VI. Këw yih.

歸鴻信歸鴻袞魴九

宿。 不飛 處無

復。遵

所

於

陸。 於

九

鱒

我觀之子

1 In the net with its nine bags

Are rud and bream.

We see this prince

With his grand-ducal robe and embroidered skirt.

2 The wild geese fly [only] about the islets.

The duke is returning;-is it not to his proper place?

He was stopping with you [and me] but for a couple of nights.

3 The wild geese fly about the land.

The duke is returning, and will not come back here?

He was lodging with you [and me] but for a couple of nights.

Ode 6. Allusive and narrative. THE PEOPLE

OF THE EAST EXPRESS THEIR ADMIRATION OF

THE DUKE OF CHOW, AND SORROW AT HIS RETURNING TO THE WEST. On better grounds than in the case of the last ode, Choo He assigns this to the people of the east, sorry that the duke of Chow was now being recalled to court. The Preface on the other hand gives the same argument of this ode as of the other, and assigns it to some officer of Chow, who wished to expose the error of the court in not acknowledging the merits of the great man. The K'ang-he editors

seem to think that other differences of view are

unimportant, while there is an agreement in finding in the piece the praise of the duke of Chow.

St. 1. The Shwoh-win explains yih as meaning a fish-net; but the Urh-ya gives that definition for këw yih together. The net in question was, no doubt, composed somehow of nine bags or compartments. Medhurst says that is the roach; Williams says, 'a fish like the roach.' It has 'red eyes,' and must be the rud or red-eye (leucismus erythrophthalmus). Both this and the bream are good fish; and the writer therefore passes on from them to speak of the duke of Chow. The other stanzas make it plain that he is the 之子 of 1.3. 衮衣 is ex

plained in the dict. as

6

II. iv. 4) were all depicted on the robes of both,
but whereas on the royal robe there were two
dragons, one ascending and one descending,'
on that of a grand-duke there was only the
descending dragon. The same four figures were
embroidered on the skirts of both. It was only
the 'high,' or grand duke, whose dress approxi-
mated so nearly to that of the king.
St. 2.- -as in iii. XVIII. 3.
-as in
ii. XI. 2. The 2d line is understood interroga-
tively.-A. The con-

nection between the first line and this seems to
be:-The geese come here among the islands,
but it is only for a time. We know they will
soon leave us. We should have known, that the
duke was only temporarily among us.' -
'to rest two nights in the same place is called
sin. The among you,' is a difficulty
in the way of Choo's view, that the piece should
be assigned to the people of the east. He meets
it by saying that the people of the east in
speaking to each other would naturally say
you;' so that among you' is really equivalent

to 'among us.'

St. 3. is often used of the land in distinction from the water. Here the speaker has reference, probably, to the departure of the geese for the dry, northern regions; yet it might have occurred to him that they would be back among

the dress of the Son of Heaven.' But a high duke,' one of the three kung of the Chow dyn. (Shoo, V. xx. 5), had also the right to wear it, with a small difference in the blazonry of the upper robe. The emblematic figures of rank (Shoo, in st. 2.

VOL. IV.

the islands in the next season. 宿 is here the

31

悲我無歸我無

兮。 。心使兮。公

有是

袁以

4 Thus have we had the grand-ducal robe among us.

Do not take our duke back [to the west];

Do not cause us such sorrow of heart.

載

VII. Lang poh.

赤公載狼

孫跋烏孫

狠 跋

跋

瑕。膚。甜。尾。兀,膚。尾。甜。

1 The wolf springs forward on his dewlap,

Or trips back on his tail.

The duke was humble, and greatly admirable,

Self-composed in his red slippers.

2 The wolf springs forward on his dewlap,

Or trips back on his tail.

The duke was humble, and greatly admirable;

There is no flaw in his virtuous fame.

St. 4 is all narrative, and must be taken as and great to admit such passions into it.

an address to the people of the west, complain- 一臘, to jump,' to spring forward.' 悫

ing of the recall of the duke to the court.

無一毋, imperative.

'to be hindered,'- 'to trip or stumble..

The rhymes are—in st. 1, J,, cat. 10: in. It is here equivalent to our ‘or.'

2.渚所處,cat. 5,t.2:in 3. 陸復宿,

3,

cat. 3, t. 3: in 4, 衣 歸悲, cat. 15,t. 1.

Ode 7. Allusive. THE PRAISE OF THE DUKE OF CHOW, THE MORE DISTINGUISHED THROUGH HIS TRIALS. Choo again assigns this piece to the people of the east, while the Preface and Maou's school assign it, like the two odes that precede, to some officer of Chow. In other

points they agree.

Both stanzas. The wolf in the text is sup

posed to be an old wolf, in which the dewlap and tail have grown to a very large size. He is further supposed to be taken in a pit, and to be making frantic efforts to escape,all in vain, for his own dewlap and tail are in his way.

讓 complaisant,' ‘yielding;” 孫一遜or

with reference to the meekness with which the

duke bore his trials.膚 = 美‘admirable.’

The 'red slippers' were worn both by the king

and the princes of States. 几几 denotes

'the app. of quiet composure.' Wang Gan-shih observes, is used by men to lean and rest themselves on; hence 几几 means quiet.’德 音,-as in vii. IX. 2, et al. 瑕疵病

a

blemish,' a flaw.'-It is astonishing with what

lengthened eloquence the critics dilate here on
the marvellous virtues of the duke of Chow
The rhymes are–in st.1,胡膚, cat. 5, t

The duke of Chow, under susp2 1;尾,几cat. 15, t. 2: w2.胡膚瑕,

cion of disloyalty, and because of his dealing | with his brothers, might have been expected to fret and rage; but his mind was too good

cat.5,t. 1.

CONCLUDING NOTE UPON THE BOOK. The last three of the pieces are of a trifling character;