This ode illustrates the Chinese
conception
of kingship
described in the Introduction.
described in the Introduction.
Amy Lowell - Chinese Poets
_
"The _sê_, or psaltery, is made on the principle of the _ch'in_, and
like that instrument has been made the subject of numerous allegorical
comparisons. The number of strings has varied . . . but the _sê_ now in
use has twenty-five strings. Each string is elevated on a movable
bridge. These bridges represent the five colours: the first five are
blue, the next red, the five in the middle are yellow, then come five
white, and lastly five black. " ("Chinese Music," by J. A. Van Aalst. )
The most desirable specimens came from Chao, a place in Shensi. (See
map. ) The allusion to the love-pheasants is, of course, symbolical. By
it, the lady says that this instrument is only properly used for
love-songs, with the implication that it is therefore impossible for her
to play it now.
_Note 114. _
_I wish I could play my Shu table-lute on the mandarin duck strings. _
The _ch'in_, or table-lute, lies on a table like a zither, and is played
with the fingers. It is "one of the most ancient instruments, and
certainly the most poetical of all. . . . The dimensions, the number of
strings, the form, and whatever is connected with this instrument had
their principles in Nature. Thus the _ch'in_ measured 3. 66 feet, because
the year contains a maximum of 366 days; the number of strings was five,
to agree with the five elements; the upper part was made round, to
represent the firmament; the bottom was flat, to represent the ground;
and the thirteen studs stood for the twelve moons and the intercalary
moon. The strings were also subjected to certain laws. The thickest
string was composed of two hundred and forty threads and represented
the Sovereign. " ("Chinese Music," by J. A. Van Aalst. ) The "Shu
table-lute" is an allusion to Ssŭ Ma Hsiang-ju, a great poet and
musician, who was a native of Shu. The mandarin ducks are emblems of
conjugal love, and in speaking of them the wife expresses the wish that
her husband were present to listen.
_Note 115. _
_I wish my thoughts to follow the Spring wind, even to the Swallow
Mountains. _
The Yen Jan, or "Swallow Mountains," lie several thousand miles to the
West of Ch'ang An, in Central Asia.
_Note 116. _
_The neglected lamp does not burn brightly. _
The lamps were little vessels filled with natural oil, upon which
floated a vegetable wick. Unless constantly attended to, and this was
the duty of the woman, the flame was small and insignificant.
SUNG TO THE AIR: "THE MANTZŬ LIKE AN IDOL"
_Note 117. _
The Mantzŭ are an aboriginal tribe still living in the far Southwest of
China. It was here that Li T'ai-po was to have been exiled had not the
sentence been commuted. (See Introduction. )
_Note 118. _
_Instead, for me, the "long" rest-houses alternate with the "short"
rest-houses. _
On the "great roads," which we should speak of as paths, rest-houses for
the convenience of travellers are erected every five _li_ (a _li_ is
one-third of a mile). These are called "short road rest-houses" and are
simply shelters. There are also "long road rest-houses" every ten _li_,
where the care-takers serve travellers with tea and food, and which are
equipped with altars and idols for the convenience of the pious.
AT THE YELLOW CRANE TOWER, TAKING LEAVE OF MÊNG HAO JAN
_Note 119. _
_I take leave of my dear old friend at the Yellow Crane Tower. _
Mêng Hao Jan (A. D. 689-740) was a very famous poet, one of whose
idiosyncrasies was riding a donkey through the snow in a search for
inspiration.
The Yellow Crane Tower is still standing at Wuchang.
(See map and Note 60. )
THOUGHTS FROM A THOUSAND LI
_Note 120. _
_Li Ling is buried in the sands of Hu. _
Li Ling lived during the reign of the Emperor Wu of Han (140-87 B. C. ) at
a time when the Hsiung Nu tribes were very troublesome. He penetrated
far into the Hsiung Nu country, with a force of only five thousand
infantry, and was there surrounded by thirty thousand of the enemy.
After his men had exhausted their arrows, he was forced to surrender,
and spent the rest of his life as a captive in Central Asia.
_Note 121. _
_Su Wu has returned to the homes of Han. _
Su Wu lived during the same period as did Li Ling, and was sent by the
Emperor Wu upon a mission of peace to the Hsiung Nu. By the time he
reached the Court of the Khan, however, relations between the Chinese
and the Barbarians were again strained, and he was taken prisoner.
Various attempts were made to induce him to renounce his allegiance to
China; he was thrown into prison and subsisted for days on the moisture
which he sucked from his clothes, but all efforts to undermine his
loyalty failed, and eventually he was sent to tend sheep on the grazing
fields of the steppes. Years passed, Wu Ti, the "Military Emperor,"
died, and his successor Chao Ti made peace with the Central Asian
tribes and sent envoys to ask for the return of the faithful Su Wu. The
Khan replied that he was dead, but the envoy was able to answer that
such could not be the case, as, not long before, the Emperor himself
while hunting in his park had shot a wild goose, and had found a letter
from Su Wu tied to its leg. The loyal official was therefore sent back
to China. He had gone off in the prime of life; when he returned, in 86
B. C. , he was a broken-down, white-haired old man.
_Note 122. _
_Wild geese are flying.
If I sent a letter--so--to the edge of Heaven. _
An allusion to the story of Su Wu. Letters anxiously awaited are often
spoken of as "wild-goose" letters.
SAYING GOOD-BYE TO A FRIEND WHO IS GOING TO THE PLUM-FLOWER LAKE
_Note 123. _
_I bid you good-bye, my friend, as you are going on an excursion to
the Plum-Flower Lake. _
This lake lies about seven miles Southwest of Nanking. The legend is
that, many years ago, a raft loaded with flowering plum-trees sank in
it, and ever since, during the plum-blossom season, the lake is covered
with plum-trees in bloom.
_Note 124_ _Nevertheless you must not omit the wild-goose letter. _
(See Notes 121 and 122. )
_Note 125. _
_Or else our knowledge of each other will be as the dust of Hu to
the dust of Yüeh. _
Hu is the Mongols' country to the North and West of the Great Wall, and
Yüeh is the province of Chêkiang in the Southeast of China. (See map. )
A DESULTORY VISIT TO THE FÊNG HSIEN TEMPLE AT THE DRAGON'S GATE
_Note 126. _
_I had already wandered away from the People's Temple. _
The Fêng Hsien is one of the so-called Chao Ti temples. These temples
are erected by the people, not by Imperial command, which fact is
proclaimed on an inscription written on a horizontal board placed over
the main doorway. The Fêng Hsien temple stands in the Lung Mên, or
Dragon Gate, a defile cut in the mountains of Honan by the great Yü when
he drained the Empire about two thousand B. C. (See Introduction. ) He is
supposed to have been helped by a dragon who, with one sweep of its
tail, cleft the mountain range in two, thus forcing the river I, a
confluent of the Lo which is one of the tributaries of the Yellow River,
to confine itself within the defile through which it runs in a series of
rapids.
CROSSING THE FRONTIER--II
_Note 127. _
_Sadness everywhere. A few sounds from a Mongol flageolet jar the
air. _
The Hsiung Nu soldiers, against whom the Chinese are fighting, are so
near that the sounds of their flageolets can be plainly heard.
_Note 128. _
_Perhaps it is Ho P'iao Yao. _
(See Note 4. )
AT THE EDGE OF HEAVEN. THINKING OF LI T'AI-PO
_Note 129. _
_The demons where you are rejoice to see men go by. _
The demons are of the man-eating variety, the _yao kuai_. (See table of
supernatural beings in Introduction. )
_Note 130. _
_You should hold speech with the soul of Yüan. _
Ch'ü Yüan (see Note 62) drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.
SENT TO LI PO AS A GIFT
_Note 131. _
_And remembering Ko Hung, you are ashamed. _
Ko Hung, author of "Biographies of the Gods," lived in the Fourth
Century A. D. Although very poor, he pursued his studies with such zeal
that he became an official. Having heard that the cinnabar, from which
the Elixir of Immortality is distilled, came from Cochin China, he
begged to be appointed to a magistracy in the South in order that he
might obtain a supply for experimental purposes on the spot. Arrived in
Kwangtung, he spent his time on Mount Lo Fo attempting to compound this
elixir, and so, working at his experiments, passed into a tranquil
sleep. When his friends went to wake him, they found his clothes empty.
Ko Hung had ascended to the Taoist Paradise to live forever among the
Immortals.
HEARING THE EARLY ORIOLE
_Note 132. _
_The sun rose while I slept. I had not yet risen. _
The poem alludes to the curious Chinese custom of holding Imperial
audiences at dawn. This custom was persisted in until the fall of the
Manchu Dynasty in 1912. One of the most noticeable peculiarities of
Peking in Imperial days was the noise during the night, which never
seemed to stop. Officials came to the Palace in their carts, while it
was still dark, in order to be ready for the audience at dawn. It is
clear from Po Chü-i's poem that he is no longer in office, since,
although the sun has risen, he himself is still in bed.
AN IMPERIAL AUDIENCE AT DAWN
_Note 133. _
_At the first light of the still-concealed sun, the Cock-man, in his
dark-red cap, strikes the tally-sticks and proclaims aloud the
hour. _
The Cock-men, whose badge of office was a red cloth, were in charge of
the water-clock, and their business was to announce the time of day.
Near the water-clock were kept bamboo tallies, one for each division of
the twenty-four hours. (See Introduction. ) When the arrow of the
water-clock registered the moment of the change from one division into
another, the Cock-man on duty struck the appropriate tally-stick on a
stone set for that purpose beside the door of the Palace. At sunrise,
which took place during the hour of the monkey (three to five A. M. ) or
during the hour of the cock (five to seven A. M. ), according to the
season, he gave a loud, peculiar cry to warn the inmates of the Palace
that day had come.
_Note 134. _
_At this exact moment, the Keeper of the Robes sends in the
eider-duck skin dress, with its cloud-like curving
feather-scales of kingfisher green. _
The "Keeper of the Robes" was one of the six offices instituted by the
Ch'in Dynasty (255-209 B. C. ), the other five were those of the "Imperial
Head-dresses," "Food-stuffs," "Washing Utensils," "Sitting Mats," and
"Writing Materials. " Robes were, and are, made from the skins of the
various eider-ducks found in Northern Asia. The king eider's head is
blue; the Pacific eider's, black and green; while the spectacled eider
has a white line round the eye, which accounts for its name. The
feathers are so close and soft that garments made of them feel exactly
like fine fur.
_Note 135. _
_In the Ninth Heaven, the Ch'ang Ho Gate opens. _
The Ninth Heaven is the centre from which the points of the compass
radiate, and it is there that the first of all the entrances to Heaven,
the Ch'ang Ho Gate, stands.
_Note 136. _
_The immediately-arrived sun tips the "Immortal Palm. "_
The "Immortal Palm" was a very tall bronze pillar which the Emperor Wu
of Han erected in the grounds of the Variegated Colours Palace. On the
top was a colossal hand, with the fingers curled up so that the falling
dew might be caught in the palm, for, of course, the ancient Chinese
firmly believed that dew fell. As dew was the drinking-water of the
Immortals, to drink it was to advance a step on the road to Immortality.
The hand was brightly polished, and was one of the first objects about
the Palace to glitter when the sun rose.
SEEKING FOR THE HERMIT OF THE WEST HILL
_Note 137. _
_On the Nothing-Beyond Peak, a hut of red grass. _
Huts were built of a certain hill grass, now very rare. It turns red in
the Autumn, and is fine and strong like wire.
_Note 138. _
_I look into the room. There is only the low table and the stand for
the elbows. _
Much of the furniture in the T'ang period was like that used now by the
Japanese. It was customary to sit on the floor and write at a low table,
and the use of the elbow-stand was general.
_Note 139. _
_I have received much--the whole doctrine of clear purity. _
The principles of Taoism are called literally "the clear pure
doctrines. "
_Note 140. _
_Why should I wait for the Man of Wisdom? _
An allusion to the eccentric Wang Hui-chih (A. D. 388), who made a long
journey through the snow to see a friend, but missed him.
FAREWELL WORDS TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE HOUSE OF YANG
_Note 141. _ The sacredness with which the Chinese regard their family
ties is well known, but it is perhaps not realized that the Chinese
conception of the duties owed to friendship entails very great
responsibilities. If a friend dies, it is a man's duty to see that his
family do not suffer in any way. Wei Ying-wu is probably addressing the
daughter of some dead friend whom he has brought up in his own family,
or she may be a poor relation on his mother's side, but that she is not
his own daughter is clear from the fact that her clan name differs from
his, which is Wei.
ONCE MORE FIELDS AND GARDENS.
_Note 142. _
_But for thirteen years it was so I lived. _
The text reads "three ten," which is the way the Chinese say "thirty,"
but native commentaries state that it should read "ten three," or
thirteen. This is far more in accordance with the facts of T'ao's life.
He lived A. D. 365-427, and although he became an official, he soon
resigned his post, saying that he "could not crook the hinges of his
back for five pecks of rice a day. " (See Note 54. )
_Note 143. _
_Mine is a little property of ten_ mou _or so. _
A _mou_ is a Chinese land measurement which is equal to about one-sixth
of an acre.
SONG OF THE SNAPPED WILLOW
_Note 144. _
A very famous song written during the Liang Dynasty (A. D. 502-557).
Allusions to it always suggest homesickness.
THE CLOUDY RIVER
_Note 145. _
There seems to be no doubt that although King Hsüan of Chou (876-781
B. C. ) is not mentioned by name in the poem, which appears in the "Decade
of Tang" division of the "Book of Odes," he is the King referred to.
All the old Chinese commentators agree in ascribing the authorship to a
certain Jêng Shu, an officer of the Court during the reign of that
monarch, who is known to have had a profound admiration for the King.
Opinions differ as to the exact date of the great drought, but the
standard chronology places it in the sixth year of King Hsüan's reign,
821 B. C.
This ode illustrates the Chinese conception of kingship
described in the Introduction.
_Note 146. _
_How the Cloudy River glitters. _
The Chinese call the Milky Way the "Cloudy" or "Silver River. " Stars are
peculiarly bright and glittering during a drought.
_Note 147. _
_My stone sceptres and round badges of rank. _
The badges of office were made of nephrite. There are references in both
the "Book of History" and the "Book of Odes" to the fact that, after
certain sacrifices, they were buried in the ground. In this case, the
sacrifices had been performed so often that the supply of these tokens
was exhausted.
_Note 148. _
_I myself have gone from the border altars to the ancestral temples. _
According to Confucius, the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth were
performed at the border altars, and those to the ancestors took place at
the temples especially provided for the purpose.
_Note 149. _
_Hou Chi could do no more. _
Hou Chi is the deity of grain, and from him King Hsüan was supposed to
be descended.
_Note 150. _
_Shang Ti does not look favourably upon us. _
Shang Ti, literally the "Above Emperor," is the supreme ruler of the
universe. Earthly Emperors receive the decree which empowers them to
rule from him.
_Note 151. _
_Why should I not be terrified
Since all the ancestral sacrifices will be ended? _
To the Chinese, this is the greatest calamity that can be conceived,
since without these sacrifices the ancestral spirits would suffer
greatly, and might visit their wrath upon their descendants.
_Note 152. _
_Drought, the Demon of Drought, has caused these ravages. _
The "Book of Spirits and Prodigies" states that in the Southern regions
there is a hairy man, two or three cubits in height, with eyes in the
top of his head and the upper part of his body bare. His name is Po. He
runs with the speed of the wind, and in whatever part of the country he
appears a great drought ensues.
_Note 153. _
_I offered the yearly sacrifices for full crops in good time. _
It was the custom for the King to pray and make offerings to Shang Ti
during the first Spring month (February), in order to propitiate this
chief of the Chinese pantheon and ensure good harvests from the grain
then being sown. During the first Winter month (November), other prayers
and sacrifices were offered to the "Honoured Ones of Heaven" (the sun,
moon, and stars) for a blessing on the year to follow.
_Note 154. _
_I neglected not one of the Spirits of the Four Quarters of the
Earth. _
Sacrifices of thanksgiving to the "Spirits of the Four Earth Quarters"
were offered at the end of the harvest season.
SONG OF GRIEF
_Note 155. _
Pan Chieh-yü, the talented and upright concubine of the Han Emperor,
Ch'êng, is one of the ladies most often referred to in literature. She
was supplanted by the beautiful, but unscrupulous, "Flying Swallow," who
accused her to the Emperor of denouncing him to the _kuei_ and the
_shên_. (See table of supernatural beings in Introduction. ) The Emperor,
therefore, sent for Pan Chieh-yü who, kneeling before him, answered him
as follows: "The Unworthy One of the Emperor has heard that he who
cultivates virtue still has not attained happiness or favour. If this be
so, for him who does evil what hope is there? Supposing that the demons
and spirits are aware of this world's affairs, they could not endure
that one who was not faithful to the Emperor should utter the secret
thoughts hidden in the darkness of his heart. If they are not conscious
of this world's affairs, of what use would the uttering of those secret
thoughts be? " Then, rising, she left the Imperial presence, and
immediately obtained permission to withdraw from the Palace. Not long
after, she sent the Emperor "A Song of Grief," and ever since then the
term, "Autumn Fan," has been used to suggest a deserted wife.
LETTER OF THANKS FOR PRECIOUS PEARLS
_Note 156. _
One of the ladies swept aside by Yang Kuei-fei (see Note 30) was the
lovely Chiang Ts'ai-p'in, known as the "Plum-blossom" concubine. As she
liked to differ from other people, she painted her eyebrows in the shape
of wide cassia-leaves instead of the thin-lined willow-leaf, or
"moth-antennæ," the form so much used. Soon after her departure from the
Palace, some pearls were received as tribute, and the Emperor, who still
had a lingering regard for "Plum-blossom," sent them to her in secret.
She refused the pearls, and returned them to the Emperor with this poem.
SONGS OF THE COURTESANS
_Note 157. _
_I gaze far--far--for the Seven Scents Chariot. _
The "Seven Scents Chariot" was a kind of carriage used in old days by
officials, and only those above the sixth rank might hang curtains upon
it. It was open on four sides, but covered with a roof. The hubs of the
wheels were carved. Ai Ai implies that the person she is waiting for is
very grand indeed.
THE GREAT HO RIVER
_Note 158. _
This song, which was probably written about 600 B. C. , has been
elucidated by succeeding generations of Chinese commentators in the
following tale.
The lady was a daughter of the Lord of Wei, and the divorced wife of the
Lord of Sung. On the death of her husband, her son succeeded to his
father's position as feudal chief of Sung. Because of her divorce, the
unhappy woman, who was deeply attached to her son, was forbidden to
enter Sung, where he lived.
AN EVENING MEETING
_Note 159. _
_The lamp-flower falls. _
An old-fashioned Chinese lamp was simply a vessel in which a vegetable
wick floated in oil. If the oil were very pure, the wick burned evenly,
leaving no charred end; but if the oil were impure, the wick turned
red-hot and formed a glowing tip called the "lamp-flower. " Its
appearance was looked upon as the happy omen which foretold a lover's
speedy return.
_Note 160. _
_But what is the rain of the Sorceress Gorge. _
The Sorceress Gorge (see Note 87) is often referred to in a figurative
sense, as it is in this poem. The allusion is to the story of a certain
prince who dreamed that a fairy, calling herself the Lady of the
Sorceress Mountain, came and passed the night with him. On leaving in
the morning, she told him that it was she who ruled over the clouds and
rain, which would ever after be symbols of their love. Since then, the
expression "clouds and rain" has become a euphemism for the relation of
the sexes.
CALLIGRAPHY
_Note 161. _
_The writing of Li Po-hai. _
Li Yung (A. D. 678-747) is often called "Po Hai" in reference to a place
where he held office. He was a person who displayed astounding knowledge
at a very early age, and rose to be very powerful. When he was nearly
seventy, he was overthrown by the machinations of his enemies and put to
death. He wrote many inscriptions and was noted for his beautiful,
spirited calligraphy.
_Note 162. _
_The writing of Chia, the official. _
Chia K'uei (A. D. 30-101) was known as the "Universal Scholar. " He was an
eminent teacher, and many of his pupils came from great distances. As
the payment he received was in grain, he was said to "till with his
tongue," which phrase has now become a current expression for earning
one's living as a teacher. Toward the end of his life, he was appointed
Imperial historiographer. He was also a noted calligraphist. (See Note
77. )
ONE GOES A JOURNEY
_Note 163. _
_Are many sweet-olive trees. _
The _olea fragrans_, or sweet-olive, is employed in a metaphorical sense
to denote literary honours. Scholars who have successfully passed their
examinations are said to have gathered its branches.
ON THE CLASSIC OF THE HILLS AND SEA
_Note 164. _
_Because the Yellow Emperor considers them of importance. _
The Yellow Emperor is one of the five mythical sovereigns who ruled
_circa_ 2697 B. C. and is supposed to have reigned a hundred years.
THE SOLITARY TRAVELLER
_Note 165. _
_He has attended an Imperial audience at the Twelve Towers. _
The "Twelve Towers" was a palace built by Ming Huang (see Note 30) for
the use of his ladies. It was an attempted imitation of a building
supposed to have been erected by the Yellow Emperor (see Note 164) for
the use of the Immortals. By his reference to it, one knows that the
traveller has been to Court and is returning disappointed.
SPRING. AUTUMN. WINTER
_Note 166. _
_It makes me think
Of the Peach-Blossom Fountain. _
An allusion to a well-known allegory, "The Peach-Blossom Fountain," by
T'ao Yüan-ming. (See Note 142. ) It tells how a fisherman, who was lost,
found himself in a beautiful country where the people all wore strange
clothes of very old-fashioned cut. On coming home, he told many stories
about this enchanting land, but it could never be found again. The gods
had permitted the fisherman to return for a short time to the
"peach-blossom" days of his youth, although he could never remember the
road he had taken, nor even point out the direction in which it lay.
[Illustration: PLAN OF A TYPICAL CHINESE HOUSE OF THE BETTER CLASS]
KEY TO PLAN OF A TYPICAL CHINESE HOUSE OF THE BETTER CLASS
Shaded Sections--Buildings.
White Sections--Courtyards.
The house faces South.
_No. 1. _ _Chao Pi. _ Spirit Wall. Built to protect the main
entrance from the malign influence of evil
spirits: these move most easily in a
straight line and find difficulty in
turning corners, therefore a wall before
the Great Gate is an effective defence.
_No. 2. _ _Ta Mên. _ Great Gate.
_No. 3. _ _Mên Fang. _ Gate-keeper's Room.
_No. 4. _ _Ting Tzŭ Lang. _ Covered passage leading from the Reception
Hall to the Great Gate and opening on the
street.
_No. 5. _ _Lang. _ Covered passage-way.
_No. 6. _ _T'ing. _ Reception Hall.
_No. 7. _ _Lang. _ Covered passage-way.
_No. 8. _ _T'ing. _ Inner Reception Hall.
_No. 9. _ _Ch'ih. _ A stone-paved courtyard. It has no roof
and is raised in the centre. On great
occasions, such as weddings, birthdays,
and so on, it can be roofed and floored,
thus being made a part of the house.
Trees and flowers are not planted in this
court, but are set about in pots.
_No. 10. _ _T'ing. _ A courtyard. In this second courtyard, to
which steps lead down, trees and flowers
are planted, making of it an inner garden.
_No. 11. _ _Tso Ma Loa. _ Running Horse Two-Story Apartments.
This is the _Kuei_ so often spoken of, the
Women's Apartments. It is a building in
which the rooms surround a courtyard,
and are connected by verandahs running
round the court upstairs and down. The
space in the centre is known as _T'ien
Ching_ or Heaven's Well. There are
eighteen rooms in the upper story, and
eighteen in the lower. The wife uses the
front rooms; the daughters, the back.
_No. 12. _ _Hou T'ing. _ Back Court. It is bounded by a "flower
wall," or brick trellis, through which
flowers can twine, and is used by the
inmates of the _Kuei_ as a garden.
_No. 13. _ _Nü Hsia Fang. _ Women's Lower House. A house for the
women servants. As in the house for men
servants, No. 18, the floor is actually on a
lower level than those of the master's
apartments.
_No. 14. _ _Fo Lou. _ Buddhist Two-Story Apartments. In the
upper story, images of Buddhas, and of
Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, are kept.
As a rule, it is locked, and only people who
have washed carefully and put on clean
clothes may enter.
_No. 15. _ _Tsê Shih. _ Side Inner Apartment. In this house, poor
relations may live. The concubines who
do not enter the _Kuei_ except on invitation
also live here. Guests do not go further
into the house than to the wall bounding
this building on the South.
_No. 16. _ _Tung Hua T'ing. _ Eastern Flower Hall.
"The _sê_, or psaltery, is made on the principle of the _ch'in_, and
like that instrument has been made the subject of numerous allegorical
comparisons. The number of strings has varied . . . but the _sê_ now in
use has twenty-five strings. Each string is elevated on a movable
bridge. These bridges represent the five colours: the first five are
blue, the next red, the five in the middle are yellow, then come five
white, and lastly five black. " ("Chinese Music," by J. A. Van Aalst. )
The most desirable specimens came from Chao, a place in Shensi. (See
map. ) The allusion to the love-pheasants is, of course, symbolical. By
it, the lady says that this instrument is only properly used for
love-songs, with the implication that it is therefore impossible for her
to play it now.
_Note 114. _
_I wish I could play my Shu table-lute on the mandarin duck strings. _
The _ch'in_, or table-lute, lies on a table like a zither, and is played
with the fingers. It is "one of the most ancient instruments, and
certainly the most poetical of all. . . . The dimensions, the number of
strings, the form, and whatever is connected with this instrument had
their principles in Nature. Thus the _ch'in_ measured 3. 66 feet, because
the year contains a maximum of 366 days; the number of strings was five,
to agree with the five elements; the upper part was made round, to
represent the firmament; the bottom was flat, to represent the ground;
and the thirteen studs stood for the twelve moons and the intercalary
moon. The strings were also subjected to certain laws. The thickest
string was composed of two hundred and forty threads and represented
the Sovereign. " ("Chinese Music," by J. A. Van Aalst. ) The "Shu
table-lute" is an allusion to Ssŭ Ma Hsiang-ju, a great poet and
musician, who was a native of Shu. The mandarin ducks are emblems of
conjugal love, and in speaking of them the wife expresses the wish that
her husband were present to listen.
_Note 115. _
_I wish my thoughts to follow the Spring wind, even to the Swallow
Mountains. _
The Yen Jan, or "Swallow Mountains," lie several thousand miles to the
West of Ch'ang An, in Central Asia.
_Note 116. _
_The neglected lamp does not burn brightly. _
The lamps were little vessels filled with natural oil, upon which
floated a vegetable wick. Unless constantly attended to, and this was
the duty of the woman, the flame was small and insignificant.
SUNG TO THE AIR: "THE MANTZŬ LIKE AN IDOL"
_Note 117. _
The Mantzŭ are an aboriginal tribe still living in the far Southwest of
China. It was here that Li T'ai-po was to have been exiled had not the
sentence been commuted. (See Introduction. )
_Note 118. _
_Instead, for me, the "long" rest-houses alternate with the "short"
rest-houses. _
On the "great roads," which we should speak of as paths, rest-houses for
the convenience of travellers are erected every five _li_ (a _li_ is
one-third of a mile). These are called "short road rest-houses" and are
simply shelters. There are also "long road rest-houses" every ten _li_,
where the care-takers serve travellers with tea and food, and which are
equipped with altars and idols for the convenience of the pious.
AT THE YELLOW CRANE TOWER, TAKING LEAVE OF MÊNG HAO JAN
_Note 119. _
_I take leave of my dear old friend at the Yellow Crane Tower. _
Mêng Hao Jan (A. D. 689-740) was a very famous poet, one of whose
idiosyncrasies was riding a donkey through the snow in a search for
inspiration.
The Yellow Crane Tower is still standing at Wuchang.
(See map and Note 60. )
THOUGHTS FROM A THOUSAND LI
_Note 120. _
_Li Ling is buried in the sands of Hu. _
Li Ling lived during the reign of the Emperor Wu of Han (140-87 B. C. ) at
a time when the Hsiung Nu tribes were very troublesome. He penetrated
far into the Hsiung Nu country, with a force of only five thousand
infantry, and was there surrounded by thirty thousand of the enemy.
After his men had exhausted their arrows, he was forced to surrender,
and spent the rest of his life as a captive in Central Asia.
_Note 121. _
_Su Wu has returned to the homes of Han. _
Su Wu lived during the same period as did Li Ling, and was sent by the
Emperor Wu upon a mission of peace to the Hsiung Nu. By the time he
reached the Court of the Khan, however, relations between the Chinese
and the Barbarians were again strained, and he was taken prisoner.
Various attempts were made to induce him to renounce his allegiance to
China; he was thrown into prison and subsisted for days on the moisture
which he sucked from his clothes, but all efforts to undermine his
loyalty failed, and eventually he was sent to tend sheep on the grazing
fields of the steppes. Years passed, Wu Ti, the "Military Emperor,"
died, and his successor Chao Ti made peace with the Central Asian
tribes and sent envoys to ask for the return of the faithful Su Wu. The
Khan replied that he was dead, but the envoy was able to answer that
such could not be the case, as, not long before, the Emperor himself
while hunting in his park had shot a wild goose, and had found a letter
from Su Wu tied to its leg. The loyal official was therefore sent back
to China. He had gone off in the prime of life; when he returned, in 86
B. C. , he was a broken-down, white-haired old man.
_Note 122. _
_Wild geese are flying.
If I sent a letter--so--to the edge of Heaven. _
An allusion to the story of Su Wu. Letters anxiously awaited are often
spoken of as "wild-goose" letters.
SAYING GOOD-BYE TO A FRIEND WHO IS GOING TO THE PLUM-FLOWER LAKE
_Note 123. _
_I bid you good-bye, my friend, as you are going on an excursion to
the Plum-Flower Lake. _
This lake lies about seven miles Southwest of Nanking. The legend is
that, many years ago, a raft loaded with flowering plum-trees sank in
it, and ever since, during the plum-blossom season, the lake is covered
with plum-trees in bloom.
_Note 124_ _Nevertheless you must not omit the wild-goose letter. _
(See Notes 121 and 122. )
_Note 125. _
_Or else our knowledge of each other will be as the dust of Hu to
the dust of Yüeh. _
Hu is the Mongols' country to the North and West of the Great Wall, and
Yüeh is the province of Chêkiang in the Southeast of China. (See map. )
A DESULTORY VISIT TO THE FÊNG HSIEN TEMPLE AT THE DRAGON'S GATE
_Note 126. _
_I had already wandered away from the People's Temple. _
The Fêng Hsien is one of the so-called Chao Ti temples. These temples
are erected by the people, not by Imperial command, which fact is
proclaimed on an inscription written on a horizontal board placed over
the main doorway. The Fêng Hsien temple stands in the Lung Mên, or
Dragon Gate, a defile cut in the mountains of Honan by the great Yü when
he drained the Empire about two thousand B. C. (See Introduction. ) He is
supposed to have been helped by a dragon who, with one sweep of its
tail, cleft the mountain range in two, thus forcing the river I, a
confluent of the Lo which is one of the tributaries of the Yellow River,
to confine itself within the defile through which it runs in a series of
rapids.
CROSSING THE FRONTIER--II
_Note 127. _
_Sadness everywhere. A few sounds from a Mongol flageolet jar the
air. _
The Hsiung Nu soldiers, against whom the Chinese are fighting, are so
near that the sounds of their flageolets can be plainly heard.
_Note 128. _
_Perhaps it is Ho P'iao Yao. _
(See Note 4. )
AT THE EDGE OF HEAVEN. THINKING OF LI T'AI-PO
_Note 129. _
_The demons where you are rejoice to see men go by. _
The demons are of the man-eating variety, the _yao kuai_. (See table of
supernatural beings in Introduction. )
_Note 130. _
_You should hold speech with the soul of Yüan. _
Ch'ü Yüan (see Note 62) drowned himself in the Mi Lo River.
SENT TO LI PO AS A GIFT
_Note 131. _
_And remembering Ko Hung, you are ashamed. _
Ko Hung, author of "Biographies of the Gods," lived in the Fourth
Century A. D. Although very poor, he pursued his studies with such zeal
that he became an official. Having heard that the cinnabar, from which
the Elixir of Immortality is distilled, came from Cochin China, he
begged to be appointed to a magistracy in the South in order that he
might obtain a supply for experimental purposes on the spot. Arrived in
Kwangtung, he spent his time on Mount Lo Fo attempting to compound this
elixir, and so, working at his experiments, passed into a tranquil
sleep. When his friends went to wake him, they found his clothes empty.
Ko Hung had ascended to the Taoist Paradise to live forever among the
Immortals.
HEARING THE EARLY ORIOLE
_Note 132. _
_The sun rose while I slept. I had not yet risen. _
The poem alludes to the curious Chinese custom of holding Imperial
audiences at dawn. This custom was persisted in until the fall of the
Manchu Dynasty in 1912. One of the most noticeable peculiarities of
Peking in Imperial days was the noise during the night, which never
seemed to stop. Officials came to the Palace in their carts, while it
was still dark, in order to be ready for the audience at dawn. It is
clear from Po Chü-i's poem that he is no longer in office, since,
although the sun has risen, he himself is still in bed.
AN IMPERIAL AUDIENCE AT DAWN
_Note 133. _
_At the first light of the still-concealed sun, the Cock-man, in his
dark-red cap, strikes the tally-sticks and proclaims aloud the
hour. _
The Cock-men, whose badge of office was a red cloth, were in charge of
the water-clock, and their business was to announce the time of day.
Near the water-clock were kept bamboo tallies, one for each division of
the twenty-four hours. (See Introduction. ) When the arrow of the
water-clock registered the moment of the change from one division into
another, the Cock-man on duty struck the appropriate tally-stick on a
stone set for that purpose beside the door of the Palace. At sunrise,
which took place during the hour of the monkey (three to five A. M. ) or
during the hour of the cock (five to seven A. M. ), according to the
season, he gave a loud, peculiar cry to warn the inmates of the Palace
that day had come.
_Note 134. _
_At this exact moment, the Keeper of the Robes sends in the
eider-duck skin dress, with its cloud-like curving
feather-scales of kingfisher green. _
The "Keeper of the Robes" was one of the six offices instituted by the
Ch'in Dynasty (255-209 B. C. ), the other five were those of the "Imperial
Head-dresses," "Food-stuffs," "Washing Utensils," "Sitting Mats," and
"Writing Materials. " Robes were, and are, made from the skins of the
various eider-ducks found in Northern Asia. The king eider's head is
blue; the Pacific eider's, black and green; while the spectacled eider
has a white line round the eye, which accounts for its name. The
feathers are so close and soft that garments made of them feel exactly
like fine fur.
_Note 135. _
_In the Ninth Heaven, the Ch'ang Ho Gate opens. _
The Ninth Heaven is the centre from which the points of the compass
radiate, and it is there that the first of all the entrances to Heaven,
the Ch'ang Ho Gate, stands.
_Note 136. _
_The immediately-arrived sun tips the "Immortal Palm. "_
The "Immortal Palm" was a very tall bronze pillar which the Emperor Wu
of Han erected in the grounds of the Variegated Colours Palace. On the
top was a colossal hand, with the fingers curled up so that the falling
dew might be caught in the palm, for, of course, the ancient Chinese
firmly believed that dew fell. As dew was the drinking-water of the
Immortals, to drink it was to advance a step on the road to Immortality.
The hand was brightly polished, and was one of the first objects about
the Palace to glitter when the sun rose.
SEEKING FOR THE HERMIT OF THE WEST HILL
_Note 137. _
_On the Nothing-Beyond Peak, a hut of red grass. _
Huts were built of a certain hill grass, now very rare. It turns red in
the Autumn, and is fine and strong like wire.
_Note 138. _
_I look into the room. There is only the low table and the stand for
the elbows. _
Much of the furniture in the T'ang period was like that used now by the
Japanese. It was customary to sit on the floor and write at a low table,
and the use of the elbow-stand was general.
_Note 139. _
_I have received much--the whole doctrine of clear purity. _
The principles of Taoism are called literally "the clear pure
doctrines. "
_Note 140. _
_Why should I wait for the Man of Wisdom? _
An allusion to the eccentric Wang Hui-chih (A. D. 388), who made a long
journey through the snow to see a friend, but missed him.
FAREWELL WORDS TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE HOUSE OF YANG
_Note 141. _ The sacredness with which the Chinese regard their family
ties is well known, but it is perhaps not realized that the Chinese
conception of the duties owed to friendship entails very great
responsibilities. If a friend dies, it is a man's duty to see that his
family do not suffer in any way. Wei Ying-wu is probably addressing the
daughter of some dead friend whom he has brought up in his own family,
or she may be a poor relation on his mother's side, but that she is not
his own daughter is clear from the fact that her clan name differs from
his, which is Wei.
ONCE MORE FIELDS AND GARDENS.
_Note 142. _
_But for thirteen years it was so I lived. _
The text reads "three ten," which is the way the Chinese say "thirty,"
but native commentaries state that it should read "ten three," or
thirteen. This is far more in accordance with the facts of T'ao's life.
He lived A. D. 365-427, and although he became an official, he soon
resigned his post, saying that he "could not crook the hinges of his
back for five pecks of rice a day. " (See Note 54. )
_Note 143. _
_Mine is a little property of ten_ mou _or so. _
A _mou_ is a Chinese land measurement which is equal to about one-sixth
of an acre.
SONG OF THE SNAPPED WILLOW
_Note 144. _
A very famous song written during the Liang Dynasty (A. D. 502-557).
Allusions to it always suggest homesickness.
THE CLOUDY RIVER
_Note 145. _
There seems to be no doubt that although King Hsüan of Chou (876-781
B. C. ) is not mentioned by name in the poem, which appears in the "Decade
of Tang" division of the "Book of Odes," he is the King referred to.
All the old Chinese commentators agree in ascribing the authorship to a
certain Jêng Shu, an officer of the Court during the reign of that
monarch, who is known to have had a profound admiration for the King.
Opinions differ as to the exact date of the great drought, but the
standard chronology places it in the sixth year of King Hsüan's reign,
821 B. C.
This ode illustrates the Chinese conception of kingship
described in the Introduction.
_Note 146. _
_How the Cloudy River glitters. _
The Chinese call the Milky Way the "Cloudy" or "Silver River. " Stars are
peculiarly bright and glittering during a drought.
_Note 147. _
_My stone sceptres and round badges of rank. _
The badges of office were made of nephrite. There are references in both
the "Book of History" and the "Book of Odes" to the fact that, after
certain sacrifices, they were buried in the ground. In this case, the
sacrifices had been performed so often that the supply of these tokens
was exhausted.
_Note 148. _
_I myself have gone from the border altars to the ancestral temples. _
According to Confucius, the sacrifices to Heaven and Earth were
performed at the border altars, and those to the ancestors took place at
the temples especially provided for the purpose.
_Note 149. _
_Hou Chi could do no more. _
Hou Chi is the deity of grain, and from him King Hsüan was supposed to
be descended.
_Note 150. _
_Shang Ti does not look favourably upon us. _
Shang Ti, literally the "Above Emperor," is the supreme ruler of the
universe. Earthly Emperors receive the decree which empowers them to
rule from him.
_Note 151. _
_Why should I not be terrified
Since all the ancestral sacrifices will be ended? _
To the Chinese, this is the greatest calamity that can be conceived,
since without these sacrifices the ancestral spirits would suffer
greatly, and might visit their wrath upon their descendants.
_Note 152. _
_Drought, the Demon of Drought, has caused these ravages. _
The "Book of Spirits and Prodigies" states that in the Southern regions
there is a hairy man, two or three cubits in height, with eyes in the
top of his head and the upper part of his body bare. His name is Po. He
runs with the speed of the wind, and in whatever part of the country he
appears a great drought ensues.
_Note 153. _
_I offered the yearly sacrifices for full crops in good time. _
It was the custom for the King to pray and make offerings to Shang Ti
during the first Spring month (February), in order to propitiate this
chief of the Chinese pantheon and ensure good harvests from the grain
then being sown. During the first Winter month (November), other prayers
and sacrifices were offered to the "Honoured Ones of Heaven" (the sun,
moon, and stars) for a blessing on the year to follow.
_Note 154. _
_I neglected not one of the Spirits of the Four Quarters of the
Earth. _
Sacrifices of thanksgiving to the "Spirits of the Four Earth Quarters"
were offered at the end of the harvest season.
SONG OF GRIEF
_Note 155. _
Pan Chieh-yü, the talented and upright concubine of the Han Emperor,
Ch'êng, is one of the ladies most often referred to in literature. She
was supplanted by the beautiful, but unscrupulous, "Flying Swallow," who
accused her to the Emperor of denouncing him to the _kuei_ and the
_shên_. (See table of supernatural beings in Introduction. ) The Emperor,
therefore, sent for Pan Chieh-yü who, kneeling before him, answered him
as follows: "The Unworthy One of the Emperor has heard that he who
cultivates virtue still has not attained happiness or favour. If this be
so, for him who does evil what hope is there? Supposing that the demons
and spirits are aware of this world's affairs, they could not endure
that one who was not faithful to the Emperor should utter the secret
thoughts hidden in the darkness of his heart. If they are not conscious
of this world's affairs, of what use would the uttering of those secret
thoughts be? " Then, rising, she left the Imperial presence, and
immediately obtained permission to withdraw from the Palace. Not long
after, she sent the Emperor "A Song of Grief," and ever since then the
term, "Autumn Fan," has been used to suggest a deserted wife.
LETTER OF THANKS FOR PRECIOUS PEARLS
_Note 156. _
One of the ladies swept aside by Yang Kuei-fei (see Note 30) was the
lovely Chiang Ts'ai-p'in, known as the "Plum-blossom" concubine. As she
liked to differ from other people, she painted her eyebrows in the shape
of wide cassia-leaves instead of the thin-lined willow-leaf, or
"moth-antennæ," the form so much used. Soon after her departure from the
Palace, some pearls were received as tribute, and the Emperor, who still
had a lingering regard for "Plum-blossom," sent them to her in secret.
She refused the pearls, and returned them to the Emperor with this poem.
SONGS OF THE COURTESANS
_Note 157. _
_I gaze far--far--for the Seven Scents Chariot. _
The "Seven Scents Chariot" was a kind of carriage used in old days by
officials, and only those above the sixth rank might hang curtains upon
it. It was open on four sides, but covered with a roof. The hubs of the
wheels were carved. Ai Ai implies that the person she is waiting for is
very grand indeed.
THE GREAT HO RIVER
_Note 158. _
This song, which was probably written about 600 B. C. , has been
elucidated by succeeding generations of Chinese commentators in the
following tale.
The lady was a daughter of the Lord of Wei, and the divorced wife of the
Lord of Sung. On the death of her husband, her son succeeded to his
father's position as feudal chief of Sung. Because of her divorce, the
unhappy woman, who was deeply attached to her son, was forbidden to
enter Sung, where he lived.
AN EVENING MEETING
_Note 159. _
_The lamp-flower falls. _
An old-fashioned Chinese lamp was simply a vessel in which a vegetable
wick floated in oil. If the oil were very pure, the wick burned evenly,
leaving no charred end; but if the oil were impure, the wick turned
red-hot and formed a glowing tip called the "lamp-flower. " Its
appearance was looked upon as the happy omen which foretold a lover's
speedy return.
_Note 160. _
_But what is the rain of the Sorceress Gorge. _
The Sorceress Gorge (see Note 87) is often referred to in a figurative
sense, as it is in this poem. The allusion is to the story of a certain
prince who dreamed that a fairy, calling herself the Lady of the
Sorceress Mountain, came and passed the night with him. On leaving in
the morning, she told him that it was she who ruled over the clouds and
rain, which would ever after be symbols of their love. Since then, the
expression "clouds and rain" has become a euphemism for the relation of
the sexes.
CALLIGRAPHY
_Note 161. _
_The writing of Li Po-hai. _
Li Yung (A. D. 678-747) is often called "Po Hai" in reference to a place
where he held office. He was a person who displayed astounding knowledge
at a very early age, and rose to be very powerful. When he was nearly
seventy, he was overthrown by the machinations of his enemies and put to
death. He wrote many inscriptions and was noted for his beautiful,
spirited calligraphy.
_Note 162. _
_The writing of Chia, the official. _
Chia K'uei (A. D. 30-101) was known as the "Universal Scholar. " He was an
eminent teacher, and many of his pupils came from great distances. As
the payment he received was in grain, he was said to "till with his
tongue," which phrase has now become a current expression for earning
one's living as a teacher. Toward the end of his life, he was appointed
Imperial historiographer. He was also a noted calligraphist. (See Note
77. )
ONE GOES A JOURNEY
_Note 163. _
_Are many sweet-olive trees. _
The _olea fragrans_, or sweet-olive, is employed in a metaphorical sense
to denote literary honours. Scholars who have successfully passed their
examinations are said to have gathered its branches.
ON THE CLASSIC OF THE HILLS AND SEA
_Note 164. _
_Because the Yellow Emperor considers them of importance. _
The Yellow Emperor is one of the five mythical sovereigns who ruled
_circa_ 2697 B. C. and is supposed to have reigned a hundred years.
THE SOLITARY TRAVELLER
_Note 165. _
_He has attended an Imperial audience at the Twelve Towers. _
The "Twelve Towers" was a palace built by Ming Huang (see Note 30) for
the use of his ladies. It was an attempted imitation of a building
supposed to have been erected by the Yellow Emperor (see Note 164) for
the use of the Immortals. By his reference to it, one knows that the
traveller has been to Court and is returning disappointed.
SPRING. AUTUMN. WINTER
_Note 166. _
_It makes me think
Of the Peach-Blossom Fountain. _
An allusion to a well-known allegory, "The Peach-Blossom Fountain," by
T'ao Yüan-ming. (See Note 142. ) It tells how a fisherman, who was lost,
found himself in a beautiful country where the people all wore strange
clothes of very old-fashioned cut. On coming home, he told many stories
about this enchanting land, but it could never be found again. The gods
had permitted the fisherman to return for a short time to the
"peach-blossom" days of his youth, although he could never remember the
road he had taken, nor even point out the direction in which it lay.
[Illustration: PLAN OF A TYPICAL CHINESE HOUSE OF THE BETTER CLASS]
KEY TO PLAN OF A TYPICAL CHINESE HOUSE OF THE BETTER CLASS
Shaded Sections--Buildings.
White Sections--Courtyards.
The house faces South.
_No. 1. _ _Chao Pi. _ Spirit Wall. Built to protect the main
entrance from the malign influence of evil
spirits: these move most easily in a
straight line and find difficulty in
turning corners, therefore a wall before
the Great Gate is an effective defence.
_No. 2. _ _Ta Mên. _ Great Gate.
_No. 3. _ _Mên Fang. _ Gate-keeper's Room.
_No. 4. _ _Ting Tzŭ Lang. _ Covered passage leading from the Reception
Hall to the Great Gate and opening on the
street.
_No. 5. _ _Lang. _ Covered passage-way.
_No. 6. _ _T'ing. _ Reception Hall.
_No. 7. _ _Lang. _ Covered passage-way.
_No. 8. _ _T'ing. _ Inner Reception Hall.
_No. 9. _ _Ch'ih. _ A stone-paved courtyard. It has no roof
and is raised in the centre. On great
occasions, such as weddings, birthdays,
and so on, it can be roofed and floored,
thus being made a part of the house.
Trees and flowers are not planted in this
court, but are set about in pots.
_No. 10. _ _T'ing. _ A courtyard. In this second courtyard, to
which steps lead down, trees and flowers
are planted, making of it an inner garden.
_No. 11. _ _Tso Ma Loa. _ Running Horse Two-Story Apartments.
This is the _Kuei_ so often spoken of, the
Women's Apartments. It is a building in
which the rooms surround a courtyard,
and are connected by verandahs running
round the court upstairs and down. The
space in the centre is known as _T'ien
Ching_ or Heaven's Well. There are
eighteen rooms in the upper story, and
eighteen in the lower. The wife uses the
front rooms; the daughters, the back.
_No. 12. _ _Hou T'ing. _ Back Court. It is bounded by a "flower
wall," or brick trellis, through which
flowers can twine, and is used by the
inmates of the _Kuei_ as a garden.
_No. 13. _ _Nü Hsia Fang. _ Women's Lower House. A house for the
women servants. As in the house for men
servants, No. 18, the floor is actually on a
lower level than those of the master's
apartments.
_No. 14. _ _Fo Lou. _ Buddhist Two-Story Apartments. In the
upper story, images of Buddhas, and of
Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, are kept.
As a rule, it is locked, and only people who
have washed carefully and put on clean
clothes may enter.
_No. 15. _ _Tsê Shih. _ Side Inner Apartment. In this house, poor
relations may live. The concubines who
do not enter the _Kuei_ except on invitation
also live here. Guests do not go further
into the house than to the wall bounding
this building on the South.
_No. 16. _ _Tung Hua T'ing. _ Eastern Flower Hall.
