法苑珠林 57.80

57.80

漢景帝三年十一月有。白頸烏與。黑烏群鬪楚國莒縣白。頸不勝墮。泗水中死者數千劉。向以為近日異祥也。楚王伐逆無道刑辱申公。與吳謀反。烏群鬪者師戰之象也。白頸者小。明小者敗也。墮於水者將死水地。王伐不寤。遂舉兵應吳與漢大戰。兵敗而走。至於丹徒為越人所斬。墮泗水之効也。京房易傳曰。逆親親厥妖日黑。烏鬪於國。燕王旦之謀反也。又有一烏一鵲。鬪於燕宮中。墮地死。五行志。以為楚燕背骨肉。蕃臣驕恣而謀不義。俱有烏鵲鬪死之祥。行同而占合。此天人之明表也。燕陰謀未發。獨王自殺於宮。故一烏而水色者死。楚亢陽舉兵。軍師大敗於野。故烏眾而金色者死。天道精微之効也。京房易傳曰。顓征去殺厥妖烏鵲鬪也。

In the eleventh month of the third year of Emperor Jing of the Han, white-necked crows and a flock of black crows fought in Ju County of the state of Chu. The white-necked ones were defeated and fell into the Si River, with thousands dying. Liu Xiang considered this a recent anomaly and omen: the King of Chu, [Liu] Wu, was rebellious and unprincipled, penalizing and humiliating Master Shen, and conspiring with Wu in rebellion. The flocking crows fighting was an image of armied battle. The white-necked ones were smaller, showing that the smaller side would be defeated. Those falling into the water meant that he would die by the water. King Wu did not awaken to this, and ultimately raised troops in response to Wu to wage a great battle with the Han. His army was defeated and he fled, reaching Dantu where he was decapitated by the Yue people; this was the verification of falling into the Si River. Jing Fang's Commentary on the Yijing states: 'When one is rebellious toward relatives, the omen is that the day darkens and crows fight in the state.' When King Dan of Yan rebelled, there were also a crow and a magpie fighting in the Yan palace, falling to the ground and dying. The Treatise on the Five Elements considered that Chu and Yan betrayed their own flesh and blood, feudatory ministers grew arrogant and conspired unrighteously, and both had the omens of crows and magpies fighting to the death. Their conduct was identical and the divination matched: this is a clear manifestation of heaven and man. In Yan, the covert plot had not yet broken out, and the king alone committed suicide in the palace; hence a single crow with the color of water died. In Chu, excessive yang raised troops, and the army suffered a great defeat in the field; hence numerous crows with the color of metal died. This is the verification of the subtleties of the Heavenly Way. Jing Fang's Commentary on the Yijing states: 'When one usurps the power to punish and execute, the omen is that crows and magpies fight.'