In the third "Song," there is an
allusion
to the Emperor under the
figure of the sun.
figure of the sun.
Amy Lowell - Chinese Poets
LI HAI-KU, 19th Century
EVENING CALM
The sun has set.
The sand sparkles.
The sky is bright with afterglow.
The small waves flicker,
And the swirling water rustles the stones.
In the white path of the moon,
A small boat drifts,
Seeking for the entrance
To the stream of many turnings.
Probably there is snow
On the shady slopes of the hills.
KAO SHIH-CHI, 19th Century
FISHING PICTURE
The fishermen draw their nets
From the great pool of the T'an River.
They have hired a boat
And come here to fish by the reflected light
Of the sunken sun.
TA CHUNG-KUANG, 19th Century
[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF ORIGINAL "HANGING-ON-THE-WALL POEM" ENTITLED
"FISHING PICTURE"]
SPRING. SUMMER. AUTUMN
The stream at the foot of the mountain
Runs all day.
Even far back in the hills,
The grass is growing;
Spring is late there.
From all about comes the sound
Of dogs barking
And chickens cheeping.
They are stripping the mulberry-trees,
But who planted them?
What a wind!
We start in our boat
To gather the red water-chestnut.
Leaning on my staff,
I watch the sun sink
Behind the Western village.
I can see the apricot-trees
Set on their raised stone platform,
With an old fisherman standing
Beside them.
It makes me think
Of the Peach-Blossom Fountain,
And the houses
Clustered about it.
Let us meet beside the spring
And drink wine together.
I will bring my table-lute;
It is good
To lean against
The great pines.
In the gardens to the South,
The sun-flowers are wet with dew;
They will pick them at dawn.
And all night
In the Western villages
One hears the sound of yellow millet being pounded.
LI HAI-KU, 19th Century
NOTES
NOTES
SONGS OF THE MARCHES
_Note 1. _
_It is the Fifth Month,
But still the Heaven-high hills
Shine with snow. _
The Fifth Month corresponds to June. (See Introduction. ) The Heaven-high
hills are the T'ien Shan Mountains, which run across the Northern part
of Central Asia and in places attain a height of 20,000 feet. (See map. )
_Note 2. _
_Playing "The Snapped Willow. "_
The name of an old song suggesting homesickness; it is translated in
this volume. It was written during the Liang Dynasty (A. D. 502-557).
References to it are very common in Chinese poetry.
_Note 3. _
_So that they may be able in an instant to rush upon the
Barbarians. _
The Chinese regarded the tribes of Central Asia, known by the generic
name of Hsiung Nu, as Barbarians, and often spoke of them as such. It
was during the reign of Shih Huang Ti (221-206 B. C. ) that these tribes
first seriously threatened China, and it was to resist their incursions
that the Great Wall was built. They were a nomadic people, moving from
place to place in search of fresh pasture for their herds. They were
famous for their horsemanship and always fought on horseback.
_Note 4. _
_And the portrait of Ho P'iao Yao
Hangs magnificently in the Lin Pavilion. _
Ho P'iao Yao was a famous leader whose surname was Ho. He was given the
pseudonym of P'iao Yao, meaning "to whirl with great speed to the
extreme limit," because of his energy in fighting. His lust for war was
so terrible that the soldiers under him always expected to be killed.
After his death, the Emperor Wu of Han erected a tomb in his honour. It
was covered with blocks of stone in order that it might resemble the
Ch'i Lien Mountains, where Ho P'iao Yao's most successful battles had
been fought.
The Lin Pavilion was a Hall where the portraits of distinguished men
were hung.
_Note 5. _
_The Heavenly soldiers arise_.
The Chinese soldiers were called the "Heavenly Soldiers" because they
fought for the Emperor, who was the Son of Heaven.
_Note 6. _
_Divides the tiger tally_.
A disk broken in half, worn as a proof of identity and authority. The
General was given one half, the Emperor kept the other.
_Note 7. _
_The Jade Pass has not yet been forced_.
In order to reach the Central Asian battle-fields, the soldiers were
obliged to go out through the Jade Pass, or Barrier, which lay in the
curious bottle-neck of land between the mountain ranges which occupy the
centre of the continent. (See map. )
_Note 8. _
_They seized the snow of the Inland Sea_.
The Inland, or Green Sea, is the Chinese name for the Kokonor Lake lying
West of the Kansu border. (See map. )
_Note 9. _
_They lay on the sand at the top of the Dragon Mound_.
The Dragon Mound is a high ridge of land on the Western border of
Shensi, now comprising part of the Eastern boundary of Kansu. The
native accounts say that the road encircles the mountains nine times,
and that it takes seven days to make the ascent. "Its height is not
known. From its summit, one can see five hundred _li_. To the East, lie
the homes of men; to the West, wild wastes. The sound of a stone thrown
over the precipice is heard for several _li_. "
_Note 10. _
_All this they bore that the Moon Clan. _
Name of one of the Hsiung Nu tribes. It was this tribe, known to
Europeans under name of Huns, who overran Europe in the Fifth Century.
THE PERILS OF THE SHU ROAD
_Note 11. _
During the reign of the T'ang Emperor, Hsüan Tsung (A. D. 712-756),
better known as Ming Huang, a rebellion broke out under An Lu-shan, an
official who had for many years enjoyed the Emperor's supreme favour.
Opinions among the advisers to the throne differed as to whether or not
the Emperor had better fly from his capital and take refuge in the
province of Szechwan, the ancient Shu. Li T'ai-po strongly disapproved
of the step, but as he was no longer in office could only express his
opinion under the guise of a poem. This poem, which the Chinese read in
a metaphorical sense, describes the actual perils of the road leading
across the Mountains of the Two-Edged Sword, the only thoroughfare into
Szechwan. Li T'ai-po's counsel did not prevail, however, and the Emperor
did actually flee, but not until after the poem was written.
_Note 12. _
_No greater undertaking than this has been since Ts'an Ts'ung and Yü
Fu ruled the land. _
These were early Rulers. Ts'an Ts'ung was the first King of Shu, the
modern Szechwan. He was supposed to be a descendant of the
semi-legendary Yellow Emperor.
_Note 13. _
_But the earth of the mountain fell and overwhelmed the Heroes so
that they perished. _
An historical allusion to five strong men sent by the King of Shu to
obtain the daughters of the King of Ch'in.
_Note 14. _
_Above, the soaring tips of the high mountains hold back the six
dragons of the sun. _
The sun is supposed to drive round the Heavens once every day in a
chariot drawn by six dragons and driven by a charioteer named Hsi Ho.
_Note 15. _
_The gibbons climb and climb. _
Gibbons, which are very common in this part of China, are a small
species of tailless ape, thoroughly arboreal in their habits. They make
the woods sound with unearthly cries at night, and are unsurpassed in
agility and so swift in movement as to be able to catch flying birds
with their paws.
_Note 16. _
_This is what the Two-Edged Sword Mountains are like! _
In this range, the mountains are so high, the cliffs so precipitous, and
the passes so few, that it was almost impossible to devise a means of
crossing them. The Chinese, however, have invented an ingenious kind of
pathway called a "terraced" or "flying" road. Holes are cut in the face
of the cliffs, and wooden piles are mortised into them at an angle. Tree
trunks are then laid across the space between the tops of the piles and
the cliff wall, making a corduroy road, the whole being finally covered
with earth. These roads are so solidly built that not only people, but
horses and even small carts, can pass over them. As there are no
railings, however, travel upon them is always fraught with more or less
danger.
LOOKING AT THE MOON AFTER RAIN
_Note 17. _
_Half of the moon-toad is already up. _
In Chinese mythology, the _ch'an_, a three-legged toad, lives in the
moon and is supposed to swallow it during an eclipse. The toad is very
long-lived and grows horns at the age of three thousand years. It was
originally a woman named Ch'ang O, who stole the drug of Immortality and
fled to the moon to escape her husband's wrath. The moon is often
referred to as _ch'an_, as in the poem.
_Note 18. _
_The glimmer of it is like smooth hoar-frost spreading over ten
thousand _li_. _
A _li_ is a Chinese land measurement, equal to about one third of a
mile.
THE LONELY WIFE
_Note 19. _
_There is only the moon, shining through the clouds of a hard,
jade-green sky. _
The term "jade," in Chinese literature, includes both the jadeites and
nephrites. These semi-transparent stones are found in a great variety of
colours. There are black jades; pure white jades, described by the
Chinese as "mutton fat"; jades with brown and red veins; yellow jades
tinged with green; grey jades with white or brown lines running through
them; and, most usual of all, green jades, of which there are an
infinite number of shades.
These green jades vary from the dark, opaque moss-green, very much like
the New Zealand "green-stone," to the jewel jade called by the Chinese
_fei ts'ui_, or "kingfisher feather," which, in perfect examples, is the
brilliant green of an emerald. As a result of this range of colouring,
the Chinese use the term "jade" to describe the tints seen in Nature.
The colours of the sky, the hills, the sea, can all be found in the
jades, which are considered by the Chinese as the most desirable of
precious stones. In addition to its employment in actual comparison, the
word "jade" is very often used in a figurative sense to denote anything
especially desirable.
_Note 20. _
_Beneath the quilt of the Fire-Bird, on the bed of the Silver-Crested
Love-Pheasant. _
The Fire-Bird is the _Luan_, and the Love-Pheasant the _Fêng Huang_;
both are fully described in the table of mythical animals in the
Introduction.
_Note 21. _
_As the tears of your so Unworthy One escape and continue constantly
to flow. _
The term "Unworthy One" is constantly used by wives and concubines in
speaking of themselves to their husbands or to the men they love.
_Note 22. _
_As I toss on my pillow, I hear the cold, nostalgic sound of the
water-clock. _
The clepsydra, or water-clock, has been used by the Chinese for many
centuries, one can still be seen in the North Worshipping Tower in
Canton, and another in the "Forbidden" portion of the Peking Palace,
where the dethroned Manchu Emperor lives. The following account of the
one in Canton is taken from the "Chinese Repository," Volume XX, Page
430: "The clepsydra is called the 'copper-jar water-dropper. ' There are
four covered jars standing on a brickwork stairway, the top of each of
which is level with the bottom of the one above it. The largest measures
twenty-three inches high and broad and contains seventy catties or
ninety-seven and a half pints of water; the second is twenty-two inches
high and twenty-one inches broad; the third, twenty-one inches high and
twenty broad; and the lowest, twenty-three inches high and nineteen
inches broad. Each is connected with the other by an open trough along
which the water trickles. The wooden index in the lowest jar is set
every morning and afternoon at five o'clock, by placing the mark on it
for these hours even with the cover through which it rises and indicates
the time. The water is dipped out and poured back into the top jar when
the index shows the completion of the half day, and the water is renewed
every quarter. "
THE PLEASURES WITHIN THE PALACE
_Note 23. _
_From little, little girls, they have lived in the Golden House. _
The "Golden House" is an allusion to a remark made by the Emperor Wu of
Han who, when still a boy, exclaimed that if he could marry his lovely
cousin A-chiao he would build a golden house for her to live in.
Palaces were often given most picturesque names, and different parts of
the precincts were described as being of "jade" or some other precious
material, the use of the word "golden" is, of course, in this case,
purely figurative.
The organization of the Imperial seraglio, which contained many
thousands of women, was most complicated, and the ladies belonged to
different classes or ranks.
There was only one Empress, whose title was _Hou_, and, if the wife of
the preceding monarch were still alive, she was called _T'ai Hou_, or
Greater Empress. These ladies had each their own palace. Next in rank
came the principal Imperial concubines or secondary wives called _Fei_.
As a rule, there were two of them, and they had each their palace and
household. After them came the _P'in_ described as "Imperial concubines
of first rank," or maids of honour, who lived together in a large
palace and who, once they had attained this rank, could never be
dispersed. (See Note 69. ) The ladies of the Court are often spoken of as
_Fei-P'in_. Of lower rank than these were the innumerable Palace women
called _Ch'ieh_, concubines or handmaids. The use of the word is not
confined to the inmates of the Palace, as ordinary people may have
_ch'ieh_. Little girls who were especially pretty, or who showed unusual
promise, were often sent to the Palace when quite young, that they might
become accustomed to the surroundings while still children. (See
Introduction. )
_Note 24. _
_They are lovely, lovely, in the Purple Hall. _
The Ruler of Heaven lives in a circumpolar constellation called the Tzŭ
Wei, Purple Enclosure; therefore the Palace of his Son, the Ruler of
Earth, is called "Purple. "
_Note 25. _
_Their only sorrow, that the songs and wu dances are over. _
The wu dance is a posturing dance for which special, very elaborately
embroidered dresses with long streamers are worn. As the arms move,
these scarves float rhythmically in the air.
_Note 26. _
_Changed into the five-coloured clouds and flown away. _
The allusion to the five-coloured clouds is to the beautifully
variegated clouds, bright with the five colours of happiness, upon which
the Immortals ride.
WRITTEN IN THE CHARACTER OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
_Note 27. _
_Bright, bright, the gilded magpie mirror. _
Magpies are the birds of happiness. There is an old story of the Gold
Magpie which tells that, ages ago, a husband and wife, at parting,
divided a round mirror between them, each keeping a half as a guarantee
of fidelity. Unhappily, the wife forgot her marriage vows, and to her
horror the half circle she had kept turned into a magpie and flew away.
Since then, magpies are often carved on mirror backs as reminders and
warnings.
_Note 28. _
_I sit at my dressing-stand, and I am like the Green Fire-Bird who,
thinking of its mate, died alone. _
The Green Fire-Bird is a fabulous creature who is regarded as the
embodiment of every grace and beauty. It is the essence of the Fire God,
and references to it in stories of love and marriage are frequent. One
of the most popular of these tales is that of a King of India who caught
a beautiful bird with green plumage of an extraordinary brilliance. He
valued it greatly, and had an exquisite gold cage made for it. For three
years it lived in captivity, and not a sound came from it in all that
time. At last, the King, who was much puzzled at its silence, consulted
his wife, saying: "Is the creature dumb? " She replied: "No, but every
creature is the same, when it meets one of its own species it will
speak. " Not knowing how to obtain a mate for the Green Fire-Bird, the
King placed a large mirror in its cage. The _Luan_ danced with joy,
uttered strange cries, and then, with all its strength, hurled itself
against its own reflection and fell dead.
_Note 29. _
_My tears, like white jade chop-sticks, fall in a single piece. _
It was said of the Empress Ch'ên of Wei (403-241 B. C. ) that her tears
fell so fast they formed connected lines like jade chop-sticks.
SONGS TO THE PEONIES
_Note 30. _
The "Songs to the Peonies" were written on a Spring morning when Ming
Huang, accompanied by Yang Kuei-fei, his favourite concubine, and his
Court, had gone to see the blooms for which he had a passion. As he
sat, admiring the flowers and listening to the singing of the Palace
maidens, he suddenly exclaimed: "I am tired of these old songs, call Li
Po. " The poet was found, but unfortunately in a state best described by
the Chinese expression of "great drunk. " Supported by attendants on
either side of him, he appeared at the pavilion, and while Yang Kuei-fei
held his ink-slab, dashed off the "Songs. " She then sang them to the
air, "Peaceful Brightness," while the Emperor beat time.
The "Songs" compare Yang Kuei-fei to the Immortals and to Li Fu-jên, a
famous beauty of whom it was said that "one glance would overthrow a
city, a second would overthrow the State. " But, unluckily, Li T'ai-po
also brought in the name of the "Flying Swallow," a concubine of the Han
Emperor Ch'êng, who caused the downfall of the noble Pan Chieh-yü (see
Note 155) and is looked upon as a despicable character. Kao Li-shih, the
Chief Eunuch of the Court, induced Yang Kuei-fei to take this mention as
an insult, and it finally cost Li T'ai-po his place at Court.
In the third "Song," there is an allusion to the Emperor under the
figure of the sun. When his presence is removed, the unhappy, jealous
flowers feel as if they were growing on the North side of the pavilion.
Yang Kuei-fei, the most famous Imperial concubine in Chinese history,
was a young girl of the Yang (White Poplar) family, named Yü Huan, or
Jade Armlet; she is generally referred to as Yang Kuei-fei or simply
Kuei-fei--Exalted Imperial Concubine.
The Chief Eunuch brought her before the T'ang Emperor, Ming Huang, at a
time when the old man was inconsolable from the double deaths of his
beloved Empress and his favourite mistress.
The story goes that the Emperor first saw Yang Yü Huan, then fifteen
years old, as she was bathing in the pool made of stone, white as jade,
in the pleasure palace he had built on the slopes of the Li Mountains.
As the young girl left the water, she wrapped herself in a cloak of
open-work gauze through which her skin shone with a wonderful light. The
Emperor immediately fell desperately in love with her, and she soon
became chief of the Palace ladies wearing "half the garments of an
Empress. "
Yang Kuei-fei rose to such heights of power that her word was law; she
had her own palace, her own dancing-girls, and was even allowed by the
doting monarch to adopt the great An Lu-shan, for whom she had a
passion, as her son. Her follies and extravagancies were innumerable,
and her ill-fame spread about the country to such an extent that, when
the rebellion broke out (see Note 37), the soldiers refused to fight
until she had been given over to them for execution.
After her death, Ming Huang spent three inconsolable years as an exile
in Szechwan, and his first act upon his return to the Empire, which he
had ceded to his son, was to open her grave. It was empty. Even the gold
hair-ornaments, and the half of a round gold box shared with the Emperor
as an emblem of conjugal unity, had gone; the only trace of the dead
beauty was the scent-bag in which she had kept these treasures. "Ah,"
cried the unhappy monarch, "may I not see even the bones of my beloved? "
In despair, he sent for a Taoist magician and begged him to search the
Worlds for Yang Kuei-fei. The Taoist burnt charms to enlist the help of
the beneficent spirits, but these were unsuccessful in their search. He
finally sat in contemplation until the "vital essence" issued from his
body and descended to the World of Shades. Here the names of all the
spirits who have passed from the World of Light are entered in
classified books, but that of Yang Kuei-fei was not among them. The
demon in charge insisted that if the name were not entered, the spirit
had not arrived, and the Taoist left, sad and crest-fallen.
He then reflected that if she really were not at the Yellow Springs
below, she must be among the Immortals above. He therefore ascended to
Paradise, and asked the first person he met, who happened to be the
Weaving Maiden who lives in the sky, for news of the lost lady. The
Weaving Maiden was most uncommunicative, and found much difficulty in
believing that Ming Huang, who had consented to the execution of Yang
Kuei-fei, really mourned her death, but finally admitted that she was
living among the Immortals on the island of P'êng Lai in the Jade-grey
Sea, and even assisted the Taoist to find her. She then told Yang
Kuei-fei that, if she still loved the Emperor, the Moon Mother might be
induced to allow a meeting at the full moon on the fifteenth day of the
Eighth Month. Yang Kuei-fei eagerly assented, and giving the Taoist a
gold hairpin and her half of the round box as a proof of her existence,
begged that he hasten back to the World of Light and make all
arrangements with her lover.
Accordingly, at the appointed time, the Taoist threw his fly-whip into
the air, creating a bridge of light between this world and the moon, and
over this Ming Huang passed. Yang Kuei-fei was waiting for him. She
stood under the great cassia-tree which grows in the moon, and was
surrounded by fairies.
The story, which is often sung to the air "Rainbow Skirts and Feather
Collar," goes on to relate that the Weaving Maiden was moved to deep
pity by their joy at meeting and arranged with the Jade Emperor, Chief
Ruler of the Heavens, that the pair, immortalized by their great love,
should live forever in the Tao Li Heaven.
THE PALACE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON ROBES
_Note 31. _
_I ponder his regard, not mine the love
Enjoyed by those within the Purple Palace. _
The Palace woman of Ch'in was evidently one of the lower ranks of
concubines who lived in the Women's Apartments and only appeared when
sent for, not in one of the palaces given to ladies of higher rank.
_Note 32. _
_If floods should come, I also would not leave.
A bear might come and still I could protect. _
Now that she is no longer needed, she reflects sadly on the stories of
two heroines whose behaviour she would gladly have emulated. These are
Fên Chieh-yü, a favourite of the Han Emperor, Yüan, who once protected
her master with her own body from the attack of a bear which had broken
out of its cage; and Liu Fu-jên, concubine of King Chao of Ch'u. It is
told of Liu Fu-jên that one day she went with the King to the "Terrace
by the Stream," where he told her to wait for him until he returned from
the capital. While she waited, the river rose, but she refused to leave
unless by Imperial command. By the time this arrived she was drowned.
_Note 33. _
_Of serving Sun and Moon. _
The "Sun and Moon" are the Emperor and Empress.
THE NANKING WINE-SHOP
_Note 34. _
_In the wine-shops of Wu, women are pressing the wine. _
Wine made from grain is fermented for several weeks in tubs and then
strained or "pressed" through cloths. It is not red, like wine from
grapes, but either a shade of yellow or pure white. Wines made from
grapes, plums, apples, pears, lichis, and roses, are sometimes used, but
are not nearly so strong as the decoctions from grains.
FÊNG HUANG T'AI
_Note 35. _
_The silver-crested love-pheasants strutted upon the Pheasant
Terrace. _
About A. D. 493, three strange and beautiful birds were noticed inside
the city walls of Nanking, then called the "City of the Golden Mound. "
At first, the people did not suspect the identity of the birds, but when
they saw that all the other birds assembled and appeared to be paying
homage to the strangers, they realized that the visitors were the famous
_Fêng Huang_. (See table of mythical birds in Introduction. ) The terrace
was built to commemorate the occasion.
_Note 36. _
_Here also, drifting clouds may blind the Sun. _
The drifting clouds are supposed to be the evil courtiers who have
poisoned the mind of the Emperor, i. e. the Sun, against Li T'ai-po.
THE NORTHERN FLIGHT
_Note 37. _
The An Lu-shan rebellion, which broke out during the reign of the T'ang
Emperor, Ming Huang, was very nearly successful, and, if the leader had
not been assassinated in A. D. 757 by his son, might have caused the
overthrow of the dynasty. As it was, the Emperor, having fled to
Szechwan--a step strongly deprecated by Li Tai-po in the poem, "The
Perils of the Shu Road" (see Note 11)--abdicated in favour of _his_ son,
Su Tsung, who crushed the rebellion. The poem refers to the time when it
was at its height, and the Emperor's forces were flying to the North.
_Note 38. _
_The rushing whale squeezes the Yellow River;
The man-eating beasts with long tusks assemble at Lo Yang. _
During the rebellion, both sides of the Yellow River were lined with
rebels, the population was obliged to fly, and the country was
devastated as if a whale had rushed up the river and caused it to
overflow its banks.
The "beasts" are fabulous creatures called _tso chih_, with tusks three
feet long, who delight in eating the flesh of men. Li T'ai-po uses them
metaphorically for the rebels who are threatening the capital.
_Note 39. _
_When, before our glad faces, shall we see the Glory of Heaven? _
The Emperor, under the usual figure of the Sun.
THE CROSSWISE RIVER
_Note 40. _
_I say the Crosswise River is terrible.
The savage wind blows as if it would overturn the Heaven's Gate
Mountains. _
The "Crosswise River" is that section of the Yangtze which flows past
steep cliffs in Anhwei. The "Heaven's Gate Mountains" tower above,
making a sharp defile.
_Note 41. _
_From the beginning of things, the Ox Ledge has been more dangerous
than the Standing Horse Hill. _
A very swift current runs past the Ox Lodge, and boats are obliged to
wait for daylight before attempting to breast it. The Standing Horse
Hill, so called from its resemblance to a standing horse, is above a
reach of the Yangtze where the river is comparatively tranquil.
_Note 42. _
_Is the Eighth Month tide-bore of Chêkiang equal to this? _
The T'ien River in Chêkiang is famous for its bore, or tidal wave.
During the Autumnal equinox, this bore sometimes attains a height of
twenty feet and more.
CH'ANG KAN
_Note 43. _
_I could not yet lay aside my face of shame;
I hung my head, facing the dark wall. _
In China, little girls are supposed to hide their faces at the
suggestion of marriage.
_Note 44. _
_I often thought that you were the faithful man who clung to the
bridge-post. _
A certain Wei Shêng had a great reputation for sincerity and
reliability, which was put to proof on an occasion when he had an
appointment with a lady to meet on a bridge. The lady did not come. But,
in spite of the fact that the waters rose to a flood, Wei Shêng would
not leave. Finally, as he stood there clinging to the bridge-post to
keep himself firm, the waves engulfed him and he was never seen again.
_Note 45. _
_That I should never be obliged to ascend the Looking-for-Husband
Ledge. _
A hill on the banks of the Yangtze, so called because of a legend that,
many centuries ago, a wife, whose husband had been away for several
years, went daily to watch for his returning sail. In the end, she was
turned to stone on the spot where she had kept her vigil.
_Note 46. _
_To the Ch'ü Tang Chasm and the Whirling Water Rock of the Yü River
Which, during the Fifth Month, must not be collided with;
Where the wailing of the gibbons seems to come from the sky. _
The Ch'ü T'ang is the first of the three noted chasms in the upper
reaches of the Yangtze. At the point where the River Yü empties into the
Yangtze, there is a great rock which, when uncovered, is more than two
hundred feet high. In the Fifth Month (June) the water from the melting
snows of the Tibetan mountains causes the river to rise to such an
extent that the rock is covered, which makes it especially dangerous to
navigation. The height of the cliffs on either side of the gorge is so
tremendous that the wailing of the gibbons (see Note 15) in the woods
above sounds as though it came from the sky.
_Note 47. _
_I will not go far on the road to meet you,
I will go straight until I reach the Long Wind Sands. _
The Long Wind Sands are many a day's journey from the village of Ch'ang
Kan, which stands just outside the South Gate of Nanking. What the lady
implies is that she will go to "the ends of the earth" to meet her
returning husband.
SORROW DURING A CLEAR AUTUMN
_Note 48. _
_I climb the hills of Chiu I. _
The Chiu I, or "Nine Peaks," lie to the South of the Tung T'ing Lake
(see map) into which the three divisions of the Hsiang River debouch
after having united.
_Note 49. _
_I go by the "Bird's Path. "_
A term very often used for steep mountain paths.
_Note 50. _
_I think much of fishing for a leviathan from the Island of the Cold
Sea. _
The legend referred to at the end of the poem is as follows: A group of
five islands in the Pi Hai, the Jade-grey Sea, were inhabited by the
Immortals, who found themselves very uncomfortable as these islands,
instead of standing firmly, rose and fell in the most disconcerting
manner. The Immortals therefore applied to the Jade Emperor for
assistance, and he commanded fifteen leviathans, three to each island,
to raise their heads and support the islands, thus keeping them from
rocking. All was well until a man from the Elder Dragon Country appeared
and with one cast of his line caught six of the monsters, the result
being that two of the islands toppled over and sank in the sea. The
three which remain are known as the "Three Hills of the Immortals. " This
tale has become proverbial, and people who are disappointed in their
ambition say "I have no rod with which to catch a leviathan. "
POIGNANT GRIEF DURING A SUNNY SPRING
_Note 51. _
_I feel as one feels listening to the sound of the waters of the
Dragon Mound in Ch'in. _
(See Note 9. )
_Note 52. _
_The gibbons wailing by the Serpent River. _
(See Note 15. )
_Note 53. _
_I feel as the "Shining One" felt when she passed the Jade Frontier,
As the exile of Ch'u in the Maple Forest. _
Two allusions which suggest homesickness. The "Shining One" is Chao
Chün. (See Note 79. ) The exile of Ch'u is Ch'ü Yüan, the famous
statesman. (See Note 62. )
TWO POEMS WRITTEN TO TS'UI (THE OFFICIAL)
_Note 54. _
In both these poems, Ts'ui is compared to T'ao Yüan-ming, author of
"Once More Fields and Gardens," published in this volume. T'ao is the
ideal of the educated scholar, who prefers a life in the fields to any
official post. Many stories are told of him. He planted five willows in
front of his house, and is therefore often spoken of as the "Teacher of
the Five Willows. " He was so fond of music that he declared he could
imagine the sweet sounds of the _ch'in_, and often carried about a
stringless instrument over which he moved his hands. The _ch'in_, or
table-lute, is fully described in Note 114.
WIND-BOUND AT THE NEW FOREST REACH
_Note 55. _
_To-day, at dawn, see the willows beyond the White Gate. _
The White Gate is the Western Gate. The points of the compass are
governed by colours, elements, mythological beasts, and seasons, thus:
East: Green. Wood. The Blue-green Dragon. Spring.
South: Red. Fire. The Vermilion Bird. Summer. West: White. Metal. The
White Tiger. Autumn. North: Black. Water. The Black Warrior. Winter.
Centre: Yellow. Earth.
DRINKING ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT
_Note 56. _
_But we will keep our appointment by the far-off Cloudy River. _
The Cloudy River is the Chinese name for the Milky Way.
_Note 57. _
_There would be no Wine Star in Heaven. _
The Wine Star is a constellation composed of three stars, to the North
of the Dipper.
_Note 58. _
_There should be no Wine Springs on Earth. _
The Wine Springs lie, one in Kansu, and one in Shansi. (See map. ) The
water of the one in Kansu is supposed to taste like wine, that of the
one in Shansi is used in the making of wine.
RIVER CHANT
_Note 59. _
_Jade flageolets and pipes of gold. _
The Chinese flageolet is a tube measuring a little more than a foot in
length. It has five holes above, one below, and one at the end through
which it is played. They are now made of bamboo, but formerly were made
of copper, jadestone, or marble, as such materials were considered less
liable to be affected by the weather.
_Note 60. _
_The Immortal waited,
Then mounted and rode the yellow crane. _
Tou Tzŭ-an, who had attained Immortality by living a life of
contemplation, was transported to the Taoist Paradise by a crane so old
that it had turned yellow.
_Note 61. _
_Rather would he be followed by the white gulls. _
This line refers to a story from a book treating of Taoist subjects long
supposed to have been written by a philosopher called Lieh Tzŭ, but this
is now known to have been a Second Century forgery. A translation of the
story reads: "The man who lived by the sea loved the sea-gulls. Every
day, as the sun rose above the horizon, the birds from the sea assembled
in hundreds and flew about. His father said: 'I hear the sea-gulls
follow you and fly round you. Catch some in your hands and bring them to
me that I too may enjoy them. ' The next day the birds from the sea all
performed the posturing dance in the air, but did not descend. "
_Note 62. _
_The_ tzŭ _and_ fu _of Ch'ü P'ing hang suspended like the sun and
moon. _
The _tzŭ_ and _fu_ are two irregular forms of verse, they are referred
to in the Introduction in the part dealing with versification. Ch'ü
P'ing is another name for Ch'ü Yüan, a famous poet and statesman who
lived 332-295 B. C. (See Introduction. )
_Note 63. _
_I could move the Five Peaks. _
The sacred mountains of the "four quarters" and the nadir (or the four
points of the compass and the centre of the earth). They are the T'ai
Shan in the East, the Hua Shan in the West, the Hêng Shan in the North,
the Hêng Shan in the South, and the Sung Shan in the centre.
SEPARATED BY IMPERIAL SUMMONS
_Note 64.
