New-York tribune., 1919-06-03
A Nation Born Old
By Geofrey Parsons

HUNDRED AND SEVENTY CHINESE
POEMS. Translated by Arthur Valley. PIP
2l3 Alfred A Knopf 500.
T~ HAT completest mystery for the western
world China, Will not be any the less
complete for this hmpd and beau
tiful rendering of Chinese lyrics. But at
least here are Illuminating facts of nation
al character, of emotion, of lfe-as living
portrait of the heart of China as can be
found.
Was China ever young? Not by anything
in Mr. Arthur Valleys selection of verse.
A nation born old, from its cradle wiser
than all the other children of men, too
wise to fight, too wise to do anything reck-
lcssly, hcodlcssly, utterly; enduring ex-
lie and conquest matters unpleasant but
incscapablc; loving men friends stanchly;
drinking deeply most subty sensitive to
beauty and nature, but regarding women
quite without passion that is the ancient
character portrayed in these poems. As the
great Po Chill (772-846 A. d. wrote on
irving at the age of sixty:
Between thirty ana forty one is distracted by
Between seventy and eighty one is prey to
But from dfty to sixty one is free from all ills;
Calm and still-the heart enjoys rest.
I have put behind me Love and Greed; have
done with Profit and Fame;
7 stin short of illness and decay and far
from decrepit age
rivers and hills;
Still my heart has spirit enough to listen to
At leisure l oven wine and taste several
Drunken, | recall old poems and sing whole
Mons-tc las as,sca for poem and herewith
not to compain of threescore, the time of
That last phrase goes back to Con-
fucius, some twelve hundred years earlier,
who said that it not until he was sixty
that his ears oboyed him" All China
seems in the phrase amazing toll
erancc. the clear, limpid observation that
secs the essentials of the world unmoved
by passion or the fire of youth. lmag-
ination there is, surely. of the highest
quality But it is ages apart from that
smoky harng, wind-bown torch Of West
crn winds. Here is po Chill painting a
picture:
The' singers have hushed tho notes of clear
The rcd sleeves of the dancers are metionless
Iiugsing his Lutte the old harpcr of 'hao
The loud notes sweIl and scatter abroad
49, sa:' like the wind blowing the vain.
The soft notes dying almost to nothing;
zen ieh. ch len" Hike the voice OF ghosts
talking.
Now as glad as the nagpe'a lucky song;
Again bitter ass tho gibbons 0MiDOus cry.
There is deliciously wise and gentle
cynicism in po Chill. Later there comes
more bite and quite modern note. not
at all mysterious to modern Westemers.
Thus for instance, speaks su Tung-p'o
1o36-l1ol A. d. con the Birth of His
Son:
Families. when child is born
Want ii tI Be Intelligent.
Having wrecked nay whole life,
only hope the baby VIII prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he VIII crown tranquil life
By becoming Cabinet Minister.
Earlier in Mr.. Valleys volume which is
chronologicnlly arranged to give general
view of the whole art, we come upon this
admirable summary of the philosophy of
the volume. The poet is Wang Chi, and
he is writing around 700 A. D.:
Tell me. now. what shonld man want
But TO sit alone. slipping his cup of wine ."
should like to have visitors come and discuss
philosophy
And not to have the tax collector coming To
collect taXca,
My three sons married into good fanillea
bands.
Then l could jog through happy nvcscore
And, at the end need Paradise.
That is the concrete picture. The phil