The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-18 00:00:00

CHINESE LOVE LETTERS

Recently in Amoy a marriage was concluded between
, a son of the ancient family of " Tan," and a daughter of
the equally old and respectable house of " 0 ; " and the
annexed productions we are assured are literal translations
of the letters that passed on the occasion between the
fathers of the young couple. Here we have the pro-
posal of the father of the bridegroom :
"The ashamed younger brother surnamed Tan, named
Su, with washed bead, makes obeisance and writes this
letter to the greatly virtuous and humble gentleman whose
surname is 0 ; old teacher, great man, and presents it at
the foot of the gallery (at this season of the year) ; the satin
curtains are enveloped in mist reflecting the beauty of the
River and Hills; in the fields of the blue gem are planted
rows of willows close together arranging and diffusing the
commencement of genial influences, and consequently
adding to the good of the old year.
" I duly reverence your lofty door. The guests of the
Sue country descend from a good stock ; the origin of the
female of the Hui country likewise (is so too). You have
received their transforming influences, resembling the
great effects produced by rain ; much more you my honour-
able nearly related Uncle your good qualities are of a very
rare order. I, the mean one, am ashamed of myself, just
as rotten wood is in the presence of aromatic herbs. I
now receive your indulgence, inasmuch as you have lis-
tened to the words of the match-maker, and given Miss 0
in marriage to the mean one's eldest son, named Kang :
your assenting to it is worth more to me than a thousand
pieces of gold. The marriage business will be conducted
according to the six rules of propriety, and I will reverently
announce the business to my ancestors with presents of
gems and silks. I will arange the things received in your
baskets, so that all who tread the threshold of my door
may enjoy them. From this time forward the two sur-
names will be united, and I trust the union will be a felici-
tous one, and last for hundreds of years and realise the de-
light experienced by the union of the two countries Chin
and Chin. I hope that your honourable benevolence and
consideration will defend me unceasingly. At present the
Dragon flies in Sin Hai term, the first month, lucky day.
I Mr. Su bow respectfully. Light before."
On this decoction of the essential oil of modesty the
young Miss O's father looks with favour, so he responds
in a state of still more profoundly polite humility :
"The younger brother surnamed 0, named Tus of the
family to be related by marriage, washes his bead clean,
knocks his head and bows, and writes this marriage letter
in reply to the far-famed and virtuous gentleman surnamed
Tan, the venerable teacher and great man who manages
this business. At this season the heart of the plume-
blossom is increasingly white : at the beginning of the
first month it opens its petals. The eye-brows of the wil-
low shoot out their green ; when shaken by the wind it
displays its glory and grows luxuriantly into five genera-
tions. 'Tis matter for congratulation the union of one
hundred years. I reverence your lofty gate. The prog-
nostic is good, also the divination of the lucky bird. The
stars are bright and the dragons meet together, In every
succeeding dynasty office will be held, and for many a
generation official vestments will be worn—(not only those
of your family surname will enjoy all the afore-mentioned
felicity)—more especially will you, honourable gentleman,
who possesses abilities great and deep, your manners are
dignified and pure. I, the foolish one, am ashamed of my
diminutiveness. I for a long time have desired your dra-
gon powers ; now you have not looked on me with con-
tempt, but have entertained the statements of the match-
maker and agree to give Mr. Kang to be united with my
despicable daughter. We all wish the girl to have her
hair dressed, and the young man to put on his cap of man-
hood. The peach flowers just now looked beautiful : the
red plum also looks gay: I praise your son, who is like a
fairy horse who can cross over through water, and is able
to ride upon the wind and waves ; but my tiny daughter is
like a green window and a feeble plant, and is not worthy
of becoming the subject of verse.
" Now I reverently bow to your good words and make
use of them to display your good breeding. Now I hope
your honourable benevolence will always remember me
without end. Now the Dragon flies in the Sin Hai term,
first month, lucky day. Mr. Tu makes obeisance. May
the future be prosperous."
The modesty of the old gentlemen is so painful that we
are almost afraid to guess what may have been the feelings
of Master Tan and Miss 0 ; but, whatever they were, they
must have overcome them by this time, for the friend to
whom we are indebted for these epistolary gems danced at
their wedding a couple of months back, and was nearly
suffocated with drinking scalding black tea out of cocoa-
nut shell cups.
But the letters themselves—for we have received the
originals together with the translations—are at least as re-
markable for external glitter as for internal value. Each
of them is about the size of one of the Citizen's pages, and
consists of a rich frame composed of something like our
papier mache, inside of which is artistically folded a scroll
of richly tinted crimson paper studded with the golden
letters that convey the words of love and modesty. The
outer surface is likewise emblazoned with a quantity of
raised work, representing robes of honour, tails of dis-
tinction, the smallest of all small shoes, peacocks' fea-
thers, and a variety of other equally tasteful designs,
which are supposed to be emblematic of the vast accession
to the wealth and honour of'both contracting houses that
may be expected to flow from the union of the gallant Su
Tan, junior, and the accomplished Miss Tu-o.—Caleutta
Morning Chronicle.