THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

IV PREFACE.
To another gentleman he has also to acknowledge his great obligation.
When he was beginning to see the end of his task, he asked his old Hong-
Kong friend, W. T. Mercer, Esq., M.A. Oxford, to read and revise his
manuscript before it went to the press. He knew he could not have a kinder
critic, nor an abler, as all will say who are acquainted with Mr Mercer's
own volume of " Under the Peak ; or, Jottings in Verse, during a length
ened residence in the Colony of Hong-Kong," published in 1869.
Mr Mercer kindly acceded to the request, and went over every one of
the pieces, pruning, correcting, and smoothing the versification, and
making otherwise various suggestions. He recast some of the pieces in
the first Part. The author has appended two of his recastings to his own
versions, and I. ii. V. should have been mentioned as entirely his. In
other cases it was found advisable to remake the pieces. To Mr Mercer
also the Work is indebted, as the reader will perceive, for Latin versions
of some of the pieces.
Two metrical versions in German of the old Chinese poems have existed
for a good many years. The one was published at Altona, in 1833, with
the title : " Schi-King, Chinesisches Liederbuch, gesammelt ron Confu
cius, dem Deutsohen angeeignet von Friedrich Eiickert; " the other at
Crefeld, in 1844. with the title : " Schi-King, oder Chinesische Lieder,
gesammelt von Confucius. Neu und frei nach P. La Charme's lateinischer
Uebertragung bearbeitet. Fur's deutsche Volk herausgegeben von Johann
Cramer." Of these the former by Eiickert has much the greater merit,
and the second translator had it constantly before him. The present
version, however, is under no obligation to either, nor can a comparison
be instituted between it and them. Cramer says that his version was
" freely " made from Lacharme's Latin translation ; nor had Eiickert any
other original. Of the character of Lacharme's translation the author has
spoken in the preface to his larger Work.
122, Sing Henry's Road, London,
April, 1876.
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CONTENTS.
PEOLEGOMENA.
CHAPTER I.
THE EARLY HISTORY AND THE PRESENT TEXT OF THE BOOK OF POETRY.
SECTION PAGE
BOOK
I. THE BOOK BEFORE CONFUCIUS J AND WHAT, IF ANY, WERE
HIS LABOURS UPON IT .. .. .. .. .. 1
II. THE BOOK FROM THE TIME OF CONFUCIUS TILL THE GENERAL
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE PRESENT TEXT .. .. 8
CHAPTER II.
THE SOURCES OF THE ODES AS A COLLECTION ', THEIR INTER
PRETATION AND AUTHORS ; THE PREFACES AND THEIR AU
THORITY .. . . .. .. 13
APPENDIX. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PIECES .. .. 25
CHAPTER III.
THE RHYME AND METRE OF THE PIECES ; THEIR POETICAL
VALUE J PRINCIPLE ON WHICH THE PRESENT VERSION OF
THEM HAS BEEN MADE J CERTAIN PECULIARITIES IN THEIR
STRUCTURE .. .. .. .. .. .. ,. SI
CHAPTER IV.
THE CHINA OF THE BOOK OF POETRY, CONSIDERED IN RELA
TION TO THE EXTENT OF ITS TERRITORY, ITS POLITICAL
STATE, ITS RELIGION, AND ITS SOCIAL CONDITION .. .. 41
THE POEMS.
PART I. LESSONS FROM THE STATES.
I. THU ODES OF CHOW AND THE SOUTH .. .. 11 58
Iz- .. SHAOU AND THE SOl'TH . .. 14 67
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