollow on the left side of the shell: “It is due to Father Jia!” More time passes; another crack forms in response. Moving to the next plastron, Que repeats the charges: “It is not due to Father Jia!” Puk! “It is due to Father Jia!” He rams the brand into the hollows and cracks the second turtle shell, then the third, the fourth, and the fifth.

Follow this to find the index page, with links to numerous more writing on other topics such as the founding of the Shou dynasty and so on. All in nice, easy writing style:

https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/History/Schedule.html

Hi Irfan:

Thanks for the link!. The document belongs to 2010 spring course at Indiana University by Prof. Robert Eno.

This https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/History/Schedule.html is a door for a mine of worthy resources otherwise hard to find.

I believe that Prof. Eno is actually retired.

All the best,

Charly
_______________________
P.D.:
Here https://chinatxt.sitehost.iu.edu/History/c37.html can get a pdf and a ppt on the Yijing y Prof. Eno.
Ch.