On the twenty-fourth day of the fourth month of the 14th year of Yüan-ho. Han Yü, Governor of Ch'ao-chou, had his officer Ch'in Chi take a sheep and a pig and throw them into the deep waters of Wu creek as food for the crocodile. He then addressed it as follows:

    When in ancient times the former kings possessed the land, they set fire to the mountains and the swamp, and with nets, ropes,fish-spears and knives expelled the reptiles and snakes and evil creatures that did harm to the people, and drove them out beyond the four seas. When there came later kings of lesser power who could not hold so wide an empire, even the land between the Chiang and the Han, they wholly abandoned and gave up to the Man and the Yi, to Ch'u and to Yuuml;eh: let alone Ch'ao which lies between the five peaks and the sea, some ten thousand li from the capital. here it was that the crocodiles lurked and bred, and it was truly their rightful place. But now a Son of Heaven has succeeded to the throne of T'ang, who is godlike in his wisdom, merciful in peace and fierce in war. All between the four seas, and within the six directions is his to hold and to care for, still more the land trod by the footsteps of Yü and near to Yangchou, administered by governors and prefects, whose soil pays tribute and taxes to supply the sacrifices to Heaven and to Earth, to the ancestral altars and to all the deities. The crocodiles and the governor cannot together share this ground.

    The governor has received the command of the Son of Heaven to protect this ground and take charge of its people; but you, crocodile, goggle-eyed, are not content with the deep waters of the creek, but seize your advantage to devour the people and their stock, the bears and boars, stags and deer, to fatten your body and multiply your sons and grandsons. You join issue with the governor and contend with him for the mastery. The governor, though weak and feeble, will not endure to bow his head and humble his heart before a crocodile, nor will he look on timorously and be put to shame before his officers and his people by leading unworthily a borrowed existence in this place. But having received the command of the Son of Heaven to come here as an officer, he cannot but dispute with you, crocodile: and if you have understanding, do you hearken to the governor's words.

    To the south of the province of Ch'ao lies the great sea, and in it there is room for creatures as large as the whale or roc, as small as the shrimp or crab, all to find homes in which to live and feed. Crocodile, if you set out in the morning, by the evening you would be there. Now, crocodile, I will make an agreement with you. Within full three days, you will take your ugly brood and remove southwards to the sea, and so give way before the appointed officer of the Son of Heaven. If within three days you cannot, I will go to five days; if within five days you cannot, I will go to seven. If within seven days you cannot, this shall mean either that finally you have refused to remove, and that though I be governor you will not hear and obey my words; or else that you are stupid and without intellect, and that even when a governor speaks you do not hear and understand.

    Now those who defy the appointed officers of the Son of Heaven, who do not listen to their words and refuse to make way before them, who from stupidity and lack of intellect do harm to the people and to other creatures, all shall be put to death. The governor will then choose skilful officers and men, who shall take strong bows and poison arrows and conclude matters with you, crocodile, nor stop until they have slain you utterly. Do not leave repentance until too late.

— Han Yü (768-824), "Proclamation to the Crocodile",
     translated by J. K. Rideout
     Cyril Birch (Ed.), Anthology of Chinese Literature
     Grove Press, New York, 1965, pp. 253-255

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    Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 44, 5-27 (June 1984)
• Charles Hartman, Han Yü and the T'ang Search for Unity
    Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1986
• Han Yu: Poetry on Peace ("Late Spring" & "Grand Unity")