New-York tribune., 1922-04-23

Of tho Royal Asistio Soci-
ETY., and done into English by Amy
Lowell, gives an unparalleled introduc-
ton in one volume TO Chinese life and
poetry.
without the comprehensive and en-
tsrta!nlnsly written notes and preface
by Mrs. Ayscough, this would be a far
too laudatory statement FOR thers is
much at which TO cavil In Miss Lowelrs
renditions- But with this valuable sd-
dends, the reader Is granted fasci-
rating bird's-eye view OF the history
Of the race, It's philosophy and habits
Of thought and brief glimpse into the
lives Of the two greatest Chinese poets,
Tu Fu and Ii Tai Po. This poems Of
these two make up this greater part Of
the book, which includes selections
from about FORTY Chinese poets, an
cient and modern, not forgetting exam
pies OF the famous "Tzu Hua,~ or
Hanging on-theWall Poems, and n long
selection from The Book Of Odes."
This last poem, "The Cloudy River"
IS illustrative Of q centurIes-old demo-
cratic belief OF the Chinese-as Mrs
Ayscough points out-that the Son OF
Heaven reiCned only as long as heaven
smiled upon the land II wars and
famine came, * his rule were unjust,
then the people had divine right to
rebel and the dynasty would be over
thrown.
Occasionally the emperor suffered
FOR calamities beyond his control, r,
in this grent poem, which reflects the
heayt-searchings Of the Sen Of Heaven
for the cause OF drought that has
come upon the land. In this poem we
believe that Miss Lowell has come
neerest 70 expressing the spirit of the
original, its dramatic intensity and It's
beauty OF language, The poem is too
.ong TO quote in full, but one verse
VII suffice to illustrate my point:
Already the drought is terrible beyond
expression,
- Hve aud force rnyself in vain
dread that which will come.
Nov why--sh0uld bear this madness
q drought?
T offered the yearly sacrifices FOR fuu
crops TN good time.
neg gcted g,.',e not one OF. ths Spirits of tn.
-Four Quarters ~ tbs Earth
p re- Ruler of the high, wide Heavens
DOES not even consider mo.
have worshiped and revsrenocd tbs
They should not be dissatisfied or angry
with me"
Too often Miss Lowell mars the
beauty Of the originals BY idiosvncra-
sies that are Lowelian rather than
Chinese. as IN her sen.eless rcpcti-
tons OF adjectives and even verbs.
such as "little, little" "lovely, lovely"
sit sit" The Chinese economy OF
words is comparable to the economy of
whistler painting. and IS 70 marked
+ Characteristic that Miss LowelPs er-
ror Is inexcusable. Her own defense
oi II IN letter to contemporary
critic, that the idcogrsph itself hy its
coordination of pictorial symbols war
rants The repetition, Is based on an IN
sufficient knowledgs Of Chinese poetry
and tho established custom Of ee]ect,nc
n character not only for IT'S meaning
and tone quality but for It. picture
va)Ue.
IL OTHER instances Miss Lowell IS
euilty Of painting ths lily, as wit
ness: "thc gold-colored brass far"
Again, she Will uss stilted express
sion like "the Immediately
sun In few Of III. poems does she
use the Chinese words themselves.
though she might often have enriched
her verses by so doing. One exprc,-
sion In particular might have been re- |
tanned with profit, the Chinese ejacula-
ton "Ail" The upward sliding tone
in which "Aii" is rendered makes Il
obviously more indicative of grief or
pain than the tame "Oh-h-h" which
Miss Lowell uses in It's place.
No better distinction can rs made
between TO Flu and III Tai Po than that
quoted BY Mrs. Ayscough in the intro
ductlor. It IS the comment Of a Chi
nese poet Of the Tang period: "The
poems OF Ii Tai Po are like sprinc
fowersi those Of Tu Fu are like the
pine trees; they are eternal and fear
neither snow nor cold" II Tai Pc ia
usually referred to as the people's
poet and Tu Fu as the poet Of the
scholars.
1t is quits evident that II Po "a d.ep-
~ concerned with women and wine, be
Ing IN truth tbs unabashed poet O, |
tho wine cup, and Tu Fu moro inter
ested In the why's and wherefores Of /
existence. hut ] must disagree with
Mrs. Ayscough', inference that II Po.
the lover Of beauty, does not probe
INTO the roots OF events as does tn Fn.
While IN no sense the xeformer, as tn
tu Is somewhat inclined to be, Ii 20
secs things rs they are, with no sen-
tImental veil or rose colored glasses TO
obscure hia vision. An example of this
IS shown IN Fighting to the South Of
tho City" After vivid description Of
the scene Of battle and its bloody after
rnath. the poet adds these lines:
"Oncers ana soldiers lyins in mud. I,
grass IN underErowth
Aelplrts. the General-Yes, incapable bs-
fore thisi
wa have learnt that aoIS!.r. 49, v,
tools
Put wise men have not accomplished INA
ending OF war and stil we employ
tlthOUgh fhe 1ora nf r.,.. l.