」宋人應之曰：「寡人不佞，齋戒不謹，邑封不修，使人不時，天加以殃，又遺君憂，拜命之辱。
Lu sent a man to condole with the ruler, saying, “Heaven has caused heavy rains to descend, swelling the streams and rivers.
The waters have now spread to Your Lordship’s territory, causing anxiety to your functionaries.
」君子聞之曰：「宋國其庶幾乎！
I am charged with respectfully conveying to you our state’s condolences.” The Song ruler replied as follows: “I am of little worth and have not been diligent in observing the rules of abstinence.
I have failed to put our stipendiary towns in good order92 and have requisitioned labor at unseasonable times.
」問曰：「何謂也？
Thus, Heaven has visited calamity upon me and has made your ruler anxious as well.
」曰：「昔者夏桀、殷紂不任其過，其亡也忽焉；成湯、文、武知任其過，其興也勃焉。
Though unworthy, I am obliged to your ruler for condescending to send his condolence.” A man of quality, hearing of this, remarked, “Perhaps the state of Song still has prospects!” “What do you mean?” another asked.
“In earlier times,” he replied, “Jie of Xia and Zhòu of Yin94 took no responsibility for their faults, and their ends came suddenly.
夫過而改之，是猶不過也，故曰其庶幾乎。」
Cheng Tang and Kings Wen and Wu knew how to take responsibility for their faults, and their rise was correspondingly swift.
When one corrects a fault, let us note, it is as if the fault never existed—that is why I said that the state still perhaps has prospects.