Chinese Courtship. in Verse. to Which Is Added, an Appendix
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com K. K. H. O. F. B | B L 1 O. T H E K OSTERR, NATIONAL BIBLIOTHEK - -DD - D -D | | - - . * - - * - - l - - * - - - - * * * i - - - - - - * * - - - - - - - - * - * - \ * t - * * - f * * - - - - * f. • - - * - - % #. CHINESE COURTSHIP. IN V E R S E. * To which is ADDED, A N A P P E N D I X, A. TREATING OF THE REVENUE OF CHINA, &c. &c. BY PETER PERRING THOMS. LoNDoN. PUBLISHED BY PARBURY, ALLEN, AND KINGSBURY, LEADENHALL-STREET, so LD BY John MURRAY, ALBEMALE-STREET; AND BY THoMA's BLANSHARD, 14, CITY-RoAD. MACAo, CHINA : PRINTED AT THE hoMoRABLE EAST INDIA coMPANY’s PRESS. 1824, - * * 1 * ** P R E F A C E. IN submitting the following Translation of a Popular Chinese Work to the public, an apology seems unnecessary, for though much has been written respecting the Chinese, their poetry has remained almost unnoticed. This has arisen chiefly from the difficulties which the language presents to fo reigners, and has discouraged every attempt of the kind, beyond a Stanza, or a few occasional verses. As those translations are considered inade quate for an European to form a correct opinion of their poetry, an at tempt has been made to render into English, the Hwa-tsäen ## * The Flower's Leaf, the Eighth's, Chinese. Literary Work, . It is a work of more than ordinary length, for most of their poetry consist only of a few verses, written, it might be presumed, on the spur of the moment. Though the Chinese are fond of poetry, they have no Epic poems; and while they are wanting of those beauties which distinguish the works of the Roman and Grecian Poets, they have nothing that resemble the extravagan **) ; : " : . ces of their Gods and Goddesses. The art of Poetry, if it may be so called, notwithstanding is thought a great accomplishment, and every one who has iv. any pretentions to letters, indulges himself in writing verses. This pro ceeds probably from the candidates at the public examinations being re quired to write one of their themes in verse. It does not appear that the Chinese are not sufficiently inventive to excel in poetry, but that they fail from adhering to ancient laws laid down. Nor will it be imagined, that of about sevenly thousand graduates, (besides those who have acquired de grees) who still devote themselves to letters, and attend at each triennial examination, many of whom have applied both to book and to nature, that there is not one who has genius and an inventive imagination—but the contrary may be presumed. Even Tsaou-tsze-kéen, who is one of their eminent Poets, exceeded not the usual laws laid down by his pre decessors; and though there are several volumes of his poetry extent, they are all of that short description. The Chinese prefer a slight al lusion to a subject, rather than amplify it. The odes of the She-king, which were compiled by Confucius, are ge nerally short, containing only four characters in a line , resembling our Iambic verse; and few odes that exceed five couplets, or 'Chinese verses. But being their ancient national odes, in praise of their sovereigns, great statesmen, and of a miscellaneous description, independent of the com piler, they are held in high esteem.* 't * .*, * : * : -, * As Du Halde is a little erroneous in his division of the She-king, and in several of his remarks on that work; the reader, by a perusal of the preface by an eminent writer, will be enabled to form his own opi nion. It commences thus: “A certain person asked, Why odes were V. The Hwa-tsäen, from which the following translation is made, is in a colloquial style, peculiar to the province of Kwang-tung, and is much read by persons of both sex. The reviewers of the work, pass very high encomiums on it, and rank it next to Se-seang, another work-on Courtship. It made its appearance during the Ming dynasty, and is supposed to be the production of two persons of Canton, who had acquired high literary honors. It is of the narrative kind, as most of their poetry is that is of any length, affording a greater scope to the genius of the poet than what they usually indulge in, for the Chinese not having been favoured with that mine of rich and sublime ideas, (the Sacred Scriptures) or but partially, which other nations have, must generally speaking, be deficient in invention, variety of imagery, sublimity of thought, as well as of bold ness of metaphor. written? I replied, Man when created, possessed a quiescent principle, the principle of heaven: excitements proceed from what is around us; hence there is motion, or inducements, the desires of nature. Having desires, it is impossible not to think; possessing a thinking faculty, it is impo sible to be without language; having language, what is there that may not be fully comprehended ? By means of which we deliberate, admire, rejoice, and lament. There being, doubtless, an infinite variety of concordant sounds, it is by a combination of those sounds that poetry is made. It was asked, Is poetry proper for instruction ? I replied, Odes are the resemblance, in words, of the effect of things on the mind. As the heart is excited by correct or virtuous principles, words being their form, poetry accordingly, is correct or the contrary. As the Sages are of the superior order of beings, they excite nothing but what is correct; hence * . " * . .''...tº, i. * vi. In the original, the poem is not only interesting, but often poetical. But in a close translation, it is to apprehended, that it has lost much of its native softness and connection. However, to those who feel interest ed in Chinese literature, (as few have been disposed to attempt their poetry) the translator presumes that the following work, notwithstanding its many defects, will be perused with pleasure; and he thinks that those who are fond of rural poetry, cannot but be pleased with the Chinese description of a garden, and their frequent allusion to the flowers, that occur in the course of the work. The distress and reciprocal feelings of the lovers,—the pleasing and artful address of the servants, – with the virtue and constancy of the young ladies, are not only entertaining por tions of the poem, but appear calculated to excite the softer feelings of com passion: while the gallantry and bravery of Leang, and the disinterested what they have written is proper for instruction. If the excitements or in fluences are many and various, and it be not easy to make selections doubt. less they considered what made for and against their principles, and warns and corrects accordingly—hence their writings are proper for instruction. When the state Chow was in its prosperity, B.C. 700, the state odes, and those which prevailed among the people, were correct and chase. The sages of that day set them to music, and communicated them to the people, to the smaller states, and thoughout the whole Chinese empire. During the Lê8-kw8 period, when the sovereigns made tours through the kingdom, the poetical productions of the day were collected and submitted to them. The compositions that excelled were recorded. During the two reigns of the emperors Chaou and Müh, this usage was adhered to, but afterwards was discontinued. When, from the commotions that prevailed, the govern VII. friendship of Headu, added to the interest the Emperor took in the marri age of the former, seem to claim for the poem, an attention which it might not otherwise demand. The style of the original, in Chinese, is called Müh-yu. It consists of four lines to a verse, and seven characters or words in each line; but the poem affords specimens of several kinds of metre, as may be noticed by the number of characters in a column. The Se-seang, mentioned above, is very different from the Hwä-tséen. That work is in the form of a Dialogue, and is written in a concise strain. The responses or chorus are sung, which are composed without any atten tion to the quantity of the rhythm: some lines of the chorus consist only of one or two characters, and others even of twelve and fifteen, but the last character invariably rhymes with the preceding line. To each of those verses there is an appropriate tune affixed to them. This work is much ment was removed to the east of the empire, poetry Was no longer cultivated. Confucius, lived during this period, not being called to the throne, he possessed not the power to induce the government to admonish the sloth ful—repress the froward-degrade the vicious—and promote the virtuous. It was at this time that he compiled the She-king, and accompanied it with explanatory notes. He excluded repetitions—corrected what was indistinct, —virtuous sentiments, that were inadequate to form a precept, and those of a vicious tendency, that did not afford a warning, were by him all laid aside. Having retrenched and revised the work, he published it, that it might pass down to posterity. Here the student and the lover of antiquity obtain in formation, with regard to the virtues and vices of the ancients. Here the virtuous man finds a preceptor; the profligate character, motives to change viii. extolled by the Chinese, both for the talent displayed, as well as for its cor rect sentiments.