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# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wang Su-Enter not into Temptation

WANG SU.
Died a.d. 256.
[A very distinguished scholar who wrote and published many volumes of classical commentaries. He is said to have found, in the house of a descendant of the Sage, the text of "The Family Sayings of Confucius," and to have published it in a.d. 240; but the generally received opinion is that he wrote the work himself, based no doubt upon tradition. Specimens are given below.]
A man of the Lu State lived alone in a cottage, and a neighbour, who was a widow, lived alone in another. One night, there was a terrific storm of wind and rain; the widow's cottage was destroyed, and she herself ran across to the man and asked to be taken in. The man, however, bolted his door and refused to admit her; whereupon the widow called to him, saying, "Where, sir, is your charity of heart, that you do not let me in?" "I have heard," replied he, "that until a man is sixty, he may not share a house with a woman. Now, you are young, and I too am young; so that I dare not receive you." "Sir," said the widow, "why not play the part of Liu-hsia Hui? Besides, I am an old dame, and not a damsel of doubtful reputation; there would be no scandal talked about us." "Liu-hsia Hui," answered the man, "might act as you say, but I am unable to do so. I will follow my own inability in striving to imitate the ability of Liu-hsia Hui." When Confucius heard this, he said, "Good indeed! There has never been any one who has better imitated Liu-hsia Hui. Can a desire to be good, without the attempt to succeed, be accounted wisdom?"
* ↑ Compare Mencius, "Separation of Sexes."
* ↑ 7th and 6th centuries b.c. His name was Chan Huo; his canonization title was Hui; he was Governor of Liu-hsia; hence the popular term, meaning Hui of Liu-hsia. He was a man of eminent virtue, and is said on one occasion to have held a lady in his lap without the slightest imputation on his moral character.
* ↑ This of course is a paradox.
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wang Ch‘ung-Virtue its own Reward

WANG CH'UNG.
1st Century a.d.
[A brilliant exponent of China's "higher school of criticism." Born a.d. 27, in poverty, he managed to pick up a good education and entered official life. After a short spell he retired dissatisfied to his home, and there composed his great work, the Lun Hêng or "Animadversions," in which he criticizes freely the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and tilts generally against the errors and superstitions of his day. His subsequent writings were chiefly of a reforming character. He memorialized the throne on the prevailing vice and extravagance; and in the days of a drunken China, he pleaded for the prohibition of alcohol.]
There are but few good men in the empire, and many bad ones. The good follow right principles, and the bad defy the will of God. Yet the lives of bad men are not therefore shortened, nor the lives of good men prolonged. How is it that God does not arrange that the virtuous shall always enjoy a hundred years of life, and that the wicked shall die young, as punishment for their guilt?
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wang Tao-k‘un-How to Get On

[Graduated as chin shih in 1547, and distinguished himself as a military commander and as a writer.]
​ARETAINER was complaining to Pŏ Tzŭ that no one in the district knew how to get on.
“You gentlemen,” said he, “are like square handles which you would thrust into the round sockets of your generation. Consequently, there is not one of you which fits.”
“You speak truth,” replied Pŏ Tzŭ; “kindly explain how this is so.”
“There are five reasons,” said the retainer, “why you are at loggerheads with the age, as follows:―
“(1) The path to popularity lies straight before you, but you will not follow it.
“(2) Other men’s tongues reach the soft places in the hearts of their superiors, but your tongues are too short.
“(3) Others eschew fur robes, and approach with bent backs as if their very clothes were too heavy for them; but you remain as stiff-necked as planks.
“(4) Others respond even before they are called, and seek to anticipate the wishes of their superiors; whose enemies, were they the saints above, would not escape abuse; whose friends, were they highwaymen and thieves, would be larded over with praise. But you―you stick at facts, and express opinions adverse to those of your superiors whom it is your special interest to conciliate.
“(5) Others make for gain as though bent upon shooting a pheasant; watching in secret and letting fly with care, so that ​nothing escapes their aim. But you―you hardly bend your bow, or bend it only to miss the quarry that lies within your reach.
“One of these five failings is like a tumour hanging to you and impeding your progress in life. How much more all of them!”
“It is indeed as you state,” answered Pŏ Tzŭ. “But would you bid me cut these tumours away? A man may have a tumour and live. To cut it off is to die. And life with a tumour is better than death without. Besides, beauty is a natural gift; and the woman who tried to look like Hsi Shih only succeeded in frightening people out of their wits by her ugliness. Now it is my misfortune to have these tumours, which make me more loathsome even than that woman. Still, I can always, so to speak, stick to my needle and my cooking-pots and strive to make my good man happy. There is no occasion for me to proclaim my ugliness in the marketplace.”
“Ah, sir,” said the retainer, “now I know why there are so many ugly people about, and so little beauty in the land.”
* ↑ Cf. the well-known―si dixcris æstuo, sudat.
* ↑ Hsi Shih was a famous beauty who made herself even more lovely by contracting her brows.
* ↑ I.e., do my duty
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wu Tsung-Against Buddhism

WU TSUNG.
Reigned a.d. 838-846
[A monarch who reached the throne through the murder of a brother, but was not otherwise noteworthy.]
WE have heard that previous to the Three Dynasties (a.d. 221-265) the name of Buddha was unknown. It was from the time of the Hans and the Weis that his images and his doctrines became familiar institutions in the land. The strength of man was lavished over his shrines; the wealth of man diverted to their costly adornment with gold and jewels. Unsurpassed was the injury to public morals: unsurpassed the injury to the welfare of the people!
A man who does not work, suffers bitter consequences in cold and hunger. But these priests and priestesses of Buddha, they consume food and raiment without contributing to the production of either. Their handsome temples reach up to the clouds and vie with the palaces of kings. The vice, the corruption, of those dynasties which followed upon the Three Kingdoms, can be attributed to no other source.
The founders of the House of T‘ang put down disorder by might; and then proceeded to govern by right. With these two engines of power, they succeeded in establishing their rule;―shall, then, some paltry creed from the West be allowed to dispute with Us the sovereign power?
At the beginning of the present dynasty, efforts were made to get rid of this pest; but its extermination was not complete, and the faith became rampant once more. Now We, having extensively studied the wisdom of the ancients, and guided moreover by public opinion, have no hesitation in saying that this evil can be rooted out. Do you, loyal officers of the State, only aid me in carrying out my great project by enforcing the laws,―and the thing is done. Already, more than 4,600 monasteries have been destroyed; and ​their inmates, to the number of 265,000 persons of both sexes, have been compelled to return to the world. Of temples and shrines, more than 40,000 have likewise been demolished; while many thousand acres of fat soil have been added to the wealth of the people. The work which my predecessors left undone, I have been able to accomplish. Let us then seize this favourable hour, and from the four quarters of the earth lead back the black-haired people once again into the Imperial fold!
And should there be any to whom Our action in this matter may not be clear, do you officers of government enlighten them on the subject.
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wei Ming Ti-On an Eclipse

MING TI OF THE HOUSE OF WEI
Reigned 227―239 a.d.
[An intelligent and kindly monarch, whose beard, when he stood up, is said to have touched the ground. Under his reign women were for the first time admitted into official life, and several actually rose to high office. No women officials however have been known since the eighth century.]
WE have heard that if a sovereign is remiss in government, God terrifies him by calamities and strange portents. These are divine reprimands sent to recall him to a sense of duty. Thus, partial eclipses of the sun and moon are manifest warnings that the rod of empire is not wielded aright.
Ever since We ascended the throne, Our inability to continue the glorious traditions of Our departed ancestors and carry on the great work of civilisation, has now culminated in a warning message from on high. It therefore behoves US to issue commands for personal reformation, in order to avert the impending calamity.
But the relations of God with Man are those of a father and son; and a father about to chastise his son, would not be deterred were the latter to present him with a dish of meat. We do not therefore consider it part of Our duty to act in accordance with certain memorials advising that the Grand Astrologer be instructed to offer up sacrifices on this occasion. Do ye governors of districts and other high officers of State, seek rather to rectify your own hearts; and if any one can devise means to make up for Our shortcomings, let him submit his proposals to the Throne.
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wang Su-Jade

WANG SU.
Died a.d. 256.
[A very distinguished scholar who wrote and published many volumes of classical commentaries. He is said to have found, in the house of a descendant of the Sage, the text of "The Family Sayings of Confucius," and to have published it in a.d. 240; but the generally received opinion is that he wrote the work himself, based no doubt upon tradition. Specimens are given below.]
Adisciple asked Confucius, saying, “Why, sir, does the superior man value jade much more highly than serpentine? Is it because jade is scarce and serpentine is abundant?” “It is not,” replied Confucius; “but it is because the superior men of olden days regarded it as a symbol of the virtues. Its gentle, smooth, glossy appearance suggests charity of heart; its fine close texture and hardness suggest wisdom; it is firm and yet does not wound, suggesting duty to one’s neighbour; it hangs down as though sinking, suggesting ceremony; struck, it gives a clear note, long drawn out, dying gradually away and suggesting music; its flaws do not hide its excellences, nor do its excellences hide its flaws, suggesting loyalty; it gains our confidence, suggesting truth; its spirituality is like the bright rainbow, suggesting the heavens above; its energy is manifested in hill and stream, suggesting the earth below; as articles of regalia it suggests the exemplification of that than which there is nothing in the world of equal value, and thereby is―TAO itself. We read in the Odes―
When I think of my husband, As gentle as jade, In his hutment of planking, My heart is afraid...
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wang Su-Temperance

WANG SU.
Died a.d. 256.
[A very distinguished scholar who wrote and published many volumes of classical commentaries. He is said to have found, in the house of a descendant of the Sage, the text of "The Family Sayings of Confucius," and to have published it in a.d. 240; but the generally received opinion is that he wrote the work himself, based no doubt upon tradition. Specimens are given below.]
Confucius noticed in the ancestral temple of Duke Huan of the Lu State certain vessels which stood awry, and enquired of the verger what these vessels were; to which the verger replied that ​they were goblets for use at banquets. "I have been told," said Confucius, "that when these goblets are empty they stand awry, that when they are half full they stand up straight, and that when filled up they topple right over. A wise ruler would use them as a warning, and see that such were always placed alongside of his guests." Then turning to his disciples, the Sage said, "Let us try them with water;" and accordingly water was poured in until the goblets were half full, when they stood up straight. They were then filled up, and at once toppled over. "Alas!" cried Confucius, heaving a deep sigh, "there are men who are full of wickedness, but they do not topple over."
# Gems of Chinese Literature/Wu Ti-Heroes wanted!

WU TI.
Reigned 140-87 b.c.
[This Emperor is famous for his long and magnificent reign of fifty-four years; for his energetic patronage of scholars engaged in the resuscitation of Confucian literature; for the brilliant exploits of his generals in Central Asia against the Huns; for the establishment of universities and literary degrees, etc., etc. For a reply to the Proclamation annexed, see Tung-fang So.]
EXCEPTIONAL work demands exceptional men. A bolting or a kicking horse may eventually become a most valuable animal.
A man who is the object of the world's detestation may live to accomplish great things. As with the untractable horse, so with the infatuated man;―it is simply a question of training.
We therefore command the various district officials to search for men of brilliant and exceptional talents, to be Our generals, Our ministers, and Our envoys to distant States.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/St. Francis of Assisi

ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
WOULD I might wake St. Francis in you all, Brother of birds and trees, God's Troubadour, Blinded with weeping for the sand and poor; Our wealth undone, all strict Franciscan men, Come, let us chant the canticle again Of mother earth and the enduring sun. God make each soul the lonely leper's slave; God make us saints, and brave.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/Star of my Heart

STAR OF MY HEART
STAR of my heart, I follow from afar. Sweet Love on high, lead on where shepherds are, Where Time is not, and only dreamers are. Star from of old, the Magi-Kings are dead And a foolish Saxon seeks the manager-bed. O lead me to Jehovah's child Across this dreamland lone and wild, Then will I speak this prayer unsaid, And kiss his little haloed head— "My star and I, we love thee, little child."
Except the Christ be born again to-night In dreams of all men, saints and sons of shame, The world will never see his kingdom bright. Stars of all hearts, lead onward thro' the night Past death-black deserts, doubts without a name, Past hills of pain and mountains of new sin To that far sky where mystic births begin, Where dreaming ears the angel-song shall win
Our Christmas shall be rare at dawning there, And each shall find his brother fair, Like a little child within: All hearts of the earth shall find new birth And wake, no more to sin.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/On the Building of Springfield

ON THE BUILDING OF SPRINGFIELD
LET not our town be large, remembering
 That little Athens was the Muses' home,
That Oxford rules the heart of London still,
That Florence gave the Renaissance to Rome.   Record it for the grandson of your son—
A city is not builded in a day:
Our little town cannot complete her soul
Till countless generations pass away.
Now let each child be joined as to a church
To her perpetual hopes, each man ordained:
Let every street be made a reverent aisle
Where Music grows and Beauty is unchained.
Let Science and Machinery and Trade
Be slaves of her, and make her all in all,
Building against our blatant, restless time
An unseen, skilful, medieval wall.
Let every citizen be rich toward God.
Let Christ the beggar, teach divinity.
Let no man rule who holds his money dear.
Let this, our city, be our luxury.   We should build parks that students from afar
Would choose to starve in, rather than go home,
Fair little squares, with Phidian ornament,
Food for the spirit, milk and honeycomb.
Songs shall be sung by us in that good day,
Songs we have written, blood within the rhyme
Beating, as when Old England still was glad,— The purple, rich Elizabethan time. ......Say, is my prophecy too fair and far?
I only know, unless her faith be high,
The soul of this, our Nineveh, is doomed,
Our little Babylon will surely die.
Some city on the breast of Illinois
No wiser and no better at the start
By faith shall rise redeemed, by faith shall rise
Bearing the western glory in her heart.   The genius of the Maple, Elm and Oak,
The secret hidden in each grain of corn,
The glory that the prairie angels sing At night when sons of Life and Love are born,
Born but to struggle, squalid and alone, Broken and wandering in their early years. When will they make our dusty streets their goal, Within our attics hide their sacred tears?
When will they start our vulgar blood athrill With living language, words that set us free? When will they make a path of beauty clear Between our riches and our liberty?
We must have many Lincoln-hearted men. A city is not builded in a day. And they must do their work, and come and go While countless generations pass away.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/On the Road to Nowhere

ON THE ROAD TO NOWHERE
ON the road to nowhere
What wild oats did you sow
When you left your father's house
With your cheeks aglow?
Eyes so strained and eager
To see what you might see?
Were you thief or were you fool
Or most nobly free?
Were the tramp-days knightly,
True sowing of wild seed?
Did you dare to make the songs
Vanquished workmen need?
Did you waste much money
To deck a leper's feast?
Love the truth, defy the crowd
Scandalize the priest?
On the road to nowhere
What wild oats did you sow?
Stupids find the nowhere-road
Dusty, grim and slow.
Ere their sowing's ended
They turn them on their track,
Look at the caitiff craven wights
Repentant, hurrying back!
Grown ashamed of nowhere,
Of rags endured for years,
Lust for velvet in their hearts,
Pierced with Mammon's spears,
All but a few fanatics
Give up their darling goal,
Seek to be as others are,
Stultify the soul.
Reapings now confront them,
Glut them, or destroy,
Curious seeds, grain or weeds
Sown with awful joy.
Hurried is their harvest,
They make soft peace with men.
Pilgrims pass. They care not,
Will not tramp again.
O nowhere, golden nowhere! Sages and fools go on
To your chaotic ocean,
To your tremendous dawn.
Far in your fair dream-haven,
Is nothing or is all . . .
They press on, singing, sowing
Wild deeds without recall!
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/Shakespeare

SHAKESPEARE
WOULD that in body and spirit Shakespeare came Visible emperor of the deeds of Time, With Justice still the genius of his rhyme, Giving each man his due, each passion grace, Impartial as the rain from Heaven's face Or sunshine from the heaven-enthroned sun. Sweet Swan of Avon, come to us again. Teach us to write, and writing, to be men.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/Sweet Briars of the Stairways

SWEET BRIARS OF THE STAIRWAYS
WE are happy all the time
Even when we fight:
Sweet briars of the stairways,
Gay fairies of the grime;
We, who are playing to-night.
"Our feet are in the gutters,
Our eyes are sore with dust,
But still our eyes are bright.
The wide street roars and mutters— We know it works because it must— We, who are playing to-night!
"Dirt is everlasting.—We never, never fear it.
Toil is never ceasing.—We will play until we near it.
Tears are never ending.—When once real tears have come;
"When we see our people as they are— Our fathers—broken, dumb—
Our mothers—broken, dumb— The weariest of women and of men; Ah—then our eyes will lose their light— Then we will never play again—  We, who are playing to-night."
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/Springfield Magical

SPRINGFIELD MAGICAL
IN this, the City of my Discontent, Sometimes there comes a whisper from the grass, "Romance, Romance—is here. No Hindu town Is quite so strange. No Citadel of Brass By Sinbad found, held half such love and hate; No picture-place in a picture-book Such webs of Friendship, Beauty, Greed and Fate!"
In this, the City of my Discontent Down from the sky, up from the smoking deep Wild legends new and old burn round my bed While trees and grass and men are wrapped in sleep. Angels come down with Christmas in their hearts, Gentle, whimsical, laughing, heaven-sent; And, for a day, fair Peace have given me In this, the City of my Discontent!
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/Michaelangelo

MICHELANGELO
WOULD I might wake in you the whirl-wind soul Of Michelangelo, who hewed the stone And Night and Day revealed, whose arm alone Could draw the face of God, the titan high Whose genius smote like lightning from the sky— And shall he mold like dead leaves in the grave? Nay he is in us! Let us dare and dare. God help us to be brave.
# General William Booth enters into Heaven, and other poems/On reading Omar Khayyam

ON READING OMAR KHAYYAM
[During an anti-saloon campaign, in central Illinois.]
IN the midst of the battle I turned, (For the thunders could flourish without me) And hid by a rose-hung wall, Forgetting the murder about me; And wrote, from my wound, on the stone, In mirth, half prayer, half play:— "Send me a picture book, Send me a song, to-day."
I saw him there by the wall When I scarce had written the line, In the enemy's colors dressed And the serpent-standard of wine Writhing its withered length From his ghostly hand o'er the ground, And there by his shadowy breast The glorious poem I found.
This was his world-old cry: Thus read the famous prayer:
"Wine, wine, wine, and flowers And cup-bearers always fair!" 'Twas a book of the snares of earth Bordered in gold and blue, And I read each line to the wind And read to the roses too: And they nodded their womanly heads And told to the wall just why For wine of the earth men bleed, Kingdoms and empires die. I envied the grape stained sage: (The roses were praising him.) The ways of the world seemed good And the glory of heaven dim. I envied the endless kings Who found great pearls in the mire, Who bought with the nation's life The cup of delicious fire.
But the wine of God came down, And I drank it out of the air. (Fair is the serpent-cup, But the cup of God more fair.) The wine of God came down That makes no drinker to weep. And I went back to battle again Leaving the singer asleep.