THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

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N I 32 THE RHYME AND METRE OF THE PIECES. frequently quatrains; but the authors allowed themselves as much liberty in the length of the stanza as in that of the line. Stanzas of two lines are very rare ; and those of three lines, or triplets, are only less so. One ode occurs, made up of stanzas of two lines, and in another three such stanzas follow three quatrains. We have three odes made up of triplets, and this stanza is occasionally introduced among others of greater length. Stanzas of five lines occur, but not often. They sometimes form the structure of whole pieces, and are sometimes intermixed with others. Stanzas of six lines, of eight, of ten, and of twelve are frequently met with. Some are found extend ing to fourteen lines, and even to sixteen and seventeen. Those of seven lines, of nine, and of eleven, are all un usual. Generally speaking, stanzas with an even num ber of lines greatly outnumber those with an odd. In the present metrical version, wherever I could con veniently attain to it, I have made the stanzas of the same length as in the original Chinese. Some expansion, however, has frequently seemed to be necessary; con densation has seldom been possible. 3. The manner in which the rhymes are disposed has Disposition of received much attention from the Chinese tiie Rhymes, critics; and the following cases, among others, have been pointed out:— [i.] Where lines rhyme in succession; two, three, four lines, &c., occasionally up to twelve. [ii.] Where the rhyming lines are interrupted by one ov more lines intervening, which do not rhyme with them ; those intervening lines rhyming differently together, or not rhyming at all. [iii.] Where the stanza contains only one rhyme. [iv.J Where the stanza contains two or more rhymes, [v.] AVhere the different rhymes alternate, with more or less of regularity. Some pieces are made up of quatrains proper, the first and third lines rhyming to gether, and the second and fourth. In. stauzas of five lines, the first and third will sometimes rhyme, and then the second, fourth, and fifth. In others of six lines, the first and third will rhyme, and then the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The regularities, or rather irregularities, of this kind are very numerous. THE RHYME AND METEE OF THE PIECES. 33 [vi.] Where one or more lines at the commencement of the different stanzas of a piece, or their concluding lines, rhyme with one another. In all the instances adduced to illustrate this case, however, we have not merely a concord of the rhymes, but the repetition of the whole lines. [vii.] What we call medial rhymes occur occasionally; and in a few instances the members of different lines rhyme in this way at the csesural pause. Without specifying other characteristics, I may say that there are throughout the pieces multitudes of lines, sometimes one, and sometimes more, which do not rhyme with any others in the same stanza. The pieces of Part IV. have several peculiarities. Many of them do not admit of a stanzaic arrangement; and there are at least eight in which there is no attempt at rhyme. We may consider such disregard of rhyme as an approach to the structure of blank verse; but while every other irregu larity in the ancient odes has found imitators, I am not aware that this has received any favour. So far from the Chinese having any contempt for rhyming, such as Milton expressed when he called it "a jingling sound of like endings," " a troublesome bondage," they consider it essential to poetry. In the present version, as in the prose one of my larger work, I have made no attempt to adhere to the length of the original lines, or to adopt their rhymes. The dif ferent attributes of the Chinese and English languages made it impossible to do so. In passing from this sub ject, I will venture to say that the nature of Chinese is at the best but ill adapted for the purpose of agreeable rhyme. It does not admit the variety that is found in an alphabetical language, and which is to us one of the charms of poetical composition. The single rhyming endings in English are about 360; and if we add to them the double and triple rhymes, where the accent falls on the penultimate syllables, they cannot come short of 400. In Chinese, on the other hand, the rhyming endings are very few. Those of the Book of Poetry are under twenty. There is, indeed, in Chinese a greater number of words or characters to any one ending than in other languages, and scholars have produced compositions in which the vor,. m. 3
I '.I i! f> I THEIR POETICAL VALUE. same ending occurs a hundred times and more. Multi tudes of the rhymes, however, are to a foreign ear merely assonances, and the effect is that of a prolonged monotony. 4. In the Treatise on the antiquity of the Chinese, with which the " Memoires concernant les Chiiwis" commence, it is said, " The poetry of the She King is so beautiful The poetical an
Page 1 and 2: THE SHE KING; OE, THE BOOK OF ANCIE
Page 3 and 4: IV PREFACE. To another gentleman he
Page 5 and 6: 2 THE EAELY HISTORY OF THE SHE. Gpw
Page 7 and 8: 6 THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE SHE. 4.
Page 9 and 10: 10 THE SHE AFTEE CONFUCIUS. THE TEX
Page 11 and 12: 14 THE SOURCES OF THE ODES AS A COL
Page 13 and 14: 18 THE SOURCES OF THE ODES AS A COL
Page 15 and 16: If 1 22 THE PEEFACE TO THE SHE. THE
Page 17 and 18: i f f 26 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE
Page 19: so CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE ODES.
Page 23 and 24: \ '38 PECULIARITIES IN THEIK STRUCT
Page 25 and 26: 42 THE CHINA OF THE BOOK OP POETET.
Page 27 and 28: 46 THE CHINA OF THE BOOK OF POETEY.
Page 29 and 30: 50 THE CHINA OP THE BOOK OP POETRY.
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Page 33 and 34: * THE BOOK OF POETEY. PAET I. LESSO
Page 35 and 36: 62 THE BOOK OP POETRY. [PART I. 13K
Page 37 and 38: II 66 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART I.
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186 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET I. XV
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\\ 190 THE BOOK OP POETRY. [PART II
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! 194 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART H.
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198 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART II. 1
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•202 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PAET II
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206 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PART II. B
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11 210 THE BOOK OF FOETEY. [PAET II
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214 THE BOOK OP POETEY. [PAET II. S
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218 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PART II. H
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222 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET II. T
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226 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET II. 1
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II \ 230 THE BOOK OP POETET. [PART
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(I Lj 234 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART
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238 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PAET II. B
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It 242 THE BOOK OF POETKY. [PART II
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246 THE BOOK OP POETET. Out of reac
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250 THE BOOK OF FOETEY. [PART II. F
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262 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PAET II. I
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270 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART II. T
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274 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PAKT II. B
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278 THE BOOK OF POETEY. V. [PAET II
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282 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART II. 2
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286 THE BOOK OP POETRY. [PART III/
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290 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET III.
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294 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PART HI. I
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298 THE BOOK OF POETKY. [PART III.
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302 THE BOOK OP POETRY. [PAET III.
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306 THE BOOK OF POETRY. III. The be
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314 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PART III.
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I.) 318 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PAET I
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322 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PART III,
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338 THE BOOK OF POETKY. [PART IIL 5
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342 THE BOOK OP POETET. [PAET III."
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346 THE BOOK OP POETET. [PAET III.
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THE BOOK OF POETEY. PAET IV. ODES O
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354 THE BOOK Or POETKY. [PAET IY. V
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358 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART IV. L
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362 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PAET IV. C
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366 THE BOOK OF POETRY. [PAET IV. H
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370 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PAET IV. T
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371 THE BOOK OF POETEY. [PART IV. b
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382 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PART IV. B
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386 THE BOOK OP POETET. [PAET IV. I
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390 THE BOOK OF POETRY. V. [PART IV
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394 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. INDEX I.
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398 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. Conjuncti
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402 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. Families,
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406 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. Handkerch
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410 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. iv. V. 8;
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'414 -OP SUBJECTS. INDEX I. iii. XI
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* 422 OF SUBJECTS. INDEX I. Stable,
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426 OP SUBJECTS. INDEX I. INDEX I.
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430 PEOPEE NAMES. INDEX II. P'oo, o
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