THE SHE KING; OR, THE BOOK OF ANCIENT POETRY

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178 THE BOOK OF POETET. [PART I. XIV. IV.] THE BOOK OF POETEY. 179
the same species, has only two young at a time. It is highly character
istic of the Chinese critics, that the only one I have met with who touches
on this point is Maou K'e-ling. He observes that we have the " seven,"
or the Chinese character ts'ih, because it rhymes with the character yih,
translated in my larger work by " uniformly correct," and are not to
understand the text as if it gave definitely the number of the turtle's
young I Almost all the critics, moreover, supposing the " seven " to give
correctly the number of the young ones, follow " the old Maou " in the
most absurd statements about the dove's method in feeding its young,
from which they deduce the meaning of the piece.
1 See in the mulberry tree the turtle dove
Her seven young tending with untiring love.
Like her is he, our lord, whose virtuous aim
His movements, all to rule exact, proclaim.
His movements, all to rule exact, attest
His heart to virtue bound within his breast.
2 The mulberry tree still gives the dove to sight,
But to the plum her young have taken flight.
So is that princely man to virtue bound,
Who ever with his silken sash is found.
In silken girdle loves he to appear,
And bonnet made from skin of spotted deer.
3 Behold the dove upon the mulberry tree,
While on the jujube her seven young we see.
In soul so steadfast is that princely man,
Whose course for fault or flaw we vainly scan.
His movements without fault or flaw beget
Good order for his rule throughout the State.
4 See on the mulberry tree the dove still sit,
And on the hazel all her young ones flit.
So on his aim that princely man is set.
Who rectifies the people of our State.
His laws to all affairs such order give ;—
Ten thousand years in vigour may he live!
rv.
The JTca-ts'cnen; metaphorical-allusive. THE MISERY AND MIS-
GOVERNMENT OF TS'AOU MAKES THE WRITER THINK OF C HOW AND
OF ITS FORMER VIGOUR AND PROSPERITY.
Seun, mentioned in the last stanza, was a small Siate, in the present
district of Lin-tsin, department P'oo-chow, Shan-se. It was first con-
ferred on a son of king Wan, one of whose descendants was the " chief "
in the text,—so called as presiding with vice-regal authority over a dis
trict, embracing many States. We do not know when he lived.
1 Down from the spring the chilling waters pass,
And overflow the bushy wolf-tail grass ;—
Fit emblem of our state unblest.
In the dark night, restless, I wake and sigh,
And to my thoughts Chow's capital comes nigh,
When through its kings the land had rest.
2 The bushy southernwood is flooded o'er,
By the cold waters from that spring which pour;—
Fit emblem of our state unblest.
In the dark night, restless, I wake and sigh,
And to my thoughts Chow's capital comes nigh,
When through its kings the land had rest.
3 The bushy plants, whose stalks serve to divine
Beneath the waters of that cold spring pine ;—
Fit emblem of our state unblest.
In the dark night, restless, I wake and sigh,
And to my thoughts Chow's capital comes nigh,
When through its kings the land had rest.
4 Of old there fell the fertilizing rains,
And brightly shone the millet on our plains ;—
The land knew no oppression hard.
The States the king's authority obeyed,
And to each lord, for loyal service paid,
The chief of Seun dispensed reward.
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