Chinese Literature - Anonymous
CHINESE LITERATURE
COMPRISING
THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS,
THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS,
THE SHI-KING,
THE TRAVELS OF FA-HIEN, AND
THE SORROWS OF HAN
WITH CRITICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES BY
EPIPHANIUS WILSON, A.M.
REVISED EDITION
1900
THE ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS
Introduction
BOOK
I. On Learning--Miscellaneous Sayings
II. Good Government--Filial Piety--The Superior Man
III. Abuse of Proprieties in Ceremonial and Music
IV. Social Virtue--Superior and Inferior Man
V. A Disciple and the Golden Rule--Miscellaneous
VI. More Characteristics--Wisdom--Philanthropy
VII. Characteristics of Confucius--An Incident
VIII. Sayings of Tsang--Sentences of the Master
IX. His Favorite Disciple's Opinion of Him
X. Confucius in Private and Official Life
XI. Comparative Worth of His Disciples
XII. The Master's Answers--Philanthropy--Friendships
XIII. Answers on the Art of Governing--Consistency
XIV. Good and Bad Government--Miscellaneous Sayings
XV. Practical Wisdom--Reciprocity the Rule of Life
XVI. Against Intestine Strife--Good and Bad Friendships
XVII. The Master Induced to Take Office--Nature and Habit
XVIII. Good Men in Seclusion--Duke of Chow to His Son
XIX. Teachings of Various Chief Disciples
XX. Extracts from the Book of History
THE SAYINGS OF MENCIUS
Introduction
Book I. King Hwuy of Leang.--
Part I
[_Books II., III., and IV. are omitted_]
Book V. Wan Chang.--
Part I
THE SHI-KING
Introduction
_Part I.--Lessons from the States_.
BOOK I.--THE ODES OF CHOW AND THE SOUTH.--
Celebrating the Virtue of King Wan's Bride
Celebrating the Industry of King Wan's Queen
In Praise of a Bride
Celebrating T'ae-Sze's Freedom from Jealousy
The Fruitfulness of the Locust
Lamenting the Absence of a Cherished Friend
Celebrating the Goodness of the Descendants of King Wan
The Virtuous Manners of the Young Women
Praise of a Rabbit-Catcher
The Song of the Plantain-Gatherers
The Affection of the Wives on the Joo
BOOK II.--THE ODES OF SHAOU AND THE SOUTH.--
The Marriage of a Princess
The Industry and Reverence of a Prince's Wife
The Wife of Some Great Officer Bewails his Absence
The Diligence of the Young Wife of an Officer
The Love of the People for the Duke of Shaou
The Easy Dignity of the Officers at Some Court
Anxiety of a Young Lady to Get Married
BOOK III.--THE ODES OF P'EI.--
An Officer Bewails the Neglect with which He is Treated
A Wife Deplores the Absence of Her Husband
The Plaint of a Rejected Wife
Soldiers of Wei Bewail Separation from their Families
An Officer Tells of His Mean Employment
An Officer Sets Forth His Hard Lot
The Complaint of a Neglected Wife
In Praise of a Maiden
Discontent
Chwang Keang Bemoans Her Husband's Cruelty
[_Books IV., V., and VI. are omitted_]
BOOK VII.--THE ODES OF CH'ING.---
The People's Admiration for Duke Woo
A Wife Consoled by Her Husband's Arrival
In Praise of Some Lady
A Man's Praise of His Wife
An Entreaty
A Woman Scorning Her Lover
A Lady Mourns the Absence of Her Student Lover---
BOOK VIII.--THE ODES OF TS'E.--
A Wife Urging Her Husband to Action
The Folly of Useless Effort
The Prince of Loo
BOOK IX.--THE ODES OF WEI.--
On the Misgovernment of the State
The Mean Husband
A Young Soldier on Service
BOOK X.--THE ODES OF T'ANG.--
The King Goes to War
Lament of a Bereaved Person
The Drawbacks of Poverty
A Wife Mourns for Her Husband
BOOK XI.--THE ODES OF TS'IN.--
Celebrating the Opulence of the Lords of Ts'in
A Complaint
A Wife's Grief Because of Her Husband's Absence
Lament for Three Brothers
In Praise of a Ruler of Ts'in
The Generous Nephew
BOOK XII.--THE ODES OF CH'IN.--
The Contentment of a Poor Recluse
The Disappointed Lover
A Love-Song
The Lament of a Lover
BOOK XIII.--THE ODES OF KWEI--
The Wish of an Unhappy Man
BOOK XIV.--THE ODES OF TS'AOU.--
Against Frivolous Pursuits
BOOK XV.--THE ODES OF PIN.--
The Duke of Chow Tells of His Soldiers
There is a Proper Way for Doing Everything
_Part II.--Minor Odes of the Kingdom_.
BOOK I.--DECADE OF LUH MING.--
A Festal Ode
A Festal Ode Complimenting an Officer
The Value of Friendship
The Response to a Festal Ode
An Ode of Congratulation
An Ode on the Return of the Troops
BOOK II.--THE DECADE OF PIH HWA.--
An Ode Appropriate to a Festivity
BOOK III.--THE DECADE OF T'UNG KUNG.--
Celebrating a Hunting Expedition
The King's Anxiety for His Morning Levee
Moral Lessons from Natural Facts
BOOK IV.--THE DECADE OF K'E-FOO.--
On the Completion of a Royal Palace
The Condition of King Seuen's Flocks
BOOK V.--THE DECADE OF SEAOU MIN.--
A Eunuch Complains of His Fate
An Officer Deplores the Misery of the Time
On the Alienation of a Friend
BOOK VI.--THE DECADE OF PIH SHAN.--
A Picture of Husbandry
The Complaint of an Officer
BOOK VII.--DECADE OF SANG HOO.--
The Rejoicings of a Bridegroom
Against Listening to Slanderers
BOOK VIII.--THE DECADE OF TOO JIN SZE.--
In Praise of By-gone Simplicity
A Wife Bemoans Her Husband's Absence
The Earl of Shaou's Work
The Plaint of King Yew's Forsaken Wife
Hospitality
On the Misery of Soldiers
_Part III.--Greater Odes of the Kingdom_.
BOOK I.--DECADE OF KING WAN.--
Celebrating King Wan
[_Book II. is omitted_]
BOOK III.--DECADE OF TANG.--
King Seuen on the Occasion of a Great Drought
_Part IV.--Odes of the Temple and Altar_.
BOOK I.--SACRIFICIAL ODES OF CHOW.--
Appropriate to a Sacrifice to King Wan
On Sacrificing to the Kings Woo, Ching, and K'ang
THE TRAVELS OF FA-HIEN
Translator's Introduction
CHAPTER
I. From Ch'ang-gan to the Sandy Desert
II. On to Shen-shen and thence to Khoten
III. Khoten--Processions of Images
IV. Through the Ts'ung Mountains to K'eech-ch'a
V. Great Quinquennial Assembly of Monks
VI. North India--Image of Maitreya Bodhisattva
VII. The Perilous Crossing of the Indus
VIII. Woo-chang, or Udyana--Traces of Buddha
IX. Soo ho-to--Legends of Buddha
X. Gandhara--Legends of Buddha
XI. Takshasila--Legends--The Four Great Topes
XII. Buddha's Alms-bowl--Death of Hwuy-king
XIII. Festival of Buddha's Skull-bone
XIV. Crossing the Indus to the East
XV. Sympathy of Monks with the Pilgrims
XVI. Condition and Customs of Central India
XVII. Legend of the Trayastrimsas Heaven
XVIII. Buddha's Subjects of Discourse
XIX. Legend of Buddha's Danta-kashtha
XX. The Jetavana Vihara--Legends of Buddha
XXI. The Three Predecessors of Sakyamuni
XXII. Legends of Buddha's Birth
XXIII. Legends of Rama and its Tope
XXIV. Where Buddha Renounced the World
XXV. The Kingdom of Vaisali
XXVI. Remarkable Death of Ananda
XXVII. King Asoka's Spirit-built Palace and Halls
XXVIII. Rajagriha, New and Old--Legends Connected with It
XXIX. Fa-Hien Passes a Night on Gridhra-kuta Hill
XXX. Srataparna Cave, or Cave of the First Council
XXXI. Sakyamuni's Attaining to the Buddhaship
XXXII. Legend of King Asoka in a Former Birth
XXXIII. Kasyapa Buddha's Skeleton on Mount Gurupada
XXXIV. On the Way Returning to Patna
XXXV. Dakshina, and the Pigeon Monastery
XXXVI. Fa-Hien's Indian Studies
XXXVII. Fa-Hien's Stay in Champa and Tamalipti
XXXVIII. At Ceylon--Feats of Buddha--His Statue in Jade
XXXIX. Cremation of an Arhat--Sermon of a Devotee
XL. After Two Years Fa-Hien Takes Ship for China
Conclusion
THE SORROWS OF HAN
Introduction
Translator's Preface
Dramatis Personae
Prologue
Act First
Act Second
Act Third
Act Fourth
THE ANALECTS
OF
CONFUCIUS
[_Translated into English by William Jennings_]
PRONUNCIATION OF PROPER NAMES
_j_, as in French.
_ng_, commencing a word, like the same letters terminating one.
_ai_ or _ei_, as in _aisle_ or _eider_.
_au_, as in German, or like _ow_ in _cow_.
_e_, as in _fete_.
_i_ (not followed by a consonant), as _ee_ in _see_.
_u_ (followed by a consonant), as in _bull_.
_iu_, as _ew_ in _new_.
_ui_, as _ooi_ in _cooing_.
_h_ at the end of a name makes the preceding vowel short.
_i_ in the middle of a word denotes an aspirate (_h_), as _K'ung_=Khung.
INTRODUCTION
The strangest figure that meets us in the annals of Oriental thought is
that of Confucius. To the popular mind he is the founder of a religion,
and yet he has nothing in common with the great religious teachers of
the East. We think of Siddartha, the founder of Buddhism, as the very
impersonation of romantic asceticism, enthusiastic self-sacrifice, and
faith in the things that are invisible. Zoroaster is the friend of God,
talking face to face with the Almighty, and drinking wisdom and
knowledge from the lips of Omniscience. Mohammed is represented as
snatched up into heaven, where he receives the Divine communication
which he is bidden to propagate with fire and sword throughout the
world. These great teachers lived in an atmosphere of the supernatural.
They spoke with the authority of inspired prophets. They brought the
unseen world close to the minds of their disciples. They spoke
positively of immortality, of reward or punishment beyond the grave. The
present life they despised, the future was to them everything in its
promised satisfaction. The teachings of Confucius were of a very
different sort. Throughout his whole writings he has not even mentioned
the name of God. He declined to discuss the question of immortality.
When he was asked about spiritual beings, he remarked, "If we cannot
even know men, how can we know spirits?"
Yet this was the man the impress of whose teaching has formed the
national character of five hundred millions of people. A temple to
Confucius stands to this day in every town and village of China. His
precepts are committed to memory by every child from the tenderest age,
and each year at the royal university at Pekin the Emperor holds a
festival in honor of the illustrious teacher.
The influence of Confucius springs, first of all, from the narrowness
and definiteness of his doctrine. He was no transcendentalist, and never
meddled with supramundane things. His teaching was of the earth, earthy;
it dealt entirely with the common relations of life, and the Golden Rule
he must necessarily have stumbled upon, as the most obvious canon of his
system. He strikes us as being the great Stoic of the East, for he
believed that virtue was based on knowledge, knowledge of a man's own
heart, and knowledge of human-kind. There is a pathetic resemblance
between the accounts given of the death of Confucius and the death of
Zeno. Both died almost without warning in dreary hopelessness, without
the ministrations of either love or religion. This may be a mere
coincidence, but the lives and teachings of both men must have led them
to look with indifference upon such an end. For Confucius in his
teaching treated only of man's life on earth, and seems to have had no
ideas with regard to the human lot after death; if he had any ideas he
preserved an inscrutable silence about them. As a moralist he prescribed
the duties of the king and of the father, and advocated the cultivation
by the individual man of that rest or apathy of mind which resembles so
much the disposition aimed at by the Greek and Roman Stoic. Even as a
moralist, he seems to have sacrificed the ideal to the practical, and
his loose notions about marriage, his tolerance of concubinage, the
slight emphasis which he lays on the virtue of veracity--of which indeed
he does not seem himself to have been particularly studious in his
historic writings--place him low down in the rank of moralists. Yet he
taught what he felt the people could receive, and the flat mediocrity of
his character and his teachings has been stamped forever upon a people
who, while they are kindly, gentle, forbearing, and full of family
piety, are palpably lacking not only in the exaltation of Mysticism, but
in any religious feeling, generally so-called.
The second reason that made the teaching of Confucius so influential is
based on the circumstances of the time. When this thoughtful, earnest
youth awoke to the consciousness of life about him, he saw that the
abuses under which the people groaned sprang from the feudal system,
which cut up the country into separate territories, over which the power
of the king had no control. China was in the position of France in the
years preceding Philippe-Auguste, excepting that there were no places of
sanctuary and no Truce of God. The great doctrine of Confucius was the
unlimited despotism of the Emperor, and his moral precepts were intended
to teach the Emperor how to use his power aright. But the Emperor was
only typical of all those in authority--the feudal duke, the judge on
the bench, and the father of the family. Each could discharge his duties
aright only by submitting to the moral discipline which Confucius
prescribed. A vital element in this system is its conservatism, its
adherence to the imperial idea. As James I said, "No bishop, no king,"
so the imperialists of China have found in Confucianism the strongest
basis for the throne, and have supported its dissemination accordingly.
The Analects of Confucius contain the gist of his teachings, and is
worthy of study. We find in this work most of the precepts which his
disciples have preserved and recorded. They form a code remarkable for
simplicity, even crudity, and we are compelled to admire the force of
character, the practical sagacity, the insight into the needs of the
hour, which enabled Confucius, without claiming any Divine sanction, to
impose this system upon his countrymen.
The name Confucius is only the Latinized form of two words which mean
"Master K'ung." He was born 551 B.C., his father being governor of
Shantung. He was married at nineteen, and seems to have occupied some
minor position under the government. In his twenty-fourth year he
entered upon the three years' mourning for the death of his mother. His
seclusion gave him time for deep thought and the study of history, and
he resolved upon the regeneration of his unhappy country. By the time he
was thirty he became known as a great teacher, and disciples flocked to
him. But he was yet occupied in public duties, and rose through
successive stages to the office of Chief Judge in his own country of Lu.
His tenure of office is said to have put an end to crime, and he became
the "idol of the people" in his district. The jealousy of the feudal
lords was roused by his fame as a moral teacher and a blameless judge.
Confucius was driven from his home, and wandered about, with a few
disciples, until his sixty-ninth year, when he returned to Lu, after
accomplishing a work which has borne fruit, such as it is, to the
present day. He spent the remaining five years of his life in editing
the odes and historic monuments in which the glories of the ancient
Chinese dynasty are set forth. He died in his seventy-third year, 478
B.C. There can be no doubt that the success of Confucius has been
singularly great, owing especially to the narrow scope of his scheme,
which has become crystallized in the habits, usages, and customs of the
people. Especially has it been instrumental in consolidating the empire,
and in strengthening the power of the monarch, who, as he every year
burns incense in the red-walled temple at Pekin, utters sincerely the
invocation: "Great art thou, O perfect Sage! Thy virtue is full, thy
doctrine complete. Among mortal men there has not been thine equal. All
kings honor thee. Thy statutes and laws have come gloriously down. Thou
art the pattern in this imperial school. Reverently have the sacrificial
vessels been set out. Full of awe, we sound our drums and bells."
E. W.
THE ANALECTS
BOOK I
On Learning--Miscellaneous Sayings:--
"To learn," said the Master, "and then to practise opportunely what one
has learnt--does not this bring with it a sense of satisfaction?
"To have associates in study coming to one from distant parts--does not
this also mean pleasure in store?
"And are not those who, while not comprehending all that is said, still
remain not unpleased to hear, men of the superior order?"
A saying of the Scholar Yu:--
"It is rarely the case that those who act the part of true men in regard
to their duty to parents and elder brothers are at the same time willing
to turn currishly upon their superiors: it has never yet been the case
that such as desire not to commit that offence have been men willing to
promote anarchy or disorder.
"Men of superior mind busy themselves first in getting at the root of
things; and when they have succeeded in this the right course is open to
them. Well, are not filial piety and friendly subordination among
brothers a root of that right feeling which is owing generally from man
to man?"
The Master observed, "Rarely do we meet with the right feeling due from
one man to another where there is fine speech and studied mien."
The Scholar Tsang once said of himself: "On three points I examine
myself daily, viz., whether, in looking after other people's interests,
I have not been acting whole-heartedly; whether, in my intercourse with
friends, I have not been true; and whether, after teaching, I have not
myself been practising what I have taught."
The Master once observed that to rule well one of the larger States
meant strict attention to its affairs and conscientiousness on the part
of the ruler; careful husbanding of its resources, with at the same time
a tender care for the interests of all classes; and the employing of the
masses in the public service at suitable seasons.
"Let young people," said he, "show filial piety at home, respectfulness
towards their elders when away from home; let them be circumspect, be
truthful; their love going out freely towards all, cultivating good-will
to men. And if, in such a walk, there be time or energy left for other
things, let them employ it in the acquisition of literary or artistic
accomplishments."
The disciple Tsz-hia said, "The appreciation of worth in men of worth,
thus diverting the mind from lascivious desires--ministering to parents
while one is the most capable of so doing--serving one's ruler when one
is able to devote himself entirely to that object--being sincere in
one's language in intercourse with friends: this I certainly must call
evidence of learning, though others may say there has been 'no
learning.'"
Sayings of the Master:--
"If the great man be not grave, he will not be revered, neither can his
learning be solid.
"Give prominent place to loyalty and sincerity.
"Have no associates in study who are not advanced somewhat like
yourself.
"When you have erred, be not afraid to correct yourself."
A saying of the Scholar Tsang:--
"The virtue of the people is renewed and enriched when attention is seen
to be paid to the departed, and the remembrance of distant ancestors
kept and cherished."
Tsz-k'in put this query to his fellow disciple Tsz-kung: said he, "When
our Master comes to this or that State, he learns without fail how it is
being governed. Does he investigate matters? or are the facts given
him?"
Tsz-kung answered, "Our Master is a man of pleasant manners, and of
probity, courteous, moderate, and unassuming: it is by his being such
that he arrives at the facts. Is not his way of arriving at things
different from that of others?"
A saying of the Master:--
"He who, after three years' observation of the will of his father when
alive, or of his past conduct if dead, does not deviate from that
father's ways, is entitled to be called 'a dutiful son.'"
Sayings of the Scholar Yu:--
"For the practice of the Rules of Propriety,[1] one excellent way is to
be natural. This naturalness became a great grace in the practice of
kings of former times; let everyone, small or great, follow their
example.
"It is not, however, always practicable; and it is not so in the case of
a person who does things naturally, knowing that he should act so, and
yet who neglects to regulate his acts according to the Rules.
"When truth and right are hand in hand, a statement will bear
repetition. When respectfulness and propriety go hand in hand, disgrace
and shame are kept afar-off. Remove all occasion for alienating those to
whom you are bound by close ties, and you have them still to resort to."
A saying of the Master:--
"The man of greater mind who, when he is eating, craves not to eat to
the full; who has a home, but craves not for comforts in it; who is
active and earnest in his work and careful in his words; who makes
towards men of high principle, and so maintains his own rectitude--that
man may be styled a devoted student."
Tsz-kung asked, "What say you, sir, of the poor who do not cringe and
fawn; and what of the rich who are without pride and haughtiness?" "They
are passable," the Master replied; "yet they are scarcely in the same
category as the poor who are happy, and the rich who love propriety."
"In the 'Book of the Odes,'" Tsz-kung went on to say, "we read of one
Polished, as by the knife and file,
The graving-tool, the smoothing-stone.
Does that coincide with your remark?"
"Ah! such as you," replied the Master, "may well commence a discussion
on the Odes. If one tell you how a thing goes, you know what ought to
come."
"It does not greatly concern me," said the Master, "that men do not know
me; my great concern is, my not knowing them."
[Footnote 1: An important part of a Chinaman's education still. The
text-book, "The Li Ki," contains rules for behavior and propriety for
the whole life, from the cradle to the grave.]
BOOK II
Good Government--Filial Piety--The Superior Man
Sayings of the Master:--
"Let a ruler base his government upon virtuous principles, and he will
be like the pole-star, which remains steadfast in its place, while all
the host of stars turn towards it.
"The 'Book of Odes' contains three hundred pieces, but one expression in
it may be taken as covering the purport of all, viz., Unswerving
mindfulness.
"To govern simply by statute, and to reduce all to order by means of
pains and penalties, is to render the people evasive, and devoid of any
sense of shame.
"To govern upon principles of virtue, and to reduce them to order by the
Rules of Propriety, would not only create in them the sense of shame,
but would moreover reach them in all their errors.
"When I attained the age of fifteen, I became bent upon study. At
thirty, I was a confirmed student. At forty, nought could move me from
my course. At fifty, I comprehended the will and decrees of Heaven. At
sixty, my ears were attuned to them. At seventy, I could follow my
heart's desires, without overstepping the lines of rectitude."
To a question of Mang-i, as to what filial piety consisted in, the
master replied, "In not being perverse." Afterwards, when Fan Ch'i was
driving him, the Master informed him of this question and answer, and
Fan Ch'i asked, "What was your meaning?" The Master replied, "I meant
that the Rules of Propriety should always be adhered to in regard to
those who brought us into the world: in ministering to them while
living, in burying them when dead, and afterwards in the offering to
them of sacrificial gifts."
To a query of Mang Wu respecting filial piety, the Master replied,
"Parents ought to bear but one trouble--that of their own sickness."
To a like question put by Tsz-yu, his reply was this: "The filial piety
of the present day simply means the being able to support one's
parents--which extends even to the case of dogs and horses, all of which
may have something to give in the way of support. If there be no
reverential feeling in the matter, what is there to distinguish between
the cases?"
To a like question of Tsz-hia, he replied: "The manner is the
difficulty. If, in the case of work to be done, the younger folks simply
take upon themselves the toil of it; or if, in the matter of meat and
drink, they simply set these before their elders--is this to be taken as
filial piety?"
Once the Master remarked, "I have conversed with Hwui the whole day
long, and he has controverted nothing that I have said, as if he were
without wits. But when his back was turned, and I looked attentively at
his conduct apart from me, I found it satisfactory in all its issues.
No, indeed! Hwui is not without his wits."
Other observations of the Master:--
"If you observe what things people (usually) take in hand, watch their
motives, and note particularly what it is that gives them satisfaction,
shall they be able to conceal from you what they are? Conceal
themselves, indeed!
"Be versed in ancient lore, and familiarize yourself with the modern;
then may you become teachers.
"The great man is not a mere receptacle."
In reply to Tsz-kung respecting the great man:--
"What he first says, as a result of his experience, he afterwards
follows up.
"The great man is catholic-minded, and not one-sided. The common man is
the reverse.
"Learning, without thought, is a snare; thought, without learning, is a
danger.