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CHARLES WILLIAM WASON

COLLECTION
CHINA AND THE CHINESE

THE GIFT OF

CHARLES WILLIAM WASON

CLASS OF 1676
1918

Cornell University Library

The book of Chinese poetry :belna the co

3 1924 023 365 764

The
tlie

original of

tliis

book

is in

Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright

restrictions in

the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023365764

THE

BOOK OF CHINESE PaETRY.

THE

BOOK OF CHINESE POETRY

BEING

THE COLLECTION OF BALLADS, SAGAS, HYMNS, AND

OTHER PIECES KNOWN AS

THE SHIH CHING

OR

CLASSIC OF POETRY

METRICALLY TRANSLATED
BY

CLEMENT FRANCIS ROMILLY ALLEN

HER majesty's CONSUL, CHEFOO, CHINA; MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC

LONDON
KEG AN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER &

CO., Ltd.

Paternoster House, Charing Cross Road

1891
ft

SOCir. JV.

LONDON
PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINQTON, LIMITED,
ST. John's house, CLERKENWELt ROAD, E.G.

AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY DEDICATED

TO

ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS

(PAST

AND PRESENT)
AT

MORTON

HALL, RETFORD.

" If Chinese
to us,
us,

if

scholars

they would show us something in

something that

studies

would bring the ancient

is

it

literature

near

that really concerns

not merely old but eternally young, Chinese

would soon take

their place in public estimation

side of Indo-European, Babylonian,

by the

and Egyptian scholarship."

Max

Mullee.

PREFACE.
Chinese Canonical

"The Four
Books" and "The Five Classics." The former are, i. "The
Great Learning;" 2. "The Doctrine of the Mean;" 3. "The
Confucian Analects," or " The Conversations of Confucius;"
and 4. " The Sayings of Mencius." " The Five Classics "
are, i. The Yi Ching,ot " Book of Changes ;" 2. The Shih
Ching, or "Classic of Poetry;" 3. The Shu.Ching, or
" Book of History " 4. The Li Chi, or " Canon of Rites ;"
and 5. The Chiin Chiu, " The Spring and Autumn Annals."
The second of these " Classics " is the subject of this work.
The "Classic of Poetry" consists of four divisions. " The
Fing;' " The Lesser Ya," " The Greater Ya," and " The
Sung," terms which I translate respectively " The Ballads,"
" The Songs for the Minor Festivals," " The Songs for the
Greater Festivals," and " The Hymns." The reasons why
Literature consists

of

have adopted these

titles

are given in the introductory

notes to each part.

The Chinese commentators further divide the poems into

viz., Fu ^, "Descriptive," Pi Jt, "Metaphorical," and Hsing J^, " Allusive." The commentary on
each poem states under which head the poem is to be
three classes,

included.
In some cases a piece is put under two heads,such as " Narrative and allusive," or " Allusive and metaphorical."

Dr. Legge,

in his

Prolegomena to Vol. IV.

of>his version

CHINESE POETRY.

vi

-of the "Chinese Classics," pp. 82-86, gives a table showing

the date to which each

poem

the student of Chinese to

in the classic belongs.

I refer

contenting myself with

this,

pointing out to the general reader that the oldest pieces are
1

the last five h ymns,

during

Kh^Shang
from

lasted

B.C.

These indisputably were

also c ajl ed th e

1766 to

B.C. 11 22.

in existence

Yin) d ynasty,

Some

and

festival-songs, according to Dr. Legge's table,

also

composed

in the later

were

years of the same dynasty; that

to say during the lifetime of

is

w hich

of the ballads

King Wen, the founder of

the C/iou dynasty, who, though canonized as King, never

on the throne of China.

sat

Their date

may

be said to be

The remainder belong to the time

134.
of the C/iou dynasty, from the~~reign of King Wu, who
came to the throne in B.C. i i2i7to the time of King Tmg,
who reigned from B.C. 606 to B.C. 585 The poems,
B.C.

184 to B.C.

According to Chinese historians and commentators, were

collected

be

it

At

and edited by the great Confucius

remembered, lived from

this point I think

it

B.C.

himself, who,

551 to B.C. 479.

advisable to

make a few

brief

remarks on the ancient history of China, that the reader

may more

clearly understand the events

which are men-

tioned or referred to in the poems.

I

am

a believer in Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie's theory,

that the Chinese have no claim whatever to the

immense

antiquity in which they delight to boast, and that they

camejrom Babylonia_and Elam.

into China,*

* " Origin

where they

in successive

first settled,

imm igrations,

near the great bend of

from Babylonia and Elam of the Early Chinese

A Summary of the Proofs, by Professor Dr.
" Babylonian and Oriental Record,"
Terrien de Lacouperie.
Vol. III., No. 3, e( seq.
Civilization."

PREFACE.
theYellow River somewhere about

vii

B.C.

2500.*

The settlers

brought ~wilh them fronT^aEyloma'to^ China a written

language closely akin to the cuneiform,t and sundry arts

and

sciences.

Archaic Chinese history

is

nothing more than a collection

of myths and legends with, nevertheless, a possible sub-

W. F.

stratum of truth.

Mayers,

in his "

Chinese Readers'

Manual" (page 365) says: "It is only in the age of Yao

and Shun that a claim to anything like authenticity is set
and even here the sterner requirements of European

up,

criticism

demand

to forego.

proofs,

which native historians are content

It is convenient, nevertheless, for chronological

purposes to accept the last of the line of imaginary epochs

as that with which the legendary, as distinct from the

purely mythical, period of Chinese history

to commence."

last line of " imaginary epochs "

of the Five Rulers,'' the

of Poetry."

%^ j^, the

An

be deemed

first

of

is

This

The Age
known
was Fu Hsi
as "

^^

whom

No mention is made of him

2852-2738.

B.C.

may

thankfully accept his suggestion.

in the "Classic

made to his successor Shin Nung

Divine Husbandman, or God of Husbandry.
allusion

is

Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie has identified him with Sargon.J

* " Mark in particular the sharp bend some way to the eastward of Si-ngan, for it is at a spot not so very far fiom this that
the Central Kingdom, as the Chinese still style their country, is
first

made known

some

4000

of China, as
"China," books
by
Thomas

to us in the ancient

years

ago."

Sir

existing

Wade,

"P. &

O. Handbook."
" Early History of the Chinese Civilization," and other
See
f
works by Professor Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie.
% " The Old Babylonian Characters and their Chinese Derivatives,"

and "Wheat Carried from

China," p.

i.

Mesopotamia

to

Early

CHINESE POETRY.

viii

Then we have

in full the

legend of

Hon

the reputed

Chi,*

son of the Empress Chiang Yuan, the wife of the Emperor

Hou

Ti Ku.

He was

Chi was miraculously conceived.

supposed to have lived about

thing more than a solar mythj

in all probability the

man who

If

B.C. 2400.
I

he was any-

conjecture that he was

introduced agriculture

first

into China.

Hou

After

Chi we get on more solid ground.

It is

advisable to search in Babylonian or Accadian annals for

all

events which are alleged to have taken place in China

beibreRC. 2500, but from

may

date onwards China

itself

be taken as the scene of occurrences narrated in the

Classic.
B.C.

this

the Great,

Yii,

2197,

is

reigned from B.C. 2205 to

frequently mentioned and alluded to in these

He

poems.

who

founded the Hsia dynasty, and

is

further

having in nine years drained away the great

famous

for

deluge,

by which the Empire was overwhelmed.t

The Hsia dynasty

the last king of

it,

lasted

till

B.C.

^66,

when Chieh Kuei,

a monster of cruelty and wickedness, was

overthrown by T'ang, the founder of the

This dynasty was

in

power from

B.C.

Shang

1766 to

during which period twenty-eight monarchs

dynasty.
B.C. 11 22,

.sat

on the

throne J Of these four only were kings of renown, viz.:

T'ang, the founder of the dynasty, B.C. 1766- 17 54.

His son T'ai Chia,

TaiMou,

Wu

B.C.

Ting, B.C.

B.C.

1753-1721.

1637-1563.
1

324-1 266.

* III., ii., I.
See also "Wheat Carried from Mesopotamia to
Early China," by Professor Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie.
\ Mayers' "Chinese Readers' Manual," Part I., art. 873.
\

Each

that of the

names of these twenty-eight monarchs, except

King, contains a "horary character," /. e. a word

of the
first

PREFACE.
The

ix

other reigns call for no remark, until

we come to
King of the dynasty, Chou Hsin, who, like

that of the last

Ckieh Kuei, was everything that was wicked.

minister was Ch'ang, the

Duke

of Chou,

His prime

whom

cast into prison as dangerous to his power.

was released
on the
the

after

At

frontier.

command

and sent

years,

his title

and

of his forces to his son Fa,

King of China

in B.C. 1122, with the title of

King Wu.

canonized his father as King Wen.

We must now go back

to trace the history

little

lineage of the great family of Ckoii

descent from

from

Hou

Chi, the inventor of agriculture,*

and

Hou Chi was invested.

of whom we hear is Liu,

with which principality

^15,

descendant of

first

canonized as

Hou

Duke Liu\ He

modern Pin Chou

>]\\

or

Chi

settled his tribe in Pin, the

gjj

used to denote periods of time, and

nomical,

^.

and

They claimed

mother Chiang Yiian, a daughter of the house of

-his

T'ai

The

The Duke

to fight the tribes

he bequeathed

his death

King

who rose in revolt

King Chou Hsin, overthrew him, and became

against

He

two

the

and geometrical

;Ill,

in

notation,

lat.

N.

3 5 '04.

long E.

Chinese arithmetical, astroas numerals and the

much

Mr. T. W. Kingsmill
Branch of the R.A.S.,
1889") therefore jumps to the conclusion that "the twenty-eight
so-called kings of the Shang line were simply an old rendering
of the twenty-eight mansions of the lunar Zodiac." Mr. Herbert J.
Allen (see "Journal of the R.A.S.," p. 524) has the wonderful
theory that Ssu Ma Ch'ien rI ,^ j^ (b.c. 163-85) invented the
A, B, C, &c., are used in English.
(see the " Proceedings of the North China

letters

whole of Chinese history and philosophy previous

and

to his

own

time,

that his revision of the calendar, in B.C. 104, suggested his

giving the

name

of stars and of divisions of time to non-existent

Kings, whom he evolved from his

* See III, ii., i.

I See

III.,

ii.,

6.

own

inner consciousness.

CHINESE POETRY.

10806, though whether he came from

Tai

(in

the Shensi

Anyhow

Province), or further west, history does not say.

he migrated with

his tribe,

life

In

which they led

B.C.

1325

removed the

settled in Pin,

and practised the

folk lived peacefully

The

and

H^

tribe of

is

well described in

I.,

xv.,

Ckou from Pin to the plain of Chou,

the Department of

says of

him

i.

T'an Fu, canonized as King Tai,

Feng ChHang

gi.

|I[J

in

that, after vainly trying to

which

is

being driven

do so by the incursions of the barbarians.

to

his

arts of agriculture.

which lay to the south of Mount Ck'i

now

where

Mencius

appease the bar-

barous tribes by giving them tribute of skins

and

of dogs and horses, and pearls and gems, he

the land

His' people deserted their

of Pin.

homes

left

silk,

to follow him,

so greatly did they love and respect him.*

T'an Fu was
Chi

course of time succeeded

in

the father of King

W^n.

T'an

by his

third son

Fu had noted

the

promise of his youthful grandson, and determined to make

him

his successor

by nominating Chi

his heir.

The two

elder brothers therefore disinterestedly retired in favour of

Chi's wife

their junior.t

was Taijui, one of the examples

of Chinese female virtue.

already.

Of King Wen we have

should add that he removed the capital to

Fdng ^, making

the old State of

of Chou, and the other of Shao

King W^n

+ See III.,

i.,
i.,

Chou

3,

Wu

into

two

fiefs,

one

Q.

behind him two sons.

left

two of them. King

* See III.,

written

and T'an

We
^,

must mention

the fourth son,

and Mencius I., Part II,, xv., i.

and the Confucian "Analects," VIII.,

7,

i.

" T'ai Po (the eldest brother of Chi)

Confucius says in these
the highest point of virtuous action.
have
reached
said
to
may be
:

Thrice he declined the empire."

PREFACE.
afterwards

known

The Duke ofChou." King Wen,

King Chou Hsin, reigned gloriously

as "

after overthrowing

from
as "

C.B.

1 1

22 to

C.B. 1116, establishing

The Royal Domain," and

Wu

minor of

was succeeded

the aforesaid

Duke

conspired with

King
the

This was known

in B.C. 11 15

by King Cheng, a

envy of two of

Wu King % ^,

Shang dynasty.

The

suspecting

government and

regent put

with a strong hand, executing

His accession

his brothers,

down the

Roman

justice

restore

rebellion

on

his

This, however, did not prevent the

him

confess that he

who

the son of the dethroned

C/iou Hsin, to overthrow the

guilty brothers.

minority his uncle,

his

of Chou, acted as regent.

to this office excited the

Hao

to Fing.

During

thirteen years.

known

the State

fixing his capital at

H, which was apparently close

as the Western Capital.
King

xi

two

King

though he had afterwards

for a time,

had wronged

his uncle

to

by such unworthy

thoughts.*

King Cheng was followed by King K'ang

in B.C.

1078.

He is the last of the kings mentioned by name. King

K'ang in turn was succeeded by King Chao in 1052 and
he by King Mu in looi. The history of the next four
;

Kings

is

Legge

collects a short account of

left

blank in the

which he gives
According to

" Classic

in his notes to the

this.

of History."

them from other

Dr.

sources,

Shu Ching, f

King Li ascended the throne

B.C. Z'jZ,

He was dethroned
by flight. He lived in

and greatly misgoverned the kingdom.

in B.C. 878,

exile

till

and only saved

his life

827, his kingdom being ruled in his absence by

* See the "Classic of History," V.,

also Dr. Legge's notes

on

I.,

Book

vi.,

xv., 2, in this Classic,

" Chinese Classics," Vol. III., p. 614,

t Legge's

Parts 15, 16;

CHINESE POETRY.

xii

two of

during the earlier

though the
barbarous
In

King Hsilan then succeeded, and

part of his reign ruled well and wisely,

his nobles.*

country in his time was

tribes,

ravaged by the
land.

and a great drought devastated the

788 he was defeated by the western

B.C.

and

tribes,

before he could avenge the defeat he died, as Dr.

Legge

says, in a fit of moody insanity.

Next came King Yu,
B.C. 781, who did evil in the sight of heaven.
He was the
thrall of a beautiful concubine named Pao Ssu
^,
for whose sake he degraded his Queen, and drove her and

his son

by

her,

fj

Yi

Cliiu,

the heir-apparent, into

To amuse Pao Ssu he

exile.

once

summoned

the

feudatory Princes to the capital by raising false alarms

of ah invasion.

Afterwards,

when

the barbarian

tribes

.grim earnest, they paid

no attention

beacon

to the

King

ht to call them, and allowed their

to perish,

Pao Ssu to be captured and put to death.

The feudal Princes of the kingdom having
the

Jung

really came, and the Princes were summoned

Jung brought back Yi Chiu from

exile.

in

fires

and

driven out

He ascended

the throne as King P'ing, and transferred the capital to

Lo

\^

the

modern Loyang, a place where former kings had

He

With
we need have no concern.
The kingdom of China during the time when this classic
was compiled, extended, we may say, from long. E. 1 10
ir&<\VLQni\y \ie\d durbars.

reigned until B.C. 720.

the later kings of the dynasty

to the sea,

and from the Yangtze

sisted of a

congeries of feudal States, each

* See III.,

iii.,

to

lat.

58 N.

It con-

of which was

3.

"Chinese Readers' Manual," art. 541, and

The Cleopatra of China," by H. Kopsch, " China Review,"
Vol. IV., Nos. 2 and 3.
t See

"

Mayers'

PREFACE.

xiii

probably composed of one of the tribes which had settled

in the country during the successive waves of immigration

from the west.

One

of these States was supreme, and

ruler exercised suzerain rights over the others.

the
''

title

of

Wang

jg

which

King," or " Monarch."

its

He had

have throughout translated

He was

also "K ?

Tien

Tzv,, "

the

" (as

Son of Heaven
is the Emperor at the present day),
and therefore the High Priest of his nation. His State
was known as " The Royal Domain." The King ruled it
the same

in

territories

manner

as. the feudal

suzerain military service,

every
the

Princes ruled their

but these latter were bound to render their

five years,

and

to

come

to his Court once

and give an account of themselves, while

King himself made a progress through

once

in

their States

twelve years.*

Wild nomad

tribes,

probably the remnants of earlier

who had brought

immigrants,

with them neither ideas

of good government, nor any of the arts of civilized

infested the borders of the

kingdom

find in this classic frequent

on

all

B.C.

221,

was

the kingdom

when Prince

assumed the

title

We

sides.

mention of the expeditions

undertaken to subdue them, or to keep them

Such

life,

of China,

in order.

which lasted

C/teng "^ ]^, of the State of Ck'in

of Huang-ti

"^

till

^,

which we translate

Emperor, abolished the feudal system, and made himself

the supreme ruler of the whole of what then constituted
the Chinese Empire.

So much

for the history of China.

word or two on the

history

* See Dr. Legge's Prolegomena

Let

me now

of this classic.

to the "

Classics," Vol. III., Proleg., p. 198.

say a

There are

Shu Cking." " Chinese

CHINESE POETRY.

xiv

those

who

up

assert that

to the time of Confucius there

was no such thing as a written Chinese book, and that

these ballads and other
orally only.*
this theory.

the classic

made

poems had been handed down

The weight of evidence is certainly against

The Chinese history of the production of

is this

"

Every fifth year the Son of Heaven

'

'

a progress through the kingdom,

when

the

Grand

Music Master was commanded to lay before him the

* Dr. Ernest Faber, in his paper on Prehistoric China ("Journal
of the North China

classes,

Branch of the Royal Asiatic

Society,''

Chinese characters into three

" elementary," " ideographic," and "phonetic," assigning

vol. xxiv.,

p. 141),

divides

old

the following dates to the beginning of the use of each.

Characters then

known.

c.

Beginning of elementary characters

2000.
1200.

,,

800.

,,

The "Classic

ideographic
,, phonetic

of Poetry"

contains

100.

,,

500.

,,

1000.

many more than 1000

separate characters.

According to Dr. Faber the Chinese language grew in China

" Attempts may have been made to record important
events in one way or another, as by quipos (knotted cords),
itself.

memory," and pictures of things

can be drawn, "but the origin of writing, in the proper sense of
the word, must result from the introduction of the phonetic eletrigrams, figures, etc., as aids to

ment into some ancient forms of figure representation." This is

enough in the abstract, and would apply here if we assume
that China was composed of aboriginal tribes only, or of people
who had settled there without bringing with them the knowledge
of any art or of any form of literature.
But this assumption I
cannot adopt. I hold with Prof Terrien de Lacouperie that
true

"everything shows that the primitive writing in China was an old

and decayed one, and if I may be permitted to say so, a secondhand one." Whether the " Classic of Poetry " was written in
Confucius's time or not, I feel convinced that there were then
in

existence

necessary.

sufficient

number of

characters

to

write

it

if

PREFACE.
poems

collected in the

States,

manners of the people." *

it

may

XV
as an exhibition of the

Dr. Legge goes on to say that

be taken for granted that the Duke of Chou,

legislating for his dynasty, enacted that the

duced

in the different feudal

on the

occasion

thereafter

among

the royal Court.

of

poems

in

pro-

States should be collected

the royal progresses, and lodged

the archives of the bureau of music at

The same

thing,

it

may

be presumed

a fortiori would be done with those produced in the Royal

Domain itself He says,

when they came to meet
by

further, that

the feudal Princes,

the suzerain, would be attended

their music masters, carrying with

them the

poetical

compositions collected in their several regions to present

them

Arrangements

to their superior of the royal CoUrt.

were also made to disseminate the poems of one State

The

through the other States.

ments was

that, in the

poems extant
it

result of these arrange-

time of Confucius, there were 3000

in a collection

known

as the Shih.

From

Confucius selected 305 pieces conducive to propriety

and righteousness, which he used

This statement
rI

.'^

is

made on

(B.C. 163-^85).

the existence

to

sing to

the authority of Ssu

lute.f

Ch'ien

Dr. Legge does not believe in

of 3000 poems, nor that Confucius ex-

purgated them, reducing the number to a

He

his

Ma

little

over 300.

holds that the collection of 305, or at most 311,

poems

had been already made before the time of Confucius,

whose labours were confined to, possibly, re-arranging the

order of the pieces, and to, certainly, giving an impulse to
the study of the Shih-X
*

Dr. Legge's "Prolegomena,"

p. 23, et seq.

" Prolegomena," p.
f See Dr. Legge's
" Projegomena," pp. 6,
Dr.
Legge's
X

i.
7.

CHINESE POETRY.

xvi

my own

For

part,

think

superfluous to hunt in

it

such poems as we find

Chinese records

for the origin of

in this classic.

Surely what has taken place in other

nations, from India to Wales, has taken place

Ballads and sagas were

likewise.

first

in

China

when

sung, and

made them known and had brought

them into general circulation, they were written down and
put on record, and eventually became part of the poetic

frequent repetition had

wealth of the nation.

no opinion on the question

I offer

make the expurgations

and compilation with which Ssu Ma Ch'ien credits him
but I feel convinced that if he did, his amended and
whether Confucius

did, or did not,

expurgated version has reached us in a very corrupt and

imperfect form, as a study of the poems themselves will

The admiration which

show.

Shik, might well induce

own

terms
Its

He

literary bantling.
:

"

My

poems

Confucius expresses for the

his readers to regard

speaks of

why do you

children,

it

civilization).

They encourage

They teach the arts of social life (or of

They inculcate a righteous indignation.

From them you

learn

filial

piety

and

loyalty,

them you pick up a good deal of natural

is this

the only place in which he sings

over, both he

The

student,

who

wishes to

know

time of Confucius,

is

Poetry" was destroyed with the

by the

Emperor

Shik

* " Analects," XVII.,

Nor
More-

its praises.
it.

the history of the

referred once

"Prolegomena" of Dr. Legge.

learning

and from

history." *

and Mencius constantly quote from

classic after the

to the

as his

not study the Skih ?

are suggestive of thought.

observation.

it

in the following

The

rest of the

Huang
ix. 1-7.

more

"Classic of

ti,

canons of
but

was

PREFACE.

xvii

recovered in the early part of the

Han

The

dynasty.

fact of the contents of the classic being in verse

gave

it

an advantage over the

rest of the books which were

There were, doubtless, many scholars during the

burnt.

Huang

troublous times of Shih

all

the

poems by

who

their children,

ti

who could say

nearly

These would repeat them to

heart.

could

thus

supply the necessary

emendations when the text was recovered.

During the early part of the Han dynasty, Which began

in B.C. 206,

known

Han

three versions of the text were recovered,

respectively as the texts of Ltt

15, the places

disappeared,

where they were found.

when a

scholar

These versions

in its turn,

Where he found

who
say

it

pf had

also lost.

named Mao

]g, whose version became and remains the

standard version

deal of

was

however, communicated his knowledge of

the classic to a descendant, or clansman,

Ch'ang

^, and

Ctii

named Mao Hing

brought out his version, which,

Mao Hing had,

%,

of

the classic

his text

is

to

not stated.

the present day.*

No

doubt a great

was learnt and collated from various

reciters,

could repeat poems, or parts of poems, but could not

how they were

written.

exists in the present

day

is

The

text of the classic as

could a text collated in such a

way be

it

How

incomplete and corrupt.

otherwise

.'

It

should also be remembered that the bulk of the poems

were written before the time of King Hsiian,

character

known

as the "

Ku

in

the

Win," "Archaic writing,"

probably incised marks on bamboos, the remnants of

the Cuneiform characters brought from

King

//ja'.r

Babylonia.
In
time the " Great Seal" character was intro

* Mayers' " Chinese Readers' Manual," Art. 480.

CHINESE POETRY.

xviii

duced.*

The

transference of the Shih from one script to the

other would doubtless give a chance for errors to creep

Chinese criticism seldom busies

emendation of

It prefers to

texts.

hunting up possible

the correction or

spend

its

energy

in

meanings, and finding far-fetched

allusions, leaving the

taken for granted.

itself in

in.

accuracy of the text

itself

to

be

This habit of seeking for allusions

which have no existence except

in the imagination of the

commentator, and the determination to " hook everything

some

to

useful end," effectually destroys the idyllic sim-

plicity of the ballads,

its interest.

It is

and robs the book of a great deal of

no wonder that Sir John Lubbock, who

includes the Shih Ching in the lOO great books of the

world,t says that individually he does not admire

it.

refer again to this " idyllic simplicity " later on.

The first commentary with which we have to deal is

The Preface," which is divided into two parts " The Great
Preface" and " The Little Preface."
These are published

"

The

oldest style of Chinese character, the

was in use

until

about 800

Ku W4n

-^

when, in the time of King

or " Great Seal character," was

e.g.,

Ta Chuan j^
This was succeeded by the " Small Seal character,"
which lasted from about 225 B.C., to about 350 a.d., when the
Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie
Chiai Shu ^^ '^ took its place.

Hsiian

the

>

introduced.

me that he has compared the oldest versions of the

" Classic of History " with the present standard editions, and finds

informs

the discrepancies to

amount

to nearly twenty-five per cent, of the

whole text. A comparison of the earliest and latest versions of

the Shih would surely show as large a proportion of error.
See
Prof. Dr. Terrien

de Lacouperie, " On the History of the Archaic

See also, " The Six Scripts," by L. C.

Writing and Texts."

Hopkins.

t "As regards the 'Sheking,' and the 'Analects' of ConI must humbly confess that I do not greatly
admire

fucius,

either."

"The Pleasures of

Life," Preface, p.

viii.

PREFACE.

xix

with every native edition of the classic of any pretension.

"The Great

Ta Hsu

Preface,"

y^ /?,

Preface" Hsiao Hsii

of each piece.

Tzu Hsia

"The

classic,

Little

J^ contains a resume of the contents

i\^

constantly refer to

J,

a short dissertation

is

on the general scope and intent of the

otherwise

in

it

known

as

my

foot-notes.

Pu Shang

^*

\s

a disciple of Confucius, though forty-five years his junior,

said to be the author of the Preface, or at

"The
I

By some

Great Preface."

assigned to the elder

is

rate of

the "Little Preface is"

Mao.

have confined myself to the study of three commentaries

in addition to the Preface^ viz. the

of

any

Mao ChU ling,

commentary of Chu Hsi,

and oi Liu, YUan, a

list

which compares

unfavourably with that of the Chinese works consulted by

Dr. Legge, which were

Chu Hsi
A.D.

1 1

^^

fifty-five in all.

Fu

or Chu

tzu

^^

^,

lived

"His commentaries on the

30 to 1200.

from

classical

writings have formed for centuries the recognized standard

of orthodoxy" (Mayers).

His commentary on the "Book

of Poetry"

and easy of comprehension.

Mao

is

concise, plain

Ch'i ling

^ ^

f^, A.D. 1623-1713, is considered

the foremost modern' authority on the

commentary on the Shih

have only made use of
I

am

indebted to

it

my

is

as a

ff j^

nation of the Shih Ching."

* Pu Shang,
extensively read

Ching,"

is

styled

Tzii

YUan gj ^, styled the Shih

'g %, or " Complete ExplaStrange to say

Hsia,

is

I.,

Prolegomena,
b 2

do not

find

represented as a scholar

What

is

contain the views of

" Chinese Classics," Vol.

His

work of reference,

and exact

said to

classics.

and voluminous.

friend Consul Watters for an intro-

duction to the work of Liu

Ching Hing Chieh.

diffuse

called

Tzu

p. 118.

Mao's " Shih

Legge's

Hsia.

CHINESE POETRY.

XX

book

this

familiar either to native moonshees or to

sinologues.

It

was published,

in 1802, at

European

Canton.

have

tried in vain to procure a copy of the book at Shanghai, or

elsewhere.
I have found this commentary to be, as it
professes, complete and exhaustive, and full of most valu-

able hints.
I

have, in addition to these commentaries, availed myself

Dr. Legge's monumental work on

of three translations.

the Chinese Classics has been,

My

stay and support.

which

have made of

express to him

my

is

needless to say,

show

notes will

his labours.

my

the unsparing use

In return I can only

most grateful thanks

My thanks

mission to do so.

it

for his kind per-

are scarcely less due to the

Rev. Pere Angelo Zottoli, of the Jesuit Mission at Nanking,

for his Latin version, forming part of his

Sinicse."

lation

have also occasionally referred to the trans-

made by Lacharme.

This has been styled by

Monsieur Callery "la production

ennuyeuse dont
I

"Cursus Literaturae,

consider harsh

la
;

la plus indigeste et la plus

Sinologie ait a rougir,"

a verdict which

but at the best of times Lacharme's book

makes but a poor show by the side of Pere Zottoli\ to

say nothing

ot Dr. Legge's.'

Dr. Legge, in addition to his prose translation of the

Shih Ching, has given the world a metrical version, which

he published

in

1876 under the

Book of Poetry."
saying that
translation.
this

title

trust that

cannot put

it

of

he

"The

Sheking, or

will forgive

on the lofty

me

for

level of his prose

His modus operandi appears to have been

to take the Chinese version of a

poem

as explained

by the commentary, usually that of Chu Hsi, and to turn

this, stanza by stanza, and often line by line, into English
verse, without, if possible, omitting or altering a

the original.

The

resultant poetry

is

wanting

word of
in

melo-

PREFACE.

xxi

diousness and smoothness.

As equivalents of the old poems

seen through the spectacles of the modern
Chinaman, Dr.
Legge's pieces are perfect ; as specimens of English
poetry
they are worth little.
From this harsh verdict I except
those verses which are written in the Scotch
dialect.

These are admirable and charming, and afford ample

proof, if such be needed, that the
I

complain,

is

want of melody, of which

not due to any poetic deficiency on Dr.

Legge's part.
I

know no

other complete English metrical version of

the Shih Ching.

John Davis gives a

Sir

one or two of the pieces

in his "

translation

of

Poetry of the Chinese."

His versions^jr,e eas3^,.jjid.. graceful, but not accurate.*

Residents in""CEina'from time to time insert a translation
of one or ofher of the

poems

in the local

newspapers and

Those of the late Mr. Alfred Lister, published

the " China Review," were always interesting. I notice

magazines.
in

in the

seventeenth volume of the same review a large

-

number of translations by
Chaplain of Hongkong.
publish them

himself V.

muse.

all in

W.

He

i.,

he

trust that

who

to

Here

his

version

I.

the ospreys

On

the river

So the

woo

ait.

graceful lass

Has her manly mate.

* See Dr. Legge's notes

and

my own

his

accuracy with
is

I.

As

signs

few specimens of

has sacrificed everything

consequences.

will eventually

A writer,

a collected form.

X., has also given us a

perfectly appalling

of L,

the Rev. Mr. Jennings, Colonial

on L,

ii.,

i.

xxii

CHINESE POETR Y.

As

the coy marsh flowers

Here and there do peep
So the graceful lass
;

In his wakeful sleep.

3-

But he seeks in vain,

Brooding night and day,
Ah me, ah me,
Tossing

rest

away.

4-

As the coy marsh flower

Chosen here and there,
So the graceful lass
;

He in

tune with her.

s.

As

the coy marsh flower

Gathered here and

So the
Bells

Here, too,

is

graceful lass

now

there.
;

ring for her.

his translation of

I., ii.,

I.

The rough hunter's quarry

With reeds he guards
Whilst we maids are prey
;

To

seductive

arts.

In the jungle wild

Lies the quarry dead,

With a

better guard

Than our maidenhead.

12.

PREFA CE.

xxiii

3-

Nay, gently, gently there,

Touch not my maiden cowl.
Rouse not the mastiff's growl.

German there

In

are two metrical versions of the ",Book

of Poetry," one that of Riickert, the other that of Victor

von

The former being

Strauss.

Lacharme's Latin
Chinese scholar

trarislation
is

Von

accurate

as,

He

Riickert not being a

many

contains

it

Strauss's version,

and

Dr. Legge.

Herr

of no special importance to the student

of Chinese, though
verses..

frankly borrowed from

graceful and pretty

on the other hand,

even more cramped

even

makes an

than,

as

of

follow the

to

effort

is

that

Chinese prosody by making a German metrical foot the

The

equivalent of each Chinese character.

result

course the sacrifice of melody to accuracy.

Strauss's

is

of

Herr von

prolegomena should be carefully read.

have persuaded myself that these various versions

have

left

room

for another

attempt to put the

classic

into English metre, and, in defiance of a certain proverb

about fools and angels,

have rushed

make

in to

began by versifying a few of the Chinese

moments of

leisure,

for

my own

text and commentary, and

in

amusement, and by

degrees becoming interested in the work

to

it.

poems,

applied myself

undertook the task of

translating the whole book, being encouraged thereto

Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie and other kind friends.

the

first I

by

From

determined not to be bound by any commentary,

Chinese or European, but as

simple meaning of

far as possible to give the

the text, without

hauling in some

moral lesson by the head and shoulders.

found the

Chinese commentators most misleading, especially

in their

CHINESE POETRY.

xxiv

These

notes on the ballads.

ballads, so

understand them, describe a simpler time, when,

the

feels that

wanting

admire, or even to realize

a Chinaman, to

such a state of things

is

The Chinese

ridiculous.

critic

Confucius would never have included verses so

and righteousness "

in " propriety

in his collection,

except indeed as a warning to sinners, so

nothing in

woman

husband to haVe

for her

My trans-

appealing to our sympathies. f

it

lations are at

idyls are

little

examples of lewd manners and

to be shocking

morals, and the love of a

all

than they are now,* but to expect an Oriental,

especially

made

can

between the sexes were innocently

worljl over, the relations

freer

far as

any

rate free from a bias of this kind.

must say a word or two

John

Sir

translation.

Chinese," remarks

"

in defence of

Davis, in

my

freedom of

"Poetry

his

verbal translation from

of the

Chinese

must of necessity degenerate into a horrible jargon, which

few persons

will

the verses of V.

To
but

go

undergo the disgust of perusing."

W. X. prove

avoid a similar fate

I

have assumed the utmost

Let

the truth of this observation.

license,

plead that license

is

not necessarily inaccuracy.

and say that

in

these cases

further,

original author of a

poem

* " In those

is

it

to reproduce his

far off

unfair to the

work

in a

form

primeval days,

Fair India's daughters were not pent

In closed zenanas."
"

'

Leave

it

'

Sivitri

may

Some day

to God,' she answering cried,

herself select

her future lord and guide.' "

" Savitri," by Toru Dutt.

t See

my

paper on

RtdiAtrs," Journal

"The Book

Royal Asiastic

of the

Society, Vol.

Odes

for English

XVI,,

art 4.

PREFACE.
that strikes the perceptions of those

each of four words,

is

who have

to take

A poem in stanzas of

and barbarous.

as harsh

XXV

Chinamen composed

to

form of poetic expression.

English

in

at best a tour de force requiring the skill of Mr. Swin-

is

burne to infuse anything

versifiers

must

my

like

music into

alter the structure

melodious shape.

This

best endeavours to

what

is

have

compose verses

Humbler

it.

and recast

piece consists

tried to do, using

honest flowing

in

When

compressed the whole of

it

into

have often

one stanza.

Moreover,

have avoided the use of Chinese names as

knowing how the general reader

far as I can,

them.

dislikes

have

allowed myself considerable licence in the use of

botanical terms.

have relegated the jujube, the dolichos

creeper, the ephemeral

broussonetia,

of one sentence expressed three or four

times over with the least possible variation,

also

more

in a

it

metre suitable to the subjects of the poems.

a simple

in

Such a composition

in,

it

four lines,

to

to the foot-notes

plants

and

hedge

tree, the

polygonum, and the

say nothing of Tung, Yi and Tzu trees

trees,

them

substituting for

or using

better

known

some such generic term

as

creepers, shoots, shrubs, trees, or flowers in their stead.

hope that the students of primitive

archaic manners, customs,

find

something worthy of

religion, and of
and modes of thought, may

their notice in this book.

me

regards religion, what most impresses

is

As

the purity of

primaeval Chinese monotheism, and the clear idea which

the

men

as the

of those times had of God, not as a tribal God, but

Supreme Ruler of the universe

though

it

must not

be forgotten that the Chinese of the date of the Shih looked

on the world as China only, with a few barbarous

round about

its

frontiers, a view that

is

tribes

not altogether

CHINESE POETRY.

xxvi

extinct

"

yet.

Von

Strauss

The Highest Lord

He

Him.

is

all ruling,

is

their

defines

is

omnipresent, for

He

and

hears,

wills

and works,

incorporeally.

Thus He

He

goes out and in with man, and

above and below him.

to nature.

e.

resist

sees,

recognizes most clearly everything.

i.

thus :*

and no one can

a conscious spirit which

but without sound or smell,

ideas

He

All virtue and

gives

to

life

is

man and existence

He

wisdom come from Him.

who
The crimes
of the wicked anger Him and He punishes them. So
from Him come all blessings and all misfortunes. He
prefers

none and hates none; but

fear him,

He

loves those

and rewards and blesses the good.

foresees the course of the world, arranges accordingly the

* Der Hochste Herr nun, oder der Himmel, ist all herr
schend und Nietnand kann ihm widerstehen. Er ist bewuszter
und auf das lichtvollste erkennt. Er
doch ohne Laut und ohne Geruch, d. h. unkorSo ist er allgegenwartig, denn er geht mit dem Menperlich.
schen aus und ein, und ist fiber und unter ihm. Er giebt dem
Menschen das Leben und dem Volkern das Dasein.
Alle
Tugend und Weisheit stammt von ihm. Keinen bevorzugt er,
hasset auch Keinen ; aber er liebt, die ihn furchten, belohnt und
Der Bosen Frevel erziirnen ihm und er
segnet die Guten.
bestraft sie.
So kommt von ihm alle Segen, von ihm alles
Er sieht den Weltgang voraus, setzt demzufolge die
Ungliick.
Bestimmung der Menschen und beschlieszt iiber sie, je nachdem
Dorum regieren auch die Konige
sie seinem Willen gehorchen.
aus seinem Austrage, und nach ihrem Verhalten zu seinem
Willen macht er sie gross oder stiirzt er sie.
Die Erkenntniss
seines Willens wird durch die von ihm bestimmte Naturordnung, vernehmlich auch durch das allgemeine Volksbewusztsein
vermittelt; ja, nach einem unserer Lieder (III., i., 7) hat der
Hochste Herr sogar drei Mai zu dem Konige Wen unmittelbar
geredet; eine Angabe, welche freilich die spateren chinesischen
Geist, der Alias sicht, hort
will

und

wirkt,

Ausleger in die grosste Verlegenheit

setzt.

" Prolegomena

"

p. 7.

PREFACE.

xxvii

destiny of men, and decides about them according as they

obey His

will.

Hence kings

by His charge,

rule

also

and, according to their relation to His

them great or
eflfected

The

ruins them.

will,

He makes

recognition of His will

is

through the divinely ordained order of nature,

especially through the universal national consciousness.

Indeed, according to one poem, HI.,

Lord spoke three times

to

King

i.,

Wen

7,

much embarrassment."

Supreme
an

face to face,

assertion which has put the later Chinese

to

the

commentators

Dr. Legge, in his "Prolegomena," pp. 131, 132, uses

very similar language, and so does Mons. Edouard Biot
his essay reproduced from the

November and December

but

To
the

"

of this religious purity

little

Journal Asiatique " for

by Dr. Legge.*

1843,

now

the worship of heaven and of the

Emperor, was

Heaven

represents

earth the

first

in

There

is

extant in China.

Supreme Being by

added the worship of earth.f

the male

([J^

Yang)

principle,

and

corresponding (|^ Yin) female principle, on

which two principles the whole of existence depends.

Afterwards, the Imperial worship also included sacrifices
to the ancestors of the Emperor,

and

grain,

who

and the gods of the land

are the special patrons of each dynasty.J

* "Prolegomena," p. 142,

et seq.

\ In III., iii., 4, it is stated that maces and certain "tokens"

were offered to the gods to stay the drought that was tormenting
Many of the Chinese commentators say that these
the country.
were buried in the ground as an offering to earth ; but even if
this were so, there is nothing to show that the worshipper
regarded earth as the equal of heaven, for the speaker in the
poem, presumably King Hsuan, says that he has not failed to

sacrifice to every spirit that existed.

"
% Williams's
p. 195.

Middle Kingdom," revised edition. Vol.

Edkins's " Religion in China," Chapter II.

II.,

CHINESE POETRY.

xxviii

The ancient Chinese had the anthropomorphic ideas of

God which were common to all the nations of Asia.'H
God accompanied them to battle.f God, well pleased,
smells a sweet savour, J just as in Genesis

it

21,

viii.

is

mentioned that " The Lord smelled a sweet savour " when

Noah

sacrificed to

Him.

But with

all

their anthropo-

now

morphic conceptions of God, the Chinese then and

are free from the gross impurities which have defiled so

many
"

other Eastern religions.

There

is

As

Dr. Williams says

no deification of sensuality, which

in the

name

of religion could shield and countenance those licentious

and orgies that enervated the minds of worshippers

and polluted their hearts in so many heathen countries."
The late Canon MacClatchie I know combated this view,||

rites

but as

followers,

never heard that his theories obtained him any

trouble ourselves to controvert

we need not

them.

But thoilgh the Chinese of the time of the

"

Book of

Poetry " believed in one Supreme Being, yet this belief

did not deter

We

deities.

sacrifices

them from the worship of spirits and

find in these

made

poems mention

to the spirits of the land,

of prayers and

and of the four

quarters, to " the father of husbandry," the

the god of the

* See

roads, and the

Robertson

Dr.

Smith's

god of

"

inferior

god of war,

horses,

Second

and

Lecture

to the

on

the

Religion of the Semites."

III.,

i.,

IIL,

ii.,

"Middle Kingdom," Vol. IL,

II

2.
I.

Translatfon of

the

Change." See, also, his

the " China Review," No.

p. 192.

Confucian
article

2 of

jg

" Confucian

Vol. IV.

or " Classic of

Cosmogony

" in

PREFACE.
stars.

xxix

note that the sacrifices to the gods of the roads *

and of the horses f were made by nobles, not by the King

himself.
I must leave it to others to trace the progress
of Chinese religious thought and ritual from the days of
the Chou dynasty down to the present day. Suffice it to

say of the

more
they

common

difficult to

"

will.

people of China, now-a-days, that

say what they

The

will

art,

and the innumerable

of deceased philanthropists, eminent statesmen,

martyrs to
the

not worship than what

inferior kind of sacrifices are offered to

the ancient patron of the healing

spirits

it is

five

virtue, &c.

clouds, rain, wind,

and thunder

celebrated mountains, four seas, and four rivers

famous

hills,

great watercourses, flags,

triviae,

gods of

cannon, gates, queen goddess of earth, the north pole,

and many other things." f

Superstition

may be

Such forms of
folk

lore,

are for

said to be the parasite of religion.

superstition as

many gopd

of

reasons not thought unworthy

of the attention of the learned.

find a few places in this

come under the head

The

student of such will

book worthy of a momentary

consideration.

cannot promise

much

to

the person

who

loves to

study prosody and the forms of poetic composition.

refer

him

to Dr. Legge's " Prolegomena," p. 96, et seq.

We may say,

without going into details, that the majority

of the poems consist of stanzas containing four or more

lines of four

two

lines,

Chinese characters a-piece, whereof sometimes

more often

three,

and occasionally four or more

* See III., iii., 6 and III., iii., 7.

t See II., iii., 6.
" Middle Kingdom," Vol. II., p. 195.
X

CHINESE POETRY.

XXX

are supposed to rhyme, but the exceptions to these rules

are numerous.

In a few instances a line will contain only

two words, and

lines of three, five, six, seven,

The

eight characters, occasionally occur.

secret of Chinese

fact is that the

prosody has not yet been discovered.

with Dr. Terrien de Lacouperie, that the irregu-

I believe,

larities in

the verses are to be accounted for in this way,

when

that

and even of

these verses were

composed

written, or

first

without being written, the Chinese language was not so

monosyllabic as

it

character which

is

That

now.

is

now

read

as

is

to

many a

say,

monosyllable

then read as a dissyllable, possibly in some.cases as a

syllable.

It

must also be remembered that the

History"

is

also

was

metre

in

The
out,

composed

think that there

lines.

if

of

is

no doubt that

this

book, too,

not in rhyme.
I

have, through-

adopted Sir Thomas Wade's transliteration of Chinese

think

it

Erh

reader

who

itself is

to tree.

Chi.

do so partly because

the best system yet invented, and partly because

learnt such Chinese as

by

" Classic

principally in four-character

student of Chinese will note that

as taught in the Tz%

was
tris-

know according

to

The

it.

ignorant of Chinese should observe that

is

pronounced

Shih

is

ee,

so that Chi

pronounced as

if

is

a perfect

rhyme

man were going

to

say " ship" but was pulled up short before he could reach
the/.

Wen rhymes to bun. At Nanking certain words

King and others Tsing. Both these are

are pronounced

pronounced Ching

in

northern

mandarin, which

language spoken at Peking and

centre of China.

Those who,

in

like

is

the

most of the north and

my

friend Dr. Terrien

de Lacouperie, are accustomed to the older systems of

Medhurst and Morrison, to say nothing of the later one of

PREFACE.
may

Dr. Williams,

XXXI

modern

object to the

transliteration,

declaring that to them Shih Ching conveys no idea, while

Shi King, or She King,

mit to be

who
2.

does, but

There are three

sacrificed.

study the language in China,

Customs

officials

3.

must sub-

fear that they

classes of
i.

Missionaries.

Europeans

Consular

Of

officials

these the two

former have to learn on Sir Thomas's system whether

they like it or not. Missionaries, who do not also do so,

me to invent systems of their

commend themselves to outsiders.
seem

to

must not conclude

best thanks to those

my

labours.

this Preface

who have

own, which seldom

without expressing

so kindly aided

have already stated

my

me

my
in

obligation to the

Rev. Dr. James Legge, of Oxford, and to P^re Angelo

Zottoli, as well as to

especially

add

my

Consul Watters.

To

friend, Professor Terrien

these I must

de Lacouperie,

as but for his encouragement I do not think that

should

ever have undertaken the task of this translation, and to

him

am
to

culties

indebted for the solution of numberless

which

Asiatic literature

his

and languages has furnished a clue

hitherto undiscovered.

London
friend

Professor R. K. Douglas, of the

University, too, has been a

to

me.

diffi-

marvellous knowledge of ancient

also

record

Lawrence, Barrister-at-Law,

my

good and helpful

obligation to Mr.

for his assistance in

P".

my study

German translations of the classic.

With these words I offer this volume to the student of
Chinese, hoping that he may find it of some use in sup-

of the

plementing Dr. Legge's standard edition of the Chinese

classics,

present

which
it

his leisure

to

will

any

not be superseded in our time.

" general reader "

moments with

who may

care to

I also

amuse

the stories of old days and strange

CHINESE POETRY.

xxxii

people.
useless,

May

the one not throw

nor the other reject

for if they

do so they

it

will leave

between the two stools which

it

aside as superficial and

as dull

me

to

and
fall

uninteresting,

to the

ground

trusted would support me.

C. F. R.

London. January,

1891.

A.

INDEX.

CHINESE POETRY.

XXXIV

" In the Spring a Young Man's

fancy

turns

lightly

thoughts of Love

" It's

hame, hame, hame.

"
I fain wad be

hame

to

"

Failure

The Neglected Wife

Exiles. A Fragment
The Exiles' Appeal
" Sampson Agonistes "
.

49

Hard Times

SI

52

....

53

Book

62

Dark Deeds

63

Hsiian Chiang

64

65

Male

Flirt

The Quail and

the

Magpie

67

BOOK
Ballads and other

Duke

Wu

Poems

Yung

Duke W6n
The Rainbow
The Rat
The Sage
The Lament of Lady

6o

61

68

70

V.

collected in the country of

....

59
.

IV.

Ballads and other pieces collected in the country of

Constancy beyond the Grave

54
56
57
58

Disappointed Lover

The New Tower

The Murdered Youths

It's

Wei

71

72

Mu

INDEX.
PAGE

The Fowler and

his

Wife

Bride and Bridegroom

Mockery. A Song
Withered Leaves.
Defiance.

Song

A Song

" In utrumque parata "

The Bride and the Bridegroom,
.

CHINESE POETRY.

XXXVl

Deserted

Comrades

The Young Duke

The Autumn Flower
.

Festival

Contentment
Learned and Beautiful
Alone at the Tryst

167

CHINESE POETRY.

XXX VUl

The

Song of the Harvest.

Sacrifice at the Harvest

Thanksgiving

Song of the Harvest.

No.
No.

306

i.

311

2.

313

The Durbar
The Nobles

No.

at Lo- Yang

3.

....
Durbar

at the

Lo-Yang

315

.317

at

318

Book vn.
The King

to his

Nobles

321

322

323

The
The

A Time of Good Omen

A Family Gathering
The Woodman's Bride
The Flies

The Days

of Auld

The

Hsieh

Princely Husband
Queen Shen's Lament'

349

341

342

Duke T'an

355

Removal of
House of Chou
Land of Pin
360

Fu's

....
.

365

Book
The Legend

A
A

of

Hou

Ohi.

Royal Family Gathering.

Blessing on the King
.

346
.

III.

383

Duke Chou's Advice to King

Ching, when he offered his
Royal Sacrifice

366

The Race of Chou

369
The Rise of the House of Chou, 370
The Marvellous Tower
376
.

and King Wu.

King
King

Wu
WSn

377

379

II.

The Banquet

to the Persona-

tors of the

389
391

351

I.

First

357

the Royal

from the
King Wen

34S

Supper

Soldier's

Chou
.

Tired Soldier

Festivals

Chou

335

Banishment

Book
of the

332

347
348

340

The Greater Songs of the

Dynasty
The Founders of the
Dynasty

The Strain of Responsibility

A Time of Famine

PART

The Foundation

Princes' Visit to the King, 330

A
A

327
329

338

VIII.

Earl of Shao's Expedition

to

Beware of Slothfulness

Lang Syne. 337

An Absent Husband

Jolly Fishes

Advice to a Prince

324
326

BOOK

Contrast

The

Praise of

Dead

King Ching

393

394

INDEX.

XXXIX
PAGE

The Migration

of

Duke Liu

395

Pure Water.

Duke

A Scheme

400

Shao's Song

King Li Warned to take Example by the Fall of the

Yin Dynasty
.411
A Warning Addressed to a
King by his old Preceptor, 414
The Earl of Jui's Lament over
,

the troubles which prevailed

during the reign of King Li 4 1

The Drought in the time of
King Hsiian
424
.

Investiture of the Marquis

of

III.

Chung Shan fu's Expedition

to the Land of Ch'i
432
The Investiture and Marriage
.

of the Marquis of Han.

The Expedition of the Earl

Shao against the Tribes of

Huai
The Royal Expedition to the
Huai.
The Infatuation of King Yu
The Misery in the time of
King Yu
.

Book

441

444

assisted
.

457

as the

Mediator
between
the
Worshipper and Heaven 460
King Wu's Hymn
461
Hymn to King Win, King
ChSng, and King K'ang
462
.

Hymn

to

Hou

Chi

465

463

Ia.

Instructions to the

Instructions to the Officers of

.

459

458

Book
Husbandry

Hymn to King Chgng.

Hymn to King Win,

and King

T'ai

451

455

No. i
456
No. 2
4S6
No. 3
457
Hymn, sung

at the Sacrifice

Hymn to King
Win

447

I.

Chou Dynasty

King Chang's
when the Princes

439

King Wte.
King WSn.
King Wgn.

435

IV.

Hymns and Eulogies

of the

of

428

PART

Hymn to
Hymn to
Hymn to

...

Sh^n as Warden of the

Southern Marches

Hymns

404
406

401

BOOK

The

Reform
An Old Statesman's Warning
of

men

Husband466

CHINESE POETRY.

xl

Noble Guests

Hymn

for the

Harvest

Choral Service

Royal Offerings of-Fish

467
468
469
470

Book
King 'Chang's

Meditations

The Royal Anthem

The Princes at the Sacrifice
The Arrival oT Duke Sung
.

Hymn
Ib.

to

King

Wu

47i

472

473
475

PART I.
BALLADS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MANNERS
AND CUSTOMS OF THE VARIOUS FEUDAL
STATES OF CHINA.

PART

I.

BALLADS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE MANNERS AND

CUSTOMS OF THE VARIOUS FEUDAL STATES OF
CHINA.

THINK

that the

word "ballad"

equivalent of part of the Chinese

is

Kuo Fing

Kingdoms."
Mores, which

meaning

JH,,

is

the nearest English

title

of this book, which

literally

"

Manners of the

Pere Zottoli translates the term Regnorum

is

of course the exact rendering. Other French

sinologues follow the same idea, and call this part of the
Classic " Les Mceurs des royaumes."

the phrase, "

he says

is

Dr. Legge translates

Lessons from the States," a translation which

vindicated

by the notes on the

"

Great Preface."

In support of his theory he goes on to quote

explanation of the use of the word Fhig,

metaphorical sense of influence.

this

explanation

is

uncalled

for.

In

'

Chu

my humble

Fing

is

Hsi's

wind,' in the

opinion

used over and

over again in Chinese for manner, fashion, custom and so

on.

nection

word

understand
;

and

it

to

have such a meaning

" ballad," I take

to apply to short

poems

it, is

in this con-

the most appropriate

descriptive of such

manners

and customs.

The other word of which the title is composed is Kuo g

The student who wishes
Kingdoms or Feudal States.
to

go deeper into the history of these

Classic of History"

is

referred to "

The

and other Chinese works, and to Dr.

CHINESE POETRY.

Legge's Prolegomena to the

find a useful

also

my

by

nobles of

the Rulers of

were as
fucius

many

Chow

its later

as

ranks,

its

in

states,

who acknowledged

their suzerain kings.

There

but when Con-

these ballads there were only 52.

Chow

days

various

will

have explained

as 125 states at one time,

collected

dynasty of

Shih Ching," where he

China, as

was divided into a number of feudal

preface,

ruled

map.

"

lasted from B.C. 1122 to B.C. 255.

The
In

power was much enfeebled and the neigh-

bouring states gradually encroached on

it.

It

was eventually

stamped out by the Ch'in ^, whose ruler Shih Huang Ti

(who built the Great Wall of China and burnt

^^ ^

the Classics) extinguished

himself the

first

all

the feudal states, and

Emperor of China,

B.C. 221.

made

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

I.

Ballads collected in the State of Chow and the

regions to the southward of it.

The ballads
T'an
"%

0_,

of this book are said to have been collected

Duke

the

^, and

of

Chow

the brother of

the son of

Jg ^,
King Wu

King of the Chow dynasty.

Chow

the

claimed descent from

here.

Chi,

the deified inventor of agriculture (see

Book

No.

ii.

Pin

remained
B.C.

i).

Kung Liu

Hou

Part III.

glj of this family settled

1796, and there his descendants

the time of King T'ai, who moved the tribe,

or ^J

till

actual

must recapitulate a

little

in

first

have written about these

three worthies in the Preface, but

J"he race of

||g,

by

King Win

B.C.

CKi

1225, to

(see

III.

i.

No.

3),

where the plain

name of Chow j^ or CK Chow j^ j^.

King W^n, about 200 years after this, moved the tribe
again to Feng ^, which lay south east from Chow.
country received the

When

he did

he divided the state of Chow

this

giving one half the

name

|1|

name

in two,

of Chow, and the other half the

of Shao

^, bestowing the former on his son, the

Duke of Chow. This Duke for his virtues
is remembered in China as one who yields place only to
the great rulers of antiquity, Yao and Shun. (See Mayers's
aforesaid T'an, or

"

Chinese Readers' Manual," Part

these

poems

the south of

in his
it,

of the present

viz.

Hu

I.

Art. 67.)

own domain, and

He

collected

in the countries to

the Valley of the Han, and other parts

Pei Province.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

I.

KING WEN'S EPITHALAMIUM.

I.

me to gather the cresses, which lie

on the stream, as it glances by,
That a fitting welcome we might provide
For our prince's modest and virtuous bride.

They

sent

And sway

heard, as

The

And

gathered the cress, from the

mallard's endearing call to

heard

I said, as I

An omen

it,

"

its

mate

Oh may

this

ait

prove

of joy to our master's love !"

No.

I.

Although no names are mentioned in this ballad, the Chinese

commentators all agree that it is a nuptial ode, to celebrate King
marriage with T'ai Ssu -^ ^, a lady as renowned for

WMs

feminine virtue as her husband was for masculine worth.

The speaker

ode

in this

understand to be one of the ladies

of the harem.

Dr. Legge and the commentators say that

ladies of the

harem

singular

it is

the

in chorus, but I think that the use of the

makes the poem more dramatic.

Confucius stated his admiration of this poem in these terms

" It is expressive of enjoyment without being licentious, and of
anxious longing without excess." Let us hope that an English
;

may have power enough to show this. Many of the native

however, think that anxious longings were beneath the
dignity of a man of King Wen's calibre, and say that not he, but
the lady was kept awake at night by her feelings.
Of course it

version
critics,

was no desire

for her lover that

virtuous a maiden.

with

other

It

virtuous

could inflame so modest and

was her desire

consorts

to

fill

They may

the king's
believe

this

harem

who

choose.
I translate

the

|||

bird indicated

Ts'ou
is

the

Chiu

as the mallard,

believing that

mandarin duck {Anas

galericulaia),

^^ Yuan Yang, which is in China the emblem of conjugal

fidelity.
Ur. Legge translates" the words osprey,' Pfere Zottoli
'

CHINESE POETRY.

3-

Long, long

With such
That

his

for his bride has the Prince

been yearning,

desire has his heart been burning,

thoughts by day and his dreams by night

Have had but

her as his sole delight.

4-

But a doubt tormented his anxious brain.

And sleep was banished by aching pain.
As tossing in fear and distress he lay
Till the long night watches had passed away.
5-

And now he has won her, this lady fair,

With her modest mind and her gracious air.
Let our lutes and our music and feasting show
The love we to her and our master owe.
'

Casarca Rulila (genre canard).

'

common

The Chinese words

these mandarin ducks.

IfSng
'

The two

birds at the top of the

willow-pattern plate, by the way, are meant to represent

villarsia

for cresses are

the 'lemna minor' according to

Ts'ai,

nymphoides

'

fj

Legge, the

This fare sounds

according to Zottoli.

rather too lenten for a marriage feast, but

Dr.

we must suppose

that

these vegetables were cooked for a sacrificial offering, and not as

a feast for the bride and bridegroom, in which capacity they
would hardly come up to the " tarts and ginger wine ' of the

marriage breakfast in Gilbert's comedy " Engaged."

The Chinese commentators would fail in their duty if they

omitted to discover a number of allusions in this ode. The
birds, whatever they were, are said to be most affectionate and
yet undemonstrative in their manner. This is what wise husbands
and wives should be.
delicate nature of the

which are

soft

and

Others find allusions to the

young lady

delicate plants.

lesson conveyed by the ode

Ziu Yiian

that marriage

and

soft

mere mention of

cresses,

says that the great

is

one of the

'

five

among mankind, a fact of which the savage

time were ignorant. The cry of the mallard has an

cardinal relations
tribes of that

is

in the

'

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

2.

THE YOUNG HOUSEWIFE.

summer

scene^

It is

a lovely

And

sweet and clear 'mid foliage green

Is

heard the

oriole's song.

Throughout the vale wherein we dwell

The hemp and flax are growing well,
With fibres thick and strong.

Now

let m,e like

Contrive to deck

With
I'll

a faithful spouse

my

fabrics that

husband's house

we need.

shrink not from the useful

The

flax

I'll

cut,

the

For strong and

hemp

toil,

I'll

boil.

lasting weed.

King WSn's precepts conveyed to his subjects, and as

and drums are sonorous instruments, which can be heard at
a great distance, so were the sounds of his commands to be heard
all over the kingdom.
The translation is free. In this, as in most of the ballads, no
attempt has been made to follow the structure of the originalj but
I hope that its meaning has been pretty accurately conveyed.
allusion to
bells

No.
The
there

is

Queen T'ai Ssu, though

show this. In fact we scarcely
the Queen occupied in cutting and boiling hemp.

subject of the ballad

nothing in the piece

expect to find

2.

is

said to be

itself to

Ulysses found the King's

other times, other manners.
daughter Nausicaa superintending the family wash, so why should
not this Queen look after the flax cutting ?
The mention of the oriole appearing in early summer helps to
Still,

fix

the place where this ballad was written.

I write this

At Hankow (where

note) the golden orioles always appear about the end

CHINESE POETRY.
3-

And when 'tis done, then leave to roam,

And see once more my childhood's home
Shall prove a guerdon meet.

When clad in robes washed bright

And linen of the glossiest sheen,

My parents

dear

greet.

I'll

No.

3.

THE ABSENT
My

heart

is

and clean

ONE.

oppressed and weary

I love has gone

The husband

He has gone to some distant country,

And has left me to weep alone.
of May,
I scarcely know which to admire most, their beautiful
plumage, or their liquid notes.
The purist must remember that hemp and flax should properly
be translated dolichos. (Dolichos tuberosus, Legge.) I have never
to

my knowledge seen

the plant, but

it is

found to

this

day growing

wild in the Kiangsi Province, where a considerable quantity of

cloth of the nature of grass cloth

son,

of

it

who calls the

to

The

Kew

woven from

it.

Consul

Jaraie-

Gardens.

leave mentioned in stanza 3 was to be obtained from the

duenna of the harem

King,

is

plant Pueraria Tkunbufgiana, has sent specimens

for,

(|j^

shih), who would inform the

King Win and T"ai Ssu were so

Shih

say the commentators.

virtuous that they would not speak to each other, except through

medium of a third person.

The commentators speak of

the

this

ballad as subjective.

The

Queen's personal behaviour, as a wife and mistress of a household,

the fulfilment of her own duties, and her charm and obedience to
the powers that be, are what
let

the rest of the world learn

imitate her example.

is

set forth in this piece.

how

woman

From

it

should behave, and

CHINESE POETRY.

To

gather the blue rush blossoms,

But

went through the

too heart-sick to

fields to stray
fill

my

basket,

the flowers away.

I cast all

3-

said

I will

climb to the

hill-top,

To

gaze on the distant plain,

That thence I may see returning

My

lord

and

his martial train.

4-

So rough was the ridge and rocky.

So steep was the hill and high,
That my servants had sunk exhausted,
Ere the goal of my hopes was nigh.
No.
This ballad

is

nothing in the

3.

of course assigned to T'ai Ssu, though there

poem

itself to

show who

is

the subject of

the possession of wine cups, as well as of horses

proves that the subject of the

The

'

rush flower

'

is

the

'

poem

is

and

it,

is

but

servants,

a lady of rank.

Lappa Minor (Legge), or the

'

'

Xan-

thium Strumarium (Zottoli).

The mystic wine cups consisted of a gilt vase, and a rhinoceros horn goblet, which took three men to lift.
Confucius
mentions as one of the advantages of the study of the Classic of
Poetry, the knowledge of national history thereby attained.
Chu
Hsi and other commentators say that the rhinoceros has a horn
'

'

1333

lbs.

'

avoirdupois in weight.

who could carry it.

We

should like to see the post-

do not agree with Dr. Legge

that the lady "proceeds to console herself with a cup of spirits."
I think that her wish was to pour a libation to the gods, and to
propitiate them that they might bring back her husband in safety.
Liu Yiian says that the husband alluded to in this ballad was
WSn, when he was still King Chou ffsirCs Minister.
The
country then was in a state of confusion, and Wen had to
diluvian animal

CHINESE POETRY.
S-

their flanks foam flecked

And sweat stained, were forced to stop

My

horses,

all

And I could not get to the summit

To gaze from the mountain's top.
6.
I

bring forth the mystic wine cups.

Libations

duly pour,

As I cry to the gods, " My husband

To the arms of his wife restore."

No.

4.

THE BANYAN TREE.

I.

The

traveller in the

A large

may

South

see

wide-spreading banyan tree

The ivies with a loving hold

The trunk and drooping limbs
Of every danger unafraid

enfold

Beneath the banyan's fostering shade.

go abroad to fight, leaving T'ai Ssu to weep at home. He goes
on to say that this poem is objective, as distinguished from the
In that we saw what T'ai Ssu was in
last, which is subjective.
In this we see how she behaved to her husband and
herself.
others.

We

need not trouble ourselves with the curious fancies of

that T'ai Ssu is the subject of the ballad, but
who say that her anxiety was not due to her husband's absence,
but to her desire to get good men to serve the state.
those

who admit

No. 4
The

subject of this

poem

is

evidently

some

great lady, probably

T'ai Ssu.

In spite of Dr. Legge's contention that the South in this ballad

does not mean the country south of the Yangtze, I am constrained
'

'

CHINESE POETRY.
Our lady

To

is

all this

may we

Oh,

banyan

the

The

.house.

tree
ivies

we.

never cease to share

Her watchful and protecting

May joy and

care

dignity attend

Our Queen, our

lady,

No.

and our friend

5.

THE LOCUSTS.
I.

The

locusts cluster

on the ground.

In ordered ranks unite;

And

then with one harmonious sound

They spread
to believe that

Hupei

it

their

wings

for flight.

does, for the simple reason that I

North of China

know no

tree

which the description in the

The banyan, on the other hand, is very
ballad could apply.
common in South China, and has, as the ballad says, curved
drooping branches round which creepers twine, and I have
in

or the

to

therefore taken it for granted that the banyan is the tree meant,
though in the ballad itself it has no name beyond the tree.' The
creepers which cling to it are once more dolichos creepers, or
'

dolichos

and

creepers.

Ivy

is

probably accurate

enough

for

the English reader.

The
on

ballad was very possibly sung by the

members of

their mistress's marriage-day, or birthday.

the

harem

I scarcely

agree
with the commentators that the chief thing praised is T'ai Ssu's
freedom from jealousy, but the piece shows that the ladies all got
on very well together.

No.
This

little

piece seems to

me

s.

merely the expression of good-

some one, probably to WSn Wang and his lady. Chinese

commentators say that the locust mentioned was not the destructive

will to

CHINESE POETRY.

13

2.

Oh, may we in the palace see

As numerous a brood
;

And may
One

they, as these locusts, be

loving brotherhood

No.

6.

THE PEACH TREE.

I.

The

slender boughs amid.

green leaves scarcely hid
The blossoms on the peach are shining bright
'Tis a lovely sight to see

By

Every bough upon the tree,

Glowing one entire mass of pink and white.
2.

This tender maid of ours.

Fresh and budding like the flowers,

A match for them

in, purity and beauty,

To-day become.s a bride
A house to rule and guide.
Fulfilling with due care a matron's duty.
;,

locust, but a

They

harmless insect.

clusion that unless a head-wife

is

free

also

draw the sapient con-

from jealousy and allows

her husband to take secondary consorts ad libitum,

that he should

it is

impossible

have a brood of children as numerous as these

locusts.

No.

6.

I do not see why we should try to twist this piece into being
anything more than what it plainly is, some verses made on the
occasion of a wedding. The commentators of course would not

They

declare that

it

the happy state of things in

King Win's

time,

be

satisfied

with

this.

was written to show

when youths and

CHINESE POETRY.

14

-3-

The blossoms on
Promise

From

this

fruit in

the sprays

coming days.

omen may we

hopefully divine

That the husband of her choice

Shall have reason to rejoice

In descendants through a long unbroken line.

No.

7.

THE RABBIT-CATCHER.
He

placed the snare, where

Deep

many

The pegs with mighty blows he

And

runs have met,

in a forest dell.

them sure and

fixed

firmly

set.

well.

2.

So

stalwart, strong,

The King

No

of

and brave was

all

this

poor hind,

the land

wiser head, no trustier heart might find

To

set at his right

hand.

maidens got married at the proper season, that is to say, in the

Spring, " when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of
That this was feasible was due^ they say, to T'ai Ssu's
love."
freedom from jealousy

No.

7.

Ballads of this description have almost invariably a personal

application. I have no doubt that in this instance Huang Yao

iM %)

o''

'^''^^

^'^^^

(^

hunters to the position of

]^) each

of

whom

King Wen's Ministers

rose from being

is

the person

need not say that I scout the explanation that

this ballad is meant to sing the praises of the happy days when
even the rabbit- catchers were great and good men, and that this
referred to.

CHINESE POETRY.

15

No. 5.

SONG OF THE PLANTAIN-GATHERERS.

I.

We gather the plantain, we pluck and we pull

We merrily gather the plantain all day.
We rub out the seeds as we gather the plantain,

it,

And

then to our houses

we bear them away.

2.

We tie
And
Then

up the seeds

in the skirts

of our clothing,

loop up our skirts in a heap round our waists

carefully bearing the seeds of the plantain,

Each maiden away with her work-fellows

was due not only to King \V6n's
from jealousy.

The word

He

place to catch rabbits

'

virtues, but to T'ai Ssu's

T'a, literally a place

puzzled Dr. Legge.

freedom

where nine ways meet, has

remarks that a thoroughfare

But when the word

in.

hastes.

is

not a likely

is

taken to

mean

runs,' all difficulty vanishes.

No.
I

do not see any

necessity for

this little piece

than a song.

indicates a time

when

girls

8.

making anything

No

m ore

out of

doubt, as Liu Yiian says,

could work in the

fields

it

without fear

I do not know what the girls

of molestation from friend or foe.
were going to do with the plaintain seeds, which may have been

used as food, or as physic, or in the manufacture of cotton or

The commentators mostly take the view that they
linen fabrics.
were meant for medicine, from the fact that a decoction of plantain

seed

is

used by

women

the conclusion that the time

in childbirth.

when

this

From

this

they draw

song was composed was a

time when the population was increasing and the country pros-

perous

The

thanks, of course, to

last lines

of

King

Wgn

and

his wife.

this song, referring to the carrying

away of the

seeds in the skirts looped round the waist, are sometimes used in
a jocose sense to indicate the condition of a young married lady,

who

is

" as ladies wish to be,

of those days wore wide

now.

who

love their lords."

girdles, like

The women

those worn by the Coreans

CHINESE POETRY.

i6

No.

9.

THE LADY OF THE HAN.

I.

When the poplars throw but a scanty shade,

On the banks of the Han roams a lovely maid.
She

going to leave me, and

is

my

Is

'Twere an easier task by

To

all in

vain

ardent effort her heart to gain.

cross the

Han

far to strive

in a single dive

Or to float on a raft down the Yangtze's, tide

Than win this damsel to be my bride.
2.

would feed her steeds for her own dear sake,

would slave and toil in the forest brake,
To cut her faggots or to hew her wood.
Would she only show me a kinder mood.
But no, 'twere an easier task to strive
I

To

cross the

Han

in

a single dive

Or to float on a raft down the Yangtze's

Than win this damsel to be my bride.
No.
In
adrift

my

9.

translation of this ballad I

from

all

tide.

have ventured to cut myself

and European. These

the commentators, Chinese

poem was written to celebrate the virtuous manners

women in King W^n's domain. To carry this mean-

agree that the

of the young

ing out they extract a simile, not only from the breadth of the

Han, and the dangers of the Yangtze, but from the poplar-trees
These, they say, give but little shade, and in like
manner these virtuous young ladies are chary of granting their
favours.
(The freaks of language are curious. To remark that
as well.

there was nothing shady about these girls might

to say a vulgar,

pun, but

it is

seem a bad, not

a literal translation of the Chinese

commentary.) My own view is that the character

Nu, girl
or woman, must be translated in the singular, and then the ballad
at once becomes a pleasing little love song, and all the minor
.

difficulties

of interpretation vanish.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

17

10,

CONSTANCY,

wander forth beside the River

Ju,

To pluck fresh sprays to please my husband dear,

And mark how all the shoots have grown anew
I

As

cut

the

them down

Han and

first

guess

two

rivers meet.

is

this

down

last year.

the Yangtze are mentioned together, one's

that the ballad

dive across the

very day

The

Han

fact,

there,

was written

at

however, that a

and that there

is

Hankow, where
skilful

no

the

diver might

difficulty in guid-

the Yangtze in the direction of the

mouth of the
makes us assign the scene of the ballad to some place to
the north-west of Hankow, where the Han is a shallow stream,
half a mile wide.
The Yangtze, as spoken of in this poem, I
infer to have been the stream above Ichang, where raft navigation, even at the present day, would be a dangerous feat.
(See
" Through the Yangtze Gorges," by A. J. Little, F.R.G.S.).
The commentators boggle a little over the young lady, or, as
they say, young ladies, rambling about on the banks of the river,
a thing which no well-educated Chinese damsel of modern times
would venture to do. They get over the difficulty by saying that
times were better and purer then, and that though girls might
roam about, there was no danger of their getting into trouble.
ing a

raft

river,

No.
The t\\tr/u

J'^

10.

was a tributary of the Huai.

(See Dr. Legge's

notes.)
I

have only translated the two first stanzas of this ballad, as

Dr. Legge translates it
is beyond my comprehension.

the third

The bream is showing its tail all red

The royal house is like a blazing fire.
Though it be like a blazing fire,
Your parents

are very near.

CHINESE POETRY.

2.

It

was not then

To

my heart was weary,

my lord had ta'en his way.
my life is sad and dreary,
now

as

distant lands

When

he is gone
But with him here the world

His metrical version

As

is

Amid

its

blithe

and gay.

the toiled bream

Toil you,

is

Sir, for

blazing

Your parents

makes red its tail,

Royal House

the

fires,

nor quail,

see you pay your vows.

The explanation is that the poem was written when the tyrant
Chou Hsin was on the throne, and that the lady who was the
subject of the piece was anxious to urge her

husband to do his
whose minister he was, even though the king
was a wicked tyrant. She encourages him by bidding him
remember that his parents (or as others say. King W6n, the father
of his country) were looking on and applauding his efforts, and
bids him persevere, though he has to toil and strain like a bream
working its painful way up a shallow and swift stream, and tearGranting that this is the meaning of
ing its tail as it does so.
best for the king,

the stanza, I find it utterly out of place here.

Surely a wife who
has just got her husband back, and is rejoicing over his return,
would scarcely be the person to give vent to such sentiments.

My own

theory

that the verse in question

is a fragment from
been interpolated here somehow. I
take it that the piece, out of which it has dropped, was one complaining of oppression and cruelty on the part of the Government. We shall find many such poems in this work later on.

some other poem

is

that has

The bream

is

the

writer warns

with its torn and bleeding tail

bad times or an omen of evil, and the

either a

symbol of

someone

powers that even if he escapes, yet

hand, and will be punished for their son's

that so harsh are the ruling

his parents are close at

offences.

Mao

third stanza

Chi Ling, who however does not separate the

from the other two, interprets it very much as I do.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

THE
Poets say there

Of so

19

II.

"LIN."

lives

a creature

gentle kind a nature,

On

no living thing 'twill tread,

No, not e'en the grass in spring

And

the horn which crowns

its

head

Never injures mortal thing.

Such the creature called a " Lin,"
Like it are the royal kin,
Sons and grandsons, all the brood,
Just as gentle, kind and good.

No.
I

have thought a

II.

free paraphrase necessary here to bring out

meaning of the ballad.

The " Lin," which some translate the unicorn, is a fabulous
animal of most gentle disposition. It has a single horn encased
in a fleshy growth, and its body is covered with scales.
Its
appearance is regarded as indicative of the advent of good
the

full

government, or the birth of virtuous rulers. I have often thought

it possible that some faint memories or distorted accounts of the
giraffe

may have

giraffe, as a gentle

of the " Lin."

It

given rise to

the idea of the

Its spots

If this theory

is

The

has two horns certainly, instead of one, but

these horns are covered with a fleshy growth,

butt with.

" Lin."

harmless animal, corresponds to one conception

and are not used

may well have become confused

well founded,

it

would seem

to offer

to

with scales.

some

slight

evidence in corroboration of the opinion that the Chinese races

came originally from Bactria or Chaldseaj whither travellers from

who had seen the giraffe, might very possibly have reached.
The Royal family, which is compared to the Lin, is, of course,
The commentators say that this ballad
the family of King W^n.
In that we saw T'ai Ssu
is the complement of the first one.
coming to her husband as a bride. In this we see her as the
Africa,

mother of a noble family of sons

c 2

there were ten of them.

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

II.

Ballads collected in the State of Shao, and the

country

The
was

State of Shao

in

fact " the

south of

to the

it.

lay to the westward of Chow,

Far West

"

of the States that

the China of ancient times.

and

made up

It lay in the district

where

the Provinces of Ssu Ch'iian,

Kansuh and Shensi now meet,

though the greater part of

was

|[|

it

in Shensi.

Its ruler

was

^,
01 Chi Shih, usually known as Shao Kung
of Shao. It is a matter of question whether he was

Duke

the son of
follower of

King Wen

King

King Wu, the

invested
lies

him with

but the

trusted

Ch'^ng.

first

He

or not.

W^n

and

actual

of

King

at

any

rate a faithful

King W^n's

son,

King of the Chow dynasty,

the district of

Duke remained

Minister

was

his family.

Yen

^B, in

at the Court,

Wu

and

his

which Peking

and was the

successor

King

(See Dr. Legge's notes and Mayers's " Chinese

Reader's Manual," Article No. 593.)

CHINESE FOE TRY.

22

No

THE DOVE

IN

THE MAGPIE'S
No.

The

dove, that

I.

NEST.

I.

weak and timid

bird,

Scant wit hath she her nest to build

Unlike the pie, whose house well lined
Within, and strong with labour skilled.
Might seem a palace. Yet the dove
;

Will to herself appropriate

The

magpie's nest, and snug therein

Dwell

in

contentment with her mate.

2.

My

sweet, thou art the tender dove

Hath

fate's

decree then nought more

For thee than

in these

fair

barren fields

A peasant's hut and life to share

My lands are wide, my halls are highj
?

And

My

steeds and cars obey

Thou

shalt

my

call

my

magpie nest.
be mistress of them all.

dove, within

No.

I.

have made a very free paraphrase in translating this ballad,

I believe that I have hit on its meaning.
Most Chinese
commentators say that the poet's object was to laud the virtues of
the lady, among which was her stupidity, which is typified by the
clumsiness of the dove, which is unable to build itself a decent
nest.
Mao Chi Ling asserts that the dove can and does drive
the magpie out of its nest in order to occupy it itself.
[" O, what
a dem'd savage lamb," says Mr. Mantalini].
But why need we
I

but

trouble ourselves with such absurdities ?

Surely the motive of

same as that of " King Cophetua and the Beggar

Maid," "The Lord of Burieigh," and a dozen other pieces. The
prince is the magpie, the strong, handsome, skilful bird. The
peasant girl is the dove, who does not forcibly rob the magpie
the piece

is

the

CHINESE POEIRY.

No

THE WIFE'S
Through the

2.

SACRIFICE.

fields the

lady goes,

Seeking where wild celery grows

On
On

23

the islets in the river,

the bankS; beneath which quiver

Waters of some wind-swept pond,
Through the vales which lie beyond,
Where the mountain torrents fall.

Then

within the Prince's

hall.

Ere the signs of dawn are seen,

With head erect and solemn mien,
For the Prince's sake she lays
In the shrine whereat he prays
All her spoils before the altar.

Next, with steps that never falter,

Reverently she leaves, as one

Who

her duty well hath done.

of his nest, but by her softness and gentleness persuades him to

allow her to occupy

it.

John Davis's translation of this ballad, as given

" Essay on the Poetry of the Chinese," and quoted in
Sir

Dr. Legge's " Chinese Classics," vol. iv.pt.

my

but does not, in

opinion, in any

i, p.

21,

is

in

his

full

in

very pretty,

way express the meaning of

the original.

No.

2.

Fan as wild
Following Dr. Williams, I translate the word
Dr. Legge has southernwood,' and Pfere Zottoli ' arte'

'

celery.'

misia,' the Latin translation of the same.

and reverent mien." The commentators

Chinese characters, which are the equivalent of
this phrase, "Her headdress (or perhaps the method of doing
I understand that her hair was
the hair) is reverently lofty."
carefully arranged, and that she moved slowly with her head
erect, in order that her locks might not become dishevelled.
The piece evidently refers to the manner in which some great

"With head

erect

translate the four

CHINESE POETRY.

24

No 3.
THE ABSENT HUSBAND.
Cicadas chirp the livelong day,
I

see the locusts leap

my

But while

lord

is

far

away

What can I do but weep ?

Let me but see him once again,
Oh,

more

us meet once

let

My bosom would be free from

My heart no longer sore.
I

climb the lofty southern

The

pain,

hill

shoots of fern to find.

But mournful thoughts my memory fill.

Oppressing heart and mind.
But if my absent lord were here,
That we might never part,
What blissful rapturous thoughts would cheer
My aching weary heart.

lady offered sacrifices in her husband's ancestral temple. Zottoli

the poem in the plural, " They go to gather the

translates

they being the ladies of the palace

artemisia," &c.
that the subject

One

is

more

be

likely to

but 1 think

singular.

interpretation of the ballad

that the wild celery was

Liu Yiian very pertinently
remarks, " If this be so, what particular need of reverent gestures
and adornment would there be ? "

collected as food for silkworms

No.

Two
Wei HJ
the

be

kinds

One

"spinous
edible.

Regalis,"

of fern
is

still

said to

fern."

Pfere

are

3.

mentioned, the Chueh

and the

be the "turtle-foot fern," and the other

The

shoots

Zottoli says

a very

is

but, as

common

of both of them appear to

that the
fern in

first

many

is

the

"Osmunda

parts of China,

and

CHINESE POETRY.

25

3I

climb the rocky southern height,

Where

ferns

and herbs

I cull.

My lord is banished from my

My heart with pain is dull.

sight,

Oh, how I'd welcome the relief

His presence would afford
And I'd forget my woe and grief
As I embraced my lord.
!

No.

4.

THE MAIDEN'S OFFERING.

She runs along beside the

rill.

To
Or where the summer rain floods
The pools to overflowing.
pluck the cresses growing

the second the "

fern shoots

Blechnum Japonicum."

would have

fill

Liu Yiian says that the

This shows

to be gathered at daybreak.

must have been too anxious to sleep.

for any other meaning in the
ballad than the lament of a wife for her husband's absence, and
that the lady of the piece
I

do not think

we need seek

that

the anticipation of her joy at his return.

tators,

however,

insist

poem had been

those days.

that the lady

who

Most of the commenthe subject of the

is

taken on approval, according to the custom of

She

is

supposed to be in a

state of dire

suspense,

not being sure whether her husband will keep her as his wife, or
Her anxiety is that she may
will send her back to her parents.

not have done anything to make her husband angry with her.

No.
Stanza

i.

The

4.

"cresses " are of two kinds

^ Fin,

Trisulca (Legge), or Marsilia Quadrifolia (Zottoli)

Ruppia Rostellata (Legge), or Aratophyllum

Lemna

and Ts'ao

(Zottoli).

CHINESE FOETRY.

26

With green leaves which the maid has got

She has her baskets piled,

And

placed in the most holy spot

In vessels undefiled.

3-

She boils them with the reverent care

For which such duties call,
Then lays them as an offering fair
Within the ancestral hall.
4-

would be told the lady's name,

So wise is she, so sage.
'Tis no one but this little dame
I

Of some

ten years of age.

Stanza 2. The most holy spot is a recess under the west

window, or the south-west corner of the ancestral hall.
I am inclined to disagree with Dr. Legge, who makes the
The character
subject of the ballad the wife of an officer.

Chi,

'

young,' would scarcely be applied to a wife.

"the fourth of a

signifies

series,"

Moreover,
the other three being M^ng

it

Taking MengSLS the senior lady or ladies

She 5^ and Chung
sacrificing, we make Chi the youngest of the family, who never,

and prepare the cresses for the

was a little girl of about ten
years old.
of the commentators say that the young lady
in question was being taught by her mother how she ought to
This may very well be the
offer sacrifice after her marriage.
Anyhow, I feel convinced that the subject of the piece is
case.
theless

was old enough

sacrifice.

Hence
Some

to collect

I infer that she

a daughter, not a wife.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

27

5.

THE PEAR-TREE.
" Sneer.

before

'

Mr.

Puff, have'nt I

heard something very like that

"
'

The pear-tree, woodman spare,

Touch not a single bough
;

Shao's chief once rested there,

Leave it uninjured now.

No.

6.

THE TRIAL.
They led the maiden forth, and bade her
The Duke her reasons for this insolence.
" Oh, Sir," she cried, " suppose that

tell

were decked

In clean white robes about to walk abroad

In woodland paths ere yet the sun was high,

Would'st thou not say, The dews will smirch thy dress
Then shall I hold my maiden fame less dear.
Nor strive to guard it from all stain or spot
This man, who now parades his innocence,
'

.'

And vows
Is like the

this trial is no fault of his.

sparrow which I lately caught

Boring a hole, and spoiling

all

No.
Shao's chief

is,

of course,

my

thatch.

5-

Duke

Shao.

Some

say that he, like

the prophetess Deborah, sat beneath the pear-tree to hear cases

and judge the people but the accepted theory is that the peartree grew at some place where he rested on one of his ofiScial
;

journeys.

No.

6.

Commentators, Chinese and European, agree

represents what took place at a

trial

before

that

Duke Shao

this

piece

a theory

CHINESE POETRY.

28

Could

it

have spoken, doubtless 'twould have pled,

I am nothing but a little harmless bird

No horn have I to bore through solid roofs/
It may be so, but yet my thatch is spoilt.
'

Or

like the rat,

which

in like

manner pleads

What teeth have I to gnaw through solid walls ?

It may be so, but yet my walls are pierced.
But though he forces me to bear this shame,
And hales me forth before your Grace's Court,
To his proposals I will ne'er consent
A marriage to this man contents me not.
'

I will

not yield myself to his desire."

have no wish to controvert. A man wishes to marry a

She rejects him, and so he brings the case before the
Duke's tribunal. She pleads that she is not to blame, and refuses
Most Chinese say that
to have anything to do with the man.
her reason for rejecting her suitor was that the betrothal ceremonies were insufficient, and that until these were completed she
would not marry him. They praise her for her adherence to rule
and order, and go on to say that this admirable state of things
was due to the good government of Duke Shao and King Wen.
For my own part, I think that the suitor was endeavouring to

which

maiden.

seduce her by means of a sham marriage

that the ceremonies

gone through were not only insufficient to satisfy custom and

etiquette, but were not enough to constitute a valid marriage
that she had the wit to detect this plot, and was determined to
preserve her maiden fame unstained.
Hence, she says, that she
will not allow her dress to be spoilt by the morning dew^ a metaphorical way of declaring that her character shall not be lost
through her own carelessness. The argument from the sparrow
and the rat is a little obscure in the original, but I think that I
have caught the meaning.
The two first lines of my version do not appear

in the original.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

29

7.

THE GRANDEES.
The Grandees from

the Court I chanced to meet,

Serene they seemed, and grave, and self-possessed,

As

each retired his morning meal to eat.

In plain white lambskins or white sheepskins dressed.

No.

THOUGHTS

8.

IN ABSENCE.
I.

My

noble husband has gone away

To fight for his king, and the

No moment he snatches to rest

No

Duke

zeal.

7.

said that the special virtue of the

the officers of

or stay.

nor danger can quench his

toil

No.
It is

country's weal.

above-named Grandees,

Shao's Court, was their absence of pretence.

Sheepskins and lambskins are inexpensive furs.

I should mention, before going further, that

"The

Pear-Tree

three stanzas.

and many

"

Each

this ballad,

stanza conveys

the same

idea,

with

slightest possible alteration of expression or arrangement.

celebrated

hymn

like

others, consists in the original of

the

The

of the parish clerk.

Why hop
Ye

ye

hills

so,

ye

little hills ?

why do ye hop

because you're glad to see

His Grace the Lord Bishop?

Is

it

Why skip
Ye
Is

it

ye so, ye

hills,

little hills ?

why do ye

skip ?

because you're glad to see

His Grace the Lord Biship

really a closer parallel to the structure of such pieces as this

than any more seriously written poem can be ; but I should think
myself unwise if I were to follow the clerk's example while
is

making these

translations.

CHINESE POETRY.

30

2.
I list

to the distant thunder's roar

To the south of the mountains across the plain

And wish that my husband may come once more
To gladden his home and his wife again.

Ng.

9.

MEN PROPOSE?"

DON'T THE

"WHY

I.

The plums are ripening quickly

Nay, some are falling too

'Tis surely time for suitors

To come

me and

to

woo.

See more and more are

From

Why

falling

off the parent tree.

don't the

To win

men come forward

like me?

maid

3-

At

length upon the plum-tree

No

fruit

can be espied,

Yet no one comes

Or

bid

me

No.
It

is

supposed that

to court me,

be his bride.

8.

this ballad

refers

to

a soldier,

who was

absent on one of the expeditions undertaken at the close of the

Shang dynasty

against the barbarous tribes of the west.

No.
This arch

little

song

mentators to accept as
in

it

far

9.

too simple for the Chinese

stands.

They

all

declare that

it

comcele-

young lady to be married at the proper time

the proper way, and without being subjected to any attempt

brates the desire of a

and

is

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

31

10.

AN ASSIGNATION.
Some may

love, not fearing shame,

But my lot is scarce the same.
I must go when stars are brightly
Twinkling in the Eastern sky,
Tripping swiftly, treading lightly,

To escape each envious eye.

Save the Pleiades above,
And Orion throned on high.
None may

see or know our love.

'Neath the covering I supply
Pass the hours in dalliance sweet

But ere morning comes I fly.

Lest by an ill chance I meet
Some reproachful enemy.
For my love must rest concealed,
To no mortal eye revealed.

to marry her against her wil* as

happened to the young lady

Liu Yiian admits however that some scholars
shake their heads over this far-fetched theory. There is a good
suggestion by one of the Imperial editors that Chou Hsin had
treated his subjects with such cruelty that most respectable young
men were in exile or in hiding. Hence maidens were left longing
with no one to marry them.
of "

The

Trial."

No.
There

is

nothing in the

poem

10.
itself to

show

that the meeting

therein described was anything but an ordinary unlawful assigna-

The Chinese commentators

tion, and as such I have treated it.
however take a very different view of it. They make the subject
plural, and say that the persons meant are the concubines of the
Prince, who were only allowed to visit their master for an hour
or so during the night, and had to retire before daylight.
On
these occasions they had to bring with them their own blankets
and bed clothes. It was only the Princess, the wife, as distin-

CHINESE POETRY.

32

No.

II.

" Friends once parted

Grown

single-hearted."

The mighty Yangtze with

Shelley.

resistless force

Takes through the kingdom its majestic course

Thence slips aside some smaller stream, as fain
To find its own way downwards to the main.
But while the rebellious river blindly dreams,
Some islet, which above dispersed the streams.
Comes to an end the pair, apart before,

Unite again, to sunder never more.

So with this lady. Once it chanced that she
Longed from old friends and friendships to be free
She would not see our faces, nor allow
Our presence near her but her folly now
And jealousy have yielded. Mirth and song
Replace the envious thoughts she cherished long.

guished from the concubines,

who might remain

with her husband

all night.

Each

'jt
of the two stanzas in the original finish with four Chinese

characters meaning "

is not the same," which the commenby Dr. Legge, amplify into " Our lot is

Our lot

tators, followed implicitly

not the

same

ledge

with thankful submission.'' This

it

as that of our mistress the Princess,

is

and we acknow-

of course followed by

King W^n, who brought about so desirable a state

Now, granting that the speaker is a concubine, I feel

the praise of

of things.

convinced that if she said " My lot is not the same," she said it to
express her sorrow at her hard fate.
I look on the Chinese explanation as unnatural nonsense.

No.

II.

Ssu is apparently a smaller channel of the Yangtze, which

fg,
branches off from the main stream and afterwards rejoins it.
There are many such now, and when they are shorter than the
main branch they are known, in the language of pilotage, as " Cut
offs."
fg T'o is a " cut off" of sufficient size and importance

to

have a distinguishing name of

its

own.

The

Classic of History

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

33

12.

THE HUNTSMAN AND THE MAIDEN.

I.

This youthful maiden, fair and bright,

To muse on Spring and its delight
Is wandering through the trees
;

When

amid a

lo,

forest glade,

Concealed beneath the dwarf oak's shade,

A huntsman bold she sees.

mentions two

T''os,

one near the Tung Ting

down the river.

The subject of the

lake,

and the other

lower

ballad

is

evidently a lady of rank, but

the person or persons are with

whom

whom

she was afterwards reconciled,

is

she

quarrelled,

who

and

to

The

not quite so clear.

commentators declare that they were the nine ladies of the same
surname (Dr. Legge calls them cousins), who had to accompany
the bride to her new home, and act as secondary consorts to the
bridegroom.
If this was really the case we moderns can scarcely
be surprised at a lady objecting to this unpleasant custom. Our
only wonder is that she ever relented. Some of the commentators
say that, though there was no doubt of the fact that the lady
would bring nine of her poor relations with her, yet it is
quite possible that they were only to be her attendants, with whom
the bridegroom had no concern. Their theory, they say, is confirmed by the fact that of these nine ladies some were a generaThe elder ones would be nurses,
tion older than the others.
duennas and matrons, the younger waiting-maids and attendants.
At the same time we have proof positive of the possibility of some
at least of these ladies being secondary consorts, from the fact
that Tai Kuei
^, who accompanied Chuang Chiang
||,

bore a son to the latter's husband,

in the next book.)

(See notes

on the

first

ballad

In the lady's repentance there is of course so the Chinese say

an allusion to the virtues of King W^n and his wife, who influenced
her for good.

No.
The commentators,

12.

followed by Dr. Legge, see in this

description of a virtuous

young lady

poem

the

resisting the attempts of a

CHINESE POETRY.

34

2;

He

brings a newly slaughtered deer,

The

victim of his

Upon
With

And

bow and

his shoulder

fibres of the

spear,

bound

meadow

grass,

lovingly he tries to pass

His arm her waist around.

3-

But, half in earnest half in play.

From

his

With

And
"

My
To

embrace she shrinks away

gestures coy and chaste

laughing merrily she

dog

will bite the

clasp

me

cries,

man who

tries

round the waist."

No.

13.

THE PRINCESS AND THE MARQUIS.

I.

The

flowers of the cherry are gleaming white.

Like peach and plum blossoms fair to see.
The King's own daughter shall go this night
The bride of a noble's son to be.

There is no need for them to be so severe. It is only

seducer.
the picture of a rustic courtship, with which the civilizing influences
of King Wen had nothing to do.

No.

13.

bound from the loves of a poor hunter and his

We now go
lass to those of a princess and a marquis. The marquis in question
at a

was probably "f S' IS ^'"^ ^^"-S CKi, a member of the ChH
family, for the character CKi in this instance means, I think,

the

name

of a noble family, and not the epithet

Dr. Legge translates

it.

'

reverent

Similarly, I think that P'ing 2Js

is

'

as

the

CHINESE POETRY.

35

2.

For a princess her retinue is but mean,

Though a subject would deem it both grand and great,
To show that a wife, though by birth a queen,
Must shame not her lord by her pomp and state.
3-

When husband and wife in their lives combine.

And each only lives for the other's sake,
They are two silk threads, which a man may twine
Into one strong cord that no force can break.

No.

14.

THE "TSOU

YU."

How shall we call him a hunter,

Who rouses five boars from the jungles.
But only can shoot off one arrow.
He so fumbles and boggles and bungles

name of the King, and does not mean tranquillizing.' Dr. Legge
notes the improbability of a poem dated 400 or more years after
the time of Duke Shao being inserted here but it is said by some
Chinese commentators that the main reason why this poem is
'

included in this collection is that it shows that King Wen's virtues

did not die with him, but were reproduced in his descendant

many

generations

My

later.

version of the

in the original

poem

which

is

a very free paraphrase.

literally translated is

The

phrase

"Are they not reverent

and harmonious, the carriages of the King's daughter ? " has, I

have no doubt, the meaning which I try to convey in my second
stanza.

No.

When

man

no game, and
that they

mean

14.

goes out to shoot and comes back with little or

applaud his humanity, we usually infer

his friends

to

make fun

of him.

do not see why we should

CHINESE POETRY.

36

Wellj

if for

his skill in pig shooting

We scarcely can flatter his vanity,

We will hail him as "Tsou Yu" and praise him
For showing such tender humanity.
in any other light, though of course the commenback me up here. They would be horrified at my
The usual interpretation is that there were four royal
flippancy.
each year, one at each season. These were
expeditions
hunting

view

this

poem

tators will not

undertaken as a training for the soldiers in warlike exercises.

The hunting camps, with their regular staff of officers (see Mayers's
" Chinese Empire," Arts. 436, 437), were in existence at the beginning of the present dynasty, for the Emperors of China have
always been of the opinion of the immortal Jorrocks, who used to
say that " 'Unting is the sport of Kings, the image of war without
.

its guilt,

and only five-and-twenty per

cent, of

its

danger."

This

ballad, according to the commentators, has reference to the Spring

Hunting Expedition, at which time, owing to the wild beasts

having just littered, game would be plentiful, and easily slaughtered.
The person whose praise is celebrated was so humane that he
would only shoot at one wild boar in five. His followers therefore
dub him with the title of Tsou Yil
^, which, like the Lin, is
It is described as a white tiger with black
a mythical beast.

spots,

which does not feed on any

good Government.

living thing,

and only appears

in times of

One interpretation is that the hunter of the ballad was so

powerful that he could drive one arrow through five wild boars j
commentator observes,

this does not agree with the idea

goes on to say that the Son of Heaven, /. e.
the Emperor, should remember that it is better to be a man of
humanity than a good shot.

but, as a

of a Tsou Yii.

'The

He

jungles'

is

the

Roxburghii, a sort of reed

equivalent
;

and

of Wl

Chia, Phragmites

Fing, an Artemisia.

pose that the one represents a wet covert, the other a dry.

I sup-

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

37

III.

Ballads and other Poems collected in the land

o/F'ei.

When

the

Shang Dynasty was broken

the domain of

its

The northern

portion was P'ei

and the eastern Wei.

B.C. 55 1-479) P'^i a-nd

and

district

\\^,

But before the time of Confucius,

The country

longer.

round the present K'aiFingfu.

the three provinces, Chih

of each of

We

The two

It
It,

of

took

last

little

is

the most

li.

books showed

of things, and

in

Shan tung and

conclude from this that P^ei

southernly portion of Chih

condition

Wei,

in

existed after absorbing the other two, was the

it

Honan.

Yung,

the southern

Yung-werQ swallowed up

names were heard no

their

Wei, as

up, in B.C. 1122,

Kings was divided into three portions.

us,

on the whole, a happy

a country

rapidly

improving

under the wise rule of King W6n, his adherents and

descendants.
state of

This book, on the contrary, depicts the

China three and four hundred years

misgovernment and anarchy, with

were

only too prevalent.

iE

Jl,

correct

manners

; '

the following books, as

gianners.'

when

their baneful

effects,

The Chinese speak

of the

subjects described in the two

'

later,

first

books as Cheng Feng,

but of the subjects of this and

J,

Pien

Feng, 'degenerate

CHINESE POETRY.

38

No.

1.

THE COMPLAINT OF CHUANG CHIANG.

Like some small shallop floating on the tide,
Drifted now here, now there, with none to guide,
My lot in life appears for night and morn
As by a hidden wound my heart is torn.
All sleep is banished from my aching eyes
By my distress. Oh, whence doth it arise }
They feast me with the dantiest food and wine.
And leave to wander where I will is mine.
But not one friend will help me. If I lay
My plaint before my brothers, they will say
" Thy grief is idle.
Hast thou not at hand
;

All that a wife in reason

may demand

Art thou not granted perfect liberty ?

Thy tears are not from love, but jealousy."
I have not failed in duty to my lord.
Yet basely he deserts me, and this horde

No.

I.

There are practically three explanations of the meaning of this

Mao Cb'i Ling, and Liu Yiian, with Dr. Leggej believe
that the ballad describes an officer of worth bewailing the contempt and neglect with which he was treated. Two commentators named Han Ying and Liu Hsiang (see Dr. Legge's notes on

piece.

this

poem) say that the subject of the piece was Hsiian Chiang
She was left the widow of the Marquis of Wei. Her

^H

Ch'i

backed by her own brothers, members of the

family, wanted to marry her, and supported his suit by

brother-in-law,

the curious argument that the state of

Wei was too small to be

able to bear the expense of two ruling families, but to this base
proposal she would not consent.
She gives vent to her feelings
in this

poem. The allusion

this theory,

but

to the brothers

Chu Hsi, whom

I follow

would seem to confirm

on this occasion, conr

tends that the subject of this and the four following ballads was
Chuang Chiang
^, the wife of Duke Chuang ^, a lady of

the Ch'i family by birth. She had no family, but Tai Kuei
Jg,
one of the cousins (see No. 1 1 of the last book), who accompanied

CHINESE POETRY.
Of girls about
Insulting

Have

me

the palace

mock and

at will with laugh

and

39
jeer,

sneer.

then no more feeling than a stone,

be thus spurned, despised, and left alone.
I

To
As though

I were his mat, and only meet

For him to trample underneath his feet ?
My mind is not a mirror, on whose face

Impressions seen remain a second's space.

Ah, no, they sink within, and there remain,

Tormenting me with anguish, grief and pain.
Day after day goes by. The moon and sun
In order due their course appointed run.
But bring me no remission from my pain.
If robes are left uncleansed, each spot and stain
Grows darker still and darker. Grief and woe
Become each day more hard to undergo.

By

night

Longing

wake, and, starting, beat my heart,

away and be at rest.

to flee

Duke a son, who was

adopted by Chuang Chiang and declared the heir. Unfortunately
the Duke's affections strayed towards an inferior member of the
harem, the mother of Chou Yii >[|] pp, who afterwards murdered
her to the harem of her husband, bore the

his half-brother, the rightful heir.

I think that this ballad

and

4 and 5 of this book refer to the sorrow which his unfaithfulness caused her.
The complaints seem to be those of a
woman rather than of a man. Her admission that she has dainties
to feast on, wine to drink, and license to roam where she pleases
would surely never be spoken by a man. The mean creatures
who insult her are the members of the harem.
I think that a needless difficulty has been introduced as to the
meaning of the first eight characters in the Chinese version of the
fifth stanza.
I construe them, " Oh sun, oh moon, why do you
alternate and wane? " in other words, " Oh sun and moon, you
run your appointed course." Dr. Legge understands that the
inferior moon had taken the place of the superior sun, a metaphor
for unworthy men supplanting the worthy.
I should guess that this poem contains the earliest mention of
Nos.

2,

a mirror on record.

'

CHINESE POETRY.

40

No.

2.

CHUANG CHIANG NEGLECTED.

I.

'Tis said that yellow

For monarchs

fit,

is a hue
while sickly green

Is but a colour vile

and mean,

yellow tainted deep with blue.

2.

The yellow robe he throws aside,

Or hides it 'neath the green above.

My
To

lord allows a worthless love

oust me, once his faithful bride.

3-

How

quickly his affection strays

'Tis like a dress, for summer heat
:

Sufficient wear, but quite

To

shield

me

in these

unmeet

wintry days.

4-

Yet hard as
I'll

Who
And

is

my

lot in

life,

think upon the queens of yore,

patiently

all insults

bore.

prove, as they, a constant wife.

No.

2.

This ballad, no doubt, describes the grief of Chuang Chiang

when the marquis, her husband, forsook her

(see the last piece),

for the

mother of Chou

now

Yii.

in China, is one of the

which word apparently means here primary, colours.
Green, as one of the secondary or incorrect colours, is inferior.

Yellow,

'

correct,'

the imperial colour

CHINESE FOETRY.

No

41

3.

THE PARTING OF CHUANG CHIANG AND

TAI KUEI.
She,

who

for

many

A gentle one and

my

years has been

friend,

and most sincere,

Departs for her own country, and an end
Has come to all I once considered dear.
Decorous was her person though one love
We shared, no jealous doubt nor angry hate
Could e'er disturb her nay she rather strove
My zeal and care for him to stimulate.
Far did I journey southwards, ere good byes
Were uttered. Then she left me, and in vaift
I gazed at her departing, for my eyes
kind,

'

'

Were

blinded

by the

tears that

fell like rain.

watched the swallows in their flickering flight

They too go southwards when the summer's o'er.
They will return when spring is warm and bright
But my beloved friend comes back no more.
I

No.

3.

I have mentioned in my notes on the first piece in this book

that Chuang Chiang herself was childless, but that her cousin
bore her husband a son, who was made heir to
Tai Kuei

^^

Dukedom of Wei. He succeeded his father, and was known as

Duke Huan (;g J^). In e.g. 718 he was murdered by his halfbrother, Chou Yii
Pf who apparently retained Chuang
Chiang as Dowager Duchess, but sent Tai Kuei home to her
native state.
The above poem describes the parting between

the

^i|>|

the two friends.

This curious state of

affairs

the chief wife

in perfect amity with another wife

who

is

of a Prince living

the mother of the heir-

The
apparent has been repeated of late years in China.
Empress, the chief wife of the Emperor Hsien Feng, a.d. 185 i1861, had no family, but one of the inferior consorts bore a son,
who was the Emperor Tung Chih, 1862-1874. If reports are
to be believed, these two ladies (both of whom bore the title of

CHINESE POETRY.

42

No.

4.

CHUANG CHIANG'S LAMENT.

I.

Oh golden

sun, oh silver

moon,

world above,
From you I humbly crave a boon,
Restore to me my husband's love.

Our

My

rulers in the

parents dear, ye

little

thought,

you gave me to his care.

Your well-loved daughter would be brought
Such cold neglect and scorn to bear.
-

When

first

3-

It

is

not that with words unkind

curse my wretched

He makes me

lot

But, from his wavering fickle mind,

I'm cast away and clean forgot.

Empress, the motherless one being the eastern, and the mother
the western, Empress) lived together on the best of terms, until the

death of the eastern Empress in 1881.

No.

4.

All agree that this ballad refers to Chuang Chiang, and to her
treatment by her husband, but some of the commentators go out
of their way to try to make out that it was written after Duke

Chuang's death, and that Chuang Chiang's lament is retrospective.

" Oh, that my husband had not been so fickle "
I suppose that
their reason for bringing forward this theory is that this poem
!

Chuang Chiangs parting with

Tai Kuei.
The commentators applaud the lady's appeal to the sun and
moon. Appealing to them, they say, is a more respectful proceeding on her part than abusing her husband to his face.
follows the ballad descriptive of

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

43

5.

THE ILL WIND.

I.

To what

shall I liken my husband's mind ?

changes and veers like a fickle wind
Like an evil wind, which, whene'er it blows.
Bears nought on its wings but unnumbered woes.
It

2.

At first he smiles, and I think surcease

Of sorrow is coming, and joy and peace
Till I find that his smile is

And

shrink as

if

chilled

a sneer unkind,

by a nipping wind.

3-

Then he

utters perchance a half-loving word,

And my

heart as

But

not the zephyr's delightful gustj

it is

by zephyrs of spring

'Tis the dread north-west

is

stirred

wind with clouds of dust.

4-

away

my

couch I creep.
But the thoughts of his cruelty banish sleep,
Like the south wind forcing each pulse to beat,
As we gasp and pant 'mid its sulphurous heat.
Despairing,

to

No.

5-

Here, again, the subject of the ballad

is

undoubtedly Chuang

Chiang ; and the commentators, for the most part, admit that
Duke Chuang, her husband, is the person against whom she
brings her complaint, though some say that Chou Yii is the
person.
Chu Hsi says, very justly, that the conduct complained
of is the insolence of an elder or superior, rather than the
impertinence of an inferior or junior.
Residents in China, especially in Central China,
these allusions to the wind.

will appreciate

north-west wind in winter, or in

CHINESE POETRY.

44

No.

6.

HOPELESS.
I.
I heard the drums, as through the camp
The soldiers moved with martial tramp.

The easier duties on them fall.

They dig the trench, they raise the
They are not forced, as I, to roam
Far from

wall

their wives, their friends, their

home.

2.

When
Did
I

the

first

not

come

fondly hoped

To

see

In vain

To

my
;

King did war

when

this

again he bade

all

sleep

when the dust

blowing,

poem

lating the subject of

it

is

is

infinitely

worse

south or south-westerly wind

August, say at Hankow,

No.

will

certainly banish

Crede Experto.

6.

made much more dramatic by

trans-

in the singular rather than in the plural,

Legge does.

It is stated that in B.C. 718,

course included P'ei) having

Simg

is

the foe.

and leave one gasping and panting.

I think that this

as Dr.

o'er

me go

mood

than a north-easter in England.

at night in July or

was

.'

loving wife once more.

face in hopeless

the early spring,

declare.

his toil to share

the Government of

made an

^ Chen ^ and Ts'ai ^

Wei (which of

alliance with the states of

attacked the state of Ch'ing

g|^
believed that Chou Yic instigated these wars to divert the
attention of his subjects from his crimes and misgovernment.
,

It is

The

first

expedition only lasted five days.

The second was an

incursion in the autumn, in order to carry off the fruits of the

harvest.
It was attended or followed by a mutiny,
which

Chou Yu put down with a strong hand.

This poem

indicative of the disaffection of the troops, nor

is

is
it

evidently

impossible

CHINESE POETRY.

45

3-

Defeated, weak, and sore distrest,

I fain would snatch one moment's

rest.

Here in this forest wild my steed

Has failed me at my utmost need,

My
I

only hope of safety gone,

die forsaken and alone.

4-

Think

not, dear wife, I

prove untrue,

Or break the oath once made to you.

When, your hands laid in mine, I swore

To

love

you fondly evermore.

Though death be
True

to

my

near,

still let

me

be

vow, and true to thee.

A SORROWING MOTHER.
I.

Though

seven stalwart sons are we.

To one
Her

dear mother born

heart from pain

we cannot

free.

Left in this world forlorn

And

widowed, finding no relief,

She cannot chase away her grief.

that

it

may have been used

not for the

soldier,

who

stir them up to mutiny.

Were it
should be inclined to look on the
the subject of the piece, as a deserter pure and

is

to

stanza, I

first

simple.

as

In order to avoid the use of Chinese words in my translation

much as possible, I say, " They dig the trench, they raise the

Chinese scholars will note that the wall

of Ts'ao "^ a city of Wei., and at one time

wall."

that

in
its

question was
capital.

The

Chinese version further mentions that the general in command

Nothing noticeof the troops was Sun Tzu Chung
fi^

^ ^

able seems

known about him.

CHINESE POETRY.

46

The balmy breezes of the spring

Make green each tender spray.

And

No

through the woods the orioles sing,

the boughs they play.
consolation they impart

To

our dear mother's suffering heart.

As on

3-

Oh would we
!

were a springing pool,

That she from us might take

Refreshing waters, clear and cool.
Her burning thirst to slake.
But no, though she is wise and good,
Her sons are but a useless brood.

No.

7.

This quaint and curious ballad has, so

far as

direct reference to any particular mother, or to

The commentators

is known, no
any family of

fall back on generalities, and

Wei was so badly ruled that
even a mother blessed with seven sons was unhappy. They do
not say for certain what the poor lady was distressed about, but
they are inclined to discard the natural and easy interpretation
that she could not get over the loss of her husband, and that the

sons.

therefore

say that the principality of P'ei or

sons admit with sorrow that their existence is not sufficient to

They introduce the utterly
compensate her for her loss.
unfounded theory that the widow's distress was her desire to
marry again, from which intention her sons would fain dissuade
her.

Liu Yiian scouts the usually accepted notion that the sons long
be like the waters of some cool and wholesomely refreshing
pool, and declares that the sons liken themselves to a certain
piece of water whose coldness was so intense that it was dangerous to drink of it, or even to water the crops with it.
This
spring was near the city of Tsun
in what is now the departto

ment of Ts'ao Chou \1^

Jij^

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

47

8.

THE PHEASANT.
\.

with an easy untroubled flight.

This fearless pheasant. I watch and say,

It flies

"

With

its

martial crest and

'Tis the type of

its plumage bright

husband now far away."

my

2.

I think, as

my

eyes with the tears are wet.

Ere my noble husband returns again.

That many a sun must arise and set,
And many a moon must wax and wane.
3-

But ye know, ye princes, who rule the state,

There is never a man as pure as he,
With a soul so clear of all malice and hate,

From greedy

desire of gold so free.

No.

8.

The commentators assign this piece to the time of Duke

Hsiian
who succeeded Chou Yii as ruler of Wei, and reigned
from B.C. 718 to 699. His reign was a troublous one, but there
is nothing in the ballad itself to show when it was written.
I sometimes think that if it is decided to place a Chinese
inscription on the pedestal of the statue erected to General
Gordon, no fitter one could be found than the last stanza of this
poem. Translated literally it is, " Ye princes of the kingdom,
He hates not, he covets
know ye not his virtuous conduct
called
been
on to do that is not
has
he
that
What is there
not.

excellent?"

CHINESE POETRY.

48

No.
" In the

9.

spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to

thoughts of love."

He speaks
Now the winter's gone and over, and the waters which

divide

Us true lovers, are now running with a high and swollen tide.
The gourds are still too heavy to support a swimmer's
weight.

Yet

I'll

dare the angry

river,

and defy both death and

If I find the crossing shallow

wade

And

will doff

my

fate.

clothes

and

to swim, if

I will say, to

it

be deeper, shall a lover be afraid ?

my darling, if my danger makes her

soothe

fret.

That the axle of my carriage at the ford was scarcely wet.

It was for her mate
Did you hear the pheasant calling
.'

she cried

So

my

No

love would call her lover to cross over to her side.

one would guess,

after reading the

above ballad, that

it

was

directed against the licentious manners of Wei, in the time of

Duke Hsuan,
assert.

but this is what the commentators and Dr. Legge

Liu Yiian has a wonderful theory that the whole piece is

man of rank, who is called on to

which he does not wish to do. But this interpretation is altogether too strained to be worthy of consideration.
The division of the ballad into two parts, making the first two
stanzas (of the original) the words of the lover, and the remainder
of the poem those of the young lady, is my own idea.
I think
that this device solves most of the " difficulties of the piece,
though the first two stanzas are decidedly obscure. The two
first lines are, " The gourd has [still] bitter leaves, but the crossa metaphorical allusion to a

take

office,

ing at the ford

be what
ford

is

flowing,
carriage.

is

deep."

have expressed in

terribly confused.

am content to take the meaning to

my verses. The description of the

One

and the next but one

The

line says

that

lover says that

if

it

it

will
is

that

it is full

to over-

not wet the axle of the

deep he

will

get across.

CHINESE POETRY.

49

She speaks

Long

before the ice was melted and the frost had passed

away,
I

received the appointed token at the earliest

Now

the ferryman

To his passengers to hasten.

It

is

For

them

right for
I will

not

stir

Tliey

to hurry, but

a footstep

till

No.

may hasten,
I

The

here

day
hand

of

his

I stand.

bide in patience here,

see

my

love appear.

lo.

THE NEGLECTED
To

dawn

and he beckons with

waiting,

is

WIFE.

spring wind blowing brings up clouds and rain.

glad the thirsty

fields

and quench

their drought.

Alas that harmony should disappear.

angry feeling in its stead prevail.

And

which I suppose means that he will swim across

and that if it is shallow he will hold up his garments and wade. The general conclusion to be drawn from this
mixed state of affairs is doubtless that he intends to get across by
hook or by crook. His statement that his carriage axle shall not
get wet may either mean that he will be independent of such a
vehicle, or what I have put in the translation.
The " appointed token," mentioned by the lady, was a live
clothes

and

all,

in his clothes,

wild goose, with

its

harmonious notes.

Tastes

differ

as to the

At Amoy I was appealed to, in my

official capacity, by a Parsee gentleman to abate the nuisance
occasioned by " the yells and howHng of the geese " next door,
which, as he described it, " deprived him of rest by day, and
rendered his bed comfortless at night.''
musical powers of the goose.

No.

The

10.

" mustard plant " and radish are,

translations of

^ Feng and |p
"

Am but
Nay,

A literal

thistle,

verily, I

translation

am

would

I think, pretty

accurate

Fei.
\, his wife,

she a dainty herb.

as sweet as she."

be, "

Who

says that the thistle

is

CHINESE POETRY.

50

Nought have I done to soil his honoured name,

Or lose my right to live with him till death,
Yet he rejects me as a useless weed.
A weed-like shoot may yet prove wholesome food,
Such

as the radish

and the mustard

Though once he swore

at the

Should tread together,

And
And

left

me

we

that

plant.

the paths of

life

door he turned,

to pursue the road alone

slowly, wearily, I tread the way.

Another love he takes, with her he feasts

As though she were his brother. I, his wife,

Am but a thistle,
Nay,

am

verily, I

Thus have

she a dainty herb.

as sweet as she.

seen a clear and limpid stream

Made thick and turbid, when another comes

To mingle muddy waters with its flow.
Yet where the

isles

are gladdened

by

The mud drops down,

the stream

She

any household

shall not share in

is

its

waves,

clear once more.

toil.

Though little do I care, since he rejects

The person of his once respected wife.
bitter ?

It is as

sweet as the

'

shepherd's purse

'

" [the seeds of

of which are supposed to be sweet].

The
tion

lines

rivers are very obscure.

opinion, be, " The Ching

about the

would, in

my

the Wei, (botli rivers are

distinguish the

truth

'

To

is

transla-

muddied

of the Yellow River.

affluents

Ching from the Wei

despatch language to mean,

A literal

is

by

To

a phrase often used in

distinguish right from wrong, or

from falsehood,') but is rendered clear by the islands."

it, is a metaphorical way of saying, " Which of us is

This, I take

the better, the

new

love or the old, will be

shown

as soon as

anything happens to interrupt the usual course of life."

" She shall not share in any household toil," may be amplified,
if the reader prefers it, into,
" Let her not touch my fish weirs, move my creels."

The

crossing of rivers,

and so on,

is

no doubt only

to

be taken

metaphorically.

One might have expected

that

the Chinese commentators

CHINESE POETRY.
Was

I e'er

thwarted by an obstacle

51

Wide rivers have I crossed by boat or raft,

And swam or dived across the swollen streams.
Which of his interests did I e'er neglect ?
Nay, more to make my husband loved by all.
;

If there

was sorrow

in a neighbour's house
once to comfort and to help.
My care and toil to him are nothing worth,
pedlar's wretched wares, which do not sell.
Perchance he hates me all the more for them.
I crept at

Once we were poor, and then I shared with you

The stings of poverty and hunger's pangs.
But now, when wealth and plenteousness abound.

You look on me as poison in your cup.

And all the gear I gathered with such pains
You waste in feasting with your newer love

While I, forgotten, spurned, and cast aside.

Meet nought but scorn and angry insolence.

No.

II.

EXILES.
(A FRAGMENT.)

we

your sake, oh sire,

dew and rain.
Nought for a couch, but the mud and mire.
Take us back to our homes again.

Exiles

for

Shelterless in the

poem

distinction, and
done so. Perhaps the
want of submission, humility and reticence, on the part of the
lady induces them to believe, that she was no example of female
virtue.
They content themselves with saying that a low state of
morality was prevalent in the State of Wei and its dependencies.

would have assigned

I

am

this

to

some lady of

rather surprised that they have not

No.

The

II.

prince addressed in this fragment

is

said by the

commen-

CHINESE POETRY.

52

No.

12.

EXILES' APPEAL.

THE

I.

When

first

we

arrived, those creepers,

Whose joints are now large and strong,

Were but little shoots on the hill side
;

We have

waited for help so long.

2.

Ye said when we came as exiles.

Ye would aid us to fight our fray,
Are ye weak by

Some

yourselves, or

is

there

cause for this great delay

."

3-

Though our

We
We will

robes

swear,

when

may be worn and

the fight

send you with

To your home

in the

ragged,

is o'er,

due honour
East once more.

all

a State to the westward of

be the Marquis of Li
Kansuh
His domain had been overrun by the Ti
aborigines, until he and his people were driven to retreat into
the Wei country, where they were allowed to inhabit two towns,
Some say that pfi
Chung Lie,
and Chuan
Mao
" in the dew," and
t^ Ni Chung, " in the mire," are the
names of towns. Such an interpretation would not have much
meaning in the ballad.

tators to

Wei.

^
^

No.
" Those creepers " are once

"

We
To

will

your

12.

more the dolichos

in

creepers.

due honour
the East once more,"

send you with

home

all

an amplification of four Chinese characters meaning, " Shall

not your chariots go eastward," for I think that the verb should
be understood in the future tense, not in the past, as it is usually
translated.
(See Dr. Legge's note here.)

is

This piece, no doubt, refers to the same circumstances as those

CHINESE POETRY.

53

4-

But ye

treat us as

men

defeated,

O'ercome, dispersed by the foe.

Ye are deaf in your wealth and splendour

To

our sorrow and bitter woe.

No.

13.

"SAMPSON AGONISTES."
They set me to dance with an easy
At noon in the palace court.
I

brandish a feather before

Or

else

with a fan

my

grace

face,

I sport.

2.

Though my thews

When
I

are so strong that the wildest steed,

hold his reins, will stand,

must dance, and when flushed

Is

in the

dance

my meed

a draught from the duke's own hand.

alluded to in the last poem,

viz.,

the inhabitants oi

Li taking
They

refuge from the barbarian invaders in the country of Wei.

were anxious to get back to their own land, but the natives of
Wei did not seem inclined to help them to accomplish this.

No.
This

poem seems

tators have,

to

need

little

13.

explanation, but the

according to their wont, gone out

introduce needless

difficulties..

They agree

commenway

to

that the subject of

it

of- their

an officer of Wei during the time of its misgovernment, who

was set to dance, instead of being employed as his talents
The men of the West, for whom he pines, are said to
deserved.
be the rulers of the house of Chou, who lived 300 and 400 years
is

back.

Surely

it

is

likely that the man who

man who had come from the

more natural and

gives vent to his complaint was a

West, probably from the Li country, to the land of Wei, and found
himself driven to this degrading occupation.

CHINESE POETRY.

54

3-

The

hill-grown hazels

And

long to

see,

the flowers, which the streamlets lave,

In the West, where a warrior bold like

me

Is a warrior, not a slave.

No.
" Its hame, hame,

Ye happy

Ye
Ye

hame

14.
its

hame

I fain

wad

be.'

waters, up-springing clear.

flow to the land of Wei.

traverse

my

native country dear.

Which, banished from home for many a year,

I long for by night and day.

My

came with me
knew

cousins shall aid me, they

As my

mates.

Ah

little

When the cup of parting we drank at Ni,

When we said farewells as we entered Chi,
'Twas my parents' last adieu.

sapient Chinese "writer," or "moonsKee," remarked to me,

to the passage concerning the dancer getting

when we came

" Ah, he could not have been as strong as

or the exertion would not have made him

flushed in the dance,

he thought himself,
red in the face."

No.
This

14.

piece depicts the feeling of a lady of the State of

member of the Ducal family, who was married
in another State, and is home-sick for a sight of her old home,
where her parents have died. My version is a very free paralittle

Wei, probably a

phrase of the original.

CHINESE POETRY.

55

3-

Though they have gone from the

Some

loving ones

Oh blame me
To the
And

not

still

light of day,

remain.

would stray

if I fain

Fei Ch'uan's banks in the land of Wei,

visit

them once again.

4-

goblet we'd drain, as

We
The

axles I'd

And

we

these lands,

left

would laugh at our grief and woe.

oil

with

my own

white hands.

I'd tie the pin with its leathern bands,

That our horses might quickly

go.

The commentators make the most important phrase of the

poem the ,one which I have translated, " Oh, blame me not,"
but which is usually taken to mean, " Would not this be wrong ? "
They say it is all very well for a lady to return home to visit her
parents when they are still alive, but when they are dead she
must not renew familiar intercourse with her brothers, nor eat at
the same table with them.
She knows this, and though she longs
to go home again, she is too virtuous to carry her wishes into
action.
I need not say that this is scarcely my view of her
conduct.

ChH

which, in the Chinese version,

the waters flow, and Fei Ch'uan

CM

and

^ Kan,

-g

Ni

||i

Yen,

in the original.

^^

towns in the same

Hsii,

am more

and

j'lg'

is

the river to which

are rivers of Wei,

State.

and

Four other towns

Ts'ao, are also mentioned

inclined to apologize for inserting

Chi and Ni than omitting the others, for, if I could help it, I
would introduce no Chinese names in my verses, but the Use of
them cannot always be avoided

CHINESE FOE TRY.

S6

No.

15.

FAILURE.

A double load
As

of trouble and care,

journey northwards, I'm forced to bear.

From duty

And

the

monarch

Opposed and thwarted

No

profit,

me

ne'er sets

the weight of his empire

falls

free.

on me.

at every turn

nor honour, nor wealth

I earn.

Ah

what can

To

us to resist the decrees of heaven.

But worse

do, for

when

befalls,

No
No

comfort will one of

To

dispel

it is

homeward

kindly welcome awaits

But even

not given

my

me

fare,-

there.

friends impart,

my sorrow and cheer my heart.

my brothers are prompt to blame

Each

strives to

be

Ah

what can

I do, for

To

us to resist the decrees of heaven.

first

No.

to inflict the
it is

shame.

not given

15.

poem is no doubt an officer of the State of

Commentators find in his journey northwards, wherein he
goes from the South, the region of light, to the North, the region
of darkness, an allusion to the country going from bad to worse.
The

subject of the

Wei.

They

also assert that his family quarrel with him, because

too high-minded to enrich

them

at the

expense of the

State.

he

is

CHINESE POETRY.

No.

HARD

57

i6.

TIMES.

Chilly blows the north

wind

Thickly falls the snow.

Tried and trusty comrades

Hand

in

hand

we'll go.

See the wily foxes,

See the cunning crow.

omen

Beasts of better

Left this long ago.

3.

Hard our

care and urgent

Why should

we delay }

Let us mount our chariots,

Friends, and haste away.

No.
The commentators

i6.

insist that this is

poem

setting forth the

misgovernment of Wei, and that the mention of the north wind and
snow must be taken in a metaphorical sense. For my own part
I

am

inclined to think that the

of the poem.

They

men

of

Zi

are the only persons

are again the subject

who would

naturally

express a wish to depart without hinting what their destination

was to

be.

CHINESE POETRY.

58

No.

17.

A DISAPPOINTED LOVER.
She

is

My

lovely and modest and shy,

darling.

She promised

'Neath the wall

She should tease

till I

came.

to wait

me why

Tell

me by coming

so late.

2.

She gave me a reed rosy

Though

its

colour

red.

highly admire,

Let her give me herself in her stead,

For 'tis she whom I love and desire.
3-

A ribbon grass cluster to

me

She gave. It was delicate, rare

But no grace in the gift can I see
With the giver's own grace to compare.

No.
The

17.

red reed and the cluster of ribbon grass are, in

nothing more than love-tokens, such as a

girl

my opinion,

might give her

sweetheart with the intention of provoking just the sort of loving

and complimentary remarks which the young man makes

ballad. This view

mentators.
assignation,

Mao Ch'i

is,

Chu Hsi

in the

of course, too simple for our friends the

says that the

poem

com-

describes an improper

an example of the depraved manners of the period.

ling indulges in a series of allegorical flights, endeavour-

ing to prove that the piece shows what the Prince's wife ought to
be, but was not.

(See Dr. Legge's exhaustive notes.)

Liu Yiian
whole poem is a
lament that good young ladies were so scarce.
He, too, launches
out into a few extravagances. The lover is the Duke.
The lady,
his bride, was to meet him at the corner of the wall, i.e. in the
most secluded spot in the harem, but she is too delightfully modest
is

inclined to follow

Mao, declaring

that the

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

59

18.

THE NEW TOWER.

A

may

crafty fisherman a snare

And

set,

catch a goose entangled in the net.

This hunchback thus contrived a trap to lay,

Another's bride he seized and bore away.
Beside the stream that lofty tower he built
Where he might safely perpetrate his guilt.
No pleasant mate the lady found. Alas,

She gained instead

this viciou.s bloated mass.

even to go there without keeping him waiting.

The

red reed

is

_a pencil which indicates that she was a lady of learning ; the

white grass a species of ' everlasting,' or ' immortelle,' presented
in token of her fidelity,

Duke ought to
The expression

and so on

the whole gist being that

take example from the virtues of his wife.

the

'

red reed

'

is

sometimes used

in

complimentary

notes as a euphuistic phrase for the wife of the person addressed.

No.

18.

The events alluded to in this piece scarcely admit of question.

(b.c. 718-699), before he succeeded to the
Duke Hsiian
Dukedom, incestuously married his father's concubine
Yi Chiang, by whom he had a son named Chi j^ (otherwise

written

^).

^^

This son, in course of time, was betrothed to a lady

of the State of Ch'i

^, whose name was

Hsiian Chiang

^,

but the Duke, influenced by the reports of the lady's beauty, had
a tower built on the banks of the Yellow River, where he might
keep her captive. He seized her on her arrival within his domains,
and carried her off to this tower. By her he became the father of
twin sons, whose adventures will be recorded in the next ballad.
One can imagine this doggerel lampoon passing from one man
to another, or being placarded

existence then.

on

walls, if the art of writing

was

in

CHINESE POETRY.

6o

No.

19.

THE MURDERED YOUTHS.

The
I

two, youths journeyed

noted as they

down

the stream

the shore,

left

Their shadows on the waters gleam,

Ah

shall

we

ever see them

more

>

2.
I

saw their two skiffs disappear

I watch for them in vain, and

As they return not, " Much I

Some danger met them on

No.

say,

fear,

the way."

19.

I mentioned in my notes on the last ballad that Duke Hsiian

was the father of twin sons by Hsiian Chiang, the betrothed of
The name of one twin was Shou *, of the other
his son Chi.

So

^. Shou was

devotedly attached to his half-brother Chi,

but his mother and So had long plotted to put Chi out of the way,
So might be the heir-apparent. Duke Hsiian connived at the plot, and arranged to send Chi on a mission to the

in order that

state of CKi,

and

to

have him waylaid and murdered on the road.

this design, vainly urged his half-brother to

Shou, getting wind of

save himself, and failing in

his stead

save his

and was

life,

this ballad.

killed.

but was too

this, stole

his credentials, started in

Chi finding him gone, followed him to

late,

and only shared

his fate.

Hence

CHINESE POETRY.

6i

Book IV.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the country of
Yung.
I

have mentioned

in

my

that the two States of P^ei

up

Prefatory Note on

and Yung

Book

III.

were swallowed

Yung was the southern portion of Wei, and

now the north-eastern portion of Honan.
be found that the persons who are the subjects of

in Wei.

lay where
It will

is

the pieces in this book, as far

are those

who

as'

are mentioned in the

they can be identified,

last.

CHINESE POETRY.

62

No.

I.

CONSTANCY BEYOND THE GRAVE.

I.

When my

love

and

were betrothed, we were but a youth-

ful pair.

He

was nothing more than a boy, with

two

soft tufts

Away

from our

his

of hair.

But ere we were wed death took him.

midst he passed
No other mate will I marry, I swear it,

while

life

shall

last.

Oh, mother why do you tempt me ? I am left as a boat

on the tide,
To be borne about on the current, and drifted from side
!

to side.

me and
me do,
To forget my
Trust

help me, mother.

'Tis

an

ill

deed you bid

my

betrothed in his grave, and be to

oath

untrue.

No.

I.

The 'two soft tufts of hair' prove that the man, whose loss
was bewailed by the lady, was a mere lad. I have therefore
taken him to be her betrothed and not her husband. The hair
of a youth was dressed in two tufts, which, when he came of age
were plaited into one large knot. Chinese children of the present
day have their hair treated in the same way, until sufficient growth

make

has

come

the

left tuft if

to

a queue.

The

ancients,

it is

shaved
he lost

said,

the boy's father died, and the right,

if

oft

his

mother.

There

is

particular,

a young

nothing to show that the ballad refers to anyone in

my own opinion is that the subject of it was only

and

woman of the people. " The Little Preface," however,

Kung Chiang
||, the widow of .^^ /'c? Jt /a'

&?,%\g\\^\'i.\.o

CHINESE POETRY.
No,

63

2.

DARK DEEDS.
I.

Each stone upon the palace wall is starred

With fibres of the burr weed long and trailing.
To crush this pest, whereby our work is marred,
All

skill is

unavailing.

2.

Nor

and that polluting crime

That stains the harem not to be related
By any art, until the end of time,
Be ever expiated.
shall the guilt,

who was

the son of Marquis Hsi

great objection
is

that

Kung Fo's

died, which

U^

would make the

latter older

lad with two soft tufts of hair, although

to solve the difficulty

Kung Po had

The

854-813).

still,

Mao

and anything but a

Ch'i ling does attempt

by saying that the two

tufts

denote that

not yet succeeded to his inheritance.

No.
I

(b.c.

my mind an unsurmountable one to this theory

younger brother was 40, when Kung Po himself

in

have translated

Tzii as

'

2.

burr weed,' which

hope

is

near

enough for the English reader. Tribulus is Dr. Legge's translation.

We have seen already how Duke Hsiian first committed incest
with his father's consort, and afterwards ravished Hsiian Chiang,
the betrothed of his own son. As if these horrors were insufficient,
it is said that Hsiian Chiang, in her turn, formed an incestuous
connection with her stepson j^ Huan. The commentators say
that

it

verses.

was

this

last

crime which gave

rise to

these ominous

CHINESE POETRY.

64

No.

3.

HSiJAN CHIANG.
I.

The

cloud-like masses of her

own black

hair

Across her white brow, and her temples

Soft as stream waters

Though

like a

is

this

mountain

goddess

fall.

fair,

tall.

2.

Above

her limpid eyes six jewels shine.

And golden hair-pins deck her hair in rows

And broidered well in rich and rare design
Her sweeping garment

flows.

3.

With

finest linen are her limbs bedight.

And
As by

well this splendid gear does she beseem,

her head the jade-stone earrings bright

And

ivory comb-pins gleam.

n
4-

But surely 'tis a crime to be abhorred.

E'en in a princess, fairest of the fair.

To

cast aside all

Such

memory

glittering

of her lord.

gauds to wear.

No.

3.

Although Hsiian Chiang is not mentioned by name in the

poem, there is little doubt that it refers to her when her husband
was dead, and she was carrying on an incestuous intrigue with
her stepson.

Her gorgeous

apparel, described

in

the

verses,

denotes that she was engaged in conducting the sacrificial rites

in the ancestral temple. Liu Yiian states that the first of the three
stanzas of the Chinese version (I have mixed up the contents of
the various stanzas in

Chiang

failed in her

my very loose translation) shows that Hsiian

duty to her husband, and the other two that

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

A MALE

65

4.

FLIRT.

I.

In Mei are beauteous maidens three,

Each eldest of her line

The first one is a Chiang of Ch'i,
The next a Yung, the third a Yi,
;

And

are mates of mine.

all

she failed in her duty to heaven, though I

stand
I

how

the latter

For fuller
must again

is

details

am

at a loss to

under-

proved.

and explanations of the

lady's

adornments

refer the reader to Dr. Legge's valuable notes.

No.
The two Chinese words which
word " herbs "

are the

Tang

4.
I

make

one English
Eeng
Mustard

into the

^ Dodder, and

the

plant.
I

on

have found myself quite unable to steer clear of Chinese names

,The three surnames are those of noble or

this occasion.

The places mentioned are all places

Wei.
All the Chinese commentators are full of apologies for Confucius, who allowed a piece of such abominable sentiments to be
included in his collection.
Dr. Legge follows them, and does not
ruling families of the time.
in the State of

contradict

Chu

Hsi, who speaks of the hero of the ballad as " the

Dr. Legge eventually draws the conclusion that the

adulterer."

object of the piece was "to deride the licentiousness which preState of Wei."
Why should we go beyond the

vailed in the

simple meaning of the words

To

begin with,

in

those early days

Chinese women were given much more liberty than they possess
now. To go no further than this Classic, we have ample proof
that a lad might

suspicion.

meet a

The zenana

lass in the field

all

over Asia

without incurring blame or

is

an invention of post

maeval times.
" In those far off primseval days
Fair India's daughters were not pent

In closed zenanas."
Savitri,

by

ToRU Dutt.

pri-

CHINESE POETRY.

66

To pluck the herbs or wheat I

And laugh in mirthful glee.
For
I

all

my

stray,

thoughts are far away

think upon the three.

Each damsel promised

in Shang-chung
That she would meet me in Shang-kung,
With me to cross the Ch'i.

Let us modernise

this ballad

and see how

Three beauteous maids

Each

in

town

will read.

I see,

eldest of her line.

A Howard this, a Talbot she,

A Vere de Vere completes the
And

it

all

three;

are loves of mine.

As through

the Regent's Park I stray,

laugh in merry glee.
But all my thoughts are far away ;
I

I think upon the three.

Each maiden promised in the " Zoo
That she would meet me down at Kew,
''

And

cross the

Thames

with me.

Is this so very shocking ? Is it calculated to raise a

blush on
the most modest cheek ? I think not.
But if the young man's
conduct was really too reprehensible. for Confucius to record
it,
there is no reason why we should not take the subject
of each of
the three original stanzas as a separate individual, and
make the
poem a " Corydon and Meliboeus " piece. Thus
"

A says,

love

is

a Miss Chiang, and I have

same of Miss

Yi,

and

won her

of Miss Yung.

favour."

My

says the

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

67

5.

THE QUAIL AND THE MAGPIE.

I,

The

mate when danger 's near,

Will boldly face the foe and show no fear
The magpie, too, will fight, and do her best
To save her young ones and protect her pest.
quail, to

guard

his

man or woman be all dissolute,

me prefer to them the bird or

If

Let

brute
not call them brothers, when they fail
show the virtue owned by pie or quail.

I will

To

No.

The man who

(see the notes

speaks in this

on No. 19 of the

S.

poem

is

said to

book) of

last

all

be Prince So

persons in the

world.

The

of each of two stanzas of which the Chinese

composed, translated literally is, "When anyone is not

latter half

version

is

virtuous I will not call

him

(stanza

Dr. Legge boldly translates

ruler."

^S-

i)

brother or (stanza

Chun, which, as we

2)

shall

we go on, has many meanings, Marchioness.' The

commentators say that the brother in this place means Huan,
SSs half-brother (see the notes on No. 2 of this book), and the
' Ruler
Hsiian Chiang. Surely the fact that So was a fratricide
and a villain of the worst dye himself is sufficient proof that he is
not the moralist of the poem.
I think that the ballad is just a
moral lesson drawn from natural history, and I have so transsee as

'

'

'

lated

it.

'

CHINESE POETRY.

68

No.

6.

DUKE WEN.
When

autumn harvest was

the

and the harvesting

over,

tools laid by,

And

the stars of Pegasus shone at eve in the southern sky,

Wen, our faithful ruler, was the palace building begun.

By

He
He

noble mansion to face the noontide sun

climbed the old city walls, and ascended each lofty

laid out a

height.

To find for his future palace the most auspicious site.

And hazel trees and chestnuts he set for his people's need,

And boxwood

to furnish

music, and mulberries silken

weed.

No.
This

poem

State of Wei.

He

died in

who

6.

of historical value as indicating the fortunes of the

is

The

e.g.

Duke

reigned as

mentioned in this book was So.

and was succeeded by his son
Ch'ih,

last ruler

668,

He

1^. 7^.

died in battle against the

B.C. 659, and after his death the State of Wei

was almost exterminated. The people chose the late duke's
He was Duke Tai ^, but he died in less
uncle as their ruler.

barbarous tribes in

than a year, and was succeeded by his brother

as

Duke W^n

'^,

and

is

his capital, as described in the

district of

|^ g^ Ch'tng
,

Wei

the hero of this ballad.

poem,

Wu in

^,

at Ts'u

Shantung.

;^,

He

who

ruled

established

in the

modern

have drawn exten-

on Dr. Legge's notes again.

" The boxwood to furnish music," covers the names of four
trees which are given in the original.
So far as I can arrive at

sively

their

names by the aid of

them

to

the

'

be the

'

Pfere Zottoli and Dr. Legge, I judge

Catalpa Ksempferi,' the Euphorbia or Paulounia,'
'

Bignonia,' and the "Varnish tree or

'

Rhus

Vernicifera,' all of

which were used in the manufacture of lutes. "Considerations of

metre have driven me to leave them out of my verses. Dr. Legge
boldly meets the difficulty which I shirk by giving them the
Chinese names.
Hazels and Chestnuts,
And Varnish trees,"

" He planted many a tree.

Tung and Tsze and E.

CHINESE POETRY.
Then

And

69

a solemn divination he made with the mystic shell,

the issue declared that the Duke had chosen wisely

and

well.

When refreshing rain had

Would

rise ere

trees

fallen,

our prince, no lover of ease.

the stars had faded to

visit his

growing

And there amid the fields he had planted, he took his stand
To view three thousand steeds that were grazing about his
land.

Nor was wealth

There was many a man

his only guerdon.

to dare

To

copy

try to

his lord in his zeal

but the worst of this

method

is

and

his loving care.

that the words convey

no meaning

to the English reader.

The word in the original for steeds is said to mean a horse

seven feet high and upwards. As the Chinese foot is fourteen
English inches, this would make the horses over twenty-four hands
'

high.

'

asked a Chinese writer how the riders managed to mount

replied that men too were taller then.

He

them.

The Chinese
translates

it,

of the last couplet

is

Dr. Legge

rather obscure.

" But not only thus did he show

that

he was

maintaining in his heart a profound devotion to his duties."

Zottoli, " Nee tantum hominibus servat animum sincerum et
profundum." I prefer to make it, " Nor was he the only man

who did

The

his

duty with his whole heart."

following passage from the Odyssey (xix. 107) should be

compared with

this ballad

"flcrre Tci;

/Jao'iX'^os d/Au^uovos

"AvSpacriv iv TroXXoicn Koi

'EvStKias avixqcri,

(jteptja-i

octe ^covSijs

l(f>6ifj,0Lmv dvacrtrwi'

8e yuia /xiXaiva

Ilvpovs Koi KpiOas, PpWr)cn h\ SevSpea Kapiru),

TtKTei

'E^

8' efiTTtBa jii-^Xa,

evrjye<TLrji,

6a.\a(j(Ta Sk Tra.pe)(ci ix6v^

apiruicn Se kaoL vtt avrov.

" As of some prince

god doth rule
Our subjects, stout of heart and strong of hand
And men speak greatly of him, and his land

Who

in the likeness of a

CHINESE POETRY.

70

No.

7.

THE RAINBOW.
I.

Let no one point the hand to show

The rainbow in the eastern sky
For powers of evil, as we know,
At such an hour are always nigh.
;

2.

Be not in haste, ye maids, to wed

Your parent's wishes ne'er despise,
Lest from. you, too, we turn the head.
And pass you with averted eyes.
3-

Ere long the clouds will clear away.

The bow will fade from out the sky
But when a daughter goes astray,
She leaves her home and friends

for aye.

Bears wheat and rye. His orchards bend with fruit,

His flocks breed surely, the sea yields her fish.
Because he guides his folk with wisdom. And they grow
In grace and manly virtue."
Translation by

No.

J.

A. Froude.

7.

Whh

one exception the commentators are content to take this

poem as didactic, showing that Duke Wen's good example made
his people have a proper respect for the marriage tie.
Liu Yiian
alone refers the piece to
.^ Nan Tzu, the wife of Duke
Ling
5^ of Wei, a woman who committed incest with her
brother Chao of Sung
fg (see Confucian Analects, vi. 14, 26
and xiv. 20). The fact that I>u\e Ling ruled in the time of

Confucius, B.C.

^
533 492,

seems to

me

to

upset this theory

completely.

Students of olk-lore
that

it

is

will

no doubt take note of the superstition

at a rainbow, which the Chinese

unlucky to point

CHINESE POETRY.

71

A-

The

virgin

who

Should be

The maid

is

truly good,

reluctant, shy, sedate.

maidenhood.
shows such eagerness to mate.

Who

is

false to

No.

THE

8.

RAT.
I.

Nature has made the rat the worst of vermin

Limbs, teeth and skin she gave unto the brute.
Let it use them as nature's laws determine
No blame unto the rat we dare impute.
;

2.

But higher

she gave to

gifts

man

to cherish,

Dignity, self-command, and love of right;

And

better were

Than

it

that a

man

scorn these god-like

should perish

gifts,

or hold

them

light.

regard as the result of an improper connection between the male

and female principles of nature. Moslems, I am told, look on
the rainbow not as the symbol of the forgiveness of the Almighty,
but as a proof of His wrath.
The Siamese work, " Thai Chang,"
says, "

The

expression San

Kouang

(three brilliant

things) desig-

and stars.
These illuminate the world by
the Lord of the Heavens, and disseminate their

nate the sun, moon,

the

command

beneficent

of

rays

into all parts of the universe.

finger suddenly at

them

is

To

a grave breach of respect,

point the

and

merits

grievous punishment."

No.
This

one

in

8.

is

another didactic poem.

it.

Some commentators

state of civilization

is

There

is

say that the

no allusion
first

to

the proper regulation of the marriage

and of the intercourse between the

sexes.

Next

any

essential for a

to this

tie

come

CHINESE POETRY.

72

No.

9.

THE SAGE.
With banners

bright and streamers fair,

pennons floating on the air
With many a steed and many a car,
Nobles are journeying from afar.
Nearer they come, and still more near.

And

Till 'neath the walls

they

all

appear.

'Tis their desire our sage to greet.

And honour him with reverence meet,

That he may teach them in return
The

dignity

and

which they

lessons,

Hence

propriety.

would

fain

this

learn.

piece follows the

last

in

proper sequence.

What
original

Each stanza in the

is
'Look at the rat,'
J|
Chinese who make Hsiang the name of

a curious language Chinese

of

Hsiang Shu.
a place, and

this

little

piece begins,

There are

two characters " The Hsiang Rat."

addicted to sitting up on his hind
quarters and making a Chinese salutation with his two fore paws
when he sees anyone. Credat Judceus Apella.

They

translate the

say that this rat

is

No.

9.

whether the officers of Wei, riding in

chariots with banners flying above them, &c., were going to meet
a distinguished and learned visitor, or whether nobles from
another State were coming to visit some sage resident in Wei.
Dr. Legge prefers the first theory, and heads the piece, " The zeal
question

arises

of the officers of

Wei

to

welcome men of worth."

second, simply because in the

first

I prefer

the

Chinese stanza the chariots

are in the remote suburbs, in the second, in the nearer suburbs,

in the third, at the wall.
Now if the chariots were chariots of

Wei going out to meet a visitor this order would be reversed.

Duke Wen in all probability the sage in question ?

not

Is

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

-Ji

lo.

THE LAMENT OF LADY MU.

I.

had started, I urged

most speed,

My

my

horses.

brother to comfort and

drove at their top-

soothe in his trouble and

bitter need.

He

But a noble was sent to pursue me.

my
He

followed fast on

track.

crossed the rivers and

turned

me

hills,

till

he caught

me and

back.
2.

My

purpose was thwarted because ye presumed that a

woman's wit
Must be foolish and rash, for such things as statecraft
and rule unfit.
But 'tis ye, who are rash and foolish, too stupid to understand

That none of your schemes can equal devices which

had

planned.

No.
Lady

lo.

Mu

|^ was the daughter of Hsiian Chiang (see the

notes on No. i8 of Book III.), who, after the death of Duke
Hsiian, was married to her stepson, Chao Po 0g \^, and bore

Mu was the sister of Dukes Tai and Wen, both

were in turn rulers of Wei. She was married to the
ruler of Hsil |^
Another sister married the Duke of CKi

him a
of

family.

whom

the most powerful of the feudal States at this period.

news was brought

to her of the overthrow

of her native State of

Wei, her impulse was to hurry to her brother (in-law), the

of

CKi (to

to urge

call

him

him

king, as I

do

in

to rescue her brother.

my

When
Duke

verses, is poetic license),

This, however, she was not

allowed to do, and so she gives vent to her feelings in

this poem.
Most of the Chinese commentators, followed by Dr. Legge,

CHINESE POETRY.

74

3-

meant

to cross the

brother the king

wheat

fields,

and appeal to

my

he only knew my trouble^ assistance he'd surely bring.

gather nepenthe lilies, oblivion from them I'd borrow.
Or climb to the mountain summit alone, and forget my
If

I will

sorrow.

to CMi, but was restrained from

by her sense of propriety, and that the noble
who " crossed the rivers and hills " was not an officer of Hsil
who was sent to bring the lady back, but a messenger from Wei,
who brought news of the disaster. Chu Hsi dissents from this
viewj and I follow him.
In the first place the actual attempt of
the lady to run away makes the poem far more dramatic than the

say that she wished to go

actually doing so

simple expression of her desire to go could do.

Secondly, the
language of the lady is anything but submissive. On the contrary,

she evidently rebels with her whole soul, and only yields

io force majeure.

The word which

Fritillaria
distress

to

I translate

Thunbergia.

seems either

benumb

to

her senses.

The

" Nepenthe
regulation

lilies "

remedy

is

^ Mang,

for a lady in

go up a mountain, or to eat some plant

CHINESE POETRY.

75

Book V.
Ballads and other Poems collected in the country

of Wei.
I

have

little

to

add

to

what

have said

in

my

introduc-

The
State of Wei %j, as I mentioned before, lay where now the
three Provinces of Chihli, Shantung and Honan meet.
It
remained the State of Wei until B C. 208, when it was

tory remarks at the beginning of Books III. and IV.

absorbed into the Empire, being the

States to be extinguished.

last of the

Feudal

CHINESE POETRY.

76

No.

I.

DUKE WU.
I.

Throughout the kingdom there grows no tree

To match with the green bamboos, which sway
On the curving bank of the river Ch'i
So luxuriant, dense, and strong are they.
;

2.

Throughout the kingdom no man is seen.

With our noble Prince Duke Wei to vie
For all acknowledge his lordly mien.
His accomplished manners,

his dignity.

3-

gem, when it leaves the soil,

Must be ground and polished by file and
Our prince has acquired by ceaseless toil
The graceful arts which adorn his life.

The

fairest

knife.

4-

He

a glorious sight,

sits in his chariot,

While

brow

star-like jewels his

But we love him more than

Than

unfold.

his jewels bright.

crystal sceptres or virgin gold.

S-

Great prince, as he is, he delights to joke.

And to have his spirits with laughter stirred
But never a churlish jest he spoke.

Or

said a coarse or insulting word.

No
Although Duke

Wu

is

I.

not mentioned by name,

commentators agree in assigning

ruler of Wei from e.g. 8ii to 757.

this piece to
It

seems a

him.

little

all

He

the

was

curious that

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

77

2.

THE RECLUSE.
Within

this still

sequestered spot,

On either side a sheltering hill

He comes to rear his humble cot,
Which

overlooks the murmuring

And here he means to live and

Upon the joys of solitude.

No

novice in the world

Composed and
Here may he

is

stately

he

is

his air

stay, for ever free

From worldly chatter, worldly

To live in quiet day and night.
Is,

rill.

brood

care.

so he swears, his sole delight.

he should be spoken of in such eulogistic terms, for he attained

the

dukedom by
same

driving his elder brother to suicide.

He appears

have been an able and energetic ruler, and to

have rendered his suzerain, King P'ing 2^ ^, great services in
his wars with the Jung tribes.
This poem is said to have been
written while the duke was at the king's court.
all

the

to

No.

2.

No

one seems to know who this recluse was. The " Little Preface," followed by Mao and others, say that the piece is directed
against Duke Chuang
(b.c. 756-734), Duke Wu's successor,

whose misgovernment drove able

is

nothipg in the

poem

itself to

men

show

into retirement

but there

this.

Recluses who retire, either to enjoy a period of meditation (as

Chu Hsi was wont to do), or from political reasons, have always

earned a certain amount of sympathy in China.

CHINESE POETRY.

78

No.

3.

CHUANG CHIANG'S EPITHALAMIUM.

I.

A stately

maiden

is

this fair princess,

This daughter of the Royal House of Ch'i,

Who

comes

The

a long embroidered robe her dress

bride and lady of our Chief to be.

2.

She comes from where a mighty

river flows

Northwards, wherein large shoals of sturgeon swim.

With plashing sound his net the fisher throws
Amid the stream from off its rush-grown brim.
3-

The whiteness of her skin can aught surpass ?

With teeth, with throat, with brow can aught compete
Her fingers taper like the young white grass

And

see her dimples

and those eyes so sweet.

No.

We now

3.

once more to the virtuous but ill-fated Chuang

Chiang, whose misfortunes were related in several of the ballads
of the third Book, g. v.
This poem celebrates her marriage.
Liu Yuan says that it is a satire directed against her husband,
Duke Chuang. What business had he, when he had such a
beautiful and high-born wife, to be false to her ?
I must plead guilty to having deliberately shirked two difficulties, which Dr. Legge in his metrical version has struggled
revert

with, not without success.

The

first

is

the relationship of the

lady, which the Chinese version gives in detail.

" The

The

sister

Marquis of Hsing,
T'an was also her brother-in-law."

sister-in-law of the

And Duke
These

She was

of the heir-apparent (of Ch'i),

lines I

have omitted as superfluous, and uninteresting to

the English reader.

CHINESE POETRY.

79

4-

And

note the chariot, too, wherein she

The pheasant
With

As

rich red

sits,

feather screens, the noble steeds

ornaments about their

to the palace gates the

pomp

bits

proceeds.

S-

Her maidens wait on her in garments gay,

And stalwart henchmen clad in armour bright.
Nobles and gentles, let us now away.
Leave bride and bridegroom to their own delight.

Secondly,

"The

With
I leave

when

I say in

my verses,

whiteness of her skin can aught surpass

teeth, with throat, with

brow, can aught compete

"

out the Chinese similes for each beauty, for the simple

reason that these similes convey to us no idea of loveliness, and

are grotesque rather than poetic.

"Her

They

are as follows

skin was like congealed oiatmentj

Her neck was like a tree grub.

Her teeth were like melon seeds

She had a cicada forehead and silkworm eyebrows."

Of these " the silkworm eyebrows " seem the only pretty feature.
The phrase means, no doubt, that the eyebrows were like the
curving well-defined antennae of the silkworm moth ; a graceful

image, in

The

my

opinion, but not so the others.

description of this lady rather reminds

the Mabinogion

" More

me

of

Olwen

in

yellow v/as her head than the flower

and her skin was whiter than the foam of the wave,
were her hands and her fingers than the blossoms of
the wood anemone amidst the spray of the meadow fountain."

of the broom,

and

fairer

"The mighty

river"

is

the Yellow River.

CHINESE POETRY.

8o

No

4.

"WHEN LOVELY WOMAN STOOPS TO

FOLLY."

I.

A simple and innocent youth you seemed

To my

unsuspecting eye

Your only wish was to sell your

Or our new spun silk to buy.

cloth,

2.

But thoughts of the barter of cloth or silk

Had but little place in your mind.

To win me and bear me away with you
Was the purpose which you designed.
3-

walked with you part of your homeward road,

be coy," I cried.
" In the autumn, when rites have been duly done,
I promise to be your bride."

As

" I will not

4-

When the autumn came, how I watched for you

And my tears would fall like the rain,
As

I watched from the old city

That my watching was all in

walls, but

found

vain.

5-

At last you came, and I laughed with

The omens you said were fair.

joy.

So I weakly yielded and fled with you

Your house and your lot to share.

No.
This touching ballad

is,

4.

says the " Little Preface," followed by

most of the commentators, directed against the manners and

customs prevalent in the time of Duke Hsiian.

CHINESE POETRY.

8i

6.

summer the leaves of the mulberry tree

Are glossy and bright to view.
They hide sweet fruit, but the dove that eats
Has bitterly cause to rue.
In

7-

And

the maiden's love for the youth

Though

And

the sweetness will pass

a bitter end

is

sweet,

is

away

reserved in store

For the maiden who goes

astray.

8.

A man by his gallant or useful

His folly may expiate.
But how can a woman, who

As

I find to

my

deeds

sins,

atone

cost, too late.

9-

For now the leaves lie yellow and

Beneath the mulberry tree.
Three wretched years have passed

The

sere

since

we

crossed

flooded fords of the Ch'i.

lO.

For many a day

I

But

shared
his

And

all his

was faithful and fond,

toil and pain.

thoughts are fickle, his heart is

he drives me back home again.

The Chinese
which

text presents but few

false,

difiSculties.

The

phrase,

I translate,

"Three wretched years have passed

The flooded fords of the Ch'i,"

since

we

crossed

Dr. Legge understands to indicate that the woman,

subject of the ballad,

is

crossing the Ch'i to go

home

who

is

again.

the
I

CHINESE POETRY.

83

11.

weep when I think how I slaved for him

To midnight from early morn.
My reward is to suffer my brothers' wrath,
Their reproaches and angry scorn.

12.

The

years bring trouble, old age and change.

And what
Though

can we hope for more

.-'

the marsh pools gleamed where they gleamed

of old,

And

the river flows as of yore.

13-

was but a girl, with my hair unbound.

When you plighted to me your troth.
We chatted together, we talked and laughed,
But now you forget your oath.
I

14.

We

would

And
Oh,

live

I little

And

together

nothing our
cast

till

lives

both grew old.

should sever.

dreamed you would prove untrue.

me

aside for ever.

my own interpretation the more probable. Again, I make

her mention of the river Ch'i and the marshes a passing lament
that they remain unaltered, while old age and change have crept

think

over her. The Chinese

saying that " the Ch'i had

commentators of course go deeper,

banks and the marsh its boundaries

its

and people knew where to find them, but it was not so with the
man who acknowledged no rules nor bounds in his conduct."

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

HOME

83

5.

SICKNESS.
I.

is my parents' home to me
When forced to part I went away
And married. Now I long to see

Dear

That home, where once

The gems upon my

And

tinkled, as I

seem

used to play.

girdle glanced

laughed and danced.

more

to see those streams once

The little shallops built of pine,

The angler sitting on the shore.
With bamboo rod and taper line.

To

view

Would

my

native place again

dissipate all care

No.

and

pain.

6.

THE SWAGGERER.
I.

He

is

only a feeble lad, as weak as an

But look

at the belt

see, there

An

iris

which he wears

flower

at the

end of

it,

dangle

archer's ivory thimble, the proof of his martial power.

the statesman's spike which says, " All knots I can

And

disentangle."

No.

5.

This piece simply describes a lady, originally a native of Wei,

who had been married to a gentleman of another State and feels

a longing for her own home. The Chinese commentators do not
give the lady a name.

My

translation

is

a very free paraphrase.

CHINESE POETRY.

84

2.

He

proudly struts along with an easy conceited grace,

Regarding his fellow-men as creatures common and low,
But we hardly consider him a being of higher race,
Or think that he knows more than we humbler mortals

know.

No.

7.

BANISHMENT.
So deep
I

My
I

may

is

the river and wide, they say,

not cross to the other shore.

adopted land

is

so far

must never hope

to

No.
The

subject of this piece

succeeded to the

Book

Dukedom

away

behold

more.

6.

some

said by

is

Wei

of

it

to be

^, who

So

murdering his brothers

after

No. 19), but the satire is scarcely the sort of

aimed at a ruler. The object of it may have been
one of the Duke's creatures. Liu Yiian says that Confucius
inserted the poem in his collection merely as a warning to young
men to avoid conceit and swagger.
The "Archer's thimble " was a thimble worn on the thumb of
the right hand to assist in drawing the bow.
The " Statesman's
(see

III.,

satire that is

spike " was an ivory instrument used for loosening knots, and was
supposed to indicate that -the wearer was ready to solve any difficulty. " Iris flower " is the equivalent of Huan Ian '^
which

^,

Dr. Legge calls a " Sparrow gourd."

No.

The

subject of this piece

Chiang
:g, the

(see

is

No, 18 of Book

Duke

of

Sung

JjJ.

7.

said to

III.),

He

be a daughter of Hsuan

who was married

to

Huan

divorced her without just cause,

and she returned to the State of Wei. After a while her

husband died, and her son Hsiang "M succeeded to the Dukedom.

CHINESE POETRY.

85

2.

They

lie;

for the stream

That the
I

tiniest skiff

could lay across

And

so small indeed

is

room

has no

to ride.

a single reed

it

boldly step to the further side.

3-

Though they vow

it is

many

leagues from me,

That well-loved country, it lies

That standing on tiptoe once more

The home

so nigh
I

see

could reach ere the sun was high.

No.

8.

MY ABSENT HERO.
I.

seem

to trace your form

My valiant
Swinging

You

She wished

husband.

aloft a

and

face.

In your car,

mighty mace,

lead the royal hosts to war.

to join him, but

was not allowed to do

so.

She

utters

her complaint in this poem, in which I can find nothing to justify

the Chinese idea that she would like to return to Wei, were she

not deterred by a sense of propriety.

Liu Yiian points out that

is the virtuous and
admirable conduct of the young Duke. He was aware that his
father had acted wrongly in divorcing his mother, but he knew
that if she was allowed to come back, attention would be directed
to his father's sin, and so he magnanimously refused permission.
the moral lesson to be learnt from this ballad

No.
This poem

some

is

8.

assigned to the year

other States assisted the suzerain.

war on the State of Ck'ing

The mace,

B.C. 706,

when Wei and

to make

King Huan |g 3i)

^.

or halberd, was a

weapon some twelve or fourteen

CHINESE POETRY.

86

2.

my

scarcely care to deck

hair,

But let my locks dishevelled stray.

For whom should I be neat or fair,

When my

loved lord

is

far

away

3-

long for

rain,

but long

vain

in

my
My weary heart is worn with pain
My aching head knows no relief.
The sun

shines bright to

mock

grief.

4-

Could I but find, to dull my mind,

That kindly sense-benumbing flower,
I'd set it in the yard behind.

And

feet longi Ijut

plant

used for

it

in

my

private bower.

striking, not thrusting, purposes,

and was,

should think, extremely unwieldy.

The practice of having the hair dishevelled as a sign of grief
seems to have been universal all over the East.

"

Ten

years Runjeet lay in Lahore.

Wah, a

Ten

hero's heart

years never did

is

brass

Chunda Kore,

Braid her hair at the tiring glass."

"A

A Chinese
translation.

Ballad of the Five Rivers," by

Edwin Arnold.

version on this occasion is far more graphic than my

The lady says, "
head is like the flying pappus of

My

the Artemisia" (Legge's translation), which at once suggests the

notion that it would be hard work to get a comb through her hair.

The

lady desires

the fighting.

rain, probably because it would put a stop

do not agree with Dr. Legge that the wish

to
is

merely metaphorical.

The
identify.

Zott

oli

" kindly sense-benumbing flower"

The Chinese name

makes

it

for

it

is

the Hemerocallis ft/lva.

is

rather

hard

to

]S,

Liu Yiian has a

far-

Hsiian

Ts'ao,

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

87

9.

A CHINESE MUSIDORA.
"

This cool retreat

And

robed

Her

his

Musidora sought,

in loose array, she

came

to bathe

fervent limbs in the refreshing stream.

How

durst thou risk the soul distracting view,

As from her naked limbs of glowing white,

Harmonious swelled by nature's fairest hand,
In folds loose floating

And

fair

fell the fainter lawn ?

exposed she stood shrunk from herself,

With fancy blushing at the doubtful breeze

Alarmed and starting like the fearful fawn.
Thomson.
I

my

grieve because

Has vanished from

She seeks the

heart's delight

her lover's sight.

rippling ford, to lave

Her beauties in the cooling wave

Where crouching, as a fox might hide.
;

She scarcely dares to lay aside

Her robes, lest some too curious eye
Intrusive might her beauties spy.
First she lets

Then gently

fall

her flow^ing gown.

slides her girdle

down.

Until at length she stands revealed,

Her

loveliness all unconcealed.

fetched theory that the lady wishes to plant

it

in the

yard at the

back of the house, because then her mother-ip-law would have

the benefit of

it

as well as herself.

she wasnot only a good wife, but a

No.

" This shows," says he, " that

daughter-in-law as well."

filial

9.

remark that none of the commentators

It was an anonymous writer in
take my view of this little poem.
one of the Shanghai papers (to whom I hereby tender my thanks)
who first suggested the idea which has guided me in this translation.
It is scarcely necessary to

The

usually accepted theory

is

that a

woman

is

the speaker, and

CHINESE POETRY.

88

No.

lO.

FRIENDSHIP.

A quince,

a peach, and a plum, were the gifts which to me

you made,
And I gave you an emerald back, with a ruby and piece of
jade.

Do

measure the value of

and you ?

No!

friendship
ful

that

it

and
is

greater than

which pass between

gifts,

me

when. friends are faith-

true.

man

He

clothes.

is

gifts

of

whom

He

she speaks.

does not simply take them

off.

gradually loses his

From

this the

com-

mentators go on to infer that she is deeply sorry for his sad case,
and for the evil times in which they live, and that she would be
glad to comfort him by marrying him. The poem, translated in
this sense, begins, "

mention of

this

There

is

a fox, solitary

animal introduces a

and

difficulty.

suspicious."

Some

The

say that

its

presence indicated cold weather, which would aggravate a naked

man's sufferings. Others say that the appearance of the fox denotes

woman's thoughts were impure, as a fox, in Chinese folksymbol of lewdness on the part of a woman. (See
Mayers's "Chinese Reader's Manual," Art. 183.)

that the

lore, is a

No. 10.
Some say that this piece represents the gratitude of the people
of Wei to Duke Huan of Ch'i, who came to fight for them against
the barbarous tribes of the Ti.
The fact that they received larger
favours than they could return, militates with this theory.
Chu
Hsi makes

it

his mistress.

the interchange of courtesies between a lover and

I think that the piece is one of general application.

My renderings of the gems are not perhaps pedantically correct,

and the exigencies of metre have made me place the emerald before
the ruby.
|g Chu is rather the cairngorm or the garnet, than the
ruby into which I have magnified

it.
Jg Yao is an emerald. JJj
make jade, should rather be smoky crystal. The commentators make the value of gifts received to be in inverse ratio

Chiu, which I

to those given,

plum.

On

A quince

better than a peach, a

is

the other hand, a

and a Yao than a Chiu.

have not adopted

it.

Chu

doubt

stone
this

worth

peach than a

than a Yao,
theory holding water, and
is

less

CHINESE POETRY.

89

Book VI.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the country

known

When
moved

as "

The Royal Domains!'

the Choic dynasty was established,

which was called F^ng ^, to

the capital city of the Shensi Province.

J^

I)

B.C. 1115, built

Lo Yang,

in the

770,
let

Honan

The

who removed

Hao go

King Ch'eng

another Royal City at

Province

his

seat

Lo }^,.now

and durbars were held

there periodically until the accession of

and

Wu

Hao ^, the modern Hsi An

fu,

B.C.

King

the capital from his father's seat of government,

King P'ing

2ji

of government to

J
it,

to ruin.

ballads contained in this

book were collected

country round about Lo, when

it

was under the

in the

direct

government of the king, and not under the rule of any of

the feudal nobles.

CHINESE POETRY.

90

No.
"
"

seges est ubi Troia fuit."

Jam

Waste

And

I.

lye the walls,

corn

which were so good,

now grows where Troy town

stood."

Queen Dido.
I.

faltering steps, and head bent down,

where once there stood a stately town.

With slow and

I stray,

But now

And
Its

very

its

site

has disappeared ;
has upreared

in its place the millet

growing shoots, or heads of drooping grain.

house, or hut^ no signs remain.

Of palace,

2.

would cheer my heart they kindly try

To soothe me by their love and sympathy.
Nay, even strangers, seeing me o'er-weighed
With heavy grief, will proffer me their aid.
Oh, heaven above, wilt thou reveal the name
Of him who wrought this wrong, this deed of shame

My

friends

No.
This ballad
of

King

is

I.

said to describe the visit of an officer of the time

Hao, where he finds

and corn growing where

P'ing, or later, to the old capital at

the palace

and

ancestral temples in ruin,

once houses stood.

How

history repeats itself

might have been perfectly applied

few years ago

to

this description

Nanking before

its

from the desolation created by the Taiping rebels.

My first stanza is a decided amplification of the Chinese

recovery

original.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.
"

91

2.

OUR GOOD MAN 'S AW A". "

I.

To

my

serve the state

husband goes away.

With anxious thoughts my faithful heart must burn,

Because long months or years he may delay.
Where is he now ? ah, when will he return ?
2.

'Tis night-time
I

at the setting of the sun

see the fowls to perch

and roost

retire.

The

goats and cows, their grazing being done,

Descend the hill to couch within the byre.
3-

Even the beasts a couching place have found,

Even the birds have roosts whereon to rest.
Ah, may

With

my

lord be sleeping safe

cruel thirst

and hunger
No.

This ballad

is

and sound,

undistrest.

2.

referred to the time of

King

P'ing.

metrical version of this in the Scottish dialect

Dr. Legge's

dialect marvel-

lously well-fitted for the translation of these old world rhymes

so excellent that I venture to reproduce

it.

I.

The gudeman's awa, for to fecht with the stranger,

An' when he'll be back, oh my heart canna tell.
The hens gae to reist, an' the beests to their manger,
As hameward they wend frae their park on the hill.
!

But hoo can I, thus left alane.

Help thinking o' my man that's gane ?
2.

The gudeman's

And

long will

awa, for to fecht with the stranger,

it

be ere he see

his fireside.

The hens gae to reist, and the beests to their manger.

As the slanting sunbeams throu the forest trees glide.
Heaven kens the lanesome things I think.
Heaven sen' my man his meat and drink
!

is

CHINESE POETRY.

92

No.

3.

THE GOOD MAN'S RETURN.

My man
With
I will

comes home again.

music's sweetest strain

He

welcome him.

beckons

me

to

come

to his

em-

brace.

In

To

my

gladness

I will try

dance, to please his eye.

Oh, see the joy and rapture that are shining

No.

4.

UNWELCOME
The

in his face

SERVICE.

by the brookside growing,

Fixed in their homes securely stay.
The fretted waters past them flowing.
osiers

Just kiss their leaves, then haste away.

No.

3.

probably the sequel of the one before it.

Dr.
Legge has given a Scotch version of this piece as well. It is very
He also gives a Latin
good, although No. 2 is my favourite.
version by Mr. Mercer, formerly Colonial Secretary at Hongkong.

This ballad

is

No.
This

piece, like the previous

time of King P'ing.

The

princely family of Sh^n

4.

ones of

this

book,

is

King's mother was a

Her

^.

assigned to the

member

of the

and the federated States of

by the people of Tsu ^, assisted

State,

P'u "^ and Hsii |^, were assailed

by the " dog " Jung tribes.
-^ 3^.

(These barbarous tribes are

more than once in this classic. I cannot find out for

why the name of "dog" was attached to them. I have

referred to
certain

tried to discover whether

it

is

an instance of "Totemism," or

CHINESE POETRY.

93

2.

We

know not if the streamlet's waters

Can think of those they leave behind.

But we,

our wives, our sons, our daughters.

Are never absent from our mind.

3-

Far, far from them, the State defending,

We wait

until the

morn

shall rise,

When all our labours have an ending.

And home once more shall glad our

eyes.

whether these savages dressed in dog-skin, or were accompanied

by the large and fierce dogs of Central Asia, or were supposed to

be dog-faced, but all without avail. I can only conclude that it
was a nickname. At the same time it is worth noting that Ti ^,

name

the

of another tribe often mentioned, means Stags.

a tribe of the

Huns was known

and another

tribe as

King P'ing

as

CkSn P'ei

Hsien

Yung'^

J^i Foxes,

^^

Again,

^j* Mastiffs,
or

Fox

cubs.)

sent his troops to protect his feudatory States, but the

service was unpopular, probably because the soldiers felt that their

Liu Yiian adds that King

murdered by the Marquis
King Yu
had
been
]J,
of Shen, a fact which would make the soldiers still more averse to
fight on behalf of his State.
country had no interest in the matter.

P'ing's father,

The
a

first

difficulty.

Williams)
{c) osiers."

two

lines of

each stanza in the original Chinese present

The fretted waters (or "a dash of water,"

.They are, "

will

not float a .bundle

This phrase

is

of {a) firewood,

Dr. Legge's notes will supply them.

the brook leaves behind
so

we must

my

it

{b)

thorns,

capable of a variety of interpretations.

My own

notion

is,

that as

and herbage on the bank,

members of our families, and in

the shrubs

leave behind us the

metrical translation I have amplified this idea accordingly.

CHINESE POETRY.

94

No.

5.

DROUGHT AND FAMINE.

I.

on the slope, next in the vale,

Beneath hot suns and cloudless sky,
Stalks, flowers and blades are parched and pale;
The ranker herbs turn white and dry.
And even lush wet grasses die.
First

2.

Husband and

wife must separate

For how can he her wants supply
;

He can but leave her desolate,

To grieve in vain, to weep, to
They cannot

sigh

fight with destiny.

No.

6.

INJUSTICE.
The

all danger unaware,

on and plumps into the snare.
The wily hare, so timid and so shy.
Suspects the trap, and hops uninjured by.
Thus honest men, though frank and free from
Are foiled and cheated by some rascal's wile.

pheasant, of

Flies boldly

No.
The herbage

referred to

5.

the

is

guile,

Tui,

(Legge), or Leonurus Cardiaca (Zottoli).

Leonurus Sibiricus

Dr. Legge translates

it

"motherwort.''
I

do not find any

historical

mention of

Yiian says should not be taken

P'ing's misgovernment.

King Hsiian.

See III.

iii..

No.

E.Ci

718-696.

drought, which Liu

4.

No.

The commentators

this

but as an allegory of King

There was a great drought in the time of
literally,

refer

this

6.

piece to the time of

King Huan,

CHINESE POETRY.
But wary

villains, thougii tliey

95

rob and

lie,

Walk proudly on, and hold their heads on high.

Would fortune had decreed my lot in life
In byegone times, ere ills like these were rife
While quiet days and nights did yet remain,

Nor wickedness brought sorrow

When
I

I recall

in

her train.

that noble time of yore,

long to sleep, and waken never more.

No.

7.

A STRANGER.
I.

watch the waters flowing

Beneath the curving bank.
Whereon the creepers growing
Run wild and thick, and rank.
I

The

four lines beginning

by myself
begins.

in order

"Thus honest men,"

are interpolated

to explain the simile

They have no

place

the

in

with which the piece

Chinese version. It is

curious- to note that the Chinese take the hare or rabbit as the

" Brer Rabbit," as Mr. Joel Chandler

incarnation of cunning.
Harris's tales

show

us, holds the

same position among the negroes.

No.

"The

creepers" are

7.

again the

doliches

creepers,

and "the

waters," those of the Yellow River.

This piece
P'ing, B.C.

to

show

is

770

said to have been written in the time of

719, though there

Liu Yiian, and

this.

He

and though the

not,

river flows

as

others,
I

make

the allusion to the

his native place.

do,

by them, they are not displaced. The

is uprooted and carried away

speaker in the poem, unlike them,

from

King

nothing in the lines themselves

merely descriptive of the

says that the creepers are held fast by their roots,

creepers a simile,
scenery.

and

is

CHINESE POETRY.

96

2.

As

father, or as brother,

man

greet each

Each matron
But none

see

mother
welcome me.

as a

will

3-

An

and a rover.
My weary way I wend
But nowhere can discover
Some man to be my friend.
exile

No.

8.

CONSTANT

STILL.

I.

him wandering amid the flowers,

watch him pluck the hempen grass.
When he has gone away, the hours
Ah me how heavily they pass.
I

see
I

2.

With him

day
drawn appears
As three months nay, July to May,
Or longer still, three weary years.

To me

far off, a single

as slowly
;

No.
The "

flowers "

and " hempen

inevitable dolichos, the

8.

grass " are the equivalents of the

^ Hsiao, Artemisia
Ai ^ Artemisia Sinensis

Capillaris or

Southernwood, and the

See Dr.

Legge's

notes

for

the

interpretation

according to the older commentators.

of

Oxtail

or mugwort.
this

ballad

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

97

9.

TRUE LOVERS PARTED.

I.

You blame me and

think me cold and shy,

swear by the Sun I am fond and true
Though I dread the tyrant, and do not fly
To be clasped in a close embrace by you.

But

2.

am
It

watching

his

mighty chariot pass

thunders along majestic and slow.

His green robes glitter like young sedge grass

His red robes shine with the ruby's glow.

No.

9.

This poem, say the commentators of the school of Chu Hsi,

shows the influence of a severe and virtuous magistrate in repressing licentiousness.
I can scarcely wonder at their taking this
morbidly prurient view, but I am surprised at Dr. Legge's following

No

one could express her love more simply and honestly

girl in this ballad ; but even her tender avowal that
she will be true to her love till death, and after death, is not
sufficient to free her from the charge of licentiousness.
Heaven
save the mark!
Tennyson has a poem beginning
them.

than the poor

" Ellen Adair, she loved

me

well.

Against her father's and mother's

will.

an hour alone,
By Ellen's grave on the windy hill."

To-day

would

as

soon label

wept

it,

"

for

The

influence of virtuous parents in

repressing the licentiousness of their daughter," as head this ballad

Chu Hsi and Dr. Legge have done.

The older commentators go a step farther, and say that the
poem expresses a wish that the kingdom had, as of yore, officials
who would enforce righteousness and propriety.
as

Liu Yiian has a theory of his own, for which there is a good
to be said.
He makes the poem the address of a great

deal

CHINESE POETRY,

9'8

3-

If cruel fate while this

world shall

last

Contrives our two loving hearts to sever,

One grave

And

shall hide us when life has past,

nothing shall part us then for ever.

No.

THE

lO.

FLIRT.
I.

Where is Tzu Chai, that jaunty lad }

With some one else to flirt and play

Amid

the

hemp

Is his delight.

officer,

forced to leave

poem,

literally

thunders along.

home on

translated,

My

the livelong day

It is

too bad.

state robes are like

"

as the King, for

that

he

My

young

I prefer the other interpretation, for unless

is

Accordingly the

duty, to his wife.

would begin

which we have no warrant,

great

carriage

sedge,'' &c.;

but

we translate -^ Tzu
we cannot say who it

fears.

J^ Man,

which

have translated ruby,

is

more properly pink

cornelian.

No.
The freedom

10.

of this young lady naturally drives the

commen-

sundry extraordinary interpretations. Chu Hsi's view

the one which I follow, as it seems to me the only correct one.

tators into
is

Mao

Ch'i ling declares that a family named Liu -^ (the head of

which was Tzu Kuo, who had a son named Tzu Chai), was
banished to a stony barren tract of country, on which the members
it made hemp, wheat, and plum-trees grow.
The poem then is
an expression of a wish, on behalf of the people in the Royal
domain, that these men would return. Others refer the piece to

of

the time of

King Chuang |^,

B.C.

696-682, whose misgovernment

CHINESE POETRY.

99

Tzu Kuo too, though he vowed to eat

With me, has found another love
With her, instead, he likes to rove,
And romp together in the wheat.
;

3-

They wander where

the plum-trees grow.

'Tis little use, alas, to fret.

For scanty chance have

The

gifts

to get

they promised long ago.

drove away virtuous men, whose return is prayed for in this poem.
Liu Yiian follows this notion, but he makes the wheat and hemp

and
for

plum-trees,

whom

and not human

the people pray.

beings, detain the virtuous

He would

return,

man

but the tangled

hemp, the high wheat, and the forest of plum-trees delay his
footsteps.
These things are to be taken allegorically, of course.
So are the gifts (of girdle gems, in the original), which mean the
Sage's words of wisdom.

CHINESE POETRY.

loi

Book VII.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the country of
Ch'ing.

The country

of Ch'ing

fI5

is

the district to the south-

wards of the modern K'ai F^ng

fu,

the capital

of the

Honan Province. King Hsuan, B.C. 826 781, gave a

named Ch'eng to Duke Huan ;g 2J. This Ch'ing
was in Shensi, far to the westward. Duke Huan's son,
Duke Wu Ji^ S, for his services to King P'ing, was invested with the Dukedom of the aforesaid district in
Honan, to which he gave the name of [new] Ch'ing, and
fief

it

was

in this district that these ballads

Confucius calls them licentious

Yin,
10),

"The music

of Ch'dng

but the reader need not

them, there

is

nothing that

even on her, cheek.

is

(|5

were collected.

J'^ Ch'ing

Hsiang

licentious," Analects xv.

be alarmed.

will raise a

As

translate

blush on

his,

or

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

I.

ODE TO DUKE WU.

His form the worn but seemly black robes grace
Let gifts of newer cloth the old replace.
Let us with homage at his court attend,

And

to our well-loved noble dainties send.

No.

,2.

TRESPASSERS BEWARE.
I.

do not grudge the mulberries,

The sandal and the willow trees^

Which clumsily you break
In leaping o'er

But

ills

far

my

heavier

Refrain then for

No.

garden-wall

may

my

sake.

I.

I accept the usually adopted theory that this

to the

Duke Wu, mentioned

befall.

poem

is

addressed

in the prefaratory note to this book.

not supposed to be sung by the people of Ch'gng itself, but

by the members of the King's Court, who had a great admiration
for Duke Wu, and when he came thither as Minister of Instruction
(rI '^ Ssii T'u), were anxious to show him every attention.

It is

The Court which

Wu

performed

No.
If

my

translation

is

as

whose name

2.

near the original as

calls for little explanation.

fijj,

Duke

they proposed to attend was that in which

his duties.

It

is

have omitted in

that the " Little Preface,"

I trust

it is,

my

and most of

an interpretation from the mention of

verses.

I should point out

the commentators,

this

poem
Chung

the

addressed to a certain

deduce

gentleman's name, which

CHINESE POETRY.

love you, but can

103

assuage

My parents' wrath, my brothers'

Who lecture me and say

rage.

That you by coming here provoke

talk and scandal of the folk ?
So prithee keep away.

The

No.

3..

SHU TUAN.
When

our Shu

Tuan for
game

In the forest his

The town

is

the chase has

left,

to find,

of glory and

life

bereft

He leaves not his peer behind,

To feast like him, or to run his steeds.
'Twere folly for us to try
For in courage, goodness, and martial deeds

What

mortal with him

may

vie

from that of Chu Hsi's, which I have adopted.

last poem, was succeeded, in e.g. 742, by Duke
whose
younger brother, Shu Tuan
Chuang
(tk,
|^, was his
She played Rachel to this Jacob, and enmother's favourite.
deavoured to get him to supplant Chuang. A certain Chung, of

differs toto calo

Duke Wu,

of the

Chai

f^,

begged the Duke to crush

this plot in the

bud.

The

supposed to have replied in this poem, which, interpreted

in this sense, runs " Oh, Chung, do not meddle with my affairs.
I am attached to you, but I do not wish to distress my mother,
my brothers, or my people." History goes on to say that he had
afterwards 'to adopt the summary measures, from which he' then

Duke

is

shrank.

No.
Shu Tuan,

it

3.

As this piece is in honour of

was no doubt written by one of his adherents.

See the notes

on

the last poem.

CHINESE POETRY.

104

No.

4.

SHU TUAN HUNTING.

I.

With a team of four bay horses

Shu is going to the chase.
Note his skill in charioteering
Mark his coursers' even pace.
;

With

his

hands upon their bridles

You may

see his steeds advance,

Step by step in even cadence,

Like the dancers in the dance.
3-

From

its place no courser swerving

So the wild geese in the sky
Never mar the shapely wedges

Of their phalanx,

as they

fly.

4-

Now

the hunters reach the reed beds,

And

apply the torch and flame,

fire up blazing fiercely
affright and start the game.

That the

May
Most of

Chinese commentators say that it was directed

Duke, his elder brother, who ought not to have
allowed Shu Tuan to win popularity at his expense.
the

against the

No.
This

poem

is

4.

a continuation or amplification of the

last.

The

Liu Yiian, insinuates that the Duke was no match

for his younger brother, forgetful, as another commentator adds,
that physical strength is not so high an attribute as wisdom.
writer,

The

says

position of

similes are used

Shu Tuan's horses is rather

(a) The two outside horses

Three
team are

puzzling.

of the

CHINESE POETRY.

105

chance has any creature

escape the mighty Shu,
With such skill to shoot his arrows,
Little

To

With such horses

to pursue.

6.

See there rushes forth a tiger,

Gleaming teeth, eyes flaming red.
With bared arms Shu gripes the monster,

Lays

it

down

before us dead.
7.

Though

forms our ruler's trophy,

.Never try such sport again
Lest you perish in your rashness.
this

From such dangerous

Now Shu
And

lays

down

feats refrain.

his quiver,

unstrings his trusty

bow

For the hunt is o'er, and homewards

Pace his steeds with motion slow.

like dancers.
This, I infer, means that they keep step.
(5) The
two outside horses go like wild geese. This I think means that
they keep their places without swerving,
(c) The inside horses
have their heads in line, and the outsiders are as hands or arms.
I have given no English equivalent for the third simile.^
All

pictures of the chariots of those times

show

the chariot drawn by

four horses side by side, two inside the shafts

but none in advance of the others.

and two

outside,

Dr. Legge makes the outside

horses follow the inside ones, but a moment's consideration shows

the impossibility of such a method of traction.

CHINESE POETRY.

io6

No.

5.

MANCEUVRES.
soldiers go abroad to fight the foe
Their mail-clad chariots should impress us greatly.
Their tufted spears and hooks in row on rowLook strong and stately.

Our

To

left,

and then

to right, the chargers wheel.

The leader smiles, all pleased and self-reliant.

The spearsman brandishes his trusty steel.

And

glares defiant.
3-

Thus they manoeuvre on the river's banks

But every soldier brave and gallant vaunter,
Rather than rush upon the foeman's ranks.
;

Prefers to saunter.

No.

S.

This piece no doubt describes an expedition of the troops of

Ch'Sng to the frontier, in order to repel the Ti barbarians. This
expedition

took place in

General in command.

Peng

The

b.c.

Hsiao \^ and Chou

River within the

state of

659.

Kao K'o

all

"^ was the

places near the Yellow

made no attempt
their own inaction,

Ch'^ng, but

up the foCj and eventually, tired of

and returned home, while General Kao K'o
See Dr. Legge's notes.

troops manoeuvred about the districts

to follow

dispersed

fled to another State.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

THE RIGHT MAN

107

6.

THE RIGHT PLACE.

IN
I.

His lambskin robe of glossy white

Befits his martial

His pard-fur

Are such

air.

pendants bright,

cuffs, his

as warriors wear.
2.

From

truth

and

right

we know

that he

Will never swerve aside.

strong, such men must be
Their country's hope and pride.

So calm, so

No.

7.

BROKEN

TIES.

I.

Remember how we

When
Hand

first

used to stray.

our mutual love was new.

clasped in hand

So fond and
No.
Strange to say no

men

Mao
'

is

trod the way,

6.

assigned to this gentleman, the subject

The " Little Preface " makes the piece

who have not left their like behind.

of the poem.
the

name

we

true.

descriptive of

of old,

Ch'i ling takes the word Ying

pendants,'

and Dr. Legge

'

which

translate

ornaments,' as a metaphor for this

officer's virtues.

No.

My interpretation
except that I

make

Dr. Legge does.

of this

little

7.

piece

the piece more

is

nearly that of

retrospective

Chu

Hsi,

than he or

Most commentators of course take the view

CHINESE POETRY.

io8

2.

Now

words alone are spoken,

You only scorn me and deride.
Old love is lost, old ties are broken,
bitter

And

cast aside.

No.

8.

THE FOWLER AND HIS WIFE.

I.

"

Hark !"saith

the good wife; "hark! the cock doth crow."-

goodman; "nay, as yet 'tis night."

time for you to go
No,
star
is shining clear and bright.
The morning
and
arrows^ take your way,
Bearing your bow
Where you the wild geese and the ducks may slay."
"Nay,"

"

sir

saith the

arise, 'tis

Your quarry shot and pouched, then homeward fare,

And I will dress the game with care and skill.
All your old friends shall come the feast to share,
For them and you the goblets I will fill.
And ready to your hand your lute I'll lay.
"

And

surely thus will pass a pleasant day."

that the piece has

Duke Chuang had

according

is,

to

no reference
cast off.

to loversj but to statesmen,

The way which

whom

these persons trod

Liu Yiian, no high road, but 'the path of

righteousness.'

No.
This pleasing
I

J^

am

little

not qmte sure of the

friends."

^
Dr.

8.

ballad calls for no explanation.

correctness of

yw Tzu Chich Lao, which

Legge's translation is, "I

my

make

will

translation of
" All your old

hope

to

grow old

CHINESE POETRY.
"

My

109

husband's friends are not his friends alone,

But by his wife is their affection felt.

Thy comrades dear I'll cherish as my own

To them

I'll

give the jewels of

my

belt.

That these may form a

gift, wherewith I may

Their cordial kindness and their love repay."

No.

9.

BRIDE AND BRIDEGROOM.

The

chariot speeds along the

With face as fair as flowers

She sits her lord beside.

As on

way

in

May,

the coursers swiftly dash,

Her pendants

ring, her jewels flash.

A sweet and
So good, so

lovely bride.

perfect she^ our lays

Shall ne'er be wanting in her praise.

with you," a sentiment which seems to me out of place here,
though Pfere Zottoli gives a similar rendering of the words.

In his metrical edition,

version of this ballad

Dr. Legge again gives us a Scotch

the work,

this time, of

one of

his

nephews,

and a charming translation it is.

The Marquis D'Hervey St. Denys in his "Etude sur I'Art
Poetique en Chine," remarks of this piece, " Quoi deplus simple,
par exemple, et de mieux fait pour nous reporter aux premiers
I for one certainly agree with
sifecles de I'histoire que cat ode.''
him.

No.
The

is

compared,

Hua, the hibiscus, or, as Dr. Legge

" the ephemeral hedge tree." The name of the lady in the

are those of the

says,

9.

" flowers in May," to which the lady's face

Chinese version

is

^, Shun
the

eldest

Chiang

^, M^ng

Chiang.

The introduction of her name at once involves us in confusion.

Duke Chuang's eldest son, Hu jg, afterwards Duke Chao 03

CHINESE POETRY.

no

No.

lO.

MOCKERY.
A SONG.
I.

(The mulberry-tree on the mountain grows.)

No beautiful youth like Tzu Tu I see.
(And down in the marshes the lotus blows.)
But this young madcap makes love to me.
2.

(On the mountain are springing the

No sensible man like Tzu Ch'ung

(And down
But
(B.C.

the marshes the

greet.

lily shines.j

this artful fellow alone I meet.

CKi good

700-694), did the Marquis of

latter,

Win

in

lofty pines.)

out of gratitude, offered

Chiang, in marriage.

poem

him

The

service,

and the

his eldest daughter,

jj^

natural conclusion, therefore,

is

an epithalamium in their honour, but there is an

Hu declined the proffered honour.
insuperable objection to this.
Moreover, the lady was anything but good and perfect. I am

that this

is

inclined to think then that the lady's

and, in

my

name has been

translation, I designedly leave

it

Preface " and most commentators will have

it

out.

interpolated,

The

"Little

that the piece,

by

describing the happiness of bride and bridegroom, makes fun of

Hu

Win Chiang. If this is so, I can only say

can conceal their humour pretty effectually.
James or Horace Smith would have found it necessary to add a
few such explanatory couplets as this
for not

marrying

that Chinese poets

mean

But a

the beauteous lady would be seated by his side,

little

thing, prevented

it,

she never was

his bride,

sir,
sir.

Bow, wow, wow, &c.

No.
Tzu Tu

^^

\%

10.

mentioned by Mencius as the type of an

Adonis, but I can find no record either of him or of Tzu Ch'ung

-p

elsewhere.

It

is

scarcely necessary to say that there

another interpretation of this song, namely, that

it

is

is

a satire

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

II.

WITHERED LEAVES.
A SONG.
I.

The withered leaves, the withered leaves

Are tost by storm winds blowing strong.
If

you

will

only give the key,

You'll find

me join you

in the song.

2.

The withered leaves, the withered leaves

The wind is blowing them away.

me
And I

Give

the key-note of the tune,

will

then complete the lay.

No.

12.

DEFIANCE.
A SONG.
I.

You

artful lacE?^- r- -..^^

Because you don't address me wheifM'^ ^meer.

Shall I be sad,
Or fret for you until I cannot eat }

Duke Chao, who gave his confidence to persons

The allusion to the trees on the mountains and

directed against

unworthy of

it.

the flowers in the marsh are only the burden of the song.
to see in

them a

I refuse

and marshes had their

while the young lady had not what was due to

hint that the mountains

proper possessions,
her.

No.

Chu

II.

Dr. Legge on this occasion

an appeal from the inferior officers
of Ch'ing to their superiors, begging them to reform the misgovernment of the country. It should be noted that the person or persons
addressed are called " uncle "or " uncles."
I follow

Hsi's explanation.

takes the loftier view, that

it is

CHINESE POETRY.

112

2.

When you
You

silly

refuse,

me

boy, a meal with

Don't think I choose

For love of you all day to

No.

lie

to take,

awake.

13.

UTRUMQUE PARATA."

"IN

" Braw, braw

lads of Galla Water,

Oh braw lads of Galla Water

knee,
I'll kilt my coats above my
And follow my love through the water."
!

Burns.
I.

If

your affection

still

continues true.

you say you do

Then kilt your coats above your knee,
And wade across the streams to me.

And you

love me, as

still

2.
;

if

you're

silly,

^"d vnura.o^^J3^:a^5^^*i!Wr^ed
attractive

Iream that

many
-^
to

am

other lovers

No.

<!^

maid

quite bereft,
left.

12.

Let those who believe in such things find out an allusion in this
Duke Chao. I am content to leave the meaning of the piece

as I find

and

it,

Here again

Tu

brother

as I have given

let

us leave
alone,

is

in

my

song.

the Chin

\^ and Wei

younger

I prefer to

the streams."

^,

make

the person

and not the lady and

mood, rather than make the

The rivers mentioned are
tributaries of the Yellow River.

to put the verb in the imperative

I will cross

^^
his rebellious

and content ourselves with the simple

to cross the streams the gentleman,

lady say, "

verses.

No. 13.
Duke Chao and

meaning of the words of the

who

it

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

^13

14.

THE BRIDE TO THE BRIDEGROOM.

I.

My handsome
On
I

sweetheart would remain

watch to catch

me

loved him well, but

And

in the lane,

was

shy,

did not dare to meet his eye.

They

him come within the gate,

used to make him wait.
I'm sorry now I was so rude ;
I left him there in solitude.

But

let

still I

3-

But yet I am his bride at last

My wedding veil is o'er me cast.
So, husband, yoke the horses to.
And bear me to your home with you.

No.
Liu Yiian

how

will

the State of

have

it

14.

that this piece relates, metaphorically,

CKhig declined an

favour of one with Tsu

^,

alliance with

Chin

in

but afterwards threw over Tsu in favour

of Chin.

Dr. Legge

states that there is nothing to

show

that there

was a

contract of marriage between the speaker in this ballad and the

person to

whom

she alludes.

have Liu Yiian's authority

for

embroidered garments
saying that the clothes, which she put on
with a plain mantle over them are wedding clothes, and not,

as Dr.

Legge has

it,

travelling clothes.

the language of the lady

is

If

we once

as modest, and, at the

loving as that of any bride's should be.

allow

this,'

same time,

as

CHINESE POETRY.

1 1

No.

15.

AND YET SO

"SO NEAR

FAR."

I.

Pass the eastern gate, and gain

'Neath the wall the level plain.

Note the bank that runs around,

Where

the madder- plant

Chestnut trees

There you

'II

found.

shade the road

o'er

find

is

my

love's abode.

Close it is to us, and near,

But the man, who should be here,
Has departed far away.
Longing for him night and day
I am ne'er from sorrow free,
For he cometh not to me.

No.

16.

"NO PLACE LIKE HOME."

'Tis

dark and dreary out of doors,

The wind blows

And

shrill

cold, a thick rain pours.

the cock

crowing.

is

wind or rain,
husband home again.

Little I care for

I

have

my

With joy

my

heart

No.
The

is

glowing.

15.

other interpretation of this ballad

plenty of

men

is,

No.

were

16.

Many commentators make Chun Tzu

" a husband," but a superior man.
is an expression of joy that such a

Perhaps

that though there

of worth in Ch'^ng, they would not take office.

this ballad

If this

man

-^ mean here not

is

so then the ballad

has at

last

been found.

ought to be taken as the sequel of the

last.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

,15

17.

CONSTANCY AND FICKLENESS.

I.

You wear blue belt and collar

As full grown man and scholar,

And at

your will have liberty to go abroad or roam ;

While I, a woman only,
Though desolate and lonely,
Must never dare to leave the house, but have to stay
home.

at

2.

You

never come
Or even send to

meet me,
me.
In haunts of dissipation with your fickle mates you play.
But though I fear and doubt you,
single day without you
As slowly and as wearily as three months drags away.
to

greet

See the note on

it.

See also Dr. Legge's notes on

this

The mention

of the cock contains a subtle allusion to

do their duty
and stormiest

in the hardest times, as cocks

crow on the darkest

nights.

No.
The

piece.

men who

17.

"Little Preface" and some of the commentators,

this ballad the

make
who would
" Remember," says

address of a sage to an idle young pupil,

rather play truant than stick to his studies.

the sage, "that one day without a sight of your books causes
you to lose the result of three months' labour.''

The phrase, " haunts of dissipation," only means the city wall
and towers on it, which from this and other poems, we learn was
a favourite promenade for the youths of the period when these
pieces were written.

CHINESE POETRY.

ii6

No.

8.

DISTRUST.
A FRAGMENT.

Of our

friends are left but few

Scarcely more than

Do

and you.

not trust what others say,

They'll deceive you

if

they may.

alone continue true.

No.

19.

"A POOR THING, BUT MINE OWN."

I.

I wandered forth in pensive sort,

And watched the merry maidens sport
With frolic, mirth, and fun.
In garments red and purple drest.
They seemed to me as clouds which i^est

About the

setting sun.

No.
The

18.

two Stanzas of which the Chinese version

consists, are identical with the two first lines of stanzas i of No. 6
" The fretted waters do not carry a bundle of
of the last book.
first

(a) thorns,

that

poem,

this I find

line of the

and

(*) firewood."

that I could see

none.

persuaded myself, in translating

some meaning

in the allusion,

I conclude, therefore, that the

stanza of this are superfluous, and

my

two

but in
each

lines in

version leaves

them out

altogether.

Some

of the

Chao, who

is

commentators argue that the- speaker

No.
The
gate,

"

is

Duke

addressing his brother T'u,

keep

"

and

^'

and the enceinte

19.

flanking walls" are the tower over the city

in front of

it,

which one

still

sees in every

CHINESE POETRY.

uj

Yet not the fairest could compare

With one I know, whose shining hair
Doth nothing but a kerchief bear,

A plain

white robe her only wear,

Yet none excel

her, none.
2.

wandered- by the lofty keep

flanking walls that round it sweep.
Again the maidens throng.
With lissom forms, with eyes like jet.
I

And

They seemed to me as flowerets

The marish fields among.
But none could tempt

my

From

far

In

her

kirtle

I love,

now

set

heart to stray

away,

white and kerchief gray,

The maid

for

whom

No,

long.

20.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

The grasses on the moorland
Were thick and wet with dew.
I met my love
So handsome, fond and

By chance

Chinese

city.

No.

7 of this

there,
true.

book has already shown us

that the

wall of the city used to be the fashionable promenade.

Dr. Legge makes the lady the wife,

natural to

make her a

think that

it

is

more

sweetheart.

No.
Liu Yiian says that the piece

20.
is

metaphorical.

The

writer

wishes that as the moorland was wet with dew, so the country
might be refreshed with the results of good government, and that

CHINESE POETRY.

ii8

His brow is broad and noble,

His eyes are bright and clear
I

ne'er shall cease to love him,

My

own,

my

life,

No.

my

dear.

21.

THE SPRING FLOWER FESTIVAL.

I.

winter's gone and past.

Streams that lately lay asleep,

Gloomy

In their ice-chains fettered

Now

are running clear

Large and

On

fast.

and deep.

level plains of grass

the further side outspread,

Haunt

of

many

a lad

and

lass

Plucking flowerets white and red.

he might meet with a man of worth. Others, of csurse, say that

the piece was written to indicate the state of disorder which then
These infer that the lady and gentleman were met for
existed.
no good purpose.

No.

21.

The rivers mentioned in the Chinese version are the Chin and
the Wei of No. 13. The flowers carried are Valerian (Eupatorium
Zottoli)

This

and Peonies.
little

ballad, as harmless as

"

Come

lasses and lads

Get leave of .your dads,
And away to the maypole hie,"

naturally arouses the prurient indignation of Chinese scholars,

who

talk of the

lewd manners of the people of Ch'Sng.

am

sorry

CHINESE POETRY.

119

3.

"

Have you been

" Yes,"

^'

across

he says,

"

"

says she.

indeed I've been."

Come

again, and come with me

Let us both enjoy the scene."

4.

Every man and every maiden

Sport together hour by hour.

With a load of blossoms laden

Each to each presents a flower.

Legge follows them. He heads his version of the piece,

and advantage taken of it for licentious
I do not see why one should be completely blind
assignations,"
that Dr.

"

A festivity of Ch'Sng,

to the innocent

freedom of those early days,

CHINESE POETRY.

i2t

Book VIII.
Ballads, Songs,

and other pieces

collected in the

country of Ch'i.
Gh'i

^ was one of the great

fiefs

of China during the

Chou

Dynasty, and was evidently a State of power, influence and

importance.

It lay in the bight of the

Gulf of

Pechili, in

the northern portion of the present Shantung Province.

Its capital

ruler
in

was Ying Ch'iu

was Chiang ^.

No

4 of Book IV.

Montmorenci.

^. The

family

name

of

its

A " Chiang of Ch'i," as we have seen

is

the equivalent of a

Howard

or a

CHINESE POETRY.

122

No.

I.

A WIFE'S DUTIES.
Wife.
Do you hear that sound ? 'Tis the cock a crowing.
Do you see the light ? 'Tis the dawn a glowing.

"

In the Audience Hall Ministers of State

Flock in crowds to greet you. Do not make them wait."

Husband.
"

Nay
Nay
Day

humming.

'tis

not the cock

'tis

not the dawn, nor the morning coming.

is

not at hand.

"

'tis

This

the night

is

flies

but the light

Of the morning star shining clear and bright."

Wife.
" Though it would be sweet at your side to He,
Dreaming pleasant dreams till the sun was high
If they only find a bare

They

will go.

On

and vacant

hall,

us will their anger

No.

fall."

2.

A HUNTING SONG.
I.

Oh, those merry days of hunting,

When we meet beneath the hill.

Hot

for sportj yet friendly rivals,

Praising each the other's

No.

skill.

I.

make this piece a conversation between the Duke and his

wife, and not a narrative.
The Duke in question is said to be
Duke Ai '^, B.C. 934-894, who was uncharitably called licentious
and indolent.
I

No.
" The Hill "

Ying Ch'iu, the

in this

Capital.

2.

j^ Nao, a mountain not far from

" Wild boar covers two Chinese words,

song

is

''

CHINESE POETRY..

123

2.

Savage wolf nor cunning wild boar

Could escape our dexterous aim.

On

our prey we rushed together,

Neither first to kill the game.

No.

3.

THE BRIDEGROOM.
The bridegroom
and

And

stood to wait for

me between

the door

screen,

entered next the courtyard and the hall to find his

bride.

The, ribbons stretched above

and green.

Whence
One

is

his

brow were yellow,

strings of precious jewels

Mou ^,

hung

tinkling at his side.

" a male," and the other Chien

three years," but the commentators agree

white,

" a beast of

that these were both

wild boars.

be directed against the inordinate love of

the song " We'll all go a-hunting to-day,"
has a similar application.
Dr. Legge, following the Chinese com" Frivolous and vainglorious
mentators, heads his translation
compliments exchanged by the hunters of Ch'i."
This song

is

said to

hunting in Ch'i.

If

it is,

No.

To

satisfy

3.

the commentators, even this

to allude to the evils of the time.

little

piece must be held

This meaning can be extorted

by two devices. One is to say that it alludes to a better state of

things in days gone by, when the bridegroom came in person to
fetch his

bride, instead of sending his best

man

for her.

The

bridegroom of being too free and easy.

" (-gi
"
Hun Li) says that " the
of
Marriage
Etiquette
The
f||
(see
Notes on No. 9 of the
the
goose
presenting
after
bridegroom

other

is

to accuse the

3rd book), should drive three times round "the house, and wait
He had no business to come within
outside until the lady came."
the doors. Liu Yiian, who propounds this sapient theory, gives

124

CHINESE POETRY.

No.

4.

A LOVER'S MEETING.
A

maiden

fair

and bright

Comes to find me, when the night

Has departed, and the eastern sky is
But lest some curious eye

red

Should presume to play the spy,

my

Soft and lightly on

Delights fade

Comes
Rises

full

But

all

footpath will she tread.

too soon.

the evening, and the

My

and round.

moon

darling dares not stay.

softly will she pass

my pathway through the grass,

Lest her footprints should our meeting place betray.
O'er

a further proof of his wisdom by asserting that the bride de-

bad manners.

liberately calls attention to her husband's

Rather

a rash thing for a bride to do.

The
and

worn by the bridegroom

jewels

Ying stones

crystals of

some

No.
Three courses are open

One

is

to transmute the

and bright

" into "

are

Hila,

didactic rather than erotic.

Chinese commentators here.

when

of worth,"

Another

is

to

The

third

is

to

take

licentious intercourse of the people of Ch'i."

A maiden

the piece

make

expression of the relations existing between Ruler

in the State of Ch'i.

Yung

4.

to the

phrase which I translate "

A man

kind, I believe.

it

it

fair

becomes

a figurative

and Ministers

as showing " the

(Legge).

My trans-

lation approaches the last interpretation,

laying too

much

stress

Honi soit qui mal y pense. Lord Macaulay

much warmer than this, but I could not call
mean the poem beginning

took place by day.

has a similar ballad,

it licentious.

though I see no need of

on the impropriety involved. The meeting

CHINESE POETRY,
No.

125

5.

THE COURT USHER.

I.

You're a clever sort of usher for us Ministers of State,

For when you're not too early, you are sure to be too

You^r& a

man who'd

late.

fence a garden with a single willow

spray.

And

suppose that you could thereby keep the rogues and

thieves away.
2.

You lately came to call me in the middle of the

Not a sign of day appearing, not a single streak
I

hustled on

And

my

night

of

light.

garments upside down, wrong side before,

to find myself too early at the Court,

Oh,

fly,

Madonna

away

I tore.

fly,

Lest day and envy spy

What

only love and night

Fly and tread

Lest those

The sound

piece
Ch'i.

is

safely

know.

who

hate us hear

of thy light footsteps as they go.

No.
The commentators,

may

softly dear,

5.

followed by Dr. Legge, believe that this

directed generally against the irregularity of the Court of

I prefer to

make it a lampoon on

the Usher, or Chamberlain,

of the Court.
" Fencing the garden with a willow spray," is usually supposed
"
feeble fence seemed to mark the
to have been effective.

between forbidden and other ground, and the most

In the Court of Ch'i, however, the
reckless paid regard to it.
and night was disregarded, and
morning
evident distinction of
times and seasons confounded." (Dr. Legge.) But surely the
phrase is ironical.
It is only another way of putting Sydney
distinction

Smith's saying, "

carrot,"

A man

who would

bolt a door with a boiled

CHINESE POETRY.

126

No.

6.

A WARNING.
The fox enraged and mad with fierce desires
Alone to hills and deep ravines retires.
Must you, a human being, waste your life
Longing for her, who is another's wife 1
The road by which she went is straight and plain,
But never dream that she returns again.

Remember how in life things run in twos,

From jewelled cap strings down to hempen shoes.
Between a wife and husband, who will dare

To thrust himself, and thus destroy the pair ?

When hemp is planted, if the farmer knows
The proper method, plants are set in rows.

When

maids are wed, the parents must be told,

Lest they object, and their consent withhold.
But they were told. Consent they freely gave,
like a man, and gentleman behave.
In splitting logs, an axe is what we use.
In wedding wives, the custom is to choose

So

who undertakes to do
needed to unite the two.
Those rites were duly done 'tis melancholy
To see you thus a prey to your own folly.

Some

trusty friend,

All that

is

No.

From

the mention in the Chinese version of this piece of " the

daughter of CKi, and the way to

against

6.

Hsiang

^,

the

Duke

incestuous intrigue with his

Lu ^," we

see that

it is

of CKi, circa b.c. 700.

sister.

directed

He

had an

Wen Chiang

"% |g (mentioned
was married to Duke

No. 9 of the 7th book), who

of the State of Lu.
The Chinese version of
the poem is far milder and more lenient than we should expect,
when such a horrible crime is to be rebuked. In fact, it reads
in the notes to

Huan g,

the

like a reproof

Head

addressed to a disappointed suitor

the lady of his affections,

who

still

longing for

has jilted him and married another.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

127

7.

TIME THE CONSOLER.

The
Has

field,

which

overtasked

Most
Only

carefully I

attempt to

my

till

strength and

sowed the

skill.

seeds,

to reap this crop of weeds.

2.

No

thought, no longing, will restore

My
My

absent love to

me once more.
only guerdon is the smart
And aching of my anxious heart.
even from naming
found in No. 2 of
said to have written
the author, whoever
he was, was evidently afraid to speak out. The Chinese version
strikes me as being just as doggrel as my own.
Dr. Legge says that the two first stanzas of the original are
directed against Duke Hsiang, the two latter against Duke Huan,
who connived at his wife's crime. His reason for this inter-

There

is nothing in it to express a shrinking

such an abomination as incest, such as we
Book IV. One of the officers of the Court is
This may well be the case, but
this poem.

pretation

Yu Chu

is

that the last line of

one stanza

Chih, which he translates, "

her desires ? " and the

last line

Why

-^ 31 ft jh ^^
do you still indulge

is

of the other -^ 5C t^ Jh -^^ Y"

allow her to go to this extreme?"

CKi Chih, "Why do you still

But I see no reason why these two lines should not be translated,
" Why do you still indulge j'(7;- desires ? " and " Why doj/^K go to
this

extreme

"

Any

other interpretation spoils the unity of the

piece.

No.

7.

guess this piece to be corrupt; that is to say, I think that "it

would be more perfect without the last stanza, which I have
I

paraphrased very freely.- Translated literally, this stanza runs:

" Young and tender is the child with his hair in tufts. All of a

sudden he wears a cap

(sign of a

grown man)."

The commen-

CHINESE POETRY.

128

3-

But sorrow shall be cured at last

By time, which hurries by so fast,
That ere one thinks a year has flown
The baby is a man full grown,

No.

8.

HUNTING SONG.
JOHN PEEL IN CHINA.

The couples and the collars, which are hung on every hound.
Have a merry jingling sound.
And a pleasant man their master is, who leads them to the
chase.

With

his jolly

bearded face.

Duke Hsiang, who entertained ambitious projects

which he was unable to carry out. The absent friends, whom he
sought in vain to win, were the rulers of other States.
Dr. Legge
heads his translation, " The folly of pursuing objects beyond one's
tators refer to

strength."

No,
This song
in translating

is

8.
I follow Chu Hsi
"bearded," rather than

akin to No. 2 of this book.

Ch'iian

"good" and "able,"

and

as Dr,

\^

Ssu,

Legge does.

CffIJS/SE

No.

WEN

POETRY.

129

9.

CHIANG'S RETURN.
I.

Below the dam a trap was

To

stop the finny prey

But now

Worn

'tis

laid

ragged, old and frayed,

and rent away.

and bream
Swim unmolested up the stream.
out,

So mighty

sturgeon, tench

2.

And surely woman's modesty

Was likewise rent and torn,
Ere she would dare thus shamelessly
To brave our hate and scorn.
This lady,

who

With crowds of

returns again.
followers in her train.

No.
This

poem

9.

Win Chiangs crime. She is

CKi from Lu, in order to carry on her

brings us back to

represented as returning to

The commentators

incestuous intrigue with her brother.

say that

and worn out fish-trap is a metaphor for Duke Huaris

influence and authority over his wife, which ought to have restrained her, but did not do so.
I prefer to understand it as a
metaphor for her womanly feeling and modesty, which had been
the broken

destroyed.

The

fish

mentioned

in the

Chinese version are the

jgjj

Fang,

^j^ Hsu, tench (Williams and Legge), or perch

(Zottoli), and the jffl^ Kuan.
No one seems to know what this
fish was, but all agree that it was a large fish, so I have called it
bream,

the

a sturgeon.

Zottoli calls

Dr. Williams describes

it

it

a whale, scarcely a fresh-water fish.

"
huge fish found in the

as follows

Yellow River, and reputed to be large enough to fill a cart the

story is that it cannot close its eyes and never sleeps, whence
the name is applied to a widower, or an old man who has
never married, because they cannot sleep soundly without a bed;

fellow"

(sic).

CHINESE POETRY.

f3o

No.

WEN
The road she

lo.

CHIANG- IN HER CHARIOT.

travelled that evening

was broad and easily

found,

And

she shrank not from human eyes, nor desired not to

be seen.
Her gorgeous royal car rushed on at its topmost speed;
So fast it rattled and ran, it seemed from the earth to bound
It had scarlet leather sides, and a chequered bamboo screen,
And a tangle of bridles hung on the neck of each sable steed.
And neither the rushing stream, nor the crowds on the

way, which eyed

The lady with horror and shame, could

stop her, or turn

her aside.

No.

II.

OUR LOST

PRINCE.

I.

We

remember him and sigh

Not a man could match him
;

Stature

tall,

here.

a forehead high.

Eyeballs gleaming bright and clear.

No.

lo.

last.
Wen Chiang appears
have made an assignation with her
brother, but there is nothing to show to which of these the piece
refers.
The stream which she crossed was the W^n fjf, which

This refers to the same events as the

on three separate occasions

to

divided the State of CKiixom. Lu.

My

version

is

a free paraphrase of the original.

No.

II.

nothing in this piece to indicate that it is anything but an

expression of regret for some prince, dead or departed, whose
handsome person and accomplishments had won the affection of
I see

his subjects.

All the commentators, however, refer

it

to

Chuang

CHINESE POETRY.

131

2.

No

one

He

could shoot from

dance was seen

With such nimble twinkling feet
With such stately noble mien,
Princely manners so complete.
in the

3-

With

morn

so strong an aim

Every arrow

hit the

till

and

dark

true,

mark.

Pierced the target through and through.

4-

Claiming undisputed sway

As his right, he governed well.
Who would dare to disobey
Who would venture to rebel ?
.''

^,
and

the Duke, not of CKi, but of Lu, the son of

Wdn

Chiang.

Duke Hsiang

oi

CKi

Duke Huan

not only committed

own sister, Chuang's mother, but murdered Chuang's

Chuang, therefore, according to Chinese ideas, ought
not to have lived under the same heavens as the slayer of his
father; but he failed to take any steps to avenge his father's
murder, nor did he even prevent his mother continuing her
criminal career.
The ballad laments that so handsome and accomplished a prince should so neglect his duty. We are to infer
all this from the two first Chinese characters of the poem signifying "alas."
Surely one little word never carried so much before.
Lord Burghley's nod was nothing to it.
" Indeed our nephew," is the literal translation of the concluding
line of the second stanza in the Chinese version.
Dr. Legge
understands it to mean the nephew of our ruler, which Wen
Chiang's son would certainly be, but I think that it only indicates
that the subject of the poem was a man of noble race who had a
incest with his

father.

right to rule.

In the " Classic of Poetry " there is mention of rustics dancing,

and of sacrificial dancing, and of dancing as an amusement, but
this is the

only instance of dancing as the admirable accomplish-

ment of a man of rank.

CHINESE POETRY.

133

Book IX.
Ballads, poems,

and

songs collected in the country

of Wei.
Wei 1^ was a small feudal State lying in the Great
Bend of the Yellow River, which consequently bounded it
to

south and west.

Its

being parsimonious and

in

inhabitants

thrifty,

but

if

had the name of

the two

first

pieces

the book are a criterion, their parsimony was rather

of the type of

Lady Susan

Scraper's than after the fashion

of that of the canny Peebles body, whose

bang.'

I infer

that

Wezwas

'

saxpence went

a sort of Chinese Grand

Duchy

of Pumpernickel, and that the swagger and pretension of

its

people exposed them to the ridicule of their neighbours.

commentator suggests that the pieces

which

will all

be found to be either

in

this book,

satirical or descriptive

of bad government, were written by the natives of neigh-

bouring States.

The same

idea had already struck me.

CHINESE POETRY.

134

No.

I.

A SNOB.
I.

He stands on one side and politely makes way

He does it as only a gentleman can.
With such ease and address, each observer
" Ah, he is indeed a superior man."

will say,

2.

He

is

decently clothed in an excellent dress

From his girdle a pendant hangs down to the ground.

With his wealth and his manners, would any one guess
That this fellow is only a mean stingy hound ?
3-

He
Hemp shoes must suffice, notwithstanding his riches.
And his bride, so they say, worked the whole wedding day
won't afford leather.

With her

delicate

In cold winter weather

hands on

No.

Hemp
dolichos.

his collars

I.

shoes are open-work shoes

I

and breeches.

made

of the fibre

do not think that Dr. Legge has got the

of the sentence about the shoes.

" Dolichos shoes were for
it thus

mentators, he explains

wear, yet necessity might require

winter."

of the

meaning
Following the Chinese comreal

and

This blunts the edge of the

justify the

summer

use of them

in

satire.

During the first three months of wifehood the bride was not
supposed to be called on to do any work, but the hero of this
ballad, who reminds me much of Mr. Cheviot Hill, in Gilbert's
Comedy, " Engaged," had no scruple in setting her to work at
once.
He was " the sort of man who would bury his wife from
the

Army and Navy

Stores."

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

135

2.

GENTEEL POVERTY.
Dressed in their gorgeous robes, which gleam like gems or
like flowers,

The

Chamberlains, Marshals and Equerries spend

all their

hours

leisure

In going to the banks of the river or marshes, and there

they stoop.

To gather mulberry leaves, with purslane and sorrel, for soup.

To act in this skinflint way, to be stingy and pinch and save
Is scarcely the proper way for the Lords of the Court to
behave.

No.
The
is

^ Mu

no doubt the

is

2.

sorrel,

rumex

acetosa.

^ Su

The

the plantago {Alisma Plantago, Zottoli), Dr. Legge calls

lips,

it

ox-

7^

and Williams, purslane.

" Chamberlains, Marshals

The

Kung Lu,
Zottoli),

and Equerries,"

Superintendent of the

the

'Qi

Chariots

are the

(Rector

Ciirruum,

fj Kung Hang, Marshaller of the Chariots

and
]^ Kung Tsu, Clan Superin-

{Essedorum Ordinator),

tendent (Regim Fatnilice Prxses).

Dr. Legge, in

when he

says, "

my

We

opinion, introduces

a needless refinement

are not to suppose that the officer or officers

actually did "gather the sorrel," &c., but only that they did things
which parties performing such tasks might have done.
I have made the stinginess of the officials the fault lampooned,

but

it is

State.

only just to their

memory

to point out that the author of

may have

only wished to ridicule the pretensions of the

Quasi dicat. " What an absurd thing it is that a miserable

the lines

little State like that of Wei, whose greatest men were so poor that
they had to pluck sorrel and purslane to keep body and soul

together, should

chamberlains.

used

to."

have such

officials as

These are not the

marshals, equerries,

sort of

Court

officials

we

and
are

CHINESE POETRY.

136

No.

3.

A WOULD-BE

RECLUSE.

I.

Were it wise
The delights

for

shall

to try

of solitude

Peaches, plums

These

me

be

my trees supply;
my only food.

To

myself I'll play and sing

Solace this will surely bring.

2.

There

Stop though.

Dense and

Why

's

the foolish crowd,

who do not know

They call me proud.

dull,

I grieve.

Are they just in saying so ?

With a little thought they 'd guess

Whence

arises

my

distress.

3-

Shall

Travel

rather leave
all

Every one who

Calls

me

my

home,

the country over

me roam

sees

idle reckless rover,

Caring not to ascertain

Any

reason for

my

pain.

No.
The mention

3.

and plums (N. B., jujube plums)

is supposed by Dr. Legge, who follows some of the Chinese
commentators, to contain an allusion to the misgovernment of the
"The peach is but a poor fruit, but while there are
country.
p caches

of peaches

in the garden, their fruit

Wei are

few, but

can be used as food

The people

they were rightly used, good government

would ensue." I do not know what the Chinese think about
jujube plums, but the peach to them is, and always has been, the
of

king of
fruits as

if

I feel pretty sure that the speaker only mentions

food which would supply his simple wants.

fruits.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

137

4.

A DISTANT VIEW OF HOME.

I.

The ridgy fir-clad hill I clomb

To gaze towards my father's home.
Methought

I heard him say

son has gone to serve abroad,
morn nor eve will rest afford

My

"

Nor

Poor lad, I fondly pray

That he may take a little

Nor

die,

and stay

care.

for ever there."

2.

turned

my

eyes towards the spot,

Where stands my mother's humble pot
Methought I heard her voice.
I

She

said, "

My

darling child from needful sleep.

Alas stern duties keep

Twould make
If I

My
Two

lines,

" Those

my

were sure that

heart rejoice.

should see
son restored alive to me."
I

which occur twice over

men are right (or That man

is

them

No.
This pleasing

Denys

and are probably corrupt.

" Are they just in saying so ? "

are, to say the least, obscure,

late

Chinese version
what do you say ?"

in the

right)

little

I trans-

4.

ballad leads the Marquis D'Hervey Saint

into a dissertation

on the unwarlike character of the Chinese.

Dr. Legge, on the other hand, remarks that the sentiment conit is " one of lamentation over the poor and weak Wei,
whose men were torn from it to fight the battles of its oppressors."

tained in

What

necessity

is

there for seeing in the

poem anything more

than a passing longing for home, which the bravest and loyalest
soldier may feel without incurring the charge of cowardice or

want of patriotism

Max

Piccolomini

is

not supposed to be any-

CHINESE POETRY.

138

3-

gazed across the lands

brother's hamlet stands
Methought I heard him cry,
" His work and worries never cease
No quiet, solitude or peace
For him, ah would that I
Could bring him back with us to dwell
Unharmed and safe, alive and well."

Again

To where my

thing but a brave soldier, because Schiller puts in his

mouth some

beautiful speeches regarding the joys of peace, such as the one

beginning

"O

schoner Tag wenn endlich der Soldat

Ins leben heimkehrt, in die Menschlichkeit."

and ending
"

gliicklich,

Sich zarte

wenn dann auch

Arme

sanst

sich eine Thiir

umschlingend offnen."
Wallenstein.

day thrice lovely when at length the soldier

Returns home into life ; when he becomes

A fellow-man
^

among
TT

Oh, happy man, oh,

his fellow-men.
TP

Tl*

fortunate, for

whom

The well-known door, the faithful arms are open

The faithful tender arms with mute embracing.
Coleridge's Translation.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

HARD

139

5.

TIMES.

A FRAGMENT,
Through

the fields the livelong day

Mulberry pickers idly stray.

There is nothing here to do,
Let me go away with you.

No.

6.

THE WHEELWRIGHT.
The stalwart wheelwright hews the maples tall,
Which ring and eqho as his axe-blows fall.
Upon the bank his ordered wood heaps lie,
The clear, yet rippling, river eddies by.

*****
No.

This scrap

refers,

no doubt,

to

S.

some time of

distress or scarcity.

There are two generally accepted explanations. One is that the

State of Wei lost so much territory that the farms of 100 inou, or
Chinese acres, were reduced to ten. (See Dr. Legge's notes for

The farmers,

a definition of the measurements.)

not

make

The

a living.

other meaning

is

therefore, could

arrived at by

the planters a metaphor for the Ministers of State,

work

Wei worthy

in

of their powers,

making

who found no

and therefore wished

to

go

into retirement.

No.
The

trees,

6.

which the wheelwright hews down, are T^an

trees,

which term appears to be applied to several kinds of hard wood

timber.
Dr, Legge makes them Sandal-trees, which, I fear, do
not grow in Central China.
I hope Maples is not a very bad
shot.
I

have

my

doubts whether

separate pieces.

this

do not think

poem

is

not a mixture of two

that the whieelwright cutting

down

CHINESE POETRY.

140

Although you sow no seed, nor reap the field,

Three hundred farms to you their harvest yield.
On others falls the toil. They reap and sow.
Yet sheaves and stacks your barns and bins o'erflow.

You

never dare the dangers of the chase,

But spoils of birds and beasts your courtyard grace.

Mark. Every truly worthy man is loth
To eat the bread of idleness and sloth.

No.

7.

RATS.
I.

Rats,

rats, rats,

From

our millet refrain.

Oh

rats, rats, rats.

Spoil not our standing crops.

Leave uninjured our

grain.

is held up as an example to the rich personage, whose wealth

comes to him without an effort on his part, because there is nothing
to show that such a comparison is intended, except that the

trees

mention of the wheelwright occurs in the stanzas describing the

unearned wealth of some idler. Otherwise, the comparison is not

worked

to_

me

unnatural.

that I

am

To

a conclusion or elaborated in any way.

wheelwright a

call

the

Chun Tzu ;g: ^, or superior person, too, seems to

Still, I may well be mistaken.
Those who believe

will

please, for the

last

couplet in

my

translation,

substitute

Men like that sturdy wheelwright would be

To eat the bread of idleness and sloth.
No.

loth

7.

commentator observes that this poem is the last in the book

to show that shortly after the date when it was written, the State
of Wei was absorbed by Chin . Another commentator remarks

CHINESE POETRY.

141

Three weary years

Never a kindly deed
These three weary years,
Never a wish to spare

Us

in

our bitter need.

3-

So

let

us depart

Where sorrow

shall cease,

happy land,
Happy land, happy land, happy
Home of comfort and peace.

There

in a

land.

that in that part of the country there actually were large field rats

who did great mischief, so that the metaphor of rats applied to

bad rulers, would at once appeal to the imagination of the
people.

The

repetitions in this

poem

are found in the original version.

CHINESE POETRY.

143

Book X.
Ballads and other poems collected in the land

of T'ang.
T'ang J

is

Great Yao

the country of the

mythical, or semi-mythical, Emperor,

ascended the throne of China

King Ch'eng
brother

Shu

^ 2

Sku Yu

of the

^^

Yu's son changed

of a river within

neighbouring

its

fief

who

Dr.

name

to CAin

from the name

It

absorbed the

Wei and became one

of the most

for all practical

Legge

purposes to say that

names of poems

It is

accurate

CMn

is

con-

This book

collected in T'ang, probably, as

suggests, because of the Chinese fondness for

ancient legends and traditions, but

that the

B.C. 11 06

invested his

terminous with the modern Province of Shansi.

retains the

the

with the government of this State.

its

important feudal States in the kingdom.

enough

^,

said to have

In

B.C. 2357.

Chou Dynasty

southern boundaries.

of

is

it

must be remembered

poems of T'ang include the poems of

Chin.

CHINESE POETRY.

144

No.

I.

MERRY AND

WISE.

I.

Our work is finished for the year

Our carts may idle stand.
The cricket on the hearth we hear,
;

For winter

is

at hand.

Now is the time for sportive fun,

For frolic and enjoyments,
Before the days and months bring on
Fresh labours and employments.
2.

Though mirth and merriment bear sway.

We feast as wise men should.
Lest in the wine cups of to-day
We drown to-morrow's good.

may arise.
To be serene and quiet,
For men of sense and worth despise
All mad excess and riot.

'Tis right, as evils

No.

I.

was written with the design of encouraging

the people to keep up the good old simple customs, which had
come down from the time of Yao. Of course the commentators
It was written, accordare not satisfied with anything so simple.
ing to the Preface, out of pity for the Marquis Hsi <g
This poem,

it is

said,

(B.C.

839-822),

who was

too stingy to enjoy himself properly.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

145

2.

"CARPE DIEM."
I.

Mountains are yours, within whose forests grow

The elm, the ailanthus, and the varnish tree.
And in your marshlands lying wet and low
Wild cherries, white elms, chestnut shrubs we

see.

2.

Great store you have of trailing robes and long,

Which lie and moulder useless and unworn.

Your

handsome, and your coursers strong,

cars are

And

yet along the streets you ne'er are borne.

3-

Courtyards adorn the mansion where you dwell,

And halls, where no one comes the dust to sweep,
With many a drum and sweetly ringing bell,
Which ever mute and voiceless lie asleep.
4-

Why

stint

and spare

With wine and

To

.''

for surely

were best

day

cheer the hours and give to mirth a zest

So take your

lute

and sing a merry

No.
There are

sticphyloides,

trees

six

"thornyelm;"

Zottoli),

it

dainties to prolong the

ifff

Yii,

2.

in

this piece, viz.

||f

CMu,

"white elm;" ^"^ K'ao, "ailanthus" {euscaphis

Zottoli),
Ch'i,

mentioned

lay.

|3: ^^^> " ^"^^ cherry

" varnish tree

" {ligustrum sinense,

" (r/^z^j vernidflud),

and

Li,

" chestnut tree."

Each stanza

in the original begins

with two lines containing

the mention of these trees growing on the mountains and in the

marshes.

I rather incline to

"a burden" conveying

little

the belief that the lines are only

or

no meaning, though

have

CHINESE POETRY.

146

s.

Think

all

destroying death comes creeping near,

When ourmost cherished

Shall be the stranger's,

goods, our hoarded stores.

who

shall take our gear,

Shall spend our riches, and shall tread our floors.

No.

3.

THE CONSPIRATORS.
I.

As o'er the fretted waters of the stream

Some tall white rock above the waves may gleam
So mid the crowd of faithful followers here

We

see your majesty

and splendour beam.

2.

Take

this silk robe,

by monarchs only worn,

Which collar and embroideries red adorn

Thus we invest you. Be our lord and king,
;

And
translated

whom

the

let

them as describing the possessions of the person to

poem is addressed. It is not known who the person

in question was.

poem

us be your loyal subjects sworn.

Liu YiJan observes that Confucius places

next the one immediately before

the happy mean.

ment, but

it

is

It is right

wrong and

and wise

it,

this

in order to point out

to be

moderate in enjoyaltogether from

foolish to abstain

recreation.

No.
This

poem no doubt

3.

refers to the rebellion of

against his nephew, the Marquis

CMao

Shortly

Feudal Prince, the Marquis

invested his uncle with the government of the city of CKu Yu
\^, where the latter grew to be more powerful and influential
than his nephew, whose yoke he endeavoured to throw off. A
civil war, which lasted sixty-seven years, ensued, at the end of
after his accession to the position of

Huan Shu |g j^

gg, b.c. 744-738.

CHINESE POETRY.

147

3-

we now ? We fear no grief nor woe

Lead us, we follow. We would face the foe,
Prompt to obey the lightest order given,
Nor think that others shall our secrets know.

What

care

No,

4.

A GOOD TREE.
"

He

be

shall

like the tree that

groweth

Fast by the river side,

Which

bringeth forth most pleasant

In her due time and tide

Whose leaf shall never fade nor
But flourish and stand.

Even

so

That

all

this

fruit.

fall.

things shall prosper well

man

takes in hand."
Sternhold's version of Psalm J.

Huan

which time

Shu's grandson had succeeded in having his

Marquisate acknowledged.
Dr. Legge makes the speakers in the poem the conspirators,
but the person to whom they speak is only Huan Shu^s messenger,
right to the

not

Huan Shu

himself.

The

inspiring sight of their leader

" When we
we not rejoice?" and not
" Since we
structure admits

in the conditional future

shall

as I prefer to do,

lord, shall

Chinese
lord

we do

rejoice,

&c."

He

"

We

follow,"

Yu) and

is

Kao"

seems to

its

as the

Marquis CKao of the

that such an inter-

me

dramatic appropriateness.

"we

in the original

Yu

(i.e.

CNu

Yu.

be the hero of

this.

will follow to

a town or city in the district of

No.

Huan

and

goes on to say that this piece was

It

pretation robs the piece of all

put

have seen our princely

written with the intention of warning the

machinations against him.

is

have seen our princely

Shu, of the last piece,

is

CKu

4.

said to

have strained a translator's license rather severely in my

version of this piece, for the " noble spreading tree " is nothing
I

but a pepper plant or pepper vine^ whose clusters would

fill

CHINESE POETRY.

148

'Tis a noble spreading tree

Far and wide extend its shoots,

Covered thick with clustered fruits.
Such is he
He, the man we celebrate,
Peerless, generous, and great.
;

No.

5.

LOVERS MEETING.
I.

Cut down

The

the grass and thorns, and

tie

bundles with a hempen band.

Orion climbs the southern sky.

To tell us winter is at hand.
pint measure, or both hands.

book, the Chi Yiin

have the authority of one Chinese

is such a thing

|, for saying that there

as a pepper tree, but I fear that

tree of Baber's inimitable vers.e

" In

Yuen Ming Yuen

must be classed with the

it

tea

all gaily

arrayed

In malachite slippers and kirtle of jade,,

'Neath the wide-spreading tea tree fair damsels are seen.
All singing to Joss on the soft candareen."

Most of the commentators take

dressed to the Marquis CKao,
will

grow

|g ^H

this

who

is

as rapidly as a pepper vine.

piece as a warning ad-

cautioned that rebellion

note to the

Erh Ya

or "Literary Expositor," remarks that the upper pods

on

a pepper vine have a knack of turning downwards, while the

under ones turn upwards. Hence, the pepper vine becomes a

good simile for a country in a state of internecine warfare.
Dr. Legge is no doubt correct in treating this little piece as a
song, but I think the refrain, with which he concludes his metrical
version, has overstepped the sublime.

"

And

its

hey

for the far-shooting

No.
I translate

It

runs

pepper plant

still."

s-

the three stars of the Chinese version ("

The

hree

CHINESE POETRY.

149

2.

On

winter evenings lovers meet.

"A

noble suitor, mine,'' she

Where

"

So

cries.

you find a girl so sweet.

as you are 1 " he replies.

will

fair

No.

ALONE

IN

6.

THE WORLD.
I.

The

pear-tree's leaves are thick

and strong.

Beneath its shade I pass along

Unnoticed by the busy throng.
2.

Ye

travellers, to

you

cry

For kindly aid and sympathy.

Unheeding still ye pass me by.
3-

In vain.

Your help

may

not claim.

Strangers ye are, and not the same

As
stars

those

who

appear in the sky

bear

") as

indicate Orion's Belt, which

my

father's

name.

Orion, as I believe that the three stars

is

seen in the south-east shortly after

when

the nights begin to grow cold,

and sensible country folk collect stores of fuel. Dr. Legge makes
them part of Scorpio, but their appearance on the eastern, or

sunset during the autumn,

south-eastern horizon, does not synchronize with autumn.

I do not think that we need trouble ourselves to hunt for the
usual allusions to the disorder of the time, and to the misgovernment of Ch'n, which the commentators find in this piece, but Dr.

Legge's notes on this

poem should be
No.

This

when

poem

is

6.

said to picture the desolation of Marquis Ck'ao,

his friends

It is said

carefully read.

and

followers deserted

that the pear

tree

is

him

to join

mentioned, that

its

Huan

Shu.

condition.

CHINESE POETRY.

ISO

No.

7.

LOYALTY TRIED HARD.

Oh

mighty

and leopard

prince, with robe of fur

cuffs be-

decked,

Why

Can we

To

your humble vassals with

treat

neglect

unkindness and

no other master ?

find

break old

ties,

Yes, but

forget old loves,

may be contrasted with

who had not a friend near him.

covered thick with leaves,

the wanderer^

No.

We

are

harping on the

still

The meaning

corrupt.

Mao

and of

*j^

king.

the distress of

7.

civil

believing that the piece, which

stanza,

a bitter thing

'tis

and serve another

war

of Chic Chii

Chiu Chiu

I cannot help

in Chin.

probably only a fragment,

is

in

jg in the

the second,

is

first

is

Chinese

the difficulty,

and others, make the characters mean unkindly,

doubt whether there is another example in Chinese

Ch'i Lin,

though

having such a signification. If this is really

meaning, the piece is a warning, addressed to the

literature of their

their correct

descendant of Marquis Ch'ao, that, unless he treats his people

better, they will go over to the Huan Shu faction.
Liu Yiian,
on the other hand, makes the piece a profession of loyalty, by
taking the doubtful sentences to mean, "

round you," an interpretation

be

for

You have

which there

is

us collected

a great deal to

said.

The " robe

of fur

''

is

lamb's

fur, typical

of the Prince's be-

nignity, while the leopard cuffs denote his martial power.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

151

8.

ANXIETY FOR THE ABSENT ONES.

I.

Listen, in the grove I hear

Sounds of many a

As

rustling wing.

who appear

'Tis the wild geese,

the harbingers of spring.

2.

Warmer weather is at hand.

By their coming here they warn
Husbandmen to sow their land
Plant their millet, rice and corn.
3-

may neither plant nor sow,

Nor prepare the year's supply.

And

for all that I

Those

at

can do,

home may

starve and die.

4.

For the men who serve the king,

By their weight of work opprest,
May not cease from labouring,
Must not snatch a moment's rest.
No.
Here we have again our old

8.

friend, the

this time, is serving in the civil

appears open to question whether the Pao

It

as Zottoli says, or a wild goose, but

leads

me

from the
first

home-sick soldier, who,

wars in Chin.

to guess that
rest

it

is

my

the latter.

Newchwang

is

a bustard,

Newchwang
is

frozen

up

of the world during four months of the year.

The

and of the melting of the

ice in

sign of the advent of spring,

the river and bay,

is

the flight of the wild geese,

the south, and are anxiously watched for in

inhabitants

^1

experience at

and the European

residents.

who come .from

March by the Chinese

Bustardsy on the other

CHINESE POETRY.

52

5-

may

Powers of the azure heights,

Blest

by you,

we,

return again

To our hearths and homes, to be

Men among our fellow-men.

No.

9.

CLOTHES OR ROBES.
I

have no clothes

at all,

you declare

You are wrong I have plenty, you

They may not be so rich or so rare
As your own, but they 're excellent
;

And warm, and

do nicely

for

see.

wear,

me.

hand, are found there all the winter. The Chinese version deI do
scribes the birds, whatever they are, settling on the trees.
not think that either bustards or wild geese perch.
" Men among our fellow-men " (a plagiarism from Coleridge),
is

in

the equivalent of Chinese words, meaning,

"When shall we be
men again ? "

our places, and get back to the ordinary lot of

No.
This

is

9.

again a corrupt fragment, consisting in the Chinese

version of two short stanzas which, literally translated, run as

follows

robes)

Stanza

i,

"

How

do you say there are no clothes

(or

Not equal to yours but quiet and

Stanza 2, " How do you say there are no clothes
There are six. Not equal to. yours, but quiet and

There are seven.

auspicious."
(or robes) ?

It will be seen from this that the translator is

dilemma. If he translates the piece as I have done, he is
forced to change or omit the epithets quiet and auspicious,'
which are nonsensical when applied to a man's clothes. (Tailors
do apply the epithet quiet to the pattern, by the way. But we
must not be flippant.) On the other hand, j^ Yii means stout,
warm, durable, an epithet to be used in reference- to a suit of
corduroy, but not when state robes are spoken of. Still, all the
commentators translate
Yi as robes, and explain the piece as

durable wear."

in a

'

'

'

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

153

10.

" 'Tis poverty parts good company."

Old Saw.
I.

On

the left-hand side of the pathway

pear-tree stands all alone.

Where

the road forms a sudden angle,

Is the

shade of

its

branches thrown.

2.

Would he come
I

love to

We would
And
follows

The

success of

JV

civil

my

to

me

there, the sweetheart

mid

heart's

core.

travel the road together.

never be parted more.

war

in

Chin was finished

B.C.

678 by the

CMng JSS, Huan Shu's grandson, known as Duke Wu

He appealed to King ffsi fj IE to confirm him in his

position, to

which request the king, influenced, it is said, by

and appointed him Marquis of Chin. The

bribery, consented,

poem,

therefore,

is

the appeal of

Cheng's followers

that their

should be supported by the king's authority, and is

supposed to be addressed to the royal envoy.
Put into verse

master

in this sense,

it

would run thus

Say you, he does not possess

Symbols of authority,

Robes of State ? I tell you, yes,

Seven Robes of State has he.
But should our great king bestow
Such gifts on him at your hand,
All the realm would see and know
And obey his high command.
Thus good government and peace
Would prevail, and discord cease.

No.
It is

10.

almost needless to point out that I get

my

theory that this ballad represents a

she

is

woman

little

support for

complaining that

too poor to retain the affection of her sweetheart.

The

CHINESE POETRY.

154

3-

am

poor and friendless

coin in the world have I.

But, alas

No
And my larder is bare and empty.
And my cellar has quite run dry.

No.

II.

THE WIDOW.
I.

The trailing creepers shroud the thorns in gloom,

The wild vines spreading o'er the wasted plains
But mock my sorrow, for they hide the tomb,
Which holds my lord's remains.
commentators will have it that it is a man regretting that he
cannot retain as his companions men of worth and excellence.

The
he

Duke Wu the subject of the poem, but if

meant, his poverty must be taken in a highly metaphorical

Preface makes

is

Surely the phrase, "

sense.

which

is

literal translation

that the speaker

To

is

love

him

to

my

heart's

core,"

of the Chinese characters, indicates

speaking of one of the opposite

sex.

take the solitariness of the pear tree as an image of the

me

condition of the speaker, seems to

No.
The "creepers "

rather far-fetched.

II.

are the dolichos,

and the

Lien, convolvulus

ipomoea pentadactylis (Legge) ; cissus (Zottoli).

This piece is assigned to the time of Duke Hsien J^, B.C. 675The dead
650, during which period there was frequent war.
man was no doubt a soldier who left a young widow to mourn
his loss.
I make the allusion to the pillow and the splendid
broidered coverlet, merely a tender reminiscence of the marriage.
" How
Pfere Zottoli translates the verse in the present tense
:

splendid

is

the broidered coverlet

;"

and deduces from

this that

CHINESE POETRY.

155

2.

My husband. Oh, the night when first we

My head lay on the pillow at his side.

met,

They threw

the splendid broidered coverlet

O'er bridegroom and his bride.

3-

By me must now long days of summer heat,

Long winter nights, in loneliness be past.
But though I live a hundred years,
Within the grave at last.

No.

we'll

meet

12.

'WARE SLANDER.
Should some one bid you climb and seek
On Shou Yang's topmost peak
For liquorice shoots, and say, " Below
You'll find the mustard grow."

You'd laugh and

Such foolish

tell

him you despise

childish

lies.

the husband was called away to the war immediately after his
marriage, so that the coverlet is still new and bright. "Torus est

novus, et ego jam sola."

Liu YiJan, on the other hand, makes the sapient remark that
still alive and dependent on her, or unless
she had young children to bring up, so virtuous and loving a wife
unless her parents were

would have committed

sati at her husband's

No
Shou Yang "^ p^
person would expect

is

tomb.

12.

a mountain in Shansi, on which no sane

to find the

Ling

^,

hquorice plant,

^ Kv,

CHINESE POETRY.

iS6

To

every story which you hear

Nor

Give no assenting ear.

list to each malicious lie,

But coldly pass

Thus every

it

by.

cruel slanderous tale

Will prove of no avail.

sow-thistle (Sonchus Ohraceus, Zottoli), or

of which are marsh plants.

Duke Hsien
to slander.
be, the fact.

is

My

Fing, mustard,

all

verse omits the middle one.

supposed to be the person warned not to listen

this should be, or should not

know no reason why

CHINESE POETRY.

157

Book XI.
and

Ballads, Songs,

other pieces collected in the

rnwn.tvv of
nf Chin.
C^h'm.
country

Ch'in

now

the

is

may

be said to have been a State lying where

was Fei Tzu

by King Hsiao i^ 2,

Duke

Hsiarig

^,

Feudal Princes.
"

Warden

The first feudal

who was invested

modern Province of Kansu.

chief of the country

B.C.

909

^ J-,
894.

was, in B.C. 769,

He

His descendant,

made one

of the Great

held the office of what

CA'zn was

of the Marches."

of great importance to the

we may

call

no doubt a State

kingdom of China,

as on

it fell

the duty of protecting the realm from the incursions of

the Jung, and other wild tribes of the West.

of Ch'in gradually

their capital

rulers

more and more

to

Eventually, Ch'in became the dominant power

the East.
in China,

moved

The

and one of the Ch'in reigning

line

was he who

abolished feudalism throughout the realm, and changed

China from a Kingdom to an Empire.

Prince Cheng, better

Huang

ti,

known

who burned

" the

as

the

I
first

mean, of course,

Emperor Shih

Books," had the scholars

executed, and built the Great Wall of China.

CHINESE POETRY.

iS8

No.

I.

A PRINCE INDEED.
His carriage sheds hold many heavy cars
steeds, upon whose foreheads shine white stars.
ushers stand to guard the Prince's gate
Such things beseem the ruler of the State.
Nor would the Prince his subjects' needs forget,
But for their use upon the hills he set
The varnish trees and mulberry trees, which grow ~)
Upon the heights, and, where the ground is low, \
The chestnut trees and willows, in a row.
J
When we attend his Court no haughty pride
Repels us, nay, he seats us at his side.

And
And

He

bids the lutes strike up, the organs play

In mirth and merriment

we

pass the day.

Death and old age too quickly conquer man.

He would be happy therefore while he can.

No.
The reader will remark
command the admiration

I.

the various qualities in a ruler which

of the Chinese.
Not only must he

show beneficence to his people by planting trees for their use,

and condescension and urbanity to his visitors, but he must be a
man like Dogberry, with two gowns, and everything handsome
about him, and servants and attendants in plenty. The " ushers
at the Prince's gate" are eunuchs, who are found only in
palaces.

The

piece

is

referred to

CKin Chung

{pja,

the

Duke

of

in

CHin, who was promoted to honour by King Hsuan Jg

B.C.

826.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

159

2.

A HUNTING SONG.
I.

You

see

them

My steeds
The

driver

straining at the rein,

of iron grey.

mounts

his seat again.

Friends, to the hunt

away

2.

The jingling bits, the merry sounds

Of small bells sweet and clear
Announce the carts, which bear the hounds^
.

And

follow in our rear.

3-

To northward

lies

our hunting park,

All forest beasts are there.

The

finest stags shall

be our mark

So drive them from

their lair.

4-

A stag

is

roused.

"

To

we

left/'

cry,

All eager for the game.

And as the chariot wheels, let

And never miss our aim.
No.
The

subject of this song

in the introductory

"

The hounds

is

fly.

2.

said to be

Duke Hsiang, mentioned

note to this book.

" are of

two kinds, long muzzled dogs and short

means dogs that ran by sight,
as greyhounds, and dogs that depend on scent.

muzzled dogs.

My

I daresay that this

translation

is

rather a free paraphrase.

CHINESE POETRY

i6o

No.
"

By

3.

AMONG THE WILD

TRIBES."

night and day with longing heart

yearn

When will my husband safe to me return ?

He leaves his country at the king's behest,
To
I

quell the unruly rebels in the West.

seem

him

to see

sitting in his car,

and furnished well for war

whose ordered rows
with cases for his bows

'Tis short but strong,

With dragon-figured
Protect the front,

Of

shields,

tiger skin with metal studs bedight.

And heavy

trident spears with gilding bright.

Upon the mat he sits, and by him

The charioteer, the reins are in his

No.
It

stands

hands.

3.

would indeed be a tour de force

into English verse without omissions.

to put this Chinese

poem

Dr. Legge has attempted

Homer's Greek is the only

it, but the result is not very musical.
language which could possibly reproduce it in anything but the
The first stanza begins "
small war-chariot
baldest prose.
:

with shallow boards,

A five-spUced

pole and pole-end, Running

and side- straps, Masked traces and

mat and long nave." The second and

ring

gilt

fasteningSj Striped

third stanzas are almost

first.
The one treats of the team of horses, the
armament of the chariot. I will venture on no long
description of the chariot and its appendages, but will refer the
reader to Dr. Legge's books, and to the engraving in Zottoli's
" Cursus Literaturae Sinicse," vol. iii. The picturcj taken from a

as

tough as the

other of the

Chinese source, shows the dragon-figured shields, the bow-case

bows, the tridents,- and the reins passing through

for the pair of

the

running ring, which evidently hung loose, and was not

attached to the backs of the horses.

and what

How

the horses

were

meaning of the traces being masked or

concealed, is a mystery to me, unless it is that the traces passed
underneath the coats of horse-mail, with which the horses were
attached,

covered.

is

the

CHINESE POETRY.
With even pace

i6i

his four great stallions run,

Outside, to right a black, to

left

dun

And

next the pole a bay horse and a pied,

With running rings and bands and buckles

A rebel's plank-built
Must be

hovel, rude

tied.

and mean.

and serene
and rule the people. Ah, may fame,
Throughout all ages, celebrate his name.
And may I live that happy hour to see
He'll

his Court, but tranquil

sit

Which

brings

my

well-loved lord again to me.

No.

4.

"DIVIDED."
I.

The

rushes and reeds on the river side

Are touched by the

And

silver

frost to a

Is seen in the place of the

The poem

deeper hue,

rime in the morning tide

diamond dew.

some ofBcer of state going to

good government among the wild
western tribes. Duke Hsiang is again said to be the person
" Tranquil and serene," covers several epithets in
referred to.
One of these is " Bland and soft as a piece of
the original.
(Dr.
Legge's
translation).
jade"
Jade is one of the hardest
restore order

evidently depicts

and

establish

things in creation.

No.

To make

4.

the speaker in this ballad differ in sex from

the

The poem may possibly

person spoken of is my own idea.
apply to a friend seeking for his comrade, but I think that the
language is almost too warm for this. The usual Chinese interpretation

is

that

it is

an

allegorical description of

search for superior men,

who had become

Duke Hsiang's
Even when

scarce.

CHINESE POETRY.

62

2.

They tell me the maiden of whom I dream,

Of whom I am thinking by day and night,
Will be found on the bank of this rapid stream

go to

find her,

my

heart's delight.

3-

The way up stream

So
I

so hard to tread.

is

my

steep, so long, that

am

and to try

forced to return,

The

feet

move

slow.

instead.

path which follows the waters' flow.

4-

She is there on that islet. Ah, cruel fate,

For the swollen wintry waves divide

The

shore where

And

may

stand from the

not cross to

No.

my

little ait,

darling's side.

5.

A WELCOME.
On Chung Nan

Hill the poplar trees

Embrace the mountain's rocky

knees.

In every valley, every glade,

The plum

trees cast a grateful shade.

he finds the desired man he can make no use of him, for the
gulf between the two cannot be passed.
The " Little Preface "
calls the piece a. satire directed against Duke Hsiang, who could
not find the

men

of ability to strengthen his State.

No.
This piece

is

S.

Duke Hsiang. It is supposed

made a Prince of the kingdom.
Hsi An Fu "
^, the district

likewise referred to

to celebrate the fact of his being

Chung Nan f|

was a

hill in

CHINESE POETRY.
Our

prince, to all the nation dear,

coming.

Is

163

Ah, see

his

Give him welcome here.

ruddy healthy face

Bright tinkling

gems

his girdle grace.

He

wears fur robes of glossiest white,

And coats with royal badge bedight.
Long life be his. He is indeed

The

prince, the ruler

And

our affection shall proclaim

For ever

his

SATI OF

need.

undying name.

No.

THE

whom we

YEN

6.

AND HIS TWO

HSI

BROTHERS.
Through

'Tis spring.

the groves the orioles dart

In their rapid and restless

Their yellow wings

Of

flash, as

flight.

upon the sprays

the mulberries they alight.

of the provincial capital of Shensi.

Tiao^ which, following

On

grew plums and f^

it

Zottoli, I translate " poplars."

" white firs," and Williams " pomelo trees."

The "Royal badge" was a a symbol of
broidered on the

is

shape gS em-

skirt of the state robes of feudal Princes.

No.
This ballad

this

Legge has

to

me

6.

one of the most suggestive and interesting

pieces in the whole classic.

With the exception of

that part of

the Mahabharata which describes the sacrifice of Madrt, the best

beloved wife of Pandu, at her husband's tomb, this is probably

In what part of the world
the earliest mention of sati, or suttee.
did this custom

first

arise ?

The

details

regarding the practice

among

the Thracians

writer

and Scythians.

who

gives us the fullest

Herodotus^ who describes

is

He

says

sati

"E^ci yvrai/cas

CHINESE POETRY.

i64

2.

Who

followed the

Duke

Through the gloomy

to the other world,

gates of the grave

'Twas the warriors three of the Tzu Chii

Yen Hsi and his brethren brave.

iKa,(no<i iroAAas,

yvvaiKlav

Tiav

emav

Kat

(ov

ns avrw/
(TirovSal

(jiiXmv,

clan,

aTToOavrj, Kplafi yiverai ft-fyuXtj

ia-)(Vpal

ToBSe ^tis airiwv

ircpi

e^iXeeTO /ioXicTTa viro Tov avSpoi- ^ 8'av KpiOrj KaiTip,r]6y iyKwfiiaa-deicra

re avSputv Kat yvvaiKwv, (KJid^erai
tov rd<j)ov vTrb tov oiKrji.oTa.70v

wo
ToS

iurrjTrji a-(jia)^6ti<Ta

8k a-w6dirTeTai t<3 avSpi,

Herodotus.
"

Each man (Crestonean) has

any of them

dies,

\,

chap.

v.

When,

several wives.

a great contest arises

among

k. t.

Book

among

v.

therefore,

the wives, and

which of them was most

She who is adjudged to have been so,
and is so honoured, having been extolled both by men and women,
is slain on the tomb by her nearest relative, and when slain is
violent disputes

their friends,

loved by the husband.

buried with her husband."

Cary's translation.

Again, in speaking of the Scythians, Herodotus says " When

King dies he is buried in the country of the Gerrhi.". .." In
:

their

the remaining space of the grave they bury one of the King's
concubines, having strangled her, and his cup-bearer, a cook, a
groom, a page, a courier, and horses and firstlings of everything."
"^A year afterwards

fifty

servants, are strangled

and

. .

of the King's horses, and

stuffed with chaff

fifty

of his

and stuck round the

King's monument."

"Ev Se

T'^ Xotirij

f.vpvxmpiri ttji

6riKrj<s

tGi/

iroXXaKcW re /mmv

diro-

TTviiavTK Ba-KTOVtri, Kat tov otvoxoov Kat jxayupov kol hriroKopLOV koX
tiriKovov KoX ayyiKi-qi^opov kol ittttovs Koi rSr aXXiof dvdvTiav dirapvas.
.

'EvtauToi;

u>v tS>v

Bk Trf.pi<^ipop.ivov aSris

SirjKovwv

emav

Xio-TOJOVTas irevT^KOVTa e^c'Xovres

ifiTTL'TrXaarL

TroUvai

ToiovSe.

aTronvi^wcn TrevTi^Kovra koi

ay(ypav Kat (jvppdTTTOvai,

avrSiv Trjv KoiXirp/ Kat

k. t.

TOVTOiV

tovs KaX-

ittttous

KaBrfpavm

X.

See also Ibn Batuta's account of the burial of the

Khan

of

Tartary.

We

have then

sati

recorded in the ancient annals of India,

CHINESE POETRY.

165

3.

As

they passed to the tomb, each face grew pale,

And

We

a terror

Was

wrung every

breast.

that heaven, grown deaf to our prayers.

felt

slaying our noblest and best.

Thracia, Scythia, and Tartary, as well as in China.

am
in

I,

for one,

inclined to think that the practice did not start spontaneously

each country, merely because, as Tennyson has

it,

" Those that in barbarian burials killed the slave and slew
the wife,
Felt within themselves the sacred passion of the second
I infer that the

had

its

traditional,

and

that

origin in the cradle of all these races in Central Asia.

India, where, as

purer

custom must have been

life

Max

Miiller says,

"

The

life."
it

In

love of a higher and

degenerated sometimes into reckless

self-sacrifice,"

sati

had become almost obligatory, until our laws

forbade a widow actually burning herself alive on her husband's
funeral pyre.
In China the form of sati which forces the wife,
lasted longest.

It

or servant of the dead, to follow the master to the other world,

never took deep root.

This very ballad condemns the practice.

The

Chinese, with their usual love of symbolism, not to say of

shams, contented themselves with placing stone images of men

and animals round the graves of their great ones. At the same
time a voluntary sati on the part of a wife is still held in great
honour.
A widow who will kill herself for grief at the loss of her
husband is sure of an obituary notice in the " Peking Gazette ";
and a commemorative arch, or pai lou, will be erected to her
memory. One of the concubines of His Majesty Hsien Feng,
the last Emperor but one, who died in 1862, committed suicide
The Empress, the chief wife of T'ung
at her husband's death.
Chih, the last Emperor, is also reported to have died of sorrow
for her husband's death.

Mu

^%, who is mentioned in this ballad, died b.c. 620.

At his death 170 persons, among whom were the three men of
A similar slaughter had
valour of the poem, were sacrificed.
taken place on the death of his father, when, it is said, this
Chinese
revolting custom was first introduced into China.
writers will have it that the inhabitants of CKin borrowed the

Duke

CHINESE POETRY.

56

4.

Each one of the

three, in the

Was a match
And a hundred

for a

time of war,

hundred meti.
lives we would gladly give
For one of them back again.

from the barbarous tribes among whom they dwelt.

Dr. Legge asks, " Have 'we not in this practice a sufficient proof
that the chiefs of Ch'in were themselves sprung from those
practice

The

tribes?"

were no doubt Hun, or Scythian,

They, too, had come from the west, in invasions
into China, which took place before the Li Min, " the blackhaired race," had found their home there.
I take it that there is
nothing to show whether sait was first introduced into Chinese
tribes in question

in their origin.

by these wild

by what we may call the real

remains that the practice was more
conspicuous in CA'm than in any of the other feudal States.
The only other mention of it, which I can find, is a record of
the sacrifice of two men in Ch'i the scene of the ballads of

territory

Chinese.

Book
last

Vni. at

feudal

tribes, or

the fact

Still,

the grave of T'ien

Prince of

CA'i.

He

Heng

resisted

Emperors of the Ch'in dynasty, and was

He was the
power of the
on an island off

|f

the

killed

the coast of China.

The

reason for mentioning the orioles in the ballad is not

I believe that they are spoken of simply to show

quite evident.
that

it viras

and

spring

have made

when

my

these three warriors were done to death,

The commentators
which we need not trouble ourselves.
I know nothing more of Yen Hsi
,g,, and his brothers
Chung Hang ftfi
and Ch'ien Hu |g
J^, than what I find in
this poem.
Dr. Legge thinks it more natural to make the warriors tremble
and grow pale. I prefer to make the spectators the subject of
translation accordingly.

find other allusions, with

No doubt the boldest would be terrified on such an

occasion, but their fears would scarcely be recorded in a ballad
which speaks of them as the bravest of the brave.

the verb.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

167

7.

DESERTED.
I.

Swift and fast the kestrel

flies,

Speeding to the northern wood,

Where the bushy oak trees rise,
There to find her mate and brood,

On

the

Where

hills,

or

down

below.

the elms and pear trees grow.

2.

must stay. He left me here;

Here to weep, alone, apart.
No delights, no joy to cheer
I

Or relieve my burdened heart.

Can it be
Oh, can it be ?
Has he quite forgotten me ?
.'

No.
The

^
"

^. Chu Hsi, whom

superior men,"

(B.C.

7.

ode turns on the words Chun-Tzu

follow, makes it "husband." Liu Yuan,

interpretation of this
I

who were

scarce in the time of

Duke K'ang J^

619-608).

The

trees

mentioned

in the ballad are

be useless as

said to

food or timber, and are, therefore, typical of the state of the

country, which produced no men of talent or ability.
The trees in
question are <:|^ Li, " scrub oak," !^ Fo, " elm " (celtis(?) Zottoli),

1^ Li,

" wild cherry,"

means a

elsewhere,

with the adjective

and

six,

or

tail of.

The

is,

I think,

the kestrel.

speaks of

it

text

is

is

all.

It

is

The word Fo,

here qualified

an epithet which no one can make head

doubtless corrupt. The
Shen Eing

^^

The

ballad in the original version only

wood. That she does

an interpolation of my own.

as flying to the

mate and brood,

Sui, " wild pear tree."

beast, not a tree at

so, to

seek her

CHINESE POETRY.

68

No.

8.

COMRADES.
A WAR SONG.

Armour you have none to wear

Then my own with you I'll share.

Don

it

quickly, for the king

All his host

is

marshalling.

Clad in mail, with lance and spear,

Sword, and all our warlike gear,
Side by side, as comrades true,
March we onwards, I and you.

No.

9.

CHUNG ERH'S RETURN.

I.

With

my

cousin

journeyed forth

To the Wei, and thence to the north.

When he went as a Prince to reign.
And recover his own again.
No.

8.

This is one of the few songs in the whole Classic,

genuine martial ardour gives the key-note. Attention
to the fact that

it

the feudal Princes,

King who is calling out

nor the Duke of CKin.

is

the

The war was probably an

called

the forces, not

^J
^ J.

No.
Duke K'ang J^

which

is

expedition against the wild tribes of

King Ping
father. King Yu

the west, undertaken by

avenge the death of his

to

(e.g.

770-719), to

9.

619-608) is the speaker here.

mother was the daughter of Duke Hsien jDj of Chin ^.
^..

(b.c.

two nephews were banished from

their native State.

One

of

His

Her
them

CHINESE POETRY.

169

2.

As we
Four

parted

steeds, to

A jasper,
To show

bade him take

keep for my sake

and gems

the affection

No.

for his belt,

I felt.

10.

A CHANGE FOR THE WORSE.

The house wherein we dwelt was large and stately,
At every meal too plenteous was our meat.
That did not

last long.

And now we

Erh

Times

are altered greatly.

never get enough to

eat.

who took refuge in Chin, but, after a stay

of 19 years, returned to his own State, and recovered his old
dominion, taking the title of Duke WSn ^JJ ^. K'ang, son of
Duke Mu, mentioned in No. 6 of this book, who was then heirHence these
apparent, escbrted his cousin on this enterprise.
was Chung

]|jl,

verses.

No.

When

10.

one of Duke Mu's old servants.

Duke K'ang succeeded Diike Mu, he was unwilling to

This epigram
treat his

'

father's

is

attributed to

followers with the old liberality, or, as

some

he had spent all his money in extravagance and wastefulness,

and was unable to do so.
say,

CHINESE POETR

171

Book XII.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the country

ofCh'in.
Ch'en

^ was one

of the smaller feudal States, situated

on the eastern borders of Honan, adjoining

The

Prefecture of Ch'^n

indicates the

the district
Prefecture.

Choufu

>}\\

/j^,

in

An

Huei.

Honan,

still

name of the old State. Its capital was in

of Huai Ning '{^ ^, in the above-named

CHINESE POETRY.

172

No.

I.

THE YOUNG DUKE.

I.

Through

winter's cold,

and summer weather,

This youth, so volatile and gay,

Must rush to town, and pass the day
In brandishing his egret feather.
2.

And

while his footsteps beat the

With music

all

And drums and

ground

he swings,

In cadence, as his fan

the precinct rings.

tambourines resound.
3-

A kindly lad

Yet something higher

and merry mind,
His friends in him would gladly find,
Something to look to and admire.

Than

spirits light

No.
This piece

Fu

tzii,

is

referred to

I.

Duke Yu

^,

e.g.

850-834.

followed by Dr. Legge, objects that the piece

liar for it to

be applied to a prince.

They

the dissipation of the officers of Ch'en.

assert that

Chu

too fami-

is
it

satirizes

seems to me, however,

far more natural that such an appeal should be addressed to some
"wild Prince Hal," than to a number of high officials, and I have
It

translated the piece accordingly.

The " tower "

is

Yiian

ChHu

mound

either in

or

adjoining the capital.

It was apparently like Rosherville Gardens,
" the place to spend a happy day."
No. 13 of Book III. has
already

an

shown us

that brandishing a feather or a feather-fan, was

Chinese dance. " Tambourine " is perhaps

essential part of a

an unjustifiably free translation of

as a musical instrument.

Occarina will hardly do.

^ Fou, "an earthen

really

know no English

jar,"

used

equivalent.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

173

2.

THE AUTUMN FLOWER FESTIVAL.

and lovely weather,
to town together
your hemp and spinning-wheel to-day untouched

'Tis fair

We will
So

let

remain,

For we are going straightway.

To near the eastern gateway,

Where the white elms and the oak
on the

trees cast their

shadow

plain.

2.

See youths and maids advancing

To meet each other dancing
With motions quick and graceful, they nimbly turn and
;

wheel.

He

says, "

As

the blossom which you bear, love

Give

me

You

are as

fair, love,

a flower in token that you feel for what

No.

My

translation

is

I feel."

2.

a very free paraphrase.

mentators, and Dr. Legge, will have

it

The Chinese com-

that the piece represents

It seems
the wanton associations of the young people of Ch'6n.
description
of an
the
it
make
natural
to
much
more
me
to

innocent merry-making, which took place when the manners and

habits of the Chinese were simpler and purer than they are now.
It should be noted that the first stanza in the Chinese shows
that " the daughter of

Tzu Chung, " a lady of rank, took

the dance, while the second stanza describes a

spinning-wheel to do the same.

low

all

girl

part in

leaving her

infer, therefore, that

high and

took part in the fun.

The two

last

lines of the original

run

" I look on you

mallow-flower, "^ Chiao, (sunflower, Williams)

of your pepper-flower,

||j

Chiao."

give

me

as a

a spray

CHINESE POETRY.

174

No.

3.

CONTENTMENT.
I.

Contented with my lot,

Within my humble cot
I can rest,
Undistrest,

Caring not what may befal me.

Fears of hunger ne'er appal me,

For the rippling

my

Satisfies

font

every want.
2.

When
Need

eat a

fish,

wish

Carp or bream
out some famous stream
wife rd woo,

From

No

princess.

Some one less,

Some lowlier maid will
There

is

another theory,

viz.,

that

surely do.

this ballad represents a

Witches' Sabbath, as the State of Ch'en had a bad reputation

for

magic and witchcraft.

No.

3.

would, of course, be impossible for the Chinese commenAccording

tators to leave the meaning of this little poem alone.
It

to them,

it

is

meant

to

convey advice

to

Duke

Hsi,

fa ^^

830-795), and to point out to him that though CKin was a

small state, it was big enough for him.
The " Princesses " whom the speaker can do without are the
(B.C.

Chiang of CKi (see No. 4 of Book IV.) and the Tzu of Sung.
The fish
latter were members of the ducal family of Sung.
are carp and bream from the Yellow River, the Chinese equivalents of Severn salmon and Test trout.

The

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

17S

4.

LEARNED AND BEAUTIFUL.

Near the

east

moat wide and deep,

Where hemp and

rush are set to steep,

Lives a modest beauteous maiden.

With such store of learning laden,

That it is in vain to try
Or by speech or song to task her.
For to anything you ask her
Prompt and quick comes her reply.

No.

5.

ALONE AT THE TRYST.

I.

By

the east gate the willows are growing

Their leaves are so thick and green

That a man may stand 'neath their branches,

And scarcely fear to be seen.
2.

So

I said, " I will

To meet

go

in the

gloaming

there a lovely maid.

With never an eye

Concealed

to spy us

in the

dusky shade."

No.
Some commentators say that

4.

this

poem

expresses a wish that

the ruler of the State could find such a wife.

" Hemp and rush " represent Jft Ma, "hemp,"

boehmeria" (Sida,

made, and

Zottoli), or

^ Kuan,

i^ Chou, "the
netde from which grass-cloth is

a sort of fibrous rush. ("Magna graminea

funibus apta," Zottoli.)

No.

S.

This piece needs no explanation.

The Preface

declares that

it

CHINESE POETRY.

176

3.

She never came, though I waited

And watched for her all the night,
'Till

the sky turned gray in the dawning.

And

the day-star was shining bright.

No.

6.

A WARNING.
Before the tombs the thorns grow rank and foul,
No man may pass unless he hews a road.

And

To

on the plum trees growing near the owl

Has chosen her abode.

evil courses is

he ever prone,

Alike our prayers and our derision scorning.

When vengeance falls, and he is overthrown,

He

'11

think upon our warning.

affairs, when, though the bridegroom

went to meet the bride, she would not come to meet him ; but
the words of the poem will scarcely bear this meaning.

describes an evil state of

No.
The warning
of Duke Huan

6.

supposed to be adressed to f J'V, the brother

(b.c. 743-706).
T^o was a sort of King John or
Richard III., who, on the death of his brother, killed his nephew,
the rightful heir, and got possession of his State.
The poem is obscure and presumably corrupt. It is supposed
that the mention of the tombs contains a dark allusion to To's
murderous propensities. The thorny (jujube) trees in front of
the tombs indicate his evil propensities, which should be extirpated,
though it takes cold steel to do it. Plum trees, on the other
hand, are beautiful and useful, but these are defiled by owls
birds of evil omen.
This shows how even his good qualities were
is

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

177

7.

A LAMENTATION.
'Tis spring.

With

The

flowers

and blossoms now

brightest robes the hills invest.

The magpies

flit

from bough to bough

To

build their nest.

Where coloured tiles the path inlay,

The merry sunbeams glance and shine.

And

all

men's hearts are blithe and gay

All, all but mine.
3-

By

base deceit a maiden fair

Has from my

And

am

loving arms been torn

left in

blank despair

To

pine forlorn.

defiled and ruined by his vices.

The obsequious loyalty of the
Chinese shrinks from employing plain language to a ruler, and
therefore most of the commentators say that this piece is not so
much aimed at J'V, as against those who did not teach him to
behave better.

No.

7.

Dr. Legge makes the speaker a lady lamenting the loss of her
lover.

I reverse the sexes,

and make

it

a lover lamenting the loss

The

Preface refers the piece to the slanders against

good men, which were prevalent in the time of Duke Hsuan
of his lady.

^^

691-647).
This piece, like the

(B.C.

an unusually
are the
Zottoli "

last, is

free paraphrase.

T'iao,

very obscure, and

The

flowers that

which Dr. Legge

my

version of

grow on the

translates pear,

and

it

hills

Pfere

tecoma grandiflora," and the ^,| Yi, which really means

a bird, a species of tragopan, but is supposed in this passage to be
Dr. Legge- translates it " medallion plant," and Pere
a plant.
N

CHINESE POETRY.

178

No.

8.

A LOVE SONG.
The moon's clear lamp is shining
Her beams illuminate the night.

My words

bright.

are feeble to express

Your beauty, charms, or sprightliness.

Have mercy. Tranquillize my heart,
Remove love's fetters, heal love's smart.

No.

THE

9.

TO CHU

VISIT

LIN.

I.

Why

Chu Lin in haste ?

he longing the pleasures of town to taste ?
Nay, nought for the town and its joys cares he,
'Tis the Prince of Chu, whom he goes to see.
speeds he away to

Is

I take no notice of the various

which the poem is supposed to suggest, prefering to
believe that the lines merely describe the scene.

Zottoli "spiranthes Australis."

allusions

No.
The

only thing to be remarked

that this song, which to

inside a cracker,

is

me

8.
is

that Liu Yiian will have

an expression of the desire

to illuminate the country, as the

moon

No.

]^, who, at the time of

ject of this piece is admittedly

who

men

9.

for virtuous

illuminates the night.

was the city of the Hsia

Chu Lin j^
Lord of Chu, or Chu Lin, was Hsia Nan
^,
Chi

it

suggests a valentine, or the verses

family.

The

the son of Hsia

poem, was a widow. The subDuke Ling

JV (e.g. 612-598),

this

not only carried on an intrigue with her, but shared her

favours with two officers of his Court.

In

this

lampoon, as

CHINESE POETRY.

179

2.

He

I will

And
Ere

Yoke quickly my horses to

camp to-night in the wilds near Chu,

says, "

will
I

break

my

drive

my

open

fast in that

home

chariot

No.

plain,

again."

10.

LOVE-LORN.
I.

The iris, lotus, orchis, light

With shining flowers the marshy

lea.

A maiden stately, tall

though she

I love,

is

and bright,
cold to me.

2.

My

tears stream

down

rage,

burn,

long for her, but long in vain.

All night I wake, and toss and turn.
I

But sleep

is

banished from

my

brain.

Dr. Legge says, the people intimated, with bated

intrigue of their ruler, not daring to

mention the

lady's

breath, the

name.

of the " Spring and

Autumn Annals," and

For

Book VII.

particulars of this unpleasant story, see paragraph 13 of

the notes thereon.

Le'gge's " Classics," vol. v., pages 304, 305.

No.

10.

Liu Yiian's comment on this poem is curious. He says that

it was the work of some loyal subject, who sighed to think that
though there were many flowers by the marshes, yet there was
only one good man in the State, viz., fjft or j^
Hsieh Yi,

who was

killed for

his

plain speaking to

ruler, the subject of the last

Duke

Ling, the evil

poem.

The flowers mentioned are the fH Pu, rush,

Han, valerian or eupatorium, and the Ho Han

flower (Legge), or Cyperi

gemma
N

(Zottoli).
2

Ho,

lotus,

^,

lotus-

fpf

CHINESE POETRY.

Book XIII.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the State of
Kuei.

Kuei 1^ was a petty State

Feng fu

now

stands.

weak,
Ch'eng

a,

^ ^

/ij,

It

situated

the capital of the

was

apparently

near where K'ai

Honan

Province,

misgoverned

and

and was eventually absorbed into the State of

g|5

B-C.

(see

Book

770 743-

VII.)

in

the time of

Duke

Wu

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

I.

A CONSTANT MEMORY.
You move

about with easy careless mien,

state receptions in your halls,
In fur robes clad, whose white and glossy sheen
Gleams bright and brilliant as the sunlight falls.
Do I forget you ? Nay, the inmost core

Or hold your

Of my

sad heart, remembering you,

No
There

are

just

is

sore.

I.

two sentiments in

this

ballad, which, in

the

The sentiments are

original version, contains three stanzas.
{a) " You saunter about in your Court elegantly dressed in furs," and
(V) " I think of

you with

grief

and pain."

From

deduce the

this I

simple interpretation that a lady thinks of her lover, a man of

princely rank, in all his glory, and sighs when she remembers
that she

is

Dr. Legge

that the piece represents the

Kuei over the

cared more to display his

officer of

properly.

The Chinese commentators and

not with him.

insist

The

frivolous disposition
fine fur robes than to

critics enter into all sorts

of lamb's fur, for instance,

may be used

lament of some

of his ruler,

govern

of minutiae.
in giving

who

his country

jacket

audience to

ministers, and a robe of fox fur at the Court of the Suzerain, but
both were out of place in private life. From this want of decorum
on the Prince's part they infer a general misgovernment of the
State, a refusal of "superior
rest of

it.

men

" to take office,

and

all

the

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

183

2.

THE NEGLECT OF PIOUS OBSERVANCE.

If

man

could only see

mourning cap and skirts of white,

In whose worn looks and earnest tear-stained
The signs of pious feeling one might trace,
How eagerly that man I would invite
To be a mate to me.

Alas

in

these evil times,

The symbols

when

all

face

neglect

of affection and respect.

No.

3.

THE CHERRY TREE.

I.

The

cherry stands where the

How
The

lovely,

how

fields lie low.

glossy, each tender shoot

delicate blossoms are white as snow.

And soft and pliant

And luscious and

the young sprays grow,

sweet

No.
The mourning

dress, for

is

the ripened

fruit.

2.

which the writer of

this

piece longs,

and white knee-caps. Acmourning costume should be

consisted of a white cap, white skirts,

cording to Chinese custom this

end of two years from the death of a parent.

is taken to mean that in Kuei a man who
father or mother was satisfied with a mourning of two years,

assumed

at the

Therefore
lost

or

less,

this

piece

instead of mourning, as he ought, for three.

Confucius,

Chap. 21 of Book XVII. of the " Analects " points out the wickedAs for a man feeling the loss of parents
ness of such neglect.
sincerely, and yet wearing ordinary dress and doing his work
honestly, such an idea would strike the Chinese mind as a
in

ludicrous impossibility,

^
^^

No.
Ch'ang

Ts'i/, I translate

3.

" cherry " on Medhursl's autho-

CHINESE POETRY.

84

2.

Oh, cherry

tree,

how

envy

thee.

As thou growest in bright unconscious beauty

Oh, cherry tree, how I long to be
From petty worries and troubles free,

No

longer a slave to tyrannous duty.

No.

4.

A PUZZLE.

rity.

Dr. Legge, in his prose translation, makes

it

the averrhoa

by the Chinese term of " goat peach").

Zottoli, the trochostigma repandum.
The piece is supposed to indicate some one's disgust at the
misrule prevalent in Kuei.
carambola (which he

versifies

No.

4.

can make neither head nor tail of

three stanzas.
The two first vary very
I

they run, " It

is

poem.

It consists of

Literally translated

not that the wind

chariot rushes along.

the centre of

this

little.

is violent.
It is not that a
look towards the road to Chou. To

my

heart I suffer pain.

It is not that there is a
not that a chariot moves with an irregular motion.
I look towards the road to Chou.
I am sad to the centre of my

whirlwind.

heart."

It is

The Chinese

explain this to

mean that some one

expresses

sorrow for the decay of the power of the Chou dynasty.

Possibly the verses may be a way of saying, "the country is
devastated with storms and war, but I should not care for that if
his

Government were just and strong, as once it used to be

good old days of Kings Wen and Wu." But now comes

only the
in the

make

confusion worse confounded " Who

wash his boilers. Who is willing to go
west? I will comfort him with good words." Can this mean,
" So anxious am I to get away westward from this miserable little
State of Kuei that I would cheerfully serve as scullion, and loyally
the third stanza, to

can cook fish?

I will

CHINESE POETRY.

185

who would enable me to do so ? " It would not be

make a metrical translation on these lines, but this

cheer any one

difficult to

interpretation

is

so

believe that the piece

far-fetched,
is

and doubtful, that

I prefer to

hopelessly corrupt, and I give the puzzle

up as a bad job.
The Chinese commentators have a good opportunity here of
giving the rein to their imaginations, and they do not fail to
make use of it. One of them says, " When people are troubled,
they are, as it were, tossed by the wind, or swept away in a chariot."
Another goes on to remark, " A whirlwind is a wind that has no
control over itself. A chariot that moves with an irregular motion
is one in which the charioteer has lost all control.
Such is now
the state of our country," A third observes, " Fish is good food,
therefore (why therefore ?), cooking fish refers to good government." The reader is reminded of our saying, " A pretty kettle
'

'

of fish."
I

should mention that there are two explanations of

J^
It may mean, literally, "The road to Chou," or,

Chou Tao.

metaphorically, "

The ways

of Chou."

CHINESE POETRY.

187

Book XIV.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the cotmtry

of Ts'ao.
Ts'ao

district of

was a small State situated

Ting Tao

Hi,

in the

southward of the State of Lu.

in

the present

Province of Shantung,

CHINESE POETRY.

No.

I.

A LOVE SONG.
In your snow-white garments you pass me by
You glitter and shine like a dragon-fly.
Would you free my heart from sorrow and pain
;

Then come

"i

to me, never to part again.

No.

I.

{a) " His robes

"
glitter like the wings of an insect." ib)
Would he were with me."
Out of this I make a love song. Not so the Chinese commentators,
nor Dr. Legge. They place the subject in the plural, and amplify
the poem thus, " The wings of the insect, though bright and

This

little

splendid,

last

piece consists of two sentiments,

but for a day.

The

glories of the rulers of this

State are like these in their transience.

Would

that these officers

would come to me, I would teach them to be wiser." The Preface

goes on to say that the piece was directed against Duke Ch'ao
(B.C. 660-652). Chu Hsi makes the vice satirized, frivohty.
BH
Liu Yiian makes, it extravagance. There is no epithet applied to
the insect to point out its short life. I therefore abide by my own

view of the piece

Dr. Williams calls it
Sj^ Eou Yii is an ephemeral insect.
a " dung chaffer " [sic\ ; Medhurst, a " tumble dung." To call it
a dragon-fly, as I have done, is, I fear, rather a stretch of poetic

1^

license, but a dung-fly is not

an ornament to verse.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

ANOTHER
No.
I confess

that the piece

is

2.

PUZZLE.

Here, again,

189

*
2.

myself beaten.

The commentators

a lament over the favour

shown

say

to worthless

and the neglect of good men by Duke Kung

(b.c.
Let us see how they arrive at this. Here is a literal
" Those officers of escort carry (' have
translation of the poem
their carriers of,' Legge) lances and halberts.
Those people
have 300 red knee-caps. The pelican is on the dam, not wetting
his wings.
Those people do not match their dress. The pelican
is on the dam,
not wetting his beak.
Those people do not
respond to their advantages.
Growing thick and luxuriant is
the grass.
The southern mountains have the morning mists.
Tender and lovely, the maiden suffers hunger." No doubt the
fault aimed at is, as Dr. Legge points out in the concluding
note to the book, the needless multiplication of useless and
unprincipled officers, a malpractice which is to this day the curse
of Chinese government.
But what connection the mountains,
the mists, and the maiden can have with this, is beyond me.
I subjoin Dr. Legge's metrical translation, to show how much
must be evolved from one's own imagination to make any meaning out of the poem, and even then the result is unsatisfactory
officers,

651-617).

I.

" Each warder of the gate appears.

With lances and with halberdiers,

As well befits the place

But these three hundred men, who shine
;

Grand

in their red knee-covers fine,

Only the Court

disgrace.

2.

" Like pelicans, upon the dam.

Which stand and there their pouches cram,

Unwet the while their wings.
Are those who their rich dress display.
But no

befitting service pay.

Intent on meaner things.

CHINESE POETRY.

go

No.

3.

THE DOVE, AND HER BROOD.

I.

prince to his loyal folk should be

As

the dove to her callow brood.

She tenderly leads them from tree

For shelter and rest and food.

to tree,

2.

'Tis

a noble prince, he

Of princes

the

first

who

and

rules us now,

best.

cap of deerskin adorns his brow.

And

a girdle of gilk his breast.

3-

" Like pelicans, which eager watch.

Upon the dam,

And spare

their prey to catch.

to wet the beak,

Are those who richest favours share,

But take no part in toil or care.

Nor

the State's welfare seek.

4-

" Like grass luxuriant on

its

side.

While morning mists the south hill hide,

Those creatures seem to grow
But men of worth, like virtuous maid,
Lovely but poor, denied wealth's aid,
:

No

recognition know."

No. 3.
The commentators who have jumped to the conclusion that
when this poem was written the state of Ts'ao was suffering from

misgovernment will have

former days

Ch^ng,
to

is

shame

("gf

j^

it

that

it

refers to

some worthy of
Wu and

Ts'ao Shu, of the time of Kings

suggested by a commentator), whose goodness puts

the evil deeds of his successor.

the piece to show

this.

There

is

nothing in

CHINESE POETRY.

191

3-

A foe to all that

Not
But

is

rude or wrong,

nor incorrect.

careless,

dignified, stately, grave,

and strong

In calmness and self-respect.

4-

We thrive when a ruler like him appears.

We flourish beneath his sway.
May his glory last for ten thousand
And his good name never decay.

No.

years,

4.

THE GOOD OLD TIMES OF CHOU.

Down

from the spring upon the hill

Descend the waters cold and chill

To

flood the grassy plain.

The proceedings of the dove in the ballad open a road to

sundry fanciful conjectures. She is represented as being in a
mulberry-tree, while her seven young ones are in the plum, jujube

and

hazel-tree.

position of her

verse in

my

This shows her stable mind, and the volatile

young ones. Let those who believe this insert

rendering

"

disthis

The mother dove on

the mulberry-tree

remain at home ;
Her fledglings, loving to wander free,
From orchard to orchard roam."
Is content to

But the funniest notion

is

that the dove, in the morning, feeds

her seven young ones from right to

left to right,

fairness

and

so that every one

justness of a

is

good

expect, a lesson to waiters,

left,

treated

and

in the

fairly.

evening from

This

typifies the

and is not, as one would

teaching them how to distribute the
ruler,

entries at a table d'hote dinner.

No dove has a brood of more than two, but that is a trifle.

" Seven," in Chinese CKi ^, rhymes to " one," Yi
and as this
rhyme is needed here, sense is sacrified to sound.

CHINESE POETRY.

192

awake at night and sigh

For days now gone for ever by,

I lie

Nor will they come again.

Days when a monarch ruled

Whose

the State,

was grand and great

Generous and just his reign.
His Viceroy then bestowed rewards
On all his true and loyal lords.
Who had not toiled in vain.
capital

Then undisturbed by flood, each field.

Enriched by kindly showers, would yield
Abundant sheaves of grain.

No.

4.

I have taken the " flood " literally. The Chinese commentators
say that the inundation is a metaphor for the incursions of th|

neighbouring states of Chin -^ and Sung

who were

for

some

time bribed to keep away by an annual payment, after the fashion

of our " Danegelt."

In

my

paraphrase of this poem, " the grassy plain "

valent of the grasses growing on

tail

it,

viz.:

i,

the

Lang

is

the equi-

^,

grass (Legge), darnel (Williams), or avena (Zottoli)

artemisia or southernwood,
(Zottoli),

and the Shih

wolf's-

2, the
'^, " achillea sibirica "
;

a plant the stalks of which are used in divination.

The " Viceroy " was

the Prince of Ifsiin

present Province of Shansi.

The

first

^|5

a State

in

prince was a son of

the

King

W6n, who was apparently entrusted by his father with the duty
of bestowing the rewards due to the feudal lords who paid

homage

to the King.

CHINESE POETRY.

193

Book XV.
Ballads and other pieces collected in the country

of Pin.
The

when Confucius compiled

reader must note that

this Classic there

was no feudal State of

there been one for years.

to the country
collected,

and back

Chou dynasty.

this

book

is

had

This book takes us westward

where the ballads of the

the

Pin, nor

first

book were

the time of the early kings of

to

The

authorship of the

assigned to the

Duke

of Chou,

pieces

in

King W^n's

Pin ^, now written ^jj, was where the modern

's now, in the Shensi Province.
district of Pin Chou ^5
here
where
Kung
Liu
of the reigning family
It was
gij

son.

il'I'l

of Chou, settled in B.C. 1796,

introductory note to the

of

Chou remained

in Pin

first

from

As

book of
B.C.

explained in

my

this part, the tribe

1796 to 1325.

CHINESE FOETRY.

194

No.

I.

LIFE IN OLD TIMES.

If

you 'd learn how our ancestors passed their years

In the good simple times of old,

Then

list

By an

to this record of country

ancient

yeoman

life

told.

2.

In the

The

chill first

month when the wind

we chase.

bites hard,

wild cat and fox

And

badgers, whose skins will provide thick

For each prince of the royal race,

furs

3-

In the bitter cold days of the second month,

The ice floes are hard as rocks

The axes ring with a merry clang.
As we hew out the ice in blocks.
;

4-

And

to keep our courage and skill well tried.

We hunt

the boar and his brood.

The tusker shall stand on the prince's board

The younglings shall be our food.

No.

The Chinese

I.

say that this interesting ballad was the work of

Chou Kung j^ S', or Duke of Chou, the younger brother of

Wang. He was, as Mayers expresses it, " the guardian and
siding genius of the newly-created line"

When King Cheng

(the

Chou

Wu
pre-

dynasty).

succeeded to the throne, e.g. 1175,

as a youth, his uncle, Chou Kung, was his adviser, and as such
he jyrote these verses to show his nephew what a well-ordered
State should be like.
He depicts the condition of things in Pin,
gj^

CHINESE POETRY.

195

S-

The third month comes. Ere

The ice in a cave we store
Then our ploughs make ready

the thaw begins,

For spring

is

at

to

till

the land,

hand once more.

6.

When

the fourth

month comes we

With our ploughs, and the

work

are hard at

grass grows green.

The

officers sent to survey our farms,

Smile glad at the pleasant scene.

7-

When

we must ope the cave

Wherein we have stored our ice
But first to the gods, at the dawn of day,
A lamb we must sacrifice.
the hot days come,

On wives and children the duty falls

To carry out drink and meat
To the hinds, who toil on the southern
Exposed

slopes.

to the sun's fierce heat.

9-

'Tis spring, with

We

list

warmer and longer days.

to the oriole's song.

Plucking mulberry shoots and celery leaves.

On

the pathways the maidens throng,

when Kung Liu

(see introductory note) ruled there more than

600 years before.
In the original Chinese version, each of the eight long stanzas,
of which the poem is composed, describes the progress of certain

operations necessary in a well-governed State.

for instance, treats of clothes

of silkworms, and so on

The

and

The

first

stanza,

food, the second of the care

constant repetition of the number

of the month, however, becomes

iso

wearisome, that

have

CHINESE POETRY.

196

lO.

With

their pretty baskets to hold their spoils.

There is one maid who feels forlorn.

She is going to wed a prince, but, alas
From her fellows she must be torn.

II.

From

the mulberry saplings

we

strip the leaves,

And

lop down the boughs on high,

In the fifth month, the time when the locust creeps,
And we hear the cicada's cry.
12.

The grasshopper plies his wings in flight

As soon as the sixth month comes.
The month that is rich with the ripened fruits,
When we feast on our grapes and plums.
13.

'Tis the seventh

month, when the

From its zenith

The grasshoppers

And

and

leap.

fire-star sinks

in the plain

We may

cook our beans,

our melons are ripe again.

14.

The

heard but the eighth month comes,

When the sedges and reeds are dry.
Let the maids begin now to spin the stuffs
Of yellow and scarlet dye,
thought

it

shrike

is

best to recast the ballad,

took place during each month.

and show consecutively what

The

first

verse in the translation

merely introductory, and has no place in the Chinese version.

Stanza 7. " The gods " to whom sacrifice was made, stand for
Ssu Han, the " Ruler of the Cold," to whom a lamb and
r1 jl
(trimmings of) leeks were offered.

is

Stanza 10.
girl's

grief

panions.

The Chinese commentators

was

This shows, they say, that

land of Pin.

will

have

at leaving her parents, not her

filial

it

that the

maiden com-

piety prevailed -in the

CHINESE POETRY.

197

IS-

Which the Princes wear; while the men may reap

The grain and collect the sheaves,
Or cut the gourds, or shake down the dates,
While the

cricket chirps 'neath the eaves.

16.

The

ninth

month comes,

there

is

ice

and

frost.

We take skin coats from the chest

We should perish with cold, ere the year
Were we

was done,

not in our fur clothes drest.

17-

The

heard indoors. The ground

We prepare to receive our stacks.
We gather the hemp seed, and lest we starve.
cricket

Chop

is

faggots and

wood with

the axe.

18.

The

falling leaves

Who

and the

cricket's voice,

chirps 'neath the bed, have told

That the tenth month comes, and we must prepare

To

fight with the winter's cold.

19.

all come within the house and stop

The chinks to keep out the storm.
Let us plaster the doors, smoke out the

Let

And
Stanza 13.

rats,

keep the house snug and warm.

''

The

fire-star " is in the constellation

Astronomers say that the assertion made

as the star in question

would

of Scorpio.

in this verse is

an error,

not, at the date recorded, pass the

meridian at nightfall. They ascribe this error to Chou Kung's

ignorance of astronomy.
He is not alone in his ignorance of
.the

retrocession of the equinoxes, I

Stanza
the

1 7,

CKu \^

The wood used

am

sure.

for faggots of fuel

is

the

wood of

" fetid tree " (Legge), or " ailanthns " (Zottoli),

CHINESE POETRY.

igS

20.

From

the rice

we have reaped we

distil

the wine,

That our grey beards may have good cheer

And then let us pile up our crops in stacks,

As

the final task of the year.

21.

Let us gather the straw by day, and twist

The grass into ropes by night.

Then mount with speed to the top
To fasten the thatching tight.

of our roofs

22.

Let us see that our harvest is safely stored.

The hemp and all kinds of grain.
The millet, the wheat, and the pulse, until
We must sow all our fields again.
23.

When the floors are swept, and the wine

And the victims slain, let us press
To our Prince's hall, there to drink
Long life and all happiness.
Stanza 19.

" Let all

come

is

drunk,

his health.

within the house."

It

is

supposed

warmer part of the year the people were out in

the fields, camping in huts at night.
The family house might be
some distance away in the town or village.

that during the

Stanza 20. The Chinese equivalent for " grey beards " is (those
with) " the eyebrows of longevity," or thick bushy eyebrows.

The

is no mention of the nth and

There are two explanations of this. One is that
during the intense cold of winter there was no work to be done,
and the people simply hibernated. The other, and the more
probable one, is that the Chinese year, like that of the Albans
and their descendants, the Romans, contained ten months only.
See Smith's " Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," Art.

reader will note that there

2th months.

Calendarium.

CHINESE POETRY,
No.

199

2,

THE OWL.
I.

Oh, owl ohj owl in vain I moan.

The brood with which I once was
!

And

nursed so lovingly

blest,

gone.

is

my

Destroyed by you, but spare

nest.

2.

Ere yet the

The
I

skies

were black with

mulberries' fibrous roots

rain,

tore

bound them round and round again.

To

fence

my

dwelling's tiny door.

3-

pulled the reeds with

all

my

strength,

Wounding my beak and claws and feet,

That none should scorn my work. At length

My house

was

finished

No.
What can

and complete.

2.

be but a complaint of the tyranical oppression of some great lord, or of some strong and cruel enemy ?
Every Chinese commentator, however, takes the view, which
Dr. Legge follows, that in it the Duke of Chcu (the author of the
last poem) vindicates the decisive course which he had taken
Duke Chou, it must be remembered, was the
with rebellion.
King Wu, during his lifetime invested two
brother of King Wu.
of his and the Duke's brothers with the charge of certain territory
which they were to rule jointly with Wu K&ng "^ ^, the son
this

ballad

Shang dynasty, whom King Wu had

King Wu, King Cheng, a minor,
succeeded, when Wu Keng and the two brothers, taking advantage
Duke Chou,
of his youth and inexperience, raised a rebellion.
however, remained loyal, and after quelling the rebellion put Wu
Keng and one of his own brothers to death, and punished the
He then wrote this poem " to show how he had
other brother.
of the last king of the

dethroned.

On

the death of

CHINESE POETRY.

20O

My

nest

is

wrecked,

my

feathers torn.

Of wind and rain the sport am

Thus
I

I.

ruined, desolate, forlorn,

can but cry this bitter cry.

No.

3.

"HOME, SWEET

HOME.'''

I.

Oh, many a weary night we spent.

And many a dreary day.

On those eastern hills, with no
Save the

carts

roof o'erhead.

under which we

lay.

2.

When

the rains began, then the word was passed

That our

service at length was o'er

might doff our armour and wear the clothes.
Which our wives had prepared, once more.
;

We

3-

Yet a haunting fear would disturb my

This thought would flash to my brain,
"

We

have been long gone, shall

I visit my home again

When

heart,

I find all

changed

.?

loved his brothers, notwithstanding he had punished them, and

that his conduct was in consequence of his solicitude for the
consolidation of the dynasty of his family."
as the

of

it."

" Stuff and nonsense),"

Bishop said of Gulliver's Travels, "

(See Part IV.,

This ballad

Duke Chou's

is

Book

last piece.

No.

No.

3.

I don't believe half

4).

been composed on the occasion of

suppress the rebellion mentioned in

said to have

expedition to

the notes to the

I. b.,

CHINESE POETRY.

201

4"

Perchance the creepers and trailing weeds

Have choked up my unused doors,
And the wood-louse creeps, and the spider weaves
His net on my empty floors.

"

The deer graze careless about the fields,

Where I pastured our sheep and kine,

5-

And

around the desolate garden plots

The lamps

of the

glow-worm

shine."

6.

We marched along through the drizzling rain.

We noted the signs of spring.
On the mulberry leaves the silkworms
And we heard the oriole sing.

fed,

7-

Its

yellow plumage was gleaming bright.

As

flashed in a

it

moment

by.

And we heard the cranes, as they caught

On the ant hillocks, scream and cry.

their

prey

8.

Ere

Since
-

it, there was my house in view.

such a sight had seen

knew
I

Three years had passed, yet the j-ooms were swept,

And my cottage was warm and clean.
9-

And gourds were hanging for me to eat

On the boughs of the chestnut tree.
No moment, though I was far away,

My

wife

had forgotten me.

The " creepers and

Km Lo,

trailing

weeds " are equivalent

to the

" heavenly gourds" (Legge), or " Tricosanthis

(Williams).

It

seems to

^ ^

Anguina"
have been a wild gourd of some sort.

CHINESE POETRY.
lO.

Though

Silk sashes,

And we
Than

may have teams

a wealthy maid

of steeds.

and garments gay,

think earth has not a happier

lot,

a bride's on her wedding day

II.

Yet what are glories when youth and maid

Are wed, and their troth is plighted.
Compared to the joy when two loving hearts
Once parted are re-united.

No.

4.

LOYAL SERVICE.
I.

Eastward we fared. The Duke was there to lead us.

Hard was the road and rough. We had to hew
A pathway 'mid the brakes that would impede us,
Before the force could pass in safety through.
and hacked so hard and strong each stroke

We cut

That axe and

hatchet, clubs

and wedges broke.

2.

Yet cheerfully we wrought for each man knew

The Duke's sole object was to bind and tie
The nations in one -union fast and true
To establish right, and peace, and harmony.
For surely all admire his earnest zeal.
;

His fond affection

for his country's weal.

" Our service at length was o'er " stands for " Serving no more
in the ranks with the gags "
is

said to mean, " Being

ranks."

am

(|j^

Met).

This curious expression

no longer obliged

to

keep silence

inclined to think that the sentence

No.

is

in the

corrupt.

4.

This ballad no doubt refers to the suppression of the rebellion

by Duke Chou. (See the notes on No. 2 of this book).

CHINESE POETRY,
No.

203

s.

THE CARPENTERS.
A.
" I

have got to make a handle, but there is not any

good
In beginning, for I have not got an axe to hew the
wood.
Like a fellow who would marry, but his chance of wedlock's shady,

For he does not know a person to present him to the

lady."

B.
"

Go

and shape the handle ; don't make any

lame excuse.
The pattern you 've to copy is laid ready for your use.
Like a baffled suitor, say you nay, you're rather like a lord
With his bride beside him, and a feast set out upon the
to work,

board."

No.

5-

This ballad has indeed proved a puzzle for the commentators,

European and Chinese. They all treat it as didactic. To make

a conversation between two carpenters is my own idea. Believing that the desire to discover some hidden meaning usually

it

only misleads the reader,

have kept as closely as possible to

and have thus
According to the critics, the piece is in

the simple rendering of the Chinese characters,

arrived at the above result.
praise of the

Duke

of Chou.

Praise

is

indicated in one of two ways.

King Ch^ng and his ministers ought to find a way

There is a way of hewing
of bringing Duke Chou back to Court.
axe handles and of finding wives, so there is a way of fetching
The second is The people of the country
the Duke back.
where the Duke quelled the rebellion, intimate in the first stanza

The

first is this

'

their desire to see him,

and

in the

second their delight at his

Liu Yiian adopts this interpretation and goes a stage

was Duke Chou's duty to. pacify the realm by force
of arms. Hence the allusion to axes. It was his duty afterwards
Hence ,the
to see that the State had a settled government.
presence.
further.

It

allusion to a marriage agent.

The meaning

of stanza

2,

according

CHINESE POETRY,

204

No.

THE

VISIT OF

6.

THE DUKE OF CHOU.

I.

What

luck awaits us

With

all their

better chance

Right well

pockets
is

ours.

Shall our nets appear

crammed with rudd and bream

The prince is here.

his 'broidered robes his

form beseem.

2.

The wild geese settle on the plain,

Or on the islets, nor remain
Long time, but rise in flight again.
3-

Like them the Duke could not delay

For long with us. He could but stayTwo nights, then once more took his way.
4Still in each heart his memories
Stay not for ever in the west.

Leaving us lonely and

rest.

distrest.

to him, is more descriptive than allusive.

"The axe handle
has been hewed ; " i.e. the country has been pacified and war is
" He is our pattern here. We see him (not the lady).
at an end.

We give a

feast in his

honour."

No.
This piece

is

evidently corrupt.

translation, consists of a quatrain

6.

The

no

original version, like

my

doubt an interpolatioji
and three triplets. I have translated the whole of the ballad, but
the triplets alone have any value.
The first verse is, moreover,
highly obscure.
I follow Liu Yiian's interpretation, but with
considerable doubt.

The

Ts'un ]|^

is

a rudd, according to Dr. Leggej a bleak,

according to Pfere Zottoli.

The "broidered
on

it,

robes " would be a robe with a single dragon

Grand Duke. (See Dr. Legge's notes).

the symbol of a

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

205

7.

OLD WOLVES.
A FRAGMENT.
"What you say," said Mr. Barlow to Tommy, " reminds me
the story of Duke Chou and the superannuated wolf, which,
you have not heard

it,

I will

of
as

proceed to relate."

The Duke, so gentle, yet so nobly great.

Would sit adorned with his red shoes of state,
Defying hate, or

ill

report, or

shame.

To

find a flaw in all his virtuous fame.

To

feast

Such

foes are like old wolves,

who

still

desire

on blood, although their forces tire.

So clumsy are they now, so overgrown.
Their heavy tails and dewlaps weigh them down.
Or trip their footsteps, and their purposed prey
Scorn them, and go uninjured on their way.

No.
This piece

is

7.

evidently hopelessly corrupt

and imperfect.

have by means of a very free paraphrase endeavoured to express

what I believe to be its meaning. Liu Yiian is the only commentator, however, who takes my view that the " old wolves
represent the slanderers of

Duke Chou,

The

rest insist that the

agony of an old wolf caught in

a pitfall, who frantically struggles to get out, but is too heavy and
clumsy to succeed. Such, they say, is what we might have expected the position of Duke Chou to be, when he was assailed by
calumnies, but he was too calm and self-possessed to be moved
by them.
writer of the ballad describes the

PART

II.

"THE LESSER YA," OR SONGS FOR THE

MINOR FESTIVALS.

PART II.
"THE LESSER

OR SONGS FOR THE MINOR

YA,"

FESTIVALS.

Part IL

rejoices in the title of

By itself it

translated.

Ya

The commentators say that

the Lesser Ya on

as

festal

entertainments,

at the gatherings of the feudal Princes,

Von

important functions.

Ya

" Festliede,"

as

which

have

" Eulogies,"

Legge
calling

them

this

the
"

"

Mayers

will

difificulty,

translates

Minor Odes."

term

the

Lacharme makes the

IL Parvum Rectum, adding "Quia

This, however,

illi

in

Dr.

P^re Zottoli has a similar

is

title, "

title

hac parte

quidem, qui tamen non

recti

it,

Festivals," the title

and contents himself with

mores describuntur,

So

Greater

and similar

not always hold good.

a recto deflectunt."

own.

the

small

Strauss translates the term

Songs of the

adopted.

but

shirks

of Part

of

these

such

III.

not easily

pieces were sung at Court

occasions,

Ya

is

an adjective signifying " elegant,"

is

" correct."

" choice,"

The Lesser Ya, Part

This word Ya

being The Greater Ya.

nihil

an invention of his

Humile Decorum."

far as the choice of a subject goes, or the treatment

there

is

often

little

difference

the Greater Ya, but there

is

between the Lesser and

undoubtedly this

distinction,

the pieces in the former are, as a rule, shorter than those

in

the

latter.

Moreover,

many

of

the

poems

in

the

CHINESE POETRY.

210

Greater

Ya

have a dignity of tone which

by those of the Lesser Ya.

All the

Ya

is

not reached

pieces,

it

should be

noted, are supposed to have been collected in the royal

domain, not
calls

them

the feudal

in

"

Hence, Dr. Legge

States.

The Minor Odes and

the

Odes

Greater

of the Kingdom."

As

kingdom gradually

the dynasty and the

decay, these

Ya

into

fell

songs were used at the feudal Courts, and

even by the ministers of those Courts in their private

houses.

It

should be remembered that, in China, anything

approaching usurpation of royal or imperial rights and

ceremonies

is

looked on with a horror that strikes us as

almost ludicrous.

Such assumption was

typical of everything disorderly,

tion

and

ruin.

" If he can bear to do

this,

II.

takes

its

revolu-

Confucius says of him,

what may he not bear

(See "Confucian Analects,"

Part

and ominous of

as

Witness the gentleman who had "eigjit

rows of pantomimes in his area."

decades.

regarded

Book

III.

Chap.

to

do

i).

is divided into books, by Dr.

Legge called
Each of these decades contains ten pieces, and

name from

the

first

piece in

it.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

211

I.

A FESTAL SONG.
I.

As we
Hark

down to feast, from the meadow hard by,

the stags as they browse, call a musical cry.

sit

We have

music as well. Let no organ be mute

Let us gladden our hearts with "the sound of the

lute.

2.

Now

hand round the dainties

to each

honoured guest

The friends who love me, and the friends I love best.
They are models and patterns to all, for they show
The respect we should feel for the humble and low.
3-

Bid the music begin, and the lutes great and small
Be struck till their sweet notes resound through the
And pour out the wine, it is plentiful here.
Thus all the day long we'll enjoy the good cheer.

No.
This song

is

supposed

to

hall.

I.

be appropriate to an entertainment

given by the King to his ministers.

It

is

interesting to

remark

that at the dinners given to the successful candidates at the

Provincial Examinations by the Governor of the Province, this

sung in honour of the guests. I believe that it is also

banquets given at the palace to those who
have taken the " Hanlin " or highest degree.
The word Kuang ^, literally a flat basket, may either have
song
sung

is still

at the Imperial

contained dainties, according to

my

interpretation,

or presents

and other things.

Dr. Legge translates one line " They show the people not to
be mean." I prefer Dr. Williams's version " They look on the
people without despising them " and have amplified itaccordingly.
The stags (which, by the way, are supposed to have been
induced to descend from the mountains into the meadows by the
of

silk

peaceful state of things prevailing) were browsing on

p 2

-P'lfig,

CHINESE POETRY.

212

No.

2.

THE ROYAL BEHEST.

My white

steeds gallop along the way.

Small leisure have I to stop or rest.
My coursers pant there is no delay
;

For him who speeds on the king's behest.

2.

The dove may

Or 'light on

flutter

from tree to

tree,

the boughs and refuse to roam.

Ah, happy bird you are unlike me,

Whom duty has driven away from home.
!

3-

Oh, home of my father and mother dear,

Would I might there for their wants provide.
Let me sing to myself my heart to cheer.
For I sorrow and long to be by their side.
" wild celery, southernwood," and ;^ Ling, " Salsola " (Legge), or
" Panicum Sanguinale " (Zottoli).

No.

2.

How this can be a song for a festival is rather a puzzle. The

commentators, however, say that it was sung at a complimentary
dinner given by the King on the return of an officer who had
been sent on such an expedition as is mentioned in the ballad.
Dr. Legge says that the piece celebrates the union in the
officer of loyal duty and filial feeling.
One cannot help noticing
that his filial feeling was a good deal stronger than his devotion
to duty.
He evidently only went on service because he was
obliged to do so, and grumbled a good deal at having to go, as
seems to have been the custom of the soldier of the period.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

THE
Brilliant

On

213

3.

KING'S MESSENGER.

and bright the blossoms glow

the level heights and the marshlands low.

The Royal Messenger am I.

At the King's command I can
Equipped with

all

that a

swiftly

man may

fly.
'

need,

Alert, determined to succeed.

Three teams of horses, young and strong,

I

have, to whirl

My steeds
Well

With

car along.

are white, or grey, or pied

skilled

We gallop

my

am

till

each team to guide.

the sweat-flakes stain

large wet spots each glossy rein.

Each man I meet without delay

Must tell me all he has to say.

The realm I traverse till I

The counsel sought for by
No.

bring
the King.

3.

akin to the last. Its place among the songs of

the festival is, say the Chinese, because it would be sung at a
royal banquet given to a messenger about to start on such an

This piece

is

What his mission was is not clearly stated. The

commentators for the mo?t part assert that he was going in
Perhaps this is only
search of " methods of good government."
the same as saying that the King's messenger was a commissioner
sent to see how the feudal States were faring, and whether they
expedition.

had any grievances

The

calling for redress.

allusion to the flowers

is

explained in two ways.

Either

kingdom what the flowers were to the

an explanation too fanciful for my taste

the envoy was to the

and marshes
;
however bright the flowers were, a royal messenger must waste
no time over them. For my own part, I think the allusion is only
inserted to show that the envoy was starting in summer time.
heights
or,

CHINESE POETRY.

214

No.

4.

"LET BROTHERLY LOVE CONTINUE."

I.

The masses of cherry blossom

Are gleaming a gorgeous show.

And

the wagtail upon the hillside

Is hurrying to

and

fro.

2.

There are no men equal to brothers.

When troubles and cares invade.
Friends sigh to show their compassion,
But offer no further aid.
3-

In the dreaded

Your

moments of mourning

brothers will share your pain

from your home an outcast,

Will bring you back safe again.

Should you

The

fly

flowers are only

mentioned

add to the

to

reality of the

picture v.-hich the ballad is meant to present to our imagination.

Students of " despatch-Chinese " should note that the subject

of the ballad

Ch'Sn

when

is

always spoken of in the commentaries as a Shih

g.

Chinese

officials

frequently employed this term

and envoys plenipotentiary,

was forbidden by the Board of Foreign Affairs
Certainly the rank of this Shih CKtn would be
as derogatory.
inferior to that which an envoy from a power of equal standing
writing or speaking of ministers

until the use of

it

could claim.

No.
This piece

composed

it

is

after

assigned to

he had executed "

rebellious brothers.

of Part

4.

Duke Chou, who

Roman "

is

said to have
his own
5ook XV.

on

justice

(See the notes on the ballads of

L)

The

reasons for the mention of the cherry tree "^

Ti (Prunus Japonica, Zottoli) and the wagtail are obscure.

commentators of course have

fanciful explanations.

The

Chang
The
flowers

CHINESE POETR Y.

2.5

4.

Though

quarrels within the household

Arise to disturb our peace

Let insult from outside threaten,
;

We

unite,

and

all

discords cease.

5-

In the days of rest and enjoyment,

With disorder and death at end,

(Though fools deny it) a brother
Surpasses the dearest friend.
6.

Your board may be spread with dainties,

Your goblets with wine be crowned.
Yet 'tis only with brothers present
That lasting delight is found.
7.

The union

of wife and children

music made by. the lute.

the concord of brothers added,

Is
15e

This music

shall ne'er

be mute.

of the cherry, they say, typify the union of brothers, the younger
serving the elder, the elder overshadowing the younger.

supposed to move

The

head and tail in concert. Brothers

ought to act in concert also. Zottoli adds that as no flower excels
the cherry blossom in beauty, so no one excels a brother in
The wagtail, on the other hand, is a type of anxiety,
affection.
a state of mind for which fraternal affection is the best remedy.
The Chinese equivalent of the last half of stanza 3 in my
wagtail

version

is

is

doubtful.

its

Literally translated

it

is,

"When

......

and in the marshes, brothers seek

them out." Some say, with Dr. Legge and myself, that the subject
of the verb is "outcasts," but Chu Hsi, and most of the commentators, believe " corpses and bones " to be meant. The phrase
are collected on the heights,

CHINESE POETRY.

2i6

8,

Rejoice in your well ruled household,

Your wife and your children too

But neglect not the counsel proffered
You will find that my words are true.
;

No.

5.

THE FEAST.
I.

The woodmen on the hill

Hew down the pine trees tall.
Hark how their blows resound and
As axe and hatchet fall.
!

ring,

2.

A bird comes from

the vale

To some high tree she flies,

And perched upon the top she
Her mate with

loving

calls

cries.

3-

She

sings to call her mate,

This bird upon the

'Twere shame

To
then would run

bones are

left

call

" If

my
men

if I,

tree.

a man, should

fail

friends to me.

perish in war,

and

their corpses

and

exposed, brothers will seek for them to give them

decent burial."

No.

S.

The feast is supposed to

be given by the King (evidently a monarch of the King Cole
This

is

indeed a song of the

festival.

description) to his loving ministers.

I confess

my

inability to

detect anything descriptive of royal state in the original version

of this poem, which

is,

I fear,

more

rollicking than

my

translation

CHINESE POETRY.

217

4-

The gods in heaven above,

They say, will hear his prayers.
And grant him harmony and peace,

Who

never stints or spares.

S-

My wine is strained and clear

My fatted lambs are slain
My yard is swept, my table set
;

With

viands, meat,

and

grain.

6.

That something should detain

Friends

Were

whom

the host invites,

better than that they should feel

Themselves exposed

to slights,

7.

When

victuals hard

and coarse

Are set before a guest,

Bad feeling is aroused. This blame

On me

My

shall never rest.

And

all

I'll

of

it.

A king

the board
cups run dry.

friends are here

Is spread.

my

buy a

who

If

casks are drained,

why

then

fresh supply.

looks-to the sweeping of his courtyard,

and

wine and having to buy

the dignity of a monarch.

hints at the possibility of running short of

more, seems to want a

I fail to

little

see the appropriateness of the introduction of the wood-

The commentators

cutters.

find

all

sorts

of reasons

for the

but we need not trouble ourselves with them.

guests are mentioned as paternal and maternal uncles.

allusion,

The
is

said that the appellation "paternal uncles"

It

means nobles of the

CHINESE POETRY.

2i8

9-

Nor let the liost despise

The dance nor music's
While

strain.

hours are granted us

The sparkling wine we'll drain.
leisure

No.

6.

THE RESPONSE OF THE GUESTS.

May

the powers above

And

safe

keep thee

still

in virtue,

and joy

and peace,
from the fear of ill, and glad in thy land's increase.
Then each act thou doest is well, for thou hast the
blessing of heaven.

And

the days are too short for thee to

enjoy

all

the

favours given;

As

long as the mountain masses, whose bases are planted

^ure,

Shall

lift

their

summits skyward, so long

shall

thy fame

endure.

The stream grows wider and deeper, the further it has to flow,

And

wider and deeper each day shall thy prosperity grow.

Auspicious and pure are the dues, which thy
filial

Each

love would pay.

season, to dukes of yore and kings of a former day.

same surname

as the king,

a different surname.

and

that of maternal uncles, those of

I prefer to

understand the terms as simply

a friendly or affectionate style of address to the guests.

No.
This

poem

6.

no doubt represents a song sung by the guests at a

royal feast to express their gratitude,

and

their loyal devotion to

CHINESE POETRY.
Their

spirits

have

Thy

appear and say,

When

"

myriads of years

past,

descendants shall never

fail,

but the

royal

line

shall last.

Thy

simple and honest folk shall not want for plenty

And

thankfully day by day shall enjoy their diink and

to eat,

their meat.

As
So

far

as the black-haired race

far

through the earth,

shall they learn thy deeds, and copy thy virtue

shall

scatter

clans

its

and worth."

May

the fame of the royal house shine out to the world

as bright

moon when she waxes

As

the

Be

as fixed as the southern

full,

as the sun

when he

climbs the height

hillsj

as green as the cypress

tree

And

the

fir, which fade not

thy glory be.

their King.

wish that

in winter.

could be sure that

Such, such

may

have reproduced

the dignity of the original version.

" Each season."
In the Chinese version the sacrifices offered
to the spirits of the royal

the four seasons are

rites

dead in the ancestral temple

named by

are constantly mentioned

their distinguishing

and

at

names.

referred to in the

each of

Such

poems of

this

and of the following parts of the Classic. (For a full description

of them, see No. 5 of the sixth book of Part II., and Legge's
Prolegomena in his " Chinese Classics," vol. iv., page 135.)

CHINESE POETRY.

20

No.

7.

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST THE HUNS.

I.

A.
'Tis spring

the fern shoots

now

For us to pluck them on the

'Twill be the last

Ere we

month of the year

may hope

Husband and

appear,

lea.

our

home

wife apart must

to see.

weep

Until the course of war has -run.

No

time

To

is

those

given for rest or sleep

who have

to fight the

Hun.

2.

summer time

'Tis

the ferns

we

cull

Are soft and tender stalk and leaf

each heart is sorrowful
But, ah
With home-sick longings, pain and grief.
Soldiers who watch the foe, must bear
The pangs of thirst and hunger's sting,
!

Nor know they how their loved ones fare,

For none may go the news to bring.
3-

autumn and the stalks of fern

Are grown too hard and dry to eat
The year must end ere we return
Our families and homes to greet.

'Tis

We

dare not snatch one moment's

The

And

labour at the king's behest

Is ne'er to see

our homes again.

No.
To
it,

rest.

sole reward for all our pain

call this

a " Song of the

unless indeed

we

7.

festival "

are to take

it

seems to

me

to

misname

for granted that at the royal

banquets patriotic songs were sung, as they are at our city

CHINESE POETRY.

221

4-

When we

from

home were

forced to go,
willow boughs were fresh and green.

The

When we

snow

return, the flakes of

In blinding drifts will hide the scene.

Tedious and weary is our road

Hunger and thirst our souls depress.
Alas we bear a heavy load,
Yet no man cares for our distress.
;

B.-

5-

Cheer up the flowers are gleaming white,

The blossoms on the cherry spray.
;

And

see a yet more glorious sight,

Our leader's car upon its way,
Drawn by four steeds, a stalwart span.
Dare we remain inactive, slow 1
In one month, if we play the man,
Three times shall we defeat the foe.
6.

His eager steeds pass swiftly by

Like birds upon the wing they speed.
Let us then on our chief rely
;

He

will

not

fail in

time of need.

'Tis his to hold the ivory

The

And

bow,
which leaders bear.

ours to watch the restless

For
feasts.

seal-skin sheath

foe,

fear they take us unaware.

See Thackeray's inimitable description of the dinner of

the Bellows Menders' Co., and the song sung thereat, after the
health of the Army and Navy had been proposed.

Dr. Legge says that the language in this poem must be taken
throughout as that of anticipation. I do not adopt his theory
myself.
In the Chinese version there are six stanzas, which I

have translated stanza by stanza. I have, however, moved the

last one from its place, and have made it No. 4.
These first

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

8.

THE VICTORIES OVER THE HUNS.

A

soldier speaks

The
Has

I.

mighty son of heaven,

king, the

to our chief the order given

To march with flags and banners flying

To regions on the frontiers lying,
Where

To

dwells the unruly Hun.

and fortress there.

That these marauders may not dare
build a wall

Our realm

to overrun.

2.

Nan Chung,

our noble chieftain, bade

His henchmen come.

"

The king

has laid

A heavy task on us," said he,

"

But you must share the

toil

with me.

made the speech of a soldier, whose only thought

seems to be the misery of his position. In stanzas 5 and 6 he is
answered by a cheerful comrade, who bids him keep up his
spirits and do his duty like a man.
I have, however, no authority
but my own for this treatment of the poem.
The Huns are the Hsien Yun
^^, the wild tribes of the
four I have

As
of King I
north.

to his time
pieces,

is

of King

more

these gave

^ I

B.C.

a good

deal

934-910,

this piece is

but most say that

the composition of

W^n

fully in

my

my own
I

by some referred

together wiih the two next

Duke Chou

during the Shang dynasty.

to celebrate the

deeds

question

I treat this

notes on the following poem.

No.
Although

it,

of trouble in the reign

have on

this

8.

occasion

made no attempt

verses follow the construction of the original

to

make

poem,

yet

separate the two last stanzas of the Chinese version from the

CHINESE POETRY.
See

how

223

the royal tablets stand

Engraven with the king's command.

Use all despatch, prepare each car

With what is needed for the war."
3-

In countless hordes

Beyond

The

we gained

the ground

the city's furthest bound.

on high
'Twas grand to see it flap and fly.
And flags, which snake and tortoise bear
Upon their silk, were floating there.
With dragon pennons gleaming bright.
And staves with yak tail streamers dight,
In sooth it was a splendid sight.
With such an awe-inspiring chief
falcon banner shone

To
The

lead us to the fray,

must be
Ere they are swept away.
foe's resistance

four preceding ones,

wives.

brief

and make them the speech of the

soldiers'

Dr. Legge extracts six lines only, and places them in the

mouths of the women, making the remainder the speech of the

soldiers.
The Chinese commentators, for the most part, do the
same, though they make the speaker the General's wife, not the
There is something to be said in favour of Liu
soldiers' wives.
Yiian's theory that we need not change the speakers in the
poem at all. According to him the person whose arrival is
longed for is not " the husbands " (see stanza 5), but King W^n,
" the superior man" ;g" ^, Chun Tzu, to conduct the campaign.

The soldiers, not the wives,

As I mentioned in the

are the persons

notes on the

together with Nos. 7 and 9,

Duke Chou, and

to

is

who long

last

poem,

for

him.

this piece,

conjectured to be the work of

have been written

in

honour of

his father's

One would have thought that

the mention of General Nan Chung would have set the point at
rest.
Unfortunately, no one seems to know who Nan Chung
The
was, nor when he lived, as this is the only record of him.
exploits against the barbarians.

CHINESE POETRY.

24

4-

The

millet flowers

When
The

first

we

were blooming bright,

started to the fight.

blinding flakes are falling now,

And

hard it is our way to plough

Across the heavy, miry plain.

Which

many

through

For time to sleep

But who would dare

Or

The

homes again.
a weary day
and rest.

leads us to our

We longed

to disobey

slight the king's behest.

soldiers'

S-

wives say

The days

We hear

are growing

warm and

long

the oriole's plaintive song.

The foliage now is green and thick

The wild white celery we pick.
The grasshopper goes leaping by

Cicadas chirp their

shrill,

sharp cry.

Such pleasing sights and sounds of spring

Should give our hearts relief.
But till our husbands come, they bring

No

solace to our grief.

poems being referred to the time of King WSn,

when he was known as Hsi Peh only, is that he never fought
with the Huns or Hsien Yun tribes. This difficulty is explained
objection to these

away by the fact that he did wage war with the Ti and Jung
tribes, and that the name Hsien Yun tribes might easily be used
when Ti or Jung was meant. It is not a bad argument. Most
Englishmen are a little vague about such names as Karens,
Chins, Kachyens, Shans and Singphos, the frontier tribes of
Burmah, for instance. Moreover, the main object of King Wen's
wars with the barbarians was to prevent the Ti and Jung
tribes making an alliance together to the danger of the kingdom.
The wall mentioned in the poem would, say the commentators,
keep them apart. I prefer, myself, to take this wall as the pre-

CHINESE POETRY.

225

6.

Where Nanchung and his soldiers smite

The western rebels must they fight.
Soon by

mighty chief the brood

this

Of Huns shall be o'ercome, subdued,'

Then will our men return again,
With crowds of captives in their train,
And rebel chiefs, who have to bear
The tortures stern, which lie
In wait for wicked men, who dare
Their rulers to defy.

No.

9.

THE SOLDIER'S RETURN.

I.

The russet p ear-tree stands, its boughs borne down

With pears that grow amid its foliage thick.

We

climb the

hills

to northward of the town

The medlar

fruit to pick.

cursor of "the Great Wall of China," which was also designed

to keep barbarian enemies out.

The

late

Mr. T. T. Ferguson,

of Chefoo, has written an interesting brochure to

show the con-

nection of the Great Wall of China with the walls of Babylon,

arguing that the construction of the former offers a satisfactory

A
It

is

came

originally from Babylonia.

end of the poem is difficult to
" (They) catch the questioned, and

proof that the Chinese

line close to the

Uterally

crowds."

my own to propose,
commentators in my version.

Not having anything of

the explanation of the

translate.

seize

No.

the

I follow

9.

This piece, as I have said already,

the two preceding poems.

is

no doubt the sequel of

CHINESE POETRY.

226

month, the month that ends the year.

Sadly and slowly day succeeds to-day.
And yet my husband may not join me here
He must remain away.
'Tis the tenth

3-

has passed, a word which none

May dare to slight, although oppressed with woe
Women may weep, and for an absent son

The

command

king's

parent's tears

may

flow.

4-

Surely by this his horses must be worn

And lamed and starved in journeying so

The

far.

planks of sandal-wood are broke and torn,

The boards which framed

his car.

5-

From

I choose
next the tortoise-shell with fire I brand.

the divining jar the reeds

And

Oh, joy

Both omens bring the happy news,

My husband is at hand.

The first verse in my translation is made up of the couplets

by which the three first stanzas of the original begin. The commentators, and Dr. Legge, make each couplet represent a fresh
The first shows the pear in fruit. This would be the
season.
The next shows the pear-tree covered with luxuriant
This indicates the following spring. The third shows
the medlar or barberry (Zottoli) in fruit, to denote that it was
summer. I have not troubled myself to follow out this idea, for
autumn.
foliage.

I think the

poem more dramatic

Chinese to
shaking

this

slips of

bamboo,kept

day

without

wood out

of a receptacle

in Buddhist temples,

fortune-telling.

The

it,

will try to prognosticate their future

slips are

made

and elsewhere,

by

of the joint of a
for the

purpose of

numbered, and the inquirer (paying,

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

227

10.

"THE. SOUTHERN TERRACE."

*

of courscj the usual fee) gels a piece of paper with a prophecy written

on it, to correspond with the number written on the slip. The

marks which appear on a tortoise-shell when it is exposed to heat,
are supposed to foretell good or bad luck, as the case may be.

No.
The

text of this is missing.

10.

(See the notes on No. 2 of the

next book.)

CHINESE POETRY.
Book
No.

329

II.

I.

"WHITE AND BEAUTIFUL."

*

No.

2.

"THE SPLENDID

No.

The

text of this is also missing.

The
The

text

No.

follows

is

MILLET.'

I.

2.

again wanting.

Preface gives the subjects of these three missing poems as

:
In " The Southern Terrace," filial sons admonish one

another on the duty of nourishing parents.

Beautiful" speaks of the spotless purity of

"

The White and

filial

sons.

"The

Splendid Millet" describes harmonious seasons and abundant

years, favourable to the millet crops.

How

the text

came

to

be

lost is a

mystery, but

was destroyed

think that the

burning of the
The
Classics in the time of Shih Huang ti is the correct one.
other accepted theory is that these were Liede ohne worte, " Songs
without Words," or tunes to which no words were set. The
simple explanation that

objection to this

down

is

it

that the

at the

meaning of the missing poems

in the Preface just as

that of

all

is

set

the other pieces are.

" Words precede tunes.

Besides, as one commentator remarks
the
words."
That poets can
first
make
must
you
tunes,
To have
:

write words to suit old tunes, as Burns

does not seem to have struck him. Dr.

and Moore have done,

Legge has an exhaustive

note on these songs, which have lost their words.

CHINESE POETRY.

230

No.

3.

GOOD EATING, GOOD DRINKING.

The

weir in the stream

Provides plenty of fishes

The tench, carp, and cat-fish,

The gurnard and flatfish.

And succulent bream,

To furnish our dishes.
The wine

of our host

abundant and good.

And, so he may boast,
Is

Is his excellent food.

His wine and his viands from land and from sea
Are nice, and in season, and good as can be.

No.

3.

a song suitable enough for a

festival, though
would seem to be a fish dinner at Greenwich rather
than a banquet in the palace, but the Chinese will have it that
the object of the song is to show the prosperity of the country.
When six different kinds of fish, large and small, can be caught
in so simple a contrivance as a bamboo weir, good government
must prevail. I do not know why a bamboo weir or stake net
should be despised. Fish traps of that kind are usually rather

This

little

piece

is

this festival

deadly engines.

We have six fish mentioned here. Two of these, the (KJ Fang)
bream, and (|| Li) carp, are old friends. The others are, ist
the 1^ Chang, translated by Zottoli as the bleak, by Dr. Legge,
who

follows the Chinese description of

it,

as a large, strong fish

with yellow jaws, and by Dr. Williams as the gurnard. (I hope

there is such a thing as a fresh-water gurnard, though I doubt it.)
2nd, the Sha'i^

The same

Zottoli.

course

sand-fish

will

or

Legge;

"eleotis,"

used for the shark, but this of

3rd, the Z jf|| tench, Legge; "ophio-

character

not do here.

sand-blower,
is

Liu Yiian has a wondrous description of this

on its forehead, hence it is called
'The Northern Bushel Fish.' ('The Northern Bushel' is the
cephalus," Zottoli.

creature

" It has seven stars

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

231

4.

FROM AGE

No.

5.

REJOICINGS IN THE SOUTH.

I.

In the south a river

rolls.

Set the wicker nets, for there

Barbel may be caught in shoals
'Neath the trap and basket snare.
2.

In the south are banyan groves

To

their

Where

boughs the melon

clings,

the flocks of turtle-doves

'Light or rise on airy wings.

Chinese
its

name

for the constellation of

nights gazing

on the

stars

The Great

from which

it

Bear.)

takes

its

It spends
name. It

understands the rules of politeness^ as the composition of its name

(Fish and Politeness) shows.
It is of the same essence as the
snake."

4th, the Yen J(6g

mudfish, or catfish, Silurus.

No.

4.

Another missing text. The subject apparently was "All things

produced according to their nature.'' Perhaps it ran something
"
like these verses from the "Anti Jacobin
" The humble lettuce springs from lettuce seed.
:

'Taters to 'taters, leeks to leeks succeed."

No.
This piece

is

know why, nor

is

referred to

S-

King Cheng

J,

but

do not

any explanation of the mention of " the south "

CHINESE POETRY.

232

3-

In the south there dwells a lord,

Ah he loves to pass the wine.
!

As we

feast around his board,

See each face with rapture shine.

No.

6.

THE LOFTY MOUND.

*

No.

7.

HONOURED VETERANS.
On

the mountains to the southward and the northward

we may

see

thick

Forests rise in

and

luxuriance

may be lifted out of the

raised men out of obscurity.

Chia Yu

'^^, literally

barbel, but the epithet strikes

"fine

me

No.
Another missing

How

shrub

all

text.

The

fish,"

is

supposed to be the

and bony

6.

things attained their greatest height

poem

one

fish.

Preface says that

No.
In this

water in a wicker net, so

as rather an inappropriate

to apply to such a coarse flavoured

"

and

These sapient gentlemen say

given by any of the commentators.

that as barbel

the ruler

bush,

of

tree.

and

its

subject was

size."

7.

the king sings the praises of his ministers by

comparing them to

trees

and herbs, which are

valuable and useful to man.

In the

first

in various

ways

stanza of the original

CHINESE POETRY.
There are herbs
bearing

men

for

233

to gather, there are fruit trees

fruits.

Trees umbrageous and majestic

the rocks have struck

in

their roots.

Since the hour their

many

shoots budded

first

years

have passed away,

Yet

and

their trunks are firm

solid,

and they reck not

of

decay.

Oh,

With

fathers of our people, our country's stay

all

and

light

may heaven your worth

choicest blessings

its

requite.

Though your brows be seamed with

wrinkles,

and your

hair and eyebrows grey.

May you

May
And

many

for

live

still,

we

years yet, strong and healthy

pray.

the fame of all your virtues to succeeding ages shine,

your sons, and grandsons' grandsons still perpetuate
your line.

are mentioned the

Vai ^,

edible thistle, the

flower of which furnishes rain coats

The second and

latter food.

willows, medlars

and

Zottoli,

the

^^

The

K''ao,

ailanthus,

fifth

am

What

last four trees is

inclined to think that their beauty

certainly included in these.

of the poem, for

my

an

have hinted

ijj,

to

wild

^^

Yu,

are the particular

not very clear.

and vigorous old age

at this in

version on this occasion

The

according

or,

has the j^ Kou, and the

the aspen or hovenia and the ash(?).

admirable qualities of these

third stanzas introduce mulberries,

"euscaphis staphyleoides/' and the Niu

cherry, or syringa.'

and the

plum-trees, all useful in their way.

stanza has the

fourth

a kind of grass, and the Lai

is

my

are

paraphrase

almost too free

to be called a translation.
I follow the

in

honour of

crowd

plimentary term
to the

Emperor

^^
alone.

King, live for ever."

the wish

is

making

in

this the

song of the royal host

Wan

should be noted that the comShou, is in modern China addressed

It is

the equivalent of the Biblical, " Oh,

his guests,

In

but

this

it

poem,

applied to the ministers.

if

my

translation

is

correct,

CHINESE POETRY.

234

No.

8.

BY USAGE
*

No.

9.

A WELCOME GUEST.
r.

The dewdrops sprinkle

The southernwood growing dense and high.
Hark how the bells on his harness tinkle,

hear him coming.

A joyful

sound, for

my

friend

is

nigh.

2.

My

friend

With
"

is

a friend above

To me

thou art dear as a cherished brother,

Long, happy days, be for ever thine."

No.
This
all

all others.

bright, pure radiance his virtues shine.

is

8.

the last of the missing poems.

Its subject

was

"How

things were produced, each in the proper way."

No.
It is a

9.

matter of doubt again whether the King

guests, or the guests praising the

King

particularity of the laudatory epithets, I

person only

is

makes

is

as their host.

praising his

From

the

have decided that one

addressed, and the allusion to the arrival of his

me

conclude that this person must be a guest, so I

have translated the poem as an address to a welcome visitor, I
am, however, alone in this, for the commentators all say that this
was a festal ode, sung when the feudal princes came to Court.
There is a doubtful line in the third stanza of the original
chariot

CHINESE POETRY.

235

3-

Now,
I

let

us feast, and with talk and laughter

Gladden the hours till the night be past.

in the days that shall come hereafter,
Forgotten never, thy fame shall last.

know

No.

10.

A CAROUSE.
" It

is

our royal pleasure to be drunk."

Fielding's ''Tom

Thumb."

I.

My

guests of to-night, with their stately mien,

Are the noblest guests that were ever seen.

So self-possessed and so cheerful too.
With hearts so virtuous, kind and true.
2.

The dew on

the herbage is sparkling bright,

bathe the grass till the morning's light.
So heavy the vapour is falling now
That with weight of moisture the fruit trees bow.

To

version, viz.

"

lates

it,

adds

in a

Jft

May

31

S^

note that

is

right

"

and

understand the words to mean,

make no attempt

"The

truly fraternal."

No.
It is curious that

be

a warning to the princes to avoid

readily sprang up between them and

I prefer to

connection between us

Dr. Legge trans-

this suggests

the jealousies which so

their brothers.

^2 Hsiung, Yi Ti.

their relations with their brothers

10.

to follow the structure of the Chinese

poem.

a nation so temperate as the Chinese should

CHINESE POETRY.

236

3-

We will
And

sit in

quaff

till

the hall and the goblets drain,

the liquor beclouds each brain.

Every drop of the dew by the morning's sun

Shall be drunk ere our merry carouse is done.

look on a drinking bout of this description as quite compatible

with the dignity either of a king or of a philosopher.

The

^ T'ung und

the

U Yt

tree

mentioned

in

this

are described in the notes to No. 6 of the 4th book of Part

poem
I.

CHINESE POETRY.

Book
No.

237

III.

I..

A ROYAL

GIFT.

Around the hall in serried rows

Are ranged the scarlet lacquered bows.
Each

in its case and frame complete

For honoured guests an offering meet.
;

To-day a guest

To me

coming

is

here,

a trusted friend and dear

On whom 'tis meet that I bestow

With all my heart this lacquered bow.
The drums

shall beat, the bells shall ring,

To

give to

him

We

feast, the loving cup I drain

pledge him o'er and o'er again.

To

fit

welcoming.

The sun shall climb

Before we drain our

No.

A red
King

is

goblets dry.

I.

bow

with 100 red arrows was given by the

mark of favour

for loyal service, just as the yellow riding-

lacquered

as a

jacket

the noontide sky,

at the present day.

It will

be remembered that one of

the latter was given to General Gordon.

Hsiang, the word used for the

The commentators say that
poem, means a feast attended with the highest forms

feast in this

of ceremony, and add that the presence of music shows that the
banquet was held in the ancestral temple.

CHINESE POETRY.

238

No.

2.

THE RECLUSE AND

HIS VISITOR.

I.

Upon

It rises

On

little isle I

make my home

high above the river's foam.

either side thick

wormwood bushes

saw him coming in his fragile skiff,

Which sank and rose amid the waves,

stray.

It could

make

not o'er the waters

as

its

if

way.

But when

at length I

The

my friend so noble and so kind

shore

Ah, was

To

it

saw him

safely find

not indeed a joyful sight

he brings.
Of cowrie shells one hundred gleaming strings.
My heart is filled with rapture and delight.
me, besides, a splendid

No.

gift

2.

once more alone in my interpretation of this poem. All

the commentators have it that it is entirely metaphorical, and
Dr. Legge heads it, " An Ode, celebrating the attention paid by
I

am

Chou to the education of talent."

poem must be translated, with an

the early kings of

to this view the

added

According
explanation

Translation.
to each clause, as follows.
" Luxuriantly
grows the wormwood on that mound, that islet, that height."
Explanation.
" This suggests the abundance of men of talent

only needing cultivation."

lord, and are glad of

planation.

" The King

and we, the

"He

itj

Translation.

"We

and he shows us every

is

have seen our

politeness."

Ex-

performing his duty as school-inspector,

scholars, are delighted to see him."

gives us 100 sets of cowries."

Explanation.

Translation.

"The

King

and salaries." Translation. " The willow skiff

about sinking and rising. We have seen our lord, and our
Explanation.
hearts are at rest."
" The talented youth of the
gives us officers
floats

kingdom had no means of culture, until they were cared for by

the King!" Can anything be more forced and strained? My own

CHINESE POETRY.

No.

239

3.

EXPEDinON AGAINST THE HUNS.

CHI FU'S

I.

The Huns had come in countless bands.

They seized and occupied our lands.
But

all in

vain they strive

and

try

Our land to overwhelm.

Our monarch notes the urgency,

And

bids us save his realm.

2.

Then hurry, hurry, night and day,

For we must to the field away.
In spite of summer's blazing heat,

Our force was speedily complete.

Four steeds in war's manoeuvres trained
To each well-balanced car were reined.
And swift these horses, stout and strong,
Could whirl our warlike hosts along.
Our flags and banners flew o'erhead
With birds emblazoned bright.
And ten huge armoured chariots led
Our vanguard to the fight.
interpretation

may be

right or wrong, but as the characters are

capable of bearing the meaning which

I give

justified in prefering it to the far-fetched

to them, I feel

rendering of the com-

mentators.
It is interesting to

in the

Chou

note the use of cowries as

No.

A period

of

some 300

between the date of

other words, the

first

and the

in China,

3.

supposed to have intervened

poem, and that of the one before it. In
22 " Songs of the Festivals " are assigned to
years

is

this

the early kings of the

piece,

money

Five shells constituted a set or string.

dynasty.

Chou dynasty

say

circa, b.c. iioo.

thirteen which follow, belong to the time of

This

King

CHINESE POETRY.

240

3-

Each day our destined stage we go

We met, we fought, we smote the foe.
We drove him backwards from our land.
:

Past where the walls of T'ai

Our foemen little thought

Would be thus worsted in

Yuan

the fray.

Right thoroughly our task was

By

every

man was

stand.

that they

done

glory won.

But mostly to our leader tried

Be praise and honour due.
In peace and war alike our pride,

Our

peerless Prince, Chi fu.

4-

And when the weary march was o'er,

And we had reached our homes once
What joy and happiness we had.
The

feast

was

set,

more.

our Prince was glad.

Hsiian
J, when the dynasty had begun to go down hill,
and disorder had become prevalent, though King Hsiian himself
was a wise and good ruler, who did all in his power for his people's
welfare.
The Huns had taken advantage of the misgovernment
and weakness of King Z jg 2, e.g. 878-827, to invade and
ravage his kingdom, which they penetrated as

far as the capital,

King Hsiian, on his

accession to the throne in B.C. 826, lost no time in expelling
them. This poem celebrates the exploits of his general, Yin Chi f
which was then

in the south of Shansi.

11

have shirked most of the Chinese names which appear in the

The Huns are said to have occupied Chiao

original version.

and

Huo ^, and

to

have overrun

as the country north of the river

only place to be identified.

Hao

Ching

was the

and Fang

^,

^. Of these, Hao

as far
is

the

what
is now the department of P'ing Yang in Shansi.
The other towns
were in the same province, of which T'ai Yiian, mentioned in this
poem, is the capital.
It

capital situated in

CHINESE POETRY.

241

His best and dearest friend was there

Beside him at the board,

His mirth and merriment to share,

Partaking of the dainties rare
That land and sea afford.

No

4.

FANG SHU'S EXPEDITION AGAINST THE

HUNS AND THE WILD TRIBES OF THE
SOUTH.

We were

gathering the crops of millet, which grew on the

virgin land

Round each

village, when Fang Shu came to collect us

and take command.
His car, with its chequered screen and its quivers, was

lacquered red.

And was drawn by

and steady

four dappled steeds with

an even

tread.

my

verses I have also omitted to mention the names of the

If
which land and sea afforded to grace the feast.
gastronomers care to know, they were roast turtle and hashed carp.
The General's " best and dearest friend " was Chang Chung
5^ jiji, "the filial and brotherly," but no one seems to know who
this gentleman was.
I have read somewhere
a propos of "Uncle
Remus's Tales of the Old Plantation," when the little boy asks
who " Miss Meadows and the girls " were, and Uncle Remus
replies " Dey was in de story, honey "
a remark that it is a peculiarity of ballad poetry in its most archaic shape, suddenly to
introduce a person by name, without in any other way indicating

In

dainties

his

connection with the story.

seems an instance of

The
No.

The

events

introduction of

Chang Chung

this.

narrated in this

B.C. 825, the year after the

one

4.

poem
in

are assigned to

which Yin Chi

fu

the year

made

the

CHINESE POETRY.

242

He wore

the scarlet robes, the gifts bestowed

by the King,

The tinkling gems at the belt, and the red knee-covering.

The yoke of his car was gilt, and its wheels were with
leather bound,

And

the bells at his horses' bits rang out with a merry

sound.

His banners flaunted o'erhead, and the thundering beat

of the

Was

drum

heard through the country side, to bid his warriors

come.

So we came with

three thousand cars, and swore to be

soldiers true.

To

follow to battle

and death our

faithful

and good

Fang Shu.
Oh, mad were the barbarous hordes of the south, when

The

they dared to defy

strength of our mighty realm, making light of our

No

stripling our leader was, but age

sovereignty.

had not dimmed

his skill

In the arts of war, but his strength was fresh and vigorous
still.

expedition celebrated in the last piece.

This

poem

states that

Fang Shu took with him 3000 chariots. One hundred men were
the complement of each chariot (see Dr. Legge's notes), so that
the whole force would be an army of 300,000 men.
I do not
suppose that we are meant to take this literally, or as anything
more than an Oriental method of describing an unusually large
army.
We know nothing of Fang Shu. He is supposed to have
been one of Yin Chi fu's subordinate Generals. The Chinese
commentators praise him for two things, first his ability to command, manage and manoeuvre so huge a force, and second, his
humanity, in only overawing the wild tribes by his show of force,
and in accepting their submission, instead of extirpating them.

The
or, as I

tribes of the south

am

were the "

Man

tribes of

inclined to translate the phrase, " the

people of Ching."

The Man

is

the generic

name

Ching

^|j,"

Man, and

the

of the people

CHINESE POETRY.
So we

on the savage

fell

243

tribes with the

speed of the

falcon's flight,

When

she stoops to the earth once more, after climbing

the zenith's height.

He

captured the rebel hosts, and by chastisements stern

he taught
Their chieftains the peril by which all attempt to revolt
is

And

fraught.

the roar of his troops, as they rushed to the onset,

sounded as loud

As
Till

To

the crash of the levin bolt,

angry cloud.
warned by the
would try

fate of the

withstand him, but laid

by

living in

when

Huns, no

down

it

darts from the

tribe of the south

their arms, being

awed

his majesty.

South China.

name of a

district

Ching, on the other hand,

now known

is

only the

as Ching Chou, the district in

which the treaty port of Ichang stands. Three hundred thousand

men would indeed be an extravagant army to take against a place
of this kind, though a war with the Man, that is to say all the tribes
of the south, would be a serious undertaking.
I have no doubt in

my own mind

that after the Huns on the north and west had

been subdued, an expedition to the south-west of the kingdom
was undertaken, and that this is the expedition described in
this poem.
To revert to the word Man. Marco Polo (Yule's edition, 1875)
mentions in his 43rd chapter that he came to a province called
Acbalec Manzi (the White City of the Manzi frontier), which, no
doubt, was in the Han River valley, near the scene of Fang

Shu's warfare.

Dr. Legge translates Chic

"addressed."

think that

^,
it is

in the 3rd stanza of the original,

"made them

take oath."

CHINESE POETRY.

244

No.

5.

THE GRAND HUNTING.

I.

Strong were

our cars

each horse was sleek,

Though stout and hardy was his frame.

The eastern grassy plains we seek,
Where we may find and kill the game.
2.

Dressed as for audience at the Court,

With knee-caps and gold slippers fine,

The

princes

come

to join the sport.

Their chariots form a lengthy

line.

3-

The

who conduct the hunt

off their men with noise and

leaders

Tell

The flags and yak-tails stream in

As to the chase we sally out.

shout.

front,

4-

The

archers

fit

And make

their armlets on.

bows and arrows sure

For they must shoot in unison.
If piles of game they would secure.
their

No.

5.

King Hsiian was anxious to establish his capital

Lo, the present Lo Yangfu -^ ]J|f ^^ and to remove thence

It is said that

at

from the western

capital,

written Singan fu)

|f

ever,

which stood where Hsi An fu (often

This removal, howJj^ now stands.

was not effected until the reign of King P'ing

2[i

J,

but

was King Hsiian's custom to meet the feudal Princes at Lo,

and, after they had been admitted to an audience, to entertain
them with a grand hunt. The hunting park was in Ao ^j, the
[I^
inodern district of Jung Yang
It is curious to observe
it

CHINESE POETRY.

245

5-

Straight and direct each chariot goes,

Let not your horses swerve or shy

fall the axe or hammer blows,
Straight and direct your shafts must

As

fly.

6.

The

horses neigh

We

the line

moves

leave un roused no single

slow.

lair,

Else would the royal kitchen show

Itself

devoid of game, and bare.

7.

Thus did our expedition

Successful, famous,

fare.

and complete.

Such were the lords who came to share

The praise and glory of the feat.

that the Chinese rulers of those days

employed the same method

of amusing visitors of distinction as our sovereigns do now.

I differ

7th

from Dr. Legge in his translation of the

stanza of the original.

He

makes

it,

last part

of the

"The footmen and

no alarms. The great kitchen did not claim

complement." Surely this is only an example of a very common
Chinese construction, in which the word "if" is understood from
charioteers created

its

the position of the words, and the phrase accordingly must mean
" If the footmen and charioteers do not frighten the game, the
royal kitchen will not be properly supplied."
I

At the same time

must admit that the commentators take Dr. Legge's view (or he

and enter into details. The royal kitchen, say they, only
accepted thirty of each kind of animal, and these had to be well
killed, and good specimens, or else they were rejected.
theirs),

The second
Legge

probably corrupt. Dr.

" Without any clamour in the noise of it."

line of the last stanza is

translates

it,

Is not this a contradiction in terms

CHINESE POETRY.

24(5

No.

6.

THE ROYAL HUNTING SONG.

I.

Let us choose for our starting a fortunate day

the god of the horses make offerings and pray
Then hey, to the hills and the mountains away
For the King is now going a hunting.
;

To

2.

Our

chariots are strong, and fast is each team.

speed to the plain, where the two rivers gleam,
For many a stag will be found near the stream
Where the monarch is going a hunting.

We

3-

See large game

in

herds in the plain there below

They collect, then they scatter, then rush to and fro.

As the beaters to rouse them and drive them forth go
To make sport, when the King goes a hunting.
4-

Oh, straight from the bow-strings the sharp arrows flew

A rhinoceros falls, and a boar is run through.
Give the game to the guests, fill the wine goblets too,

As

is

meet,

when

the

No.

King goes a hunting.

6.

This hunt was evidently on a smaller scale, and was a

less

important function than the hunting expedition described in the

The two rivers by which the hunt took place are

CKi j^ and the CKou j^g., both affluents of the Yellow

last piece.

the

River.

TJie

Their courses were not far from the western capital.

of the Horses" was the "Dragon Horse of the Sky,"

"God

certain stars in Scorpio.

and
The fortunate day is my equivalent for the days Mou
King Wu j^ ^, which were what was called 'hard 'days; days
on which
notes.)

it

was lucky to do business abroad.

(See Dr. Legge's

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

247

7.

THE SCATTERED FOLK COLLECTED INTO

VILLAGES.
I.

Above our heads

the wild geese fly

Theirpinions rustle through the sky.

Hard was our

We

laboured

task

in th'

with toil and pain

unsheltered plain,

To house the wretched ones whom

Had left forlorn and desolate.

fate

2.

The

wild geese settle from their

And

on the marshlands they alight.

So

fast

flight,

our village walls we rear.

Five thousand feet at once appear.

Though travail sore our hearth distrest.
We reaped our due reward of rest.
3-

Again the wild geese rise and fly.

And harsh and doleful is their cry.
Men that are sensible and wise.
Our pain, our toil, will recognise
Though fools, and those devoid of sense,
May call it pride and insolence.
I

am

inclined to substitute " wild buffalo

''

for rhinoceros in

my

no authority for giving any meaning but

3 S'^^. At the same time I very much doubt

version, but I have

rhinoceros to

whether, in post-diluvian times, the rhinoceros was

known

as far

north as the valley of the Yellow River.

No.

7.

This piece is very obscure, and is doubdess corrupt.

I am
content to accept the only explanation of it, viz., that it describes
the way in which the ofHcers of King Hsiian provided for the

CHINESE POETRY.

248

No.

8.

EXPECTATION.
I.

"

Watchman, what of the night ?

" The torch in the courtyard set
with ruddy

Is blazing

For

it is

A noise seems to
The sound

of

strike

some

my

my

ear,

distant bells.

A welcome sound, for

That

light,

not midnight yet."

it

tells

friend will be shortly here.

2.

"

Watchman, again I hail."

" The night has not past away,
Though the torch in the yard grows pale
And its fla'me has turned faint and grey."
Clearer, and yet more clear.
The sound of his bells I mark
;

They

ring in the misty dark.

Surely

my

friend

is

near.

who had been driven out of house and home

by the Huns and other barbarous tribes, and built walled villages
But even taking this interpretation, I find the poem
for them.
Nor do I find much reason for the
difficult to understand.
mention of the wild geese. The last stanza of the poem is parti-

safety of the people

cularly incomprehensible.

No.

8.

This piece, like so many others, turns on the meaning of the

Dr. Legge, following the Chinese comword Chun Tzu ;: -^
mentators, makes King Hsiian the speaker.
He is awaking at
intervals during, the night on account of his anxiety not to be late
at the levde, which was to be attended by his " Princely men,"
.

i.e.

the feudal chiefs.

and

do not think

prefer to understand the speaker

this idea sufficiently poetical,

King Hsuan,

if

you

will

CHINESE POETRY.

249

3-

"
"

Watchman, what of the night ? "

but a wreath of smoke
'Tis morn
Curls up from the torch. 'Tis light,
And the day dawn at length has broke,"
;

What

the sight

is

And

flaunt in

my

'Tis

see

which fly
the morning sky.

His banners and

flags

friend,

who

No.

has

come

to me.

9.

A LONGING FOR

REST.

I.

Though

the river

waters

is

swollen in flood, and fast must

its

flee.

And huge

are the angry waves, which

bears

it

on

its

troubled breast

Yet

it

carries

them

down

safely

to the court of the

god of

the sea,

And

there finds

rest.

anxious to hail some beloved friend, and I have translated the

piece accordingly.

The J^ )^ T'ing Liao,

than a torch, as

it

translated " torch,"

consisted of billets of

wood

King's bonfire consisted of 100 such

was rather a bonfire

tied together.

billets,

The

a Duke's had 50,

and so on.

No.
This piece again
than translated

The

original

it,

is

little

9.

obscure.

have paraphrased rather

meaning.

in order the better to bring out its

Chinese version merely

states,

for the first simile,

that the swollen waters go to the court of the sea.

to note the Chinese phrase, which

character meaning, " to

come

to

is

Chao Sung

Court

It is

^^

curious
the

first

(as a feudal prince) in the

CHINESE POETRY.

250

2.

Though

the falcon

rapid

And

flight,

to soar that

young

When

forced to ascend to the sky in her

is

may

she

some food

provide

for

the

in her nest.

her wings are weary she knows a crag whereon to

alight,

And

there finds

rest.

3-

Would

like the

of repose

For to and

When

river or

falcon might win some place

am

fro

driven with sorrow and grief opprest.

think of these lawless men,

am

crushed with a

weight of woes.

But

find

no

rest.

4.

my

countrymen, brethren, friends, are your parents

Oh,
nothing to you
That ye suffer our realm to be by malice and spite
distrest

Keep

vigilant watch^

and see that

slanderous tongues

be few.

And
spring,"

compare

and the
it

latter

give us

"to come to Court

with Tennyson's

rest.

in the autumn,''

"Flow down cold rivulet to the

Thy tribute wave deliver."
I

and

to

sea,

think that the feeling which the writer wishes to express

like that of Swinburne's, when he says

somewhat

is

" Even the weariest river

Winds somewhere

The second

simile

is

safe to sea."

that of the falcon, who, though

the wing, has yet a resting place on the face of the

for this, I take

it,

is

the

it

cliff

lives

on

or crag,

meaning of the four characters

{^

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

251

10.

A PROSPECT.
Pleasant

Where
With

is

the garden ground,

the sandal trees are found,

the paper mulberry.

Underneath their branches lie

Withered leaves, when summer's

And

the winter's

come

past,

at last.

In the stream that waters

You may note the fishes

Some upon the shallows

it

flit.

sleep,

Others hide within the deep.

From the marsh pools on the plain.
Hark
The trumpet of the crane.
!

Shuai pi chung

peak."

ling,

"

She keeps

Dr. I-egge's metrical version

to the centre of

the

is

"And swiftly as the falcons go,

The vault that copes the hill they

show."

poem is supposed to be King Hsiian, who,

found that King Li, his predecessor, and J^ung
Ho
fu who had acted as regent, had allowed the kingdom
to go to rack and ruin.I should mention that the simile of the rivers going to court is
taken from the " Tribute of Yu," part iii., book i., chap, vii.,
(See Legge's " Chinese Classics," vol. iii., page 113).
para. 47.
The speaker

on

in this

his accession

No.

ID.

do not see why we should be called upon to look for a metameaning in this little piece. The Chinese, however,
find a lesson in every sentence of it, and make the whole poem
an exhortation addressed by King Hsiian to men of worth, whom
misgovernment had driven into retirement, to come forward and
I

phorical

serve their country.

you can hear

its

The crane may

hide

itself in the

cry at a great distance, so a wise

marsh, but

man may

live

CHINESE POETRY.

2S2

Listen to her sonorous cry

Echoing to the distant sky.

Purple

hills

Where

the grindstone quarries are

And

are seen afar,

;

the lapidary's stone,

In these mountains found alone.

retired,

You must

all allow, I

'Tis a fair

and pleasant scene.

but his reputation

cealed by the water, but

is

ween,

widely known.

we know

The

fishes lie

their whereabouts.

con-

The garden

grows the valuable and beautiful sandal or teak tree. Underneath

are withered leaves and brushwood, to show that there is no un-

mixed good
have

in this imperfect world.

Even

the stones of the

their uses.

g^ Ku,

is

the Broussonetia Papyrifera, or paper mulberry.

hills

CHINESE POETRY.

Book
No.

253

IV.

I.

A MUTINOUS SONG.
Oh, Captain of the Royal Guard

Your

Was
"

The

fault
it

it is

our lot

is

hard.

not wrong of you to bring

teeth

and talons

"

of the

King

Beneath a weight of toil to groan,

And die forsaken and alone.
Leaving no man behind to feed
Our parents in their want and need ?

No.
This piece, which
directed against the

is

I.

probably only fragmentary,

commander

is

a lampoon

of the Royal Guard, and through

him, say the Chinese commentators, against the King.

ever found
mystery.

question was.
to

way

How

it

Songs of the Festivals is indeed a

The commentators do not agree who the King in
its

into these

Some go back to King Li. Others refer the piece

The latter say that King Hsuan, at the beginning

King Hsiian.

of his reign, declined to enrol in his kingdom a tract of country

called "

Hsiu

The Thousand

Acres," situated in the district of Chieh

rn Shensi.

Thirty-nine years afterwards the northern

{tJc,

barbarian tribes inflicted a severe defeat on him at this very place,

and to revenge it he called out all his forces, including his own
body-guard, "the teeth and claws of the King," who were supposed
The soldiers express their
to be exempt from foreign service.
sense of grievance in these mutinous verses.
The last line of the Chinese version is either corrupt, or else
It is, " Our mothers have to
it is a striking example of bathos.
do all the labour of cooking." I cannot help feeling that this
sentence connotes that the trouble was not so much in cooking,
and I have translated the line
as in finding something to cook
;

accordingly.

CHINESE POETRY.

2S4

No.

2.

THE WHITE COLT.

I.

Your

milk-white colt

is

safely

bound

He

cannot stray.
By
that
can
be found
herbs
The choicest
live-long
day.
the
I'll let him crop
love,
from
trouble
free,
That you, my
me.
May pass the morn at ease with

neck and

foot.

Your milk-white

My

colt

unchecked may bite

sweetest shoots.

His neck and

foot.

I'll

safely tether

happy

night,

All undisturbed, we'll pass together.

For

would

fain detain

you here
and dear.

A guest so honoured, loved,

No.

Can

2.

song be anything but an expression either of friendship

or of affection. I look on it as expressive of affection, leaving it to
be inferred that a lady is the speaker. The Chinese commentators
this

poem is some officer

abandonment of public life
by a friend whom he loved and admired which is Dr. Legge's
view or that King Hsiian is the speaker, lamenting that men
of talent will not come out of retirement to take office. If one
is driven to either of these two conclusions. Dr. Legge's is the more
comprehensible. If we adopt the latter theory, we are at once
either that the subject of the

will

have

who

declares in

it,

it

his regret at the

involved in a tangle of metaphors, for we can scarcely admit that

the royal bean-shoots in the King's garden are to be taken literally.

King Hsiian was not a monarch of the rank of the King of BrentKing Artaxominous.
A writer in the " North China Herald," who signs himself K.
(it is not difficult to fill up the other letters of his name), adopts

ford, or of

CHINESE POETRY.

255

3-

Then mount your milk-white

A brighter and
Than duke

And

or noble

share

my

colt,

more glorious

and be

sight

to me,

is

rapture and delight.

Care not to roam away or hide

Yourself, but with your love abide.
A-

Within that sheltered vale there lies

Fresh grass for your white colt to

my

Fairer than jewels in

Are you.

eat.

eyes

Then come

those eyes to greet.

But gems and gold are scarce we know,

And seldom seen. Must you be so
.-'

the extraordinary theory that the "

the Agvinau, the "Vedettes," or

in Aries.

This

is

White Colt

" in the

"Twin Horsemen,"

his translation

poem means

the stars

Shine on, ye glowing steeds of day,

Our meadows wide with light suffuse.

Halt in your course ; your progress stay

This morning's dawn to close refuse.

My cherished love,
May

care aside,

all

one long day with

me

abide.

Shine on, ye glowing steeds of day.

O'er our wide fields your radiance send

Halt

in

your course

your progress stay

This night beyond all nights extend.

cherished love, oh happy bride.

My

May

one long day with

me

abide.

Shine on, ye glowing steeds of morn,

While burning thoughts my bosom

What though

fill.

of noble lineage born.

In modest ease for aye be still.

For aye forget your aimless quest,
Your anxious thoughts be lulled to

rest.

y8.

y.

CHINESE POETRY.

256

No.

3.

UNKINDNESS.
Oriole, with the

On

plumage

bright,

these mulberries do not 'light

From

this rice and maize refrain

Leave unpecked this millet grain
Build no nest upon these oaks
For these men are churlish folks.

Little do they understand

How
How

to give a friendly hand,

show a kindly heart.

I had best depart.
Where my friends and kinsmen be
to

You and

Is the only

home

for me.

Shine on, ye glowing steeds of day.

O'er yon wide valley stay your

There

My
Nor

in a patch with verdure

loved one

light.

gay

a jewel bright

lies,

gems or golden showers,

While happy hearts beguile the hours.
covets

No.

The

bearing of this ballad

Captain Bunsby would say.

3.

lies

Mao

in

the application of

Ch'i lin's idea that

it

it,

is

as

wife complaining of ill-treatment at the hands of her husband

and

his relations is

that I see

scouted by Dr. Legge as absurd.

no more absurdity

Dr. Legge adopts,

viz.,

that

in this theory

some

officer

I confess

than in the one which

who had withdrawn

to

another State, finding himself disappointed, proposes to return

home.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

257

4.

NEGLECT.
I.

The
I
I

long, long wilds with tired feet

trod,

tree.

picked the bitter herbs to eat

No

"

where grows the ailanthus

was given me.

myself said I,
" This toilsome journey at an end,
My husband and his family
Will hail me as their dearest friend."
But

daintier food

surely," to

2.

In vain

went

'Twas but to

My

this

weary way

find, to

my

distress,

husband's heart enticed astray

By

gold or simple fickleness.

Another mate he holds as dear

While I am less a friend than foe.
They do not love to have me here,
So back to home and kin I go.
No.

4.

last poem may be, I have no

doubt that this is the lament of a wife, complaining that when
she went to rejoin her husband, she found, him with another
In order to
mate, and anything but inclined to welcome her.
avoid so simple a theme, and to introduce affairs of State into
the ballad, the commentators will have it that the speaker is an

Whatever the meaning of the

the royal domain to live in a State where

was married, but on arrival there found that
connections gave him the Cold shoulder. To bring out this

officer,

who went from

one of

his family

his

meaning, -^ |;@ Hiien Yin must be translated " affinity " rather
than " marriage." Moreover, the reproaches addressed to someone for only thinking of pleasing his new mate, and for being
fickle, have no force whatever, unless a woman is addressing her

husband or

lover.
s

CHINESE POETRY.

2s8

No.

5.

KING HSiJAN'S PALACE.

I.

Where

And

curve the river banks with graceful sweep,

purple mountains to the southward

As grow

the

bamboos

lie

in a solid heap,

Or clumps of pine trees pointing to the sky

So stands the palace, large, and wide and high.
Here kings may dwell, and brother feast with brother,
Scheming no mad devices 'gainst each other.
;

2.

It

was the King's by

right, his father's land,

Whereon he built his chambers row by row.

The doors to eastward and to south he planned

While walls, five thousand cubits, round it go.

So grand, so noble doth the dwelling show,
That 'tis in truth a place where kings may rest,
And with their loyal subjects talk and jest.
3-

The

lime to bind the walls in frames

And pounded

many

hard with

is set.

a jocund cry.

Impervious are the walls to wind and wet.

tooth of gnawing rat they will defy,

And
And

birds to find a hole in vain will try.

It is

a stately

The

noble Prince

The

lady

JU

Ch'u,

(Zottoli).

is

the

The

home that will befit

who shall inhabit

supposed

to

it.

have sheltered herself beneath the

(Legge), or "ailanthus glandulosa"

" bitter herbs " are the 3^ Chu, the dock, or

fetid

tree

sheep's foot (Legge), "

rumex" (Zottoli), and

weed (Legge), "Phytolacca" (Zottoli). This

the

Fu "^

last

was probably

poke-

purslane.

No.
The

royal palace

was supposed

5.

to

have been destroyed during

CHINESE POETRY.

259

4-

As

steps a lord before his sovereign's eyes,

With

reverent speed on tiptoe hastening

As from the bow the whistling arrow flies

As darts the pheasant on his rapid wing

(His plumage just renewed in early spring);

So will our king ascend his mansion fair,
With eagerness to dwell in comfort there.*
S-

The

courts are smooth and level, every one.

And

rows of lofty pillars stand around.

is gladdened by the morning sun,
Though dark recesses in their depths are found
haunt for slumber undisturbed and sound.
Here shall our noble king repose, and lie
The while the watches of the night go by.

Each room

6.

As on my

rush and

bamboo mat

lay,

dreamt of serpents and the savage bear.

I called the soothsayer in and bade him say
Whether such dreams are lucky, and declare
What fortune threatened, and how I should fare.
Bears promise birth of sons, and snakes a brood
Of daughters," said he, " both are omens good."
I

"

the reign of

poem

This
I

have

King

Li,

and

in

two respects adopted

subject of the similes

mentators,

to have

describes and celebrates

is

is

completion.
interpretation.

how

not the King, but the palace; though

a riddle which I

man on tip-toe, an arrow, or

am unable to solve. Secondly,

The
com-

a palace

a pheasant,
I

decline to

the concluding stanzas either prophetic or optative, and to

translate

dream
on.

its

my own

in Stanza 4, according to all the

can be compared to a

make

been rebuilt by King Hsiian.

Legge does, " Here may the King sleep and

chief diviner will divine them,'' and so
own opinion is that these stanzas form a separate poem

them

as Dr.

dreams,'' "

My

The

CHINESE POETRY.

26o

7-

"

The fates decree to you shall sons be born

Upon the gilded couches they shall sleep
Rich robes of purple shall by them be worn

keep
And masterful their cry is when they weep.
Resplendent with red knee-caps shall they stand,
The future kings and princes of the land.

For toys the royal sceptres

shall they

" 'Tis also fated daughters shall be born

Upon

the ground such infants

Plain cotton wrappers shall

we may

lay

by them be worn

With broken tiles for toys the girls may play.

Of knowing right from wrong small power have

they.

To furnish food and wine is woman's part,

And cause no sorrow to their parents' heart."
of their own, but

the palace,

To

Stanza 4.
front,

is still

if

they are really part of the

them be taken

let

to

poem

describing

be a speech of the King's.

take quick steps, with the arms held out

mark

of respect in China.

in

Confucius, according

Subjects admitted to an

to the "Analects," adopted the practice.

audience walk thus.

Stanza

6.

" Bears promise birth of sons,

and snakes a brood

of daughters."
Bears,

say the Chinese, are typical of strength and power.

Snakes, on the other hand, are creatures which shrink from sight,
thus typifying woman's modesty.
A
;
found in Indian worship " It may indeed be possible to trace out the association which connects the Linga with
the Bull in Sivaism, as denoting more particularly the male
power, while the serpent in Jainaism and Vishnavism is found
with the female emblem, the Yoni." Cox's " Mythology of the

and

retire into their holes

similar idea

is

Aryan Nations,"

vol.

ii.,

p. 129.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

261

6.

"KING HSUAN'S FLOCKS AND HERDS."

I.

any one says that your sheep are few,

He lies, for your sheep we see.
In flocks of three hundred all horned but tame
If

They

are grazing about the lea.

2.

And

your

cattle are ninety in every herd,

Strong, black-lipped brutes.

From

Come droves of thirty, flapping their

To drink at the pools and rills,

the

hills

ears,

3-

As

on the meadows, or roam the

When the pasture is rich and fat.
Your herdsmen watch them in rain-coats
Each wearing his bamboo hat.
they

lie

No.

fields.

clad.

6.

supposed to describe King Hsiian's prosperity.

I
His prosperity infers his good government and his virtue.
have no wish to dispute the accuracy of this interpretation.
This ballad

The

is

chief point of interest in the

piece
praise

in

poem

is

this

it

is

the only

which describes and sings the

Now, the
as opposed to agricultural.

the whole collection

of pastoral

life

members of the Aryan race, before their dispersion hunters

and fishermen at first became acquainted with pastoral pursuits
Among them the Chief Shepherd was pracbefore agricultural.
King. (See Pictet's " Origines Indo-Europ^ennes.") The
Chinese have always regarded the science of agriculture with
respect, considering the care of flocks and herds a business only
tically

fit

for

In fact

nomad tribes, such as the Mongolians of the present day.

Li Min to be " the
many persons believe the term

^^

" the black-haired race," as it is

ploughing and sowing form a
that
say
They
usually translated.
far more distinct characteristic of the Chinese than the blackness
agricultural people " rather than

CHINESE POETRY.

262

4-

They bear their rations upon their backs,

The birds and the beasts they snare.
They collect the faggots and twigs to roast
The game, and a meal they share.
5-

Your sheep by

infectious

untouched,

ills

All vigorous^ strong, and bold.

By

a single wave of the shepherd's arm

Are driven within

Your herdsman

shall

the fold.

dream

at night of fish

In countless shoals in the streams.

Of pennons

flying, and falcon flags.

Let the soothsayers solve their dreams.
7-

The shoals of the fish denote a time

Of prosperity never ceasing
;

And

the flags that the folk of our monarch's realm

Are

flourishing

and increasing.

of the hair, for the aboriginal tribes in and around the Empire,

and the natives of the nt-ighbouring countries, are all blackhonour paid to agriculture is confined to pure Chinese
alone.
The gentleman who signs himself K. goes so far as to
translate the term Li Min as " Aryan."
I conclude, then, that
this ballad either describes a state of things which existed long
before the time of King Hsiian, or else that even in his time the
care of flocks and herds was looked on as a matter not unworthy
of a king's attention.
Liu Yiian says as much, pointing out that
in King Hsiiaa's days there were officials in charge of sheep,
oxen, dogs and fowls. Swine alone were not cared for.
The student of Chinese will find a good many rare characters

haired, but

and doubtful expressions

" a yellow ox,

in this ballad.
^J Shun
seven cubits high, with black lips

is
;''

defined as
rather an

awkward beast to meet in a narrow lane. )^ f^ Shih Shih is

literally " damp."
Here it is understood to mean " flapping the

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

263

7.

THE MISGOVERNMENT OF THE GRAND

MASTER YIN.
I.

The

southern mountains by their craggy height

Strike

all

beholders' eyes with

awe and

Like them, Grand Master, thou

To awe
But

the nation

fires

little

on high

by thy majesty.

of vengeance scorch the angry breasts

Of men who loathe to name thee, e'en

To ruin and decay the kingdom flies,
But

fright.

art placed

in jests;

reck you of our miseries.

one sapient commentator remarks that a cow's ears

I
nose) are moist when the animal is in health.
have evaded the difficulty of translating the two last lines of
I imagine their meaning to
the 2nd stanza in the original.
be, " Thirty make a drove, so that your sacrificial animals are
Dr. Legge, following the commentators,
all massed together."
For your (sacrimakes it, " Thirty of one colour make a set.
ears ;" but

(like a dog's

vicdms, then, you are plentifully provided." The word

is exclusively applied to animals regarded

ficial)

sMiig in this Classic

as sacrificial victims; but I

be

laid

on the word here, or

do not think

that

much

that, in this instance,

stress

it is

need

anything

more than a synonym for oxen. At the same time it is only fair
to note that some comraentators believe that the whole piece
describes the care taken of the animals destined to be sacrificial
victims.

have followed Dr. Legge in taking

P 'eng

to infer

Others say that it means straying over precipices. Dr.

" dissolving into,"
" multitudes dissolving
Legge makes Wei

disease.

into fishes," "tortoise

banners."
if

it

is

and serpent

accept the word in

its

dissolving into falcon

ordinary meaning of " also,"
flags

anything more than what the Chinese

particle,"

and make

''

call "

an empty

multitudes, also fishes/' the equivalent of

shoals of fish.

No.
This

is

the

first

7.

of a long and wearisome

scries of

poems, com-

CHINESE POETRY.

204

2.

The

southern mountains Hft their peaks to heaven,

And richly on them hath the herbage thriven.

To thee, Grand Master, no such gifts belong.
Injustice is thy boast with fraud and wrong.
Redoubled weights of evil on us lie
Death and disorder grow and multiply.
No words of gladness from the people flow.
Yet care you nothing that this should be so.
;

3-

When

thou wast

made

the master of the land,

was that thou should'st be the King's right hand

That thou should'st hold the balance of the State,
And keep each region prosperous and great
That thou should'st be the monarch's aid and stay,
Nor let his people wander far astray.
Unpitying heaven, some pity to us show,
Nor let him crush us 'neath this weight of woe.
It

4-

How
Who
To

can our folk have confidence

cares no whit

by

whom

untried novices a task

Though such

his

in

one

work

is

done.

he'll fling,

neglect defrauds and cheats his King.

Master, be wise and stop, nor let us feel

That your mean followers wreck the commonweal.
You grant them honours, though their aim is pelf.

And how

each

vile

rogue

plaining of the miseries of the

Hsiian.

This piece

is

may

enrich himself.

kingdom

after the

death of King

assigned to the time of King

Fm

King Hsuan's immediate successor, who reigned from

^U
B.C.

780

to 770;

The Grand Master was Yin

^,

probably a son, or grandson,

Yin Chi fu, mentioned in No. 3 of the last book. He was

one of the three supreme officials at the Court of King Yu, and,
of

CHINESE POETRY.

265

5-

Great heaven above, we cannot call thee just,

beneath such weight of grief are thrust
Great heaven above, we cannot call thee kind,
On every side such miseries we find
If we could see some honest men again,
How soon would all our hearts forget their pain.

When we

And

did

How

soon our anger would be cast aside.

we know

that justice was their guide,

6.

Oh, great unpitying heaven

And

let this trouble, this

to us grant peace,

disorder cease.

For month by month continually it grows.

none throughout the nation wins repose.
My sorrow dulls and stupefies my mind
No one to rule the kingdom can I find.
And when no ruler for the land is found,
Then toil and ruin, wrath and fear abound.

And

7-

Fain would

My

yoke

my

horses to

my

car,

and flee with them afar.

But north or south no resting place I see.
Where I may hide no home remains for me.
Here must the people suffer civil strife,
For war with sword and wasting fire is rife.
And there 'tis worse, those wretches feast and drain
four swift steeds,

Their cups, conspiring to increase our pain.

Legge
Grand Master

as Dr.

suggests,
is

was probably the highest of the three.

title T'ai Shih -j^ ^jjj

the translation of his

I make the fourth and

Stanza 4 is a difficult one to translate.
of it, " Do not deceive the King, but be just and stop."
Dr. Legge translates them, " He should not deal deceitfully with

fifth lines

superior

men by

dismissing them on the requirement of justice

a sentence which I confess I

Stanza

7,

fail

;"

to understand.

representing two Chinese verses in the original,

is

CHINESE POETRY.

66

This

judgment passed on us by heaven,

our King no respite shall be given.

the

is

That to
Yet is our master our entreating scorning.
He will not change nay, he resents our warning.
But could this happy change in him be wrought,
Ah, with what blessings would the land be fraught.
To show the mischief done the King, the wrong.
;

The

evil, I,

Chia

fu,

have made

No.

this song.

8.

KING YU'S MI^GOVERNMENT.

I.

Although

The

How

dread, as

to

if

show

calumnies and slanders grow.

What weary

My wounded
On

time.

white with frozen rime.

fields are

A portent

summer

early

'tis

me, on

loads of grief and care

heart

me

is

forced to bear.

alone they

Sick to the soul of

life

am

lie.

I.

presumably corrupt, but I have given what I conjecture to be

its meaning.
My translation differs materially from Dr. Legge's.

Nothing
His name,

is

known

of

Chiafu

literally translated, is

^ ^, the writer of these verses.

" paterfamilias.''

No.

8.

This long and dreary production is akin to the last poem, and
indisputably refers to the time of King Yu, for in it is mentioned
the

name

oi

Eao Ssu, ^

^,

This

poem

whose folly
hands of the bar-

his favourite concubine,

caused the death of her lord and herself

barian invaders of the kingdom.

at the

has been compared by one of the Chinese critics

" Grief Dispelled ;" the work
Lt Sao,
,|g, or

to the celebrated

{||{|

CHINESE POETRY.

267

2.

My parents dear, who gave me birth,

Would it had only been my fate
To live more early or more late
!

Such ills might be unknown on earth.

Yet why ? 'Twere wiser to despise
Men's slanders and their cruel lies.
Whether for good or ill designed
Their words are nought but idle wind.
And should they mark me sufifering pain.

No

but contempt,

pity,

I'd gain.

3-

Yet

'tis

I shall

But

not for myself

not perish

all

moan

alone

helpless, harmless folks will

Reduced

to slavery with

be

me.

Alas, for us in such a plight

I shall

Who
No

be like some famished crow,

finds

shelter

no roof whereon to
whereunto to go.

'light,

4-

The wanderer who has gone astray.

And in the forest lost his way,
By shrub and brushwood dazed and

blind

Strives all in vain the path to find.

Our people groaning in their grief,

Look up to heaven with vow and prayer,
But heaven is wroth and will not spare.
Nor grant them respite and relief
of Ch'u Yiian

^ ^, B.c.314.

Literature," p. 181
art.

(See Dr. Wylie's "Notes on Chinese

and Mayers' "Chinese Reader's Manual,"

326.)

My

rendering of stanza 4 differs a good deal from the accepted

The first two lines of the original are, " Look into the

versions.

middle of the

forest.

There are only brushwood and undergrowth."

CHINESE POETRY.

268

And why ? This fault is all their

And due to man and man alone.

A steadfast heart

is all

we

own,

need,

To stay the strokes 'neath which we bleed

And God above is kind and great.
Lives there a man whom He would hate ?

5-

Say you that falsehoods, slanders, lies

Are evils whose effects are small ?
Behold those crags, whose summits rise
In ridgy masses huge and

The wayfarer would

find

tall.

hard

it

Such obstacles to disregard.

But mountains dangerous and high

Must

be feared than calumny.

less

What help is there 1 The aged men

And soothsayers, who our dreams explained.
Confess some things beyond their ken.

Some

lore their

wisdom

ne'er attained.

6.

Although the vault of heaven

In reverent fear

The

earth

is

high,

is

bow my head.

firm, yet o'er

it I

Dare but

to step with dainty tread.

And

my

fears are not unfounded

myself surrounded
With cruel men, whose thoughts are all

Alas,

sure

Compact

To

this

I find

of venom, hate, and gall.

add, " so that no path

is

visible."

Dr. Legge follows

who

say that the forest

the explanation of the commentators,

ought to contain timber and large

trees,

but shrubs only

firewood are the sole growth

This

typifies the

ment of
perils
let

the country.

The

left.

stanza goes on

look up to heaven, which

their

is

dark

determination be fixed, there

not overcome."

There

is

is

the Almighty.

"

(/. e.

The people

for

in their

deaf to them)

whom
Does He hate

no one

fit

misgovern-

but

they will

anyone?

CHINESE POETRY,

269

7-

E'en in that rough and stony plain

Luxuriant grows the early grain,

As

if to show that heaven can be

Benign to others, not to me.
Its anger I must undergo,
As I were heaven's presumptuous foe.
Men came at first and humbly prayed
That I would kindly grant my aid,
And be their pattern and their pride
But now I'm scorned and cast aside.
;

8.

My wretched
With cords

heart

is

tied

and bound

of grief which clasp

me

round.

Oh, rulers of the present time

Is not this cruelty your crime ?
The fire, though fiercely burns its flame.
May chance to be put out and die.
But when a woman brings to shame
The Court, the King, what hope have I ?
9I

seem

An

to see through

heavy rain

overloaded waggon strain.

I see

The

the driver cast

by which

bars

away

its

wheels are stayed.

His cart upsets, and he must pray

To

every passer-by for aid.

In other words, " Let the people help themselves, and not try to
throw the blame of their misfortune on heaven, which hates no
one."

veyed

It
if

seems to

we

me

of heaven be fixed,
Cela va sans dire.
If any

peaks

we

spoil the

moral lesson to be con-

Legge does, "Let the determination

and there is no one whom it cannot overcome."

In Stanza 5 the

"

that

translate as Dr.

literal

one says of a

(to contradict

hill

translation of the

that

him)."

it is

two

low, there are

first
its

lines

ridges

is,

and

This painfully reminds us of the

CHINESE- POETRY.

70

Ah, do not

cast the bars aside,

They '11 serve you well upon the road

Your driver bid with caution guide

His team, and duly watch the load.

the way be rough to wend,
You '11 safely reach your journey's end.

Then though

lO.

fish in some translucent lake

Must ever live to fear a prey.
He cannot hide himself away
From those who come the fish to

take.

may not escape the eyes

Of those who cause these miseries.
too,

I,

My sorrowing heart must grieve to know

My country's deep distress and woe.
1 1.

In vain, in vain. They sit and laugh;

With friends around they feast and quaff.
Nor care they to correct the ways
Which mates and kinsmen laud and praise.

While

am

left in

loneliness

prey to sorrowful distress.

Let them, this sordid abject clan.
Boast of their riches, houses, land.
Nor care how heaven's avenging hand
Is crushing ever}' weaker man.
Alas, the wealthy live secure,

From
Red Queen's
would

ills

the helpless must endure.

remark, " I've seen

this a valley."

call

anything but a

Still,

hills

compared

I think that

my

to

which you
though

verse,

conveys the meaning of the

which the soothsayers had not attained
was the ability to distinguish between a cock crow from a hen
crow, which is not as easy as to tell " a hawk from a hernshaw."
original.

literal

The wisdom

Stanza 6.

translation,

to

"Tliougbts compact of venom,'' &c.

This

is

my

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

HUANG
'Twas the

271

9.

FU'S VILLAINIES.

day of the month, when the sun

first

in eclipse

^xQ'w pale

An omen

to all the folk of disaster

The moon was first

Then the light of

and woe and

bale.

nor kept her appointed path,

the sun was darkened, in token of
heavenly wrath
Because throughout the land there is no one bears rule or
sway,
And the good men are neglected, and the wise men are
sent away,
Till the poor and the weak and the helpless shall find in
eclipsed,

distress there

To

is

them from

shield

realm

none
ruin

and

ills,

by which the whole

undone.
That the light of the moon be eclipsed

may

is

a thing which

oft befall.

But the sun

of

is

to

grow dark and dim

is

the direst portent

all.

paraphrase for the expression '

Why

are the

men

of this time

such cobras and lizards ?"

Stanza

Liu Yiian explains the

7.

predecessors eagerly sought

rejects

my

last four lines,

service, but

" His Majesty's

King Yu himself

me."

Stanza 8 contains the mention of Pao Ssu's name {vide supra).

"
in Stanza 9 seem to have been " bars," or " levers
The Fii

If

which could be passed under the spokes

The commentators
will have it that the rain mentioned in this stanza is an apt
metaphor for the miseries occasioned by women and inferior
(" sustentacula," Zottoli),

of the wheels to

lift

the cart out of a rut.

creatures.

No.

The

first

This eclipse

is

9.

month is the first day of the loth month.

verified by calculation as having occurred on

day of the

CHINESE POETRY.

272

All good,

quiet

all

is

vanished, and lost in the midst of

night

The thunder

roaring loud

is

';

the lightning

flashing

is

bright.

The streams

And

are turbid with rain, and eddy and overflow;

an earthquake shakes the crags till they fall to the
plain below.

Where once was

And where

now we

a valley,

see a mountain arise,

once a mountain stood, yawns a chasm before

our eyes.

Can no one be found to make these terrible evils cease

To reform the ways of men, and give to the nations peace
;

Huang

fu

and

his followers vile are misruling the

realm at

large,

And

a beautiful wanton queen of the palace has taken

charge.

Though we should assist Huang fu, yet he is unwilling

to own
He is wrong when he leaves us out to act for himself
alone.

B.C. 775, during the reign of King Yu.

(See
The records of the time note
Dr. Legge's note on the subject.)
that three rivers ran dry, and that earthquakes occurred then, in

August 29th,

one of which Mount Ch'i lljj lU> a hill adjoining the Western
Capital several times mentioned in this classic
collapsed.

"

Huang

fu

and

the whole of

the

version says that

his followers vile"

is

the equivalent of nearly

4th stanza in the Chinese.

Huang

fu,

of

whom we know

" the President," as Dr. Legge translates his

Shih.

Liu Yiian explains

it

as,

"Head

of

The Chinese

nothing

title,

all

^^P

else, was
-^ Ching

the Six Boards,

and chief of all the officials in the

was evidently a sort of Grand Vizier. Six other
officials are also mentioned by name and title, but we need not
here trouble ourselves with them. The student of Chinese is
referred to Dr. Legge's notes, and Mayers' " Chinese Government"
chief officer of the capital,

kingdom."

(Part

II.,

He

Metropolitan Administration), for the proper rendering

of their ranks

and

offices.

It

is

curious to find the chief cook

CHINESE POETRY.
Our homes

are

all

destroyed

no

roof,

273

no wall

he

will

spare.

And where

once smiled well-tilled fields, lies a moorland

or marshland bare.
Yet he says, "I injure you not; you are foolish in
blaming me.
It is not I that am harsh
I obey but the law's decree."
;

Huang

fu

is

a crafty

man

a city splendid and great

He

has built for himself, and has chosen to aid him to

Our

three most powerful chiefs

rule his State

and he leaves not one of

the three

To

serve where his duty calls, the guard of his King to be.
Nay, more, 'tis the wealthy folk with their horses and
cars at hand,
Who alone are allowed to dwell in the city which he has

planned.

Hard, hard, have

with

Yet
But

and

toil

do not extol

it

is

wrought

to discharge

my

service

pain.

my

work, nor

is it

of this

that without offence,. or crime of

complain.

my

own, the

in

clamours

crowd
slanderous mouths

Of

is

uplifted against

me

loud.

mentioned among the high

ofificials.

held a position like that of the

He

may, of course, have

President of the Banqueting

Court [^ 1^
^- JE Kuang Lu Ssu Shu CMng, Mayers],
but the thoughts of the English reader naturally revert to the
stories of older and simpler times, when the king's cook, or the
king's barber,

was a great man.

Even

at

King Arthur's Court,

Sir

Bedivere was the king's butler.

The

beautiful

wanton queen was of course Pao Ssu of the

last

poem.
It

appears that the removal of the Court from the western to

the eastern capital was in contemplation at the time

in

Huang

when

this

was granted a concession of land

Being a man of foresight, he
the neighbourhood of the latter.

ballad was written.

did

all in his

power

fu

to increase the value of his property

and

as

CHINESE POETRY.

274

These

descend from the gods above, do you say

evils

Ah, no
Backbiting and flattering words from men, and

men

only,

flow.
I

am

here alone and distrest, and fain

is

my

heart to

flee,

As

others

do,

my home now

to

from me.
Heaven's laws are hard to read

hundreds

my comrades

miles

of

are stealing

away
Yet

will

not follow

my

friends,

my

but here at

post

stay.

No.

lo.

THE DISLOYALTY OF THE

KING'S

MINISTERS.
I.

Great heaven bestows on us no more

The blessings of the days of yore
But famine, pestilence, and death
;

Blast us with their destroying breath.

our American friends would say, " he rigged the market and
made a corner in real estate," a proceeding much resented by
the author of the poem, whose sentiments, as expressed in these
verses, strike

jealousy.
Persia's

me

Our

as

by no means

readers

surprise that

free

from suspicion and oriental

may remember the

the Queen should

story of the

Sutherland to possess such splendid places as Stafford

his other estates.

Shah of

Duke of
House and

permit the

This feeling, which we laugh

at,

would

strike

a Chinese as perfectly natural.

No. lo.
The Chinese title of this poem consists of three characters,
meaning, " The rain not right," or, " An immoderate amount of
rain."
The Preface says, in explanation of this, that rain comes

CHINESE POETRY.
Dread heaven,

The innocent

make

275

to thee this prayer,

absolve and spare.

Their due reward the guilty reap

But must the

guiltless likewise

Can we not stay

the

ills

weep

which 'whelm

The

King, the rulers of the realm.

Beneath a weight of toil I groan,

A weight which lies

For both

At

me

on

at early morn,

alone.

and

late

eve, the Ministers of State

Are

They avoid the King,

not turn from wrong and
Ah, no, to evils graver still
absent.

Who

We

will

see

ill.

him daily hastening.

3-

Our

just rebukes he will not hear,

King appear
Like some poor wanderer gone astray.
Who knows not whither leads the way.
But, oh, my friends and comrades dear.
When you your duties would neglect,
Let two thoughts stay you
one the fear
'Tis sad to see a

Of heaven,

the other self-respect.

down from above, but

that it is not right to govern by means of

ordinance after ordinance as plentiful as the drops of rain in a

shower.

The

which there

is

three characters have no place in the

neither mention of rain nor allusion to

the only conclusion to be arrived at

to

some poem which has

is

poem,

it.

in

Hence

that a heading, belonging

periihed, was affixed to this by mistake.

Liu Yiian remarks dispassionately that Confucius was doubtless

aware of the error, but did not think it worth altering.

Secondly, the date of the poem is very doubtful.
Most of
the Chinese commentators assign it to the time of King Yu,
although the conclusion of it certainly seems to point to a time

276

CHINESE POETRY.
A-

Grim war has done

From
And famine,

its

work, yet he

evil courses will not flee.

too, her task has done,

Yet deeds of ill he will not shun.

A humble servant I in vain

my

Is all

Oh,

labour, all

friends, if

my

pain.

you would dare

Our King

the truth,

But, no.

Deceit or calumny

May

taint you, so

it

to tell

might be

away you

well.

fly.

5-

wot

To

it is a dangerous thing,
hold high office near the King,

Where honest words may not be said,

Or royal vengeance we must dread.
While those who practise flattery,
Whose artful words like water flow.
Reap a reward, as well we know
Of comfort and prosperity.
Whene'er your counsel may be wise
It must offend the Son of Heaven,
Who heeds it not. Let bad be given,
It will be pleasing in his eyes.
And yet such bad advice offends,
And rouses anger in your friends.

pray you to return, but all

I cry to answer my request
" No houses in the capital
Have we, no homes wherein to
I

when

rest."

Court had been recently removed to the eastern

King Yu's
which was in the reign of King P'ing 2[i

the

capital,

successor.

CHINESE POETRY.

277

Like life-blood flowing from my eyes,

My tears gush forth at such replies.
Why hate me for the words I say ?
Remember, when you went away,

You owed

it

to

my

thoughtful care

That house and home were found you there.

But now you quite forget how I
Once proved your friend, your firm ally.

The " Son

"

of Heaven " is of course a title of the King.

humble servant I," is the equivalent of I a Hsich Yu
^P which title Dr. Legge translates " a groom of the chambers,

or personal attendant."
" Chinese Government."

cannot iind the term in Mayers'

CHINESE POETRY.

279

Book V.
No.

I.

A MULTITUDE OF COUNSELLORS, BUT NO

WISDOM.
I.

Heaven, that was once compassionate.

Is wrathful now.
Its anger lowers
Above this wicked world of ours.
For oh, the King will not abate
His purposes for ill designed.
Why loves he crooked ways to choose.

And

better counsels to refuse

Distressed

am

I in

heart, in

.''

mind.

2.

"

His creatures cordially agree,"

You say. Nay, rather they defame
Each other's good repute and name
Behind his back ah, woe is me.
The better course they all reject.
Should you suggest some evil plan.
They all approve it, every man.
What good can acts like this effect
;

.''

No.

We

I.

are not yet free from the wearisome lamentations about the

misgovernment of the country. The poem is assigned to the

time of King Yu, and the author is supposed to be one of the
It should be noted that the motive of the
officers of the Court.
piece

is

disgust at the King's readiness to listen to anyone, wise

When, in the course of time, it is proposed to introduce popular government into China, this piece will certainly be
quoted as an argument against it. As I read it, I cannot help
being reminded of some of the lines in " Locksley Hall Sixty
or foolish.

CHINESE POETRY.

2So

3-

The omens now

are mute and dead,

Discerned once from the tortoise-shell.

Counsellers many midst us dwell

Yet nothing

Upon

is

accomplished.

the Court th^y pile a load

Of

speech, yet not a deed

man may

Nor take one

is

done.

prate of going on,

step along the road.

4-

Oh, choose, ye rulei^s of the State,

For patterns hien of yore, who thought
All shallow trifles loss than nought,
Whose principles were calm and great.
You build a house beside the way,
In vain to finish it you try,
For all the travellers passing by
Derange your plans by what they say.
5-

Although our people may be few.

Our land disturbed, yet we may find

Some men of grave, well-ordered mind
And sages 'midst the foolish crew.

But wise and foolish, one and all

Shall be alike destroyed, undone.

And fast as
To wrath and
Years After."

Rough

flowing waters run,

ruin

must we

fall.

as the Chinese verses,

and

my

translation,

of them are, there are thoughts in them akin to those expressed

by Lord Tennyson.

For instance,

Upon
Of

the Court they pile a load

speech, but not a deed

is

done.

Chinese parallel of
" Babble, babble
our old England may go down

Is not this the

last."?

in

babble at

CHINESE POETRY.

281

6.

Who ventures

A tiger,

weaponless to meet

or without a boat

Across a dangerous stream to

None

E'en fools

When
Or

float

dares the vain, foolhardy feat.

wisdom know,

this piece of

passing near a precipice,

crossing thin, fresh frozen

ice,

'Tis right with cautious steps to go.

No

2.

FRATERNAL ADVICE.
The dawn
All sleep
see a

is

is

little

From my

breaking.

watchful brain

banished by this aching pain.

dove, whose cooing cry

"j

me

from the azure sky.

Would I had wings like her's, away to fly
Or, rather, would that I were laid to rest,
Is

wafted to

As

are

listen to these

My

lessons,

The

parents, in earth's quiet breast.

Yet

simile of a

which

man

warning words, nor spurn

'tis meet that you should learn.

building his house by the side of a road,

work to

listen to the advice of every passer by,

the Chinese equivalent of the fable of " The old man and his

and stopping
is

my

>
;

donkey."

his

They have

a proverb

"

If

you build a house by the

roadside, you will be three years in finishing

No.
This
greatly

poem

is

rather obscure,

it."

2.

and my rendering of

from the accepted translations.

It is

supposed

it

differs

to

be the

advice of an elder brother, telling the younger ones how they

should behave themselves now that their parents are no longer

on earth to take care of them and times are troublous.

examine the poem, clause by clause.

Let us

CHINESE POETRY.
Be

And

sober.

Men

of worth some cups

may

drain,

yet their sense and dignity remain.

fool will deeply drink and misbehave,

Becoming more and more his goblet's slave.

Preserve your self-respect, for gifts once given.

bestowed afresh by heaven.

Be liberal. Leave some sheaves about the plain
That hungry folk may come to glean the grain.
Be neighbourly. E'en insects can do good
And show some kindness to a neighbour's brood.
Your sons by precept and example guide
If lost, are ne'er

They,

Be

We

too, in paths of virtue will abide.

cheerful.

Cheerfulness will bring delight.

love the wagtail's note,

its

flickering flight.

Waste not your time. The hours will never stay,

Our days, months, years too swiftly pass away.

The

speaker begins by saying that a small cooing dove

heaven, and that the hour

flies

to

and he cannot sleep for

thinking of his dead parents. The commentators and Dr. Legge
have it, that though the dove is small, it can fly to an immense
height, an instance of what may be attained by effort.
The
couplet beginning " Yet listen " is an interpolation of my own.

The

is

daylight,

next clause, inculcating sobriety,

Drunkenness
the poem.

is

said to have

been a vice

is

plain sailing enough.

common

at the time of

The Chinese

version of the next couplet is simply, "There is

on the plain and the common people gather it." I do not
put much strain on the language when I translate 1^ " let there
be " instead of " there is." The lines about the insects introduce
an absurd story that the " carpenter wasp " carries away the grubs
of insects on the mulberry trees and educates them as wasps.
The next clause is also pretty simple, but it is followed by one
in which it seems to me that the critics have greatly warped the
meaning. The couplet, which I translate
grain

" 'Twould churlish be

is

To drive small finches from

my paraphrase of " Let the

and hard
your stacks and yard,"

hawfinches

come and go

['

the

CHINESE POETRY.

283

Rise early, late

retire.
All languor shun,
your parents glory in their son.
pitiful.
'T would churlish be and hard
To drive small finches from your stacks and yard.
Let your compassion be evoked no less
For wretches pent in misery and distress,

Thus
Be

shall

A little grain

refused or given will

show

Whether a heart holds kindly thoughts or no.

Be careful. He that climbs a pine-tree tall
Must know that rashness may provoke a fall.
And those who by some dread abysses go.
Must plant their footsteps anxiously and slow.
And when upon thin ice your way you take,
Then tread with caution lest the film should break.

greenbeaks come and

stackyard."

Dr. Legge], picking up grain about the

advice to be kind to the weak and

The commentators, on

helpless.

narrative,

go,'

I take this as

and amplify them

the other hand,

thus, "

The

make

the lines

hawfinches, though they

are birds so greedy of rich food that they are called grease thieves,

by the want occasioned by the misgovernment preThen what are we

to make of the next two lines ?
According to the critics' version
they are disconnected and interjectional, and so are the two lines
which in turn follow them. My version, on the other hand,
carries on the sequence of ideas to the end of the clause, which
finishes thus in the original, "A handful of grain divines whence
are driven

vailing to content themselves with grain."

possible to be good."

it is

what
is,

have stated

in

my

understand this to mean exactly

Dr. Legge's prose tran-lation

verse.

" With a handful of grain I go out and divine

how

may be

become good." His note on it is, "This refers to a

custom on v-fhich we have not much information that of spreading some finely-ground rice on the ground in connection with
The use of plain grain
divination as an offering to the spirits^
I am aware
here may be an indication of the writer's poverty."
able to

that the character /'a

literal

The
The

[^,

"to divine,"

is

sense, but a metaphorical use of

last

clause of the

poem

is

habitually

it is

employed

surely not

in

unknown.

plain enough.

greediness of hawfinches for fat will remind the reader of

CHINESE POETRY.

284

No.

3.

SONG OF THE DISINHERITED SON.

The crows

are flying to their nest

In flocks, for

At
I

all

men

are at rest,

peace, with evils undistrest.

only groan in misery.

Although no crimes upon me lie.

What shall I do ? I sadly cry.

The level road I used to pass

Is now o'ergrown with weed and

My heart is

grass.

racked with pain, alas

down borne,
woe and sorrow torn.
Feverish and sad, grown old and worn.
Until

I lie

My brain

with grief

with

Even each well-known homestead

Is dear,

then dearer far to

tree

me

Father and mother mine must be.

From him I spring. She gave me life.

Ah, had it been when free from strife
The land

was, nor with evils

Luxuriantly the willows

rife.

rise

'Mid rush and reed. The cicad's cries

Are heard. Beneath, a deep pool lies.

Gilbert White's remark

on the blue

tit,

which

is,

as

he

says,

"a

general devourer and vast admirer of suet."

No.
This piece

is

3.

assigned, doubtless with

good reason,

to Yi Ch'iu

He was the rightful heir to

f3, the eldest son of King Yu.
the throne, but when the king became infatuated by Pao Ssu
*|^

(see No. 8 of Book IV. of this part), the Prince and his mother,
who came from the State of Shen, were banished to her home,

and

Yu

Ch'iu was told that his birthright was taken from him to

CHINESE POETRY.

285

Like some small skiff upon the tide

I, adrift, with none to guide.

Am
No

resting place can be descried.

The stags throughout

They move with easy
I hear the

amorous pheasant crow.

Like some wrecked

And

the woodlands go
step and slow.

tree, its

branches strewn

shattered, left to rot alone,

I live,

forsaken and unknown.

The hare may our compassion crave.

Her will a man protect and save.
The unburied corpse may find a grave.
Though men may be of kindly grain,
The King will from no crime refrain
My tears are falling down like rain.

Slanders as quickly blind his eyes

the board his wine-cup flies.

As round

Careless, unkind, he hearkens

The woodmen,

ere they

Note shape and

The

the tree

them he
condemning me.

grain, unlike

guilty spares,

As

fountains deep, as mountains high,

So

is

the kingly majesty.

Let royal words

fall

be given to a son of Pao Ssu.

this

fell

lies.

cautiously,

He

gives vent to his feelings in

incoherent lamentation, in which

it

is

often very difficult to

The commentators, of course, find

an allusion in every verse. The reader is referred to their works,
and to Dr. Legge's notes, for them. The crows, they say, are hard
follow the sequence of ideas.

though the young ones are submissive and filially disposed.

about the homestead carry his thoughts back to his
forefathers who planted them, and to the home which he has lost.
The stag and the pheasant are true to their mates, not so the
King, who divorces his rightful Queen. And so on.
The last verse contains a quotation from "The Deserted Wife,"
parents,

The

trees

CHINESE POETRY.

286

Lest listeners hear from behind the wall.

Leave me forsaken now by all,

need I care what may befall
;

Why

No.

4.

SLANDEROUS TONGUES.
I.

Oh, God, our Father above, Thou art distant, and vast,
and large.
Thou leavest the guiltless to groan oppressed by a cruel
fate.

What

fault did I e'er

commit

No

crime

is

my

laid to

charge.

And

yet

am

forced to endure disaster so grim and greal.

2.

Disaster comes to the birth

when

the

first

untruth

is

received.

The King

will

not stop his ears

thus slanders increase

and grow.

Would he

scorn their malicious tongues, their

not be believed

would

lies

Good men would then be

his friends, but, alas

he

will

not do so.
No. 10 of Book III. of the
have induced me to shirk.
" Don't let her touch

ist Part,

my

fish weir,

No.
The

Preface, for

King Li

the time of
believe that

some reason

it

is

B.C.

the Court of

which considerations of metre

move my

creels."

4.

or other, refers this piece back to

878, though later commentators

King Yu

poem, especially towards the end,

is

that

is

satirised.

The

rather obscure, so that

my

CHINESE POETRY.

287

3-

Nay

more, with these wicked

ship sworn

For

their

men

the

King has a

friend-

words though

They

false are sweet.

gain his

leave to oppress,
Till

evil

grows worse and worse,

men

should have borne

for the

burdens these

stalk misery

Are neglected, and through the land

and

distress.
4-

But beware, ye knaves, and gaze on the royal ancestral

fane.

was raised by the King, whose sages devised and

It

decreed his laws.

can trace your wiles

ye are

like

some hare who

struggles in vain

To

escape by her

speed, but

is

caught

in the

hound's

relentless jaws.
5.

The

As

trees

which the sages

set are easily

soft to the touch are rogues.

stories

heard on

way

the

Are not

to

uttered

When

wrought, and soft

Wild

Fair words

be trusted as truth.

the cheek blushes not at the

liars

may

be

oft,
lie ?

Such hardened

are they.

translation of the

two

last stanzas is little

more than a shot

at their

meaning, and the obscurity of Dr. Legge's metrical version shows

He says that the
that he is in no better position than myself.

remarks about the trees and about the travellers' tales are an
appeal to the King. I have nothing better to suggest.
The " men in malarious marshes " (stanza 6) is the equivalent
of
is

fpf

;5^

Chic

Ho

Chih Mi.

The last of these

characters

"deer of some kind "or a " swampy river bank."

may therefore mean either " They dwell in the swamps of

translated

This

line

the river," or, "

They

are [as] river-dwelling deer," which

is

the

CHINESE POETRY.

288

6.

To men

may

malarious marshes these weaklings we

in

compare,

Whose legs
Though ye

are swollen and sore, a

fain

puny and

would fan the flame of

feeble crew.

discord, ye only

dare

To

Ye

plan.

They who

cannot achieve.

you are

trust

scant and few.

No.

5.

A FORSAKEN ONE.
What man

is

he

.'

man.

Whose mind is full of many a crafty

He may advance to where

My

fish

weir stands, but scarcely

plan.

will

he dare

Within my gate to tread

For he has found another love instead
Of me, and now of her
He is the mate and constant follower.
;

They twain together

Which

of the pair was

it

go.

that wrought this

translation I prefer, as I think that this passage

for translating this

deer."

To

give a

word " swamp."

man

The

the nickname of "

is

woe

the sole authority

lu, " a
it is

radical of

swamp

deer "

not so

is

very far from calling him a bog-trotter.

No.

5.

have treated this poem throughout as the complaint of a

jealous woman, whose lover has deserted her for another.
The
I

usual interpretation of

it,

however,

oiSu H^ ^ who had been

Pao's name is mentioned in
,

is

Duke
^.
person who said

that the speaker

slandered by the

Duke

the poem, but the

is

the

oi Pao

not Pao himself but a follower of Pao.

I have
therefore determined to be guided more by the language of the
whole poem than by one sentence in it, though it would not be
to

be in

fault is

CHINESE POETRY.
When
He

grief oppressed

my

289

soul,

might have come to comfort and condole,

As once he would have done
;

Not wishing then

My house
Inside

my
I

gate

to avoid me, or to shun.

he came so near

that

heard, but

His well-beloved form

He

I his

woe
I

is

voice could hear.

me.

could not see.

ventures to defy

Man's scornful gaze and heaven's indignant eye.

An evil breeze comes forth,
First from the southward blowing, then the north.
So you, when you designed
To approach me that you might perturb my mind.

Were

like this wind.

None knew

from southward or from northward blew.

Slowly you tramp the way.
Yet find no leisure moment here to stay.
Swiftly your horses flee,
Yet time you find to grease your axle-tree.
If

it

Leave

Oh, come to me once only.

me not sick with longing, pining
Come to me, let my heart

Be spared the sorrow and

difficult to

lonely.

this cruel smart.

show the other meaning by making the following suband 7.

stitution for lines 5, 6

For he has found another friend instead

Of his own friend, when he
But cares Pao's mate and follower to be.
Liu Yiian translates the word Pao in
of cruel,

and makes the whole poem a

its

usual adjectival sense

satire

on the fickleness and

The Chinese language would certainly

satisfy that classical critic, who remarked, " There is no passage
out of which you cannot make two totally different meanings."
cruelty then prevailing.

" In harmony as accord the flute and

"

fife

"

is

a paraphrase for

The elder of us blew the earthenware piccolo, the younger the

bamboo fife," The piccolo (see Morison's Dictionary character
u

CHINESE POETRY.

290

To
Is

hard

be from you debarred

for

me

to bear, aye, bitter hard.

you came to me
Once only, you would soothe and set me free.
Once we would pass our life
In harmony, as accord the flute and fife.
United, as we two
Were beads upon one necklace, I and you.
Should you demand an oath
Victims are here, by them I'll plight my troth.
For

if

You

are not, as

deem,

A sprite or insect hid beneath a stream.

You

whose face
and by their means I trace
Your wiles and how I know
Your shifts and tricks this song of mine shall show.

And

eyes

are a man,

I read,

No.

6.

THE EUNUCH'S REMONSTRANCE.

I.

We

only have need of a few simple lines

form gold embroidery's most dainty designs.

To
And a few scattered stars sprinkled over the sky
Form a grand constellation, which glitters on high.
JJsiian iS), or occarina,

orchestra, from

was apparently " the

which the

flute

first

fiddle " in the

took time and tune.

The whole

phrase then denotes not only harmony but a willingness to accept

the lead given.

An

"insect hid beneath a stream"

is

the Yii

$^, an insect

accord-

ing to Dr. Legge, a tortoise according to Zottoli, which Chinese

superstition alleges
his

is

able to destroy a

man by

casting sand on

shadow.

No.
The

title

of this piece

is

6.

fg Hsiangpo, Superintendent of

CHINESE POETRY.

291

2.

From

a few harmless actions these slanderers will plan

A scheme deep and

And
To

crafty to ruin a

man.

the babble and gossip of fools will unite

aid their diffusion of malice

and

spite.

3-

But, be careful, though clever and subtle ye be.

Distrust and aversion in time ye shall see,

When
Your

the evil ye practice to catch in your toils

victims, again

on your own head

recoils.

4-

The proud and

the haughty are prosperous and thriving

While vainly the poor with their troubles are striving.

Oh, Heaven, let thy wrath on the haughty descend
To the poor and the troubled thy pity extend.
!

S-

These slanderers to tigers and wolves I would cast.

If these would not slay them, the chill, deadly blast
Of the north should destroy. They escape from this too
Then let Heaven itself wreak the vengeance that's due.
the (Royal) Passages

shall

we say Groom of

the

Chambers

an

In the last stanza the

ofBce in the palace held by a eunuch.
speaker calls himself the Eunuch Ming Tzii, or Senior Eunuch, a
phrase which I have softened to " a poor creature." The comit that he had probably been mutilated as a
punishment for some faults which he had never committed, but
which had been laid to his charge by the slanderers whom he
I think the explanation most improbable.
abuses in this piece.
Though castration was one of the five ancient punishments (see

mentators have

Mayers' "Chinese Manual," Part

the criminal

who

suffered

it

II., art. 128),

it is

would be appointed

not likely that

to a place of

trust in the palace.

My first

stanza translated from the

first

two lines of the two

verses of the original expresses what I think to be the meaning

of them, that a little putting of this and that together leads to

CHINESE POETRY.

292

6.

If the osier bed's ravaged,

But think of the

'tis

naught you

may

cry

rich fertile corn slopes thereby.

am but a poor creature, but nobles beware

Lest you in your turn be a prey to despair.
I

No.

7.

AN ESTRANGEMENT.
I.

There blows a cool, refreshing wind,

The sky with rain is overcast
Yet danger may be close behind.
The fierce typhoon may follow fast
For on the crags the grasses die.
And all our trees are parched and dry.
and unexpected results. The constellation in question
Ch'i
3^ or Southern Sieve, a part of Sagittarius.

great

the

The phrase which

have paraphrased

blast of the north should destroy/'

into the north."

where only

striking climax:

beasts

and

if

if

chill

deadly

them

have made

it,

the quarter of utter darkdwell, so that " to cast a person into

the north " means, " to throw

certainly strengthens

" The

" I would cast

may mean what

This sentence
evil spirits

as

is literally,

but Liu Yiian explains that the north

ness,

is

Nan

is

him into hell." This interpretation

and introduces a powerful and

the verse,

"I would throw

the wild beasts spared

hell refused to

would cast them into hell

would leave them to the

receive them, I

vengeance of heaven, as the most

The meaning of the

given, or it may only be

those slanderers to the wild

them

terrible fate of all."

may be

the one which I have

a humble position, such as is
typified by the osier-bed, while your position, nobles, may be
compared to the corn slopes (' acred heights is Dr. Legge's too
last

verse

"I am

in

'

literal

translation),

still

it

may be

worth your while to

listen to

me."

No.
This

little

poem

is

more

like

7.

the pieces in the

first

part than

CHINESE POETRY.

293

2.

You

me

your loving breast

fear, and dread.
Now in the days of peace and rest,
You scorn and throw me off instead.
You brood o'er my small failings, yet
clasped

to

In time of terror,

My

boundless kindness you forget.

No.

8.

THE ORPHAN.
I.

Amidst the woods a plant

is

found

and sweet.

Its shoots are succulent

But when it hardens in the ground,

'Tis tough and coarse, unfit to eat.
I, too, was harmless once and mild,
Affectionate, with guilt unstained

But when

ceased to be a child,

My parents'

kindness

the bulk of those in the second.

some one

that his friend, or

but there

is

it

It

disdained.

is

may be her

simply the complaint of

lover, has

who

nothing in the verses to show

proved untrue;
are the parties

meant, or what was the date when the poem was composed.
The references to the wind and weather are a little obscure,
not to say contradictory, and

my

translation

is

very possibly inac-

understand them to mean that the gentle wind and rain

typified a time of prosperity, when those who had been friends in
adversity were forgotten ; but the person addressed is reminded that
curate.

bad weather may return, and trouble may again be close

No.

My
first

translation of this

stanza

is

the

is

hand.

8.

very free.

Nge ^,

at

The

plant mentioned in the

a species of edible artemisia.

Yijan declares that the same plant,

when

it

Liu
grows up and has

CHINESE POETRY.

294

2.

Why did I carelessly repay

My father's toil, my mother's pain
She bore me. Now they 're ta'en away,
?

And

shall see

them

ne'er again.

Shame on the cup that does not keep

The jar with store of wine supplied.
As orphan I must live and weep
;

'Twere better

had

far that I

died.

3-

My

father

To be
Nor

gone

is

no other

so kind, so true a friend.

my

mother
depend
leave the house abroad to roam
this alone, I lose

On whom

There

like her

can

My

sorrow still beclouds my mind.

When wearied out I seek my home,
I cannot leave my grief behind.
4-

Oh, father, you begat your son

Mother, you bore him on your breast.
Ye petted, fed the unthankful one
Ye cared for him, ye took no rest.
Within your arms I lay a load
How can I hope to e'er requite
The kindness you on me bestowed
Like Heaven above, 'twas infinite.
;

.'

become hard and

indigestible,

is

known

as the

Hao ^,

The

Chinese verse runs, " Long and large is the Nge. It is not the
Nge, but the Hao." From which I deduce the meaning which I have
expressed in

my

translation.

The second Chinese

stanza

is like

Wei j^ for the Hao. The Wei

is yet another form of the artemisia, still more uneatable.
No one understands what is meant by the allusion to the winejar and the pitcher or cup.
The one stands for the parent, the
the

first,

except that

we have

the

CHINESE POETRY.

295

S-

from my pains I seek.

I climb the rocky southern hill.
The mountain side is bare and bleak,
The blustering gales are fierce and chill.
Would I were as my fellows, gay
And free and happy, every one
But I am to remorse a prey,
Because my duties were not done.

Some

respite

No.

9.

THE EAST AND THE WEST.

I.

weep when

think of the time gone by

When

plenty reigned and prosperity.

Each day, when the shadows of evening

The humblest
Where loaded

fell,

tables were furnished well

dishes of millet stood.

Flanked by the ladles of carved thorn wood.

The straight road to Chou was trod hard as stone

By the feet of the nobles that passed

The folk stood watching to see them
This

is

over and done, so

my

thereon.
go.

salt tears flow.

other for the son, but which stands for which

is

quite

an open

question.

The commentators

poem

say that the grief of the subject of this

was occasioned by the fact that owing to the misgovernment of

the kingdom, he was unable to perform the last offices of affection,

and bury

his parents with the

proper

rites.

His morbid

self-

reproaches are perfectly characteristic of Chinese thought.

No.

My

translation

"The
Capital.

road to

is

9.

again a tolerably free one.

Chou"

is,

of course, the

road to

the

Royal

CHINESE POETRY.

296

The looms

And

rich fabrics

there.

thin grass slippers in winter time

Expose our

And

empty and bare

which once shone

of the East are

There are no

feet to the frost

and rime.

few and scarce are the nobles taking

The road to Chou, as they did of yore.

With regret and sorrow my heart is aching,
As I think of a day that is now no more.
3-

As
To

woodman

collect

And

labours with

some faggots

to

toil

and sweat

warm

his hut,

which he painfully cut

A spring out-bursting has soaked with wet.
So we find our labours of no avail,
finds the load

And the
Had we

fruits

of

all

our exertion

fail.

only secured them in time, then

we

Might have rested from trouble and hardship

free.

4-

Oh, sons of the East, your

lot is hard,

To slave expectant of no reward.

And see your rivals, who come from

the West,

In splendid and shining garments drest.

For even their boatmen's sons may wear

Fur mantles won from the savage bear.

Their grass slippers are of course slippers made of dolichos

(See Part I., Book IX., No. i.)
I have ventured to translate ^^ ^^
iao Tiao as "few and

fibre.

scarce," rather because they are the words wanted here than that

the characters have this

"young or weak."

meaning.

Their

literal

Dr. Legge's prose interpretation

translation
is

elegant;" his metrical, "cultured, but too thin and spare."

cannot accept

some

this.

If T'iao

other words that will.

Tiao

will

not

fit,

is

" slight and

we must

substitute

CHINESE POETRY.
And
As

297

the vilest churl and the basest hind

ruler or noble of state

So haughty

we

find.

are they that our gifts of wine

They

scorn as a muddy plebeian stuff

our girdle pendants with jewels fine,
They say are not handsome nor long enough.

And

5-

To

the stars in the heaven in vain I prayed.

The Milky Way glitters, but grants no

The " Weaving Sisters " may cross the
But

aid.

sky,

below comes no good thereby.

Above our heads " the Draught Oxen " shine.
But they move no waggon of mine or thine.
Lucifer burns in the east ere dawn
Arises, and soon as the sun is set
Bright Hesperus glows in the west, and yet
From them and the " Curving Rabbit Net,"
No profit for wretched man is drawn.
In the south is " the Sieve," but it will not sift
Our golden grain and no kindly gift
Of wine will " the Ladle " pour.
to us

"

The

Sieve "

lies

twinkling there in the south.

And
And

seems to be idly opening its mouth.

to northward " the Ladle's " sole behest
Is to raise its handle towards the west.
Why trouble them any more ?

My
He
cut.

translation of stanza 3 differs materially from Dr. Legge's.

translates
.

The

it

"

Ye

waters,

do not soak the firewood I have

would that it had been

firewood has been cut

conveyed home." His note is, " After the toil of preparing the
firewood, it would be a relief to have it conveyed home for them
so the people would be glad to have some rest from their toils."

The appeal

unusual and interesting, as

between China and Chaldea.
I am not aware if that star-worship has now any recognized
existence in China, but I speak with caution and under correction.
to the stars for aid

well as suggestive of the connection

is

CHINESE POETRY,

298

No.

10.

A TIME OF MISRULE.
I.

The genial heat of summer's prime,

As weeks roll ox\, must fade away.
Then comes the chilly autumn time,

When
And

storm gusts blow.

institution

exists at

and snow.

its ice

fierce the cruel

The Imperial Board

an

herbage dies and flowers decay.

Next, winter brings

which

Peking.

of

Astronomy

(|ji;

^C

ChHn Tien

Chien),

certainly mixes astrology with astronomy,

must

still

refer the reader to Dr. Legge's notes,

where he will find the various constellations fully identified. " The
Ladle " is fancifully supposed to have its handle towards the west
and the bowl towards the east, so that the west can take hold of
the handle, and ladle out all the contents of the east.
The poem is assigned to the time of King Yu. A noble of

(a small state absorbed by Ch'i ^), is said

be its author. I cannot help believing that it must have been
composed shortly before the time of the removal of the Royal
Capital into the East, and was designed to induce the King to

the State of T'an

to

take the claims of the Eastern States into consideration.

grievances complained of seem to

No.
This

is

allusive.

me
10.

another of these pieces which the Chinese critics

They are always obscure, and usually, as in

instance, have to be recast before sense can be

The commentators

of course

The

rather imaginary.

make

made

call

this

of them.

the mention of the trees on

the mountain a reference to the fact that they were thriving in

their

proper places, while men, who degenerate into thieves, held

CHINESE POETRY.

299

2.

My

ancestors would ne'er have borne

think such evil would betide.

To

land misruled, with mischief torn,

No place for honest men to hide.

Though I alone of all our folk

Can feel and groan beneath the

yoke.

3I

see the

ills I

When men

cannot cure^
to thieves degenerate.

Each day misfortune I endure.

May mine be called an envied fate.
To be worn out with toil and pain.
Vet no reward, no thanks to gain

4-

Upon the hills are forests growing,

Where chestnut-trees and plum-trees

Adown

stand.

their slopes the springs are flowing.

To quench our thirst or feed the land.

Where mighty Chiang and Han define
Our country's southern frontier line.

The Yangtze's
office, and were therefore in the wrong place.
and the Han's services to the country are acknowledged, while
I prefer to take all such
the writer is neglected, and so on.
The Chiang (the river)
allusions as descriptive of the scene only.
high

is

synonym for the Yangtze.

" hawk to soar aloft "

The

eagle (N.B. This character

is

is

the equivalent of

more usually

Tun

||j an

read Shun, when

means a quail), and Yilan -^ a kite. The fishes mentioned

porpoise, and the fVeiB,^, snouted porpoise.
the Chan
The ferns are the Chiieh ^, and the Wei #, mentioned

it

as

M,

No. 3 of Book

II. of the ist Part, 9, v.

Fruit

is

in

the equivalent

CHINESE POETRY.

300

S-

No hawk to soar aloft am I,

No fish to hide beneath the
Where

ferns or fruit

There

will I live

my

foam.

food supply,

and make

my

home,

Singing to show that such a fate

Is happier

than to serve the State.

of the Chi ^E, medlar, and the Yi , which Zottoli guesses to be

the elm (Does any species of elm bear edible fruit ?), and Dr.

Legge leaves doubtful.

CHINESE POETRY.

301

Book VI.
No.

I.

OVERWORK.
I.

From

the hills where medlars grow, gazing on the plain

below,

Though I am vigorous and brave.

home my parents grieve, for from early morn

I said, "

Yet

at

With

duties overladen I

must

to eve

slave."

2.

All beneath the azure sky to where ocean's borders

Are the king's, and his obedient vassals we.

But

'tis

cruel

and unfair that one man should have

All the labour which

lie

to bear

wholly thrown on me.

is

3-

They say that there are few who are young and hardy,
So as long as youth with hardihood remains,
I

must do the king's behest, and

As

traverse

all

No.
This piece, as usual,

horses never

who

rest,

reigns.

I.

referred to the time of

is

there are commentators

my

kingdom where he

the

too

assign

it

King Yu, though

King Yi

to the time of

3E, B.C. 934.

can find nothing in

either has all the

who imagines

it

but the complaint of the man,

work and none of the honour and

that this

is

his fate.

Men

who

glory,

or

of both these categories

employ of every Government^ nor is their existence

Some of the Chinese commentators use this poem
into dissertations on the relative obligations of
text,
and
enter
as a
Hsiao, filial piety. The subject of this
Chung,
and
loyalty,
,>g,
poem is so loyal to the king, that he must neglect his own parents.
are found in the
extraordinary.

Mencius well observes

in reference to this,

"

How

can parents be

CHINESE POETRY.

302

4-

Some

lay their lazy heads on the pillows of their beds,

And

loll

undisturbed by any sound

Whilst others have to go

huny

scurry to and

fro,

For to serve the king and country they are bound.

S-

By the wine cups sitting these enjoy their rest and ease,
As they pass remarks and coldly criticise
Those who pass unhappy days, fearing blame instead of
praise.

Shall be their only recompense and prize.

No.

TAKE

2.

IT EASY.
I.

Onwards a cart you thrust,

Nought of the way you know.
Eyes sore, mouth choked, you must

Go where

the cart

may

go,

Blinded by dust.

more highly honoured than nourishing them with the whole

empire?" (Book V., Part II., Chap. 4). Or, in other words,
" Loyal service to the country
It is strange that

parent,

must

with

retire

is

the highest form of filial affection."

this before

from

them every

ofificial,

office for three years.

the Chinese seem tacitly to admit that this rule

who

loses a

At the same time

is not a hard and

a man's services are really required by the throne,

mourning may by Imperial decree be cut down to 100 days,
and even the nominal three years are really only twenty-seven
fast one, for if

his

months.

No.
This
last

may

poem.

"Take

it

2.

be an answer to the speaker

complains of overwork, and a friend

possibly

He
easy;

do not overstrain your

strength,

in

the

replies,

and do your

CHINESE POETRY.

303

2.

If all

your thoughts you bind

Slaves to anxieties,

You may
Fall

distress your mind

and yet your eyes

ill,

remain blind.

Still

No.

THOUGHTS

3.

BANISHMENT.

IN
I.

Oh, heaven above, whose glorious light on high,

Illumines and directs the world below
Our homes we left, my followers and I,
Forth to this dreary wilderness to go.
The second month it was, when blossoms blow;
!

And

since that

Yet here our

work

in a

theory.

sensible

Legge

Dr.

day both heat and cold have

past;,

cruel lot continues cast.

manner."
follows

This

Chu

is,

Hsi,

however, only

and heads

ofRcerj overloaded in the king's service, thinks

it

it,

my own
"

Some

better to dismiss

from his mind." The explanation in the Preface is

" A great officer expresses his regret at having
advanced mean men to employment."

his troubles

very curious

No.
Here

is

3.

another officer sent away on service, and grumbling

over his hard work and absence from home.

nation of the piece

is

as follows

King

Li,

Liu Yiian's explabc. 878-827,

^^

we have seen all along, a cruel oppressor. Two of

his ministers, Duke Chou JD and Chao ]g (descendants of the
two dukes of the same name, who lived in the days when the
Chou dynasty was first established), in order to relieve the people
from his oppression, induced him to make an expedition into the
country of Chiu ^l, or Chih ^, the modern Fen Hsi \^ "gj, in
was,

as

CHINESE POETRY.

304

2.

The sun and moon had then renewed the year

But now the months their course have almost run.
Yet must

stay within this desert drear,

Until the duties laid on

me

are done

Many

My

they are to be performed by one.

heart is sad from toil I am not free,

No

respite,

no repose

is

granted me.
3-

Some work
Lonely

at

home,

pine.

My

in

comfort and in peace,

tears flow 'down like rain.

When is my weary banishment

To join my comrade^ there my

to cease

heart

is fain.

But fears of royal wrath the wish restrain

For wanton negligence is like a net,
Which for unwary feet the powers have set.
;

4-

When we went forth the days were growing hot

Now winter nigh, for harvest tide is o'er.
Dreaming of home, I mourn my wretched lot.
Each day my labours fret me more and more.
's

E'en sleep has no relief for me in store.

I wake, and wander to and fro.

All night

Longing

The

Shansi.

to leave,

and yet

afraid to go.

king remained there fourteen years.

to this explanation^ the subject of the

officers

who accompanied him.

According

poem would be one

The Preface

assigns

of the

no time

to

only says that a great officer expresses his regret that

he had taken office in a time of disorder. My version again fails
the piece.

It

to follow the structure of the original.

Stanza 4.

" Harvest

tide

is

o'er"

is

the equivalent of

"We

gather the southernwood (for fuel?) and reap the beans."

It

should be noted that

version,

which

the.

have included

two
in

last stanzas of

the Chinese

one stanza, are of a

different

CHINESE POETRY.

305

s-

Dear friends, do not assume that quiet will

Endure for ever. Duties laid on you
With care and cautious loyalty fulfil.
Let your associates be the good and true.
Love them and treat them with the honour due.
So shall the spirits hear your prayers, and bless
Your lives with measures of bright happiness.

No.

4.

MUSICAL MEMORIES.
I.

Oh, the days when my friend was dwelling

Where the waves of this stream sweep by.
How can my sorrowful heart forget him ?
Him with whose virtues none could vie.

metre to the others in the same poem, while their meaning seems
to have

no connection whatever with the

rest of the piece.

either a hiatus before them, or else they

is

There

have been altogether

interpolated without authority.

No.
Given a

4.

the sound of music, a man in

mood who cannot forget a Chun tzu
^, which, as
we have seen, may be translated anything from a sovereign to a
respectable man,
what meaning are we to evolve from the
congeries ? I make it the version of " Oh, the days of the Kerry
river with islands

on

it,

melancholy

dancing; oh, the ring of the piper's tune," &c. Most of the
Chinese commentators say that the subject of the poem, hearing
music in the time of King Yu, is reminded of better days and

good old days when the King's ancestors

Chun tzu in this case would mean " Kings," and " of
must be added to bring out the meaning. I translate Chun

better music in the

reigned.

old "
tzii

as

"

my

admirable friend."

CHINESE POETRY.

3o6

2.

Mute

are the islets

Where
While

his

pipes,

And

among

the waters,

drums and his bells rang clear

triangles, and flutes were sounding,
;

sweet old ballads to glad the ear.

No.

5.

THE SACRIFICE AT THE HARVEST

THANKSGIVING.
I.

The ground was covered with bush and weed,

Which our ancestors carefully cleared away,

To sow

in their places the millet

seed

For a plenteous harvest some future day.

own theory, which is
and deplore, some ex-

Dr. Legge, on this occasion only, has his

that this piece

is

" supposed

refer to,

to

King Yu to the country of the Huai, where he

abandoned himself to the delights of music." He admits that
there is no account anywhere of such an expedition having taken
pedition of

place, but

he does not allow so trifling a consideration as that

He compares this imaginary expedition

stand in his way.

to
to

Caligula's incursion into Britain.

The Huai

'{^,

which

still

Kiangsu.
I have ventured to give
equivalents of Sheng

Yo
means a flute.
connote dancing, but
old ballads,''

is

my

^,

retains

its

" pipes "

name,

and "

organs, and Cliing

The use

is

in

Northern

triangles "

^,

as

the

musical stones.

is supposed to
have taken no notice of this. " Sweet
rendering of " the Ya and Nan." These two

of this instrument

words mean probably the names of certain tunes or ballads. I

canno't think that in this conjuncture they can mean the ballads
of the two first books of Part I. of this Classic and these " Songs
of the Festivals."

No.
Thank goodnessj we have now

S-

little

respite from the weari-

CHINESE POETRY.

307

In luxuriant masses the millet grew,

the sacred grain as abundant too,

And

Till our barns

And

We

were

full

of the precious food,

myriads corn-stacks stood.

prepared the viands and brewed the wine
in countless

As a sacrificial offering meet

For the shades of the dead and a son of their line
We chose as their proxy. We prayed him eat
Of the dainties before him, and drink of our best.
That with glorious fortune we might be blest.
;

2.

Each man wears a solemn and reverent mien.

beasts to be killed must be pure and clean,
When the annual rites we would celebrate.

The

The

victims are duly slain and flayed,

And their meat on dishes is' ranged and

And the priest takes his stand by the

laid,

temple gate.

The offerings set form so bright a show

As to tempt the Shades to our world below.
In their awful majesty they descend

To enjoy the dainties upon the board;

And their duteous scion shall reap reward
In

bliss,

and

in life that

knows no

end.

some complaints of misgovernment. This poem is, to my mind,

one of the most interesting, suggestive, and graphic pieces in the
whole Classic. Whether it was written at the time of the rise of
the dynasty, or in the time of King Yu, as most of the commentators assert,

is

matter of small

importance.

The

Pre-

an expression of regret for the good old

times of Wen and Wei, and is therefore intended as a hit at King
Dr. Legge has an excelYu, but there is nothing to show this.
lent suggestion that it was written by one of the guests in compliment to the sacrificer, who was probably the King.
A question may be raised whether the sacrifice described in
this piece is offered by the King himself, or only by one of the
great nobles.
Chu Hsi says, " That if the sacrifice had been a
royal. one, this poem would have been placed among 'The
face

says that

it

is

CHINESE POETRY.

3o8

3-

The

tended with reverent care.

For the roast and the boiled the men prepare
The trays, which have to be broad and large.
furnace

Of the

And

is

smaller dishes our wives take charge.

these with portions they quietly

fill.

At such functions all must be calm and

The guests, who have come our feast to

still.

share,

Pass round the wine cups from hand to hand.

Not a misplaced

word is there,
done as the rules demand.
The spirits come on their soft-winged flight,
That our days may be many, all glad and bright,
For our worship of them they will thus requite.

And

each

smile, not a

rite is

4-

When all the rites have been throughly

And the worshippers weary, every one.

done.

" Full well

The

priest to the

Was

your duty done, and a fragrant smell

Your

Who

King proclaims,

offerings bore to the shades divine.

have deigned to partake of your food and wine.

Greater Songs,' and not among.

appears to

me

that the

The Lesser Songs

'

dignity

'

"

but

it

and solemnity attending the

and the blessings promised are compatible with a royal

Such rites were surely the precursors of the
sacrifices offered at the present day by the Emperor alone, at the
Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Agriculture, at Peking.
The idea that the spirits of the deceased could be tempted to
descend from the regions of the blest, and occupy temporarily
the body of a living being did not last beyond the Chou dynasty.
(See Dr. Legge's Prolegomena to the " Shih Ching," p. 163). Dr.
Legge does not agree with Mons. E. Biot that the personator of
sacrifice

ceremonial only.

the deceased ancestors was a child.

a boy of fifteen.
sulted

had

on

The Li

this point.

cannot find

Liu Yiian

states that

he was

Book of Rites," must be conout who the priest was.

He

temple gate as though he were waiting

who were entering at the door.

to stand at the

receive the spirits

Chi, or "

to

CHINESE FOETRY.
And

this the

309

reward that they grant to you.

Each wish of your heart you shall surely gain.

And your efforts to treat them with honour due
Shall myriads of choicest gifts obtain."
5-

Then the bells are rung and the drums are beat
As the King retires and takes his seat.
Says the priest, " The spirits to heart's desire
Have drunk, let their proxy now retire."
The music plays as he passes by
The spirits return to their home on high.
Then the ladies and servants without delay
Remove from the temple each dish and tray.
For the King's relations must now repair
To his private room in his feast to share.
;

think that

version

my

tolerably

third stanza gives the

accurately,

details are referred to

The

poem.

meaning of the Chinese

but those

Pfere Zottoli's

who wish

further

it must be observed, was offered in the

and when the ceremony was at an end, a feast

sacrifice,

ancestral temple

called " the second blessing " or " after-happiness "

Lu) was given

The

for

exhaustive notes on this

(^

jf^

Hou

in the inner apartments of the palace.

chief point of interest in this

poem

is

its

lucid exposition

of the Chinese ideas of intercourse to be held with the souls of

These opinions have still as much weight

and the whole religious system of China is based on
them. Buddhism^ may be laughed at and Taoism derided, and
even Confucius himself may be criticised, but woe to the man
the blest after death.
as ever,

who does anything to injure or insult the spirits of the dead.

The officer in James Payn's novel, " By Proxy," who was condemned to the ling chih, or death by a slow and painful execution,
for stealing a ruby from the forehead of an image of Buddha
(there are not many such richly-endowed images in China, I fear),
would in reality have found himself in greater peril if he
had broken up an old coffin than he would have been in after
In 1873 a whole family of
stealing something from a josshouse.
four generations were put to death because a member of it broke

CHINESE POETRY.

3IO

6.

And
At

"

with them the music goes to lend

the second blessing "

Upon the
And all

tables the feast

its

soothing^aid.

is laid,

are happy, host, guest

TJiey drink to the

full,

and

friend.

to the full they eat.

Then great and small, they bow and repeat:

" Your food and wine may the spirits prize.
To you long life may they grant, we pray,
For we know that on each appointed day

You

fail

not to offer a sacrifice.

May

your sons and grandsons ne'er forget

The pious. example which you have set."

open an Imperial coffin. (See article " Chinese Characteristics,"

Nor is it the
in the " North China Herald," of May isth, 1890).
shades of deceased monarchs alone who can influence the fate
The life of every man on earth is affected
of their successors.
by the souls of his ancestors, and, what is still stranger, the comfort and even the existence of these spirits depend on human
agency. I was lately present at an inquest on two brothers
who were found one morning lying with their throats cut. The
relations of the deceased, after answering the magistrate's ques-'
tions,

earnestly besought his worship to carry proceedings no

further, to

which he consented with some

hesitation.

I asked.

bystander the reason for their anxiety, and was told that when a
magistrate impresses his official stamp on a coffin, the occupant

can have no part in the resurrection. The scholar, who

understand Chinese notions of the other world,
and its intimate connection with this one, is referred to the Liao
Chat Chih Yi, so ably translated by Mr. H. A. Giles, under the
title of " Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio."
of

it

really wishes to

At the time when

this

note

is

written there are accounts in

the Japanese and Chinese newspapers of the Ceremonies and

Festivities of

His Majesty the Mikado of Japan, on the occasion

His Majesty does

of his granting a constitution to his Empire.

not hesitate to attribute the prosperity of his country to the protecting kindness of the spirits of his deceased ancestors, an

avowal which has exposed him to a good deal of criticism.

But

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

311

6.

SONG OF THE HARVEST. No.

i.

I.

Great Yii

Around the
He made it

A late
The

swamp and marshy plain

Southern Hills. By trench and drain

laid out the

fertile.

I,

too, of his line

descendant, into

fields define

and make the smaller plots thereby.

Some to the eastward, some to southward lie.
lands,

2.

The sky one arch of cloud o'er head is bending

The snow from thence in countless flakes descending.
To this, succeed the drizzling showers of spring,
To give the soil the proper moistening,
;

That having thus received the kindly rain,

It may produce abundant stores of grain.
3.

With hedge and fence we guard each

And

plot

and

field,

plenteous crops of grains the millets yield,

So that our harvest everywhere is good.

Next of the grain we make both wine and food.
To feast the spirits and each loving guest.
So shall we be through countless ages blest.
if this is the belief of His Majesty of Japan, much more must
be that of the Emperor of China.

No.

We

have

now

it

6.

before us three songs or pieces most appropriate

to harvest thanksgivings,

simple manner of

life

and not without

in early days.

It

interest as

showing the

seerts that during the

Chou dynasty a village community consisted of eight families,

who lived on a portion of land shaped like a tit-tat-to board,
a square made of nine smaller squares. This plot of land was
called a Ching ^^ or well.
The name may have been given to it
because the existence of a well determined the position of a

CHINESE POETRY.

312

4-

The peasants' huts lie 'mid these fields of mine.

Along the hedge-rows gourds and melons twine.
The fruit preserved is cut in many a slice

To

be presented at our

So

to ourselves shall length of

And numerous

sacrifice.
life

be given,
by heaven,

blessings be bestowed
5.

We pour pure wine

upon the appointed day,

And, then, as victim, we a red bull slay.

These to departed Shades an offering make.
So let the priest the tinkling whittle take,
Tp part the hair upon the creature's hide.
And cut away the caul and fat inside.
6.

Oblations thus

Which

all

we

around

Complete success

The

spirits

And

come

will

now our

and

bless.

years of bliss and happiness.

but one cannot help being struck with the resemblance

of the character to the aforesaid

eight families
.

service crown.

majestically down,

their descendant they reward

With many
village,

piously present,
diffuse a fragrant scent.

tit-tat-to

own, but the central square was the

common

board.

had one of the small squares

property.

The

site

Each

of the

to cultivate as

of the

village,

its

and was

crops grown there were apparently the

Twenty mou were assigned to

and the remainder was cultivated for the benefit of the State.
Mencius (Book V. Part II.
Chap. II. 9 V.) remarks that each husbandman received loo
mou, which would support from five to nine individuals. The
ancient mou is said to have been loo square paces, so that loo
mou would be very nearly the exact equivalent of two EngUsh acres.

property of the

Government.

the sites of the dwelling-houses,

necessary to point out to the reader that " Great

the mythical Emperor, who is said to have drained away
the great flood, not " by drinking all the water," but by opening
It is scarcely

Yii "

is

the gorges through which the

Yang Tze now

runs.

The

date of

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

313

7.

SONG OF THE HARVEST. No.

2.

I.

Oh, bright are my spreading fields of corn

How they gleam with the ripened grain.
Let us pay our tithe to the royal store,
For see, in our barns remain
Spoils of past harvest to feed

my men

For plenty many a year

Has blessed us now on my southern slopes
Like benisons will appear.
;

2.

go to the fields where my hinds toil hard;

The weeds from the soil some pick,
Some pile the earth round the millet roots
That the stalks may be dense and thick.
And when the work of the day is o'er,
And the labourers go to rest,
I call them forward to cheer and praise
The men who have done the best.
I

this

work

is

said to

have been

e.g.

2286 to 2278, whence some

students, mostly missionaries, will have

name

for

Noah.

it that Yii is only another

(See Mayers' " Chinese Manual," articles 931

and 872).

The speaker

in the

poem

munity, perhaps a noble.

is

Pfere

presumably the head of a comZottoli calls him a " toparcha."

do not agree with Dr. Legge that " a late descendant of

line" would make the person spoken of the King.
I

Yii's

The " tinkling whittle " (Stanza 5) is my translation of *^ 7J

Luan Tiio, a sacrificial knife, to the handle of which, for some
reason or other, small bells were attached.

No.

7,

and

is, I think, supposed to be

spoken by a person of the same standing as the speaker in the

This piece

last

poem.

is

akin to the

last,

CHINESE POETRY.

314

3-

With

To

We

victims pure, and with bowls of grain,

the gods both of earth and heaven

My husbandmen all rejoice

That right well has our tillage thriven.
With the notes of lutes and the beat of drums,
To the field-god we pray to lend
Sweet rain, that a blessing may on the land.
On my men and their wives descend.
kneel.

4.

go to the southern slopes when the wives

And children are bearing food
To the men. The surveyor is glad to find
That the harvest throughout is good.
To right and to left he tests the grain
It is excellent everywhere.
So I rejoice, and my men are rnoved
I

To

We learn

toil

from

with redoubled care.

this

poem,

firstly,

claimed a

that the State

tithe

of the produce as tax, and, secondly, that a surveyor was sent to

see that the State was not cheated.

This

is

the only place where

mentioned. Chu Hsi says that a tenth here

means a ninth, i.e., the produce of the centre square (see the
notes on the last poem), which went to the Government.
My translation differs from that of Dr. Legge's in one or two
a tax of a tenth

is

^^

particulars.
He translates f -J^ f jL
It
Yu Chieh Yu Chih CMng Wo Mao Shih " and in a spacious
resting place I collect and encourage the men of greater promise."
On this he has the following excursus: "The general rule was
that the sons of husbandmen should continue husbandmen, but
their superior might select those among them in whom he saw
prom'ising abilities and facilitate their advancement to the higher
grade of officers. We are not to suppose that he did so in the
case mentioned in the text, but his easy condescension and
familiar intercourse with them would keep ambition alive in the

important

ji;

ji;

j;

aspiring youth
is

among them." My own

(/. e,, when we have

a Hmit or a stop

reading

"When

there

end of a

field,

is,

got to the

CHINESE POETRY.

315

5-

As a thatch on a
So my harvest

And my
As

roof, as a tilt

covers the lea

on a

cart,

stacks of corn from the corn-field

rise.

islands rise from the sea.

Oh, where shall I find the barns and carts

For the millet, the rice, and maize.
My hinds rejoice and invoke for me
Great blessings and endless days.

No.

8.

SONG OF THE HARVEST. No.

3.

I.

Our fields are large and labours

Of a varied kind we need.
;

Some set the tools in order

Some choose the proper seed.
Then we take the sharpened ploughshares.
And we plough the southern plain,
Which, to glad our lord and master,
Yields a large and healthy grain.

who are superior." I do

meaning in this than that the master would
naturally say a good word or two to those who had worked well.
Dr, Legge also makes the surveyor taste the food of the
peasants to see whether it is good or not.
I see no object in
this.
I understand that he tasted the grain by eating a little of it
or of the day's work) I encourage those
not find any other

how the royal tithes were likely to turn out.

The Field-god (
Tien Tsu, Father of fields) is Shen
jfil
Nung jpt^ ^, a mythical Emperor, and the inventor of agriculture,
to see

B.C.

2737.

(Mayers' " Manual,"

No.
This song

is

art.

609).

8.

the last of the series of harvest songs.

"Tares and darnels" are %% Lang,

wolf-tail grass (Legge), or

CHINESE POETRY.

3i6

2.

now

and milky,
The
Soon will firm and hardened grow,
Let us pull the tares and darnels,
And remove each insect foe
That the shoots may not be injured.
ears,

soft

Nor

May

the leaf destroyed thereby.

such pests be seized and burnt up

By

the god of husbandry,

3-

Form the clouds in heavy masses.

Whence the soft and gentle showers,
Glad the corn-lands of the nation,

And each harvest-field of ours.

On the ground let sheaves be scattered
Grain

in

handfuls leave

we

there.

Let the widow and the helpless

In our plenty have a share.
avena,

The

wild (?)

oats

(Zottoli),

" insect foes " are the

and

Yu,

darnel or setaria.

Ming, Hessian-fly, the

g^

T'eng,

Mao and

|^ Tsei, apparently two species of

grubs.
The Chinese commentators say that the first eats the
heart of the grain, the second the leaf, the third the root, and the
The prayer that the god of husbandry may
fourth the joints.
burn them is sometimes still used as a charm by peasants to
frighten away insect pests.
In stanza 3, I think that Dr. Legge lays too much stress on
He translates the third and
the loyalty of the husbandmen.
fourth line, " May it rain first on our public fields, and then come
The word "first " is an interpolation of his own,
to our private."
and the characters
J^ Sui Chi mean nothing more than
locust,

and the

" and with them/' so that ihe sentence runs " May it rain on the
public fields and on our private fields too."
The kindly custom
of leaving sheaves ungathered for the poor to glean, as Moses
also ordered (Deuteronomy xxiii. 19-22), is, I am sorry to say,
no longer extant in China. I do not agree with Dr. Legge that
"the ypung grain unreaped" was the part of the crop which had

CHINESE POETRY.

317

4-

As the wives and children carryTo the tired labourers food,

Come our lord and the surveyor,

And

they find the harvest good.

offer bowls of millet,
Slaying victims red and blkck,

So they

That the blessings of the spirits

They and we may never lack.

No.

9.

THE DURBAR AT LO-YANG.

Where Lo's waves, broad and deep, go sweeping
Has come the King. In him may dignity

And

by,

happiness concentrate and unite.

his scabbard gems are gleaming bright.

Upon

and was therefore left for the poor. Charity

would savour too much of the benevolence of
the bridge warden in the " Monastery," who, in obedience
to Father Eustace, was to bestow a crust of bread and
a cup of distilled waters on the next pale and fainting pilgrim,
and bade his wife keep for that purpose " the grunds of the last
grey beard, and the ill-baked bannoch which the bairns could
failed to ripen,"

of that

sort

na eat."

The

surveyor

is,

of course, the officer in charge of the royal

as before.

tithes,

The

spirits to

whom

the spirits of the north

south.

"victims red and black" were offered are

and the

south might destroy with

Cold,

frost,

south.

Fire

is

the attribute of the

red bull was therefore sacrificed that the

rain

fire

all

spirit

of the

things hurtful to the harvest.

and darkness are the

attributes of the north.

black bull was therefore the proper offering that the spirit of the
north might destroy noxious things with its cold and frost.

"

No. 9.
The Grand Hunting," No. 5 of the 3rd Book

of this Part (see

CHINESE POETRY.

3i8

Red madder-coloured

To show
Oh, may
Of

cloth his knees bedeck,

six armies wait his call

and beck.

our King a myriad years bear sway

Court, of Clan, of State, the prop and stay.

No.

lo.

THE NOBLES AT THE DURBAR AT LO

YANG.
I.

The

plain

is

now

with blossoms bright.

'Mid leaves and foliage green

Deep yellow glows and

brilliant white.

In truth a splendid scene.

2.

But

lo,

My

a sight more glorious far;

princes cross the plains.

White coursers draw each

the notes on

noble's car.

Who

holds six glossy reins.

this),

has already shown us that

the King to meet his nobles at

it

Lo Yang \^ }%

was the custom of

before

King P'ing

This piece no doubt refers

to such a meeting, which was presumably held by King Yu.
The King's dress indicates that he was wearing a military
established the royal capital there.

Some of the commentators assert that this poem is

placed directly after the " Songs of the Harvest " to warn the
people that though they may practice the arts of peace, they must

uniform.

not forget the arts of war.

" Though we thank him for the plough,

We'll not forget the sword."
,

No.

Mackay's " Tubal Cain:'

lO.

This piece, of course, represents the King singing the praises

who have come to his durbar, and was probably

of the nobles

CHINESE POETRY.

319

3-

With joy my heart

is

beating high

Such princes should enjoy

All comfort,

And

bliss

all

prosperity

without alloy.
4-

They form

To
Such

skill,

The

composed

a line in serried rows

right to left they turn.

such martial prowess shows

pains they took to learn.

in reply to his praises

sung by the nobles

in the last

preceding poem.
I

have not followed the structure of the Chinese version, and

have translated rather

freely.

The

last

Translated

"

left,

to the

in order.

literally it is,

To

To

the

stanza
left,

is

a puzzler.

the princes are-

the right, to the right, the princes have attained

This attainment of theirs

is

what

is

likely."

it.

The commentators

is an outward and visible sign of

understand it that their skill indicates the amount of training to which they have submitted, and
that success rightly crowns their efforts.

say that the skill of the princes

an inward

virtue.

I prefer to

CHINESE POETRY.

321

Book VII.

No.

I.

THE KING TO

HIS NOBLES.

I.

On

wings see the hawfinches fly.

gleaming necks 'mid the branches are seen.
My heart leaps with joy when my princes are nigh
Heaven bless them My State they protect like a screen.
their bright pencilled

Their

fair

2.

to others they show

Old proverbs declare
If you ask me whence safety and happiness flow,
'Tis from strict self-restraint and from diligent care."

Yes, a screen and a buttress

The

"

pattern to follow.

3-

So restrained and so careful these princes of mine,

That e'en when the cup at our feasting I fill.
They will only most reverently sip of my wine,
So Heaven's choicest blessings shall follow them

No.
The hawfinches

are the

still.

I.

^ ^ Sang Hu.

Book V.

(See No. 2 of

of this Part.)

My

translation

Chinese version.
cult

again does

In

one of the piece.

this

not

poem,

Here

is

seek them ."

is

The

no

pride.

The good wine

Ten thousand

of the

structure

stanza

is

a literal translation of

curve of the rhinoceros -horn cup.

presented, there

follow the

too, the last

the
it

is soft.

blessings

"

diffi-

The

When

come

to

rhinoceros-horn cup was the loving cup passed

round by the King^ The only meaning which I can deduce from
The Chinese
is the one given in my metrical version.
commentators, of course, find all sorts of allegories in this little
Y

the stanza

CHINESE POETRY.

322

No.

2.

A TIME OF GOOD OMEN.

I.

good omen, when everywhere

We may catch the mallards in net and snare.
They carelessly roost on the dams, where they
Fall to hand-net and spread-net an easy prey.
'Tis a time of

2.

The omen

on every side
There are signs of plenty to be descried.
And our harvest stores are enough to feed
With grain and forage each sturdy steed.
is

true, for

3-

To whom

is this

plenty and comfort due

Oh, noble monarch, to you, to you.

May your life to ten thousand years extend.
And your wealth and your happiness know no end.

The

piece.

and gleaming necks of the iinches

and accomplishments of the nobles. The

pencilled wings

typify the elegance

rhinoceros-horn with the generous wine in

strength of the

shows the martial bodies of the nobles with the generous

inside

them

No.
This piece
"jj

fj^,

is

supposed

to

2.

be the answer of the " Fang Po

"

or chief of the feudal nobles, to the compliments of the

King conveyed

The

it

hearts

mallard

poem.

in the preceding
is

the Yuan Yang

(See the notes on Part

I.,

Book

L, No.

or

Mandarin duck.

The

idea that this bird

^,

i.)

being found in numbers, and being easily captured, indicated a

time of plenty and good omen, is my own.
The mention of
them has evidently puzzled most of the Chinese commentators.
Dr. Legge says that this piece
allusive

phorical.

element

in

is

which there

a remarkable instance of the

is

no admixture of the meta-

CHINESE POETRY
No.

323

3.

A FAMILY GATHERING,
I.

Around thy board

To

Who

in leather caps

we

sit

share thy dainties and thy luscious wine.

are

we

.'

Are we

strangers

Not a whit

But cousins, kinsfolk, brethren dear of

thine.

2.

We

cling to thee, as cling the mistletoe

And moss

to pine

boughs and the cypress

tree.

Thou art away each heart is moved with woe.

Thou art at hand we laugh in merry glee.

3-

The

clouds

And
But

let

And

may form

for

death some day

snow and

bitter weather,

conquer every man.

us feast this night in mirth together.
all enjoy the banquet while we can.
will

" Carelessly roost on the dams " is my paraphrase for a sentence,

meaning " on the dams, folding up their left wings." This, 1
think, means with their heads tucked under their left wings.
Chu Hsi says that it means " with their left wings gathered up,
for

when

birds

sit

together they face in opposite directions,

and

lean against each other, left wing to left wing, while the right
strike" a blow should some danger
approach from either side." Liu Yiian does succeed in forcing
an intelligible, though far-fetched, simile out of this mention of
" The nobles," he says, " may stand shoulder to
the mallards.
shoulder like the ducks, but the King's authority over them is as
a net, which holds them at his mercy." I prefer my own

wings outside are free to

interpretation.

No.
Here

is

3.

another piece, the meaning of which varies according

to the interpretation,

which we give to the word Chun Tzfl

;"

^.

Dr. Legge makes it " the King." I follow Liu Yiian in making it
" the host," for a good part of the poem seems to me language

CHINESE POETRY.

324

No.

4.

THE WOODMAN'S
Though

a mighty mountain

My rapid

haste

it

my

may

frown o'erhead,

shall not delay.

The road may be weary and

But

BRIDE.

long to tread,

steeds shall run without stop or stay.

2.

We gallop

urge them with might and main.

(Cling, clang,

So

we go

fast

As

how

the ends of

my axle

ring

!)

that they stretch the rein

tense as a lute player draws each string.

3-

But why

speed ?
plagued with thirst or with hunger's smart
No food, no wine, but my bride I need
To love me, to teach me, to cheer my heart.

Am

this hurry, this frantic

which could not have been appropriately addressed to a monarch.

The last verse, especially, which calls on the host to make the
best of the present moment (compare Part I., Book X., No. 2)
differs materially from the wish so often expressed when a King
is addressed, " May you live for ten thousand years,"
the " Oh,

live for ever," of the Bible.

King,

" leather caps " were probably deer-skin caps worn at

The

entertainments.

The

mistletoe

Sinensis,

and moss are the ]^ Miao, mistletoe (Loanthus

and the
Nu Lo, Dodder (Cuscuta,

^^

Zottoli),

Zottoli).

Some

and the

wistaria.

say that these two plants are the cypress vine

No.
In

this

4.

piece again I have utterly failed to follow the structure

of the Chinese version.

My

stanza

first

is,

in fact, the equivalent

of the greater part of the last Chinese stanza.

This
tators,

poem
who

rather sticks in the throat of the Chinese

try to explain

away

its

innocent freedom.

commenThey are.

CHINESE POETRY.

32.5

4.
I

know

she

is

virtuous, tall

My praise, my
Though no
Let us

and

fair.

affection, shall never cease.

friends are near in our mirth to share,

feast together in joy

and peace.

5-

My

food and wine are but coarse, you'll

find,

And

no learned scholar, no sage am I.

Yet we eat and drink with contented mind.
And sing and trip it right merrily.
6.

Our cottage stands on the plain below,

'Mid trees on whose branches the pheasants
And up the mountains each day I go,

Where

the oaks

hew, and their boughs

sit.

I split.

of course, blind to the fact that the ballad only shows a simple

and healthy
and

state of things

when a

lad could express his love for

admiration of her cleverness and virtue, as well

as of her beauty, without any fear of being blamed for neglecting
the proper ceremonies, or of being thought a fool for giving vent
his lass,

his

Some

of them say that the ballad is a moral

by a noble to his lady. The latter is told to
learn from the virtues of the woodman's bride what a wife should
There is also a theory, which strikes me as still farther
be.
fetched, that the piece was designed to teach King Yu what sort
The
of a bride he should have chosen instead of Pao Ssii.
reader should consult "The Little Preface" and Dr. Legge's
to his feelings.

lesson addressed

notes on this poem.

There are one or two more small points to be noted. I am

am right in making the tenseness of the reins the
The Chinese
reason of their being compared to lute strings.
not sure that I

text

is

simply, "

says that they

The six reins are like lute strings." Dr. Legge

made music like lute strings. I daresay that the

only meant to picture the six reins of the team looking

The pheasants are the Chiao ]g|
strings of a lute.
possibly the Reeves Pheasant.
Zottoli),
(Phasianus Veneratus,
phrase
like

is

the

The commentations

find metaphors

and

allusions all through the

CHINESE POETRY.

326

7-

As

your matchless form I see,

My heart's sole comfort, I glow with pride
To think that a hewer of wood like me
Should gain so radiant, so rare a bride.
oft as

No.

THE

5.

FLIES.
I.

The blue flies float on the summer air,

They are humming and buzzing everywhere.
They pollute each fence, and our trees infest,
Till

no spot

is

clear of this

noisome

pest.

2.

Some men

know

loathsome flies.
realm with their slanderous lies.
Their hatred and spite they will not restrain.

Who
So

like these

infest the

confusion, malice,

and mischief reign.

3-

Ah, be not

And

careless, dear lord,

crush these men, as

we

be wise.

crush the

flies

Lest the friendship between old friends should

And
piece.

contentious

The

strife in its

fail,

stead prevail.

height of the mountain and the length of the road

refer to the superlative qualities of the lady.

The

pheasants and

both in their proper place. Cutting wood and

winning a bride are both difficult jobs successfully accomplished.
Finally, the oak is specially mentioned for this reason
a tenyear old oak affords timber big enough for rafters, a twenty-year old
oak will make a beam. This typifies a virtuous wife, who becomes
more precious to her household as she grows older.
the wife are

No.
This

little

S.

piece calls for few remarks.

My

translation of

it is

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

32?

6.

A CONTRAST.
At feasts with order and decorum graced,
Around the mats, whereon the food is placed,
In sequence right and left each guest must go
To take his seat. The trenchers row by row

Upon

the table sauce and dainties bear

Nor is pure wine in goblets wanting there.

ere,
>
harp ^
Which all the guests most reverently share.
Then drums and bells are properly set by

A second cup

is taken gracefully.
brought forth, and arrows laid
And bows for shooting. Many a match is made
And he whose arrow fails the mark to hit
Is given a cup and prayed to empty it.
Or else, while drums are beat and organs play.
And flute players all their limbs in cadence sway.
Our solemn rites are duly perfected

The

target

is

To

please the spirits of the saintly dead.

No

single

To

be observed upon a day like

So

shall great blessings to ourselves

And

ceremony do we

King Yu

though the

last

two

this.

be given

sons and grandsons share the gifts of heaven.

a free one.
set us

miss,

line

the person supposed to be addressed,

is

^^A

at variance,"

seems

to

Kou Wo Erh

"They
man to his

Jtn,

be the address of a

equal.

No.

6.

The commentators are all agreed in saying that this piece was
of Wei
composed by Duke Wu i^
the hero of No. r
of Book V. of the ist Part.
He lived in the reign of King Yu,

&

the dissolute manners of

in this
I

whose Court are

satirized

and reproved

poem.

do not agree with Dr. Legge that the ceremony described

first part of this poem was " The Great Archery Festival,"

in the

CHINESE POETRY.

328

all are happy, for we know and feel

Care has been taken for our common weal.
The chamberlain then enters with a cup,

Thus

Which for the other guests some friend fills

" The cup of rest."
This surely is the way

up,

To

spend a sensible yet festive day.

But some there are, who, when a feast is made.
At first are friendly, reverent and staid
But when the fumes of wine becloud their brain.
No longer sense and decency remain.
Up from the places where they sit, they spring.
And round and round the room go capering.
A man when sober may be wise and grave,
Nor know when drunk the way he should behave.
So these, who drown their moral sense in drink.
To wild disorder and mad riot sink.
In manner rude and coarse they brawl and shout.
And push the dishes and the plates about.
They dance in foolish and fantastic guise
Their caps pushed sideways, slipping o'er their eyes.
Would they but quit, their going might assuage
Their own remorse, their host's just wrath and rage.
But no, they are persistent in their shame,
Despising virtue and their own good name.
Drinking may be a custom wise and right,
But moderation should be kept in sight.
;

when nobles and others were invited to Court to show their skill,
and a cup or two of wine were given as light refreshment. It
seems to me that the feast, and not the archery, was the main
feature of the entertainment, the latter being only the after-dinner

amusement. I am confirmed in this idea by the description of a

merry-making in No. 2 of Book II. Part III. of this
Archery, as an after-dinner recreation, still
Classic, quod vide.
exists in Japan, and I am by no means sure that it is extinct in
similar

China.

The second feast described in the poem is, of course, a

on the occasion of seasonal sacrifices to ancestors.

feast

CHINESE POETRY.
Nay, some

The

vile

sober guests

329

drunkards venture to condemn

will not copy them.

who

And men

are set to notice and record

Those whose decorum shames the revellers' board.
But dared these wiser men their thoughts express,
Their fellows might avoid such mad excess.
This would they say, " From drunken words refrain
Within your drunken lips your tongues restrain
Or, helpless as a ram without a horn,
We'll thrust you forth, to suffer scoffs and scorn.
Three cups of wine will cloud your memory o'er;
How dare you go on drinking more and more ?

No.

7.

THE JOLLY

FISHES.

I.

Around

the weeds and rushy beds,

Secure from every

With wagging

The
The

tails

foe.

and

lifted

heads,

jolly fishes go.

appropriate punishment suggested for drunkenness, ac-

cording to Dr. Legge and the Chinese commentators,

the offender "produce a

ram without horns," a

is

to

make

thing that (accord-

It is supposed that the requiring

is not in nature.
" the drunkards to produce this which they could not do, would

ing to them)

them." The Chinese text is -(^ fi} Pi Ch'u, which

may mean either "make, produce, or make go." I adopt the latter
frighten

translation, for it seems to me a natural and appropriate punishment to " chuck out " the drunkards in a helpless and yet quarrelsome condition, in which they would be sure to come to grief.
I may mention that Liu Yiian declares that hornless rams are
found in the Kansu and Shensi Provinces.

No. 7.
The word " here," which concludes
"here

in

Hao

."

Hao

the poem,

was the western

is

in the original

capital.

As

this city

CHINESE POETRY.

33

As jolly

as these

fish,

the king,

With wine and merry

cheer,

Shall spend the day in revelling,

And

feast in safety here.

No.

THE

8.

PRINCES' VISIT TO

THE

KING.

I.

Gather beans in many a heap.

Fill your baskets square and round.
Where the pure spring waters leap.
Gushing with a tinkling sound,
Pluck the cress ; for fear the least
Herb be wanting at our feast.

was chosen to be the capital by King Wu, the first king of the
Chou dynasty, the Chinese commentators refer this piece to him.
The Preface, of course, draws an unfavourable comparison between
King Wu, who lived happily, and King Yu, who, having a bad
conscience, was wretched. The commentators further find an
allusion to the head of the State in the mention of the fishes'
heads, and to the ministers of State in the mention of their tails
The Princes are supposed to sing this song when present at
!

some

royal banquet.

No.

8.

As the King is evidently the speaker in this, the commentators,

followed by Dr. Legge, say that it is responsive to the last poem.
For my part, I doubt it.
I

have,

according to

my

presents several difficulties.

Four out of the

custom, recast the piece, which

It

is

called " allusive

and

narra-

Chinese stanzas, of which the poem

consists, begin with lines which are supposed to contain allusions.
They run as follows
{a) " They gather the beans into square
tive."

five

CHINESE POETRY.
come

Princes

331

their king to greet

See their dragon flags are swaying.

Hark that sound so clear, so sweet
!

upon the breeze are playing.

Bells

Lo

their steeds, their cars

me my

Proof to

appear

lords are here.

3-

Grave and dignified they stand

On

their legs red buskins shine.

These are guardians of my land

Warders of this realm of mine.
What the gifts that should be given
Princes by " The Son of Heaven }
4-

Are

there no gifts worth bestowing

Carriages and steeds have

Rich

state robes, their fabrics

With

I,

glowing

the royal 'broidery.

May their hearts be

And enhanced their

pleased thereby
dignity.

and round baskets." This typifies the prosperity of the princes,

and their numbers, (f) " The water bubbles up from the spring,
where they gather the cress." This is a figure for the appropriate appearance of the Princes

at

Court,

(c)

"On

the

branches of the oaks there is an abundance of leaves." This, no

{d) " The willow
doubt, is a simile, and needs no explanation,

moored by

boat floats about

its

painter."

This

is

said to repre-

sent the tie of loyalty which binds the princes to their sovereign
lord.

For

my own

part, I

have discarded the idea

of.()

and

{b)

being similes or allusions, and have put the verb in the imperative.

The

first

poem

in this

work and others

will

show that the

Chinese did not disdain herbs and cresses even on their most
festal occasions,
{e) is adopted by me, but (d) is altogether

beyond me, and

have made no attempt to translate

it.

CHINESE POETRY.

332

5-

Fresh as leaves upon the oak

May they Hve and flourish long,
Blest by

all

the humbler folk,

by henchmen wise and

Girt

Ever joyful

When my

strong.

be

shall I

chieftains

come

No.

to me.

9.

ADVICE TO A PRINCE.
When you
and
Grasp it

use a

stiff

bow

made

well-fashioned, one

strong

with horn,

tightly, lest, recoiling,

from your fingers

it

be torn.

So, in dealing with your kinsfolk, with a loving, generous

heart

Bind them

to you, let

no coldness drive them to abide

apart.

shelter myself

behind Liu Yuan, who says that he cannot under-

stand the allusion.

"Rich

State robes,

broidery,"

is

my

their

fabrics

equivalent

glowing

^ ^

for

dragon-broidered robes, the insignia of

with

the

royal

Hsuan Shang, dark

a duke, and Fu |||',

the robes of a baron embroidered with the symbol of a hatchet.

(See Dr. Legge's notes.)

No.
Liu Yiian

will

have

ruler in this piece,

it

9.

that there

and that

it

is

is

no reference

to a prince or

only the lament of some one

and affinity were not more binding.

seems to me, however, that the language is distinctly that of

that the ties of relationship

It

an inferior to a superior.
but

il

am

advising

The

piece presents several

difficulties,

not sure that they are not intentional, for an oriental

or rebuking a

superior

acts

language a few Gladstonian loopholes.

wisely

in

allowing his

CHINESE POETRY.
you hold them

If

So

at a distance,

You

will others.

333

you will find that as you do,

and the people copy you.

are mighty,

Note the concord and the kindness found 'mid brethren

wise and good,
And the discord and unkindness in a wicked, rancorous
brood.

Envious, obstinate and haughty,

full

pomp and

of

pride

of place

Are the wicked,

Nor

o'ertaken by misfortune and disgrace.

till

Though

on you.

forget that age creeps

the aged

courser says
" I

am

a colt," he cannot bear the weights of former

still

days.

When

the cups are crowned with liquor, and the board

with dainties spread,

Be not

The

be not wasteful,

lavish,

"when

brought near to the archer

its

tion).

former
I

state,

and

is

far

from him

think that the sentence

the recoil will jerk

or

Chu Fu tzu, is derived

bow is drawn, all its parts are
when he lets the arrow go, it returns

simile of the bow, according to

from the fact that

to

let discretion rule instead.

" (Dr. Legge's transla-

means only " Hold a bow

out of your fingers."

it

tight,

The backs

of

Chinese bows are still stiffened with horn.

Stanza 5 of the original is obscure. Literally translated, it
" An old horse, on the contrary, makes himself a colt, not
is
;

thinking what

drinking

too

is

before him, as for instance, eating to excess and

much."

Dr.

Legge's

explanation

is

that

the

haughty Jacks-in-ofifice of the preceding stanza are like an old

horse, who thinks himself still up to work, and wants more food

and drink than he has a right to expect. Liu Yuan makes it the
lament of the speaker, who says, " Shall not an old horse like me

young
the stanza into two

think of the future of the

I

have

split

colts,

who

give

way

to excess

distiches, as the easiest

way of

solving the difficulty.

In stanza
of " It

is

6,

like

"To

oppress and crush," &c.,

adding

mud

to a

man

in the

is

the paraphrase

mud,"

the Chinese

CHINESE POETRY.

334

Teach no man the task he's skilled in. Would yoa teach
an ape to climb ?
To oppress and crush the fallen and defenceless is a crime.

remember this, dear master, while you walk in

wisdom's way,
In its path your loyal subjects will remain and never stray.

Oh,

Though the snow

lies

thick and heavy,

it

dissolves beneath

the sun

So

wrongs beneath your glances melt and vanish

will

one by one.

Yet

'tis

wise on pride and arrogance to lay a heavy hand,

Or .presumption growing

bolder will most surely vex

your land.

So beware of

fierce intriguers, lest

we view with sorrowing

eye

Men

as base as wild barbarians held in honour, set on

high.

man when he's down" I do not like

Dr. Legge's explanation, " A monkey does not need to be taught
to climb trees ; a man in the mire needs no mire put on him.

equivalent of " Don't hit a

But the King, encouraging and honouring base calumniators, made

them worse than they otherwise would be." Why is there

a"^/"?
Liu Yiian's notion of the snow mentioned in stanzas 7 and 8 of
is that it is comparable to the affection which ought
to exist for brothers and kindred, but which is apt to melt and

the original

members of the family as great strangers

The barbarians in question are the Man

disappear, leaving the

as

are the barbarians.

and the Mao

wild tribes of the south and west.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

335

10.

BEWARE OF SLOTHFULNESS.
I.

Luxuriantly the willows grow

The shadows
So

cool a

that their branches throw,

bower have made

What tired traveller would not stay

To rest and pass an hour away
'Neath

their refreshing

shade

2.

'Twere pleasant, but I bid you 'ware

Lest there be danger lurking there.
The gods are harsh and stern.
Hard labour comes before repose,
And toil must be endured by those
Who rest and peace would earn.

No.
This poem, like so
has puzzled the

allusive,

"

The King should be

many

10.

others

critics.

termed metaphorical and

Most of them

interpret

it

thus

and protection to
his subjects, but he (spoken of here as _[^
Shang Ti, God)
is very oppressive.
Do not be familiar with him, for if you try to
order his affairs (^ Ching), his demands will afterwards be
extreme."
Liu Yiian makes the willow an allusion to one of the
as a willow, offering shade

is much the same.

he says, may give shade, but it is a soft-wood inferior
Such is the King's minister, whom he compares to

King's ministers, but otherwise his explanation

The

willow,

sort of tree.

Ch'in

and

to

j^ the minister of the Emperor Kao Tsung,

1^5 (Mayers' " Chinese Reader's Manual," art. 783),
Yen Kao
^, minister of Chia Ching of the Ming

Kuei

circa A.D.

dynasty, a.d. 1522.

The

chief objection to these interpretations seems to be that

the meaning of 'the Chinese

strained to arrive at them.

characters must be tremendously

In no other place in this Classic has

CHINESE POETRY.

336

3.

If even little birds

Up

may

fly-

to the vault of heaven on high,

What may

not

man

attain

But lazy knaves, to labour loth,

Are slaves to idleness and sloth.
Their wages, grief and pain.

Shang Ti any

other meaning than the "

Supreme Being," nor can

find any other instance of Chi'ng being used in the sense of " to
manage affairs." It may sometimes be translated " to tranquillize,"
is

but " repose," " quiet," in a substantive or adjectival sense,

the usual rendering.

against taking

Stanza 3.

life

I therefore

(See the notes

on Part

begins with the description of a

flying

up

make

the piece a warning

too easily.

to the vault of heaven).

II.,

little

Book

V., No. 2, which

bird, in that case a dove,

CHINESE POETRY.

'

337

Book VIII.

No.

I.

THE DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE.

Oh, for the h6me of long ago
Would that we were there once more,
Where our nobles lived of yore,
;

Clad

in furs of glossiest sheen,

Silver-tongued, composed, serene,

At

the capital of Chou.

2.

Caps or leafy hats they wore

Girdles each had round his waist.

Bound with such a

natural taste,

That the long end's, left untied.

Might sway graceful at his side

Jasper ear-rings, too, they bore.

3.

Then
With

the

dames of

lofty line,

their curly tresses like

Scorpion stings

Noble

in act to strike.

ladies scorn to

wear

Aught but their own natural hair.

For them how I long and pine.
No.
The Preface

I.

have it that this piece is directed against King

Yu, but it seems, oh the face of it, to have been written when the
-capital had been removed from Hao in the west to Lo in the east,
and some " laudator temporis acti " had hottie-siek longings for
the old city.

will

CHINESE POETRY.

338

4-

Could I find them once again,

I would follow them to see
All the beauties dear to

Gaze upon

me

their thick, black hair,

Curling round in ringlets rare.

But

my

longing

is

in vain.

No.

AN

2.

HUSBAND.

ABSE]S^T
I.

Through the meadows

to and fro
Seeking herbs and indigo,
I laboured all the morn, but still

My hands, my skirts
The " leafy

hats " are hats

made

I failed to

of the T^ai

fill.

plant, a kind

of grass, mentioned in the notes on No. 7 of the 2nd Book of this

The manner of wearing the girdles is curiously expressed
Part.
in the original.

The

It is

not that they

let their girdles

How

girdles were naturally long.

hang down.

a manufactured

article

a girdle can be naturally long is a mystery to me.

The " dames of lofty line," is in the Chinese "might be called
or Chi ^," say Howards or Talbots.
Yin
It is curious to

like

find the hair of Chinese

tail is

women admired

for

its

curliness.

A rat's

corkscrewy compared to the hair of a Chinese lady of the

present day.

No.
This

little

2.-

ballad does not need

much

elaboratfon.

We need

not trouble ourselves with the fancies of those commentators

who say that the speaker is an officer of state, who regrets the
absence of a fellow-officer, whose hunting is a metaphor for
quelling disorder,

of state.

and

his

fishing for finding worthy ministers

CHINESE POETRY.

It

matters nought.

I'll

To wash and comb my

'Tis right I should

In seemly guise

339

homewards

fare

tangled hair.

be clean and neat,

my

lord to greet.

3-

He said that when five days were o'er

He would return to me once more.
Ah, me, what makes

this sad delay

Six days has he been gone away.

4-

Perhaps a hunting he will go

So
Or

in its

case I've placed his bow.

he may incline
carefully arranged his line.

else to fish

I've

S-

And
To capture

while he angles

" Herbs "

is

my

brim

the skill displayed

equivalent

translates " king-grass,"

thence the tench and bream,

Ml sit beside the river

To watch

the stream.

in

and

for

Zottoli, "

by him.

Lu j^

Lan, Polygonum Tinctorium, according to

" Indigo "

is

the

Zottoli.

do not know why Dr. Legge translates the last line, " While
on to see." Surely it is " While / looked, or will

people looked
look,

which Dr. Legge

bamboo."

on to see."

z 2

CHINESE POETRY.

340

No.

3.

THE EARL OF SHAO'S EXPEDITION TO

HSIEH.
I.

Tall and strong the millet grew,

Fattened by the genial rain.

our journey, tedious too,

Long
-

But the Earl, our leader true.

Cheered us mid our toil and

pain.

2.

At

words our ardour glowed.

would bring us back ere long.

his

He

Heavy barrows filled the road^

Men who bent beneath their load.
Carts and oxen swelled the throng.
3-

Then

for fear the savage foe

To

molest us were intent,

many a row,
Cars and horse were bidden go.
Infantry in

To

secure accomplishment.
4-

Thus in might majestical

Led by him we marched away

and tall.
Girt with rampart, fosse and wall,
Which should keep the foe at bay.
Built a fortress strong

No.

3.

^J

This piece takes us back to the time of King Hsiian

King Yu's immediate predecessor. A fuller account of this
expedition will be found in No. 5 of Book III. of Part III. For
the present

it

is

modern T^ng Chou

sufficient to

^i\

in

point out that

Honan

Hsieh HJ

is

the

(not to be confounded with

CHINESE POETRY.

341

5.

Hard our labour and

severe

But the Earl performed his pari

MTade the springs and fountains clear,
Drained the plains of marsh and mere,
j

To

rejoice his

monarch's heart.

No.

4.

A PRINCELY HUSBAND.
In the marshlands lying low,

The luxuriant mulberries grovir.

Dark and glossy are the leaves upon the
Though they form a glorious sight

tree.

'Tis not this that brings delight

'Tis the

coming of

my

noble lord to me.

Teng Chou, in Shantung). The Earl of Shao was

Duke Mu
Liu Yuan makes the good will of the soldiers towards their
jl'l'l

^^

afterwards

which is, he says, inferred in the second

would allow them to bring back their waggons
and oxen, and would not detain them, an extraordinary act of
virtue on the part of an Oriental General.
leader

due

to the fact,

stanza, that the Earl

No.

4.

Yet another poem, the sense of which must depend on the

In this case I make it
meaning of the word Chun tzu ;:

"a

princely

language

is

husband."

think

that

the

are such as are

employed by

a'

woman

of

rather than by a

The Chinese commentators, whom Dr. Legge

course, that the speaker in the

some

frankness

the

appropriate to a wife, and that the affectionate terms

officers of

poem

noble character.

As

man.

follows, assert, of

expresses his admiration for

the leaves of the mulberry

are not only the .beautiful part of the tree but the useful also, so

CHINESE POETRY.

342

2.

Aught but happy can

When

I be,

man I see,
make me love him more and

this princely

Whose virtues
Nor shall I be shamed

My affection
For

cherish

more.

to say

cannot stray,

him within

No.

my

bosom's core.

5.

QUEEN SHEN'S LAMENT.

I.

The fibres
By withes
I

of the rush are bound

of grass which
must be banished from

tie it

round.

his side,

All solitary to abide.

2.

The

sunset clouds of brilliant hue,

Refresh the rushy meads with dew.

The laws of right and heaven's great way,

Too hard he finds them to obey.
admirable

men

are useful as well as ornamental.

The deep

colour

of the leaves typifies the deep feeling of benevolence innate in

and so on. The Preface, as usual, finds in the

King Yu, who seems to be to the author of the
Preface what King Charles's head was to Mr. Dick.
For my own part, I think it possible that the subject of the

these officers,

piece an attack on

poem may

well be the Earl of Shao's wife welcoming her husband

on his return from the expedition described in the preceding
poem.

No.

S.

All the critics agree that the subject of this piece

King Yu, who was superseded

band's affections by his concubine Pao Ssu
commentators, instead of making the writer speak
Shen

the wife of

^^

is

Queen

in her hus;

but some

of her

own

CHINESE POETRY.

343

3.

Northward the flooded waters flow,

To enrich the fields, where rice plants grow.

With wounded

Upon my

heart

sigh or sing,

great lord pondering.

4-

The branches
Will-feed the

My

of the mulberry tree

fire

to comfort me.

master tortures

And makes my

me

indeed,

sorrowing heart to bleed.

5-

The

palace bells and drums resound

Their merry notes are heard around.
For him I pine with grief p'erwrought
For me he never has a thought.
;

experience, put the poem in the riiouth of a third party, viz. the
people of Chou, a proceeding which robs the verses of all dramatic
force.

have followed the structure of the Chinese original on this

As for the statements contained in the first two lines
of each stanza, " the bearing of them lies in their application,"
and each reader may apply them as he thinks fit under the- cirI

occasion.

cumstances.
to

I give the

explanation of each, which seems to

me

be the most natural.

1

The rush

is

tied with the white grass

so should husband

and wife be bound together.

2.

The clouds bedew

the herbage

so should a king have a

kindly influence on those about him.

3.

The

rising waters irrigate

the rice-fields; so should a king

benefit his people.

4.

burn mulberry-wood

in

my

furnace.

Dr. Legge inserts the

that the

Mulberry-wood

and adapted for nobler

adjective "small" before

valuable and expensive,

mulberry-wood, which would

uses

so

am

is

I.

furnace, saying

suffice for all sorts of cook-

ing, was only used in this limited way.

degraded from her place.

So was the Queen

CHINESE POETRY.

344

6.

The crane sits on the dam at ease,

The heron hides among the trees.
Ah, me he tortures me indeed,
!

And makes my wounded

heart to bleed.

7-

The mallards on the dam may

And

stay,

fearless sleep the live-long day.

Fickle and varying as the wind,

My

lord

false in heart

is

and mind.

Stand on a shallow stone and try

To

look

my

And

in

done

is

"The

Far from
pine

The music

5.

what

tall,

'tis futility.

lord I'm forced to go,

misery and woe.

in the palace

in the palace.

fierce light that beats

is heard outside.
The folk know
This is the Chinese equivalent of

upon the throne and blackens every

blot."

The

6.

Zottoli]

[^

crane

a big

Chiu,

fierce bird,

Marabou crane, Leptoptilos Javanica,

and an unclean feeder, which, accord-

ing to Chinese naturalists, will face a

catch

Grus

fish,

Viridirostris,

[^

sits

Ho,

on the dam to
also a crane,

but considerations of metre make me give it

a smaller and weaker bird, and a clean feeder,

name of heron],

the

does not venture near.

vis

man

while the unfortunate heron

vis

Pao

The mallards

7.

This

typifies the position of

Queen Shgn

Ssu.

are

emblems of conjugal

fidelity,

a virtue

which the King did not possess.

8. This simile is the most obscure of all the eight.
I can make
nothing more of it than, " I can do no good with the feeble means
at

my

and

disposal."

that the

King

I reject the idea that the thin stone is

is

lowered by his connection with her.

Pao

Ssu,

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

345

6.

A TIRED SOLDIER.
I.

There perches a

Upon

He

the

little

oriole

mound he

sits.

weary wing,
So. he stays, to twitter and sing,
is

resting his

Once more, then away he

flits.

2.

But

am worn and weary

With marching the live-long day.

Oh, give me some food, some drink,
Lest exhausted and faint I sink
Then show me my proper way.
3-

Think not I fear the journey.

But of failure I am afraid.
I cannot march fast or far,
I must call an attendant car

To

lend

me

its

friendly aid.

No.
The reader

6.

any other meaning

piece. Liu Yiian's
view, however, is that the way to the Court of King Yu is, metaphorically, so long and hard to travel that virtuous officials will
will

indeed think

it

strange

than the above can be screwed out of this

not venture to tread

it.

The

if

little

writer of the

poem

appeals (to the

world in general ?) to provide such with the means of doing

The

oriole sitting'on the

mound

is

the type of an

so.

official in retire-

In spring's bright days orioles flutter about, so when good

government prevails trustworthy ministers of state are seen everyment.

where.

Chu Fu

tzii

puts the

(See Dr. Legge's notes.)

poem

My first

in the

mouth of

the oriole.

stanza about the oriole

is

a very

free amplification of the original.

The

characters

^M

Mien

Man

are

no doubt corrupt.

CHWESE

346

POETRY.

No.

7.

A SOLDIER'S SUPPER.
I.

Supple gourd leaves are our

fare,

Let them now be plucked and boiled

And for meat we have this hare
Baked upon the coals, or broiled.
2.

Still

a store of wine

we

boast

Let the cups with it be crowned.

Pledge the guests, and pledge the host
Pass the goblet round and round.

When Chu Fu

tzu explains

them

as the epithet applied to a

as the note of the bird,

little

bird,

it

is

and Mao

pretty evident that

them know the meaning of the phrase. | Hui is

"to teach, to instruct," but in this conjuncture it
must surely mean, " Tell me what way I must go," and not as
Dr. Legge has it in his metrical version, " Teach my mind the
way to think." To adopt a joke of Gilbert k Becket's, a starving
man wants grub, not grammar.
neither of
certainly

No.

7.

I believe that this piece represents the

when

hard

fare of a campaign,

a soldier has only a hare to offer his comrades for supper,

but with the wine which they have they make merry.
hold with Dr. Legge that

"

When

the provisions are most frugal,

course

may

is first

for the host to taste the

as

yet

be preserved."

Mr. Pickwick, in the

milk punch.

Then

do not

only written to convey this lesson

it is

all

the rules of polite inter-

The ceremonious way of drinking

wine to see whether it is all right,

Mr. Ben Allen, tasted the

cup of wine to his guests,
turn hand a cup to him which he

post-chaise with

the host hands a

which they drink, and they in

drinks, after which they drink together, pledging each other, but
how often this last ceremony was to be repeated books of etiquette

do not

say.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

THE STRAIN OF

347

8.

RESPONSIBILITY.

I.

The frowning rocks and the crags are steep,

Which tier on tier to the sky ascend.
The hills are high, and the rivers deep.
The road to the east is long to wend.
When shall we get to our journey's end

By

the charge of

my

troops and

my

duties worn,

Small leisure have I by night or morn.

No.

8.

We

have already had many ballads in which a soldier comlot.

In this one the General in charge of the
expedition joins in the same tune, and says how wearisome he
finds his duties and responsibilities and his separation from home.
It is not known for certain what particular expedition it is
plains of his hard

to

which

this piece refers.

part of the

Chou

Nearly

all

the fighting in the early

dynasty was against the barbarous tribes of the

west and north, while the eastern frontiers were quiet enough.

According to Dr. Legge's notes, an incursion of the Huai tribes,

who inhabited what is now Kiangsu, against the State of Lo, in the

may be referred to.

time of King Li, j^
course, assigns the piece to the time of King Yu.

The

Preface, of

wading through
obscure, but
The rain had
I think that my rendering of it is the correct one.
been so heavy that the mud had all been washed away, so that

The mention

of the swine "with their hoofs white

the streams," as the original Chinese runs,

is

little

the pigs could not wallow or cover themselves with black

mud,

as

Chinese pigs delight to do.

It is

Hyades
So did the Greeks and Romans, who gave them a name

curious to see that the Chinese connected the

with rain.

signifying " the rainers."

stars,

which

equinox,

No

are in Taurus,

doijbt they all did this because these

rise

very wet season in

about the time of the vernal

China as elsewhere.

Horace

CHINESE POETRY.

348

2.

The swine
,

are seen with their hoofs

white,

all

For each wallowing place is a running ri]I.

The moon in the Hyades lifts her light
To show the rain will be heavier still,
And augment the tasks that we must fulfil,
Ere we may return to the west once more.
With our labours, our troubles, our dangers

No.

o'er.

9.

A TIME OF FAMINE.
The flowers are dulled to a yellow hue.
Or lie on the ground to decay and die

And my

hopes are faded and dying too

Sad and sick of my life am I.

I had never been born to bear
This weight of sorrow and this despair.

Would

speaks of them as " Tristes Hyadas " (Odes i, 3), and Virgil as
" Pluvias Hyadas" (GEn. i, 744).
Tennyson adopts the latter
epithet:

,,^^^^

Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades

Vext the dim sea."
With

this Chinese ballad before

me,

it

strikes

yj,

Ulysses.

me

as a strange

coincidence that the Romans should derive the name Hyades

from vs, " a pig." (See Dr. Smith's " Classical Dictionary," s. v.

Hyades).

Still it

no theory on

is

nothing more than a coincidence.

No.
This
it is

is

I base

it.

9.

an obscure and fragmentary poem.

pretty free.

It

is-

My

translation of

referred, as usual, to the time of

Xing YU.

CHfNESE POETRY.

349

2.

'Tis a

time of famine, distress and woe,

And even our sheep look starved and lean/

No flash of a fin do our fish-ponds show,
Where the gleam of the stars is the sole thing seen.
Exhausted are most of our stores of meat,
That few can procure enough food to eat.

No.

10.

BANISHMENT.
I.

Although the autumn comes, a.nd every leaf

Changes to yellow or a faded brown
To us it brings no respite from our grief.
The duties laid on us still weigh us down.
;

My second stanza is the equivalent of the following " The

ewes have large heads. Three stars are in the weir. [If some]
:

men can

eat,

few can get their

The

fill."

big heads of the ewes,

say the commentators, denote that the bodies of the sheep were

so starved and lean that their heads looked unnaturally large.

There were no fish left in the weirs ; the only thing to be seen
there was the reflection of the three stars, probably the stars of
Orion's belt.
-41-

"The

flowers"

bignonia, or

(stanza

Tecoma

i)

is

the

equivalent of

No.
it).

Tiao,

grandiflora.

10.

This piece seems to be a supplement of the

(See the notes on

1^

In

this piece,

however,

it is

last

but one.

a soldier

who is

speaking, not the general.

The

" The
It runs
of the original is obscure.
may keep to the dark grass, and our carts traroads."
The reader may take the meaning to be

last stanza

bushy-tailed foxes
verse the royal

CHINESE POETRY.

35

2.

Are we not men that we should thus be torn

From home to serve beneath some alien sky

No

they to us night or morn.

'Tis work and weary journeyings ceaselessly.
leisure grant

3-

The

long- tailed foxes 'midst the jungle grass

May thrive, and wild beasts in some desert brake.

But not we men, whose carts incessant pass.
As down

what

have made

Yiian's idea.
carts

the royal roads our

it

my

in

way we

translation, or

There are foxes hidden

go along the road

against us at Court, while

that

we

are

is,

he may adopt Liu

in the grass, while our

there

away on

take.

are rogues intriguing

active service.

PART

III.

THE GREATER SONGS OF THE FESTIVALS.

PART

III.

THE GREATER SONGS OF THE

HAVE

little

to

add

ductory note to Part

may

to

II.

what

Many

have said

poems are styled

CMng j[,

my

in

intro-

of the pieces in this Part

The

appropriately be termed Sagas.

perous state of things

FESTIVALS.

eighteen

first

" correct/' as showing a pros-

when good government

prevailed.

the younger brother of Wu Wang, the first

King of the Chou dynasty, is said to be the author of these.

Duke Chou,

The remainder, whose authorship

Pien

^,

is

doubtful, are calltd

"changed," or "degenerate," as they describe a

time of trouble and disorder.

I

am

afraid that the general reader will

part of this division,

more

Songs," rather dull reading

history (if there
Classics, will find

is

especially
;

firid

a great

the "Degenerate

but the student of Chinese

such a person), and of the Chinese

in these

poems a good

deal

that

worthy of his notice.

A A

is

CHINESE POETRY.
Book

No.

3SS

I.

I.

THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHOU DYNASTY.

'Tis to

The
The

King

W^n

whom we owe
House of Chou.

above to

present glories of the

Chou might boast an

ancient name,
no honours could it claim.
He made it glorious, so to us by heaven
The gift of Empire was in due time given.
And now his soul has soared beyond the sky,
To sit amongst the chosen ones on high.
So earnest, so determined was the King,
To future days his fame and praise shall ring.
Nor this alone to stock and branch descend
Rewards and gifts divine that know no end.
Throughout all ages honour and renown
Princes and nobles of the State shall crown
For these with ardour and with reverent zeal,

State of

But ere

his time

lO

Effect wise measures for our

common

weal.

As

long as their array shall here be found.

is sweet, his slumber sound.
Heaven's great behest that he should rule the land

King W^n's repose

King W^n received, obedient to command.

Nor failed to let his loyal followers see,
His ceaseless reverence for

No.

this

20

grand decree.

I.

This didactic poem, which, in the original at any

wanting in dignity,

is

rate, is

not

been written by Duke Chou,

said to have

^J

nephew King Ch^ng

The reader should perhaps be reminded that the dynasty preceding the Chou was the Shang '^ which was afterwards called
the Yin j|g.
It is interesting to see that when the adherents of

for the instruction of his

A A

CHINESE POETRY.

356

Once myriad

princes of the

Shang bore sway.

The word was passed. King WSn they must

The Powers can both exalt and overthrow

obey.
25

So now, obedient to the house of Chou,

Adorned with bonnets and embroidered

To

dress,

our libations see Yin's nobles press.

Now ye who serve the King with loyalty

Forget not him who ruled in days gone by.
Be virtuous, be obedient, so shall peace
And happiness throughout the realm increase.
Ere Empire passed from Shang's now fallen
Her monarch was
Let

30

state,

heaven's favourite and mate.

then prove a warning not to slight

this

Divine decrees^

lest, if

we hold them

35

light,

We

in our turn may fall and pass away.

Let us instead a righteous name display.
Remembering this the acts of heaven on high,
;

Call for a watchful ear, a wakeful eye.

Let but King

Long

the

o'er

40

W^n

your pattern still remain,

the myriad regions shall you reign.

Chou family had overthrown the Yin

dynasty, the princes of

the latter were not exterminated, but were invited to take parts in
the sacrificial rites of their successors.

We

shall

see

more of

this later on.

The

couplet,

"And now

his

inadequate rendering of " King

the

right

and

" descend" in

to earth to bless

"Adorned
The bonnets

of

left

this

God."

instance

and guide

with bonnets

soul," &c. (lines 7, 8) is my

Wen ascends and descends on
I am inclined to think that

may mean "that

his posterity."

his spirit descends

(See

II., vi. 5).

and embroidered dress"

are the Hsii j^, flat-topped hats, not at

college caps with strings of beads hanging from them.

broidered dress

is

embroidered on

it,

the 7^

||[

(line 27).
all

unlike

The em-

a robe with the figures of axes

as mentioned in

II., vii. 8.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

357

2.

THE FOUNDERS OF THE CHOU DYNASTY.

I.

To match the glorious

The Majesty divine,

light above,

needed that on earth below

Men's virtues glow and shine.
For heaven is jealous and o'erthrows
'Tis

The

careless monarch's sway.

Now learn how

The kingdom

from Yin's rightful heir

passed away.
2.

was a maiden

It

fair

of Yin,

A princess, Jen, her name.

The

prince had called her to his side.

And

she his wife became.

Virtuous and pure were he and she

She bore for him a son.

To

be renowned in future days.

Our noble monarchy Wen.

No.
Dr. Legge calls the

first

two

2.

lines of the

poem, which

literally

" Brightness below.

Awful Majesty on high,"

enigmatical.
I take them to mean, " We should be bright below
in order to respond to the Majesty of Heaven above," and have
amplified them accordingly.
The last line of the poem is equally
obscure.
It is, " The morning of the meeting is clear and bright."
I have no doubt that the two characters Hui Chao ^
^J are
translated are,

meaning of the line was,

an example of the brightness /.. the bright and
which heaven requires in men." Dr. Legge's
glorious deeds
interpretation is, " That morning's encounter was followed by a
hopelessly corrupt, feeling sure that the
"

Here

is

clear bright day."

It is said that

King Ch^ng was too much addicted

to pleasure,

CHINESE POETRY.

358

3.

And he in his turn watchfully

And reverently served heaven.
To him were thus the highest gifts,
The

choicest blessings given.

Virtue that never swerves aside

Its due reward will bring.
From east to west, from north to south,
All owned him as their King.
4-

Then heaven bestowed a further boon

For when the King would mate,

A maiden,

like

Came from

an angel bright.

a mighty State.

She came to where Wei's

The auspices were fair.

river flows

Down from his throne the monarch

And went to meet her there.

stepped.

S-

Across the stream a bridge of boats

A glorious sight to see

He

built, whereon the maid might pass

His bride and wife to be.

and was inclined to believe that all good gifts would come to
him without any trouble on his part. Duke Chou then recounted
to him the deeds of his ancestors for three generations past, to
show him how quick heaven is to resent derelictions of duty,
and to reward merit.
The first ancestor mentioned is Chi ^, Wen's father. (We
His
shall find a fuller account of him in No, 7 of this book).
No one seems
wife was Tat /in -^ H, a- princess of CMA ^.

know where this place was, nor does it matter. She is held
up as one of the great examples of matronly virtue in China.
She and her husband were the parents of Wen, who, though he
never was on the throne, was canonized as King Wen, and is

to

CHINESE POETRY.
As heaven had
Was his and

359

realm of Chou

willed, the
his alone.

Within the royal capital

He

sat

upon the throne.

6.

Nor was the good example

By

her,

who gave

to

set

life

King W^n, nor her undying fame

Forgotten by his wife.
Heaven's grace still blessed this virtuous pair,
She bore a son. Prince Wu,
To be preserved, and crowned, and helped
The tyrants to subdue.
7-

As

in some forest dense and close

The trunks of trees are found
;

So numerous were the foemen ranged

About the desert ground.
But " God is with you," cried we all,
" Each noble on your side,"
So let no craven doubt or fi.ar,
Within your heart abide.
looked on as the founder of the

Chou

dynasty.

(See Mayers's

" Chinese Readers' Manual," rt 570.) His wife was T'ai Ssu
j^ J^, and the glories of their marriage are described in the
epithalamium with which this classic begins, and their virtues are
celebrated in many of the pieces in the first book of Part I.
Thirdly, and lastly, we have their son, King Wu, the father of
King Ch^ng, and the overthrower of the Yin or Shang Dynasty.
The last stanzas of this saga should be read in conjunction
with Part V. of the Shu Ching, or " Classic of History," and the
appendix to it, wherein will be found described the abominable
cruelties of Chou Hsin |-^ 2^, the last King of the Yin dynasty,
the gathering of the feudal Princes to

King

Wu

at

'-^

M^ng'

Ching, the Ford of M^ng, and the battle in the Wilderness of

and the exploits of the old " Grand Master," Shang fu

Mu

ify^,

o 60

CHINESE POETRY.
8.

Across the waste we drove them back

Swift horse and chariot flew,
As like an eagle on the wing
Down swooped the brave Shang fu.
In such a fight as this we find
The Majesty divine
Well matched by brilliant deeds on earth,
Whose glories long shall shine.
;

No.

DUKE

3.

REMOVAL OF THE ROYAL

HOUSE OF CHOU FROM THE LAND OF PIN.
T'AN FU'S

I.

As the heaviest gourd,

Has been at first but a

or the

melon

fruit,

tiny shoot,

Which day by day has increased in size,

So, as we have heard, did our kingdoms rise
From small beginnings. Old stories tell
When we lived on the banks of the Ts'ou and
"fl^

^,

The

a veteran of eighty.

battle in

of Battle of the Spurs, for the followers of

Ch'i,

question was a sort

Chou Hsin seem

to

have offered so feeble a resistance that a slaughter ensued, wherein

so much blood was spilt that "the pestles floated about," a
curious phrase which defies explanation, but reminds the reader
of the " gunpowder running out at the heels of their boots.''
I

understand the Une |^

-f*

^M

Wei

Yii

Hou

Using,

to mean, " The feudal nobles are with you," not as Dr. Legge
The horses it may be noted were
does, " We rose to the crisis."
Yiian |^, which is said to mean black-maned, white-bellied.

Rather a curious mixture of colours, even

No.
The reader is
Book XV. of Part

referred
I.

The

for a

Chinese horse.

3.

back to the introductory notes on

chiefs of the

House of Chou dwelt

CHINESE POETRY.

361

We had

no houses wherein to dwell,

T'an fu became our duke, and he
Made kiln-shaped hovels, and holes in the side

Till

Of

the hills he dug, where the folk might hide.

2.

But it came to pass, in the morn one day,

That the duke with his duchess rode away
O'er the banks of the river they galloped
Till

fast.

they reached the base of Mount Ch'i at

last

And essayed to find them the fittest place

To serve as the homestead for all our race.
3-

The

plain of Chou, spreading out to the south,

Was

so fertile and

fair

that sweet in the

mouth

Were its bitterest herbs. With his followers true

The duke consulted, and omens drew
From the marks on the branded tortoise-shell.
The answer came and it pleased him well

"

in

Pin

may

This

^ or

is

the auspicious place for you."

gJJ

recollect,

from

is

in

B.C.

1796 to

B.C.

1325.

the Shensi Province,

io8"o6, E. (Playfair).

The

scribed at length in the

first

life

of the

first

of the pieces of

Pin, as the reader

lat.

35 "04, N., long.

settlers there is de-

Book XV.

of Part

I.

According to this they were well housed, and by no means

reduced to hiding in hovels and holes in the hill-sides, as this
poem represents them. This piece details the removal of the
people from Pin to the plain of Chou in B.C. 1325, Mencius's
explanation of this exodus is that the barbarians were constantly
making incursions into the land of Pin, and that T'an fu, otherwise known as King T'ai -^ 3i; finding that he could not keep
the barbarous hordes away by paying them a " Danegeldt," left
Pin, but the people preferring

and made a settlement

poem

him

homes followed him,

Mount Ch'i (|J, as the

to their

at the foot

of

narrates.

Stanza

i.

Duke T'an

fu

^ ^ was

King W^n's grandfather.

CHINESE POETRY.

362

4-

He
He

bade each man choose a fitting site

gave them fields to the left and right,
Some more, some less, as it seemed him best.
He set up the boundaries and drained the land
Throughout the country from east to west,
There was nothing he did not take in hand.
;

S-

Then

officers

Well

The

twain he chose, a

man

and a man to teach

His task was assigned to each.

skilled in craft,

others.

So they fashioned houses for all the clan.

Each stone was laid even, and straight and right
By the measuring line and plummet and tight
The planks of the building frames they strain,
Thus rose the solemn ancestral fane.
;

6.

In sooth, 'twas a gladsome sight to see

Five thousand cubits of wall arose.

Some

carried the earth,

Filled up the frames.

Some

beat

Smooth,

it

and with shouts of glee

With responsive blows

might be

firm, that the walls

complete, from

all

His wife was known as T'ai Chiang

blemish free.
such was the din and the noise around
That even the roll of the drum was drowned.
solid,

And

f^ and Ts'ou

jj.

||. The rivers Ch'i

ran into the Wei, the large affluent of the Yellow

River.

"

Made

he dug,"

Fu T'ao

is

kiln-shaped hovels, and holes in the side of the

my

Chiieh,

"

He

hills

/\ ^'"^
kilned mounds, he kilned caves." In this

version of the four characters

^M.

Dr. Legge.

Dr. Edkins, however, in a lecture before

the Shanghai branch of the Royal Asiatic Society; says, "The
art of house-building was spread among the Tartar tribes by the
I follow

Chou

family,

when they took

refuge from the tyranny of the

CHINESE POETRY.

363

7.

For the King's

Of the

sole use they designed the gate

inner palace.

'Tvvas grand

and great.
where nobles go
When they visit the King, formed as grand a show.
And an altar, reared on a giant mound
But the outer

portal,

To
As

who

the spirits

rule the land, they found.

a sacred centre and rallying place

In time of need for the

men

of our race.

8.

Though

foemen he could not tame.

Yet the Duke has left us a glorious name.
The bushes and brushwood day by day
From the sides of the pathways he cleared away.
his savage

So wayfarers now pass

And

in safety o'er,

Chun

are now seen no more.

In the depths of the desert they disappear.

the hordes of the

Like beasts who are startled and pant with

fear.

Shang dynasty in the Pin country, fifty miles north-west of Si An

and near the boundary of Shensi. There the aboriginal tribes
Their new friends from civilized China
lived in loess caves.
taught them how to make double chambers and upper rooms,
and instructed them in the art of making bricks in kilns." This
is the interpretation which Dr. Edkins gives to this passage.
fu,

For my own part I am inclined to think that Dr. Legge's version

of what was written is the correct one, but that Duke Chou made
a mistake in writing it, confusing the customs of the time of
T'an fu with those of an earlier period, when Troglodytes or
Cave-dwellers were net unknown in China, as we learn from the
"

Book

of Changes," and elsewhere.

2.
The first two Unes are difficult. They are, " The
Chou was rich and fertile. Violets ("ra Chin) and thistles
Vu) like cakes." I accept the Chinese explanation that these

Stanza
plain of

(^

herbs, which elsewhere were bitter, were sweet here.

CHINESE POETRY.

364

9-

'Twas by the example of good King Wen.

Two

neighbouring

Allowed

And

chiefs, so

our legends run,

their rancorous rage to cease,

swore to each other a lasting peace.

Then strangers first as his vassals came.

Soon others followed to be the same.
They had noted his prowess, and came to yield
Due homage to one who would be their shield

And defence, nor suffer

To insult the weak and

Mount
Shensi,

of

a tyrant strong
to

do them wrong.

Ch'i was in the Feng Hsiang

^^

district, also in

34 35' N., long. 107 50' N. (Playfair). The tribes

remained here until the time of King Wen, as we shall

lat.

Chou

see later on.

Stanza

5.

the others,"

"A man
is

well skilled in craft,

the equivalent of the Ssii

and a man

Kung

to teach
,

Minister

of Works, and Ssu T'u p\ ^, Minister of Instruction.

Stanza 8 describes a state of things when the country was
Britain before the

like

coming of Arthur.

"And

thus the land of Cameliard was waste,

Thick with wet woods, and many a beast therein,
And none or few to scare or chase the beast.

Tennyson's " Coming of Arthur."

Stanza 9 is evidently an interpolation.

It
an extract from some other poem on King Wen.
question were the chiefs of
quarrel about

some

as their arbitrator

found such

presumably

The

chiefs in

and Jut |^, who, having a

King Wen to ask him to act

came to
but when they came
land,

to his territory, they

good government and politeness prevailwithout troubling him to hear their story.

civilization,

ing, that they retired

Ju

is

(See Dr. Legge's notes).

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

365

4.

KING WEN.
I.

Abundance reigned, for even in the wood

Grew fuel for our needs in plenteous store.
Before our monarch, dignified and good,

From east and west came outlanders, and swore

That they would prove his liegemen to the end.
So far his name and royalty extend.
2.

A glorious sight
To
With

right

and

it

was

left

for all to see

of him, on either hand,

sceptres raised in solemn gravity.

His princes and

his

Knowing such high

mighty nobles stand,

should be seen
Waiting with reverent and respectful mien.
officials

3-

When
Down

war-clouds lowered, swift as a galley

stream,

flies

when all the rowers tug and

King upon his enemies.

strain

So swooped the
With six huge armies following in his train."
The Milky Way in heaven glows clear and bright,
So glows our monarch in his subjects' sight.
No.

4.

Both this piece, and the one which follows it, like most of the
poems which the Chinese put under the head of " allusive," are
fragmentary, and consequently difiScult to make sense of, for the
reader has to string the fragments together as best he can, in
My version does not pretend to
order to get at the meaning.
be more than a paraphrase. I accept the usual theory that the
piece is in praise of King W^n, who is again held up as a pattern
for

young King Cheng

Stanza

and P'o

The

i.

to follow.

trees

Both

which furnished

fuel

were the

of these are varieties of the oak.

Yi

CHINESE POETRY.
4-

To

us he was more precious and more dear

Than

chiselled

So wise was

Whom

the four quarters of his realm enfold.

And many

How we

ornaments of gems and gold.

he, that all his laws revere,

a year he reigned to show us then

should live amid our fellow-men.

No.

5.

DUKE CHOU'S ADVICE TO KING CHENG,

HIS FIRST ROYAL

WHEN HE OFFERED

SACRIFICE.
Pursuit of righteousness

be

this

your aim

Your dignity be due to this alone.

So shall you reign unvexed by hostile

And
Stanza
Jgl,

is

claim,

quiet on a peaceful throne.

The word, which

2.

which

sit in

described as

I translate "sceptre,"

half-mace

is

Ch'ang

{Fan Kuei 3^ ^).

Nobles carried the half-mace, the King bore the complete one.
I can find no drawing of these articles, but I have little doubt
that they were the original forms of the yu I, or Court sceptre of
a later date. The commentators, however, insist that these
Chang were the handles of libation cups. It is hard to
believe this.

Stanza

3.

the Ching

-Jg

The
,

river on which the galley flies down stream is

which we have had mentioned before. The com-

mentators remark that King

Wen

really

never had six armies

to

commanded by
by one who was only

follow him, as this force could only have been

one who was actually King, and not

canonized as such.

No.

S.

Liu Yuan in his explanation of the poem. Dr. Legge

adopts that of most of the Chinese Commentators, who make this
I follow

CHINESE POETRY.

367

2.

First, then,

be plenty scattered through your land,

As thick as brushwood at the mountain's base

Then, with the huge libation cup in hand,
Before the royal altar take your place.

The massive cup fill up with yellow wine

The cup which monarch's lips alone may press
Thus shall the people own your right divine.

And

spirits

from on high approve and bless,

4-

Would you be

leader of men's destinies.

Their guide, their rule

,

To do
The

piece a

task to

you

given

is

fishes leap, as falcons soar to heaven.

poem

King Wen.

in praise of

the last piece,

terribly

unquestioning, as in the seas

all

As

these poems, which

I said in

my

notes on

called allusive, are

are

fragmentary and unconnected. My paraphrase of this one

freer than my version of the last, but I repeat that I think

is

even

it

wiser to claim any

amount of

license,

and

to write a

hensible set of verses, than to follow the Chinese

slavishly that the resultant stanzas

reader.

Dr. Legge's

first

verse

is

compre-

version so

convey no idea to the English

as follows

" Round the foot of Mount Han

Grow the hazel and thorn.
Self-possession and law
Did our monarch adorn.
Striving for his height of place,

These around him threw

It

took

Stanza

me
i.

a long time to parse

My

first

stanza

four Chinese characters,

is

their grace."

this.

nothing but an amplification of

Kan Lu K'ai Ti, " Pursue

'^%,^%,

you be) happy and at ease." Lu is, I know,

" reward, emolument, pay," but I believe here it must stand for
the righteousness to which such a reward is due.

blessing,

(so shall

CHINESE POETRY.

368

s.

Let bright, pure wine be poured

And

in

seemly wise,

be the bull, a perfect victim slain,

So when you

offer fitting sacrifice

You and your

folk

still

greater joy shall gain.

6.

Your dignity must serve your people's need,

Not yours alone. The stateliest forest grove
With fuel some poor peasant's hearth will feed.
Thus win the spirits' blessing and their love.
7-

Whene'er the

and glory of a king

state

Is pure from taint, from all dishonour free,

His loving, loyal subjects to him cling,
As clings the ivy, clasping round the tree.

The mountain mentioned in this verse is Mount

modern ]
j|^ Nan CMng Hsien, in Shensi.
haze!, and
Hu, thorn.
The brushwood is the CMn
Stanzas 2, 3. The huge and massive libation cup was given to
King Wen by King Chou Hsin, when the latter appointed Wen
Stanza

Han

2.

^^, in the

" Lord of the West." King Wen solemnly drank from it before
the people to show that he was duly invested as their ruler.
King Cheng is bid to do the like, to show his subjects that he
rules by right divine.

Stanza

The Chinese

4.

version merely states that " Falcons

fly

to heaven, fishes leap in the water," and leaves the lesson to be

drawn from this fact to the imagination of the reader. This may
be what I have expressed in my verse, or it maybe, "A king's
power should ascend to the zenith and descend to the nadir.''
There is a third explanation, which Dr. Legge adopts, " Animals
do what it is their nature to do unconsciously." So there went
out an influence from King Wen, unconsciously to himself.
Stanza

The

6.

lesson

The Chinese

drawn from

version again only mentions the fuel.

it is

my own

inference.

Again, in stanza

the ivy (or, rather, our old friend the dolichos creeper)
tioned, but the allusion

is

self-evident

on

this occasion.

is

7,

men-

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

369

6.

THE RACE OF CHOU.

A loving, pure and

reverent

dame

Was King Wen's mother

A queen a royal stock

might claim,

Though scarce another.

In turn as noble, wise and good.

Was King W^n's wife.

Of princely sons a countless brood
From her had life.
King Wen would never fail to pay
The reverence owed
To spirits who have passed away
To
They

To
To

heaven's abode.

loved the good example shown

wife, to kin.

every clan and nation

The realm within.

known

Unseen by human eyes he knew

That heaven's keen sight
Can pierce the dark, and all we do
Shall come to light.
No.
Liu Yiian

insis's

that

poem, but that the two

T'ai Ssu, his wife, are.

King

6.

Wen

is

not the subject of the

ladies, T'ai Jen, the

He

King's mother, and

says that the term

^^

Kua Chi

(which he understands as a self depreciatory expression, and not

as a title of honour, as Dr. Legge does, or " a rare wife," as other

commentators do),
such phrases

that

taught," are
so,

is

as

used by T'ai Ssu of herself ; and, further,

" unseen by human eye," and " all un-

more applicable to a woman than

but there are other passages in the

to a

man.

Perhaps

poem which can

only

Liu Yuan gets over the difiSculty by making

her use them of her husband
but it seems to be simpler on the
whole to make the subject of the piece King Wen.
apply to a man.

B B

CHINESE POETRY.

370

Through

And
For

hall

and temple harmony

reverence reigned.

virtue's

path unweariedly

The King
Through

maintained.

endured perforce no blot

Was on his fame
For all untaught he ne'er forgot
His glorious name
Till old and young were wise and sage
ills

In following him.

Thus may his light from age

Be never dim.

No.

to age

7.

THE RISE OF THE HOUSE OF CHOU.

I.

The

rulers of this realm of ours

Had

long misused their sovereign powers

heaven in awful majesty
Looked down from the abodes on high,
Seeking some true, some kingly man.
Around the realm its glances ran.

Till

King Wfin's mother, T'ai J^n, is already mentioned in No. 2

She is spoken of here as being loving to T'ai
Chiang -j^ |^, the wife of T'an fu, and, consequently, her
mother-in-law.
Love of a daughter for a mother-in-law is in
China looked on as almost a more essential duty and a greater
Duke W^n's wife was T'ai Ssu. (See
virtue than conjugal love.
Part I., Book I. i, and the following poems.)
The " ills endured perforce," no doubt refer to King W^n's
imprisonment by Chou Hsin, the last king of the Shang dynasty.
of this book.

No.
This saga, or ballad, speaks
for a foot-note or two.

7.

for itself,

but each stanza

will call

CHINESE POETRY.
They
But

371

pierced the country's furthest bound,

no king for us was found.

Until the greater States were past,
And the small west State was reached at
Then heaven smiled kind with an aspect
still

For the true and the kingly man was

last.
fair.

there.

2.

man was

This

To

T'ai.

It

had been

his lot

dwell where the forests densest grow.

But he feared no

As he hewed

toil,

the trees

and he

faltered not.

down with blow on

blow.

No

stumps he suffered to slowly rot

And fallen trunks, which would but decay,
And obstruct, he lifted and bore away.
The hornbeams, the mountain mulberries
He thinned, and cleared off the tamarisk trees.
Though a clump here or there, or an ordered row
Was left for a shade or a pleasing show.
Till the face of the

country looked bright, and smiled,

In the place of a wilderness dense and wild.

His God-given wisdom impressed with dread

The savage

And

hordes,

who

in terror fled.

a noble wife he had wedded, meet

For him who ascends to a monarch's seat,

the will of heaven is made complete.

When
Stanza

"

i.

The

rulers of this realm " are of course the

Kings

" The true

of the Yin (or Shang), and of the Hsia dynasties.
and kingly man " was T'an fu, canonized as King T'ai, whose
exploits

have already been recorded

in

No. 3 of

this

book.

presume that the forests in which T'an fu lived

Due south of this, in the
were in the state of Pin ^jj or
neighbourhood of Ichang, the primeval forest still exists, as I am
informed by Mr. A. Pratt, a distinguished Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society, who has made an interesting and valuable
collection of natural objects in that district.
The trees menStanza

2.

tioned

in

the

Chinese

version

B B 2

are:

first,

the

Ch'eng

\^,

CHINESE POETRY.

372

3-

Now heaven had watched these hills, and knew

How paths had been cut the forest through,
And oaks and cypresses cleared away.
And decreed that the man, who such tasks
Was the man to bear royal rule and sway.
To the King in time two sons were given.

could do.

The younger brother ne'er failed to show

The duty youths to their elders owe
;

But when he saw 'twas his country's gain

That he, not the elder son, should reign,
He accepted the burden imposed by fate.
And sat on the royal throne in state.
4-

Now

the

And

the fame of

Til]

King was
it

blessed with a

judgment

every tribe had become aware

He was able to rule, and to have command

To be a King, who in kingly wise
Can guide
tamarisk

the realm and

second,

hornbeam.

Zottoli

the

M,

its

destinies.

|^ CM, which

have translated the

" Carpinus,'' with a mark of

and Dr. Legge invents the name of " Stave

calls

interrogation after it,

Tree " for it, because

the Yen

rare.

spread throughout the land.

it

mountain

it

the

often used for walking-sticks ; third,

mulberry (Murus silvestris, Zottoli).

is

can find nothing about the

^ Kuan

were supposed to be the same as the

savages, except that they

Chun tribes, mentioned

No. 3 of this book. King T'ai's wife was T'ai Chiang, as the
reader no doubt remembers.
The resident in China who reads this and the following stanza
cannot help wishing that the Chinese of the present day would
take example by what was done in remote antiquity, and
produce a practical result. Want of communication is the curse
of China.
The man who can open the eye of the Chinese
Government to see the beneiit of good roads will be a worthy
successor of King T'ai, and may, perhaps, like him, be afterwards

in

venerated as a sage.

CHINESE POETRY.

373

All cordially hail his rule, and try

To show

When

their obedience, their loyalty.

the

kingdom descended

in

turn to

W^n,

There was nothing his virtue had left undone.

Heaven's blessings pass onwards from sire to son.
S-

King

W6n by

heaven was kindly warned

To be just, impartial, nor led astray
By private feeling, lest men should say
" Why is this one loved, and another scorned
Such thoughts are a dangerous flood. Pass o'er
And in safety stand on the farther shore.
.'

Now

came

it

to pass that the folk of

Mi

Rebelled, our borders they dared invade,

And

part of the land was

Till the

From

And

monarch, to set

in

his

ruin laid.

kingdom

free

these evil-doers, in wrath arose

marshalled troops to repel the

foes.

That all the country from east to west

Might enjoy prosperity, peace and rest.
Stanza 3. King T'ai had three sons, the eldest of

whom

was

or Wang Chi, the father

and the third CAz
of Ch'ang, afterwards King Wen.
King T'ai noted the promise of
his grandson CKang, and for his sake wished his third son to succeed
himself. In deference to his wishes, T'ai Po and his second brother

Vai

-Po "j^

f^

among

retired

Book

Stanza

4.

Stanza

S-

the barbarous tribes of the south, leaving the succes-

Wang Chi and

sion clear for

lects,"

VIII., Chapter

The King
3^

is

Confucius, in the " Ana-

his son.

i,

lauds the self-sacrifice of T'ai Po.

of course Chi.

^ ^ Teng Yu Ngan

is

translated by Dr. Legge,

He grandly ascended to the height of virtue." I follow Liu

Yuan, who explains the phrase as part of the advice given to
King W^n, " Do not get drowned ; find your way across," and
" The folk of Mi
were a tribe in
amplify it accordingly.
"

Kansu.

They invaded ^, YUau (modern Ching Chou, {^

and Kung

^,

evidently a place in the

same neighbourhood.

i[i|.|),

CHINESE POETRY.

374

6.

But the King in his palace quiet stayed,

For he knew his soldiers required no aid.
They climbed to the mountains furthest bound

Not a

single trace of the foe they found.

For

had not dared,

this marauding band,

Not a foeman durst
From our pools or our fountains quench his thirst.
So the King decreed " Take the richest land

To

it

pierce our

hills.

And

live in

From

And

peace -to the south of

every fear of invasion

a town on the banks of the

Which

Ch'i,

free.

Wei

create.

be the capital of our State."

shall

7.

Then
"

to

good King

Thy wisdom,

Wen

was

this blessing given

thy virtue are dear to heaven

No pride, no fickleness, there we find.

Thy heart is humble, thy deeds designed.
Not caring the praise of mankind to gain,
But in strict accord with the will divine.

Stanza

The

6.

Fing ^,

as will be

Stanza

Ts'ung,

7.

was CKing Yi,

g,, where Wen
a while before building his capital at

capital

established himself for

mentioned

in

No. lo of

Hsi Ngan

(in

fu),

this

book.

was the country of King

Wen's implacable foe, the Marquis Hu J^, at whose

tion King Wen was imprisoned by King Chou Hsin.
Stanza
turret,

8.

The

" engines of

and ihe Chung,

Testudo.

'1^

war"

instiga-

are the Lin, fg, a movable

a mantlet, perhaps a sort of

The Chinese commentators

will

have

it

Roman

that

the

paucity of captives and trophies taken shows the clemency of

King Wen. The latter part of the stanza hardly bears out this
notion.

The

were the

left

is

" trophies snatched from the heads of the slain,"

which were cut off. It

ears of the enemies' corpses

curious to see that even in this century this abominable custom

of taking the ears of the

enemy

as a trophy

was

still

practised by

CHINESE POETRY.

375

Yet tasks for accomplishment still remain.

Subdue thy foes, and with friends of thine
Prepare your ladders, your warlike gear,
And before the ramparts of Ts'ung appear."

Their fearful engines of war they ply.

But the ramparts of Ts'ung were thick and high
And few were the living captives ta'en.
Or the trophies snatched from the heads of the slain
;

Till

W6n made

And prayed

a solemn offering,

for strength to

o'ercome the

foe.

might submit, and then men might know

How none may insult or oppose a king.
With redoubled vigour, and all his strength.

That

all

He assails their walls, till they yield at length.

He destroys, and leaves not a man alive,
To show

the Turks.

'tis

vain with his power to strive.

" Later on

(1. e.

in

1826)

the atrocities

of the

Egyptians in the Morea, the wholesale massacres and enslavings,

the hundreds of pairs of ears nailed over the Seraglio gate as

war formed a new basis of remonstrance." (" Life of

by Stanley Lane-Poole, vol. i., page 403.)
The proclamations issued by the Chinese authorities during the
Franco-Chinese war, offering rewards for the heads of French
soldiers, show that this barbarous desire for scalps has not yet
died out. At the same time it is fair to point out that some say
that prisoners were released after having one ear clipped so that
they might be known again.
The line which I translate " destroys and leaves not a man
trophies of

Stratford Canning,"

alive,"

is

rendered by Dr. Legge, "

and made

an.

end of

its

existence."

He extinguished (its sacrifices)

CHINESE POETRY.

376

No

8.

THE MARVELLOUS TOWER.

The King had bidden a wondrous tower rise,
Whose shape and bounds right cunningly he
The people heard. Each loyal subject tries

planned.

To be the first to obey hi3 King's command,

Unpressed, unurged. The work was quickly done
By

each, as for a father toils a son.

And round
Wherein

Who

about a wondrous park he made,

to keep a herd of fallow deer,

fed or slept of danger unafraid.

And

white cranes' glistening plumage shone anear

While by his marvellous lake the monarch stood,
To watch the fishes leaping in the flood.

The

tower in

had removed

W ^
and

Jffi

this

No. 8.
poem was apparently

his capital to

built when King W6n

Feng ^, the modern Hsi Ngan Fu

^^^ capital of the Shensi Province

long. 108 58' E., Playfair).

It

is

(lat.

34

17' N.,

suggested that Fing

is

name for Ts'ung, the town which King Wen captured,

poem shows, and that the King, after extirpating the
it, rebuilt the town, renamed it, and settled his own

only another
as the last

natives of

men

in

it.

(See Dr. Legge's notes on

The commentators
In the

first

place

its

No. 10

in this book.)

find a great deal in this marvellous tower.

construction was an assumption of kingly

power, for none but a king might dare to build such. Secondlj',
the tower was built not only for astronomical and meteorological

Legge says, but as a place where omens of good

might be learnt by astrology and divination in other forms
as well.
Yon Strauss looks on it as a school or college. Round
this tower was a park in which timid deer and shy cranes grew
tame, because they knew that there they would not be molested,
purposes, as Dr.

and

ill

CHINESE POETRY.

377

3-

A hall for festivals the monarch reared,

A pleasant place with water flowing round,
Where posts and frames for bells and drums appeared.
Which rang- or thundered with a jocund sound.
Their snake-skin drums the blind musicians beat
Our joy and merriment were made complete

No.

9.

KING WU.
I.

monarchs

line of virtuous

Makes up the house of Chou.

The wisdom shown by fathers

The sons

will also

show.

And when the first three rulers,

To heaven had passed away.
King

As

Wu

In this park was a Fi

middle of a Yung

pools, such as
hall

we

subjects.

or

which

is

a hall or pavilion built in the

circular pool,

of royalty,

still

which must again be

because the princes of the feudal

have in front of
see

in front of

their pavilions semi-circular

Confucian temples.

In this

amusement and delight of King Wen's

The blind musicians played on drums covered with
of the To ^, which Dr. Legge translates " iguana," and

music was played

the skins

Jg^,

J|ft

accepted as a symbol
States might only

assumed the royal power,

good, as wise as they.

Pfere Zottoli,

for the

" crocodile."

I call

it

snake, because Chinese banjoes

Liu
of the present day are covered with boa-constrictor skin.
Yiian enters into a dissertation on the civilizing effects of music

and dancing, and remarks how King

for good by means of these arts.

No.
King

Wu

is

Wgn

influenced his subjects

9.

evidently the subject of this ballad, though he

is

CHINESE POETRY.

378

2.

He

reigned their

successor.

fit

With eagerness he

learned

Heaven's high decrees and wishes,

Thus confidence he earned.
All took him for their pattern,

They knew right well that

Whose heart was full of filial

Was

fit

he.
love,

their guide to be.

3-

His subjects loved him fondly.

Obediently and well.
They felt he was the one man.

No

other could excel.

They glory in his virtue.

They imitate the worth,
Which gains a brilliant name and fame
Throughout the

entire earth.

4-

Let sons and grandsons follow

The great example given.

So shall they earn the blessing
Bestowed on such by heaven.

And

thus through myriad ages

Each tribe around shall send

Good wishesj while each swears

to be

A helper, vassal, friend.

nowhere mentioned by name. The
Kings Tai, Chi and Win.

first

three rulers are equally

clearly

The

first

line of the

poem

is

f ^

j^ Jl Hsia

Wu

Wei.

Chou, a line which no one can translate, except by arbitrarily

making Hsia to mean "subsequent," and Wu "to continue,"
and the whole line " subsequent successions make up Chou."

Hsia into
best way out of the difficulty is to change
Win, and then the line is " (Kings) W^n and Wu make up the
Zottoli and Lacharme both adopt this emendation.
race of Chou."

The

CHINESE POETRY.
No<

379

10.

KING WEN AND KING WU.

KING WEN.
I.

How
By

was

this

it

that

King

W6n

earned his fame

that peace was alone his aim

And

he saw that his work was completely done.

ruler true was our good King Wen.

2.

By heaven's command he had overthrown

The city of Ts'ung which he made his own.
His home, and his kingdom's centre,
For our good King Wen was a ruler

too,
true.

3-

was not self-love bade the King repair

The moat and walls he demolished there.
But respect for the past he would thus evince,
For filial and true was our royal prince.
It

King

Wu

reigned in

of Hsi

district

conveniently

Hao ^,

which, like Feng, was in the

according to Zottoli, was more

but,

fu,

situated for the reception

when they came

in B.c

Ngan
to

pay homage, and

Wu

of the feudal princes

therefore

moved

thither

133.

No.
The concluding

Wang CMng

Tsai, "

Was

I M

bS ^^^
But
a true sovereign ? "
must translate CMng " to be a true

not King

Wen

meaning we
literal meaning of the word is steam, and Liu
have it that the meaning of the line is, " King W^n's

to get at this

sovereign."

Yiian will

10.

line of the first stanza is 2it

The

fame was diffused

like steam."

The

final lines of the

other stanzas

are similar.

In

his

which

remarks on stanza

Wen

2,

Liu Yiian asserts that the commands

received were not those of heaven, but those of King

CHINESE POETRY.

38o

4-

And
And
And

there his merit shone bright and clear

came thither from far and near,

him as guardian with reverence due,

the folk
hailed

For our royal prince was a

ruler true.

KING WU.
S-

To

the east of the city a river rolled

'Twas banked by Yii

Where

in the

days of

old.

the people flock and allegiance bring

To Wu,

their

monarch, their mighty King.

6.

Who

removed to Hao, where a hall they raise,

And around it a circle of water plays.
Then from north to south and from east to west.
By all was he monarch and king confest.
Chou Hsin, who, though

a tyrant himself,

knew a good man when

he saw him.
Stanza 3 is obscure and difficult, and my version of it is little
more than a shot at its meaning. The Chinese version runs,
" He repaired the walls and moat.
His making F^ng was
according

('

to the pattern of his forefathers,' Legge).

haste to gratify his wishes, he repeated the

come

to him."

rebuilt

filial

In no

duty which had

have nothing better to suggest than that W6n

the town, from no motives of self-glorification,

and renamed

but from a desire to copy the actions of his ancestors, especially

The commentators again assert that King

assumed royal rights by the construction of a moat.
King Wu is the subject of stanza 5 and the following stanzas.

those of T^an fu.

W^n
The

epithet

Huang ^,

" Imperial,"

is

applied to him, which

is

supposed to show that he actually was King of China. I have

tried to indicate this in my verses by giving him the title of
monarch, with which I have not dignified King W^n on this
occasion.

Yii" of

B.C.

It is

almost unnecessary to note that Yii

2205,

who has been mentioned

before.

is

the " Great

CHINESE POETRY.

381

f.

By

a tortoise-shell then the

King

divined,

For the capital this is the spot designed.

So the city was built complete by Wu,
And worthy a monarch so good and true.

By the river the millet was shining white,

To choose such a country was wise and right.
That

And
The
this

his sons

reader

book

might enjoy the advantage,

good King Wu.

too,

bless their father the

is

on the preceding pieces in

Feng and Hao, and for
surrounded by water.

referred to the notes

for the location of the cities of

a description of the hall

The river is the Feng, a small stream running into

(The city and the river have the same Chinese character.)
Dr. Legge translates the second line of the stanza, " Did not
King Wu show wisdom in his employment of ofBcers ? " I follow
Liu Yiian, and connect the line with the one before it thus
Stanza 8.

the Wei.

"

By

the waters of

Feng grows the white

Why

millet (g'

CKi;

Zottoli

should not the King take advantage

of it ? " This means, King Wu saw the land was rich and fertile,
-and, like a wise man, occupied it, a course from which his
translates

it,

lettuce).

descendants gained considerable good.

CHINESE POETRY.
Book

383

II.

No.

I.

THE LEGEND OF

PIOU CHI.

Chiang Yuan was the first of our race she lived in

the days of yore
Now list to the wondrous tale of her and the son she
;

bore.

She brought an offering pure to the gods, and prayed

them to bless
The mother, who fain would be freed from the curse
of her barrenness.

And

it

And

thus in

came to pass that she

god had made,
marvellous

stept

on the footprint a
5

way was answered

the

prayer she prayed.

She conceived

so she dwelt retired,

forth her son

Whom

and

till

she brought

he.

she bore and nourished there, was the wonderful child,

Hou

Chi.

So kind were the gods

his birth

that

when

the months ere

were run.

The mother was spared

all

pangs

in bearing

her

first-

born son.

ID

No.
King Ch^ng
on himself and

I.

is

taught by this legend the blessings conferred

his

people by the introduction of agriculture, and

the necessity of never forgetting the grateful rites which are

to

heaven
This

for

poem

due

such benefits.
is,

in

my opinion,

poem

full

of interest, for several reasons.

whole classic which I can frankly

acknowledge to be a solar myth. That is to say, if the story of
Romulus and Remus/ who were exposed and suckled by a shewolf, and the tales of CEdipus, Perseus, and other Grecian heroes,
who were left to die, but were miraculously preserved, are solar
It is

the only

in the

CHINESE POETRY.

384

As

a lamb

without hurt

or pain

is

dropped on

the flowering lea,

So without
forth

On

her

or throe did his mother bring

distress

Hou

Chi.

offerings

clean

and pure the

gods

had

benignly smiled,
Foreseeing, the boy she bore would be

common

known

as

no

narrow lane

to

child.

Yet the new-born babe was

laid in a

die,

'Neath the

15

feet of

oxen and sheep, who would crush

him in passing by.

But oxen and sheep forbore, and with tender and
loving care,

They

Men

and saved the

was lying there.

fostered

left

life

of the child that

him, then, to starve in a wilderness vast

and wild.
But wood-cutters passed that way who found and
20

preserved the child.

myths, denoting the emergence of

light

out of darkness, then the

Hou

Chi is a myth also. In his case we may even take

advantage of one point which does not affect the Greek heroes,
and that is the power of the sun over our crops. If it be objected
that Hou Chi actually existed, we may remember that solar
myths have gathered round such an unquestionably historical
character as Cyrus, who was likewise ordered to be killed when
an infant, lest he should supplant Astyages. But the most striking
parallel to the legend of Hou Chi is the story of Chandragupta,
whose mother, "relinquishing him to the protection of the devas,
Here a bull named
places him at the door of a cattle-pen.
Chando comes to him and guards him, and a herdsman noting
(Cox's
this wonder, takes the child and rears him as his own."
" Aryan Mythology," vol. ii., page 84.) The name Chandragupta,
my friend Consul Watters informs me, means, " moon-protected,"
but, as he points out, there is no doubt as to the actual historical
existence of such a king, and the inscribed pillars which he set
story of

CHINESE POETRY.
So they placed him naked on
the winter's cold

ice,

385

to be killed

But the wings of a wild swan clasped the child

their soft,

When

the wild

warm

swan

by

in

fold.

flew at last the

boy

so

bewept

the bird,

Through the country

far

and near was the sound of

his wailing heard.

While yet he crawled on the ground, unable

to

stand upright,

Men

25

marvelled to see a child, so majestic, so wise

and bright.
he became a

And when

lad,

who

himself could supply

his needs.

was

It

his delight to plant large

beans on the level

meads.

Right well did his tillage thrive, his beans formed a

glorious show.
And his light green tufts of rice were shining row

upon row.

30

kingdom remain to this day. I cannot be

real an existence ; but be this as it
may, his story is as much or as little of a solar myth as the stories
of the other heroes, whose names I have given.
The original poem consists of eight stanzas. Some notes on
up throughout
sure that

Hou

his

Chi had as

most of these are necessary.

Stanza

H^
the

(lines

We

1-8).

beyond what

is

Bamboo Books."

know nothing

said of her here

(See

Legge's

"

and

of Chiang
in the "

Classics," vol.

Yuan

Annals of
iii,,

Pro-

legomena, p. 142.) She was apparently the wife or concubine

or Kao Hsin ]^ r^, B.C. 2435-2365.
of the Emperor Ti Ku "S?
"
is stated that she trod on the
it
Books
"
Bamboo
In the
foot-print of a giant, which caused her to -become pregnant.
The " Bamboo Books " have several other examples of similar

miraculous conceptions.
Dr. Legge translates
the large place

where

fe

fliC

she rested."

jt Yu Chieh Yu Chih, " In

Zottoli and Lacharme have
c c

CHINESE POETRY.

386

And

strong and close did his crops of

of wheat upshoot,

And

the trailing gourds, which yielded abundance

of yellow fruit.

And what was

the rule he learnt as his guide in his

husbandry

He

hemp and

transgressed

not Nature's

laws, but

assisted

reverently.

Though heaven has boons

the bountiful

Yet the

gifts of

to

in

and

store,

rich

is

soil,

35

both shall be

man

lost, if

shall forbear

toil.

So he stubbed up the grass and weeds

ere sowing

the yellow grain,

Which he tended with

care

till fit

to be used as seed

again.

Then
Each

his land

grew green with the

blades, next white'

with the ripened wheat

ear was strong and good,

each kernel was

formed complete.
similar translations, but

all

40
the commentators seem to lose them-

what this large place was. We

have had the'phrase before in II., vi., 7. I am content to make
the words here mean " Then and there."
Stanza 3 (lines 20-24). The commentators are not agreed as
selves

to

when they

try to explain

what the bird was that protected

Hou

Chi.

Some

of them, in

defiance of natural history, translate the word in the plural, and

say that

it

was a flock of swallows.

(See IV.,

iii.,

3.)

Dr.'Legge,

an eagle. I find a wild swan

suggested by one critic, and promptly jump at the notion, as,
given such a legend, a wild swan is the most appropriate bird for
the performance of the action narrated.
It is natural
It is not stated by whom the child was exposed.
to believe that it would be Chiang Yiian's husband, angry that
his wife had had a son, of which he^was not the father ; but most
Chinese scholars say that it was the wife herself, who looked on
It was only after he had been three
the child as of evil omen.
times miraculously preserved that shp understood that it was
in his metrical translation, calls if

CHINESE POETRY.
Thus the

387

folk of T'ai rejoiced in the plenty the fields

afford

And
He

they praise Hou Chi and choose him to be

their king and their lord.
gave them beautiful grain that his people might
well be fed

The double-kernelled

millet, the black, the

white and

the red.

They planted them

far

and wide through the country

side around.

And

in

45

autumn they reaped

the harvest, and stacked

the sheaves on the ground

Or heaped upon backs and

shoulders they carried the

crops away,

To

be used for the solemn offering

first

Hou

Chi was the

to pay.

And now

of the Sacrifice.

'Tis thus that the rites

begin
In a mortar the grain

husk and

heaven's

Hou
to

is

hulled and cleared of the

skin.

will that

50

the child should

live.

He

was known as

CM ^ ^, " the Royal Outcast^'' until his name was changed

^ ^ Hou

whether

this

Chi, which

name

is

means " Royal Grain."

not a

title

It is

doubtful

rather than a personal appel-

lation.

Stanza 5 (lines 33-42).

It is supposed that, as soon as Hou
Chi had grown to manhood, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture by the Emperor Yao
(b.c. 2356-2255), and, as a
reward for his services in this office, he was invested with the

fief

of T'ai P, in the

My

modern

quatrain beginning, "

Shensi.

And what was

the rule he learnt

an amplification of two lines meaning, "The
Hou Chi had the plan of helping," or, as Dr.
Legge translates it, "proceeded on the plan of helping (the
growth)."
The commentators say that there is heaven above
and earth below j but to make grain grow, a third thing is needed,
namely, the labour of man.
(lines

33-36),
husbandry of

is

c c

CHINESE POETRY.

388
It is sifted

and winnowed

clean,

and shaken

in

water

until
It is

fit

to

make

purest

spirit,

and fill
where the worship

whose vapour may

float

The

hall

paid.

is

The omens

are

duly learnt

From

herbs which are mixed with the

fat

of a victim

devoutly burnt.

For a lamb must be

slain to furnish the broiled

and

the roasted meat,

That a new

made

The

55

year's blessing be

won by an

offering

complete.

earthen and wooden stands with

gifts

must be

loaded high.

That a sweet and fragrant steam may ascend from

earth to the sky.

The gods

home above

in their

delight in a grateful

smell,

And

gifts at their

them
This

proper season are needed to please

60

well.

Hou

sacrifice

Chi founded.

From him

to the

present day
a

Is there ever
it

away

man

to grudge

it,

regret

it,

or wish

.'

Stanza 6 (lines 43-48).

Four kinds of

millet are mentioned,

the black, the double-kernelled, the red and the white.

be noted that

in this stanza

grain than millet, which leads

there

me

is

It

should

no mention of any other

to conclude that the climate of

T'ai was too cold, too dry, or too barren for the rice, wheat,

hemp, and gourds mentioned above. Te this day millet rather

thanj ice is the food of peasants in North China.
IdS^not think that " the
Stanzas 7 and 8 (lines 49-62)!
sacrifice " is the ancestral worship of Hou Chi by the Kings of
the Chou dynasty, as Dr. Legge says, but rather the New Year
worship of the Supreme Being which was instituted by Hou Chi.

difficulty is presented by the use of the word |^ Pa, which

Dr. Legge, following some of the commentators, says, " was the

CHINESE POETRY.

No

389

2.

A ROYAL FAMILY GATHERING.

I.

The

reeds in

many

a patch and bed

Bedeck the wayside

grass.

Let not the kine with heavy tread,

Or flocks of sheep which pass,
Crush them for soon will come an hour,
When bright they shine with leaf and flower.
;

2.

Come

hither, kinsfolk, brethren mine,.

In closest union knit.

See mats on which ye may recline,

And stools whereon to sit.
May all be here, and none away,
On this our festive holiday.

name

for a sacrifice offered to the spirits of the

out on a journey."

Liu Yiian makes

at the west gate of the temple."

translating

it

it

mean

road on setting

" a sacrifice offered

have shirked the

difficulty of

myself.

poem

Dr. Legge's notes on this

are most valuable

and

ex-

haustive.

No.

2.

I have not followed the structure of the original in my version

which is a tolerably free rendering.
The introductory stanza (which is a paraphrase of the first
half stanza of the original) is said by the commentators to
typify the concord which should exist in members of a family^
who have all sprung from one root, and the danger and annoyance which outsiders, compared to sheep and kine, may cause.
The speaker in the second stanza is supposed to be the King,

though

I see

nothing in the

poem

given by a royal personage.

dainties offered to the guests.

I slur

to

show

that the feast

was

over the description of the

They

are to

me

too painfully

CHINESE POETRY.

39

3-

The

servants,

who

the board attend,

Fill up the goblets high,

That well the host may pledge each

And
Nor

is

may make

friend

friend,

reply.

there wanting dainty meat.

Lute, drum, nor sound of singing sweet.

4-

The bows and arrows next we try

The shafts are balanced true.
So strong and

straight four arrows

fly,

All pierce the target through.

Afar those skilled in shooting stand

Unscorned each novice close at hand.
;

S-

The master fills our cups at last

With liquor strong, and prays
That those whose prime of

life

has past

Be granted peaceful days.

That heaven may deign their age to
With concord, love, and happiness.
suggestive of a feast in a pantomime.

bless

In addition to roast and

broiled meat with gravy and pickles, there were tripe and (ox)

cheek,

or

sausages,

according to

Dr.

a royal banquet, the nearest parallel to

If

this

is

the royal supper

is

it

Du

Maurier's pictures in " Punch," where a

streets takes

advantage of a stoppage to address a

" Hurry up, your

alluded to in one of

cad in the

Williams.

Duke bound

in his carriage to a state ball

All the tripe and

Grace, or you won't be in time for supper.

onions and the sausages are finished, and they're sending round
the corner for

The

all

feast, like

followed by a

the fried fish they can buy."

the merry-making described in

trial

of skill in archery.

The

II., vii. 6,

last

was

line of the

Chinese stanza describing this, runs thus

Jsi /?> 1^
/?
Yi Pu Wu, which Dr. Legge translates, " The guests
are arranged by the humble propriety of their demeanour."
:

Hsu Pin

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

391

3.

A BLESSING ON THE KING.

I.

Unstinted draughts of wine your cups afford.

With bounteous kindness us you satiate.
Myriads of years be granted youj my lord
;

Bright happy hours for ever be your

fate.

Yes, draughts unstinted did your cups afford.

You gave us dainty meats on which to feast.

Myriads of years may you enjoy, my lord
In these your glory be for aye increased
;

3-

Which, now begun,

And
He who may

shall

grow from day

Declares

it

speak for

to day.

which your aim should

those now past away,

reach perfection,

in the blessing

be.

they decree.

Surely it ought to be " The guests are arranged for shooting in

such a way that none can be made fun of.'' This would of course

be with the novices and bad shots close to ihe target, and the
good shots further off, as pigeon shooters are handicapped at
Hurlingham.
In the last stanza, the Master, presumably the King, is depicted as drinking to his aged guests, "those with hoary hair
and wrinkled backs," and praying for their happiness. According

and Dr. Legge, the King prays that they may lead
to virtue, and support one another in it." Another
rendering is " May they lead and support me, the King." I think
that the phrase only means, " May the old men have guidance
to

Chu Fu

tzii,

one another on

and

support.''

No.
It

is

3.

usually supposed that this piece

The King's
sense of his

is

responsive to the

last.

having been feasted by him, express their

Liu
kindness, and pray for a blessing on his head.

relations,

CHINESE POETRY.

392

4-

And

this the blessing

You had

taken care

Your sacrificial bowls were pure and clean.

While friends, who came to you this rite to share,
Performed their parts with grave and reverent mien.
5-

Such grave and reverent mien the spirits love.

For this to you shall duteous sons be given.

To show

the virtues dear to those above.

Accept the blessing now bestowed by heaven.

This

is the blessing
While the ages run,
Along your palace cloisters wide and high
Your race shall walk. By son succeeding son
Your line shall last to all posterity.
:

7-

From whom
With
Yea,

till

shall this posterity

descend

royal headship you the gods invest.

ten thoiisand years shall have an end,

This dignity on you alone shall

rest.

8.

Thus they ensure

A noble wife

is

this dignity divine.

sent to you, oh, king.

To be the mother of your race and line.

From her your countless progeny shall
Yiian objects to this theory, believing that thejast
a merry-making.

This, he says,

is

a solemn

spring.

poem

rite inside

described

the ancestral

temple, at a time when the spirits of the departed were supposed

to be present in " the Personator of the Dead," and that therefore
these two pieces had nothing to do with each other.
I have endeavoured in my version to imitate the manner in

which the close of each stanza of the original introduces the

followifig one.

Liu Yiian finds in

this

poem "the five

blessings"

i.

Longevity.

CHINESE POETR\.

393

No. 4.

THE BANQUET TO THE PERSON A.TORS

OF THE DEAD.
The mallards and the

sea-gulls sport within

some

safe

retreat,

Mid

the shallows,

and gorges,

aits,

in the pools

where

rivers meet.

Just as free from care and danger,

we

within the ancestral

fane,

Where happiness and

dignity descend and aye remain.

Feast on rich and dainty viands, quaff the rarest, sweetest
wine,

We

the proxies of the

spirits,

who

are worshipped as

divine.

May

this happiness and dignity increase from day to day.

they reach their full perfection, driving every ill

Till

away.
2.

Riches.

5.

An end

Peacefulness and

3.

crowning the

Manual," Part

II., art.

serenity.
4. Love of virtue.
(See Mayers's "Chinese Readers'

life.

123.)

No.

4.

have not followed the structure of the Chinese version, which

consists of five stanzas, each beginning with an allusion to the wild
I

fowl.

These wild fowl are the

which

is

probably a

because the Ching

gull.

^,

Hu

wild duck, and the Yi

Dr. Legge translates

it

a widgeon,

the river on which the birds were,

is

too

from the sea to have sea-gulls on it. If the doctor had lived
in Hankow, he would have found that gulls are almost as plentiful
The
there in the winter months as they are by the sea-shore.
far

commentators find

all

sorts of fanciful allusions in

these birds

frequenting the clear river Ching (the Ching in China is the type
of clearness, as the Wei is of muddiness), and the aits and gorges ;

but we need scarcely trouble ourselves with them.

It is said that

of the family

on the day

after the greater festivals, the

who had been chosen

members

to be " Personators of the

CHINESE POETRY.

394

No.

5.

THE PRAISE OF KING CHENG.

I.

Of our beloved admirable king

Great

The

He

is

the worth, the virtue which

sing.

the officers, throughout the land

rules, as heaven has given him command.
folk,

Divine support and aid so often shown

Prove heaven declares the monarch as its own.
2.

Thus shall he dignity and blessing claim,

Thousands of sons to keep alive his name,
Grandsons, whose virtues and whose worth are
Such men are fit to rule a mighty State.
Such err in nothing. Nothing they neglect.
Old laws they treat with fealty and respect.

great.

3.

Self-reverence stamps their royal dignity.

The. glory of their names shall never

They know no weak

dislike^

die.

no jealous

hate.

But freely trust the nobles of the State.

Where the four quarters of the realm extend.

All wish them blessings which shall have no end.
Dead," were feasted
here described.

in

the ancestral

Dr. Legge, following

temple.

Chu Fu

Such a

tzii,

feast

is

declares that

invoked on the " Personators of the Dead." I follow

who make the personators invoke a blessing
on the King, of whom happiness and dignity (which, as the poem
itself says, are always found in the royal ancestral temple) are
a blessing

is

those commentators

the fitting attributes.

There is nothing
are sung here, but
that he

is

to

show

am

No.

s.

that

it is

King Cheng, whose

praises

content to adopt the accepted theory

the person celebrated.

CHINESE POETRY,

395

4-

From him good order flows, and wise decrees,

His friends may live untroubled and at ease.
His princes and the high officials vie
In love for him, in cordial loyalty.
No sloth he knows. His people undistrest,
In him, their monarch, find repose and rest.

No.

6.

THE MIGRATION OF DUKE

LIU.

I.

By
By

woes was Duke Liu opprest,

night or day he would snatch no rest
divided the fields again and again,

his people's

He
And

in stacks or

But, alas

barns stored the scanty grain.

were all in vain.

his efforts

He bade his men carry dried meat in packs,

And pour such corn as they saved in sacks
Then with bow and arrow and shield and spear,
And axes and hatchets in each man's hand.
;

He

bade them abandon their native land,

its glories should disappear.

Lest his tribe with

Dr. Legge makes the second stanza a prophecy, and the third
a prayer.

make them both

the nobles of the State/'

prophetical.

means

"

They

freely trust

that each king in succession will

and kinsfolk, the nobility of the kingdom, as

and not look on them as a danger to his throne. In
China, as in other oriental monarchies and empires, those

treat his brothers

his friends,

nearest the throne are often

its

greatest danger.

No.
This

is

said to be the composition of

or Chi Shih ^^
^f
introductory note to
said to

6.

Duke Shao
^,
member of the Royal Family. (See the
Book II. of the ist Part.) Duke Shao is
have composed the piece when young King Ch^ng was

poem

CHINESE FOETRY.

396

3.

The people knew

that his every thought

With care and devotion to them was fraught

So when he proclaimed that his clan must leave
The plain which sufiSced not to feed them all,
For the folk were many, the fields were small,
There were none to utter complaints or grieve.
For the Duke had ascended the rocky height.
And all admired their mighty lord.
As they marked his belt with its jewels bright.

And

the shining scabbard, which held his sword.

But when he returned

to the plain once more.

All thoughts of remaining to starve were o'er.

3-

So they

To

left their

There was not a man

homesteads.

desert his chief

when

the march began.

Whose care for his people still filled his mind,

As southward he gazed from the hills to find
Some place for them. And he saw below

A plain so ample that none

need fear

want in the regions here

plain where a hundred streamlets

Distress or

flow.

about to ascend the throne, in order to teach the King, by the

example of an ancestor, how a sovereign's chief thought should

be the care of his people.

Duke Liu gi] is said to be the great-grandson of
subject of the

bear out

first

poem

in this

Historians say that

this theory.

Hou

book, but chronology

Hou

Chi, the
will

not

Chi was invested

with the government of T'ai p in the year e.g. 2276.

His

Emperor Kao Hsin, or Ti Ku, came to the

reputed
so that his son
throne, B.C. 2435, and reigned till b.c. 2365
must have been of patriarchal age in B.C. 2276. The migration
father, the

described in this

from the time of

poem

Hou

is

Chi

assigned to the year

to the

years passed, which, as Euclid says,

out of the difficulty

is

to take

B.C.

1796, so that

time of his great-grandson 480

Hou

is

absurd.

The

easiest

way

Chi as an ancestor of Duke

CHINESE POETRY.
"

For our future capital

'tis

The Duke

"Here

On

declared.

these rolling

downs

397

the place,"
is

room and space

for our folk to dwell.

Should strangers join, we may lodge them well

In huts, and from this as my judgment-seat
I will issue laws, I will justice

And

here with

my

and plans

Consult,

mete.

need

friends, should the

for

arise,

our good devise."

4-

His love for his people

still filled

his breast.

When all in this country found peaceful rest,

He summoned his officers great and small.
And mats were

spread in the central hall,

were set where the guests might sit.
Or recline on the mats, as each man thought fit.

And

stools

And
Was

a victim, the finest in

all

the sty.

up the gourd cups high.

they
feasted
around the board,
That all, as
Might own him as ruler, as king and lord.
slain,

and he

filled

Liu, but not necessarily his great-grandfather, that

is

to say, if

we believe that Hou Chi had a real existence.

or ^jj, the
The migration described here was into Pin
modern Pin Chou in Shensi. But where was the migration

from? This remains doubtful, for it is disputed whether it

was from T'ai, or whether the people had before this been
driven into the deserts infested by the Huns and other
It is
barbarous tribes, whence Duke Liu rescued them.
sufficient to note that in B.C. 1796 Duke Liu and his tribe,
the ancestors of the Chou dynasty, settled in Pin, where they
remained till B.C. 1325, when T'an fu removed them to Chou,
as is described in III.,

i.,

3.

My

version follows the structure of the original pretty closely,

except that a couplet is inserted here and there to explain the
story, or

stanza

of

to

make

the

the verses run a little more easily.

begins with a line signifying,

original

Generous Duke Liu,"

or,

as

Dr.

generous devotion to the people was

Legge

Duke

translates

Liu."

Each

"The
it,
"Of

CHINESE POETRY.

398

5-

His love

was warm and strong.

The land he ruled now was broad and long.
He climbed to the mountain top to see
Where the proper bounds of the land should be,
(Part was cold in the shade^ part warm in the sun,)
And to mark where the streams and the fountains run.
Three troops were enrolled to protect his land,
And the level marshes and fields he planned.
That the tax might be paid as the laws demand.
To the west of the mountains he spread his State
Till the tribe of Pin became. truly great.
for his people

Stanza i. Duke Liu and his clan were a prey to two evils.
Their land did not produce enough food for their wants, and the
wild tribes gave them no
evil,

but

many

rest.
I lay greater stress on the first
of the commentators, struck with the lines in

it is mentioned that every man was armed, enlarge on the

dangers to which their foes exposed them.

which

Stanza 2. The Duke, dressed in his insignia of ofiSce, to awe

and impress the people, climbed the hill to see whether he could
descry land fit for their habitation.
But none such could be
found, so he made up his mind to migrate.
Stanza

3.

The people marched,

Duke sighted

direction, until the

apparently in a south-easterly
the undulating plain of Pin,

where there was ample room, and a good supply of water. Some
say that there is a place in Pin called " The hundred springs.''
I have taken the phrase as descriptive, and not as a proper
name. To make the last two lines of this stanza a speech of the
Duke's is my own idea.
Stanza

4.

Duke Liu

being

now

safely

established in

Pin

solemn feast to show that he assumes the

right to rule the country, and to be the ruler and headman of his
Liu Yiian says that the sacrifice of a pig and libations
clan.
poured from cups of calabash or gourd, indicate that ancestors
were worshipped on this occasion with the rites appropriate to
invites his officers to a

the ruler of a country alone.

Stanza
of Pin,

5.

In

this

stanza are described the

and the prosperity

that ensued.

good government

The Duke

surveyed the

CHINESE POETRY.

399

6.

Of devotion was Duke Liu

full,

and of zeal,

His only care was his people's weal.

They leave their wooden huts on the plain,
And in boats they ferry across the Wei
To fetch back iron and stone again
To build them houses which ne'er decay.

No

mean and small

bounds of his capital.
Thus the people increase and they multiply
Both sides of the valley they occupy.
Till the land is too narrow for them, and so
To the further bank of the Juy they go.
hovels squalid and

Were seen

in the

how the shadows fell. At least, that is what

make out of the word
Ying, which is used as a verb in this
stanza.
The lands which got the full benefit of the sun were, no
doubt, subject to heavier taxes than those which had a northerly
slope and exposure.
The land was laid out in large squares,
country by marking

containing nine smaller ones, according to the system of division

which we have had described before. The formation of a
standing army of three corps, or troops, shows that the country
was rich and populous.
Dr. Legge rightly ridicules Mao's theory
that the people marched to Pin in three bodies, with the women

and children in the inside, a manoeuvre that reminds the reader

" If you could have seen me,
of Mr. Montague Tigg's speech
Mr. Pinch, at the head of my regiment on the coast of Africa,
charging in the form of a hollow square, with the women and
children and the regimental plate-chest in the centre, you would
have respected me, Sir."
:

The meaning of the first half of this stanza is rather

The Chinese version, literally translated, is, " The
people (Dr. Legge makes the subject Duke Liu) having built
themselves huts in Pin, cross the Wei to get stone and iron so
Stanza

6.

doubtful.

their dwellings are settled

tion of this

may convey

the right meaning, but

attention to the fact that

than stone.

It

may

well

My

and properly defined."

Li J^

is

it

is

amplifica-

fair to call

oftener translated whetstone

be that the iron and whetstone were

CHINESE POETRY.

400

No.

7.

PURE WATER.
There are waters beside the roadway,
Defiled by the mud they lie,
Till each traveller hot and thirsty.
Will pass them untasted by.
2.

Yet these waters when clean and filtered

We use when we cook our rice,
And to wash out the sacred vessels
For our holiest sacrifice.
3-

monarch, though young and foolish.

Is courteous and kind, we may
Behold him called by his people
If a

Their father, defence, and stay.

needed to produce

agricultural

implements,

rather

than

for

building purposes.

The two
which

valleys are those of the

cannot

The

identify.

No.
There are two explanations of
the

cations of

simile contained

" Pool water

Huang

x\vex Jui

and of the Kuo j^,

runs into the Ching.

7.

two appliLiu Yiian adopts the

this piece, or rather

in

it.

muddy, but, when properly filtered, it

and sacrificial rites. So the people
but if the king is kind and condescending, they
are ignorant
will look up to him as their parent and their model, and will
become efficient servants of the State." He infers that Duke
Shao is singing in this poem the praises of King Ch^ng, who
following

can be used even

is

in sacred

made good

officers

out of

men who

originally

were stupid and

ignorant.

The

other explanation, which I prefer,

is

that

King Chgng, on

ascending the throne, was oppressed by a sense of

his

own

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

401

8.

DUKE SHAO'S

SONG.

I.

As

the south wind's eddying breath

Cooled the glades the hills beneath,

Thither came our genial King,
There to ramble, there to sing.
I, too, sang, nor thought it wrong.
This the burden of my song.
2.

"

For a King so courteous, kind.

May each blessing be designed.

May contentment fill your breast.
When you ramble, when you rest.
May you live, and may you die.
Like the kings

in years

gone by.

3-

" Glorious

may your kingdom

Undisturbed, from danger

May

the gods,

my

be,

free.

genial lord,

Length of happy years afford.

While all powers of nature bring
Grateful

deficiencies,

homage

to their King.

and Duke Shao cheers him by pointing out, as

may have done to Henry V., that, notwithyouthful errors, he may yet be everything that a

Judge Gascoigne
standing his

monarch should

be.

have not followed the structure of the Chinese version.

have on

No.
in

this

my version.

8.

occasion followed the structure of the original

Duke Shao and King Ch^ng

are supposed to be

walking together on a pleasant day in summer, enjoying the

D D

CHINESE POETRY.
4"

Noble King, your father's throne

We acknowledge as your own.

Who may

venture to defy

Royal rights and majesty ?

Live in peace then, and possessing
Happiness and every blessing.
S-

"

May you
Men

to help

Pious

your Court
you and support.

find about

men

are called the wings.

Guides and leaders of their kings.

While our King shall prove, we pray
All men's model, rule, and stay.

"

Let your royal worth be seen

Pure as jade of whitest sheen.
Then your praises shall resound
To your kingdom's furthest bound,

As

the lands four quarters through,

Hopefully we look to you.

shade and the cool breeze. After the King has sung a song,
which, the commentators say, was no doubt in praise of his
excellent officers, his uncle responds with the accompanying
ditty.

My

translation

perhaps rather more optative than the

is

original.

Stanza 3

" While

all

Grateful
is

an amplification of "

The

spirits

possesses

all

to their

May you

those of the

under the sky

King

"

be the host of all the spirits."

" He who
fountains," &c.

hills,

sacrifices to all the spirits, .and thus

Heaven is indeed the host of them all."

named Ying ta, quoted in Dr. Legge's notes.

the Son of
tator

are

powers of nature bring

homage

A commen-

CHINESE POETR Y.

403

7-

"

Phoenixes auspicious fly,

Hark, their pinions rustle by
As good omens they appear,

men

Telling us that

are here,

Quick to obey each order given,

Loving you the Son of Heaven.

"

Look, we see the phoenix fly,

Soaring to the azure sky.
Nobles honoured in the State

For your royal orders wait.

Each would show his loving zeal
For your loyal subjects' weal.
9-

now

" Listen,

On
On

the phoenix sings

that crest where laurel springs.

the sunlit slopes below

Greener

still its

bushes grow.

Sweet is each harmonious note

Welling from the songster's throat.
Stanza 6

" Let your royal worth be seen,

Pure as jade of whitest sheen."

makes the subject of

Dr. Legge
I see

no reason why

it

is

this stanza the officers of state.

not the King,

who

is

the subject of all

the others.

Stanza
the

Wu

7.

of the tree, which I translate " laurel," is

which the reader may translate Dryandra

The name

T'ung )^

fl^

with Dr. Legge, Eleococca vernicosa, with Dr. Williams,

Anyhow, he can easily
a Sterculia Platanifolia, with Pere Zottoli.
find out which of the three it really is, as the Wu T'ung is the
Cordifolia,

sole tree

on which the phoenix

will settle

so he has only to keep

eye on the next phoenix which comes his way, and to notice
on which tree it alights, to decide the question beyond a doubt.
his

D D

CHINESE POETRY.

404

lO.

" Sovereign lord,

count in vain

All the cars your sheds contain,

Or your coursers fleet and strong,

Trained to whirl your cars along."
This the little song I sing,
Singing with my lord, the King.

No.

9.

A SCHEME OF REFORM.
The folk indeed are heavily opprest.
Would we might win for them a little
Grant them some scanty respite from

Some
What

some short repose.

The centre of the State
we do
defend, and make it truly great.

brief tranquillity,

Let us

The

rest.

their woes,

shall

.'

student of the commentaries will find

and metaphors

some

curious

to be extracted from this poem.

I have
not troubled myself with them. Liu Yiian, in the true spirit of
Mr. Barlow, points out what a beautiful lesson this poem
conveys. " Here is a King enjoying an hour of leisure. Does he

allusions

spend

it

together

He and his trusted

No
in frivolity ?
and discuss the scheme of government."
!

No.

We

now come

to the

" Degenerate Pieces."

counsellor sing
si sic omnes.

9.

poems which are called Ften ^, or

They are for the most part dull and

heavy productions, like so many of those in the 2nd Part,

complaining of the misgovernment of the country, and the
They appear to be anything but songs fit
distress of the people.
a festival.
This piece in the original consists of

for

each, repeating the

same thing

in

five stanzas of eleven lines

slightly different

words.

have therefore condensed it considerably. It is attributed by

most Chinese scholars to Duke Mu ^, who wrote it during the
,

CHINESE POETRY.

40S

The home, the ark, the refuge for our race.

So shall distress and misery give place
To ease and comfort, and the realm have peace
From north to south, and all disorders cease

No

wily servile rascals will

we

spare,

But force such evil-doers to beware.

Robbers who plunder and oppress our lands
Shall look for little mercy at our hands.
All parasites and braggarts we restrain,
With those who heaven's decrees and will disdain,
And such as give their wicked thoughts the rein.
Forget not those far distant.

They

>
J

shall share

With those hard by

Such royal service ne'er was paid in vain.
Upon his throne in peace the King shall reign.
About him reverently we all attend.
in our protecting care.

And

every virtuous statesman

calls us friend.

Though hard and burdensome our tasks appear,

And we be weak and feeble, do not fear.
As precious jewels in our monarch's eyes

We

seem, so thus

King Li

reign of

There

is little

King

is

rouse your energies.

j^, B.C. 878-828, meaning thereby to point out

how his subjects suffered from his misrule.

master

to his royal

the

of this discernible in the verses themselves, in which

mentioned with

loyal affection.

poem was not written during the

but in the time of King Chang's old age, when
the people were beginning to forget the glories and good government of Wen and Wu. He says that the author was probably
Liu Yiian's theory

is

that the

reign of

King

either a

young hereditary

Li,

officer,

who was awed by

the task of

reform which seemed laid on his shoulders, or else an old

who

tried to

encourage his juniors to

rise to

official

a sense of their

responsibilities.

I cannot help thinking that the stress laid on the importance

and value of the capital shows that when the poem was written
it was
advisable to remind the people of the advantage of
having a settled dwelling-place, and to warn them of the necessity

of giving

up

their old

nomadic

habits.

46

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

10.

AN OLD STATESMAN'S WARNING.

I.

No

looger to our folk are given

The blessings once bestowed by heaven.

Where there was joy and happiness,
Are found but misery and

distress.

To whom is such misfortune due }

To you, whose words are idle wind.
In you no prescient plan we find
wise and guiding rule have you.

No

Nay, treacherous are you, and untrue.

all who trust you go astray.
Now list the earnest words I say.

Thus

The Powers have

laid a heavy hand

Their wrath afflicts the land.
Is this a time for men to dare
To look with an indifferent air,

On

us.

And
Our
Ah,

see calamities o'erwhelm

troubled, our distracted realm
no, be only true

and kind.

How
And

quickly will dissension cease,

union in its place will bind

The

folk in

bonds of love and peace.

No.

10.

This piece, according to the views usually accepted, is a

warning addressed to the younger officials by an old statesman,

who, according to the Preface, was the Earl of Fan

who

lived in the reign of

that the

poem

is

King

a reply to the writer of the

therein expressed his ideas of what

fg,

I venture to start the theory

Li.

is

last jiiece,

who

has

required in the way of good

government and reform, ideas which the author of

this

poem

CHINESE POETRY.

407

3.

Our paths may not together lie,

Your fellow-servant still am I.
I come to give you words of warning,

You

slight

In

me

with disdain and scorning.

these 'tis hardly wise

straits like

To make
Our

our wrongs a jest and play.

bade us not despise

fathers

woodmen say

E'en what the stupid

For

fools

may know

the shortest way.

4-

When

heaven's destroying wrath

Is this a

Ye

time to

mock

or jeer

are but young, an old

is

near,

man

I.

speak with all sincerity.

But ye are proud, and sneering say,
I

"What means this drivelling dotard here

Why, see ye not the times are sad.
And woes and troubles multiply
Like flames, which all our skill defy.
From which no safety may be had

?"

5-

In such a hard distressful time

To

boast, to flatter, were a crime.

A grave and
Lest

The

if

reverent mien respect.

we neglect
men, who should abound.

such duties

virtuous

Shall in our midst no

more be found.

and contempt. It is as if the

had put his plans for the better
government of that distressful country into verse, and a member
of the opposition had replied in metre, holding up the unfortunate scheme to the ignominy which in his eyes it of course
treats with the

greatest scorn

Secretary-of-State for Ireland

deserved.

The poem

is

unusually obscure, and as the Chinese com-

CHINESE POETRY.

4o8

The people only

sigh and groan.

Let us then find the remedy.
Be help and kindness promptly shown

To

save them in extremity.

6.

Heaven has not willed that human

Be blind to its life-giving light.

Some

easy task to

To make

the

fifes in

me

sight

declare,

concert suit

The key-note of the leader's flute

Of two mace ends to make a pair
To lift, without extraneous aid,
Some toy, on which your hand is laid.
To teach the folk and bid them know
The will of heaven on earth below
Were easier but for this their eyes
You blind by your iniquities.

7.

The monarch

kingdom's heart.;
His subjects' part
Must be to keep him free from fear.
And see no danger ventures near.
His outer wall, his first stockade
Shall be his subjects^ good and wise.
His nobles, his great families,
His officers shall give their aid
To form the buttress, be the screen.
is

his

Its central core.

The Princes are the citadel

Which none may penetrate, I ween.
Here virtue in repose may dwell^

mentators admit,
various stanzas.
this time,

but

my

it

is

difficult to see the

connection between the

I follow the structure of the

translation

is

necessarily free.

Chinese version

CHINESE POETRY.
And

come anigh

ne'er shall terror

Our monarch's calm

409

tranquillity.

The wrath

Do

all

of heaven above rever e.

appointed tasks with fear,

Aye on

the

watch

for heaven's decrees.

Please heaven, nor care yourselves to please.

are wise, and know
ye do, and where ye go.
They see you when you go astray,
And cease to walk in wisdom's way.

The Powers above

Both

all

Stanza 5

" The virtuous

men who should abound,

no more be found

Shall in our midst

is

A ^

the equivalent of '^

translate, " Virtuous

would
die.

Z' Shan Jin Ts'ai Shih, which

men

Dr. Legge's translation

shall

"

is,

become

Good men

sonators of the dead," as he says in a note,

for

nothing but to eat and drink.

nators of the

Stanza 6
shot at

its

is

very obscure.

and porcelain
Part v.,

whistle,

The

I
fife

corpses,"

or occarina,

s.

Stanza 7 seems an interpolation.

e.

shall

are reduced to per-

men who were good

disrespectfully.

made a fair
bamboo flute
in Book II.,

only hope that I have

and

i.

cannot think that the perso-

dead were thought of thus

meaning.

"

flute

should be

mentioned

CHINESE POETRY.
Book

No
KING

LI

411

III.

I.

WARNED TO TAKE EXAMPLE BY

THE FALL OF THE YIN DYNASTY.

I.

How mighty is the Being

Who governs men below.
How stern his countless mandates.
To Him we service owe.
Though given a virtuous nature

And
Alas

taught the proper way,

how few

How

retain

it,

few but go astray.

2.

Once Chou Hsin had

this

kingdom

His minister was W6n

Who wept and sighed, lamenting
To see the realm undone.
;

Extortionate exactors

Oppressed the land alone

For none but petty tyrants
Stood round the monarch's throne.
;

No.
I

must begin by noting that

and

I.

this

book, though like the other

a decade, contains eleven

parts of

Books

poems.

The Chinese commentators do not

II.

III., called

try to explain the

anomaly.

The first poem of this book is again assigned to Duke Mu,

who addressed it to King Li, to warn him that his riotous course
of life was well calculated to bring him and his country to
destruction.

The Duke

cleverly puts his remonstrances in the

CHINESE POETRY.

4'z

3-

W6n

said, "

Although

their natures
planted there by heaven
Yet power and place and office

Were

The King
Thus

thieves

And

alone has given.

and

liars flourish,

not the good and

While endless

Around

plaints

w^ise.

and curses

the Court arise.

4-

My

"

he groaned, " you reckon

As kingly virtues, rage.
liege,"

Revenge and angry

feelings,

Which nothing may

So none

assuage.

stand to serve you,

will

Behind you, at your side.

councillor, no statesman
Will in your Court abide.

No

S-

"

Alas

"

cried, "

he

my

sovereign

You tread a dangerous way.

You follow what is evil
By night and eke by day.
Your

face

is

flushed with drinking

But heaven

is

not to blame.

'Tis foolish noisy revelling.

Which

brings you thus to shame.

mouth of King Wen, as though they were made to King Chou

Hsin ^^ ^, the last monarch of the Chou dynasty, by King
Li's great

have

and good
for the

ancestor.

most part followed the structure of the

although part of

my

stanza 3

is

taken out of stanza

original,

2 of the

Chinese version.
Stanza

i.

Dr. Legge's notes should be carefully studied.

points out in these that

Mao makes _t

% Shang

He

Ti, the equiva-

CHINESE POETRY.

413

6.
"

Disorder buzzes round us.

woe and

Misfortune,

trouble,

In ruin's fateful chaldron

Now seethe and boil and bubble.

Of wrath and indignation
I

hear the ominous sounds,

reach the barbarous regions
.

Which

Beyond our kingdom's bounds.

7.

"

From heaven these evils came not.

They came because no more
You heed the words of wisdom
Devised for us of yore.

Though

sages

now may

fail us,

Their precepts are our own.

You flout them till your kingdom

And power are overthrown.
8.

"

tree, all green and leafy,

Lies prone upon the ground.
'Twas in the root and trunk core

Decay and rot were found.

Be wise then, and remember

Not many years ago

Take warning and example
From the Hsia King's overthrow."
;

lent of

King

% ^%^
many

and not God, the Supreme Being. The line

Chi Ming To P'i, Dr. Legge translates: "With

Li,

things irregular in

read the last word

line,

"

How

stern

His (God's) ordinations."

Pi (without the aspirate), and

are his commands."

I prefer to

to translate the

" Disorder buzzes round us," &c., is my paraphrase

of a sentence, " (Things are) like cicadas, or like the bubbling of
Stanza

soup."

"

regions."

6.

The barbarous
Chinese

regions "

to this

day

is literally

" the devil

call foreigners

j| kuei)

" foreign devils."

CHINESE POETRY.

4M

No.

2.

A WARNING ADDRESSED TO A KING BY

HIS OLD PRECEPTOR.
A reverent mien, composed and self-possessed,
Is virtue's

stronghold in the heart of man.

Though people

Who

You

never find a sage

not stupid, yet stupidity

is

In him

say, "

is

want of sympathy, and

pride,

And not the common ignorance of fools.

What is a ruler's greatest requisite
'Tis this.
To be a man. Then through
}

All regions

feel

the realm

the influence of a man.

And

10

Far-reaching plans, and timeous decrees,

And, above all, with grave and reverent mien
The King becomes the model for his folk."

15

loyal homage all will come to pay,

Where reigns uprightness, and when virtue guides.
Thus with wise counsels and impartial laws,

It

is

curious to

see

how

far

back

this

amiable custom has

extended.
Stanza

8.

Dr. Legge

must

makes the proverb, " When a green and

core," though I

have been uprooted." I think that

tree must be rotten in root and
admit that to arrive at this I must substitute

some other word

for

leafy tree falls,

the meaning

it

is

rather,

first

"The

j^ Po.

No.

The accepted

2.

explanations of this

hopeless absurdities that I adopt

poem

my own

lead us

version,

into such

which

am

content to extract from the words of the poem alone, ignoring

all the commentaries. The commentators say that Duke Wu'^,o(

Wei @, supposed

to

also the author of

the States " (g pg ,

is

composed

be the author of No. 6 of Book VII. of Part

On

this.

Kuo

this piece to

II.,

the authority of "

Yii), they say

The Narratives of
that Wu, at the age of 95,

admonish himself.

Dr. Legge says that

CHINESE POETRY.
now

415

you not.
and misrule.
Such virtue as you' had is lost and gone
And fumes of wine besot and cloud your brain.
Though you to pleasure are a slavish thrall,
Need you forget the days that went before,
Or quite neglect the words of former kings,
Nor care to know the laws their wisdom made ?
Alas

such sayings

The kingdom groans

describe

'neath error

Surely shall they on

To

whom

20

heaven's anger lights

ruin sink, as water from a spring

25

Flows downward to the marshes to be lost.

Despise not little duties. Early rise,
And late retire. Have your courtyards clean.
In such things be a pattern to the world.
Keep in good order all your cars, your steeds,
Your bows and arrows, all your warlike gear.
No foe shall come to take you unawares.
And savage southern hordes shall keep aloof.
In matters which concern your people's weal,
Take careful note of how your nobles act.

" the conception of the writer in taking such a

monish himself

is

35

method

to ad-

almost unique, and the execution of

As regards the

successful."

30

it

is

last half of this sentence, I disagree

Granted, for the sake of argument, that

with the learned doctor.

maxims and wise advice

of the first nine stanzas are

moral reflections addressed by a sage to himself, what are we to
make of stanzas 10 and 11, where the speaker says, " Not only
all

the sage

did I lead you by the hand, and instructed you face to face, but
I

held you by the ear

tempt, would not

hard master

let

yet you listened to

me be

me

with con-

your teacher, and thought

me

The attempt of the Preface to harmonize the commentators'

poem with a warning addressed to King Li, is negatived by the simple fact that Wu only began to be ruler of Wei
view of the

King Li, and ruled it for fifty-five

was ninety -five, as alleged above, when he wrote
he could not have been more than twenty-four years old

sixteen years after the death of

years.
this,

If he

CHINESE POETRY.

4i6

Be on the watch 'gainst perils unforeseen.

Be cautious of the words which pass your

And

still

retain

lips,

your grave and reverent mien.

Be mild and complaisant. A speck or flaw

May from a crystal mace be ground away.

flaw or slip of the tongue

Then say not

What words

Who

lightly, " Little

speak.

dares restrain

Words

Is

it

.?

"

do

care

my tongue my own
Ah, my liege, reflect.

not

are not idle wind, but each

answer

40

ne'er forgot.

is

word

.?

finds

45

each good deed its recompense.

Be gracious to your friends. The common folk
Treat as if all were children of yourself.
Then shall your line extend to future days,
Its

And all your people honour and obey.

To wise and noble men be always kind,
And meet such men in friendly intercourse.
Against

ill

That even

50

deeds be ever on your guards

your inmost room's recess

in

The

light that shines therein may shame you

Say not, " No mortal eye beholds me here,
Here in this secret spot." The spirits see.

when King Li

died, after a reign of

fifty

years.

So

sense that he could not have been the King's tutor.

make

content to

the

poem

P^

Yic,

(lines

1-6).

it

stands to

am

think that

it

is

king,

^ Li,

quite

make

history

Dr. Legge's

better to translate

a stronghold (of virtue) than an indication of

Dr. Legge does.

55

the production of some preceptor to

warn some king ; but what preceptor, or what

showeth not, though I guess King Li to be the king.
notes on this poem will well repay perusal.
Stanza

not.

it,

as

" want of sympathy,'' and not,

" doing violence to his natural character."

It

is

curious to note the tremendous stress which the Chinese

then, as now, laid

on gravity of demeanour.

Stanza 5 (lines 34-41). Dr. Legge says that line 2, which he

" Be careful of your duties as a prince (of the king-

translates,

dom)," should be decisive against any reference of the ode

to

CHINESE POETRY.
Invisible to us they

To mark

417

come and go

our actions, so despise them not.

my

have your virtuous deeds

all, and see no fault be found
In your demeanour. No excess commit.
Do naught to hurt or injure other men.
Thus shall the nation's pattern be their king.
Requite each act of kindness. If a peach
Be thrown to you, at once return a plum.
Strive then,

lord, to

60

Admired by

All

men

are weak.

A yearling ram

lenient to their faults.

has not yet grown

It is the pliant

Which

Be

and

elastic

man

kind and humble

horns.

its

wood

takes the silken string and

It is the

65

makes the bow.

70

alone.

Whose

virtues have foundations fixed and sure.

Give to a wise man sensible advice
He heeds your words and docilely obeys.
;

good counsel to a stupid dolt,

He laughs at your advice and calls it false.
Such difference is there twixt the sage and fool.
Before you could distinguish, oh, my son,
'Twixt good and evil, was not I the man
To lead you by the hand, and indicate
Offer

75

King

Li.

stanza,

I fail to see this.

I translate

" Render perfect your people.

the

two

lines of the

careful

what your

first

Be

80

nobles plan."

Confucius so

much admired

the simile of the flaw in the

the moral lesson conveyed by

crystal

mace

in

this stanza, that

he gave his niece in marriage to a man named Nan Yung,

because this was his favourite quotation. See the Confucian
" Analects," xi. 5.
Stanza 10 (lines 78-89). It is not clear whether holding the
by the ears, as the author of this poem says he did, means

pupil

holding him by the ear and drawing him towards the master, so

no word of instruction be lost, or whether it was a painful

reminder to the pupil to attend to his lessons. My own sad
that

experience as a school-boy

is

in favour of the latter explanation.

E E

CHINESE FOETRY.

4t8

How

in this

That

right produces right,

Nor mine
But

world of ours we always find

Yet though years have

to correct you.

And you

and wrong breeds wrong ?

the duty to instruct alone,

are

now

flown.

the father of a son,

85

you are still in ignorance.

How will your people e'er be satisfied.
Unless from early morn to night you strive,
And thus acquire knowledge to be of use }
Heaven's will be done. To see you dense and
Afflicts my heart and causes me distress.
I fear

that

dull

Day after day, unwearying, I taught.

You heard my words of wisdom with contempt.
You would not take me as your guide in life.
You thought me troublesome, pedantic, rude.
So now, although long life be granted you
Past human span, you never shall be wise.
My son, take warning by the words I speak.
Keep to old ways and list to my advice
So shall you have no reason to lament.
The wrath of heaven hes hard upon the land,

90

95

100

And

dire calamities destroy your realm.

warn you by these woes before your eyes
That heaven possesses no unerring hand,
And should you still descend the downward
Ruin and death will overwhelm your State.
I

In

my

translation

soften the

phrase, which

path,

105

has a certain

grotesqueness, to " correct you."

The

last

two

lines of the stanza are very obscure,

probably corrupt.

conjecture that they mean,

are not satisfied, because you

and

perfect

it

late."

and are most

"The

do not acquire knowledge

people
early,

Dr. Legge's translation, " If people are not

self-sufficient,

who comes

instruction?"

is

beyond

(only) to a late maturity after early

my

understanding.

Stanza 11 (lines 90-97). The concluding lines of this stanza

confirm the opinion of those who hold that Duke Wu was
addressing himself. Dr. Legge's version is, " Still, perhaps you

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

419

3.

THE EARL OF JUI'S LAMENT OVER THE

TROUBLES WHICH PREVAILED DURING
THE REIGN OF KING LI.
Here once there stood a well-grown mulberry
all around had cast a grateful shade.
But one by one its leaves were plucked away,
Until the tree was dead, its life destroyed.
So dies our nation. Our intense distress

tree,

Which

Afflicts

my

heart with never ceasing grief,

stirs each pitying feeling in my soul.

Oh, heaven, that shinest great and bright above.
Why art thou deaf to all our cries of woe ?

And

Disaster grows.

On

No

peace can be secured.

10

every side the mighty coursers wheel

The war
Till

And

cars.

Flags and banners flap o'erhead.

every State in ruin

till

is

engulphed.

our black-haired race

is

seen no more.

Naught but the ashes of the State remain.

The nation's doom, alas, is close at hand.
What can arrest it ? Heaven withdraws its
No place is left where we may safely rest
No place to which we may for safety flee.
do not know.

But you are very old."

aid.

see nothing to prevent

the words being put in the future tense, as I have done in

my

translation.

No.

3.

King Li,
and drove him into Chih ^, the modern Ho Chou
in Shansi, where he remained till he died in B.C. 827.
;[il
and C/iou J^ were the regents
During his exile, Dukes Shao
In the year 841

B.C.,

the people being addressed by

rose in revolt,

of the country,
as

and the period of

Hung Ho :^

this is

their administration

^q, mutual' harmony.

was known

Liu Yiian points out that

the only instance of a revolution in the history of China
E E 2

CHINESE POETRY.

420

Oh, would that men of wisdom might be found

To bind the State together, and with heart
And soul repress disorder. Vain the wish.

20

When disaffection rears its head so high,

And fosters and increases our distress.
Must I not weep when I behold our land
Thus torn and harried ? Surely I was born
In some unlucky hour to have to bear
The wrath of heaven, when no repose is known

From

east to west,

Is left

for even

and no abiding place

on our furthest bounds
Come savage tribes to plunder and destroy.
Counsel you have, nor caution you neglect.
And yet disorder grows, divisions come.
This is the point which craves your anxious care
To carefully discern 'twixt man and man,
Lest, like a smith, who seizes in his hand
;

25

30

35

A red-hot iron, waiting not to dip

And

cool

it

your crude haste

in the water,

Brings pain instead of

You and your

profit,

at last

till

creatures sink 'neath ruin's flood.

'Tis hard to fight one's

way

40

against a storm.

When gusts obstruct and choke the panting breath.

There are those who might aid us, but they say
" It is of no avail
men need us not.''
So to their farms and husbandry they turn.
;

which did not lead

45

to a subversion of the dynasty after a devas-

tating civil war.

The

authorship of the

"^^5^1

poem

^" Earl, about

is

whom

ascribed to

Jui Liang fu

nothing very

much seems

The

eight stanzas,

known.

The

structure of the

as didactic

eight lines each .

lines apiece,

poem

and heavy

is

irregular.

any

in the

and the sentiments

in

those in the beginning of the poem.

two halves have

first

whole classic, consist of

The eight remaining stanzas contain only six
as

in reality

them
I

differ materially

have

little

no connection with each

from

doubt that
other.

the

I have.

CHINESE POETRY.

421

Preferring thus to sow their corn and reap,

Rather than serve their country and their king.
Yet even them disaster follows fast
For heaven decrees us misery and death,

The

abdication of the royal throne,

Injurious insects to devour our crops,

And
And

bring our husbandmen to evil case

danger and decay are everywhere.

What can I do, save pray to heaven alone ?
Look on this picture and on that. Behold
good and righteous ruler. All his folk
Gaze up at him with reverence and respect.
With all his heart he forms well-measured plans,
And seeks for men to carry out these schemes.
Now mark the ruler neither good nor wise.
Blinded by self-conceit, he cares for naught
But his own will, his own short-sighted views.
And heeds not that his people are distraught.
List then and hearken to the song- 1 sing.

55

60

I.

See the herds of fallow deer

Pace together through the wood.

Men

65

unfriendly, insincere.

Will not help you to your good.

Though you find it, as we say.

Hard to ^o, and hard to stay.

therefore, in
easiest

my

translation

way out of the

the latter half a song, as the

difficulty.

Stanza 2 (lines 10-16).

more."

made

70

"Our

Dr. Legge makes the

black-haired race

is

seen no

ingenious suggestion that there

were no black-haired men left, because all the young and lusty
were away fighting or slain, so that only white-haired old men
were to be seen.

am

afraid that

Li ^, even

"black-haired," and not "agricultural,"

epithet applied to the Chinese in general,

the force which Dr.

Legge would give

to

is

and that
it.

if

we make

it

only a conventional
it

cannot have

422

CHINESE POETRY.
2.

Far and wide the sage's voice,

His wise words, we gladly greet.
Scorn we fools who dare rejoice,
Blinded by their own conceit.

Deem you that I fear or

To divulge the thoughts

shrink
I

think

75
?

3-

But the good man, loved by

In our glory has no part.
All the sweets of

To

the

men

all.

office fall

80

of cruel heart,

people take delight

In wrong-doing, not in right.

Till the

4-

There are paths

Out
Cause

for gusts of wind.

of barren gulfs they blow.

will

From

have

a good

effect.

We

man good

find

85

deeds flow.

While the bad man's guide must be

His innate impurity.
5.

Evil winds have found their way.

Greed perverts and lust of gain.

But my warnings are, they say.
Babble from a drunkard's brain.

Good men
All
Stanza
those

my

7 (lines

who

scorned, despised,

task

is

48-54).

retire to their

vain, ah,

90

I see.

me

Liu Yiian would make out that even

office, reap no

farms rather than take

benefit from the evasion of their duties, because evil insects,

which he says is a metaphor for extortionate tax-gatherers, came

and

stole the fruit of their labours.

I take the

insects in their

literal sense.

Stanza 8 (lines 55-64).

Some

say that a comparison between

CHINESE POETRY.

423

6.

ignorance

?
Speak I thus
wing
the
gnat
upon
Nay, a
Sometimes hits its mark by chance

in

Safely plants

to profit

I excite

your

tiny sting.

its

Though

95

you

I try,

100

ire thereby.

7-

Hypocrites devoid of shame

Raise revolt and anarchy.

Making

How

it

to

their

only aim

work us

injury.

All this wickedness and woe

To their evil toil we owe.

How

105

can quiet peace prevail

While these robbers do us wrong

All their tricks, their falsehoods

Learn

it,

villains,

All your slanders

All your

lies

.'

fail.

no

from my song.
can track,

behind

my

back.

bad King Li and the good Dukes is intended, but there is nothing
show this. Besides, this poem was probably written just when
affairs were coming to a crisis, before the two Dukes could show
of what stuff they were made.
to

Stanza 9 (the ist metrical stanza). The allusion to the deer

can be explained as the reader fancies. Some say that it means,
" Here is a herd of feeble creatures." Others, " The deer move
Such friendly relations are not now found
together in harmony.

among men."

Dr. Legge makes Chung

Stanza 14 (6th metrical stanza).
I see no reason why we should alter its usual meaning,
He explains the
or put the verb in the passive tense, as he does.
phrase in his note " Birds on the wing are generally missed,
a bird.

though sometimes one

is

brought down."

("

They do

fly

into

CHINESE POETRY.

424

No.

THE DROUGHT

4.

THE TIME OF

IN

KING HSiJAN.
I.

The King looked up

He
It

with streaming eyes

sought for help from the starlit skies.

was

And

'Twas a cloudless night,

all in vain.

the river of heaven flowed clear and bright.

he cried aloud in his grief and pain,

Ah, me, what crime to my charge is laid.
That death and disorder my realm invade,
And famine tortures again and again
Is there one god I have failed to pay
Till
"

.'

The

reverence due, or a

gift

so rare

have grudged to give it, or would I spare

Our holiest tokens whene'er we pray ?
But the heavens above me are deaf to my prayer.
I

2.

"

The

fiery blasts of this heat increase,

And the drought torments

What altar has failed of its

us,

and

will not cease.

offering.

From the tiny shrines in the forest wild.

To the royal fane reserved for the King
Each has

its sacrifice

undefiled.

the shot sometimes," as the keeper said.)

It

seems

to

me

to

be

more natural to make the speaker talk of himself as an insect,

and say that he can sometimes hit. Chinese are always fond of
far

self-depreciatory terms.

To

this

day petitioners speak of them-

selves as "ants,"

No.

We now arrive

at a

poem

full

4.

of

human

interest, which, to

my

one of the best and most suggestive in the whole classic.

My translation of it is free, but I hope not inaccurate. Another
metrical translation of it was published anonymously in No. 2 of
mind,

is

CHINESE POETRY.
Of

the gods above and below

To whom due homage

is

425

none

has not been done.

is great Hou Chi afraid,

God, omnipotent, grants no aid.
Would my kingdom's ruin but fell on me,
Me only, leaving my people free.

Yet

to help us

And

3-

may

" I

not hope to escape this

This terrible drought, which

Though
wait as

ill,

afflicts

us

know the danger, and full

men wait for the thunder's

still,

of dread
crash.

When the storm's o'erhead, and the lightning's

May come in a moment to strike them dead.
Of the

black-haired people, Chou's mighty clan,

Will be scarce

living

left

one single man.

Nor will heaven above exempt e'en me

From this cruel fate, though men shake
The King destroyed, and his royal line.

And

flash

to see

ancestral rites, which they thought divine.

4-

" Fierce burns the

drought with a fiery glow.

No refuge we find in this time of woe
When I find, alas, that my end is near.
There is nothing left, there is no one here.
;

Vol.

iv.

of the

"China Review,"

Sept.-Oct. 1884, which

worth the attention of the reader.

saying that the author of

kong, by whose death

The composition

it

may be accepted

of King Hsiian,

am

is

well

justified in

was the Hon. Alfred Lister, of Honglost a good Chinese scholar.

we have

of this piece

assigned to J^ng Shu -pj

and the drought mentioned

is

apparently an officer of the Court,

it

think that I

in

as having occurred in B.C. 821, the sixth year

^,who

reigned from e.c. 827 to 782.

(The

reader should again consult Dr. Legge's notes.)

Stanza

^.

r.

"

" The River of Heaven," literally the Yun Han,

The (River) Han in the Clouds " is, of course, " The

Milky Way."

CHINESE POETRY.

426

Ye shades

of great men of days gone by,

Bring ye no hope to your tortured land ?
Oh, my parents' spirits, who dwell on high.
Will ye not stretch out a helping hand ?
S-

Our

"

hills

are scorched,

and our

demon

rivers dry,

For the

dire drought

O'er

the nation his fatal breath

all

is

passing by.

and flames and death

if set on fire.
Deaf are the ghosts of the mighty dead.
Thou who ruledst this world forego thine
Against thy slave, who would fain retire
To hide in the deserts his humbled head.
Is scattering fire
Till

my

heart, too, feels as

ire

6.

"

But though realm be

lost,

and destruction nigh.

From the post of fear shall a brave man fly

I know not whence my misfortune came.

To what sin of mine to impute the blame.

Was I late in making the prayers of spring,

When we
Did

When we
As

pray to heaven

I fail at

the

thank the gods

for

our harvest cheer

the gods see men, and high heaven knows

'Tis hard that on

"

for a fruitful year

autumn thanksgiving,

A gift

the maces

me

should their anger

so rare I have grudged to give

and other sacred

articles

used

it."

.'

all,

fall.

It

appears that

at the royal sacrifices

were afterwards buried in the earth. None of these had been

grudged, and yet no answer comes to the King's prayers. In this
In
classic we find frequent mention of prayers to heaven.
modern times, the Emperor, instead of praying to heaven alone,
prays to heaven (the Yang, male, or positive principle of nature),
Offerings
to earth (the Yin, female, or negative principle).

and

to earth are

earth,

it

buried in the ground.

view that King Hsiian's

would seem that even in the

right in their

If the

commentators are

were buried in the

Chou dynasty sacrifices

gifts

CHINESE POETRY.

427

7"

Because this ruin pervades the land,

My sway is weak. With a feeble hand
I hold the reins which should guide the State,

And my

nobles groan 'neath a heavy weight

Though there is not one man who will not

From my statesmen of highest dignity,
To the youngest servant within my gate,

To

me

help

try,

to banish this misery.

From heaven above

To draw me

us

some

aid I'd

borrow

out from this gulf of sorrow.

8.

" I

above

look to the skies

this night,

But all I can see is the stars shine bright.

Oh, nobles, oh, friends, beloved by me.
Who have done whatever such men can do.
Though your King is waiting for death's decree.
Relax not the efforts begun by you.
'Tis not for me only such pains ye take.

Your work

is

my

For me,

done

for

prayer

is,

my

people's sake.

may

In the silent grave, where

I find

all

peace

sorrows cease.

were made to earth, but I accept the theory with great reluctance.

Stanza
frontier

2.

"

The

See

agriculture.

Stanza

5.

III.,

Han

Han Mu

mentioned

is,

of course, the

present,

J]},

i.

ii.,

^ ^

jjii^

who

runs like the wind.

have slurred over the

They

in this stanza.

titles

of the King's

have

it

that at the sacrifices

making Chou j^

officers,

are the Premier, the Master of

and servants.
none of them failed

the Horse, the Commander-in-Chief, the cook

"Viian will

CKiao

deified patron of

The drought demon

of his (or her) head,

6.

Chi

" is the Han Po ^^ '^,

Kuei
or Han SMn
, also known as
-^ " Mother of Droughts," a dwarf with eyes in top
"

otherwise

Stanza

shrines in the forest wild," are the

Hou

altars.

in this passage, the

Liu
to

be

equivalent of "to

CHINESE POETRY.

4^8

No.

5.

THE INVESTITURE OF THE MARQUIS OF

SHEN AS WARDEN OF THE SOUTHERN
MARCHES.
By Yin Chi Fu.
Majestic are the mountains

And

their

grandly, loftily they

masses soar above us

till

rise,

their peaks attain

the skies.

When

such

hills

produce a

such a mighty

spirit, it is

one

As

inspires the souls of heroes,

Shen

like

Fu and Shn,
and
In

like

the realm's defenders,

its

men

Fu, and

its

strong buttress

screen.

quarters of the

all

men

kingdom are

name and

their

influence seen.

Now

King knew Sh6n was

the

earnest both in

action and in thought.

As

his fathers

were before him, and a rich reward

this

brought.

be present at." He is alone in this explanation. All the other

commentators understand Chou as " to save," " to help."

No.

We
II.,

5.

have already had mention of Yin Chi fu

iii.,

3,

where he appears

against the -wild tribes.

In

II.,

jB'

5^-

^'^ make

this

poem

point out that the events described in

reign of

King

the Chiang

family,

in

it

under the

Duke Mu,

of

sufficiently clear^ if I

took place during the

Hsiian, that the Marquis of Shen,

commander of an expedition
viii., 3, we have a description of

It

"g"

as

the building of Hsieh llj the capital of SMn

direction of the Earl of Shao, otherwise known as

Shao /H

"^

who belonged

was the King's maternal

uncle,

and

to

that

Hsieh, as I have mentioned before, was in the modern Ting

CHINESE POETRY.

429

For the monarch made him chieftain of a region vast

and great,
Where Sh^n might rule in Hsieh as a pattern to each
State

To

10

And

the southward.

they

named

the land

by

his

own name of Sh^n,

And

a palace there was built him.

By

work was

All the

done

deftly

the Earl of Shao,

who

laboured to

his

King^s

That the virtuous race of Shen should ever

live to

fulfil

command,
bless the land.

Then words of kindly guidance came from

forth the

monarch's mouth.
"

Dear

chieftain,

15

be the model to

my

regions in the

south.

When my

people need example, let them look to you

and see

By

the peaceful

men

of Hsieh

what a well-ruled State

And

should be."
the Earl of Shao was bidden to set boundaries to
each field,

And

to

name

the royal taxes that each plot of ground

should yield.

Next a steward

20

of the household the

King ordered

to

provide

For such

folk as with the chieftain

went

in

Hsieh to

abide.

Chou

>]\\

in

poem should be

Honan.

(Dr. Legge's exhaustive notes on this

carefully perused.)

Stanza i (lines 1-6). " When such hills produce a spirit," &c.,
Mayers' translation. There are sundry interpretations of this
Dr. Legge says that the spirits of the four mountains
phrase.
is

were supposed to have a special interest in the family of Chiang

and

its

collateral branches.

monarch was accustomed

Pfere

to offer

the mountains of the four quarters

Zottoli points
sacrifices

to

north, south,

out that the

the
east,

spirits

and

of

west.

CHINESE POETRY.

430

For the chieftain's sake foundations of the

were laid

By

the Earl.

city wall

splendid temple to Shin's ancestors

he made
when this was
;

And

With

built,

four noble steeds the

monarch

bedight

sent,

25

bands and harness, and with trappings

scarlet

glittering bright.

and steeds stood by

royal car

to bear the chief

away.

The monarch

said, " I

pondered

long where you

should bear your sway,

Ere

fixed

let

it

it

in the

south lands.

Take

this sceptre,

be

To all nations as the symbol of the power and dignity

Wherewith you are invested by the King.
Dear
kinsman go,

And

protect

my

30

southern borders from the dangers of

the foe."

parting feast the

King bestowed,

^twas in the

land of Wei,

Then southward

to his destined place our chieftain

took his way.
At length he reached his capital at Hsieh, there to
find

To

fields

35

and farms the Earl of Shao the

assigned

And

limits

had

were ready to supply the

stores of food

chieftain's

need,

That nothing might delay him, or might check

his

coursers' speed.

do not know

phrase.

The

that

we need hunt

idea that a hero

is

out any deep meaning in the

animated by the spirit of the

country which bore him and his race,

is

not altogether unknown

in poetry.

Stanza 3 (lines 15-23).

"Such

folk as with the chieftain went

CHINESE POETRY.
As he

431

entered Hsieh 'twas a sight to glad each

martial eye

To

see his ranks of warriors

and of horsemen troop-

ing by.

Now

40

throughout each State and country every

delights to hear

man

Such a guardian of the empire, such a strong defence

is

near.

And

they cry, " Our monarch's kinsman

guiding star,

And

the model for our rulers whether peace prevails

The

virtues of our chieftain shine with lustre pure

is

to us our

or war.

and
For

bright,

his heart

is

45

kind and gentle, and his government

upright.

know

May

he guide this region wisely

his name,

And

each subject of our monarch knows and cele-

till

all

nations

brates his fame."

I

have made this song, a good song, for

tribute

To

it

pays the

due

our Chieftain by his loving friend and follower

Chi

fu.

in Hsieli to abide," is

persons.

take

it

an amplification of Ssu J^n

to

mean

all

^/,

^,

private

the followers of the family,

including servants and hangers-on of

all

kinds.

The " Complete

Digest," quoted by Dr. Legge, says, " While his family was not

new

residence, the chieftain could not enjoy his

removed

to his

domestic

bliss," so the

King

thoughtfully had his household sent

with him.

Stanza 6 (lines 33-38).

F&ng Hsiang

The

it

land of

Wei jajj is the modern

King must have been

in Shensi, where the

was not in the

and the land of Shen.

travelling, as

capital

11,

straight line

between the royal

CHINESE POETRY.

432

No.

CHUNG SHAN

6.

EXPEDITION TO THE

FU'S

LAND OF

CH'I.

By Yin Chi Fu.'

That cause

produce

will

a law decreed us

effect is

by-

heaven.

To

guide

all

the actions of

men was

our

this rule of

nature given.

While virtue can win men's

love, can

we

it

him

call

marvellous thing

That men acknowledge and love the

sing

virtue of

.'

The gods had beheld how

the

of

hearts

all

the

dwellers on earth

Had
To

i;

been cheered by our monarch's

his deeds of worth.

proclaim him as heaven's

own

acts,

son,

and by

all

and secure

him the blessing due,

They

sent as his aid and help, our chieftain, our

Shan

Whose

fu

virtue

Chung

ever found what a chieftain's virtue

is

should be,

And

fair

is

his

harshness

face

and form,

his

manner from
lo

free.

In his gait and mien he

is

careful to have there

no

fault or flaw,

For the lessons of bye-gone days are to him his guide

and

his law.

No.

We know

6.

"^
He was
[Ij
Marquis of Fan
Hsiian's ministers,
perhaps the Prime Minister. He was sent to Ch'i
to fortify
one of the cities there, probably the capital. His friend, Yin
little

Chung Shan
f(^
and was one of King

of
,

CHINESE POETRY.

man

so

and loved by

trusted

his

433

monarch

is

surely he,

The man whom

the

King would choose

to publish

each bright decree.

And

King thus gave him charge

the

"

Be the

pattern to every lord,

As thy

15

ancestors were of yore, and be both a shield

and sword
To guard my person, and be as the royal

and

lips

mouth

To

publish the King's decree through the

from north to south

And

spread the signs of

kingdom

my

sway abroad,

till

all

nations see,

And

all

submit to

my

rule with the reverence

due
20

to me."

Such was the solemn charge which the King on

our chieftain

Who

laid,

wrought with labour and pain to have

his

master obeyed.

With anxious mind he watched, and with

bright,

far-piercing eyes.

He marked

each prince to learn

if his

deeds were

foolish or wise.

Never

idle,

by day or night from

swerved,
Respecting himself, for he

King he

Chi

fu,

his duties

2S

knew

'twas his master the

served.

" drops into poetry " on the occasion,

apparently was.

he never

as

his

wont

to say nothing of the one

It seems curious that this poem
which precedes it, and two which follow it should be included
under the head of " Degenerate Pieces." Liu Yiian has a sug-

gestion that

Chung Shan fu's mission took place at the close of

reign, when His Majesty had begun to stray from
virtue, and that Chung Shan fu had been sent away

King Hsiian's
the paths of

F F

CHINESE POETRY.

434

"What

is

we

soft

but reject the hard," as our

eat,

have said
The one it cannot resist, of the other we are afraid.
But our chieftain acts not thus, far other indeed his
plan
folks

He

poor and helpless

insults not the

he fears not

the violent man.

30

Again, our people have said that virtue

is

light as a

hair,

Yet

light as

it is, 'tis

a burden few shoulders are

fit

to bear.

When

think the matter

o'er,

of

all

the

men

have

known,

The man who

can bear this weight

is

our chieftain,

and he alone.
His

friends

who love him would

Chung Shan fu

aid,

but to

whom

save to

Would

the

King

,35

entrust his duties, or set

do ?
an offering due to the

him

his

tasks to

He

offered

spirit that

guards

the road.

Then mounted

his car,

and away his four strong

coursers strode.

Their merry bells rang

clear, as

they went without

stop or stay,

For the sole things feared by the chief and his men
were sloth and delay.
40
His quest was this he was bade to the eastlands of
:

Ch'i to go.

And

there to wall in a city to guard our folk from

the foe.

on a useless errand because the King wgs jealous of him, and did
not want to have him about his Court. ;
Stanza i (lines 1-8). " That cause will -produce effect," &c., is
my translation of the second line'of the original, which is, literally,
" There are things and there are laws." This sentence was
quoted in a metaphysical discussion, in which Confucius and
;

CHINESE POETRY.
May

his

435

him

steeds, with their tinkling bells, bring

from the land of Ch'i,

And ere many days have flown, may my friend
return home to me.
have
made this song may it come as a cooling
I
and gentle wind
safe

To

refresh

him amid

his

cares,

and to quiet

45

his

anxious mind.

No.

7.

THE INVESTITURE AND MARRIAGE OF

THE MARQUIS OF HAN.
Along the shining road that winds beneath
The mighty range of Liang, which years before
Great Yii had changed to slopes of

fertile fields,

To render homage came the lord of Han.

On him the King himself then laid this charge
"

Follow the footsteps of your sires of yore

Nor deem these words of mine an idle breath.
Early and late be diligent, and strive
To do your duty with such reverence.
That my delight in you may never wane.
;

Mencius both took a part (see Mencius, VI., Part

who

Students of Chinese metaphysics,

Giles

and Balfour, and not those of Mr.

know

the piece.

No.
This piece

is

free.

Chap.

6).

follow the methods of

Potts's critic,

no doubt

7.

also attributed to

not on this occasion put his

i,

10

name

Yin Chi
to

fu,

My

it.

although he has

translation of

it

is

have slurred over a good many of the Chinese terms, as

the foot-notes will show.

The Marquis
far as I

of

Han

||:

can gather, was

Shun T'ien

fu,

was a feudal prince, whose

at

Cho Chou '0

where Peking now

stands.

F F 2

>)]]

capital, as

in the district of

The poem

represents

CHINESE POETRY.

436

Reprove such nobles as neglect to come

Court, and pay myself the allegiance due.
Thus shall you do a service for your King."
Four stallions, noble steeds of hugest bulk,
Had drawn their lord the Marquis to the Court.

To

15

He bore the sceptre to his rank assigned,

And came and humbly stood before the King,

Who

gave him as a mark of loving

trust,

A dragon flag with feathers bright bedecked,

A chequered screen, an ornamented yoke,
A rich, dark 'broidered robe, and scarlet shoes
And, that

his chariot

might

20
;

befit his rank,

Breast-plates, carved frontlets, reins with metal rings,

And

harness-hooks, and boards whereon to lean

Bright with red leather and a tiger's fell.
Laden with these the Marquis left the Court.

25

First to the spirits which protect the road

He

paid the offering meet.

At

the

first

That night he stayed

halting place, to eat the feast

Hsien fu prepared him at the King's command.

Beneath a heavy load the table groaned.
The wine, unstinted, from a hundred jars
Flowed, and each dainty gift of land and sea
Was shared by princes, who had joined the feast.

30

him going to Court, where the King King Hsiian, no doubt

receives him with much kindness, confirms him as successor to his
father, and loads him with gifts.
The Marquis then goes home,
and takes to himself a wife, and the King, finding him a loyal
ruler, enlarges his domain, and makes him warden of his northern
marches.
Dr. Legge's notes must not be neglected.

i (lines 1-13).
The range of Liang
was in Cho
Chou, according to Liu Yiian, although the reference to " Great
Yii," would make it appear that it was the Mount Liang mentioned in " The Tribute of Yii," which was indisputably close to

Stanza

the Yellow River.

Stanza 2 (lines 14-25). " Breast-plates and harness hooks" are

CHINESE POETRY.

437

Last to our Marquis noble gifts were given,

princely car with team appropriate,

35

Vessels and salvers bearing cakes and

fruits.

Our Marquis sought and found a fitting

Of royal race, the daughter of Kuei fu.

He

bride

home
40
formed his splendid train,
The bells on each rang out a merry tune
It formed, in sooth, a grand and glorious sight.
But, lo, a grander and more glorious sight
Within the gateway of her father's home
45
There stood the maiden, and on either side
The virgins sent to bear her company.
As bright, as fair they shone as sunset clouds.
Nought could the Marquis say. He could but stand
To gaze upon them in an ecstacy.
50
The maiden's sire had been a warrior bold.
Far had he wandered. Many a State he knew.
Yet none so pleasant as the land of Han
So fair a home for his beloved child.
For there broad meres extend, large rivers flow,
S5
Within whose waters shoals of fishes swim.
And in its forest wilds the hunter tracks
The deer, the lynx, the tiger, and the bear.
went himself

to bring the lady

A hundred chariots

my

equivalents of

for

a horse.

^ Kou, hooks, and ^

Dr. Legge

makes them one

Ying, breast ornaments

article only

"

Hooks

for the trappings of the breast-bands."

Stanza 3 (lines 26-37).

but no one seems to

"The

know where

first

Tu'^,"
known who

halting-place was

this was,

nor

is

it

^^

was.
Hsiefifu
" The dainty gifts of land and sea," consisted of roast turtle,
fresh fish, bamboo shoots, and Pu f^ , apparently lotus-rooti

which

is

a Chinese delicacy.

Stanza 4 (lines 38-50). The Marquis's bride was a daughter of

who married a sister of King Li. He was a
Kuei fu F^

Minister of State, and a great warrior.

CHINESE POETRY.

43

In sport like this the warrior took delight

here his daughter too found rest and joy.
Large was the city where the Marquis dwelt.
'Twas built in days of old by men of Yen,

And

60

What time his forbear had received command

To hold the wild barbarians in check.
So now

the

Monarch gave our Marquis charge

65

To rule the tribes which dwell towards the north

To be their chieftain, and to govern them,
To make his town walls strong, his town moats deep.
To fix the boundaries of the fields, and tell
What taxes it was fit the land should pay
"jo
And further, to his sovereign lord to send,
As

"The

virgins

sent

to

who have been

relations,

Part

and

tribute, furs of panther, fox,

bear her

bear.

company," are the

bride's

several times spoken of in the ballads of

I.

Stanza 5 (lines 51-60). It is my own idea that Kuei fu looked

on the land of Han with a hunter's eye. The Chinese commentators, quoted by Dr. Legge, have- some absurd remarks

show

wild beasts

that

A profOS of

this, I learn

of the villagers near

may be an advantage
from an

Amoy

to

to

agriculture,

article in the " Field," that

some

object to the destruction of tigers

which infest that locality, on the plea that the tigers know them
and will not hurt them, while their presence keeps the country
The game menfree from nocturnal robbers and marauders.
tioned in this stanza, and in the following one, may still be found
in the mountains near Peking.
Stanza 6 (lines 61-72). " The tribes which dwell towards the
Nothing seems known
north " are the Chui j^ and the Mi |g
.

about them.
I

as

notice that Dr.

Grisly

Bear.

Legge

here,

and elsewhere,

Ursus labiatus

is

Pfere

translates

Zottoli's

Surely the Grisly Bear, or, as I should prefer to spell

Bear,"

is

a native of

North America

only.

Pi,

rendering.
it,

" Grizzly

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

439

8.

THE EXPEDITION OF THE EARL OF SHAO

AGAINST THE TRIBES OF HUAI.
We went where

the

Han and

Yang

the

tzii flow.

Their waters are deep and vast.

Like the

roll

of these waters our

mighty host

Through the length of those borders past.

Our chariots ran, and our banners shone,

No slackness, no thought of rest.

No leaving the ranks, for the tribes of Huai
Were the foes against whom we pressed.
2.

'Twas a glorious sight to behold our troops,

When we

rested, our labours done.

By those mighty streams, while the news was sent

To the King of successes won.
And the monarch's heart was rejoiced to learn
That warfare was at an end.
And strife and trouble were now unknown
As far as our bounds extend.
No.

8.

Duke Mu of Shao, mentioned

No. 5 of this book, and in II., viii., 3. He was sent to
subdue the tribes of Huai,' and to bring them into allegiance
This expedition took place during the
to King Hsiian.
The

Earl of Shao

is,

of course,

in

The Huai \^ tribes lived

now Kiangsu. Probably they
to the north
covered the country from Huai Ngan fu ffg
Jj^,
bank of the Yangtzii. The Earl of Shao took them in flank
by coming down the Yangtzii, apparently embarking at what
is now Hankow.
Stanza 3. The southern sea was the China, or Yellow, Sea, at
second year of the King's reign.

in the

northern part of what

is

CHINESE POETRY.

440

3-

As the Earl with us by these rivers stayed,

They brought him the King's command,
To include these tracts in the State's domain.
To divide and allot the lands
;

Yet not

vex or distress the folk

Who conformed to the king's decree,
That the ground be apportioned to great and

As

to

far as the

small.

southern sea.
4-

Then the King announced, " 'Tis to you I owe

That my rule and my power are known.
By the help of your ancestor, Duke of Shao,
My ancestors won their throne.
Then think of me not as a little child.
But remember Kings W6n and Wu,
That your earnest labour may reap reward,

And

your merit the guerdon due.

5-

" I give

To

you

a vase of

my

sacred wine

cup of jade.
Chou are yours
The
It will pleasure Wdn's holy shade
To know what he gave to the Duke of yore
be poured from

hills

this

and the fields of

By me to his scion is given."

The Earl bent low to the earth and prayed

To heaven
the

for the

Son of Heaven.

mouth of the Yangtzu, which

river, it

must be remembered,

may be taken as the southern border of China at the time of the

Chou dynasty.
Stanza 4. The Earl of Shao was a descendant of the great
Duke Shao, of the time of King Wu. Dr. Legge translates the
fourth and fifth lines of the stanza, " You do not (only) have a
regard to

me

the

little

child, but

you

try to

resemble that Duke

CHINESE POETRY.

441

6.

May

"

he

live for ever,

and

maintain

My ancestor's glorious name

And my master's kindness and gracious
;

To

the nations

I will

deeds

proclaim.

For wise like Wen is our Son of Heaven ;

This wisdom may he display
Through unending years to the furthest point
Of the kingdom, which owns his sway."

No.

9.

THE ROYAL EXPEDITION TO THE HUAI.

In clear and solemn tones the monarch laid

Nan Chung's

This charge on
"

You

as our Minister of

War

scion,
I

when he

Have then our martial gear made fit for

Our six battalions for the field prepare.

Do

all

use.
5

with caution and with reverent care

Because our States which far to southward

For our assistance and our succour cry."

"

and

Do

lie

I think that the introduction of " only "

of Shao."
for,

said,

choose.

that the sentence

me

is

is

but be like the

Shao (and behave to your sovereign, as he did to his)."
not think of

as a

uncalled

in the optative or imperative

little child,

mood.

Duke

of

Yen, in Chih li, but,

Duke Shao's principality was
commentators suggest, no doubt some of his family had
which, on this
part of the royal domain in Ch'i Chou
jgj

Stanza 5.

as the

confirmed to the Earl of Shao.

Win
Stanza 6. " Wise like Wen " is my translation of "%
TL Dr. Legge translates it " civil virtues." Perhaps the
author, who, by the way, is said to be Yin Chi fu, intended that
occasion,

is

the words should have a double meaning.

No.
The JIuai f^ is
Kiangsu, and falls

9.

the river which passes through the north of

into

tJie

sea by what was

known

a year or two

CHINESE POETRY.

442

Yin's chief, obedient to the King's

command,

Had

charged the Earl of Ch'eng to take in hand

The mustering of the troops beside the Huai,

lo

And warn them that they leave this speedily.

And seek the land of Hsii, wherein no rest
Would be allowedj for fear
The peaceful folk and mar

the troops molest

their husbandry,

15

they delayed, nor passed with swiftness by.

In strength and grandeur like a king indeed
Behold our monarch to the field proceed.
No broker} line, no column out of place
Steady and sure our forces onward pace,
If

20

Until the land of Hsii on every side

Was overawed, each region terrified

And shaking, as a mortal shakes with fear
When sudden thunder crashes on his ear.
Like some

fierce tiger

The King advanced,

His wrath, or tame

Who

for

mad

with hungry rage,

25

nothing could assuage

his captains' energy.

Huai
His serried ranks had seized a captive crowd,
Whose leaders at his feet now humbly bowed.
vied with him, until along the

30

ago as the old mouth of the Yellow River, but in the present
condition of that erratic stream it is difficult to say which is the
old mouth and which the new.
The land of Hsii ^^ was the
country to the north of this

river.
Liu Yiian says that the tribes
encouraged by the weakness of ^vagMu (b.c. iooi to 947),
had long been in a state of revolt, until King Hsiian determined

there,

to take

once

them

in

hand

himself,

and reduce them

The Preface

ascribes the authorship of this piece to the Earl

of Shao, the hero of the preceding poem.

Chang

Wu

'^

Stanza

Nan Chung
II.,

i.,

(lines

^
8,

The

title

of this

is

^,

occur together in

in

to obedience

for all.

"always martial," two words which do not

any line of the poem.
r-8). " Nan Chung's scion," i.e. descendant of

fifi

as

of the time of King

Wgn, who

is

mentioned

doing good service jgainst the Huns.

This

CHINESE POETRY.

443

Our army held their land secure and well

None by those streams would venture to

rebel

For numerous are our troops. As swift they go,

As if hawks' pinions bore them on the foe.
As Han's and Yang tzii's waves sweep rolling by

So move our

35

armies, ceaseless, orderly.

Like these vast floods, whose waters none

may

stem.

None know their movements, none may vanquish them.

Then strong as mountains firmly fixed and great
They nobly tranquillize each rebel State.
40
Men knew our king was truthful and sincere.
So rebel chieftains came from far and near,
To own the merits of the Son of Heaven,
Suing to him with whom they late had striven.
The King saw quiet now prevailed, and knew
These chiefs to their allegiance would prove true
So he announced, " We will no longer stay.
Back to our capital we haste away."
descendant's

Huang

name was Huang fu

mentioned in II.,
during the reign of King Yu.
fu

iv.,

^,

45
;

probably the father of

9 as a dangerous

character

Stanza 2 (lines 9-16). Yin's chief is our old friend Yin Chi fu,
to be the King's private secretary, or aide-de-

who here appears

camp. The Earl

of Ch'eng

(Ch'eng was a

district

in the

domain) was Hsiufu 1^ ^, the Minister of War.

I have followed Chu Fu tzu, and Dr. Legge, in saying that the
King warned the troops not to molest the husbandmen. The
original is " that the three labours may proceed in order," i.e.
I should mention,
the labours of spring, summer and autumn.
however, that Liu Yiian says that the three labours are those of
the Ssu T'u gl j^ whom we may here translate the officer in
royal

charge of the commissariat, the

command

Ssti

Ma

r]

of the fighting troops, and the Ssu

,f|

the officer in

Kung

^ @

the

who

are

engineer in charge.

Stanza 4 (lines 25-32).

The

description of the officers,

compared by the commentators with the

said to be
phrase in IL, iv., i, where the soldiers of the Royal Guard call
themselves " the teeth and claws of the King."
like tigers,

is

CHINESE POETRY.

444

No.

10.

THE INFATUATION OF KING

YU.

I.

look to heaven, which will no kindness show.

For

we

long, long days calamities

And

bore,

must groan beneath a weight of woe.

People and rulers weep, as though our store
Were spoilt by ant and locust. Now no more
Can peace be found. Your laws are as a snare

Or

still

cruel trap too hard for

men

to bear.

2.

Our people once held acres rich and good,

grasping clutches now are fain.
Their hinds and servants looked to them"for food,
Whom your oppression will not have remain

Of which your

For

guiltless

And

see the

men must suffer bitter pain.

guilty, who should have the blame.

Escape the laws, nor bear

No.

their destined shame.

ID.

We have now before us a brace of poemSj which fairly come

under the head of " degenerate," as treating of degenerate times
and manners. This piece is assigned, doubtless with truth, to
the days of

King Yu

3E

>

the successor of

reigned from b.c. 781 to 771.

poem

in

II., iv., 8, 9,

King

Hsiian,

who

was completely under the

influence of his concubine,

mentioned

He

Pao Ssu
j^ who has been
and elsewhere. The author
,

already

of this

bewails the power assumed by her and her creatures the

eunuchs of the harem, and finishes by the expression of a

hope that the King may yet reform.
Stanza
stanza.

3.

Pao Ssu

is

English readers,

referred to

an

article

of course the

who

wish to

by Mr. H. Kopsch

woman attacked
know more of
in the

faint

in this
her, are

" China Review,"

CHINESE POETRY.

445

3.

The wisdom

of a

man

builds

up a

wall,

A woman's wisdom that same wall

Her wit though

As doth

No

o'erthrows.

bright presages grief to

the owl.

From

all,

her loud chattering flows

reason, but disorder, strife,

and woes.
not heaven which sends these plagues to vex
'Tis sexless men, with those of weaker sex.
It is

4-

They crush, deceive, and hurt us. Day by day

They slander us. They backbite and they lie,
Nor think they evil of their words. They say,
" What harm is in them "
Should a wise man try
.?

To

and practise usury,

and ruin is her fate.

leave his lore,

Ruin

is his,

Who

leaves her spinning-wheel to rule the State.

How

is it

Your

folk.

5.

heaven now shows itself unkind^

And by the spirits we're no longer blest ?
Such ills, such omens ne'er affect your mind.
The barbarous foes unchecked our bounds infest
And those who fain would save you you' detest.
Your conduct, most unkingly, drives away

Vol.

Your kingdom hastens

to decay.

No. 2, entitled " The Cleopatra of China."

from the Lieh Kuo Chih, a popular history.

iv.,

It is

translation

This verse is obscure and difiScult.

Dr. Legge
" Their slanders in the beginning may be
2
in the end."
I think that it only means: "They begin

Stanza

translates
falsified

by finding

4.

line

fault

or backbiting,

and

finish

by

lying,"

a natural

climax.

The

last four lines of this stanza

Literally translated, they are

the

superior

knowledge of
affairs

man
it.

" As

are most incomprehensible.

if

(our old friend,

The woman

leaves her silk-worms

regarding the 300 per cent.,

Chun

tzu,

^)

has a

without (knowledge of) public

and weaving."

Liu Yiian's explana-

CHINESE POETRY.

446

6.

A net of evils has been

cast around,

Of wrongs, to which your realm has b.een betrayed.

Good men have gone. No saviour can be found.
Ah, me, my soul is bitterly afraid.
None, none may hope its meshes to evade.
For when we see all righteous men depart,

What

is

there

left

but hopeless grief of heart

7-

When

strong and

full

the jets of water spring,

It tells their source is lying far

And

thus the greatness of

my

below

sorrowing

Shows that my sufferings are not one day's woo.

Would other times had been my lot, but know
Great heaven is strong and helpful. Do not shame
sires, your sons shall then revere your name.

Your

tion differs essentially from the accepted translations.

the 300 per cent, with the preceding lines thus, "
lies

increase at (the rate of) 300 per cent."

Then

He connects
and so

their

the remainder

runs, "

Does not the wise man know that a woman has nothing
do with public affairs? Shall she leave her silk-worms and
weaving ?" The verse is no doubt corrupt
Stanza 5. "The barbarous foe" means the tribes of the ^'|lt,
King Yu and Pao Ssu eventually owed their
in the north.
to

deaths to them.

Stanza
plete.

in the original, is curiously and unusually incombegins " Heaven is letting down its net, and many

6,

It

there the sentence stops.

understood.

and soon

"Are

the calamities in it"

may be

Lines 4 and 5 are " Heaven is letting down

" " all will be caught therein," is understood.

its

net,

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

THE MISERY

IN

447

II.

THE TIME OF KING

YU.

I.

Great heaven, in furious wrath and ire,

Forgets to be compassionate.
Worn out with want and famine dire,

The

land lies waste and desolate.

Deserted the once fertile meads,
Which many a year supplied our needs.
And even in the forests lying
Upon our kingdom's furthest bound.

This want, this scarcity

is

From which

tribes are flying.

the

nomad

found.

2.

Heaven's

To

" net of crime "

upon us

lies

punish our iniquities.

We groan

beneath its cruel weight,

Seeing a mean, oppressive crew
Devour and prey upon the State
To them are our misfortunes due,
For they were bade to bring us peace.
;

And make

disputes and discord cease.

Butj no, their negligence and pride

Breed

strife

and feud on every

No.

My version

of

this

Chinese structure of

poem
it,

side.

II.

free, although I keep to the

and do not run the stanzas into each
is

very

other.

Neither King

name, but there

Yu
is

nor Pao Ssu, his consort, is mentioned by

no doubt that his reign, and the miseries which

then prevailed, are described in these verses, the authorship of

is ascribed to the Earl

which, as well as that of the last piece,

of

Fan

Stanza 4.

"The

flowering rush"

is

the

Chu

'%,

which

is

CHINESE POETRY.

448

3-

Thanks to their slanderous perfidies

To them the King imputes no blame

On us alone the
And bitterly we

danger
feel

lies,

the shame.
4-

How

can the grass grow green and lush

In years of drought when fields are dry ?

How

quickly fades the flowering rush

Suspended on a tree to die.

Such scanty grass, such rushes we.

Who

all

these

ills,

these evils see.

s.

In days of yore prosperity

Fell to the good man's lot alone.
This present state of misery
And wrath to him was all unknown.
Then bad grain might not mate with good.
As now it may. So sad my mood,
I fain would rest where grief is o'er
And anxious thoughts can wound no more.

apparently a water-weed of some kind. Dr. Legge, in his metrical

Can a water-weed
version, speaks of it as " grafted on a tree."

be grafted on a tree ?
Stanza 5. Dr. Legge makes the last line but one of this stanza
an address to " the mean creatures " of the Court. " Why do
you not retire of yourselves ? " It seems to me to be more
" Why can I not retire ? "
natural to make it a soliloquy.
6. Dr. Legge says in his notes that lines " 1-4 of this
mention two things, each of which had its cause, and so
the cause of the present disorder might be discovered." Liu

Stanza

stanza

Yiian drives the simile harder

still.

water with a store of virtue in

it

This store should be kept

full

The King

is

the pool of

for the benefit of his people.

by the

efforts

of good

men

in the

CHINESE POETRY.

A pond

449

no streamlets flow
around will disappear.
spring must draw its waters clear
From sources lying deep below.
But dry and dead are pond and spring
To cause distress and suffering

From

to which

fields

And

well

Who

know

it is

not

shall escape calamity.

7-

Great ministers our monarchs had.

Would we could find such men again

As Dukes, who in a day could add
Vast regions to the King's domain.
These regions in a single day

Our nobles now can cast away.

Alas we cry, of hope bereft,
We have not now one good man
!

left.

kingdom, but owing to the baneful presence of Pao Ssu, they

will not come forward nor do anything to help him to increase it.
.

Again, the

but

this

King

fount

is

is

the spring and fount of blessing to his people,

choked

at

its

source by the crowd of evil

counsellors about his palace.

Stanza

7.

The Dukes are the Dukes of Shao.

it may be either the Duke Shao

in the singular,

If the

word

is

of the reign of

King Wen, or his namesake of the reign of King Hsiian. Dr.

Legge ridicules the idea of its being the latter. I solve the
difficulty by putting the word in the plural.

G G

PART

IV.

HVMNS AND EULOGIES.

G G

453

PART

IV.

HYMNS AND EULOGIES.

SHOULD

to

content myself with giving the

the pieces in this Part, were

all

any

contents of three of which, at

possibility

be termed hymns.

word Eulogies.

Sung

The

Praise.

g^,

The Chinese

it

name

not for
rate,

Hymns

of

Book

II.,

the

cannot by any

have, therefore, added the

title

of the whole part

that

Preface says

it

is

contains

"pieces in admiration of the embodied manifestation of

complete virtue, announcing

divided into three books, the

is

Sung

of Lu,

Hymns
of Lu,

and the Sung of Shang ;

of the

and the

Hymns

and the Altar."

of Chou and

of the

Books

Shang"

Odes of Lu."

"PrsEconia

;"

beings

translation.)

Sung

their

This

of Chou, the

in other -words, the

Chou dynasty, the Eulogies of the Rulers

translates the title of the

Praise

spiritual

(Dr, Legge's

achievements thereof."
part

to

Shang dynasty.

whole
I.

and

part, "

Dr.

Legge

Odes of the Temple

III. are " Sacrificial

respectively, while

Book

II. is

P^re Zottoli translates the

Odes

"The

title

as

Lacharme," Parentales Cantus;" and Strauss,

" Feiergesange."

The hymns

are,

for

the most part,

addressed by the ruling monarch to the shades of departed

kings, his ancestors,
"

Parentales Cantus."

which

is

why Lacharme

calls

them

CHINESE POETRY.

454

The
calling

reader

may

think that

some of these

to take _ the

pieces "

have strained a point

hymns

"

but

am

in

content

word of the commentators that they were

sung on the occasions of the

sacrifices,

solemnized in the ancestral temples.

and other

rites

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

I.

Hymns of the Chou

The

containing ten
Parts II.
"

of Part IV.

division

first

and

Books," and

poems
III.
I

each.

t)r.

To

is

Dynasty.
divided into sections

the similar sections of

Legge has given the name of

have followed him.

Here, however, he

has called the whole division a book,

section

Book

third,

Book

Book

I.,

I. (i.)

I. (iii.).

making the

first

Book I. (ii.) and the

have preferred to name the sections

the second,

455

Book Ia and Book

Ib, as less confusing.

CHINESE POETRY^

4S6

No.

I.

HYMN TO KING WEN. No.

Solemn and

still

the pure ancestral fane

And many

a lord and officer of State,

Who strive

to share the virtues of

Whose

i.

hearts with love

King Wen,
and reverence are imbued.

Stand round to aid us

in

They

service at his shrine,

haste to

do him

the sacrifice.

Wishing to be on earth as he in heaven.

For famed and honoured is his glorious name,
A name whereof mankind will never tire.

No.

2.

HYMN TO KING WEN. No.

High heaven's mysterious

2.

statutes

No change, no error know.

And oh, King Wen's great virtues,
How gloriously they show
!

We gratefully acknowledge
His favour to our State.
and each descendant
These virtues emulate

May we

This

commentators say that

finished,

No. I.
hymn or anthem to King W6n. The
when the eastern capital at I/O \!^ was

an unrhymed

is

King Cheng went

thither

and consecrated the newly

erected royal ancestral temple by a solemn sacrifice, at which

a red bull was offered to the shade of King Wgn, and another
to the

hymn,

shade of King Wu.

Thete

is,

however, nothing

or in the following one, to indicate

in this

when they were

sung.

The

Preface seems to be the authority on which the commenta-

tors

mainly rely in fixing certain appropriate occasions to these

hymns.

CHINESE POETRY.
No,

457

3.

HYMN TO KING WEN.No.

3.

Keep we in our memories

King Wen's wise and bright decrees,
Knowing from the time we laid
Our first offerings at his feet,
Till to-day, when by his aid
This great realm is made complete.
They have been the augury
Of our State's prosperity.

No.

4.

KING CHENG'S HYMN, SUNG WHEN THE

PRINCES ASSISTED AT THE SACRIFICE.
I.

Ye

and enlightened friends.

by you these blessings were designed.

princes, noble

It is

Your

loyal kindness for us never ends.

As

our posterity shall keep in mind.

No.
This

hymn

is

said to

drawn up the code of laws

for the

No.
It

is

said that this

2.

have been sung when Duke Chou had

new

dynasty.

3.

hymn was accompanied by

a sort of Pyrrhic

The Chinese
commentators do not mention the occasion for which it was
written.
Liu Yiian suggests, very reasonably, that this hymn, and
the two which precede it, all form one composition.
dance, to illustrate

The

Preface

King Wen's

No. 4.
hymn was sung

says that this

ceremonies performed

martial prowess.

at the

when King Cheng succeeded

solemn

to the throne,

CHINESE POETRY.

45 8

2.

From lust of gold, from wild profusion turn

Be both unknown each prince's rule within
Our favour and our gratitude to earn
;

While higher honours

still

your sons

shall win.

3-

Quit ye like men, and then through every State

The influence of your glorious deeds shall flow

Your virtues other chiefs shall imitate.

Our ancient kings are not forgot, we know.

No.

HYMN TO KING

5.

T'AI

AND KING WEN.

The mountains heaven had framed were rough and

But King T'ai laboured till the hill-sides smiled
With fertile fields, and as King T'ai began,
So did King W^n continue, till there ran
Good level roads from all obstruction free

To

wijd,

reach the stony rugged range of Ch'i.

their descendants ne'er forget their name.

May

Their useful deeds, but strive to do the same.

and the
says that

feudal Princes assisted

it

at

the sacrifice.

was a hymn for general use

Chu Fu

tzii

in the ancestral temple,

be sung when the King, after thrice presenting a cup to the

shades of the dead, handed it to the guests. (See Dr. Legge's
notes.)
I think it quite probable that the hymn may have been
first composed on the occasion of King Chdng's accession, and
was afterwards used on all occasions when the feudal Princes were
to

summoned

to sacrificial rites.

Liu Yiian

He

is

says that

much impressed

its

been composed

dignity

at

with the solemnity of this hymn.

that it could have

and grandeur show

no other time than the

early days of the

Chou

dynasty.

No.
See

III.,

i.,

7, for

S.

an account of King

T'ai's labours in clearing

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

459

6.

HYMN TO KING CHENG.

was by heaven's firm fixed decree
The throne was given to monarchs twain.
King Cheng, too, sat there, nor was he
A King in slothfulness to reign.
It

To

strengthen and to glorify

His throne he laboured night and day.
His efforts won tranquillity.
And peace which ne'er shall pass away.

the country about

and

in

sung

at the

Preface
to the

Mount

Ch'i |U, and preparing

laying out roads.

it

This

hymn might

it

for cultivation,

appropriately be

opening of a railroad in China. According to the

was sung at the sacrifices to the former Kings, and

Dukes

of

Chou.

Liu Yiian, following the scholars subsequent to the Han and

T'ang dynasties, declares that this is a hymn in honour of the
spirits of the mountains, and compares it to the worship still
paid to " The Long White Mountain " in Manchuria, the cradle
of the present reigning family. (See " The Long White Mountain,"
by H. G.

M.

James.)

No.

6.

seems more natural to make Cheng ^, which means "completing," the name of the King, than to use the word as an
epithet, although that is the way in which we must use it if we
It

follow the suggestion of the Preface, that the

hymn was sung

border sacrifices to heaven and earth.

Liu Yiian has a long and learned dissertation on this piece.
He says that man's nature is originally good, but " the seven
at the

emotions, viz., Joy, Anger, Grief, Fear, Love, Hatred, and Desire,
are apt to destroy this goodness, except in the case of men like

King Cheng, who will exert their mental efforts to enlarge their
good qualities." This question is argued from the Buddhist,
Taoist and Confucian standpoint.

natural

CHINESE POETRY.

46o

No.

7.

HYMN TO KING WEN, AS THE MEDIATOR

BETWEEN THE WORSHIPPER AND
HEAVEN.

ram, a

May

bull, for sacrifice I bring.

heaven accept

my

humble

offering.

Obeying King W^n s statutes fain would

Like him secure my land's tranquillity.

So

shall

Bestow

King Wen from realms beyond

his blessing

on our

the skies

sacrifice.

The powers divine I worship night and day,

That heaven's kind favour ne'er may pass away.
No.

7.

supposed that this hymn was sung when the King received
the princes in the Hall of Audience.
Dr. Legge says, that " a
with
him is associated King
sacrifice is presented to God, and
Wen, the two being the fountain from which, and the channel
through which, the sovereignty had come to the House of Chow."
In No. 10 of this book we shall find Hou Chi spoken of as
"the Mate (gg P'ei) of Heaven," or, as Dr. Legge calls it, "the
It is

correlate of

Wen
I

Heaven."

Some

of the commentators say that King

holds a similar position in this hymn.

Those who

hold, as

do, that the Chinese have always had a belief in God, the

Supreme Being and Ruler of the woirld, are loth

monotheism by allowing that the Chinese admit

to degrade this

other beings to

an equality with the Deity. But the

language of this hymn, in which the worshipper begins by saying
that he sacrifices to heaven, /. e. to God, and that King Wen
bestows his blessing on it, and finishes by declaring that he
worships the Powers Divine {lit. the Majesty of Heaven), forces
me to concede that King WSn here holds the position of mediator
between the worshipper and God.
anything approaching

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

461

8.

KING WU'S HYMN.

The King
won

in state is

passing through the kingdom lately

May

heaven accept him as

its

own, and hail him as a

son.

His movements watched with reverent awe by

clearly

all

men

show

royal crown are now the heritage of

Chou.
Yea, even the spirits, which protect each stream, each
mountain crest,
Partake of our prosperity, and share our nation's rest.
Ah, is he not indeed a King from whom such blessings flow,
And is it not a royal line, the illustrious House of Chou ?

The throne and

The

and

Princes

his

mighty

chiefs

who

stand on either

side

Each has some tributary State to govern and to guide.

In bow-case and in quiver are the bows and arrows laid,
And shield and spear are stored away, we do not need
their aid.
"

While through these regions,"

virtue

cried

the

King, " true

display.

The appointment heaven has deigned

to

grant

will

never pass away."

No.
It is rather straining the

a hymn.

8.

meaning of words

Dr. Legge says that

it

is

to call this piece

appropriate to King Wu's

sacrificing to heaven, and to the spirits of the hills and rivers,

on a progress through the kingdom, after the overthrow of the
Shang dynasty, Liu Yiian says that this hymn was originally
used by Wu Wang on the occasion of his inspecting the feudal
States, and that it was afterwards employed on similar occasions
by later kings. So far as I can gather, it was the custom of the
King to make a progress through the feudal States, in order to

CHINESE POETRY.

462

No.

9.

HYMN TO KING WEN, KING CHENG

AND KING K'ANG.
Let us think, as we worship, of bye-gone times.
Of the days of our great King Wu,
Whose arm was strong, and whose ardour blazed
Like a fire the kingdom through.

Next Ch^ng and K'ang by the powers above

Were chosen our Kings to be.

And

nobly and wisely each ruled, and

all

Rejoiced in their sovereignty.

3-

So

our drums and our bells resound,

let

And

our music in concord blend.

That on us who worship these Kings

Great blessings

receive the

once

homage of

may now

the Princes.

This progress took place

but I presume that the

in every twelve years;

place shortly after the

of yore

descend.

new King succeeded

first

took

to the throne.

Liu Yiian has a long note on this poem, the gist of which is
if a man does right heaven will be in accord with him ; but

that

when a man does wrong

it

is

of no use to try by flattery to win

the help and blessing of the powers of nature.

No.

9.

remark were it not that the

and some of the commentators, declare that Ch6ng and
K'ang are not the names of the Kings, but epithets applied to
King Wu. Such a difficulty could arise in no other language but
Chinese, but as King Ch6ng was King Wu's successor, and was
This piece would not

Preface,

call

for

CHINESE POETRY.

463

4-

Let our reverent mien and deportment show

Our thanks to the Powers, who bless
Our lives with abundance of meat and drink
And unending happiness.

No.

10.

HYMN TO HOU

CHI.

Hou Chi To thee was given

be proved the mate of heaven.
Thou wast kind, and thou wast good.
Thine the gift of grain for food.
Yea, God's barley, and God's wheat,
Sent by Him to be man's meat.
Hail,

To

succeeded
suggestion

in turn

that

by King K'ang,

certainly

it

Cheng and K'ang

are

seems a needless

anything else but the

proper names of these monarchs.

My

translation

is free,

and does not follow the

for the

legend of

structure of the

original.

No.
See

III.,

ii.,

j,

The " Mate of Heaven

"

10.

Hou

Chi.

my

rendering of P'ei T'ien |g

5^,
which" Dr. Legge translates the " Correlate of Heaven."
One of
is

the commentators explains the phrase.

Heaven

gives

men

the

needed to show men the way to

take advantage of them.
This was Hou Chi's office. Compare
the couplet in " The Legend of Hou Chi"
gifts

of earth, but a mediator

is

"

Though heaven has boons

in

store,

and

rich

is

the bountiful

soil,

Yet the

For

gifts of

my own

both shall be

part,

am

lost, if

man

shall forbear to toil."

of opinion that the phrase F'ei T'ien

CHINESE POETRY.

464

Wheresoe'er the land may

Whatsoe'er its boundary,

lie,

Therein be the grain crop sown.

Social laws and rights are known.

confers on

Hou Chi

Supreme Being.

The

(See

close of the

a position approaching equality with the

my

hymn

think that the meaning of

notes on No. 7 of this Book).

is

obscure and probably corrupt, but

it

is,

and humanizing influence. Liu Yiian says

the time of King K'ang to remind him of
his

duty to encourage

people.

the

that agriculture has a civilizing

spread

that

it

was made

his ancestor,

of agriculture

in

and of

among

his

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

No.

465

Ia.

I.

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE OFFICERS OF

HUSBANDRY.
Ye

ministers,

ye

rulers of the State,

With reverence to your various tasks repair.

Your monarch's precepts, after due debate,
Practise, as

Ye, too,

who

ye are bound, with reverent

care.

help them, have your labours now.

waking mark each new turned field,

And lands which for three years have felt the plough,
Where wheat and barley their bright produce yield.

The

spring

is

3-

How

they shine, to show that glorious heaven

Grants a good year to all this realm within.
Now to our hinds let weeding tools be given.
fair

That

sickles

may anon

their

No.

work begin.

I.

This piece, and the following one, seem to be out of place

among the hymns, and to belong more properly to Part II. of
this work.
The commentators, however, say that this piece was

sung

in the

of State,

temple,

when

who had come

the

King was dismissing

the Ministers

spring

and autumn

to assist

at

the

sacrifices.

H H

CHINESE POETRY.

466

No.

2.

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE HUSBANDMEN.

Oh, King Cheng's glory is clear and bright
His splendour is shining in all men's sight.

And

these the instructions he gives to you.

Let your peasants sow all their various grain,
And do the wprk which they have to do
In the iields which they as their own retain.
In every glebe let the plough pass through
And let all the work be as eagerly done.
As though ten thousand men were but one.
;

No.
This piece
to

is

2.

evidently closely akin to the

King K'ang, who

last.

It

is

assigned

at the spring sacrifice divined the will of his

deceased ancestor, King Cheng, by branding a tortoise-shell.

A favourable response was granted, and King K'ang accordingly

husbandmen to set to work

once to plough and sow.
" The' fields which they as their own retain," is my equiva;lent
for " your private fields all over the 30 li."
The reader may
again be reminded that the old division of ground in China was
into large squares, which in turn were subdivided into nine
directed that orders be given to the
at

other squares.

Of

these the

eight outer squares belonged to

separate families, while the centre one was cultivated by the eight
families for the benefit of the

therefore,

Government.

laud the magnanimity of the

occasion, only thinks of his people's harvest,

We

can hardly take " ten thousand

The commentators,
King, who, on

and not

" as the

exact

this

of his own.

number of

people inhabiting a square of 30 //, say ten miles in perimeter,

although the Chinese commentators, followed by Dr. Legge,
accept this as the meaning.

been considerably

If this

larger than the

is

so, either the //

present

//,

which

must have
about a

is

third of a mile, or else the Chinese could in those days pack

themselves even tighter than they do

now. I think that the

words "ten thousand" only means, in this connection, the whole
of you, who are to labour like one pair, not one man, as my
version has

it.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

467

3.

NOBLE GUESTS.
I.

When the flocks of egrets

On the western marshy
Snowy wings and
Is there

Yes,

aught so

know a

light
lea,

graceful flight

so bright

fair,

fairer sight.

'Tis the guests

who

flock to me.

2.

Here my love shall never tire.

There no hate, no foolish ire
Ever shall assail the name

Of the

whom

friends,

I desire.

These the men, who night and day,

Here with me, or far away

Have

a never-dying fame.

No.
Here, again,

My

hymn.
although

describing

is

version

follows

have taken
the

-3.

a piece which will hardly strike the reader as a

egrets.

Chinese text

the

the

liberty

subject

pretty

expanding

closely,

the

at receiving

some welco'ne

The commentators, however, all agree in saying that the

of this poem is the King, to whose Court have come

descendants of the kings of the Yin or Shang dynasty, to

at

lines

The words themselves show nothing

more than the delight of a host

guests.

of

one of the great

sacrifices.

He

dismisses

verses, expressive of his affection for them.

It

assist

them with these

appears that

when

the Yin dynasty was overthrown, the Princes of that dynasty

were invested with certain States, which they held on the same
tenure as the other feudal Princes, with the King of Chou, for
If this is true, I can only say that the
suzerain lord.
Chinese in old days were more magnanimous than their descendants now.
I never heard that the descendants of the Ming
dynasty had much honour paid to them.
their

H H

CHINESE POETRY.

468

No.

4.

HYMN FOR THE HARVEST.

Grant that

this year abundant harvest reign,

be our granaries piled with rice and grain.

And

Let sheaves

in

Our

From

barns.

To pour

myriads and

in millions

these sweet wine

we

fill

will distil,

solemn offerings at the shrine

Of those, who, passed away, are now divine
The sainted sires and mothers of our line.
Pleased with such sacrifice may they bestow
Unnumbered blessings on the folk below.

According

means "in

as

above interpretation "Here" (in verse 2)

domain of Chou," and "There" in the

to the

the royal

which they rule.

have translated Hsi Yung 1^
as " Western marsh," but Liu
Yiian describes it as a royal park, in which there was a pavilion
and an ornamental sheet of water, about which the egrets congregated.
It was, in fact, a park like that described in III., i., 8.
States

The King would

receive his guests in such a pavilion.

No.
This

hymn

is

winter sacriiices

have made
done.

it

He

optative,

makes

it

and not
insist that

benefit of the people,

and the

They

descriptive, as Dr.

Legge has

a thanksgiving rather than a prayer.

Chinese commentators
of the King.

4.

supposed to have been sung at the autumn and

in honour of Hou Chi and other divinities.
I

the plenty prayed for

full

granaries

for

is

the

The

for the

benefit

also say that the use of grain for distilling

spirits shows that the harvest was so abundant, that after every
one had had enough grain for food, sufficient remained to make

remember that the country people at Newchuang

making a spirituous drink out of their millet,
and exporting it to other parts of China, and that the native
drink

were

of.

in the habit of

authorities objected to this, because the

food,

and not

for drink.

crops were meant for

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

A CHORAL

469

5.

SERVICE.

The

blind musicians have been called to play

Within the royal Court, this festal day.

Drive in the posts, and set the frames upright.

With plumes bedeck them. Fix the peg row tight.

On this the drums both great and small suspend.

Timbrels and sounding stones their notes shall lend.
His baton let the leader take in hand,
His signal, too, wherewith he stops the band.
Breathe in your

flutes,

In dulcet measures

Then

And
"

let

and on your reed-pipes blow.

your music flow.

dead draw near.

your music turn a well-pleased ear.

shall the spirits of the

to

Our

guests, too, will

May

strains like these

be there, and haply say,

be slow to die away."

No. 5.
The Preface says that this piece was made when Duke Chou>
of the time of King Cheng, had completed the construction of his
instruments of music, and the enrolment of the members of his
This hymn was not used at the royal sacrifices.

band.

300 blind musicians, as well as 300

lost their sight.
If this be true, it
would make us suspect that the infirmity of these blind men had
been brought about intentionally.
It

is

stated that there were

other performers

The

who had not

description of the musical instruments

not easy to reproduce.

Dr. Legge's translation

is

confused and

is

" There are (the music frames) with their face boards and posts,
The high toothed edge (of the former) and the feathers stuck
(in the latter)

With the drums, large and small, suspended from them

And the hand-drums and sounding stones, the instrument
give the signal for commencing, and the stopper."
1

understand that two posts were driven into the ground

Courtyard of the temple.

Between these posts was

to

in the

fixed a frame

CHINESE POETRY.

470

No.

6.

royaL offerings of

fish.

Fish are

in the stews, where flow

Waters of the Ch'i and Ch'ou.
Thence we take the sturgeon out,
Giant fish, and fish whose snout
Is a dagger long and sharp,
Barbel, bleak, and eels and carp
;

Fit fish for a sacrifice.

Whence

a blessing

may

(Dr. Legge's "face-board") with a

'

arise.

row of pegs (Dr. Legge's

it.
Plumes of

high toothed edge ") on the upper part of

and

feathers decorated the frame

posts.

From

the frame were

suspended large and small drums. The musicians had also

timbrels and sounding stones, as well as pan-pipes and flutes.
The instrument which I translate " timbrel, " was a little drum
with a handle to it, and two balls attached to it with strings.
These balls struck the parchment as the performer twisted the
handle in his hand. Chinese pedlars use a similar instrument
The baton, according to Dr. Legge's description,
to this day.

was a wooden clapper

tiger,

drawn as a
.

the signal to stop a

wooden

figure like a

with a toothed ridge on his back, along which a stick was

signal to the players to stop.

It

must be remembered

that the performers were blind.

Liu Yiian has an excursus on the fact that there is no music in

heaven (Purcell's epitaph, " He is gone where only his music will
be excelled," would be out of place in China) and no scents, how
and that, therefore, it is necessary
a Chinaman must enjoy that
to employ either the odour of sacrifice or the sweet sounds of
!

music

The

to

tempt the

visitors,

spirits

of the blest to revisit the earth.

according to the same commentator, were the

feudal Princes and the representative of the late dynasty.

No.

6.

This hymn is said to have been sung when the King presented
a fish in the ancestral temple, a ceremony which took place, either
at the beginning of winter, or in the first month of spring, when the
sturgeon make their appearance. (See Dr. Legge's note on the piece.)

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

471

7.

THE ROYAL ANTHEM.

I.

The princely guests have come they stand around

The altar, in its offerings to unite.
The King, with face of gravity profound,
;

Begins decorously the sacred

rite.

2.

A noble bull

"

lay before thy shrine,

While friends assist me in the service done.

August and mighty sire from realms divine.
Comfort me now, your true, your reverent son.
Liu Yuan, a propos of the hymn, has a long dissertation on the
remembering humanity even in sacrificing victims.

necessity of

He

says, that in

old times the cattle used in sacrifice were not

those harnessed to the plough,

and

that dogs offered at the altar

He

were not those who had guarded the house.

Confucius's tender-heartedness

and fished with a rod and

flying,

The fishes in
Yu H^, snouted

the

carp

the Tiao

jS,j[^

all

line,

piece are

the

also quotes

he only shot
and not a net.

that

Chan ^,2,

the

at

birds

sturgeon,

the

CKang |^, yellow

YenQ^, mud-fish, and the

or sword-fish dolphin

jaws (Legge^jOr bleak (Zottoli)

Zi II

in

the

of which we have met before.

described as a long, narrow

fish.

We

have also

Pfere Zottoli calls

a trichiurus.
I venture to it make an eel.
The rivers Ch'i and
Ch'ou we have also had mentioned before. They are tributaries
of the Yellow River.
To judge from this hymn, a theory which I
have lately heard, that the Yellow River only produces one kind of
fish, does not seem to bear the stamp of truth.
" Stews " is my translation of Ch'en
which was apparently
it

an
it

artificial

wooden breeding-place

was to afford the

This
book.

fish

for fish.

warmth, which

Dr. Legge says that

doubt.

No. 7.
hymn is the most solemn and reverential of all in this
The Preface says that it was appropriate to the Ti |^ or
,

CHINESE POETRY.

472

3"

In wisdom thou the

man

didst ever play

Endowed wast thou with

arts of

war and peace

heaven rejoiced to watch thy peaceful sway,

And granted blessings which shall never cease.

Till

4-

" I live
I

till

am

shaggy brows conceal

with countless

gifts

To thee, then, famous sire, I

To her, who nobly shared
No.

my eyes

made

blest

and

great.

sacrifice.

thy throne and State.

8.

THE PRINCES AT THE

SACRIFICE.

I.

The

Princes

And

learn his will with reverence meet,

come

Obedient to

their lord to greet,

their

King.

Their dragon-'broidered banners fly

And glance o'erhead and merrily
The small bells chime and ring.
;

The burnished
It

is,

rein-gear glitters bright.

in sooth, a glorious sight.

The commentators are divided in

who conducted the ceremony was King
The beings to whom worship was paid

great quinquennial sacrifice.

opinion whether the King

Wu

or King Ch^ng.
were indisputably the shades of King Wen and his
Legge has an exhaustive note on this piece, q.v.)
In the Confucian " Analects," Book III., Chaps,
there are allusions to " the Great Sacrifice."

and

x.

xi.,

Confucius says that

and declared

he had no wish to look on at

ignorant of the meaning of it.

He

book, he speaks of the use of this

hymn by any one but

it,

(Dr.

wife.

that

he was

intended to point out that

the rulers of his own State, the State of Lu, had no right to usurp
a rite, which was too solemn to be performed by any one but the
Moreover, in the second chapter of the same
sovereign himself.
as a usurpation of the royal rites.

the

King

CHINESE POETRY.

473

2.

He

leads

them

to his father's shrine,

The honoured founder

In

filial

His

And
But

sire

of his

and prays

love he kneels

may

line.

grant him length of days

majesty which knows no end,

will

from age to age descend.

Though blessings manifold and great

Are showered on him who rules the State,
Yet none can equal

this.

To know this happiness is due

To trusted friends and followers true.
Who furnish many a fresh delight.
And joys increasing, pure, and bright.

An

endless source of

No.

bliss.

9.

THE ARRIVAL OF DUKE SUNG.

I.

My

noble friend,

my

noble friend

White royal steeds obey his rein.

His stately henchmen him attend.
And form for him a seemly train.

No.
This

hymn was

evidently sung

8.

when

the feudal Princes

came

Court to pay homage, and to receive the King's commands.

The Preface states that it belongs to the time of King Cheng, and
that it was sung on the first occasion of the Princes coming to
to

assist in

the sacrifice to

King Wu.

(Dr. Legge's notes should

again be consulted.)

The

last

sentence in the

that I have expressed

its

hymn
No.

The

is

little

obscure, but I think

meaning.
9.

reader would be inclined to place this piece in one of the

CHINESE POETRY.

474

2.

Short are the hours we pass together

He can but stay two nights or four.
Bring hither ropes his steeds to tether,
;

Until he journeys forth once more.

3-

Escorted on his

And

way by me,

honoured as befits our guest

Such worth has he,
heaven's full blessing on him rest.

Shall he be then.

May

and to accept it as a poem in welcome of some

honoured guest
but its position among the hymns, and the
mention of the white horses, on which I have a note below, lead
all the commentators to say that the poem is in honour of Duke
Sung, who had come as the representative of the Shang dynasty
earlier parts,

King ChSng at a royal sacrifice.

Duke Sung J^ originally Viscount Wei 1^
man on the mother's side of Chou Hsin, the

to assist

last

was a

kins-

king of the

Shang dynasty. In concert with Viscount CAi

-^ and Pi
Kan
he endeavoured to warn the King of his folly, and
to dissuade him from his tyranny, but without avail.
Viscount
Chi was imprisoned, and Pi Kan cruelly slaughtered, while
Viscount Wei made his escape. After the Shang dynasty was

^^

overthrown he was made Duke of Sung. (See Mayers' " Chinese

Readers' Manual," arts. 844, 552, and 242 a, and Dr. Legge's
notes on this hymn.)

The

first

stanza

is

corrupt.

"^

Yi, in this classic, is usually a

no meaning ; but Dr. Legge makes it mean

here " also," which he enlarges into " like his ancestors." It
appears that white was the royal colour in the Shang dynasty, as
red was in the Chou. Yellow, as is well known, is the Imperial
colour now.
particle conveying

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

475

lo.

HYMN TO KING WU.

Oh

King Wu,

great

right royally thy glorious

work was

done.

To

thee the proper path

sire,

he showed, thy accomplished

King Wen.

He gave thee as inheritance to conquer Yin, to stay

Their cruelty, and leave a name, which shall not pass
away.

It

is

said that this

performed

No.
hymn was

in the ancestral

lo.
the prelude to a sacred

temple

in

honour of King Wu.

dance

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

Ib.

This book contains eleven

No.

477

pieces,

or hymns.

I.

KING CHENG'S MEDITATIONS. No

i.

I.

A burden far too wearisome and great

Lies upon me,

who am

little child,

Left heart-sick and alone to rule this State,

And tame

now

the people

disturbed and wild.

2.

Like thee, great father, ever let me be.

For thou through life a filial heart didst shew.
Thy thoughts were of thy mighty sire, as he
Were present moving in thy Courts below.
3-

And

though weak and feeble, feel the need

reverence and the homage due
To you, ye mighty kings, whom I succeed.
Yea, night and day I'll ever think on you.
I,

Of showing

No.

I.

book are touching expressions of

The first few
humility, to which King Chgng gave vent, as he worshipped after
the mourning for his father was at an end, or when he took over
the reins of Government from his uncle, Duke Chou, who had
pieces of this

been acting as Regent. This hymn is addressed

King Wu, and to the rest of his ancestors.

to his father,

CHINESE POETRY.

478

No.

2.

KING CHENG'S MEDITATIONS. No

Father, as

mount thy

2.

throne,

Whence thy spirit now has flown,

To be shrined in bliss on high.
In blind eagerness

try

To
By

complete the schemes designed

thy sage far-seeing mind.
'Tis for naught I strive and strain,

All

my

efforts are in vain.

Though

I start

my

Folly leads

on wisdom's way,
steps astray.

Can a weakling such as I

Bear the stress of sovereignty ?
May, oh may this gift be given.
Let thy sainted soul from heaven
Still

these palace courts pervade.

Bringing comfort, bringing

Till thy
Is

My

my

wisdom

instruction

translation of this

be akin

to the

clear

and

my

No. 2.
hymn is somewhat

one before

it,

and

is

aid.

and bright
light.

free.

It appears to

addressed to the shade of

King WSn.
Liu Yiian
rebellion of

that

states

Wu King ^

hymn was composed

the

J^

after

the

In the Preface to the " Classic of

when King Wu had conquered

had destroyed the Shang dynasty, he appointed Wu

History," Confucius notes that

Yin,

i. e.

Keng, a member of the deposed royal family, to be a feudal

and the representative of the Shang family. A few
" King Cheng, having made an end of the
sections later he says
appointment of Yin, and having put Wu Keng to death, appointed
Ch'i |,J the Viscount of Wei (the subject of No. 9 of the last
Prince,

book) to take the place of the descendants of Yin." From this

we are to infer that Wu K^ng made an unsuccessful attempt to
recover the throne for his

own

family.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

479

3.

KING CHENG'S MEDITATIONS. No.

Oh

would that I might learn true reverence

For though the will of Heaven is manifest,

3.

hard to satisfy each stern decree.

Nor will I plead that heaven is high aloft,
Beyond my ken it is about my path,
About my ways, and marks each deed I do.
I, weak and young, am but a feeble child.
Too dull to know what reverence may mean.
But onward day by day and month by month
'Tis

my

flickering gleams of sense

lamp of wisdom pure and bright.
Help me to bear these burdens. Powers Divine,
That men may glorify my virtuous acts.
I press, until

Shall shine a

No.

4.

KING CHENG'S CONFESSION.

I.

My

days have been passed in

Which brought but grief in

But now

I will sin

folly,
its train.

no longer

To, suffer such needless pain.

No.
According to the Preface,
the

King by

his ministers.

3.

this piece is

Even

if this

a caution addressed to
is

so, the first six lines

only can be interpreted in this sense, and the remainder must be

the King's reply to them.
I prefer to follow Dr. Legge, and to

make
or the

all spoken by the King as a hymn addressed

Supreme Being.

it

No. 4.
The commentators seem agreed that

in this piece

to heaven,

King Cheng

expresses his regret for his unworthy suspicions of his uncle,

CHINESE POETRY.

48o

2.

Like a child I played with an insect,

And thought it a harmless thing,
Till I placed

And

found

my
it

upon it.
could fly and sting.
fingers

3-

To

carry the cares of the

Is

my

Till the savour of life

And

kingdom

burden designed by

fate

is bitter,

I faint ^neath the

crushing weight.

Wu Keng and his adheby rebelling against him.

Two of the Chinese lines are very obscure. They run, At
first, indeed, that was a feach insect, but it took flight and
became a bird." Dr. Legge says that peach insect means a wren,
which took wing and became a large bird. To get stung by a
wasp, which looked like a wren and turned out a hawk, is sugDuke Chou, and
who repaid

rents,

for his partiality for

his leniency

','

Liu Yiian

gestive of nightmare, not to say delirium tremens.

says that the peach insect

is

a grub which

adds that such metamorphoses are not

me

that

by

far the easiest

becomes a

uncommon

way out of the

It

difficulty is to

bird,

and

seems

make

to

the

peach insect a harmless beetle, with which the subject of the

ode thought he was playing, until he suddenly found that the
It is
creature was a wasp, which took to flight and stung him.
not straining the Chinese language to make Niao ,^ mean "a
,

flying creature."
It may be noted that there is nothing in the wording
poem to show that the sense is metaphorical rather than
The word which we translate " kingdom," is only
which has many other meanings. Leave this out, or slur

and there

of the
literal.

Chia,

over

it

then nothing to indicate that the King is

the subject of the piece, or that anything is meant beyond the
self-accusations of some one who has foolishly got stung.
For
as corrupt,

is

the benefit of literal-minded persons I offer the following flippant

lines

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

481

5.

HARVEST HYMN. No.

'Tis time to pluck

away

i.

the weeds,

For spring is coming now.

Root up the bushes, that the ground

Be

cleared to take the plough.

To

pull the roots the hinds appear

Their gangs in thousands come.
Some on the banked-up meadows work.
And in the marshes some.
;

3-

None may be absent at this

The master and his heir.

tide.

Yea, lads and babes, with labouring

Stalwart and strong, are there.

men

" I was playing about like a fool, though I will not do so again,

With the business end of a wasp,

till

my

language became

profane.
I had never supposed, not I,
I thought it could only creep
That the beastly thing was possessed of a sting, and had wings
;

wherewith to fly.
Experience teaches, they say, and

know now

that wasps have

stings.

But the knowledge

is

painful

and

bitter.

Oh, d

n the

nature

of things."

There
cheerful
in the

equally

is

little

No. S.
hymn about this, which is all
The Preface states that
piece.

of a

and pleasing

the same a
it

when the King prayed to the spirits.

appropriate to the autumn thanksgiving.

spring,

was used
seems

It

CHINESE POETRY.

482

4.

How

merrily they eat the meals

Their loving wives prepare.

The

upon the sunny slopes

clods

Yield to the ploughman's share.

5-

Each seed contains the germ of life.

We sow the various grain
j

And

soon in long unbroken lines

Our crops bedeck

the plain.

6.

Luxuriantly the young shoots rise

So fresh, so green and gay.
But let us step between the stalks
To pluck the weeds away.
7-

Hurrah

They

in troops the reapers

pile the

Till hundreds, thousands,

Of

stacks around us

From

these

we

come

sheaves on high,

fail

myriads

lie.

not to

distil

Sweet spirits, and the wine

To pour before our holy shades,

And
My

translation

serve for rites divine.

is

tolerably

structure of the original, which

Stanza

which

2.

free,
is

and

scarcely

the

follows

not divided into stanzas.

The word for banked-up meadows

is

CMn

H^, dykes,

think in this place connotes the land inside the dykes.

"How

merrily they eat the meals" is rather

Stanza 4.
refined than the Chinese version, " what a gobbling there

more
is

of

the food brought to them."

The

praise of strong drink in the latter part of the

poem

will

CHINESE POETRY.

483

9-

For happy

is

the realm which

knows

The fragrance wine imparts.

The old revive, when grateful fumes
Of wine refresh their hearts.
10.

It

is

not now, nor here alone,

Such

gifts are sent

Which has from year

by heaven,
to year to us

Its choicest blessings given.

No.

6.

HARVEST HYMN. No.

2.

I.

Sharp and keen

To

is

each trusty share

when the sun's fierce glare

Has baked the earth to a solid crust.
So through the furrows the blades we thrust,
And we sow the various kinds of seeds.
Each tiny grain has its germ of life.
cleave the clods,

And as the husbandman's work proceeds,

His meals are brought by a child or wife,
Whose duty it is for the men to care
And carry them food, as they labour there.
remind the reader of Burns's address to John Barleycorn. My
" Fragrant is the
9th stanza runs thus in the Chinese version
smell of the wine, enhancing the glory of the State. It has a
smell like pepper for'the comfort of the aged."
:

No.

6.

This hymn, again, in the Chinese version,

is

divided into

paragraphs only, not stanzas.

The mention

of the bull slain

I

in sacrifice denotes, say the

CHINESE POETRY.

484

2.

Then

their h'ght splint hats on their brows they

along the corn-lands their hoes they ply,
That the weeds may be carefully cleared away,

tie,

And

Which

in rotting

That the

millet

heaps on the ground they lay

may grow

luxuriantly,

3-

Now

through the harvest the reapers go.

With a pleasant rustle the millet falls
;

And we stack the sheaves in a serried row

As high and strong as our city walls.

A hundred
Are

filled

granaries broad and wide

with the grain which our fields provide,
4-

No

fear

we

feel

when our barns

are full

That children and wives may have nought

And we kill a tawny crooked-hbrned bull,

to eat.

To

thank the gods with an offering meet*

For our fathers of yore would have thanked them
Shall such grateful rites be forgot by us ?

___

__^^____

Chinese commentators, that

who

thus.

hjnnn was sung by the King,

was the only person in the realm entitled to offer a bull in
this

This hymn was, therefore, probably sung at the

Harvest Festival in the autumn.
Stanza i, " His meals are brought by a child or wife," is my
paraphrase for " There are those who come to see them with

sacrifice.

round or square baskets, containing

Yiian says that those
inspectors,

who come

who come
in

to

rations

see

to

of millet."

Liu

them are the

royal

see that the King's interests are

and his land properly cultivated. We

have had these officers mentioned before in I,, xv., i. I prefer
to follow Dr. Legge, and make it the wives and children who

properly looked

bring the

after,

men their meals, as in the last

The weeds are the T'u

part.

thistle, and the Liao ^,

polygonum or smartweed. Dr. Legge calls one smartweed on
dry lahd, and the other smartweed on wet.

Stanza

2.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

485

7.

PREPARATIONS FOR SACRIFICIAL RITES.

In silken garments bright and clean,
His cap on head, with reverent mien,

He

how each

notes

thing in the hall

Stands ready for the festival.

Next, he descends the palace stair.
Yes, sheep and oxen, all are there.
Vases and bowls are on the board.
And tripods, wherein wine is stored.
For these he takes our purest wine

As

fittest for

the rites divine.

When we the sacrifice begin,

No strife is heard, no angry din.
Old men
Prevails,

Stanza 3.

"A

rejoice to see that peace

and

disorders cease.

all

hundred

granaries''

is,

literally,

"a hundred

houses," which the Chinese version says are opened (to receive

Liu Yuan alleges that the houses would be closed

and would only be opened when the grain is ready
Dr. Legge (see his notes) remarks that the " hundred
for them.
houses" were the houses of a hundred families constituting

the grain).

in the spring,

a clan.

No.
Dr. Legge

calls this

the feast after

it.

"

The

An

7.

ode appropriate to a

Preface says that

it

sacrifice

and

relates to the enter-

Liu Yiian asserts that

were bidden to a feast,

tainment of the personators of the dead.

after the great sacrifices, the

and

that this

hymn

ment, a view which

Among

aged

men

refers to the preparations for their refresh^

I

am

inclined to take.

the vessels mentioned in the Chinese version

is

the

Dr. Legge says that this

bowl, or cup, made of rhinoceros-horn.
cup " was drunk as a punishment, but we are now to conceive of it

no occasion to resort to it." Surely this is

The Doctor apparently forgets that
kind are usually exacted merrily, and paid good

as standing idly with

needless

forfeits

refinement.

of this

CHINESE POETRY.

486

No.

8.

HYMN TO KING WU. No.

2.

I.

When

the days were dark and

evil,

and tyranny reigned

and wrong.

King

Wu

in secret

worked

till

our glorious army was

strong.

Then a

morning dawned, when the sun shone out

and bright.
So he did on his royal armour, and girded himself for the
fairer

clear

fight.
2.

On

us has the favour of heaven descended, for

we have

received

The power and

strength which the

King

in his martial

might achieved.
Then be it our duty to deal aright with these boons, and
strive

To do what

the monarch did, in the days

when he was

alive.

humouredly.
" An auspice

make

it,

He

translates ]S9

;^

this of great longevity."

ffc

It

Hu

K'ao Chih Usui,

seems to

me

simpler to

" For the comfort of the aged !"

.,The Chinese name

No.

8.

is Cho 5
"to deliberate."
This word does not occur in the piece itself. It is suggested
that the proper name is Cho
which is the name of a dance

of this piece

(see Dr. Legge's notes),

and

that the

hymn was

the prelude to a

pyrrhic or martial dance, intended to represent pantomimically

King Wu. The authorship of the hymn is

King Chou.
Yung Ta
I have followed Dr. Legge in translating J^ j^
Liu Yuan's explanation
Chieh, " He put on his royal armour."
" He undertook the great work of aiding " (heaven to overis
the achievements of
assigned to

throw the

tyrant).

'

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

487

9.

HYMN TO KING WU. No.

3.

Throughout our myriad regions

Both peace and plenty reign,
To show that heaven still loves us,
Its favour

we

King Wu, our

retain.

martial monarch,

Had followers tried and true.

He bade them guide his kingdom,
He taught them what to do.
heaven had made him glorious,
that he alone.
Who drove out our oppressors
Should sit upon the throne.

Till

And showed

No.

10.

HYMN TO KING WEN. No.

4.

As heavenly wisdom deems

it meet and right

That I, the son
Of him whose earnest and untiring might
The kingdom won,
Should rule his country, let me always cherish

A thought of him.
Nor

let his

glory and his virtues

His name grow dim.

No.
This hymn

perish.

9.

supposed to have been sung at the conclusion of

the pyrrhic dance, to which the last piece was the prelude.
I
is

dare say that this theory

is

correct, as the

and prosperity which prevailed

the achievements of King Wu.

lasting peace

thanks to

No.
This

hymn

is

said by

some

to

poem
all

represents the

over the country,

10.

be connected with the dance

CHINESE POETRY.

488

To

give his people such tranquillity

As

lasts for ever

King W^n's descendant's only wish

shall

be

His sole endeavour.

No.

II.

THE GREATNESS OF THE KINGDOM.

Now

is proud and great,

Royal State.
Climb our mountains steep and high,
Choose the highest peaks, and try,
Is there aught that meets the eye
Gazing on the plain below
Save the mighty state of Chou ?
Take a boat, and in it ride

As

our realm

befits the

Down
Still

the Ho's strong flowing tide.

the lands on either side

All are ours

Which

the

the vast domains

House of Chou

retains.

during which the two last hymus were sung, but the connection is
not evident, especially as the hymn is in honour of King Wen,not of King
says that

it

Wu.

I prefer

the explanation of the Preface, which

contains the words with which

his grants of fiefs

and appanages

King

Wu

accompanied

to his chieftains in the ancestral

temple.

No.

hymn

II.

supposed to have been sung on the occasion of a

royal progress through the kingdom, perhaps in the reign of King
Wu, but more probably in that of king Ch6ng. Liu Yiian points
out that to the mountains sacrifices would be paid, and on the
banks of the river cities and towns would be built.
This

is

Dr. Legge translates

think that the word only

^ " " regulated,"

Hsi
means

full

flowing."

"

embanked."

CHINESE POETRY.
Book

489

II.

Eulogies collected in the land of Lu.

See

the prefatory note to this Part.

pointed out that

which constitute

it

is

In this

have already

impossible to call the four pieces

book, or at any rate the

this

first

three of

them, hymns, although the Chinese compilers include them

under

Sung ^,

for

which, elsewhere, the word "

a further difficulty in regard to this book.

Hymns

to

be used

How

Hymns.

in the land ol

they were used there,

how

Lu,

One

in
is

this classic

that

It is applied

then came Royal

Moreover,

if

did a compiler so jealously

conservative of kingly privileges as

them

is

The term Sung presents

certainly the nearest equivalent.

exclusively to Royal

hymns "

Confucius include

Several explanations are offered.

when the Duke of Chou was acting as Regent

made his son Po Ch'in

during King Chang's minority, he

fg

feudal Ruler, and that the

was permitted
the King's
pieces
B.C.

cousin.

book

to

The
the

Preface attributes

time of

being

all

Duke Hsi

the

^S

658-626, which would be during the reigns of Kings

Huei ^, and Hsiang

the first piece in this

g,.

It states in its introduction to

book that

permission of the suzerain.

however,
this

Hymns

in his territory, in consideration of his

first

this

in

use of Royal

is,

in

my

book belongs

it

Dr.

was made by

opinion, the correct one.

in reality to Part

I.,

in

no ballads of the State of Lu, and that

Part IV.

is

an

special

Legge's explanation,
It is that

which there are

its

inclusion in

error.

Lu, which by the

way was

includes a portion of the

the country of Confucius,

modern Province of Shantung.

CHINESE POETRVi

49

No.

I.

THE MARQUIS'S HORSES.

The

careful

man, who keeps the thought of duty

in his

breast,

And

never wearies, never

With

blessings fairly won.

tires, shall

As

be most surely

blest

proof behold the gallant

steeds.

Which on

the distant frontier wilds our lord, the Marquis,

feeds.

The

about the plain.

stallions graze

No

colour that

is

known
Is

wanting there.

His droves contain the chestnut and

the roan,

The spotted, piebald, skewbald, the dun, the dappled-grey,

The mottled-brown, the creamy-white, the dark red, and
the bay.
Yes, coursers of the white-flanked breed with wall-eyed
steeds are there.

The

size,

the sleekness of them

No.
I have made
which consists of four

all is

owing to

his care.

I.

no attempt to follow the structure of the original,

stanzas.

These, like those of so

many

pieces of the earlier parts of this classic, have a burden or refrain

at the beginning

and end of each

verse, each final refrain being

slightly varied.

The Marquis, to whom the horses belonged, is said to have

been the Duke Hsi, just mentioned in the introductory note to
this book, though there is nothing in the ballad itself to show this
The
horses

student
is

who

cares to

study the exact colour of these

referred to Dr. Legge's notes.

The

doctor gives the

and white breeched. 2. Light

black.
Bay.
yellow.
4.
and white!
3. Pure
5. Green
8. Dappled grey.
6. Yellow and white.
7. Yellowish red.
White, and black maned.
10.
as with scales.
9. Flecked
12. Black
and white maned.
II. Red and black maned,
following

colours

i.

Black

CHINESE POETRY.

491

Unceasingly he tends them, so no wonder the/ are strong,

docile, and untiring, as they draw his car along.
So looking on his teams we say, " He shows us what is

And

wrought

By industry and foresight, and by wise and

No.

careful thought."

2.

A FESTIVAL AT THE COURT OF

Their chariots speed along the

Drawn by

four stallions

Sleek, stout

They

way

brown or

grey.

and strong these coursers seem

lords repair

To greet their Prince, who bids them

The wine and dainties he supplies
To nobles who are good and wise.

13.

Cream

It is

16.

form, in sooth, a splendid team.

Thus morn and eve the

legs.

LU.

coloured.

With

14.

Red and

white.

15.

share

With white

hairy

fishes' eyes.

indeed a tour de force to run

all

these into verse.

am

forced to content myself with thirteen equivalents, hoping that

the words " piebald, skewbald, and spotted," will cover a good

Any one who has seen a drove of ponies in

Mongolia has seen there animals whose colours and markings
he would find it difficult to define.
i. Horses
Mao Ch'i Ling divides the horses into four classes
for the state chariot, which would be used when the Mar2. War horses.
quis went to Court or to a solemn sacrifice.
deal of ground.

3.

Hunters.

4.

Packhorses.

Liu Yiian suggests that this ballad was used as a

(See II., iii., 6).
sacrifice to the god of horses.

No.

hymn

at

2.

again ascribed by the Preface to the time of Duke

Liu Yuan goes
Hsi, and by Liu Yiian to the time of Po Ch'in.

This piece

is

CHINESE POETRY.

492

Like egrets sailing through the sky

We

see these nobles glancing by.

As from

their chariots they descend

With

around

As

all

their splendours blend.

flocks of egrets

when they

light.

Make_the expanse of meadows white.

We listen to the drums' deep sound,
As Prince and noble pass around

The

cups with choicest liquor crowned.

With dances and with revelry

The merry hours go gliding by,
Until some noble rising says,
" Oh, may our Prince know prosperous
The virtues which in him now shine

days.

Shall ne'er be wanting in his line."

Thus has the

And home

on

feast its fitting end,

once more the nobles wend.

represents a feast held after the harvest thankswere invited to the Court. According to him, if
it was not used on the occasion of a solemn ceremony the piece
would not be among the hymns,
The Chinese commentators made a good deal out of the
These birds, Chou Hsi remarks, are not only beautiful
egrets.
Dr. Legge translates the line
but- methodical in their motions.
to say that

giving,

B?

when

it

all

^^^"' ^^"^

If

return home."

^^"'

"

They drink

to the full,

and then

He

notes that this expression intimates that the

festivity was conducted with decency and order.
Liu Yiian, on

means that no one was allowed to

he was fou, in the Scotch sense. Tsui certainly, as a

the contrary, says that the line

depart
rule,

till

means

intoxicated.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

493

3.

THE SEMI-CIRCULAR

POOL.

This crescent water is a pleasant sight,

With herbs and mallows growing green thereby.
And here our Prince, the Marquis, shall alight.
O'erhead his flags with 'broidered dragons fly.
His coursers' bells are tinkling merrily.

His subjects, great and small compose his

He presses on this pleasant spot to gain.

train.

2.

For 'tis indeed a pleasant spot to view;

This curving pool round which the cresses grow.
Here let us welcome him, the lord of Lu,
Whose steed's and chariots are a glorious show
But far more glorious is his fame, we know.
With gracious smiles and aspect grave and bland,
To those around he issues his command.
,

No.
The

for the Subject of the

tions against the

both
"

3.

reader has again a choice between

in the

The

poem.

seems

Duke Hsi and Po

that' there

barbarous tribes of Huai (see

time of

Po

Ch'in,

semi-circular pool "

say

It

and
is

in the time of

the

name

Ch'in

were expedi-

III.,

Duke

iii.,

8, 9),

Hsi.

of a college, or hall of

by von Strauss in
which was a pond in the shape of a half moon. In III.,
i., 8, mention is made of a pavilion surrounded by water called
Fi Yung JB^ Jif Such a pavilion and circular pond were royal.

learning

the commentators, followed

front of

Feudal Princes might only have a hall

semi-circular sheet of water, in front.

place

is

given in

Kung

Pan \^
know why this

with a

I scarcely

It seems to me that the only teaching

was the orders given by the Prince to the commanders

called a college.
it

of his forces,

and

to his counsellors.

circular piece of water is

Still,

to this day, a semi-

found in front of Confucian temples,

CHINESE POETRY.

494

3-

Yes, pleasantly these crescent waters lie.

pluck the mallows growing on the brink.

We

Be such long

As

life

our Prince's destiny

mortals rarely have.

'Tis right,

we

That he who comes our generous wine

Should win such blessings,

Of virtue.

Him

for

think,
to drink

he treads the way

his loving folk obey.

4-

Right admirable

our lord of Lu,

pattern to all dwellers in the State
To virtue always reverently true
is

And

both in peace and warfare really great.

His well-earned fame shall even penetrate
The realms, where dwell his ancestors in bliss.
Such pious deeds and such rewards are his.

and " To cross the semi-circular pool" is a metaphorical expression

for " To take the first literary degree."
I cannot find the
original reason for having a pool in front of a seat of learning, or
for

making the pool of

this particular shape.

have followed the division of the original poem into stanzas,

and my translation, with a few exceptions and omissions, is as
close as I can make it, but the piece is rather difficult, and no
doubt contains many corrupt passages.
I

Stanza

i.

" Herbs and mallows "

is

cress (Legge), or parsley (Zottoli).

the equivalent of

CKin ]^,

The commentators

say that

the plants mentioned in this and the two next stanzas are

understood to be allusions to the

men

all

of talent about the Marquis,

whom he was

careful to encourage.
" Cresses " is the translation of Tsao
pondweed
(Legge), or cinatophyllum (Zottoli).
Stanza 3. " Mallows '' on this occasion are mallows
Alao.
Lin Yiian says, in reference to the Marquis's drinking, that he

Stanza

2.

was not so
State,

who

much

drinking himself as regaling the old men of the

appropriately wish him a longer life than

in return

that usually granted to mortals.

CHINESE POETRY.

495

5-

A nd
He

that his glories

built this hall,

In token that his

may

be ne'er forgot,
this water flows.

by which

name

shall perish not.

'Twas he that conquered our barbarian foes.

His generals, brave as tigers, here depose
Their blood-stained tokens, while his judges try
Rebels,

who

dare his Government defy.

6.

His skilful leaders did their duty well.

Right valiantly did they assert his sway.
The tribes from east and south did they expel
By dint of martial might and war's array.
Here in this hall, their trophies they display.
No need to question what rewards are meet
For those who lay such war-spoils at his feet.

Stanza 5. Dr. Legge makes the

poem from

onwards
an auspice he says
that its founder will conquer the barbarous tribes, and so on
but the fact that the conquest is described in detail seems to me

prophetic.

The

foundation of this college

this stanza

is

sufficient to negative the idea.

The

" blood-stained tokens " are the

left

ears of the slain, as

have rather slurred the translation of

the last two lines of the stanza.
They are, " His skilful examiners,
like Kao Yao (he was the Minister of Crime in the reign of Shun,
and had the control of the barbarous tribes of the frontier. See
Mayers' Chinese "Readers' Manual," Art, 242), present their
described in III.,

i.,

7.

prisoners in (the college of) the semi-circular pool."

Dr. Legge translates the

is a difficult verse.
of the original, " Vigorous and grand, without noise

Stanza 6. This
last four lines

or display, without having appealed to the judges, they will here

Surely to apply the phrase,

present the proofs of their merit."
" without noise or display " to officers returning in triumph, is to

introduce an incongruity,

if

not a contradiction.

^" noise," say,

some other word for JTm

and make the line, " Are they not
stitute

would sub-

^^Jj^, "martial,"

martial, are they not glorious?"

CHINESE POETRY.

496

7-

His archers drew their strong horn-stiffened bows.

With whistling sounds we heard the arrows fly.
The huge war-chariots rushed upon the foes.
Horsemen and footmen fought untiringly
Until they vanquished all the tribes of Huai.
So well and thoughtfully his plans were laid,
These savage tribes all yielded and obeyed.
8.

The owls

in flocks

come

flying through the air

To settle on the trees about this hall,

To feast upon the mulberries growing
And utter notes so sweet and musical.
Wild

tribes,

there,

no more to barbarous ways a

thrall,

Shall bring as tribute what they most do prize,

Their

tortoise-shells, their

gold and

ivories.

But I have only my own authority for doing this. " Without
appealing to the judges " means, according to Dr. Legge, that no
leader disputed the claims of another.

Stanza 8. According to Dr. Legge, and the commentators,

" the owl is a bird with a disagreeable scream, instead of a
beautiful note

would make

it

but the mulberries grown about the college of

And

sing delightfully."

Lu

so would the influence of

Lu, going forth from the college, transform the nature of the wild
tribes
this

about the Huai.

Those scholars had evidently never read

quotation from Aurora Leigh

" Melodious owls

(If music

had but one note, and

'twas sad,

'T would sound just so)."

I think the idea of a

melodious owl more natural than that of a

converted owl.
tribute of gold and ivory brought by the Huai tribes, who
on the sea-board, was, a Chinese friend suggests, not the
produce of the country itself, but articles imported thither over
Certainly, no gold mines are known to exist in Kiangsu
sea.
(though gold is found in Shantung) now. Still less are elephants
found there.

The

lived

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

497

4.

THE TEMPLE BUILT BY DUKE

HSI.

I.

How solemn are these temples

How strong, how fairly wrought.
;

Within their calm recesses

Let us recall in thought
Our great ones and our heroes,

Who

lived in days of old,

The wonders

On

of our nation

glory's scroll enrolled.

2.

First there

was Hou

Chi's mother,

Whose stainless virtue won

From Heaven above such favour
That when her months were run,

No pang

no throe distressed her;

She painlessly gave

To

her blest son,

The

birth

who taught

No.

4.

This long and diffuse ode, or saga,

Duke

Hsi,

the son of

who is mentioned
Duke Chuang

lady of the harem.

half-brother,

who

us

precious gifts of earth.

is

of course in honour of

name. Duke Hsi was

mentioned in the piece, by a

therein by
,

also

His immediate predecessor was his young

He was the son of
Duke Min

ruled as

He

only ruled for two years, for the people rebelled, and murdered him, and, according to Liu Yiian, destroyed
Duke Hsi assumed princely power, made
the ancestral temple.
the chief wife.

and rebuilt the temple. This poem was, no

It is, as I
doubt, composed on the occasion of its restoration.
said, long and diffuse, so that it is difficult to preserve the
sequence cf ideas which it is intended to convey. The original
poem consists of nine stanzas, some of eight lines, some of ten,
the rebels submit,

K K

CHINESE POETRY,

498

3.

He learnt how millet ripened,

Some early, and some late.
First pulse, then grain he planted,

To feed his tiny State

Until the whole wide country
;

Saw Yii's
And people
The

great work complete,

sowing, reaping

and wheat.

millet, rice

4-

Among Hou Chi's descendants

Was T'ai the King, and he
Made civilized the country
To southward of Mount Ch'i.
There first our revolution
Began. Kings Wen and Wu
Cut short the Shangs' oppression

Our

tyrants overthrew.
5-

From plains where raged the battle

The troops of Shang we drave.
Each man from groom to noble

Was
some of

prompt and brave.

fearless,

My

seventeen.

my

my

stanza,

first

order of the

power, though I have been

obliged to employ nineteen stanzas

greater part of

the

follows

translation

Chinese clauses to the best of

to

do

half of

my

in order

and the

first

so.

The

eighteenth

have no Chinese equivalents. I have made interpolations

two places in order to impart a consistency to the poem,
and to make it run smoothly.
stanza,

in these

Stanza
ii.,

I,

2.

Hou

Chi

is,

of course, the hero described in Part III.,

the deified inventor of agriculture.

His mother was Chiang

Yiian.

" His
however,

tiny State "

is

my

rendering of Hsia

according to Liu

equivalent of

THen Hsia 5^

Yuan and

T'

"^

Kuo "f

others,

g|

which

should be the

under heaven."

CHINESE POETRY.

We knew that heaven

" Doubt
"

We

for us.

not," our warriors cried,

beat them,

Heaven

was

499

fights

we

shall

upon our

conquer
side."

6.

When

the

The

kingdom was

established,

won,
"My uncle," said the monarch,
" I name your eldest son
To be Lu's Lord and Marquis
His country I enlarge
final victory

To

rule in fealty to us

The

State he has in charge."

7.

The eastern land he governed,

The rivers and the plains.
The mountains, and the regions
Annexed to his domains.
.Duke Chuang's son his descendant.
With banners flying high.
In a car with six strong horses

To
Stanza

the sacrifice draws nigh.

"Yii's great

3.

work" was of course draining the

(See Mayers' "Chinese Readers'

deluge away, bc. 2286-2278.

Manual,"

art,

931.)

King, see III., i., 7, where his achieveLiu Yiian notes that the first attack on
the suzerainty of the Shang dynasty was the assumption by T'ai
Stanza

4.

For

T'ai, the

ments are described.

of the

title

of

Wang

or King.

Kings

Wen

and

Wu

scarcely

require a note.

Stanza

5.

deserts of

"The

Mu

%,.

plains

where raged the

battle,"

(See the conclusion of III.,

i.,

were the

2.)

" The monarch was King Cheng. The uncle was

of course the Duke of Chou, whose eldest son, Po Ch'in, was the
first ruler of the State of Lu.
Stanza

6.

''

K K

CHINESE POETRY.

In spring, and in the autumn

He never fails to pay

His vows to the Almighty,
To great Hou Chi to pray.

He

slays the choicest victim.

As

the

Holy Ones approve,

Who

bestow on him their blessings

And tokens of their love.
9-

At

autumn
For blessings on the land,
With horntips capped and harmless,
the sacrifice of

Before the altar stand

The white

bull and the red bull

While soup and shredded meat
On frames and trenchers of bamboo,
And mighty goblets are in view

To make the feast complete.

And to promote our merriment,
The
Stanza

7.

Fu Yung

"The

Pfj'

^,

dancers' nimble feet.

regions attached to

his

domain" were

small dependencies, whose

the

chiefs could not

appear before the King except in the train of one of the feudal
Princes.
(See Dr. Legge's notes on " Confucian Analects,"

Book XVI. Chap, i.)

Stanza 8. " The Holy Ones,"

are the spirits of

Duke Chou and

other ancestors.

Stanza

9.

" The White Bull " (white was then the royal

indicates the offering to

Duke Chou

"

The Red

colour),

Bull," the offering

The exigencies of
to Po Ch'in and other deceased rulers of Lu.
rhyme and metre have driven me to slur over the accessories of
There was first of all a goblet, Hsi Tsun
the sacrifice.
^,
which was either shaped like a bull or had the figure of a bull
engraved on it. Pfere Zottoli gives illustrations of both of these.
Then there was barbecued pig, minced meat, and soup, trenchers

CHINESE POETRY.

501

10.

The Powers will make you

Long lived and good and

prosperous,
great,

To guard the eastern region.

To rule for years this State,
Unvexed, unmov^ed,

Though

To

length of

unfallen.
life

extend

the ages of the mountains,

These Powers

shall be

your

friend.

II.

Your

chariots are a thousand

In every car

is

seen

A-spearsman clad

in scarlet.

An archer clothed in green.

And your footmen thirty thousand

Their helmets have red rows

Of shells, when strong and ardent

They go

to fight

your

foes.

12.

The tribes to west and northward,^

The men of Ching and Shu

No

longer dared withstand

Our
of

us.

martial might they knew.

bamboo and wood, and

a large frame on which to place the

trenchers.

The '^

Stanza 10.
I

understand

will

it

befriend you.''

ancestors)

will

\^

Dr.

Legge

make your

1.

The phrase

translates

P'eng,

is

obscure.

it

"

They (your

your three aged

the mountains."
But who were

friendship

(ministers), like the hills, like

the three aged ministers

Stanza

San Shou Tso

to mean, " Three generations of your ancestors

with

"

A thousand chariots,"

indicates a feudal

and most powerful order. The usual proportion of foot soldiers to chariots was as 100 to i, according to
which the army of Lu would consist of 100,006 men. Each
district of so many square miles provided 100 men, so that the
State of the,highest

CHINESE POETRY.

502

Once more we ask a

blessing

May the spirits grant you health

To live long years in grandeur
With boundless

stores of wealth.

13-

May men
Whose

old age has wrinkled,

locks are white as snow,

Befriend you.

To

such sages

Prosperity you'll owe.

May you

yourself

still

Live undisturbed by

vigorous
fears,

bushy grizzled eyebrows

Denote a myriad years.

Till

14.

On

huge summits gazing.

T'ai's

We

feel

these peaks are ours.

And Kuei and M^ng

far

eastward

Confess our sovereign powers.

E'en tribes along the sea-board

Have paid

And owned
Of our

the

homage

due,

the grand achievements

great Lord of Lu.

army contained ico,ooo men is to be taken as a

proof that the State of Lu included 1,000 such districts. I do
not imagine, all the same, that we need inquire into the Colensoic
fact that the

accuracy of these numbers.

Each

chariot contained three

men

a charioteer, a spearman with two spears ornamented with red

tassels,

and an archer whose bow was bound with green.

My

transfer of these colours to the clothes of the warriors is, I hope,

an admissible license. The " red rows of shells," too, literally, is

" rows of

shells

on vermilion

strings."

Stanza 12. Cning^^ and Shu

0.

(For CAin^,see the notes

on IL, iii., 4.) SAu is the country to the eastward of it. The
two together may be taken for the valley of the Yangtze.
Xuei
and Meng ^, are mountains in
Stanza 14. T'ai

the State of Lu.

CHINESE POETRY.

503

IS.

His rule

shall to the sea-coast

Part lands of Hsii extend.
The wildest tribes to southward

To him in fealty bend.

None venture to deny him
Allegiance, but

Obey our Lord

And

all

the Marquis,

answer to his

call.

16.

May

heaven upon our Marquis,

Its choicest gifts bestow,

That he may

rule in wisdom.
age has tinged with snow
His eyebrows that the country
Of Lu he may maintain.
Recovering all the regions
Till

Where

his fathers used to reign.

17-

To

glad our Lord the Marquis

A
We

feast

we

will provide.

place his aged mother

And
With

his lady

by

his side.

counsellors and veterans.

Oh, may he rule us long

be through many winters
!

And

Still

Stanza 15.

hearty, hale

have omitted the

and strong.
list

of

names which appears

in

the seventh stanza of the Chinese version, from which this stanza

of mine
is

Hsii

translated.

is

which

other places were

which we know,

lay

Hu

The

only place which I mention by

between

Lu and

-^ and Yi

Man,

|;^

the

two

Huai
hills

country.

This stanza

but a bit of oriental rodomontade.

is,

^j| Huat,
and |g Mt,

of Lu,

the wild tribes of the south,

the wild tribes of the north.

name
The

of course, nothing

CHINESE POETRY.

S04

8.

Our

scattered thoughts have wandered

Far from this solemn fane.
Let us once more behold it
Its beauties view again.
For this upon the mountains
The cypress and the pine
Were hewed and squared and measured,
And plumbed with rule and line.
19.

So now these huge pine rafters

Roof in each shrine and hall,

Which

brilliant and resplendent

Rise vast and wide and tall.

It

was Hsi Ssu, who

built

it

Magnificent and grand,

To be the people's wonder,

The

glory of our land.

The State of
named Chang 1/^_b^the neighand some territory named Hsii ^^ had
Duke Hsi is supposed to
of Ch'4ng g|^

Stanza 16. "Recovering

Lu had been

all

the regions," &c.

deprived of a city

bouring State of CKi

been sold to the State

recover possession of them.

The Duke's mother was Cheng Fing jf^

His
ShSng Chiang ^'|. The commentators sapiently
add that the Duke would feast with his wife and mother in the
inner apartments, while the counsellors and others would have to
eat in the outer hall.
Of course there would be some such
arrangement now-a-days, but manners were freer in old times.
Stanza 17.

wife was

The

conclusion of

Chinese version,

my

stanza

is

not quite so strong as the

which the poet expresses a wish that the

Duke may have " Hoary hair and a child's teeth."
Stanza 18. "The mountains" are Tsu lai
a^nd I/sin
2j$
in

ff-tfx

it

>

both in Lu.

Stanza 19. Hsi Ssu

^)f,

was the brother of the Marquis.

CHINESE POETRY.

Book

505

III.

Hymns of the Shang

dynasty.

The reader of course recollects that the Shang '^ dynastywas overthrown by the dynasty of Chou, in the latter
days of which

this classic

was compiled.

rather a remarkable thing that the

whose tyranny

is

It

hymns

seems to us

of the Kings,

constantly held up to execration, should

be mixed with those of the Kings who freed the country

from

their oppression.

It is as

if

the Kings of the

of Hanover included in their books of devotion

the preservation of the Stuarts.

House

hymns

for

do not forget that we

used to have in our prayer-books services to commemorate

the preservation of

King James from the Gunpowder

and the restoration of Charles

Charles

I.,

II.,

Plot,

and the execution of

but these hymns are more than commemorative,

they pray for the preservation of the royal power of Shang.

We

have already seen

IV.

(in

allowed to be in honour of

Wen, who

la. 9)

Royal

assisted at the

Shang dynasty.

the inclusion of these

hymns

seems to strike

Chinese

in

alias

is

Viscount

Sacrifices as the repre-

sentative of the extinct

the

a piece which

Duke Sung,

Neither

this,

nor

the Classic of Poetry,

critics

as

anything ex-

traordinary.

The

following account

is

given of the collection of the

The memorials of
the Shang dynasty had been kept, in the State of Sung %,
but when the country fell into disorder after the Chou
five

hymns, which compose

this

book.

dynasty had attained sovereign power, the memorials were

In the time of King P'ing, B.C. 77^-7^9, Cheng K'ao
lost.

CHINESE POETRY.

5o6

/^

IE

^. an

ancestor of Confucius, was sent from the

Court of Chou to Sung with twelve hymns to the old Kings

Shang dynasty, but history omits

hymns had originally got to Chou.

of the

twelve

had been

lost

to say

how

these

Seven of these

by the time that Confucius compiled

this

classic,

but the remainder are the five which compose this

book.

P^re Zottoli says of them, " Quinque supersunt,

eaque

ipsa, nonnihil ut judicare est, mutilata."

Dr. Legge has valuable and exhaustive notes on this

book, from which

have freely borrowed.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

507

I.

HYMN TO KING

T'ANG "THE COMPLETER." No. I.

That music may harmoniously flow

We set the drums

and tambours

in a row,

Whose

notes resounding loud and clear and sweet

charm the spirits from their blest retreati

May
Oh may these beings hear our prayers, and
To visit earth, and glad our hearts again.
So

let

The

the thundering drums the welkin

while the piercing

deign

fill,

scream sharp and shrill.

Yet let their voice soar up and heavenwards float.
In concord with " the gem that gives the note."
fifes

Such music, admirable, grand,

divine,

Befits the scion of T'ang's princely line.

The drums were beat. Huge bells rang merrily.

The dancers moved with grace and dignity,
Until delight and pleasure

filled

the breasts

Of those good friends, our well-beloved guests.

The knowledge of these mysteries we owe
To our forefathers, men of long ago.
No.

I.

Cheng T'ang j^ } "T'ang the Completer," was the founder of the Shang dynasty, " restoring humane
and virtuous government to the Empire " (Mayers). He reigned
from B.C. 176610 1754. This hymn in his honour is ascribed
who succeeded him in 1753 but,
to his son, T'ai Chia -jj^ ^

King T'ang j^, known

as

as Dr.

Legge

says, the date of this

quite uncertain.

Liu Yiian gives

T'ai Chia, saying that the

by
by

his son,

and

hymn

that, therefore,

it

and

of the following

hymns

is

a later date than the time of

celebrates the worship of T'ang

both father and son are honoured

it.

It

may be

noticed that sacrifices of meat and drink offerings

are the most important parts of the worship of the spirits of the
dead in the Chou dynasty. In the tireie of the Shang Kings

CHINESE POETRY.

5o8

No

pride,

no anger marred

With reverence they

their

fulfilled

days and nights.

these sacred

rites.

In spring, in autumn, at the appointed day

T'ang's royal offspring will not fail to pay

The
The

sacrifices
spirits'

due

may

oh,

they bring

blessing to our land and King.

No.

HYMN TO KING

2.

T'ANG,

"THE COM-

PLETER." No.

2.

Unnumbered are the blessings which descend

From our illustrious sire. They know no end

But ever day by day and year by year

We

feel his

holy presence with us here.

music was looked on as the method best calculated to entice the

spirits from their abodes on high.
It appears that the occasion of such sacrifices as that described
two bands played at the same time,
and the other outside, in the courtyard.
being guided by the CKing Shing
|^
a sounding-stone formed of a precious

one

here,

further description of

My

inside, in the hall,

They kept
,

which
gem.

is

in

harmony,

described as

can find no

it.

translation of this

hymn

is

free.

No.

2.

There were, as Dr. Legge points out in his introductory note

The
to this book, in the Shang dynasty four kings of renown.
the second, T'ai
first was T'ang, the founder of this dynasty
Chia :;fc ^, B.C. 1753-1720J the third, T'ai Mou -^ j^ , e.g.
~y b.c. 1324-1266.
1687-1563; and the fourth, Wu Ting
;

I digress for

moment

to notice

Kings of the Shang dynasty.

One

is

two theories regarding the

that of Mr. T. Kingsraill, of

CHINESE POETRY.

509

So to invite his sainted spirit down

The goblets now with well-strained wine we crown.
The bowls with seasoned viands fill we high,
Prepared in time and mingled carefully.
Let their sweet savour to the sky ascend,
While we in calm and silent service bend.

May we

be granted length of life we pray

cheeks are furrowed, hair and eyebrows grey.
To aid us at this solemn worshipping

'Till

The

Princes come.

Hung on
Each

We

hear the small bells ring

their coursers' bits.

chariot

is,

A glorious sight

with yokes and horses bright.

To us did heaven above the gift bestow

To rule this Empire 'tis to heaven we owe
;

These

Shanghai,

fruitful years,

who

whose harvests overflow.

asserts that these kings, twenty- eight in

number,

were only the twenty-eight mansions of the lunar zodiac.

Mayers' "Chinese Readers' Manual," Part II., art. 313).

numbers twenty-eight agree, but

(See

The

can see no other connection.

The other theory is the extraordinary one of my cousin, Mr. Herbert
Allen, viz. that Ssu Ma Ch'ien, the historian, and his scholars
invented the whole of ancient Chinese history, and concocted all
the old literary remains, including the ethical and other works
of Confucius and Mencius (who had no real existence), to say
I

of this classic, and the rest of the "four books"

and "five classics." (See his article, "R.A.S. Journal," July,
i8go.)
The names of all the kings of the Shang dynasty,
except that of King T'ang, finish with a horary character.

nothing

\N.B. Horary characters denote divisions of time, and are also

used as A, B, and C, &c., are used to indicate the points of figures
in geometry].
Mr. Herbert Allen asserts his belief that Ssu Ma
Ch'ien evolved these kings from his own imagination; and gave

them names denoting

divisions of time, just as

Robinson Crusoe

henchman Friday.' The kings of the Hsia dynasty

He explains the existence of this
were named after stars.
system of nomenclature thus : " The Emperors being named
called his

from

stars

'

and

constellations

is

suspicious

circumstance^

CtllNESE POETRY.

510

Come

then ye shades of bye-gone Kings and bless

Our realm and us -with

endless happiness.

In spring, in autumn, at the appointed day

T'ang's royal offspring never

The
The

pay

fails to

Oh, may they bring

blessing to our land and King.

sacrifices due.
spirits'

when we remember that the calendar was reformed

historian
B.C. 104 by the
Ssu Ma Ch'ien, just

in

the year

before

he

wrote his history, as tending to show what influenced his choice

of names."
is

My

explanation of the

use of horary characters

names of
so that when

either that the sounds of the

before the art of writing,

these Kings were

known

these sounds were

first

reproduced in Chinese characters the scribes would naturally

choose the best known characters to represent the sounds, or that
the King's real names were tabooed, and other names were used.
Horary characters run in this order, Chia
F? 2j Pif'S

Ting ~^

>

and so on, whereas of the twenty-eight kings of the

Shang dynasty, the first has no horary character in his name the
,

second, with five others,

has

Chia

Ting ; the fourth has

and so on. Hence, it

others, has

character,

the third,

^ K4ng,
is

also with five

the seventh

characters in their case have nothing to do with numerals.

theory that the King's real

horary

evident that these horary

names were tabooed

is

The

Dr. Terrien de

Lacouperie's.

The

hymn

honour of T'ai Mou, a

who remarks that it is
scarcely likely that T'ai Mou should have no hymns in his
honour, forgetting, apparently, that seven hymns are missing, one
or more of which might well be to T'ai Mou.
Chu Fu tzii,
Preface says that this

theory which

is

is

in

supported by Liu Yiian,

followed by Dr. Legge, insists that T'ang

in

it,

and

am

is

the person addressed

inclined to agree with them, as "T'ang's royal

offspring" would scarcely be mentioned

if the sacrifice was to

T'ang himself.
It should be noted that the Chinese version gives no nominative to the verb " come to aid us in our worshipping," but the
subject of it must be the Princes or nobles of the State.

any one

The
the last

else but to

concluding lines of

this

piece are identical with those of

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

51

3.

HYMN TO KING WU

TING. No.

i.

'Twas by a decree of heaven that a swallow was sent

to

this earth

That the race of Shang might spring from a wondrous

and mystic

birth,

To

dwell in the land of Yin, and mightily rule the land,

Till the people from north to south were submissive to
their command.
Then heaven called

King T'ang, a monarch war-

forth

and bold.
To govern and settle the
like

folk,

and to guide them

in

days

of old.

To aid him in this

And regions nine

he chose as princes the men of skill.

were his vassals, obeying his sovereign

will.

Since the

Shang

first

reigned,

we

trusted

that

nothing

should snatch away

The God-given power bestowed on

Wu

Ting's offspring

to-day.

This scion of
own.

No

foe

Wu

may dare

Ting's

can fearlessly hold

line

his

to assail his crown, or disturb his throne.

No.

3.

Wu Ting's descendant " in

was no doubt addressed to King Wu Ting, though Chu Fu tzu
speaks of it as a hymn sung in the ancestral temple to all the
ancestors of the Royal House.
the " Dark Bird " is explained by all the
Hsiian Niao
,ft
This hymn, from the mention of "

it,

>

There are two versions of the

^, wife of the Emperor,
KaoHsin, bc. 2435-2366, sacrificed with her husband to
j^
the god of marriage, or, as Dr. Legge calls him, the " first matchcommentators to be a swallow.

legend.

One

is

that

Queen Chien Ti

maker,"

at

the vernal equinox,

when

the swallow

first

made

his

CHINESE POETRY.

512

With

dragon-blazoned

their

above them

banners

ten

princes bring

The mighty bowls of millet to grace this our offering.

The Royal domain itself holds a thousand of miles, and
none

Of the folk

therein

is

distressed,

and thence do our frontiers

run

To

the oceans four which surround us, and

men from

the shore of the seas

Will come to our Court in crowds to share in such

rites as

these.

And

gaze on the mountain which forms a defence and

to

a fortress meet

For our

city girt

by

the river, which flows at the moun-

tain's feet.

When

King maintains

his

and

State

earns

his

all

subjects' love,

We

how

say

wise

is

the choice of the far-seeing powers

above.

appearance, and the result was the birth of her son, Hsieh
first

The

feudal Prince of Shang.

other version

is

that

the

when she

was bathing a swallow laid an egg near her, which she ate, which
caused her to conceive. Liu Yiian makes some remarks on the
swallow being a bird which haunts the roofs of buildings, pointing
out that the bird coming to where the King lived is a proof that
his palace was not a cave or hovel, such as people of that date
used to inhabit. (See III., i., 3.)

The "

ten

princes," so the

The

last part

which runs
struction

is

capital, to

of the

^ ^

bounded by the

river."

to take

which

it

commentators

The phrase means

taken too Uterally.

hymn
M'

is

all

say,

need not be

the princes.

very obscure, especially the line

Ching Yuan Wei Ho, " Ching

Dr. Legge says, "

The most

likely

is

con-

Ching as a name of a hill, near which was the

served as a defence and shelter."
I have no

better explanation to suggest.

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

513

4.

HYMN TO THE ANCESTORS AND FOUNDERS

OF THE SHANG DYNASTY.
I.

The Lords

of

Shang were a

folk of

worth

And profoundly wise. In the days when earth

Was young were their virtue and goodness known,
And omens showed they should win the throne.
When the waves of the deluge spreading wide
Had left all the nations desolate,
Great Yii was there to arrange, divide,

And fix the bounds of each realm and State.

And on him the duty lay to assign
To the regions vast on our frontier line
Their proper

limits, that these

might be

A pledge for the land's security.

Then

And

the State of

Sung grew the

chief and best.

stronger, as years passed on, than the rest,

Until the decree was decreed by heaven

To

a son of this line should the crown be given.

No.

4.

hymn was sung on the occasion of

"The Great Sacrifice," ;/^ %^ Ta Ti, a theory which I have no
wish to dispute, though Chu Fu tzu and other commentators
The Preface

do

says that this

so.

i. The "Lords of Shang," is in the original simply

" Shang," but I think that " lords " is more likely to be the
correct rendering of the whole phrase than " men of Shang."

Stanza

The fourth and fifth lines of the original present a difficulty.

Literally translated they run " The outer great countries were the
I understand
frontier, whose borders extended far and wide."
the meaning to be that the greater States on the frontier acted as

a protection to the whole nation.

L L

CHINESE POETRY,

514

2.

Right wisely and well did " the Dark King " reign.
When his realm was small, he had won success.
When his realm grew large he might boast no less
For his deeds done rightly had known no stain,
And well was he loved through his broad domain.
Hsiang t'u next ruled, and his martial fame
Spread far and wide, till his glorious name

Was known

Who

in the islands

paid to him

beyond the

homage and

sea,

fealty.

3-

That the love divine for the race of Shang

Had never failed them was shown when T'ang
Was called to the throne on the fitting day,
That he might the favour of heaven display.
His wisdom and virtue, as years rolled by.
Glowed clearer, and showed more brilliantly.
So heaven to honour him bade him shine

As

the guiding star for the regions nine.

4-

The badges of vassalage great and small

Were humbly laid at his feet, for all
Declared him to be as the banner's stay
Which binds the pennants so fast, that they

May
"

be never broken nor torn away.

The son

mentioned
Stanza

of

its

in the last

2.

explained.

(Sung's) line " was, of course,

the Hsieh

hymn.

Why Hsieh is called " The Dark King," is not

Probably the name is connected with the Dark Bird,

(See last hymn.) Hsiang fui^ j^ was the grandson of Hsieh, and was apparently chief feudal Prince.
or Swallow.

Stanza 3 brings us

worshipped
Stanza

Stanza

4.

in the first

"

5. "

down

The badges

stay

to T'ang, the Completer,

two hymns of

this

already

book.

of vassalage " were tokens of jade.

and a strong support,"

is

my

rendering of

CHINESE POETRY.

515

Thus

To

the blessing of heaven on him descended

be neither lax, nor too severe,

Nor weakly pliant, nor yet austere.

in him all virtues were duly blended.

For

And he laid a kind and compassionate hand

On all he taught, till throughout the land
Such

riches

and honour as suit the throne

him, and by him alone.

Were enjoyed by

By all of his vassals small and great

Was tribute borne to the monarch's Court,
For they knew that to each dependent State
He would prove a stay and a strong support.
And helped by heaven's all-powerful aid
He showed to the world his matchless might,
Unmoved, unshaken and unafraid,

A hero
That

indeed

all

who

has

made

it

right

blessings divine should in

him

unite.

6.

His noble standard he raised on high.

he grasped his battle-axe loyally.
For the Powers above gave this command
" The tyrant drive from your native land
Like a fire no mortal may dare withstand."

And

Tsun Mang f^ )^, literally " a great rock," but most of the
commentators say that Mang should be Mang |^ j which means

"a

white-faced

supported

them,

horse,"
as

and explain the

a strong

I-egge follows this rendering.

steed
I

does

mean,

"He

burden."

Dr.

line to
its

think the line

is

a pretty close

equivalent of

"
"

O et proesidium et dulce decus meum." Horace.

My pride, my stoup, my ornament." Allan Ramsay.

Stanza 6. " Loyalty,'' here means loyal to the command of

the
heaven, which had bade T'ang dethrone the tyrant Chieh

L L 3

CHINESE POETRY.

5i6

Although from the root of rebellion grew

Three shoots, their issue was all in vain
To no noxious growth could they e'er attain,
For the monarch clipped them, and overthrew
;

The rebels through

They submitted all

our nine States, until

to his sovereign will.

These feudal princes were smote by him

Ere he dealt with their master, that tyrant grim.
7-

Ere our monarch came, there were fears and woes

Throughout the nation, and dread of foes.
But T'ang was called to be " Son of Heaven,"
Then the land had peace, and to him was given
A counsellor wise, and a statesman good,
I Yin
at the King's right hand he stood.
;

last

king of the Hsia dynasty.

Princes of IVei

Ku

Chieh's chief adherents were the

and Kuen

g|,

Wu

^ ^, whose

names

Chinese version. If the reader thinks that

they should also appear in my translation, let him substitute for
are

given

in the

the last couplet of the stanza

" For he smote the Princes of Wei, Kuen Wu,

And Ku,

with their master the tyrant too.

Chieh is the type of all that is wicked and tyrannical. His

dethronement took place B.C. 1766. (See Mayers' "Chinese
Readers' Manual," art. 259).
Stanza

7.

T Yin

whom he was

^ ^

was the chief minister of T'ang, "to

almost what Shun had been to Yao, and Yii to

Shun, and Yi to Yii" (Mayers).

Hdng

fjif

Hj

He

which some suppose

to

is

called in this

hymn A

be the name of his

(See Mayers' " Chinese Readers' Manual,"

art.

233).

oflSce

CHINESE POETRY.
No.

5,7

5.

HYMN TO KING WU TING. No

2.

To

assail the thievish clans, who till that dayInfested every crag and rocky steep,

Our

martial

monarch hurried

to the fray.

He drove them back through gorges dark and deep.

And hemmed them in like flocks of mountain sheep.
Until he

made each

rebel tribe submit.

For such a noble King achievement

fit.

2.
'

And

now," quoth he, " ye people of Ching Ch'u,

southern borders shall your tribes enfold

My

There be my liegemen and my subjects true.

When T'ang was monarch in the days of old,
E'en the most savage chiefs were ne'er so bold

As

to refuse to

Such

my

own

his sovereignty

forefather was,

and such

No.

am

I."

5.

hymn was

probably composed when an ancestral temple

was built in honour of Wu Ting. Some of the commentators

This

assign

it

to the time of

Ti Yi

'S?

2i

>

^^'

ii9i-iiS4i the

last

king but one of the Shang dynasty.

Stanza

Ch'u

JlJ

i.

^.

"

The

thievish clans " are the inhabitants of

Ching was one of the nine

divisions of the

Ching
Empire

Yii, and, according to Playfair's " Cities and towns of

China," comprised Hunan, Hupei, Kuanghsi, and parts of Ssu
Ch'uan, Kuei Chou and Kuang Tung (Art. 1,155). Ch'u was a
much smaller district. Playfair calls it a kingdom, whose centre
was near Ch'u Chiang
^. Its northern frontier was between

made by

the Yangtze

and Yellow River;

its

southern frontier to south-

ward of the Yangtze (Art. 1,412). In IV., ii., 4, I have made

Ching and Ch'u the equivalent of the valley of the Yangtzu. Here

CHINESE POETRY.

Si8

3-

At

heaven's

command he bade

his chiefs select

Their seats of Government within the sphere

Of Yii's vast labours, where they might direct
The actions of his people. Every year
The chiefs were summoned to at Court appear,
And pray that no reproof, no blame might lie

On them

for negligence in husbandry.

4-

As heaven

decreed, so did his people will.

Confirming heaven's decree, and reverently

The monarch strove heaven's purpose to fulfil.

Favour undue he scorned, and tyranny.

Nor made himself

And
And

the slave of luxury.

thus the throne and kingdom he secured;

long his happiness and bliss endured.
S.

Well ordered was his royal capital,

A fit example for each burgh and town
Throughout his realm. His subjects one and all
Lauded the deeds of him who wore the crown.
For bright his fame was, glorious his renown.
then passed to be
Long lived he tranquilly
In heaven the guardian of his progeny.
;

Ching and Ch'u must mean

this

and the country south of

it.

conjecture from the description of the gorges that the expedition

was into the mountainous country about Ichang. It should be

noted that the name Ch'u is supposed to be of later date than
the Shang dynasty, and that the use of it here is calculated to
throw doubt on the antiquity of this hymn.
which
The word which I translate " hemmed in " is Pao
Dr. Legge makes " brought the multitude together." 'I'his does
not seem to me strong enough.

^^

Stanza 2. The most savage tribes are Ti Chiang

or
Chiang of Ti, barbarous nations in^the western portions of Kansu.
,

CHINESE POETRY.

519

6.

Symmetric grew the cypress and the pine

Upon the mountain's sloping sides, and there

To

give the spirit of our king a shrine

We hewed
To form

them down

we sawed the

long beams and

That

his blest shade

And

rest in

pillars tall

among

us

may

tree trunks square,

and

fair,

remain,

peace within this holy fane.

its first two lines.

Dr. Legge translates
heaven by its will is inspecting (the kingdom) the
lower people are to be feared," and explains this by a passage
from the "Classic of History," which is an exact equivalent of
" Vox populi, vox Dei."
I make it, " When the will of heaven
comes down to view us, the people fear it."

Stanza 4

them

"

obscure in

is

When

Stanza

6.

The mountain

is

Mount

Ching, already mentioned

in No. 3 of this book;

This stanza is suspiciously like the concluding stanza of No. 4
of the " Eulogies of Lu," a fact which goes far to increase our

suspicions of the antiquity of this hymn.

FINIS.

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.

PAGE

A burden far too wearisome and great

A crafty fisherman a snare may set
A double load of trouble and care
A line of virtuous monarchs
A loving, pure and reverent dame
A maiden fair and bright
A Prince to his loyal folk should be
A quince, a peach, and a plum vi^ere

477

59

56

377

....

369

12 \
.

190

the gifts which to

me

you

made

A ram, a bull for sacrifice bring

A reverent mien, composed and self-possessed
A simple and innocent youth you seemed
A stately maiden is this fair princess

460

Above our heads the wild geese

Abundance reigned, for even in

247

fly

the

wood

Ah, those merry days of hunting

Along the shining road that winds beneath
Although the autumn comes and every leaf
Although 'tis early summer time
Amidst the woods a plant is found
Armour you have none to wear
Around the hall in serried rows
Around the weeds and rushy beds
Around thy board in leathern caps we sit
As heavenly wisdom deems it meet and right
As o'er the fretted waters of the stream
As the heaviest gourd, or the melon fruit
As the south wind's eddying breath
As we sit down to feast, from the meadows hard by
At feasts with order and decorum graced
.

414
80
78

36s
122

435
349
266
293
168

237

329
323
487
146
360
401
211

327

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.

s2

B.
PAGE

Before the tombs the thorns grow rank and foul

Below the dam a trap was laid

176

and bright the blossoms grow

By his people's woes was Duke Liu opprest
By night and day with longing heart I yearn

213

By

I7S

....

Brilliant

129

the east gate the" willows are growing

395
160

C.

Chiang Yiian was the

first

of our race

she lived in the days of

yore.

383

wind
Cicadas chirp the livelong day
Contented with my lot
Cut down the grass and thorns, and
Chilly blows the north

57

24
174

148

tie

D.
is my parent's home to me
Do you hear that sound ? 'Tis the cock
Down from the stream upon the hill

Dear

a crowing

83
122
191

Dressed in their gorgeous robes, which gleam

like

gems

or like

flowers

135

E.

Each stone upon the palace wall is starred

the Duke was there to
Eastward we fared
Exiles we for your sake, oh sire
;

63
202

...

lead us

51

F.

Father, as
First

on the

mount thy throne

478

slope, next in the vale

94
470

,
Fish are in the stews, where flow
From the hills where medlars grow, gazing on the plain below

many

a heap
gone and past
Grant that this year abundant harvest reign
Great heaven bestows on us no more
Great heaven, in furious wrath and ire
Great Yii laid out the swamp and marshy plain

Gather beans

Gloomy

in

301

330
118

winter's

468
274
447
.

311

CHINESE POETRY.

522

H.

Hail,

Hou

Chi, to thee

Hark, saith the good

He
He
He

is

was given

....
cock doth crow

wife, hark, the

only a feeble lad, as

placed the snare where

weak

as an

many

flower

iris

runs have met

stands on one side and politely makes way

Heaven that was once compassionate
Here once there stood a well-grown mulberry tree
High heaven's mysterious statutes
.

His carriage sheds hold many heavy cars

His form the worn but seemly black robes grace
His lambskin robe of glossy white
How mighty is the Being
How shall we call him a hunter
How solemn are these temples
How was it that King W6n earned his fame ?

....
'i

I.

do not grudge the mulberries

grieve, because

I
I

my

heart's delight

had started I urged my horses, I drove at my topmost speed

have got to make a handle, but there is not any good
have no clothes at all, you declare
hear him coming. The dewdrops sprinkle
;

heard the drums, as through the camp

look to heaven, which will no kindness show
see him wandering 'mid the flowers
seem to trace your form and face

wander

I
I
I

forth beside the River

....
....
Ju

I wandered forth in pensive sort

I watch the waters flowing
I

weep when I think of the time gone by

any one says that your sheep are few

If
I f

If you'd learn
If

could only see

how our

your affection

still

ancestors passed their years

continues true

In clear and solemn tones the monarch laid

In Mei are beauteous maidens three
In silken garments bright and clean
In the marshlands lying low

In the south a river rolls

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.

523
PAGE

In your snow-white garments you pass

It flies with an easy, untroubled flight

me by

188

47

a lovely summer scene

was by heaven's firm fixed decree.

It is
It

459

K.

Keep we

in

our memories

457

let no one point the hand to show

Let us choose for our starting a fortunate day
Let us think, as we worship, of byegone times
Like some small shallop floating on the tide
Listen, in the grove I hear
Luxuriantly the willows grow

70
246

462

....
.

38
151

335

M.
Majestic are the mountains

May

the powers above

grandly,

loftily

keep thee

still

they rise

in virtue,

428

and joy and

peace

218

Mountains are yours, within whose

My days have been passed in folly

forests

grow

My guests of to-night with their stately mien

My handsome sweetheart would remain
My heart is oppressed and weary
My man comes home again
My noble friend, my noble friend
My noble husband has gone away
My white steeds gallop along the way
.

145

479

235
113

9
92

473
29
212

N.
Nature has made the rat the worst of vermin
Near the east moat wide and deep

No

....

longer to our folk are given

Now our realm is proud and great

Now the winter's gone and over, and

71
175

406
488
the waters which divide

48

O.

Of our
Of our

beloved, admirable King

394

friends are left but few

116

CHINESE POETRY.

524

PACK

Oh bright are my spreading fields of corn

Oh Captain of the Royal Guard
Oh for the home of long ago
Oh God, our Father above, Thou art distant, and vast, and large
Oh golden sun, oh silver moon
Oh great King Wu, right royally thy glorious work was done
Oh heaven above, whose glorious light on high
Oh King Chang's glory is clear and bright
Oh many a weary night we spent
Oh mighty Prince, with robe of fur and leopard cuffs bedecked
Oh owl, oh owl, in vain I mourn
Oh the days when my friend was dwelling
Oh would that I might learn true reverence
On Chung Nan's Hill the poplar trees
On the left hand side of the pathway
On the mountains to the southward and the northward" we may see
On their bright pensilled wings, see the hawfinches fly

....
.

...

cart you thrust

7,86

42
475

303

466
200
150
igg
305

479
162

232
321,

302

plumage bright
are large, and labours

Oriole, with the

Our fields
Our soldiers go abroad to fight the
Our work is.finished for the year

253
337

...153
.

Onwards a

313

256
foe

....

315
106

144

P.

Pass the eastern gate and gain

Pleasant is the garden ground

114
251

Poets say there lives a creature

Pursuit of righteousness,

19

be this your aim

366

R.
Rats, rats, rats

Remember how we

140

used to stray

107

Sharp and keen is each trusty share

She is lovely and modest and shy
She runs along beside the rill
She, who for many years has been my friend
Should some one bid you climb and seek
So deep is the river, and wide, they say
Solemn and still the pure ancestral fane
.

483
58
25
4'
155

84

456

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.

PAGE

Some may

31

shame .
Each horse was

love not fearing

Strong were our cars.

Supple gourd leaves are our fare
Swift

and

244

sleek

346
167

fast the kestrel flies

T.
Tall and strong the millet grew

That cause will produce effect is a law decreed us by Heaven

That music may harmoniously flow

The blind musicians have been called to play

The blue flies float on the summer air
The bridegroom stood to welcome me betwixt
.

the door

screen

The careful man, who keeps the thought of duty in his heart
The chariot speeds along the way
The cherry stands where the fields lie low
The cloud-like masses of her own black hair
The couples and the collars, which are hung on every hound
The crows are flying to their nest
The dawn is breaking. From my wakeful brain
The dove, that weak and timid bird
The Duke, so gentle, yet so nobly great
The fibres of the rush are bound
The field, which I attempt to till
The flowers are dulled to a yellow hue
The flowers of the cherry are gleaming white
The folk indeed are heavily opprest
The fox enraged and mad with fierce desires
The frowning rocks and the crags are steep
The genial heat of summer's prime
meet
The grandees from the Court I chanced to
moorland
the
The grasses on
The ground was covered with bush and weed
stately
The house wherein we dwelt was large and
bands
countless
in
come
had
Huns
The
The iris, lotus, orchis light
rise
The King had bidden a marvellous tower
the kingdom lately won
The King in state is passing through
eyes
The King looked up with streaming
Heaven
of
son
mighty
the
The King,
The locusts cluster on the ground
The long, long wilds with tired feet
.

....
....
.

nd

526

CHINESE POETRY.

....

The Lords of Shang were a folk of worth

The mallards and the sea gulls sport within some safe retreat
The masses of cherry blossom
The mighty Yangtze with resistless force
The moon's clear lamp is shining bright
The mountains Heaven had framed were rough and wild

....
....
....
....
....
....

(The mulberry tree on the mountain grows)

The osiers by the brookside growing
The pear-tree's leaves are thick and strong
The pheasant, of all danger unbeware
The plain is now with blossoms bright
The plums are ripening quickly
The princely guests have come they stand around
;

The princes come their lord to greet

The quail, to guard his mate when danger's near
The reeds in many a patch and bed
The ridgy, fir-clad hill I clomb
The road she travelled that evening was broad and
The rulers of this realm of ours
The rushes and reeds on the river side
The russet pear-tree stands, its boughs borne down
The slender boughs amid
The southern mountains by their craggy height
The spring wind blowing brings up clouds and rain
The stalwart wheelwright hews the maples tall
The trailing creepers shroud the thorns in gloom
The traveller in the south may see
The two youths journeyed down the stream
The weir in the stream
The withered leaves, the withered leaves
The woodmen on the hill
Their chariots speed along the way
.

There are waters beside the roadway

There blows a cool, refreshing wind
There perches a little oriole
They led the maiden forth, and bade her tell
They sent me to gather the cresses which lie
They set me to dance with an easy grace.
.

....
.

This crescent water is a pleasant sight

This pear-tree, woodman, spare
This youthful maiden, fair and bright
Though a mighty mountain may frown o'erhead
Though seven stalwart sons are we
.
.

easily found

INDEX OF FIRST LINES,-

527
PAGB

Though the river is swollen in flood, and fast must

Through the fields the lady goes
Through the fields the livelong day
Through the meadows to and fro
Through winter's cold and summer weather

...

its

waters

flee

338

Throughout the kingdom there grows no

Throughout our myriad regions
'Tis a noble spreading tree
'Tis a time of

and lovely weather

said that yellow is a hue

'Tis fair

'Tis spring

Tis spring
'Tis spring

....
....
....

322
114

now appear
and blossoms now

the fern shoots

the flowers

76

487

good omen, when everywhere

Tis dark and dreary out of doors

'Tis

tree

173

40
220

177

through the groves the orioles dart

'Tis time to pluck

away the weeds

163

481

King Wen above, to whom we owe

To assail the thievish clans, who till that day
To match the glorious light above
To serve the State my husband goes away
To what shall I liken my husband's mind ?

'Tis to

355
517

357

91

43

'Twas by a decree of heaven that a swallow was sent to this earth

'Twas the first day of the month, when the sun in eclipse grew

271

pale

U.

Unnumbered

....

are the blessings which descend

Unstinted draughts of wine your cups afford

Upon a

511

little isle I

508
391

make my home

238

W.
Watchman, what

of the night

248

We gather the plantain, we pluck and we pull

We only have need of a few simple lines
We remember him and sigh
We went where the Han and the Yangtze flow
We were gathering the crops of millet, which grew on
it

....

15

290
13
439

the virgin

241

land

me

Were it wise for

What luck awaits us ? Shall
What man is he? A man
to try

our nets appear

.

....

136

204
288

CHINESE POETRY.

528

When first we arrived, those creepers

When my love and I were betrothed, we were but a youthful pair
When our Shu Tuan for the chase has left
When the autumn harvest was over, and the harvesting tools
.

laid

...

by

When the days were dark and evil, and tyranny reigned and wrong
When the fiocks of egrets light
When you use a bow well-fashioned, one made strong and stiff
with horn

Where
Where
Where
Where

Why

Tzu Chai,

that jaunty lad

Chu Lin

in haste

sequestered spot,

Would you know how

258

317

16

178

.''

With a team of four bay horses

With banners bright and streamers fair
With my cousin I journeyed forth
With slow and faltering steps and head bent down
still,

467

98

the poplars throw but a scanty shade

this

68

486

.''

Lo's waves, broad and deep, go sweeping by

speeds he away to

Within

103

332

curve the river banks with graceful sweep

is

52

62

104
72

....

168

90

77^

our ancestors spent their days

194

Y.

Ye happy waters, up-springing clear

Ye ministers, ye rulers of the State
Ye princes, noble and enlightened friends
You artful lad
You blame me and think me cold and shy
You move about with easy, careless mien

....

457
III

97
182

You're a clever sort of usher for us Ministers of State

You see them straining at the rein

You wear blue belt and collar
Your milk-white

colt is safely

...

....

bound

54

46s

125

159
115

254