New-York tribune., 1901-02-16

6short Histories Of the Literatnres Of me MorIo'
Edited by Edmund GosseD lZ"o' oo'a'O' p1'
wifi. AS ID. Appleton 4 Co
This book like its companion on japanese
literature in the same excellent series. recalls
the criticism passed upon Theophile Gauuer'
who instead OF reaching the ultimate goal OF
letters took up his residence in an inn by the
WAY. For the great majority Of Western read
ers any book on Oriental literature is of neces-
sity but an inn on the way 10 that literature IN
which they are well content 10 remain. re"
have the time opportunity, few have the IN
clination 10 possess themselves Of the japanese
OF Chinese language for purposes Of purely lit
erary adventure. Devoted spirits like professor
Giles arc cheerfully left 10 act as interpreters
He is peculiarly acceptable in this character
He has made wide survey OF his field, and he
gives US the fruits Of his labors in really at
tractive form His pages packed with
translations and these, if not profoundly i'm
pressive are at any rate interesting.
Chinese poetry has concerned itself with
human emotion generally in its simpler aspects
The verses translated by Professor Giles sing
lovers 10Y or woe, hliaI affection. or the sage
counsel OF experience. The sentiment of the
poem is usually enhanced by references to nat
ure, which is sketched with vividness and feel
ing. Thus the Emperor Liu che, who fourished
B. C. 156-s7:
The autumn blast drives the white scud in the
Leaves fade. and wild geese sweeping south
The scent of late flowers fills the soft air above,
My heart full OF thoughts of the lady love-
: In the river the barges for reNel-caIouse
Are lined by white waves Whch preah oNei '"e
Their oarsmen keep time to the piping and
" Yet IIiii''ii5; joy is as naught
Alloyed by the thought
That youth slips away and that ola age is
coming.
This pensive. melancholy note is often heard
In the examples quoted here. But q more ener-
getic. needless mood is sometimes encountered
Omar Khayyam has had his parallels in Chinese
literature Here is one illustration OF his
philosophy in Chinese Guise:
Here is wine let us sing:
For mans life is short.
Like the morning dew,
Its best days are gone by
But though would rejoice,
Sorrows are hard 10 forget,
What will make us forget them?
Wine and only wine.
There is. however less Of this sort Of thing
,n Chinese literature than there is OF the spirit
which makes for a serious and elevated view OF
life Both prose and verse abound in aphorisms
OF unimpeachable wisdom. by many words
wit is exhausted" Nature is better than
niddling doctor" "A bottle nosed man may be
a teetotaller, but no one will think So" "Oblige.
and you viii he obliged" 'One kind word viii
keep you warm for three winters" ''The high
est towers begin from the ground" Professor
Giles traverses many forms in his history.
China has had innumerable historians, drama
fists. novelists and makers OF general literature.
She can point also satirists and humorists'
who would appear use considerable deftness
IN turning into their own channels the moraliZ-
ing force which is characteristic Of practically
all Chinese authors. There is a touch OF West
ern drollery in this quip of Ch'eng Hao's:
wander north. wander south.
i rest me where please.
See how the river banks are nipped
beneath the autumn breeze,
Yet what care i If autumn blasts
the river banks lay bare?
The loss of hue TO river banks
is the river banks affair.
There Is humor OF another sort-wholly un-
conscious-in the book on Medical Jurisprudence
from which Professor Giles makes some long
and delightful quotations on pages 2f1 70 243.
One OF the gems in this classic-whch TO this
day accompanies the magistrate when he is dis
charging the duties OF coroner-is an explana-
tion OF the way in which the nature Of muir
dered mans wounds can be discovered, after
his body has been burned:
Put up your shed near where thu body was
burned, and make the accused and witnesses
point out themselves the exact spot Then cut
down the grass and weeds growing on this spot
IS extremely hot, throwing on several pecks OF
hemp seed BY and by brush the place clean;
then 81 the body was actually burnt this spot,
the oil from the seed viii be found TO have sunk
into the ground in the form OF human figure,
and wherever there were wounds on the dead
man, there on this figure the oil will be found
20 have collected together large small, square,
round, long, short, oblique straight, exactly
as they Were inflicted The parts where there
were TO wounds will be free from any such ap-
pearances.
II Is seldom that Professor Giles presents such
amazing stuff as this in illustration OF the graver
achievements Of Chinese authors. But II must
he admitted that the bulk OF the material in the
book resembles the fragment just quoted, in
having only a curious interest for the Western
reader.