ODE OF SU-HWUI.

LAMENT OF THE POETESS SU-HWUI.In this facility of versification lies one of the reasons for the mediocrity of common Chinese poetry, but that does not prevent its power over the popular mind being very great. Men and women of all classes take great delight in recitation and singing, hearing street musicians or strolling play-actors; and these results, whatever we may judge by our standards, prove its power and suitableness to influence them. One or two additional specimens on different subjects may be quoted, inasmuch as they also illustrate some of the better shades of feeling and sentiment. A more finished piece of poetry is one written aboutA.D.370, by Su-Hwui, whose husband was banished. Its talented authoress is said to have written more than five thousand lines, and among them a curious anagram of about eight hundred characters, which was so disposed that it would make sense equally well when read up or down, cross-wise, backward, or forward.[341]Nothing from her pen remainsexcept this ode, interesting for its antiquity as well as sentiment.ODE OF SU-HWUI.When thou receiv’dst the king’s command to quiet the frontier,Together to the bridge we went, striving our hearts to cheer—Hiding our grief. These words I gasped upon that mournful day:“Forget not, love, my fond embrace, nor tarry long away!”Ah! Is it true that since that time no message glads my sight?Think you thatnowyour lone wife’s heart even in bright spring delights?Our pearly stairs and pleasant yard the foul weeds have o’ergrown;Our nuptial room—and couch—and walls—are now with dust o’erstrown.Whene’er I think of our farewell, my soul with fear grows cold;My mind resolves what shape I’d take to see thee as of old.Now as I watch the deep-sea moon, I long her form to be;Again, the mountain cloud has filled my dull heart with envy.For deep-sea moon shines year by year upon the land abroad;And ye, O mountain clouds, may meet the form of my adored!Aye, flying here and flying there, seek my beloved’s place,And at ten thousand thousand miles—speed!—gaze on his fair face.Alas! formethe road is long, steep mountain peaks now severOur loving souls. I can but weep—O! may’t not be forever!The long reed’s leaves had yellow grown when we our farewell said;Who then had thought the plum-tree’s bough so oft would turn to red?The fairy flowers spreading their leaves have met the early spring—Ah, genial months, what time for love!—But who can easemysting?The pendant willows strew the court, for thee I pull them down;The falling flowers enrich the earth, none pick these from the groundAnd scatter vernal growth, as once, before the ancestral tomb!Taking the lute of Tsun I strive to chase away the gloomBy thrumming, as I muse of thee, songs of departed friends.Sending my inmost thoughts away, they reach the northern ends—Those northern bounds!—how far they seem, o’erpassed the hills and streams.No news, no word from those confines to lighten e’en my dreams!My dress, my pillow, once so white, are deeply stained with tears;My broidered coat with gilded flowers, all spotted now appears.The very geese and storks to me, when in their passage north,Seemed by their cries, my distant love, to tear my heartstrings forth.No more my lute—though thou wert strong, with passion was I wrung;My grief was its utmost bent—my song was still unsung.Ah! husband, lord, thy love I feel is stable as the hills;’Tis joy to think each hour of this—a balm for countless ills!I had but woven half my task—I gave it to his Grace:O grant my husband quick release, I pine for his embrace!THE TEA-PICKER’S BALLAD.Among the best of Chinese ballads, if regard be had to the character of the sentiment and metaphors, is one on Picking Tea, which the girls and women sing as they collect the leaves.BALLAD OF THE TEA-PICKER.I.Where thousand hills the vale enclose, our little hut is there,And on the sloping sides around the tea grows everywhere;And I must rise at early dawn, as busy as can be,To get my daily labor done, and pluck the leafy tea.II.At early dawn I seize my crate, and sighing, Oh, for rest!Thro’ the thick mist I pass the door, with sloven hair half drest;The dames and maidens call to me, as hand in hand they go,“What steep do you, miss, climb to-day—what steep of high Sunglo?”III.Dark is the sky, the twilight dim still on the hills is set;The dewy leaves and cloudy buds may not be gathered yet:Oh, who are they, the thirsty ones, for whom this work we do,For whom we spend our daily toil in bands of two and two?IV.Like fellows we each other aid, and to each other say,As down we pull the yielding twigs, “Sweet sister, don’t delay;E’en now the buds are growing old, all on the boughs atop,And then to-morrow—who can tell?—the drizzling rain may drop.”V.We’ve picked enow; the topmost bough is bare of leaves; and soWe lift our brimming loads, and by the homeward path we go;In merry laughter by the pool, the lotus pool, we hie,When hark! uprise a mallard pair, and hence affrighted fly.VI.Limpid and clear the pool, and there how rich the lotus grows,And only half its opening leaves, round as the coins, it shows—I bend me o’er the jutting brink, and to myself I say,“I marvel in the glassy stream, how looks my face to-day?”VII.My face is dirty; out of trim my hair is, and awry;Oh, tell me, where’s the little girl so ugly now as I?’Tis all because whole weary hours I’m forced to pick the tea,And driving winds and soaking showers have made me what you see!VIII.With morn again come wind and rain, and though so fierce and strong,With basket big, and little hat, I wend my way along;At home again, when all is picked, and everybody seesHow muddy all our dresses are, and drabbled to the knees.IX.I saw this morning through the door a pleasant day set in;Be sure I quickly dressed my hair and neatly fixed my pin,And fleetly sped I down the path to gain the wonted spot,But, never thinking of the mire, my working shoes forgot!X.The garden reached, my bow-shaped shoes are soaking through and through;The sky is changed—the thunder rolls—and I don’t know what to do;I’ll call my comrades on the hill to pass the word with speedAnd fetch my green umbrella-hat to help me in my need.XI.But my little hat does little good; my plight is very sad!I stand with clothes all dripping wet, like some poor fisher-lad;Like him I have a basket, too, of meshes woven fine—A fisher-lad, if I only had his fishing-rod and line.XII.The rain is o’er; the outer leaves their branching fibres show;Shake down the branch, the fragrant scent about us ’gins to blow;Gather the yellow golden threads that high and low are found—Oh, what a precious odor now is wafted all around!XIII.No sweeter perfume does the wild and fair Aglaia shed,Throughout Wu-yuen’s bounds my tea the choicest will be said;When all are picked we’ll leave the shoots to bud again in spring,But for this morning we have done the third, last gathering.XIV.Oh, weary is our picking, yet do I my toil withhold?My maiden locks are all askew, my pearly fingers cold;I only wish our tea to be superior over all,O’er this one’s “sparrow-tongue,” and o’er the other’s “dragon-ball.”XV.Oh, for a month I weary strive to find a leisure day;I go to pick at early dawn, and until dusk I stay;Till midnight at the firing-pan I hold my irksome place:But will not labor hard as this impair my pretty face?XVI.But if my face be somewhat lank, more firm shall be my mind;I’ll fire my tea that all else shall be my golden buds behind;But yet the thought arises who the pretty maid shall beTo put the leaves in jewelled cup, from thence to sip my tea.XVII.Her griefs all flee as she makes her tea, and she is glad; but oh,Where shall she learn the toils of us who labor for her so?And shall she know of the winds that blow, and the rains that pour their wrath,And drench and soak us thro’ and thro’, as plunged into a bath?XVIII.In driving rains and howling winds the birds forsake the nest,Yet many a loving pair are seen still on the boughs to rest;Oh, wherefore, loved one, with light look, didst thou send me away?I cannot, grieving as I grieve, go through my work to-day.XIX.But though my bosom rise and fall, like bucket in a well,Patient and toiling as I am, ’gainst work I’ll ne’er rebel;My care shall be to have my tea fired to a tender brown,And let theflagandawl, well rolled, display their whitish down.[342]XX.Ho! for my toil! Ho! for my steps! Aweary though I be,In our poor house, for working folk, there’s lots of work, I see;When the firing and the drying’s done, off at the call I go,And once again, this very morn, I climb the high Sunglo.XXI.My wicker basket slung on arm, and hair entwined with flowers,To the slopes I go of high Sunglo, and pick the tea for hours;How laugh we, sisters, on the road; what a merry turn we’ve got;I giggle and say, as I point down the way, There, look, there lies our cot!XXII.Your handmaid ’neath the sweet green shade in sheltered cot abides,Where the pendant willow’s sweeping bough the thatchy dwelling hides;To-morrow, if you wish it so, my guests I pray you’ll be!The door you’ll know by the fragrant scent, the scent of the firing tea.XXIII.Awhile ’tis cold, and then ’tis warm, when I want to fire my tea,The sky is sure to shift and change—and all to worry me;When the sun goes down on the western hills, on the eastern there is rain!And however fair he promises, he promises in vain.XXIV.To-day the tint of the western hills is looking bright and fair,And I bear my crate to the stile,[343]and wait my fellow toiler there;A little tender lass is she—she leans upon the railAnd sleeps, and though I hail her she answers not my hail.XXV.And when at length to my loudest call she murmurs a reply,’Tis as if hard to conquer sleep, and with half-opened eye;Up starts she, and with straggling steps along the path she’s gone;She brings her basket, but forgets to put the cover on!XXVI.Together trudge we, and we pass the lodge of the southern bowers,Where the beautiful sea-pomegranate waves all its yellow flowers;Fain would we stop and pluck a few to deck our tresses gay,But the tree is high, and ’tis vain to try and reach the tempting spray.XXVII.The pretty birds upon the boughs sing songs so sweet to hear,And the sky is so delicious now, half cloudy and half clear;While bending o’er her work, each maid will prattle of her woe,And we talk till our hearts are sorely hurt, and tears unstinted flow.XXVIII.Our time is up, and yet not full our baskets to the mouth—The twigs anorth are fully searched, let’s seek them in the south;Just then by chance I snapped a twig whose leaves were all apair;See, with my taper fingers now I fix it in my hair.XXIX.Of all the various kinds of tea, the bitter beats the sweet,But for whomever either seeks, for him I’ll find a treat;Though who it is shall drink them, as bitter or sweet they be,I know not, my friend—but the pearly end of my finger only see!XXX.Ye twittering swallows, rise and fall in your flight around the hill,But when next I go to the high Sunglo, I’ll change my gown—I will;And I’ll roll up the cuff and show arm enough, for my arm is fair to see:Oh, if ever there were a fair round arm, that arm belongs to me!CHINESE DRAMAS AND BURLETTAS.In the department of plays and dramas, Chinese literature shows a long list of names, few or none of which have ever been heard of away from their native soil. Some of their pieces have been translated by Julien, Bazin, Davis, and others, most of which were selected from theHundred Plays of Yuen. The origin of the present Chinese drama does not date back, according to M. Bazin, beyond the Tang dynasty, though many performances designed to be played and sung in pantomime had been written before that epoch. He cites the names of eighty-one persons, besides mentioning other plays of unknown authors, whose combined writings amount to five hundred and sixty-four separate plays; all of whom flourished during the Mongol dynasty. The plays that have been translated from this collection give a tolerably good idea of Chinese talent in this difficult department; and, generally speaking, whatever strictures may be made upon the management of the plot, exhibition of character, unity of action, or illustration of manners, the tendency of the play is on the side of justice and morality. Père Prémare first translated a play in 1731, under the title of theOrphan of Chau,[344]which was taken by Voltaire as the groundwork of one of his plays.The Heir in Old Ageand theSorrows of Hanare the names of two translated by Sir J. F. Davis. TheCircle of Chalkwas translated and published in 1832 by Julien, and a volume of Bazin, ainé, containing theIntrigues of an Abigail, theCompared Tunic, theSongstress, andResentment of Tau Ngo, appeared in 1838, at Paris. None of these pieces exhibit much intricacy of plot, nor would the simple arrangements of Chinese theatres allow much increase to thedramatis personæwithout confusion. M. Bazin, moreover, translated thePí-pa Kí, orHistory of a Lute,a drama in twenty-four acts, of more pretensions, partaking of the novel as well as the drama; the play is said to have been represented at Peking in 1404, under the Ming dynasty.[345]THE MENDER OF CHINAWARE—A FARCE.Besides plays in the higher walks of the drama, which form the principal part of the performances at theatres, there are by-plays or farces, which, being confined to two or three interlocutors, depend for their attractiveness upon the droll gesticulations, impromptu allusions to passing occurrences, and excellent pantomimic action of the performers. They are usually brought on at the conclusion of the bill, and from the freedom given in them to an exhibition of the humor or wit of the players, are much liked by the people. A single illustration will exhibit the simple range and character of these burlettas.THE MENDER OF CRACKED CHINAWARE.DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.Niu ChauA wandering tinker.Wang NiangA young girl.Scene—A Street.Niu Chauenters—across his shoulder is a bamboo, to each end of which are suspended boxes containing the various tools and implements of his trade, and a small stool. He is dressed meanly; his face and head are painted and decorated in a fantastic manner.(Sings) Seeking a livelihood by the work of my hands,Daily do I traverse the streets of the city.(Speaks) Well, here I am, a mender of broken jars,An unfortunate victim of ever changing plans.To repair old fractured jarsIs my sole occupation and support.’Tis even so. I have no other employment.(Takes his boxes from his shoulder, places them on the ground, sits beside them, and drawing out his fan, continues speaking)—A disconsolate old man—I am a slave to inconveniences.For several days past I have been unable to go abroad,But, observing this morning a clear sky and fine air,I was induced to recommence my street wanderings.(Sings) At dawn I left my home,But as yet have had no job.Hither and yon, and on all sides,From the east gate to the west,From the south gate to the north,And all over within the walls,Have I been, but no one has calledFor the mender of cracked jars. Unfortunate man!But this being my first visit to the city of Nanking,Some extra exertion is necessary;Time is lost sitting idle here, and so to roam again I go.(Shoulders his boxes and stool, and walks about, crying)—Plates mended! Bowls mended!Jars and pots neatly repair’d!Lady Wang(heard within). Did I not hear the cry of the mender of cracked jars?I’ll open the door and look. (She enters, looking around.)Yes, there comes the repairer of jars.Niu Chau.Pray, have you a jar to mend?I have long been seeking a job.Did you not call?Lady W.What is your charge for a large jar—And how much for a small one?Niu Chau.For large jars, one mace five.Lady W.And for small ones?Niu Chau.Fifty pair of cash.Lady W.To one mace five, and fifty pair of cash,Add nine candareens, and a new jar may be had.Niu Chau.What, then, will you give?Lady W.I will give one candareen for either size.Niu Chau.Well, lady, how many cash can I get for this candareen?Lady W.Why, if the price be high, you will get eight cash.Niu Chau.And if low?Lady W.You will get but seven cash and a half.Niu Chau.Oh, you wicked, tantalizing thing!(Sings) Since leaving home this morning,I have met but with a trifler,Who, in the shape of an old wife,Tortures and gives me no job;I’ll shoulder again my boxes, and continue my walk,And never again will I return to the house of Wang.(He moves off slowly.)Lady W.Jar-mender! return, quickly return; with a loud voice, I entreat you; for I have something on which I wish to consult with you.Niu Chau.What is it on which you wish to consult me?Lady W.I will give you a hundred cash to mend a large jar.Niu Chau.And for mending a small one?Lady W.And for mending a small one, thirty pair of cash.Niu Chau.One hundred, and thirty pair!—truly, lady, this is worth consulting about.Lady Wang, where shall I mend them?Lady W.Follow me. (They move toward the door of the house.)(Sings) Before walks the Lady Wang.Niu Chau.And behind comes thepu-kang(or jar-mender).Lady W.Here, then, is the place.Niu Chau.Lady Wang, permit me to pay my respects.(Bows repeatedly in a ridiculous manner.)We can exchange civilities.I congratulate you; may you prosper—before and behind.Lady W.Here is the jar; now go to work and mend it.(Takes the jar in his hand and tosses it about, examining it.)Niu Chau.This jar has certainly a very appalling fracture.Lady W.Therefore, it requires the more care in mending.Niu Chau.That is self-evident.Lady W.Now, Lady Wang will retire again to her dressing room,And, after closing the door, will resume her toilet.Her appearance she will beautify;On the left, her hair she will comb into a dragon’s head tuft,On the right, she will arrange it tastefully with flowers;Her lips she will color with blood-red vermilion,And a gem of chrysoprase will she place in the dragon’s head tuft.Then, having completed her toilet, she will return to the door,And sit down to look at the jar-mender. (Exit.)(Niu Chau sits down, straps the jar on his knee, and arranges his tools before him, and as he drills holes for the clamps, sings)—Every hole drilled requires a pin,And every two holes drilled require pins a pair.As I raise my head and look around,(At this moment Lady Wang re-enters, beautifully dressed, and sits down by the door.)There sits, I see, a delicate young lady;Before she had the appearance of an old wife,Now she is transformed into a handsome young girl.On the left, her hair is comb’d into a dragon’s head tuft;On the right it is adorn’d tastefully with flowers.Her lips are like plums, her mouth is all smiles,Her eyes are as brilliant as the phœnix’s; andShe stands on golden lilies, but two inches long.I look again, another look,—down drops the jar.(The jar at this moment falls, and is broken to pieces.)(Speaks) Heigh-ya! Here then is a dreadful smash!Lady W.You have but to replace it with another, and do so quickly.Niu Chau.For one that was broken, a good one must be given.Had two been broken, then were a pair to be supplied;An old one being smashed, a new one must replace it.Lady W.You have destroyed the jar, and return me nothing but words.Give me a new one, then you may return home,—not before.Niu Chau.Here upon my knees upon the hard ground, I beg Lady Wang, while she sits above, to listen to a few words. Let me receive pardon for the accident her beauty has occasioned, and I will at once make her my wife.Lady W.Impudent old man! How presume to thinkThat I ever can become your wife!Niu Chau.Yes, it is true, I am somewhat older than Lady Wang,Yet would I make her my wife.Lady W.No matter then for the accident, but leave me now at once.Niu Chau.Since you have forgiven me, I again shoulder my boxes,And I will go elsewhere in search of a wife.And here, before high heaven, I swear never again to come near the house of Wang.You a great lady! You are but a vile ragged girl,And will yet be glad to take up with a much worse companion.(Going away, he suddenly throws off his upper dress, and appears as a handsome young man.)Lady W.Henceforth, give up your wandering profession,And marrying me, quit the trade of a jar-mender.With the Lady Wang pass happily the remainder of your life.(They embrace, and exeunt.)DEFICIENCIES AND LIMITS OF CHINESE LITERATURE.Such is the general range and survey of Chinese literature, according to the Catalogue of the Imperial Libraries. It is, take it in a mass, a stupendous monument of human toil, fitly compared, so far as it is calculated to instruct its readers in useful knowledge, to their Great Wall, which can neither protect from its enemies, nor be of any real use to its makers. Its deficiencies are glaring. No treatises on the geography of foreign countries nor truthful narratives of travels abroad are contained in it, nor any account of the languages of their inhabitants, their history, or their governments. Philological works in other languages than those spoken within the Empire are unknown, and must, owing to the nature of the language, remain so until foreigners prepare them. Works on natural history, medicine, and physiology are few and useless, whilethose on mathematics and the exact sciences are much less popular and useful than they might be; and in the great range of theology, founded on the true basis of the Bible, there is almost nothing. The character of the people has been mostly formed by their ancient books, and this correlate influence has tended to repress independent investigation in the pursuit of truth, though not to destroy it. A new infusion of science, religion, and descriptive geography and history will lead to comparison with other countries, and bring out whatever in it is good.A survey of this body of literature shows the effect of governmental patronage, in maintaining its character for what appears to us to be a wearisome uniformity. New ideas, facts, and motives must now come from the outer world, which will gradually elevate the minds of the people above the same unvarying channel. If the scholar knows that the goal he strives for is to be attained by proficiency in the single channel of classical knowledge, he cannot be expected to attend to other studies until he has secured the prize. A knowledge of medicine, mathematics, geography, or foreign languages, might, indeed, do the candidate much more good than all he gets out of the classics, but knowledge is not his object; and where all run the same race, all must study the same works. But let there be a different programme of themes and essays, and a wider range of subjects required of the students, and the present system of governmental examinations in China, with all its imperfections, can be made of great benefit to the people, if it is not put to a strain too great for the end in view.CHINESE PROVERBS.The Chinese are fond of proverbs and aphorisms. They employ them in their writings and conversation as much as any people, and adorn their houses by copying them upon elegant scrolls, carving them upon pillars, and embroidering them upon banners. A complete collection of the proverbs of the Chinese has never been made, even among the people themselves any more than among those of other lands. Davis published, in 1828, a volume calledMoral Maxims, containing two hundred aphorisms; P. Perny issued an assortment of four hundredand forty-one in 1869; and J. Doolittle collected several hundred proverbs, signs, couplets, and scrolls in hisVocabulary. Besides these, a collection of two thousand seven hundred and twenty proverbs was published in 1875 by W. Scarborough, furnished with a good index, and, like the others noted here, with the original text. Davis mentions theMing Sin Pao Kien, or ‘Jewelled Mirror for Illumining the Mind,’ as containing a large number of proverbs. TheKu Sz’ Kiung Lin, or ‘Coral Forest of Ancient Matters,’ is a similar collection; but if that be compared to a dictionary of quotations, this is better likened to a classical dictionary, the notes which follow the sentences leaving the reader in no doubt as to their meaning.Manuscript lists of sentences suitable for hanging upon doors or in parlors are collected by persons who write them at New Year’s, and whose success depends upon their facility in quoting elegant couplets. The following selection will exhibit to some extent this branch of Chinese wisdom and wit:Not to distinguish properly between the beautiful and ugly, is like attaching a dog’s tail to a squirrel’s body.An avaricious man, who can never have enough, is as a serpent wishing to swallow an elephant.While one misfortune is going, to have another coming, is like driving a tiger out of the front door, while a wolf is entering the back.The tiger’s cub cannot be caught without going into his den.To paint a snake and add legs. (Exaggeration.)To sketch a tiger and make it a dog, is to imitate a work of genius and spoil it.To ride a fierce dog to catch a lame rabbit. (Useless power over a contemptible enemy.)To attack a thousand tigers with ten men. (To attempt a difficulty with incommensurate means.)To cut off a hen’s head with a battle-axe. (Unnecessary valor.)To cherish a bad man is like nourishing a tiger; if not well fed he will devour you: or like rearing a hawk; if hungry he will stay by you, but fly away when fed.To instigate a villain to do wrong is like teaching a monkey to climb trees.To catch a fish and throw away the net;—not to requite benefits.To take a locust’s shank for the shaft of a carriage;—an inefficient person doing important work.A pigeon sneering at a roc;—a mean man despising a prince.To climb a tree to catch a fish, is to talk much and get nothing.To test one good horse by judging the portrait of another.A fish sports in the kettle, but his life will not be long.Like a swallow building her nest on a hut is an anxious statesman.Like a crane among hens is a man of parts among fools.Like a sheep dressed in a tiger’s skin is a superficial scholar.Like a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest is one who enjoys another’s labor.To hang on the tail of a beautiful horse. (To seek promotion.)Do not pull up your stockings in a melon field, or arrange your hat under a peach tree, lest people think you are stealing.An old man marrying a young wife is like a withered willow sprouting.Let us get drunk to-day while we have wine; the sorrows of to-morrow may be borne to-morrow.If the blind lead the blind, they will both go to the pit.Good iron is not used for nails, nor are soldiers made of good men.A fair wind raises no storm.A little impatience subverts great undertakings.Vast chasms can be filled, but the heart of man is never satisfied.The body may be healed, but the mind is incurable.When the tree falls the monkeys flee.Trouble neglected becomes still more troublesome.Wood is not sold in the forest, nor fish at the pool.He who looks at the sun is dazzled, he who hears the thunder is deafened. (Do not come too near the powerful.)He desires to hide his tracks, and walks on the snow.He seeks the ass, and lo! he sits upon him.Speak not of others, but convict yourself.A man is not always known by his looks, nor the sea measured by a bushel.Ivory does not come from a rat’s mouth.If a chattering bird be not placed in the mouth, vexation will not sit between the eyebrows.Prevention is better than cure.For the Emperor to break the laws is one with the people’s doing so.Doubt and distraction are on earth, the brightness of truth in heaven.Punishment can oppose a barrier to open crime, laws cannot reach to secret offences.Wine and good dinners make abundance of friends, but in time of adversity not one is to be found.Let every man sweep the snow from before his own doors, and not trouble himself about the hoarfrost on his neighbor’s tiles.Better be upright with poverty than depraved with abundance. He whose virtue exceeds his talents is the good man; he whose talents exceed his virtues is the fool.Though a man may be utterly stupid, he is very perspicuous when reprehending the bad actions of others; though he may be very intelligent, he isdull enough when excusing his own faults: do you only correct yourselves on the same principle that you correct others, and excuse others on the same principles you excuse yourselves.[346]If I do not debauch other men’s wives, my own will not be polluted.Better not be than be nothing.The egg fights with the rock—hopeless resistance.One thread does not make a rope; one swallow does not make a summer.To be fully fed and warmly clothed, and dwell at ease without learning, is little better than a bestial state.A woman in one house cannot eat the rice of two. (A wise woman does not marry again.)Though the sword be sharp, it will not wound the innocent.Sensuality is the chief of sins, filial duty the best of acts.Prosperity is a blessing to the good, but to the evil it is a curse.Instruction pervades the heart of the wise, but cannot penetrate the ears of a fool.The straightest trees are first felled; the cleanest wells first drunk up.The yielding tongue endures; the stubborn teeth perish.The life of the aged is like a candle placed between two doors—easily blown out.The blind have the best ears, and the deaf the sharpest eyes.The horse’s back is not so safe as the buffalo’s. (The politician is not so secure as the husbandman.)A wife should excel in four things: virtue, speech, deportment, and needle-work.He who is willing to inquire will excel, but the self-sufficient man will fail.Anger is like a little fire, which if not timely checked may burn down a lofty pile.Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns.Too much lenity multiplies crime.If you love your son, give him plenty of the cudgel; if you hate him, cram him with dainties.When the mirror is highly polished, the dust will not defile it; when the heart is enlightened with wisdom, impure thoughts will not arise in it.A stubborn wife and stiffnecked son no laws can govern.He is my teacher who tells me my faults, my enemy who speaks my virtues.He has little courage who knows the right and does it not.To sue a flea, and catch a bite—the results of litigation.Would you understand the character of a prince, look at his ministers; or the disposition of a man, observe his companions; or that of a father, first mark his son.The fame of good deeds does not leave a man’s door, but his evil acts are known a thousand miles off.A virtuous woman is a source of honor to her husband, a vicious one disgraces him.The original tendency of man’s heart is to do right, and if well ordered will not of itself be mistaken.They who respect themselves will be honored, but disesteeming ourselves we shall be despised.The load a beggar cannot carry he himself begged.The happy-hearted man carries joy for all the household.The more mouths to eat so much the more meat.The higher the rat creeps up the cow’s horn the narrower he finds it.

LAMENT OF THE POETESS SU-HWUI.

In this facility of versification lies one of the reasons for the mediocrity of common Chinese poetry, but that does not prevent its power over the popular mind being very great. Men and women of all classes take great delight in recitation and singing, hearing street musicians or strolling play-actors; and these results, whatever we may judge by our standards, prove its power and suitableness to influence them. One or two additional specimens on different subjects may be quoted, inasmuch as they also illustrate some of the better shades of feeling and sentiment. A more finished piece of poetry is one written aboutA.D.370, by Su-Hwui, whose husband was banished. Its talented authoress is said to have written more than five thousand lines, and among them a curious anagram of about eight hundred characters, which was so disposed that it would make sense equally well when read up or down, cross-wise, backward, or forward.[341]Nothing from her pen remainsexcept this ode, interesting for its antiquity as well as sentiment.

When thou receiv’dst the king’s command to quiet the frontier,Together to the bridge we went, striving our hearts to cheer—Hiding our grief. These words I gasped upon that mournful day:“Forget not, love, my fond embrace, nor tarry long away!”Ah! Is it true that since that time no message glads my sight?Think you thatnowyour lone wife’s heart even in bright spring delights?Our pearly stairs and pleasant yard the foul weeds have o’ergrown;Our nuptial room—and couch—and walls—are now with dust o’erstrown.Whene’er I think of our farewell, my soul with fear grows cold;My mind resolves what shape I’d take to see thee as of old.Now as I watch the deep-sea moon, I long her form to be;Again, the mountain cloud has filled my dull heart with envy.For deep-sea moon shines year by year upon the land abroad;And ye, O mountain clouds, may meet the form of my adored!Aye, flying here and flying there, seek my beloved’s place,And at ten thousand thousand miles—speed!—gaze on his fair face.Alas! formethe road is long, steep mountain peaks now severOur loving souls. I can but weep—O! may’t not be forever!The long reed’s leaves had yellow grown when we our farewell said;Who then had thought the plum-tree’s bough so oft would turn to red?The fairy flowers spreading their leaves have met the early spring—Ah, genial months, what time for love!—But who can easemysting?The pendant willows strew the court, for thee I pull them down;The falling flowers enrich the earth, none pick these from the groundAnd scatter vernal growth, as once, before the ancestral tomb!Taking the lute of Tsun I strive to chase away the gloomBy thrumming, as I muse of thee, songs of departed friends.Sending my inmost thoughts away, they reach the northern ends—Those northern bounds!—how far they seem, o’erpassed the hills and streams.No news, no word from those confines to lighten e’en my dreams!My dress, my pillow, once so white, are deeply stained with tears;My broidered coat with gilded flowers, all spotted now appears.The very geese and storks to me, when in their passage north,Seemed by their cries, my distant love, to tear my heartstrings forth.No more my lute—though thou wert strong, with passion was I wrung;My grief was its utmost bent—my song was still unsung.Ah! husband, lord, thy love I feel is stable as the hills;’Tis joy to think each hour of this—a balm for countless ills!I had but woven half my task—I gave it to his Grace:O grant my husband quick release, I pine for his embrace!

When thou receiv’dst the king’s command to quiet the frontier,

Together to the bridge we went, striving our hearts to cheer—

Hiding our grief. These words I gasped upon that mournful day:

“Forget not, love, my fond embrace, nor tarry long away!”

Ah! Is it true that since that time no message glads my sight?

Think you thatnowyour lone wife’s heart even in bright spring delights?

Our pearly stairs and pleasant yard the foul weeds have o’ergrown;

Our nuptial room—and couch—and walls—are now with dust o’erstrown.

Whene’er I think of our farewell, my soul with fear grows cold;

My mind resolves what shape I’d take to see thee as of old.

Now as I watch the deep-sea moon, I long her form to be;

Again, the mountain cloud has filled my dull heart with envy.

For deep-sea moon shines year by year upon the land abroad;

And ye, O mountain clouds, may meet the form of my adored!

Aye, flying here and flying there, seek my beloved’s place,

And at ten thousand thousand miles—speed!—gaze on his fair face.

Alas! formethe road is long, steep mountain peaks now sever

Our loving souls. I can but weep—O! may’t not be forever!

The long reed’s leaves had yellow grown when we our farewell said;

Who then had thought the plum-tree’s bough so oft would turn to red?

The fairy flowers spreading their leaves have met the early spring—

Ah, genial months, what time for love!—But who can easemysting?

The pendant willows strew the court, for thee I pull them down;

The falling flowers enrich the earth, none pick these from the ground

And scatter vernal growth, as once, before the ancestral tomb!

Taking the lute of Tsun I strive to chase away the gloom

By thrumming, as I muse of thee, songs of departed friends.

Sending my inmost thoughts away, they reach the northern ends—

Those northern bounds!—how far they seem, o’erpassed the hills and streams.

No news, no word from those confines to lighten e’en my dreams!

My dress, my pillow, once so white, are deeply stained with tears;

My broidered coat with gilded flowers, all spotted now appears.

The very geese and storks to me, when in their passage north,

Seemed by their cries, my distant love, to tear my heartstrings forth.

No more my lute—though thou wert strong, with passion was I wrung;

My grief was its utmost bent—my song was still unsung.

Ah! husband, lord, thy love I feel is stable as the hills;

’Tis joy to think each hour of this—a balm for countless ills!

I had but woven half my task—I gave it to his Grace:O grant my husband quick release, I pine for his embrace!

I had but woven half my task—I gave it to his Grace:

O grant my husband quick release, I pine for his embrace!

THE TEA-PICKER’S BALLAD.

Among the best of Chinese ballads, if regard be had to the character of the sentiment and metaphors, is one on Picking Tea, which the girls and women sing as they collect the leaves.

I.Where thousand hills the vale enclose, our little hut is there,And on the sloping sides around the tea grows everywhere;And I must rise at early dawn, as busy as can be,To get my daily labor done, and pluck the leafy tea.II.At early dawn I seize my crate, and sighing, Oh, for rest!Thro’ the thick mist I pass the door, with sloven hair half drest;The dames and maidens call to me, as hand in hand they go,“What steep do you, miss, climb to-day—what steep of high Sunglo?”III.Dark is the sky, the twilight dim still on the hills is set;The dewy leaves and cloudy buds may not be gathered yet:Oh, who are they, the thirsty ones, for whom this work we do,For whom we spend our daily toil in bands of two and two?IV.Like fellows we each other aid, and to each other say,As down we pull the yielding twigs, “Sweet sister, don’t delay;E’en now the buds are growing old, all on the boughs atop,And then to-morrow—who can tell?—the drizzling rain may drop.”V.We’ve picked enow; the topmost bough is bare of leaves; and soWe lift our brimming loads, and by the homeward path we go;In merry laughter by the pool, the lotus pool, we hie,When hark! uprise a mallard pair, and hence affrighted fly.VI.Limpid and clear the pool, and there how rich the lotus grows,And only half its opening leaves, round as the coins, it shows—I bend me o’er the jutting brink, and to myself I say,“I marvel in the glassy stream, how looks my face to-day?”VII.My face is dirty; out of trim my hair is, and awry;Oh, tell me, where’s the little girl so ugly now as I?’Tis all because whole weary hours I’m forced to pick the tea,And driving winds and soaking showers have made me what you see!VIII.With morn again come wind and rain, and though so fierce and strong,With basket big, and little hat, I wend my way along;At home again, when all is picked, and everybody seesHow muddy all our dresses are, and drabbled to the knees.IX.I saw this morning through the door a pleasant day set in;Be sure I quickly dressed my hair and neatly fixed my pin,And fleetly sped I down the path to gain the wonted spot,But, never thinking of the mire, my working shoes forgot!X.The garden reached, my bow-shaped shoes are soaking through and through;The sky is changed—the thunder rolls—and I don’t know what to do;I’ll call my comrades on the hill to pass the word with speedAnd fetch my green umbrella-hat to help me in my need.XI.But my little hat does little good; my plight is very sad!I stand with clothes all dripping wet, like some poor fisher-lad;Like him I have a basket, too, of meshes woven fine—A fisher-lad, if I only had his fishing-rod and line.XII.The rain is o’er; the outer leaves their branching fibres show;Shake down the branch, the fragrant scent about us ’gins to blow;Gather the yellow golden threads that high and low are found—Oh, what a precious odor now is wafted all around!XIII.No sweeter perfume does the wild and fair Aglaia shed,Throughout Wu-yuen’s bounds my tea the choicest will be said;When all are picked we’ll leave the shoots to bud again in spring,But for this morning we have done the third, last gathering.XIV.Oh, weary is our picking, yet do I my toil withhold?My maiden locks are all askew, my pearly fingers cold;I only wish our tea to be superior over all,O’er this one’s “sparrow-tongue,” and o’er the other’s “dragon-ball.”XV.Oh, for a month I weary strive to find a leisure day;I go to pick at early dawn, and until dusk I stay;Till midnight at the firing-pan I hold my irksome place:But will not labor hard as this impair my pretty face?XVI.But if my face be somewhat lank, more firm shall be my mind;I’ll fire my tea that all else shall be my golden buds behind;But yet the thought arises who the pretty maid shall beTo put the leaves in jewelled cup, from thence to sip my tea.XVII.Her griefs all flee as she makes her tea, and she is glad; but oh,Where shall she learn the toils of us who labor for her so?And shall she know of the winds that blow, and the rains that pour their wrath,And drench and soak us thro’ and thro’, as plunged into a bath?XVIII.In driving rains and howling winds the birds forsake the nest,Yet many a loving pair are seen still on the boughs to rest;Oh, wherefore, loved one, with light look, didst thou send me away?I cannot, grieving as I grieve, go through my work to-day.XIX.But though my bosom rise and fall, like bucket in a well,Patient and toiling as I am, ’gainst work I’ll ne’er rebel;My care shall be to have my tea fired to a tender brown,And let theflagandawl, well rolled, display their whitish down.[342]XX.Ho! for my toil! Ho! for my steps! Aweary though I be,In our poor house, for working folk, there’s lots of work, I see;When the firing and the drying’s done, off at the call I go,And once again, this very morn, I climb the high Sunglo.XXI.My wicker basket slung on arm, and hair entwined with flowers,To the slopes I go of high Sunglo, and pick the tea for hours;How laugh we, sisters, on the road; what a merry turn we’ve got;I giggle and say, as I point down the way, There, look, there lies our cot!XXII.Your handmaid ’neath the sweet green shade in sheltered cot abides,Where the pendant willow’s sweeping bough the thatchy dwelling hides;To-morrow, if you wish it so, my guests I pray you’ll be!The door you’ll know by the fragrant scent, the scent of the firing tea.XXIII.Awhile ’tis cold, and then ’tis warm, when I want to fire my tea,The sky is sure to shift and change—and all to worry me;When the sun goes down on the western hills, on the eastern there is rain!And however fair he promises, he promises in vain.XXIV.To-day the tint of the western hills is looking bright and fair,And I bear my crate to the stile,[343]and wait my fellow toiler there;A little tender lass is she—she leans upon the railAnd sleeps, and though I hail her she answers not my hail.XXV.And when at length to my loudest call she murmurs a reply,’Tis as if hard to conquer sleep, and with half-opened eye;Up starts she, and with straggling steps along the path she’s gone;She brings her basket, but forgets to put the cover on!XXVI.Together trudge we, and we pass the lodge of the southern bowers,Where the beautiful sea-pomegranate waves all its yellow flowers;Fain would we stop and pluck a few to deck our tresses gay,But the tree is high, and ’tis vain to try and reach the tempting spray.XXVII.The pretty birds upon the boughs sing songs so sweet to hear,And the sky is so delicious now, half cloudy and half clear;While bending o’er her work, each maid will prattle of her woe,And we talk till our hearts are sorely hurt, and tears unstinted flow.XXVIII.Our time is up, and yet not full our baskets to the mouth—The twigs anorth are fully searched, let’s seek them in the south;Just then by chance I snapped a twig whose leaves were all apair;See, with my taper fingers now I fix it in my hair.XXIX.Of all the various kinds of tea, the bitter beats the sweet,But for whomever either seeks, for him I’ll find a treat;Though who it is shall drink them, as bitter or sweet they be,I know not, my friend—but the pearly end of my finger only see!XXX.Ye twittering swallows, rise and fall in your flight around the hill,But when next I go to the high Sunglo, I’ll change my gown—I will;And I’ll roll up the cuff and show arm enough, for my arm is fair to see:Oh, if ever there were a fair round arm, that arm belongs to me!

Where thousand hills the vale enclose, our little hut is there,And on the sloping sides around the tea grows everywhere;And I must rise at early dawn, as busy as can be,To get my daily labor done, and pluck the leafy tea.

Where thousand hills the vale enclose, our little hut is there,

And on the sloping sides around the tea grows everywhere;

And I must rise at early dawn, as busy as can be,

To get my daily labor done, and pluck the leafy tea.

II.

At early dawn I seize my crate, and sighing, Oh, for rest!Thro’ the thick mist I pass the door, with sloven hair half drest;The dames and maidens call to me, as hand in hand they go,“What steep do you, miss, climb to-day—what steep of high Sunglo?”

At early dawn I seize my crate, and sighing, Oh, for rest!

Thro’ the thick mist I pass the door, with sloven hair half drest;

The dames and maidens call to me, as hand in hand they go,

“What steep do you, miss, climb to-day—what steep of high Sunglo?”

III.

Dark is the sky, the twilight dim still on the hills is set;The dewy leaves and cloudy buds may not be gathered yet:Oh, who are they, the thirsty ones, for whom this work we do,For whom we spend our daily toil in bands of two and two?

Dark is the sky, the twilight dim still on the hills is set;

The dewy leaves and cloudy buds may not be gathered yet:

Oh, who are they, the thirsty ones, for whom this work we do,

For whom we spend our daily toil in bands of two and two?

IV.

Like fellows we each other aid, and to each other say,As down we pull the yielding twigs, “Sweet sister, don’t delay;E’en now the buds are growing old, all on the boughs atop,And then to-morrow—who can tell?—the drizzling rain may drop.”

Like fellows we each other aid, and to each other say,

As down we pull the yielding twigs, “Sweet sister, don’t delay;

E’en now the buds are growing old, all on the boughs atop,

And then to-morrow—who can tell?—the drizzling rain may drop.”

We’ve picked enow; the topmost bough is bare of leaves; and soWe lift our brimming loads, and by the homeward path we go;In merry laughter by the pool, the lotus pool, we hie,When hark! uprise a mallard pair, and hence affrighted fly.

We’ve picked enow; the topmost bough is bare of leaves; and so

We lift our brimming loads, and by the homeward path we go;

In merry laughter by the pool, the lotus pool, we hie,

When hark! uprise a mallard pair, and hence affrighted fly.

VI.

Limpid and clear the pool, and there how rich the lotus grows,And only half its opening leaves, round as the coins, it shows—I bend me o’er the jutting brink, and to myself I say,“I marvel in the glassy stream, how looks my face to-day?”

Limpid and clear the pool, and there how rich the lotus grows,

And only half its opening leaves, round as the coins, it shows—

I bend me o’er the jutting brink, and to myself I say,

“I marvel in the glassy stream, how looks my face to-day?”

VII.

My face is dirty; out of trim my hair is, and awry;Oh, tell me, where’s the little girl so ugly now as I?’Tis all because whole weary hours I’m forced to pick the tea,And driving winds and soaking showers have made me what you see!

My face is dirty; out of trim my hair is, and awry;

Oh, tell me, where’s the little girl so ugly now as I?

’Tis all because whole weary hours I’m forced to pick the tea,

And driving winds and soaking showers have made me what you see!

VIII.

With morn again come wind and rain, and though so fierce and strong,With basket big, and little hat, I wend my way along;At home again, when all is picked, and everybody seesHow muddy all our dresses are, and drabbled to the knees.

With morn again come wind and rain, and though so fierce and strong,

With basket big, and little hat, I wend my way along;

At home again, when all is picked, and everybody sees

How muddy all our dresses are, and drabbled to the knees.

IX.

I saw this morning through the door a pleasant day set in;Be sure I quickly dressed my hair and neatly fixed my pin,And fleetly sped I down the path to gain the wonted spot,But, never thinking of the mire, my working shoes forgot!

I saw this morning through the door a pleasant day set in;

Be sure I quickly dressed my hair and neatly fixed my pin,

And fleetly sped I down the path to gain the wonted spot,

But, never thinking of the mire, my working shoes forgot!

The garden reached, my bow-shaped shoes are soaking through and through;The sky is changed—the thunder rolls—and I don’t know what to do;I’ll call my comrades on the hill to pass the word with speedAnd fetch my green umbrella-hat to help me in my need.

The garden reached, my bow-shaped shoes are soaking through and through;

The sky is changed—the thunder rolls—and I don’t know what to do;

I’ll call my comrades on the hill to pass the word with speed

And fetch my green umbrella-hat to help me in my need.

XI.

But my little hat does little good; my plight is very sad!I stand with clothes all dripping wet, like some poor fisher-lad;Like him I have a basket, too, of meshes woven fine—A fisher-lad, if I only had his fishing-rod and line.

But my little hat does little good; my plight is very sad!

I stand with clothes all dripping wet, like some poor fisher-lad;

Like him I have a basket, too, of meshes woven fine—

A fisher-lad, if I only had his fishing-rod and line.

XII.

The rain is o’er; the outer leaves their branching fibres show;Shake down the branch, the fragrant scent about us ’gins to blow;Gather the yellow golden threads that high and low are found—Oh, what a precious odor now is wafted all around!

The rain is o’er; the outer leaves their branching fibres show;

Shake down the branch, the fragrant scent about us ’gins to blow;

Gather the yellow golden threads that high and low are found—

Oh, what a precious odor now is wafted all around!

XIII.

No sweeter perfume does the wild and fair Aglaia shed,Throughout Wu-yuen’s bounds my tea the choicest will be said;When all are picked we’ll leave the shoots to bud again in spring,But for this morning we have done the third, last gathering.

No sweeter perfume does the wild and fair Aglaia shed,

Throughout Wu-yuen’s bounds my tea the choicest will be said;

When all are picked we’ll leave the shoots to bud again in spring,

But for this morning we have done the third, last gathering.

XIV.

Oh, weary is our picking, yet do I my toil withhold?My maiden locks are all askew, my pearly fingers cold;I only wish our tea to be superior over all,O’er this one’s “sparrow-tongue,” and o’er the other’s “dragon-ball.”

Oh, weary is our picking, yet do I my toil withhold?

My maiden locks are all askew, my pearly fingers cold;

I only wish our tea to be superior over all,

O’er this one’s “sparrow-tongue,” and o’er the other’s “dragon-ball.”

XV.

Oh, for a month I weary strive to find a leisure day;I go to pick at early dawn, and until dusk I stay;Till midnight at the firing-pan I hold my irksome place:But will not labor hard as this impair my pretty face?

Oh, for a month I weary strive to find a leisure day;

I go to pick at early dawn, and until dusk I stay;

Till midnight at the firing-pan I hold my irksome place:

But will not labor hard as this impair my pretty face?

XVI.

But if my face be somewhat lank, more firm shall be my mind;I’ll fire my tea that all else shall be my golden buds behind;But yet the thought arises who the pretty maid shall beTo put the leaves in jewelled cup, from thence to sip my tea.

But if my face be somewhat lank, more firm shall be my mind;

I’ll fire my tea that all else shall be my golden buds behind;

But yet the thought arises who the pretty maid shall be

To put the leaves in jewelled cup, from thence to sip my tea.

XVII.

Her griefs all flee as she makes her tea, and she is glad; but oh,Where shall she learn the toils of us who labor for her so?And shall she know of the winds that blow, and the rains that pour their wrath,And drench and soak us thro’ and thro’, as plunged into a bath?

Her griefs all flee as she makes her tea, and she is glad; but oh,

Where shall she learn the toils of us who labor for her so?

And shall she know of the winds that blow, and the rains that pour their wrath,

And drench and soak us thro’ and thro’, as plunged into a bath?

XVIII.

In driving rains and howling winds the birds forsake the nest,Yet many a loving pair are seen still on the boughs to rest;Oh, wherefore, loved one, with light look, didst thou send me away?I cannot, grieving as I grieve, go through my work to-day.

In driving rains and howling winds the birds forsake the nest,

Yet many a loving pair are seen still on the boughs to rest;

Oh, wherefore, loved one, with light look, didst thou send me away?

I cannot, grieving as I grieve, go through my work to-day.

XIX.

But though my bosom rise and fall, like bucket in a well,Patient and toiling as I am, ’gainst work I’ll ne’er rebel;My care shall be to have my tea fired to a tender brown,And let theflagandawl, well rolled, display their whitish down.[342]

But though my bosom rise and fall, like bucket in a well,

Patient and toiling as I am, ’gainst work I’ll ne’er rebel;

My care shall be to have my tea fired to a tender brown,

And let theflagandawl, well rolled, display their whitish down.[342]

XX.

Ho! for my toil! Ho! for my steps! Aweary though I be,In our poor house, for working folk, there’s lots of work, I see;When the firing and the drying’s done, off at the call I go,And once again, this very morn, I climb the high Sunglo.

Ho! for my toil! Ho! for my steps! Aweary though I be,

In our poor house, for working folk, there’s lots of work, I see;

When the firing and the drying’s done, off at the call I go,

And once again, this very morn, I climb the high Sunglo.

XXI.

My wicker basket slung on arm, and hair entwined with flowers,To the slopes I go of high Sunglo, and pick the tea for hours;How laugh we, sisters, on the road; what a merry turn we’ve got;I giggle and say, as I point down the way, There, look, there lies our cot!

My wicker basket slung on arm, and hair entwined with flowers,

To the slopes I go of high Sunglo, and pick the tea for hours;

How laugh we, sisters, on the road; what a merry turn we’ve got;

I giggle and say, as I point down the way, There, look, there lies our cot!

XXII.

Your handmaid ’neath the sweet green shade in sheltered cot abides,Where the pendant willow’s sweeping bough the thatchy dwelling hides;To-morrow, if you wish it so, my guests I pray you’ll be!The door you’ll know by the fragrant scent, the scent of the firing tea.

Your handmaid ’neath the sweet green shade in sheltered cot abides,

Where the pendant willow’s sweeping bough the thatchy dwelling hides;

To-morrow, if you wish it so, my guests I pray you’ll be!

The door you’ll know by the fragrant scent, the scent of the firing tea.

XXIII.

Awhile ’tis cold, and then ’tis warm, when I want to fire my tea,The sky is sure to shift and change—and all to worry me;When the sun goes down on the western hills, on the eastern there is rain!And however fair he promises, he promises in vain.

Awhile ’tis cold, and then ’tis warm, when I want to fire my tea,

The sky is sure to shift and change—and all to worry me;

When the sun goes down on the western hills, on the eastern there is rain!

And however fair he promises, he promises in vain.

XXIV.

To-day the tint of the western hills is looking bright and fair,And I bear my crate to the stile,[343]and wait my fellow toiler there;A little tender lass is she—she leans upon the railAnd sleeps, and though I hail her she answers not my hail.

To-day the tint of the western hills is looking bright and fair,

And I bear my crate to the stile,[343]and wait my fellow toiler there;

A little tender lass is she—she leans upon the rail

And sleeps, and though I hail her she answers not my hail.

XXV.

And when at length to my loudest call she murmurs a reply,’Tis as if hard to conquer sleep, and with half-opened eye;Up starts she, and with straggling steps along the path she’s gone;She brings her basket, but forgets to put the cover on!

And when at length to my loudest call she murmurs a reply,

’Tis as if hard to conquer sleep, and with half-opened eye;

Up starts she, and with straggling steps along the path she’s gone;

She brings her basket, but forgets to put the cover on!

XXVI.

Together trudge we, and we pass the lodge of the southern bowers,Where the beautiful sea-pomegranate waves all its yellow flowers;Fain would we stop and pluck a few to deck our tresses gay,But the tree is high, and ’tis vain to try and reach the tempting spray.

Together trudge we, and we pass the lodge of the southern bowers,

Where the beautiful sea-pomegranate waves all its yellow flowers;

Fain would we stop and pluck a few to deck our tresses gay,

But the tree is high, and ’tis vain to try and reach the tempting spray.

XXVII.

The pretty birds upon the boughs sing songs so sweet to hear,And the sky is so delicious now, half cloudy and half clear;While bending o’er her work, each maid will prattle of her woe,And we talk till our hearts are sorely hurt, and tears unstinted flow.

The pretty birds upon the boughs sing songs so sweet to hear,

And the sky is so delicious now, half cloudy and half clear;

While bending o’er her work, each maid will prattle of her woe,

And we talk till our hearts are sorely hurt, and tears unstinted flow.

XXVIII.

Our time is up, and yet not full our baskets to the mouth—The twigs anorth are fully searched, let’s seek them in the south;Just then by chance I snapped a twig whose leaves were all apair;See, with my taper fingers now I fix it in my hair.

Our time is up, and yet not full our baskets to the mouth—

The twigs anorth are fully searched, let’s seek them in the south;

Just then by chance I snapped a twig whose leaves were all apair;

See, with my taper fingers now I fix it in my hair.

XXIX.

Of all the various kinds of tea, the bitter beats the sweet,But for whomever either seeks, for him I’ll find a treat;Though who it is shall drink them, as bitter or sweet they be,I know not, my friend—but the pearly end of my finger only see!

Of all the various kinds of tea, the bitter beats the sweet,

But for whomever either seeks, for him I’ll find a treat;

Though who it is shall drink them, as bitter or sweet they be,

I know not, my friend—but the pearly end of my finger only see!

XXX.

Ye twittering swallows, rise and fall in your flight around the hill,But when next I go to the high Sunglo, I’ll change my gown—I will;And I’ll roll up the cuff and show arm enough, for my arm is fair to see:Oh, if ever there were a fair round arm, that arm belongs to me!

Ye twittering swallows, rise and fall in your flight around the hill,

But when next I go to the high Sunglo, I’ll change my gown—I will;

And I’ll roll up the cuff and show arm enough, for my arm is fair to see:

Oh, if ever there were a fair round arm, that arm belongs to me!

CHINESE DRAMAS AND BURLETTAS.

In the department of plays and dramas, Chinese literature shows a long list of names, few or none of which have ever been heard of away from their native soil. Some of their pieces have been translated by Julien, Bazin, Davis, and others, most of which were selected from theHundred Plays of Yuen. The origin of the present Chinese drama does not date back, according to M. Bazin, beyond the Tang dynasty, though many performances designed to be played and sung in pantomime had been written before that epoch. He cites the names of eighty-one persons, besides mentioning other plays of unknown authors, whose combined writings amount to five hundred and sixty-four separate plays; all of whom flourished during the Mongol dynasty. The plays that have been translated from this collection give a tolerably good idea of Chinese talent in this difficult department; and, generally speaking, whatever strictures may be made upon the management of the plot, exhibition of character, unity of action, or illustration of manners, the tendency of the play is on the side of justice and morality. Père Prémare first translated a play in 1731, under the title of theOrphan of Chau,[344]which was taken by Voltaire as the groundwork of one of his plays.The Heir in Old Ageand theSorrows of Hanare the names of two translated by Sir J. F. Davis. TheCircle of Chalkwas translated and published in 1832 by Julien, and a volume of Bazin, ainé, containing theIntrigues of an Abigail, theCompared Tunic, theSongstress, andResentment of Tau Ngo, appeared in 1838, at Paris. None of these pieces exhibit much intricacy of plot, nor would the simple arrangements of Chinese theatres allow much increase to thedramatis personæwithout confusion. M. Bazin, moreover, translated thePí-pa Kí, orHistory of a Lute,a drama in twenty-four acts, of more pretensions, partaking of the novel as well as the drama; the play is said to have been represented at Peking in 1404, under the Ming dynasty.[345]

THE MENDER OF CHINAWARE—A FARCE.

Besides plays in the higher walks of the drama, which form the principal part of the performances at theatres, there are by-plays or farces, which, being confined to two or three interlocutors, depend for their attractiveness upon the droll gesticulations, impromptu allusions to passing occurrences, and excellent pantomimic action of the performers. They are usually brought on at the conclusion of the bill, and from the freedom given in them to an exhibition of the humor or wit of the players, are much liked by the people. A single illustration will exhibit the simple range and character of these burlettas.

THE MENDER OF CRACKED CHINAWARE.DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.Niu ChauA wandering tinker.Wang NiangA young girl.Scene—A Street.Niu Chauenters—across his shoulder is a bamboo, to each end of which are suspended boxes containing the various tools and implements of his trade, and a small stool. He is dressed meanly; his face and head are painted and decorated in a fantastic manner.(Sings) Seeking a livelihood by the work of my hands,Daily do I traverse the streets of the city.(Speaks) Well, here I am, a mender of broken jars,An unfortunate victim of ever changing plans.To repair old fractured jarsIs my sole occupation and support.’Tis even so. I have no other employment.(Takes his boxes from his shoulder, places them on the ground, sits beside them, and drawing out his fan, continues speaking)—A disconsolate old man—I am a slave to inconveniences.For several days past I have been unable to go abroad,But, observing this morning a clear sky and fine air,I was induced to recommence my street wanderings.(Sings) At dawn I left my home,But as yet have had no job.Hither and yon, and on all sides,From the east gate to the west,From the south gate to the north,And all over within the walls,Have I been, but no one has calledFor the mender of cracked jars. Unfortunate man!But this being my first visit to the city of Nanking,Some extra exertion is necessary;Time is lost sitting idle here, and so to roam again I go.(Shoulders his boxes and stool, and walks about, crying)—Plates mended! Bowls mended!Jars and pots neatly repair’d!Lady Wang(heard within). Did I not hear the cry of the mender of cracked jars?I’ll open the door and look. (She enters, looking around.)Yes, there comes the repairer of jars.Niu Chau.Pray, have you a jar to mend?I have long been seeking a job.Did you not call?Lady W.What is your charge for a large jar—And how much for a small one?Niu Chau.For large jars, one mace five.Lady W.And for small ones?Niu Chau.Fifty pair of cash.Lady W.To one mace five, and fifty pair of cash,Add nine candareens, and a new jar may be had.Niu Chau.What, then, will you give?Lady W.I will give one candareen for either size.Niu Chau.Well, lady, how many cash can I get for this candareen?Lady W.Why, if the price be high, you will get eight cash.Niu Chau.And if low?Lady W.You will get but seven cash and a half.Niu Chau.Oh, you wicked, tantalizing thing!(Sings) Since leaving home this morning,I have met but with a trifler,Who, in the shape of an old wife,Tortures and gives me no job;I’ll shoulder again my boxes, and continue my walk,And never again will I return to the house of Wang.(He moves off slowly.)Lady W.Jar-mender! return, quickly return; with a loud voice, I entreat you; for I have something on which I wish to consult with you.Niu Chau.What is it on which you wish to consult me?Lady W.I will give you a hundred cash to mend a large jar.Niu Chau.And for mending a small one?Lady W.And for mending a small one, thirty pair of cash.Niu Chau.One hundred, and thirty pair!—truly, lady, this is worth consulting about.Lady Wang, where shall I mend them?Lady W.Follow me. (They move toward the door of the house.)(Sings) Before walks the Lady Wang.Niu Chau.And behind comes thepu-kang(or jar-mender).Lady W.Here, then, is the place.Niu Chau.Lady Wang, permit me to pay my respects.(Bows repeatedly in a ridiculous manner.)We can exchange civilities.I congratulate you; may you prosper—before and behind.Lady W.Here is the jar; now go to work and mend it.(Takes the jar in his hand and tosses it about, examining it.)Niu Chau.This jar has certainly a very appalling fracture.Lady W.Therefore, it requires the more care in mending.Niu Chau.That is self-evident.Lady W.Now, Lady Wang will retire again to her dressing room,And, after closing the door, will resume her toilet.Her appearance she will beautify;On the left, her hair she will comb into a dragon’s head tuft,On the right, she will arrange it tastefully with flowers;Her lips she will color with blood-red vermilion,And a gem of chrysoprase will she place in the dragon’s head tuft.Then, having completed her toilet, she will return to the door,And sit down to look at the jar-mender. (Exit.)(Niu Chau sits down, straps the jar on his knee, and arranges his tools before him, and as he drills holes for the clamps, sings)—Every hole drilled requires a pin,And every two holes drilled require pins a pair.As I raise my head and look around,(At this moment Lady Wang re-enters, beautifully dressed, and sits down by the door.)There sits, I see, a delicate young lady;Before she had the appearance of an old wife,Now she is transformed into a handsome young girl.On the left, her hair is comb’d into a dragon’s head tuft;On the right it is adorn’d tastefully with flowers.Her lips are like plums, her mouth is all smiles,Her eyes are as brilliant as the phœnix’s; andShe stands on golden lilies, but two inches long.I look again, another look,—down drops the jar.(The jar at this moment falls, and is broken to pieces.)(Speaks) Heigh-ya! Here then is a dreadful smash!Lady W.You have but to replace it with another, and do so quickly.Niu Chau.For one that was broken, a good one must be given.Had two been broken, then were a pair to be supplied;An old one being smashed, a new one must replace it.Lady W.You have destroyed the jar, and return me nothing but words.Give me a new one, then you may return home,—not before.Niu Chau.Here upon my knees upon the hard ground, I beg Lady Wang, while she sits above, to listen to a few words. Let me receive pardon for the accident her beauty has occasioned, and I will at once make her my wife.Lady W.Impudent old man! How presume to thinkThat I ever can become your wife!Niu Chau.Yes, it is true, I am somewhat older than Lady Wang,Yet would I make her my wife.Lady W.No matter then for the accident, but leave me now at once.Niu Chau.Since you have forgiven me, I again shoulder my boxes,And I will go elsewhere in search of a wife.And here, before high heaven, I swear never again to come near the house of Wang.You a great lady! You are but a vile ragged girl,And will yet be glad to take up with a much worse companion.(Going away, he suddenly throws off his upper dress, and appears as a handsome young man.)Lady W.Henceforth, give up your wandering profession,And marrying me, quit the trade of a jar-mender.With the Lady Wang pass happily the remainder of your life.(They embrace, and exeunt.)

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ.Niu ChauA wandering tinker.Wang NiangA young girl.

Scene—A Street.

Niu Chauenters—across his shoulder is a bamboo, to each end of which are suspended boxes containing the various tools and implements of his trade, and a small stool. He is dressed meanly; his face and head are painted and decorated in a fantastic manner.

(Sings) Seeking a livelihood by the work of my hands,Daily do I traverse the streets of the city.(Speaks) Well, here I am, a mender of broken jars,An unfortunate victim of ever changing plans.To repair old fractured jarsIs my sole occupation and support.’Tis even so. I have no other employment.

(Sings) Seeking a livelihood by the work of my hands,

Daily do I traverse the streets of the city.

(Speaks) Well, here I am, a mender of broken jars,

An unfortunate victim of ever changing plans.

To repair old fractured jars

Is my sole occupation and support.

’Tis even so. I have no other employment.

(Takes his boxes from his shoulder, places them on the ground, sits beside them, and drawing out his fan, continues speaking)—

A disconsolate old man—I am a slave to inconveniences.For several days past I have been unable to go abroad,But, observing this morning a clear sky and fine air,I was induced to recommence my street wanderings.(Sings) At dawn I left my home,But as yet have had no job.Hither and yon, and on all sides,From the east gate to the west,From the south gate to the north,And all over within the walls,Have I been, but no one has calledFor the mender of cracked jars. Unfortunate man!But this being my first visit to the city of Nanking,Some extra exertion is necessary;Time is lost sitting idle here, and so to roam again I go.(Shoulders his boxes and stool, and walks about, crying)—Plates mended! Bowls mended!Jars and pots neatly repair’d!Lady Wang(heard within). Did I not hear the cry of the mender of cracked jars?I’ll open the door and look. (She enters, looking around.)Yes, there comes the repairer of jars.Niu Chau.Pray, have you a jar to mend?I have long been seeking a job.Did you not call?Lady W.What is your charge for a large jar—And how much for a small one?Niu Chau.For large jars, one mace five.Lady W.And for small ones?Niu Chau.Fifty pair of cash.Lady W.To one mace five, and fifty pair of cash,Add nine candareens, and a new jar may be had.Niu Chau.What, then, will you give?Lady W.I will give one candareen for either size.Niu Chau.Well, lady, how many cash can I get for this candareen?Lady W.Why, if the price be high, you will get eight cash.Niu Chau.And if low?Lady W.You will get but seven cash and a half.Niu Chau.Oh, you wicked, tantalizing thing!(Sings) Since leaving home this morning,I have met but with a trifler,Who, in the shape of an old wife,Tortures and gives me no job;I’ll shoulder again my boxes, and continue my walk,And never again will I return to the house of Wang.(He moves off slowly.)Lady W.Jar-mender! return, quickly return; with a loud voice, I entreat you; for I have something on which I wish to consult with you.Niu Chau.What is it on which you wish to consult me?Lady W.I will give you a hundred cash to mend a large jar.Niu Chau.And for mending a small one?Lady W.And for mending a small one, thirty pair of cash.Niu Chau.One hundred, and thirty pair!—truly, lady, this is worth consulting about.Lady Wang, where shall I mend them?Lady W.Follow me. (They move toward the door of the house.)(Sings) Before walks the Lady Wang.Niu Chau.And behind comes thepu-kang(or jar-mender).Lady W.Here, then, is the place.Niu Chau.Lady Wang, permit me to pay my respects.(Bows repeatedly in a ridiculous manner.)We can exchange civilities.I congratulate you; may you prosper—before and behind.Lady W.Here is the jar; now go to work and mend it.(Takes the jar in his hand and tosses it about, examining it.)Niu Chau.This jar has certainly a very appalling fracture.Lady W.Therefore, it requires the more care in mending.Niu Chau.That is self-evident.Lady W.Now, Lady Wang will retire again to her dressing room,And, after closing the door, will resume her toilet.Her appearance she will beautify;On the left, her hair she will comb into a dragon’s head tuft,On the right, she will arrange it tastefully with flowers;Her lips she will color with blood-red vermilion,And a gem of chrysoprase will she place in the dragon’s head tuft.Then, having completed her toilet, she will return to the door,And sit down to look at the jar-mender. (Exit.)(Niu Chau sits down, straps the jar on his knee, and arranges his tools before him, and as he drills holes for the clamps, sings)—Every hole drilled requires a pin,And every two holes drilled require pins a pair.As I raise my head and look around,(At this moment Lady Wang re-enters, beautifully dressed, and sits down by the door.)There sits, I see, a delicate young lady;Before she had the appearance of an old wife,Now she is transformed into a handsome young girl.On the left, her hair is comb’d into a dragon’s head tuft;On the right it is adorn’d tastefully with flowers.Her lips are like plums, her mouth is all smiles,Her eyes are as brilliant as the phœnix’s; andShe stands on golden lilies, but two inches long.I look again, another look,—down drops the jar.(The jar at this moment falls, and is broken to pieces.)(Speaks) Heigh-ya! Here then is a dreadful smash!Lady W.You have but to replace it with another, and do so quickly.Niu Chau.For one that was broken, a good one must be given.Had two been broken, then were a pair to be supplied;An old one being smashed, a new one must replace it.Lady W.You have destroyed the jar, and return me nothing but words.Give me a new one, then you may return home,—not before.

A disconsolate old man—I am a slave to inconveniences.

For several days past I have been unable to go abroad,

But, observing this morning a clear sky and fine air,

I was induced to recommence my street wanderings.

(Sings) At dawn I left my home,

But as yet have had no job.

Hither and yon, and on all sides,

From the east gate to the west,

From the south gate to the north,

And all over within the walls,

Have I been, but no one has called

For the mender of cracked jars. Unfortunate man!

But this being my first visit to the city of Nanking,

Some extra exertion is necessary;

Time is lost sitting idle here, and so to roam again I go.

(Shoulders his boxes and stool, and walks about, crying)—

Plates mended! Bowls mended!Jars and pots neatly repair’d!

Plates mended! Bowls mended!

Jars and pots neatly repair’d!

Lady Wang(heard within). Did I not hear the cry of the mender of cracked jars?

I’ll open the door and look. (She enters, looking around.)Yes, there comes the repairer of jars.

I’ll open the door and look. (She enters, looking around.)

Yes, there comes the repairer of jars.

Niu Chau.Pray, have you a jar to mend?I have long been seeking a job.Did you not call?

Niu Chau.Pray, have you a jar to mend?

I have long been seeking a job.

Did you not call?

Lady W.What is your charge for a large jar—And how much for a small one?

Lady W.What is your charge for a large jar—

And how much for a small one?

Niu Chau.For large jars, one mace five.

Lady W.And for small ones?

Niu Chau.Fifty pair of cash.

Lady W.To one mace five, and fifty pair of cash,Add nine candareens, and a new jar may be had.

Lady W.To one mace five, and fifty pair of cash,

Add nine candareens, and a new jar may be had.

Niu Chau.What, then, will you give?

Lady W.I will give one candareen for either size.

Niu Chau.Well, lady, how many cash can I get for this candareen?

Lady W.Why, if the price be high, you will get eight cash.

Niu Chau.And if low?

Lady W.You will get but seven cash and a half.

Niu Chau.Oh, you wicked, tantalizing thing!(Sings) Since leaving home this morning,I have met but with a trifler,Who, in the shape of an old wife,Tortures and gives me no job;I’ll shoulder again my boxes, and continue my walk,And never again will I return to the house of Wang.

Niu Chau.Oh, you wicked, tantalizing thing!

(Sings) Since leaving home this morning,

I have met but with a trifler,

Who, in the shape of an old wife,

Tortures and gives me no job;

I’ll shoulder again my boxes, and continue my walk,

And never again will I return to the house of Wang.

(He moves off slowly.)

Lady W.Jar-mender! return, quickly return; with a loud voice, I entreat you; for I have something on which I wish to consult with you.

Niu Chau.What is it on which you wish to consult me?

Lady W.I will give you a hundred cash to mend a large jar.

Niu Chau.And for mending a small one?

Lady W.And for mending a small one, thirty pair of cash.

Niu Chau.One hundred, and thirty pair!—truly, lady, this is worth consulting about.Lady Wang, where shall I mend them?

Niu Chau.One hundred, and thirty pair!—truly, lady, this is worth consulting about.

Lady Wang, where shall I mend them?

Lady W.Follow me. (They move toward the door of the house.)

(Sings) Before walks the Lady Wang.

Niu Chau.And behind comes thepu-kang(or jar-mender).

Lady W.Here, then, is the place.

Niu Chau.Lady Wang, permit me to pay my respects.

(Bows repeatedly in a ridiculous manner.)

We can exchange civilities.I congratulate you; may you prosper—before and behind.

We can exchange civilities.

I congratulate you; may you prosper—before and behind.

Lady W.Here is the jar; now go to work and mend it.

(Takes the jar in his hand and tosses it about, examining it.)

Niu Chau.This jar has certainly a very appalling fracture.

Lady W.Therefore, it requires the more care in mending.

Niu Chau.That is self-evident.

Lady W.Now, Lady Wang will retire again to her dressing room,And, after closing the door, will resume her toilet.Her appearance she will beautify;On the left, her hair she will comb into a dragon’s head tuft,On the right, she will arrange it tastefully with flowers;Her lips she will color with blood-red vermilion,And a gem of chrysoprase will she place in the dragon’s head tuft.Then, having completed her toilet, she will return to the door,And sit down to look at the jar-mender. (Exit.)

Lady W.Now, Lady Wang will retire again to her dressing room,

And, after closing the door, will resume her toilet.

Her appearance she will beautify;

On the left, her hair she will comb into a dragon’s head tuft,

On the right, she will arrange it tastefully with flowers;

Her lips she will color with blood-red vermilion,

And a gem of chrysoprase will she place in the dragon’s head tuft.

Then, having completed her toilet, she will return to the door,

And sit down to look at the jar-mender. (Exit.)

(Niu Chau sits down, straps the jar on his knee, and arranges his tools before him, and as he drills holes for the clamps, sings)—

Every hole drilled requires a pin,And every two holes drilled require pins a pair.As I raise my head and look around,

Every hole drilled requires a pin,

And every two holes drilled require pins a pair.

As I raise my head and look around,

(At this moment Lady Wang re-enters, beautifully dressed, and sits down by the door.)

There sits, I see, a delicate young lady;Before she had the appearance of an old wife,Now she is transformed into a handsome young girl.On the left, her hair is comb’d into a dragon’s head tuft;On the right it is adorn’d tastefully with flowers.Her lips are like plums, her mouth is all smiles,Her eyes are as brilliant as the phœnix’s; andShe stands on golden lilies, but two inches long.I look again, another look,—down drops the jar.

There sits, I see, a delicate young lady;

Before she had the appearance of an old wife,

Now she is transformed into a handsome young girl.

On the left, her hair is comb’d into a dragon’s head tuft;

On the right it is adorn’d tastefully with flowers.

Her lips are like plums, her mouth is all smiles,

Her eyes are as brilliant as the phœnix’s; and

She stands on golden lilies, but two inches long.

I look again, another look,—down drops the jar.

(The jar at this moment falls, and is broken to pieces.)

(Speaks) Heigh-ya! Here then is a dreadful smash!

Lady W.You have but to replace it with another, and do so quickly.

Niu Chau.For one that was broken, a good one must be given.Had two been broken, then were a pair to be supplied;An old one being smashed, a new one must replace it.

Niu Chau.For one that was broken, a good one must be given.

Had two been broken, then were a pair to be supplied;

An old one being smashed, a new one must replace it.

Lady W.You have destroyed the jar, and return me nothing but words.Give me a new one, then you may return home,—not before.

Lady W.You have destroyed the jar, and return me nothing but words.

Give me a new one, then you may return home,—not before.

Niu Chau.Here upon my knees upon the hard ground, I beg Lady Wang, while she sits above, to listen to a few words. Let me receive pardon for the accident her beauty has occasioned, and I will at once make her my wife.

Lady W.Impudent old man! How presume to thinkThat I ever can become your wife!Niu Chau.Yes, it is true, I am somewhat older than Lady Wang,Yet would I make her my wife.Lady W.No matter then for the accident, but leave me now at once.Niu Chau.Since you have forgiven me, I again shoulder my boxes,And I will go elsewhere in search of a wife.And here, before high heaven, I swear never again to come near the house of Wang.You a great lady! You are but a vile ragged girl,And will yet be glad to take up with a much worse companion.(Going away, he suddenly throws off his upper dress, and appears as a handsome young man.)Lady W.Henceforth, give up your wandering profession,And marrying me, quit the trade of a jar-mender.With the Lady Wang pass happily the remainder of your life.(They embrace, and exeunt.)

Lady W.Impudent old man! How presume to thinkThat I ever can become your wife!

Lady W.Impudent old man! How presume to think

That I ever can become your wife!

Niu Chau.Yes, it is true, I am somewhat older than Lady Wang,Yet would I make her my wife.

Niu Chau.Yes, it is true, I am somewhat older than Lady Wang,

Yet would I make her my wife.

Lady W.No matter then for the accident, but leave me now at once.

Niu Chau.Since you have forgiven me, I again shoulder my boxes,And I will go elsewhere in search of a wife.And here, before high heaven, I swear never again to come near the house of Wang.You a great lady! You are but a vile ragged girl,And will yet be glad to take up with a much worse companion.

Niu Chau.Since you have forgiven me, I again shoulder my boxes,

And I will go elsewhere in search of a wife.

And here, before high heaven, I swear never again to come near the house of Wang.

You a great lady! You are but a vile ragged girl,

And will yet be glad to take up with a much worse companion.

(Going away, he suddenly throws off his upper dress, and appears as a handsome young man.)

Lady W.Henceforth, give up your wandering profession,And marrying me, quit the trade of a jar-mender.With the Lady Wang pass happily the remainder of your life.

Lady W.Henceforth, give up your wandering profession,

And marrying me, quit the trade of a jar-mender.

With the Lady Wang pass happily the remainder of your life.

(They embrace, and exeunt.)

DEFICIENCIES AND LIMITS OF CHINESE LITERATURE.

Such is the general range and survey of Chinese literature, according to the Catalogue of the Imperial Libraries. It is, take it in a mass, a stupendous monument of human toil, fitly compared, so far as it is calculated to instruct its readers in useful knowledge, to their Great Wall, which can neither protect from its enemies, nor be of any real use to its makers. Its deficiencies are glaring. No treatises on the geography of foreign countries nor truthful narratives of travels abroad are contained in it, nor any account of the languages of their inhabitants, their history, or their governments. Philological works in other languages than those spoken within the Empire are unknown, and must, owing to the nature of the language, remain so until foreigners prepare them. Works on natural history, medicine, and physiology are few and useless, whilethose on mathematics and the exact sciences are much less popular and useful than they might be; and in the great range of theology, founded on the true basis of the Bible, there is almost nothing. The character of the people has been mostly formed by their ancient books, and this correlate influence has tended to repress independent investigation in the pursuit of truth, though not to destroy it. A new infusion of science, religion, and descriptive geography and history will lead to comparison with other countries, and bring out whatever in it is good.

A survey of this body of literature shows the effect of governmental patronage, in maintaining its character for what appears to us to be a wearisome uniformity. New ideas, facts, and motives must now come from the outer world, which will gradually elevate the minds of the people above the same unvarying channel. If the scholar knows that the goal he strives for is to be attained by proficiency in the single channel of classical knowledge, he cannot be expected to attend to other studies until he has secured the prize. A knowledge of medicine, mathematics, geography, or foreign languages, might, indeed, do the candidate much more good than all he gets out of the classics, but knowledge is not his object; and where all run the same race, all must study the same works. But let there be a different programme of themes and essays, and a wider range of subjects required of the students, and the present system of governmental examinations in China, with all its imperfections, can be made of great benefit to the people, if it is not put to a strain too great for the end in view.

CHINESE PROVERBS.

The Chinese are fond of proverbs and aphorisms. They employ them in their writings and conversation as much as any people, and adorn their houses by copying them upon elegant scrolls, carving them upon pillars, and embroidering them upon banners. A complete collection of the proverbs of the Chinese has never been made, even among the people themselves any more than among those of other lands. Davis published, in 1828, a volume calledMoral Maxims, containing two hundred aphorisms; P. Perny issued an assortment of four hundredand forty-one in 1869; and J. Doolittle collected several hundred proverbs, signs, couplets, and scrolls in hisVocabulary. Besides these, a collection of two thousand seven hundred and twenty proverbs was published in 1875 by W. Scarborough, furnished with a good index, and, like the others noted here, with the original text. Davis mentions theMing Sin Pao Kien, or ‘Jewelled Mirror for Illumining the Mind,’ as containing a large number of proverbs. TheKu Sz’ Kiung Lin, or ‘Coral Forest of Ancient Matters,’ is a similar collection; but if that be compared to a dictionary of quotations, this is better likened to a classical dictionary, the notes which follow the sentences leaving the reader in no doubt as to their meaning.

Manuscript lists of sentences suitable for hanging upon doors or in parlors are collected by persons who write them at New Year’s, and whose success depends upon their facility in quoting elegant couplets. The following selection will exhibit to some extent this branch of Chinese wisdom and wit:

Not to distinguish properly between the beautiful and ugly, is like attaching a dog’s tail to a squirrel’s body.An avaricious man, who can never have enough, is as a serpent wishing to swallow an elephant.While one misfortune is going, to have another coming, is like driving a tiger out of the front door, while a wolf is entering the back.The tiger’s cub cannot be caught without going into his den.To paint a snake and add legs. (Exaggeration.)To sketch a tiger and make it a dog, is to imitate a work of genius and spoil it.To ride a fierce dog to catch a lame rabbit. (Useless power over a contemptible enemy.)To attack a thousand tigers with ten men. (To attempt a difficulty with incommensurate means.)To cut off a hen’s head with a battle-axe. (Unnecessary valor.)To cherish a bad man is like nourishing a tiger; if not well fed he will devour you: or like rearing a hawk; if hungry he will stay by you, but fly away when fed.To instigate a villain to do wrong is like teaching a monkey to climb trees.To catch a fish and throw away the net;—not to requite benefits.To take a locust’s shank for the shaft of a carriage;—an inefficient person doing important work.A pigeon sneering at a roc;—a mean man despising a prince.To climb a tree to catch a fish, is to talk much and get nothing.To test one good horse by judging the portrait of another.A fish sports in the kettle, but his life will not be long.Like a swallow building her nest on a hut is an anxious statesman.Like a crane among hens is a man of parts among fools.Like a sheep dressed in a tiger’s skin is a superficial scholar.Like a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest is one who enjoys another’s labor.To hang on the tail of a beautiful horse. (To seek promotion.)Do not pull up your stockings in a melon field, or arrange your hat under a peach tree, lest people think you are stealing.An old man marrying a young wife is like a withered willow sprouting.Let us get drunk to-day while we have wine; the sorrows of to-morrow may be borne to-morrow.If the blind lead the blind, they will both go to the pit.Good iron is not used for nails, nor are soldiers made of good men.A fair wind raises no storm.A little impatience subverts great undertakings.Vast chasms can be filled, but the heart of man is never satisfied.The body may be healed, but the mind is incurable.When the tree falls the monkeys flee.Trouble neglected becomes still more troublesome.Wood is not sold in the forest, nor fish at the pool.He who looks at the sun is dazzled, he who hears the thunder is deafened. (Do not come too near the powerful.)He desires to hide his tracks, and walks on the snow.He seeks the ass, and lo! he sits upon him.Speak not of others, but convict yourself.A man is not always known by his looks, nor the sea measured by a bushel.Ivory does not come from a rat’s mouth.If a chattering bird be not placed in the mouth, vexation will not sit between the eyebrows.Prevention is better than cure.For the Emperor to break the laws is one with the people’s doing so.Doubt and distraction are on earth, the brightness of truth in heaven.Punishment can oppose a barrier to open crime, laws cannot reach to secret offences.Wine and good dinners make abundance of friends, but in time of adversity not one is to be found.Let every man sweep the snow from before his own doors, and not trouble himself about the hoarfrost on his neighbor’s tiles.Better be upright with poverty than depraved with abundance. He whose virtue exceeds his talents is the good man; he whose talents exceed his virtues is the fool.Though a man may be utterly stupid, he is very perspicuous when reprehending the bad actions of others; though he may be very intelligent, he isdull enough when excusing his own faults: do you only correct yourselves on the same principle that you correct others, and excuse others on the same principles you excuse yourselves.[346]If I do not debauch other men’s wives, my own will not be polluted.Better not be than be nothing.The egg fights with the rock—hopeless resistance.One thread does not make a rope; one swallow does not make a summer.To be fully fed and warmly clothed, and dwell at ease without learning, is little better than a bestial state.A woman in one house cannot eat the rice of two. (A wise woman does not marry again.)Though the sword be sharp, it will not wound the innocent.Sensuality is the chief of sins, filial duty the best of acts.Prosperity is a blessing to the good, but to the evil it is a curse.Instruction pervades the heart of the wise, but cannot penetrate the ears of a fool.The straightest trees are first felled; the cleanest wells first drunk up.The yielding tongue endures; the stubborn teeth perish.The life of the aged is like a candle placed between two doors—easily blown out.The blind have the best ears, and the deaf the sharpest eyes.The horse’s back is not so safe as the buffalo’s. (The politician is not so secure as the husbandman.)A wife should excel in four things: virtue, speech, deportment, and needle-work.He who is willing to inquire will excel, but the self-sufficient man will fail.Anger is like a little fire, which if not timely checked may burn down a lofty pile.Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns.Too much lenity multiplies crime.If you love your son, give him plenty of the cudgel; if you hate him, cram him with dainties.When the mirror is highly polished, the dust will not defile it; when the heart is enlightened with wisdom, impure thoughts will not arise in it.A stubborn wife and stiffnecked son no laws can govern.He is my teacher who tells me my faults, my enemy who speaks my virtues.He has little courage who knows the right and does it not.To sue a flea, and catch a bite—the results of litigation.Would you understand the character of a prince, look at his ministers; or the disposition of a man, observe his companions; or that of a father, first mark his son.The fame of good deeds does not leave a man’s door, but his evil acts are known a thousand miles off.A virtuous woman is a source of honor to her husband, a vicious one disgraces him.The original tendency of man’s heart is to do right, and if well ordered will not of itself be mistaken.They who respect themselves will be honored, but disesteeming ourselves we shall be despised.The load a beggar cannot carry he himself begged.The happy-hearted man carries joy for all the household.The more mouths to eat so much the more meat.The higher the rat creeps up the cow’s horn the narrower he finds it.

Not to distinguish properly between the beautiful and ugly, is like attaching a dog’s tail to a squirrel’s body.

An avaricious man, who can never have enough, is as a serpent wishing to swallow an elephant.

While one misfortune is going, to have another coming, is like driving a tiger out of the front door, while a wolf is entering the back.

The tiger’s cub cannot be caught without going into his den.

To paint a snake and add legs. (Exaggeration.)

To sketch a tiger and make it a dog, is to imitate a work of genius and spoil it.

To ride a fierce dog to catch a lame rabbit. (Useless power over a contemptible enemy.)

To attack a thousand tigers with ten men. (To attempt a difficulty with incommensurate means.)

To cut off a hen’s head with a battle-axe. (Unnecessary valor.)

To cherish a bad man is like nourishing a tiger; if not well fed he will devour you: or like rearing a hawk; if hungry he will stay by you, but fly away when fed.

To instigate a villain to do wrong is like teaching a monkey to climb trees.

To catch a fish and throw away the net;—not to requite benefits.

To take a locust’s shank for the shaft of a carriage;—an inefficient person doing important work.

A pigeon sneering at a roc;—a mean man despising a prince.

To climb a tree to catch a fish, is to talk much and get nothing.

To test one good horse by judging the portrait of another.

A fish sports in the kettle, but his life will not be long.

Like a swallow building her nest on a hut is an anxious statesman.

Like a crane among hens is a man of parts among fools.

Like a sheep dressed in a tiger’s skin is a superficial scholar.

Like a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest is one who enjoys another’s labor.

To hang on the tail of a beautiful horse. (To seek promotion.)

Do not pull up your stockings in a melon field, or arrange your hat under a peach tree, lest people think you are stealing.

An old man marrying a young wife is like a withered willow sprouting.

Let us get drunk to-day while we have wine; the sorrows of to-morrow may be borne to-morrow.

If the blind lead the blind, they will both go to the pit.

Good iron is not used for nails, nor are soldiers made of good men.

A fair wind raises no storm.

A little impatience subverts great undertakings.

Vast chasms can be filled, but the heart of man is never satisfied.

The body may be healed, but the mind is incurable.

When the tree falls the monkeys flee.

Trouble neglected becomes still more troublesome.

Wood is not sold in the forest, nor fish at the pool.

He who looks at the sun is dazzled, he who hears the thunder is deafened. (Do not come too near the powerful.)

He desires to hide his tracks, and walks on the snow.

He seeks the ass, and lo! he sits upon him.

Speak not of others, but convict yourself.

A man is not always known by his looks, nor the sea measured by a bushel.

Ivory does not come from a rat’s mouth.

If a chattering bird be not placed in the mouth, vexation will not sit between the eyebrows.

Prevention is better than cure.

For the Emperor to break the laws is one with the people’s doing so.

Doubt and distraction are on earth, the brightness of truth in heaven.

Punishment can oppose a barrier to open crime, laws cannot reach to secret offences.

Wine and good dinners make abundance of friends, but in time of adversity not one is to be found.

Let every man sweep the snow from before his own doors, and not trouble himself about the hoarfrost on his neighbor’s tiles.

Better be upright with poverty than depraved with abundance. He whose virtue exceeds his talents is the good man; he whose talents exceed his virtues is the fool.

Though a man may be utterly stupid, he is very perspicuous when reprehending the bad actions of others; though he may be very intelligent, he isdull enough when excusing his own faults: do you only correct yourselves on the same principle that you correct others, and excuse others on the same principles you excuse yourselves.[346]

If I do not debauch other men’s wives, my own will not be polluted.

Better not be than be nothing.

The egg fights with the rock—hopeless resistance.

One thread does not make a rope; one swallow does not make a summer.

To be fully fed and warmly clothed, and dwell at ease without learning, is little better than a bestial state.

A woman in one house cannot eat the rice of two. (A wise woman does not marry again.)

Though the sword be sharp, it will not wound the innocent.

Sensuality is the chief of sins, filial duty the best of acts.

Prosperity is a blessing to the good, but to the evil it is a curse.

Instruction pervades the heart of the wise, but cannot penetrate the ears of a fool.

The straightest trees are first felled; the cleanest wells first drunk up.

The yielding tongue endures; the stubborn teeth perish.

The life of the aged is like a candle placed between two doors—easily blown out.

The blind have the best ears, and the deaf the sharpest eyes.

The horse’s back is not so safe as the buffalo’s. (The politician is not so secure as the husbandman.)

A wife should excel in four things: virtue, speech, deportment, and needle-work.

He who is willing to inquire will excel, but the self-sufficient man will fail.

Anger is like a little fire, which if not timely checked may burn down a lofty pile.

Every day cannot be a feast of lanterns.

Too much lenity multiplies crime.

If you love your son, give him plenty of the cudgel; if you hate him, cram him with dainties.

When the mirror is highly polished, the dust will not defile it; when the heart is enlightened with wisdom, impure thoughts will not arise in it.

A stubborn wife and stiffnecked son no laws can govern.

He is my teacher who tells me my faults, my enemy who speaks my virtues.

He has little courage who knows the right and does it not.

To sue a flea, and catch a bite—the results of litigation.

Would you understand the character of a prince, look at his ministers; or the disposition of a man, observe his companions; or that of a father, first mark his son.

The fame of good deeds does not leave a man’s door, but his evil acts are known a thousand miles off.

A virtuous woman is a source of honor to her husband, a vicious one disgraces him.

The original tendency of man’s heart is to do right, and if well ordered will not of itself be mistaken.

They who respect themselves will be honored, but disesteeming ourselves we shall be despised.

The load a beggar cannot carry he himself begged.

The happy-hearted man carries joy for all the household.

The more mouths to eat so much the more meat.

The higher the rat creeps up the cow’s horn the narrower he finds it.

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