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 [H NEEN CHANG HAN 
 
 V 
 
 "?« KKAOtr , LWAN WANG, 
 
 
 A r^. ;.:>,.. from the Original 
 
 BY 
 
 SLOTH* 
 
 Interdum Piger, inteidum Timidus, 
 Pigerrimus ad literas scribendas. 
 
 Cicero. 
 
 C^LTUS AD Cic. 
 
 The best of men have ever loved repose: 
 
 They hate to mingle in the filthy fray — 
 
 Where the soul sours, and gradual rancour grows, 
 
 InobitterM more from peevish day to day. 
 
 E'en those whom Fame has lent her fairest ray. 
 
 The most renown'd of worthy wights of yore^ 
 
 From a base world at last have stol'n away: 
 
 So Scipio, to the soft Cumoean shore 
 
 Retiring — tasted joy he never knew before! 
 
 A 
 
 15 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 CANTON, 1839. 
 Printed at the Canton Press Office. 
 
 
OF 
 RFEMTER 
 
I Jj^^^^^lV 
 
 i ^t t T ^ -R in. 
 
 WANG KEAOU LWAN PHI NEEN CHANG HAN 
 
 or 
 
 THE LASTING RESENTMENT OF MISS KEAOU LWAN WANG, 
 
 A CHINESE TALE: 
 Founded on Fact. 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 Translated from the Or: 
 
 iginal 
 
 
 BY 
 
 
 
 SLOTH. 
 
 
 Interdum Piger, interdum Tiinidus. 
 Pii^ierrimus ad literas scribendas. 
 
 Cicero. 
 
 C^LIUS AD CiC, 
 
 The best of men have ever loved repose : 
 
 They hate to mingle in the filthy fray — 
 
 Where the soul sours, and gradual rancour grows, 
 
 Imbitter'd more from peevish day to day. 
 
 E'en those whom Fame has lent her fairest ray, 
 
 The most renown 'd of worthy wights of yore — 
 
 From a base world at last have stol'n away : 
 
 So Scipio, to the soft Cumoean shore 
 
 Retiring— tasted joy he never knew before ! 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 CANTON, 1839. 
 Printed at the Canlon Press Office, 
 
• • 
 
 
 i Cl^ L, . , '' 
 
TO 
 
 WILLIAM JARDINE, ESQUIRE. 
 
 JAMES MATHESON, ESQUIRE, 
 
 HENRY WRIGHT, ESQUIRE, 
 
 OF 
 CANTON. 
 
 The following pages are inscribed 
 as a trifling mark 
 
 of 
 
 Gratitude and Respect 
 
 by 
 
 Their very Humble 
 
 and 
 
 Often obliged Servant, 
 THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Tlie followinp: tale is extracted from the 11th voluiTic of the 
 ,^^ rfc* -^f* ^P Kin koo ke kvvan " Remarkable observations of 
 
 ancient and modern times" in 12 volumes. An abridgment of 
 the same story is found in the 'Pg* ^^ Tsing she, or history of the 
 passions (10 volumes) in the 7th volume, 16th division (being that 
 of the passion of revenge,) under the head of J^ ^^ j^ Chow 
 Ting chang. 
 
 The story was at first translated quite lilernlh/, but on re-perusing 
 it, the translator— fearing, lest from it's remarkable brevity and abrupt- 
 ness, it would be most unpalatable to an English reader, besides being 
 in many passages absolutely unintelligible— wrote it out afresh, when 
 a great many liberties were taken with the original text, especially in 
 giving the most decent interpretation to certain expressions, which, 
 however customary among the Chinese, would be offensive to Euio- 
 peans: and one passage which would not admit of being so handled, 
 has been entirely suppressed. 
 
 The translator feels at a loss under what head to class the sli/le of 
 this little work. According to the learned P. J^remare, there are two 
 styles or languages, vizt, that which he thus expresses, " aniiqun ilia 
 quae in veleribus libris conservalur" and the ^' lingua mnndanna 
 proiit in ore hominum jmlHorum versalur.'' The same distinction is 
 made by Dr. Gonsalvez, vizt, "o eslilo vulgar mavdnrim c classico 
 geral"— and by M. Abel Remusat, \\zt '^ ali/le aulique, el sli/lc vio- 
 dcrne." The following work is certainly not in the style of the clas- 
 sics, neither is it the mandarin language '■'■ proul in ore hoininuin 
 polilorum versalur," any more than the style of dialogue used in 
 Shakespeare's plays, is the language ive make use of in the ordinary 
 business of life. Were the matter to be compounded and (his style 
 called the demirclassic or bastard classic, perhaps it would be nearer 
 the mark. 
 
 The translator selected the following tale for his coi/p d'essai, partly 
 from being pleased with the manner in which the plot is developed, 
 and partly, because from the quantity of poetry interwoven in the 
 piece, this story may perhaps ije looked upon as one of the most 
 difficult of the collection. That he may not be said to over-es- 
 timate the difficulty attending the translating of Chinese poetry, the 
 ■writer begs to refer to the opinion of one of the first, nay perhaps th^ 
 aer^z/rst sinologue of his age. 
 
vr. 
 
 " Les difRcultes (c'est a dire de traduire les passages lyriques) que 
 signaie Piemare et que recoiiiiait monsieur Davis, vieiinent, taiitot de 
 figures de langage einpruntees aux trois regnes, ou de comparaisons 
 dont on ne peut saisir les rapports qu'a I'aide d'une fouie d'idees in- 
 termeiliaires, et de connaissancesspeciales, qui s'acquierent moins daos 
 les livres que dans le commerce et la societe des lettrcs ; tantot elles 
 iiaissent d'allusioiis aux usages, aux superstitions, aux contes et aux 
 traditions populaires, aux fictions de la fable et de la mytliologie, ou 
 aux opinions fantastiques des Chinois. 
 
 •' Ces obstacles, particuliers a la poesie Chinoise, ne peuvent jamais 
 arreter une personne qui reside en Chine, entouree de toutes les res- 
 sources qu'offrent les explications des naturels, et des dictionaires eti 
 cent et en deux cents volumes qui n'existent point chez nous. 
 
 "La condition des sinologues d'Europe est loin d'etre aussi favorable, 
 et, dans I'etat actuel de nos connaissances il semble que tout acces a la 
 poesie chinoise leur soit interdit encore pour long-temps. "On possede, 
 meme en Europe," dit INlonsieur Davis, "des secours sufHsants pour 
 comprendre les compositions en prose; mais jusqu'a ce qu'on ait com- 
 pile un dictionaire de la poesip chinoise (ouvrage dont le besoin se fait 
 vivement sentir aujourd'hui), on peut regarder ce siijet d'etude com- 
 iiie place presque hors de la portee des sinologues Europeens.'' M. 
 Stanislas Julien preface de L'Histoire du Cercle de Craie. 
 
 This passage not only bears testimony to the great difficulty of 
 translating the Chinese poetry, but moreover alludes to the almost 
 hopeless condition in which European sinologues stand, when compar- 
 ed with their more lucky brother students who — 
 
 " Breathe out their English breath, on China's strand." 
 
 The same author says, in the avertissement du Traducteur, to his 
 
 Resume des principaux traites chinois sur la culture des muriers et 
 
 I'education des vers a sole (published at Paris 1837.) 
 
 "Si la traduction de cet ouvrage eut ete executee a Peking, par 
 quelque missionnaire entoure de secours de tous genres, et aid^ des 
 lumieres des Chinois lettres, qu'aucune difflculte ne saurait jamais ar- 
 reter, elle seroit aussi irreprochable, aussi parfaite que celle d'un 
 ouvrage anglais redigee a Londres, avec I'assistance des hommes les 
 plus eclaires de la Grande-Bretagne. 
 
 " La position d'un sinologue en Europe est loin d'etre aussi avanta- 
 geuse que celle de ces anciens missionaires de Peking, a qui nous devons 
 de si utiles travaux. II faut qu'il lutte a chaque instant, et presque 
 sans secours, contre les difflcultes de la plus vaste et de la plus compli- 
 quee de toutes les langues. Les obstacles se multiplient a linfini, si 
 le texte qu'il traduit est rempli de termes et de details techniques, et 
 
VII. 
 
 si les difflcultos d'un sujet qui lui est etranger viennent se joindre aux 
 difficuhes de la laiigue.'' 
 
 That the foreign missionaries who resided at Peking possessed every 
 facility for studying the language and literature of the country that 
 the most educated natives themselves possessed — I believe to be the 
 case : — that we who live in Canton — stand upon a very much more 
 favorable footing for prosecuting our researches, than the forlorn 
 student confined to his own chamber in Paris or Berlin, with no one 
 to whom he can look for assistance — I very readily admit: — still is our 
 situation not quite so favorable as the learned and able sinologue seems 
 to think it. fFe are not surrounded by the gens de feltrea as were 
 the missionaries at Peking, we have not free access to their stores of 
 knowledge as these able men had, nor are ive looked up to with thai; 
 profound respect, which they, for a season at least, exacted from the 
 Throne itself. Oh no ! our Chinese associates are Hong merchants. 
 Linguists, Compradores and Coolies, people who make no pretensions 
 to literary merit, people who cannot if they would, and who dare not 
 if they could, convey to us any literary instruction — and who, while 
 they eat our bread, most commonly hate and despise us ! Such is the 
 case kss or more of every foreigner who sets his foot in China ! The 
 ■writer during a residence of nearly five years, has oidy three times (and 
 that by mere accident) conversed with persons who cau properly be 
 called by profession lilcrury men (leltres Chinois.) Two of these 
 occasions being upon business, no familiar conversation was permit- 
 ted : the third occasion was at a Honj? merchants', where a Han lin 
 (iieademicien) was visiting as a friend. This lellre Chinois condescend- 
 ed to ask a few questions, but smiled with incredulity on being told 
 that the Knglisli had their poetry as well as the Chinese had their's, 
 and appear>°d actually to sicken with disgust, when assured that it was 
 quite possible in our barbarous tongue to compose a fVdn chung ! 
 (thesis or homily.) It is worthy of note, that this gentleman — on meeting 
 the writer — gave himself out as a merchani, most probably from the 
 idea that it was beneath the dignity of a lellre to pollute his lips by con_ 
 versing familiarly with a despised foreigner ! In one word then (and the 
 truth must be told even tho' with a blush) the Chinese men of letters 
 look upon us, upon our pursuits, and upon every thing connected 
 with us, with the most utter contempt ! 
 
 As for (he Seen sang or teachers who frequent our Hongs to teach us 
 the elements of their language, I am not aware of a single one who is 
 a Seutsae, or who has attained even the lowest step in their literary 
 ladder. Many of them would not be kept in a Chinese gentleman's 
 house, to teach Chinese boys out of leading strings. The writer may 
 boast of possessing one of the most talented of the brotherhood, a ma!i 
 already known to the Canton Public as the Translator of Esop's fableq 
 
Viif. 
 
 into Chinese, and, it is only common justice to say of l:is performance, 
 that it has satisfied every person wlio has seen the fahles, i. e. who 
 has education sufficient to read and understand them. Still is his 
 knowledge limited. Having had occasion to consult hiiri continually 
 while translating these few sheets, I was not a little annoyed and 
 mortified to find him giving ine random interpretations of some of the 
 most important lines, the explanation he would give me to day, would 
 be entirely altered to morrow, and when taxed with inconsistency 
 would merely say, that every man when reading Chinese poetry would 
 read it his own way, that it was quol homines, tot senlenliiie, every 
 man had a difil-rent interpretation. That this is to a certain degree 
 the case, I believe as firmly as that many Englishmen slur over j\Iiltoii 
 and Shakespeare without being able to parse what they read, far less to 
 understand it, hut it cannot for a moment be supposed that the Chi- 
 nese Icllres are in this predicament, any more than that our professed 
 scholars are blind to the beauties of our own poets. I also took Mr, 
 Davis' plan, vizt that of consulting different Siien s/irig separately ; but 
 this was a new annoyance ; their opinions being incongruous, it cost 
 me more trouble to weigh, select, and reconcile them, than to write out 
 the jjassage from my own indistinct notion of it's purport. It is 
 therefore but too probable that I have erred more than once. 
 
 Should these remarks ever meet the eye of the learned and amiable 
 
 French profess-or ^ ^M H/^ |X/ --^ ) ^'^^ translator hopes that 
 
 lie wiil pardon the liberty he has taken, in putting him right as to the 
 reiil situation of Anglo Chinese students residing at Canton. Great 
 as our advantages are over our fellow students of Europe, they might 
 still be niucii greater liian they are. Without the assistance of my 
 Seen sang, these pages would never have been written at all, but had 
 I had free access to their men of letters, they might have been trans- 
 lated perfectly free of error. Such as they are, they now go forth to 
 the world with every imperfection on their head, and when the gertle 
 reader discovers a blunder, may 1 beg the favor of his turning to the 
 title page, and keeping in mind the very unpretending name, under 
 which this little work is offered to a good natured [)ublic.'' 
 
 Canlon, 2aUi December 1838. 
 
 N. B. — I may merely state, that I have written the name of the 
 heroine Miss Keaou Lwan Wang ii I'europeenne, in preference to 
 writing it iMiss Wang Keaou Lwan, a la Chinoise ;- it strikes me 
 that it sounds better. 
 
mMBt 
 
 a oiaM i 
 
 II II I 1 1 1 1 1 1 ■ 
 
 Sg?W 
 
 
 
 
 
 :V3!i«^^^P^,ip<]^ 
 
 ^* % Jf- 
 
 
 
 ■'■v*#^ # 
 
 ti'" 
 
 
 X/-^^ 
 
 
 
 /> '-^^ "' fj . 
 
 
 
 1 ' 
 
 
i 3^- 1 w ^f -ft tR 
 
 WANG KEAOU LWAN Plfl NEEN CilANG HAN 
 
 or 
 
 THE LASTING RESENTMENT OF MISS KEAOU LWAN WANG, 
 
 A CHINESE TALE: 
 
 Whilst in the sky th3 sun* revolves, and the moont circles in her 
 course — 
 
 Among men, those of this age come, as those of a former age de- 
 part. 
 
 What in bye-gone years was the place of mirth, is now changed to a 
 barren terrace— 
 J And in the twinkling of an eye, right becomes wrong, and victory, 
 defeat ! — 
 
 Ye must learn out of the noise and bustle of this world, to select, 
 tranquillity. 
 
 Do not, by affecting to be wise over much, turn out to be a fool ! 
 
 Thirst not after debauchery, covet not wealth. 
 
 And the days of thy life will be unattended with evils and calami- 
 ties ! — 
 
 It is related that in the province of Keangse, the Foo district of 
 .Jaouchow, the Heen district of Yu tseen, and the village of Changlo, 
 there lived a man of the common people called Chang yih. This man 
 
 * Literally, " the golden crow." f Literally, " the rabbit of jade stone." 
 

 [2] 
 
 dealt in miscellaneous articles, and, one day, in the way of business he 
 had occasion to go to the chief city of the Heen district, and the night 
 being already far gone ere his little matters were all arranged, he went 
 to sleep at a lodging house outside of the town. This lodging house 
 being already full of people, could yield him no accomodation. There 
 happened however, in a partition wall, to be an empty apartment fast 
 locked, in which no man dwelt, and Changyih addressing the land- 
 lord said to him, " mine host ! why not open this empty room and 
 'Met me have it?'' The landlord replied, "in this room sir, are 
 '■ghosts or devils, and I dare not lodge guests in it ! " Changyih 
 again said to him, " well, even if there should be ghosts or devils, 
 " what should I be afraid of them for > " The landlord having not 
 a word more to say, could only comply; so lie unlocked the door, 
 and taking a lamp and a sweeping-broom, handed them over to 
 Chang yih. Tiiis person then entered the room, and taking the lamp, 
 placed it steadily on the ground, where he trimmed it. quite brightly. 
 In the centre of the room was a broken bedstead literally piled up 
 with dust, so he made use cf his broom and swept it clean, spread 
 open the bed-clothes, called for a little rice and wine on which he 
 supped, threw the door to again, undressed himself, and went to 
 sleep. In a dream he siw a very beautiful woman in rich and gaudy 
 attire, step forward and recommend herself to his pillow. While 
 dreaming he embraced her. and when he awoke, strange to say, 
 this woman was still as before at his side! Changyih asked- her 
 who she v;as, v.'hen she replied. "I am the v.'ife of a neighbour, 
 *■' and because my husband has gone abroad, I feel afraid to sleep 
 "alone, so we must just mutually accommodate matters. Do not at 
 " present speak any more, afterwards you will know all ! " Chang yih 
 did not again ask her, and when it was bright daylight this woman 
 took her departure ; at night, she again came, when both parties were 
 as pleased as at first. Thus it continued for three successive nighta, 
 and the landlord seeing that his guest Mr. Chang, the merchant; was 
 
[3J 
 
 at leisure, by chance said in relation to this circumstance, that former- 
 ly ill that room a woman had hanged herself, and that strange things 
 frequently happened there, "only," added he, "all seems to be quite 
 quiet at present." Chang yih treasured what he heard in his breast, 
 and when night came, and ihat same woman came with it,he put the 
 question to her, saying, "to day the landlord told me, that in this 
 •• room was the ghost of a woman who had hanged herself, I presume 
 " that this innst be you?" The lady, without betraying the least 
 symptom of shame, or showing any desire to conceal the truth, replied 
 promptly, " it is indeed myself, and no other ! But you sir may l;e 
 " under no apprehension, as I have not the slightest intention to 
 " injure you."' Chang yih begged her to favor him with the par- 
 ticulars of her history, which she did in these words. '■' In my pre- 
 " vious state of existence I was a girl of the town, and my family 
 " name was Mnli. My rank in the stews was number twenty two, 
 "and for this reason people used to call me Miss Neen urh.* I had a 
 " liaison with a man of Yu tseen district called Yang chuen, and we 
 " were very intimate imleed. He promised to marry me and take me 
 " home with him; so on the faith of this, I assisted hiin with my 
 "little private stock of money which consisted of a hundred pieces 
 '■■ of gold.f My false lover went off", and in three years, not return- 
 " ing, the old lady at the head of our establishment, wished to con- 
 " strain my affections, and urged me to admit another suitor; so 
 " having no plan to get rid of her importunities, and being unable to 
 " bAr up against the vexation that weighed me down, I hanged my- 
 " self and died ! The place where my brothers dwelt in was sold 
 " to another person, who nowa-days uses it as a lodging house: in for- 
 " mer times this was my room, and my spirit not being extinguished, 
 " continues to haunt it as before. Yang chuen is from the same district 
 " as yourself, perhaps you may know him ? " Chang yih replied, 
 
 * Neen tirh used in Chinese writings for twenty two, vulgo ur!i »lilh urii. 
 t PiLkin, while gold i. c. a hundred tads of siiver. 
 
[4] 
 
 that he knew hiin very well. " And where is he now, and what is he 
 about?" asked the woman. Chang yih replied, " last year he re» 
 " moved his dwelling to the south gate of the City of Jaouchow, 
 '•'where he has married a wife, and opened a shop. Moreover his 
 " busiriess is in a very flourishing way." The woman gave a Ion" si^h, 
 but at that time made no further observation. After two days more, 
 when Chang yih was abbut to return home, she said to him, " 1 have 
 " a strong desire, Sir, to follow you, and Hve with you altogether, but 
 •' I do not know whether you will consent or not ? " Chang yih re- 
 plied, " Why, if you are able to accompany me, pray what objection 
 " should I have ? '' Upon tliis the woman rejoined, " then Sir, would 
 " you be good enough to get ready a small wooden tablet, and haVe 
 "written upon it: " This is the spirit's tablet of Miss Neen urh, " 
 " which you can put in your clothes' basket : if at any time you take 
 " it out and call me, I will on that instant come forth." Our friend 
 Chang promised that he would do so. His companion further said to 
 iiini : " I have still fifty taels of silver buried beneath this bed, which 
 " no one knows of, you may take it and use it as you list Sir," Chang 
 yih dug up the ground, and in reality found a pitcher containing fifty 
 taels of silver, at which his heart was full well-p!ease(', and thus the 
 night passed. Next day he had the spirit's tablet written out, wliich 
 be stowed away carefully, and bidding the landlord good bye, set out 
 on his way home. When he had got to his house, he recounted all 
 these circumstances to his wife. This lady was not at first too well 
 pleased with the adventure, but on seeing the fifty taels of silver, she 
 recovered hsr good humor and expressed no dissatisfaction. Chang- 
 yih having set up Miss Neen urh's spirit's tablet by the Eastern wall, 
 liis wife by way of sport took it and called upon her, when lo ! in broad 
 (jay-light Miss Neen-urh came walking forth, and made the good lady 
 of the house a jtrofound obeisance ! This personage was at first a; gootl 
 deal startled, but afterwards getting familiar to the sight of the spec- 
 tre, she made no work about it. At night when Changuh and his rib 
 
LSI 
 
 retired to rest, the stranger slept beside them, and strange to say, 
 neither was the bed in any way observed to be cramped or narrow ! 
 
 After some ten days and more, the spectre lady said to Changyih. 
 " There is an old outstanding debt due me at the principal City of the 
 " district, perhaps Sir, you would like to go along with me to recover 
 " it? '' Our friend Chang, hoping to turn the affair to his own ad- 
 vantage, at once promised. He then forthwith hired a Vessel, and 
 taking the spirit's tablet placed it carefully in the centre of the boat. 
 The stranger lady travelled with him by day, and slept with him at 
 night, indeed she seemed not at all to shun the intercourse of people 
 of flesh and blocd. 
 
 After travelling a few days they arrived at the south gate of Jao.u- 
 chow city, when the woman said, " I am now going to Yangchuen's 
 house, to claim the old debt due me. " Changyih wished to ask her 
 what she meant, but, in a moment, she was already ashore. He fol- 
 lowed her, and saw her dislinctiy entef a shop, which ou inspecting 
 narrowly, he found to be in very deed the house of Yangchuen. 
 Having v^aited for some time, he did not see her come forth, but 
 he saw the whole of Yangchuen's establishment in a state of 
 fright and alarm, and, in a brief space of time, the sound of weeping 
 seemed to shake the very ground. He enquired the reason of a per- 
 son in the shop, who thus accounted for it : " ^Vhy, " said he^ " ray 
 "master Yangchuen was well enough ; hitherto there had been no- 
 " thing the matter with him, when, all of a sudden, he met some wicked 
 " devil or other !, for the blood spouted out of the nine orifices of his 
 "■ body and h« died ! " Chang yih knew within his heart that it was 
 Miss Neen urh who had done the deed : so, quietly stealing down to hjs 
 vessel, he took the spirit's tablet and earnestly called upon her, but she 
 \vas never seen to come forth more ! Changyih then comprehended that 
 the old outstanding due her at the chief city, was a debt of vengeance 
 to be recovered from Yang chuen. for his unjust conduct towards her, 
 when a being of this world ! There is a verse of poetry which says. 
 
[6] 
 
 feelingly ia relation to this: 
 
 * Wang Kwei turned his back upon every sense of goodness, and 
 
 drew down upon himself the deadly vengeance of the gods ! 
 + Le yih also sinned against his conscience, and for doing so, his 
 
 nature was changed ! 
 X riease read this little story of Yang chuen's cruel conduct, and 
 the fate he met for it 
 
 And you will find that Imperial Heaven protects not the heartless 
 lover ! 
 
 We have just now been relating how that Miss Neen urh, even, 
 altho' dead, managed to exact a deadly vengeance for her wrongs ; but 
 then it is said that her spirit came forth to avenge her ! which is a very 
 strange, and by no means a certain circumstance. 
 
 But we are now about to relate an old story called " the lasting re- 
 
 . sentment of Miss Keaou Lwan Wang " whose wrongs were avenged in 
 
 a much more natural way. This fact did not occur in the Tang 
 
 dynasty, neither in the Sung dynasty, but it took place in our own or 
 
 our fathers' time. 
 
 During the first year of the reign of the Emperor Teenshun,|j the 
 Meaoutsze barbarians of Kwangse rebelled, and caused a great deal of 
 confusion. Every place was dispatching troops to subdue or extirpate 
 the rebels, and among others, was a Chehwuy^ called Wang chung, of 
 the Lingan military station who was bringing up a division of Che- 
 keang soldiers,1[ but who not arriving in time, was reported to the Em- 
 peror, and in consequence degraded to the post of a Tseen hoo;** and 
 further, being sent to perform his duties at the centre of the military 
 station of Nan yang, in the province of Honan, he forthwith took his 
 family to the place of his official employment. 
 
 * See note A at the end. f See note B at the eml- 
 t The meaning of this line is very doubtful. 
 
 II Tlie Emperor Teen shun of the Mingdynasty ascended thi; throne in th2 
 
 year 145S. § About the ran!; of a Culfuel. 
 
 f The Chekeang troops are reckoned the most etieminate of the Empire. 
 ** Captain of a thousand men. 
 
L7] 
 
 Wangchung then was upwards of sixty, and liad only one son called 
 Wangpew, who being somewhat famed for skill and valor, was detain- 
 ed by the Vice-roy and hi*' J^ieutenant in the army ?s a sort of cadet. 
 
 He had liowever t-.vo daughters, tlie elder was called Keaou Lwan and 
 the younger Keaou fang. Lwan's age was now about eighteen and 
 Fung's about two years less. Fung had been brought up apart from 
 lier home, and being betrothed to a cousin by the mother's side from 
 her tender years, there only remained Lwan who had not yet been 
 pledged to matrimony. Captain Wang had married his present wife 
 Mrs, Chow, after the death of his first wife, and Mrs. Chow had an 
 elder sister, who had married into the family of Tsaou, but who now, 
 being a widow and very poor, was received into her sister's house as a 
 sort of companion to her niece Keaou Lwan, and the whole family cal- 
 led her by the familiar appelation of aunt Tsaou. Now Lwan from 
 her infancy was deej)ly read in books and histories, she could wield her 
 pen and compose with classic elegance: and furthermore, being the 
 favorite daughter, they were very careful about choosing her a partner 
 for life, which was the reason, that altho' now marriageable, she was 
 not yet betrothed. Frequently would she "sigh when standing in 
 the pure breeze, or to the bright moon complain"* of the icy state 
 of chastity to %vhich she was doomed : Aunt Tsaou by being very 
 intimate with her knew the feelings of her heart, but beyond her 
 Aunt, no one else, not even her parents knew any thing about it. 
 
 One day being thet Tsing ming term, she went to the back garden 
 accompanied by Aunt Tsaou and her waiting maid to play at the 
 
 * Tlie Cliiiiese ladies are very fond of poining out their complaints to the 
 V ind and the moon, or taking- them to xvitncss in any emergency. We 
 are in the hahit of spenkine: of the " chaste moon " wliich habit Byron 
 turns into ridicule in his Don Joan, iiiid his ideas on that point cor- 
 respond pretty iinich with those of tlie Cliinese. AVhen the characters 
 signifying the wind and the mooii meet in conjunction, their meaning 
 is gener.-illv any thing hut a chaste one. 
 
 f A moveable feast, when the Chinese worship at the tombs of their aOt 
 cestors. It usually takes place in the third month 
 
[81 
 
 came of the Chinese swing or roundabout by way of amusement. 
 Just when in the very height of their noise and merriment, they sud- 
 denly eapied at a gap in the garden-wall, a very fine looking young 
 gentleman, dressed in mulberry colored clothes, and wearing on his 
 head a cap or kerchief of the Tang dynasty, who was bending forward 
 liis head and looking on, calling out without ceasing, well done ! well 
 done ! . Keaou Lwan got into a sad flutter, her whole face became the 
 color of scarlet, and hiding herself behind Aunt Tsaou, they pre- 
 cipitately made the best of their way for the fragrant apartment,* 
 and the waiting maid went in after them. The student thus seeing 
 no one in the garden, overleaped the wall and entered. He found 
 the stand for the swing still where it was, and a delightful fragrance 
 beyond conception, continued to hover about the spot, "When in the 
 midst of his surprise and wonder who this young lady might be, he 
 all at once spied a something or other among the grass, and taking it 
 up, found it to be a handkerchief of scented gauze, three cubits long, 
 and finely embroidered. The student took possession of this as if it had 
 been a pearl of great price, and hearing the sound of people coming 
 from within, he made his exit from the garden as he had entered it. 
 Then taking his stand as before in the gap of the wall, who should 
 it be but the waiting maid coming to look for the gauze handkerchief 1 
 The student seeing her go round and round, again and again, and hunt 
 here, and there and every where until perfectly fagged, at length 
 smiled and said to her : 
 
 "My pretty Miss, the handkerchief having already got into ano- 
 " ther person's possession, pray what use is there looking for it any 
 " longer > " 
 
 The waiting maid raised her head, and seeing that it was a Sew- 
 tsae+ who had addressed her, came forward with a " ten thousand 
 
 * Tlie private apartment of a Cliinese lady is so called, — viilgo licr bed 
 
 chamber. 
 -I- A Chinese Bachelor of arts. 
 
[9] 
 
 " blessings on you young gentleman! I presume that it is my young 
 "master who has picked it up? if so, please return it me, and my 
 " gratitude will be unbounded ! " 
 
 The student a^ked, "pray whom does the gauze handkerchief be- 
 *' long to ? " 
 
 The waiting maid replied, "it belongs to my young lady." 
 
 The student rejoined, "since it belongs to your young lady, I must 
 " still have your youug lady come and ask for it herself, and then I 
 " will return it her. " 
 
 " Upon this the waiting maid enquired of him : " pray where do you 
 ♦' reside young gentleman .'' " 
 
 The student made answer, " my family name is Chow, my own 
 " name is Ting chang, arid I am a native of Woo keang been district, 
 " in the foo district of Soochow. My father is professor* of the col- 
 " lege of this place, and in consequence of his official capacity now 
 " resides here, and between our house, and your noble mansion there 
 '* is nothing more than a partition wall." (Now it so happened that 
 the foundations of the military station and the College were on a line 
 and almost joined each other: the former was called the eastern public 
 Court, and the latter the western public Court, and beyond the garden 
 was a stripe or belt of waste land which belonged to the College ) 
 
 The waiting maid exclaimed, " so my noble yonng master is our 
 " near neighbor ! I am to blame for my rudeness in not knowing you !t 
 " I shall immediately communicate to my young lady that she has 
 " received your orders to beg the handkerchief of yon herself.'' 
 
 The student said, " may I be so bold as ask ray young lady, and my 
 " pretty Miss' mighty names ? " 
 
 Miss replied, " my young lady's name is Keaou Lvvan, she is my old 
 
 * Sze keaoii is a sort of examiner or censor of the Sew tsae ; there is one 
 to every Heen district. It is here translated professor, to avoid cir- 
 cumlocution. 
 
 •j; Tliis expression, Shih chen, may also be translated. " I have been very 
 " unfortunate in not sooner making your acquaintance." 
 
110] 
 
 " master's favorite daughter : your humble servant is her bosom attcud-- 
 " aot, and ray name is Ming hea. " * 
 
 Ting chang observed," I have a little piece of poetry, may I trouble- 
 " n)y pretty miss to hand it up to her young lady for me? I will 
 " speedily then return you the gauze handkerchief. " 
 
 Ming hea did not at first like to take the poetry in charge, but being 
 anxious once more to get the handkerchief into her possession, she 
 could not do otherwise than consent. 
 
 The student told her that he would be obliged by her stopping a 
 little, and with that he went off, but returned not long after, with a 
 sheet of jieach flowered paper, doubled up so as to form afungshing or 
 parallelogram. 
 
 JMing hea received the paper, and a£ke<l, "well, and where is the 
 " gauze handkerchief" ? 
 
 Ting chang laughed and said to her, '•' that gauze handkerchief is an 
 " article beyond all price ! to obtain it was not easy, how can I con- 
 " sent then so easily to restore it you ! If my pretty miss will only 
 " take my poetry and hand it up for the inspection of her young lady, 
 " and bring me a reply, why — then I may restore the precious pledge !" 
 
 Ming hea having no more to say, wheeled about and went home to 
 " her mistress — 
 
 " By reason only of a scented gauze handkerchief, 
 
 " Is brought forth this my song of lasting resentment ! " 
 
 It is related of my young lady miss Keaou Lwan, that from the mo- 
 ment she first saw this beautiful youili, t ( altho' she certainly felt as- 
 
 * Some of the Cliinese Wiiitiri!;^ rnniih are very accomplished, and they 
 often live on terms of irreat intim.ic y with their mistresses. Some are 
 the children of respectable families, who have heen compelled bj' want 
 to sell their daughters us domestic slaves, otheis are bought r.]! hy c Id, 
 proaireines and taught numerous accomplishments for a market. 
 
 t In China it is considered improper for a young lady to be seen by a per- 
 son of the other sex. This rule is however often violated and the Chi- 
 nese young ladies have quite as much curiosity, and are f|uite .'is lond of 
 seeing and of being seen as their sisters of Europe, i. e. if they Uao-Y 
 themselres to I'ossess charms beyond common, 
 
liamed at being seen by him ) yet the word " Love " was kindled in her 
 bosom: and tho' her mouth uttered not a syllable, yet her heart in a state 
 of great embarrassment exclaimed, "what a fine locking, handsome 
 " young gentleman ! could I only be married to such a man, I should 
 " not have lived a clever girl in vain ! 
 
 In the midst of this reverie, she saw Ming hea apparently in a great 
 passion enter the house. Keaou Lwan asked of her, '' have you got my 
 gauze handkerciiief or not ? " 
 
 Ming hea exclaimed, " it is indeed a very strange piece of business ! 
 " the handkerchief has got into the possession of young master Chow, 
 " who lives at the western court ! it is the same handsome young gen- 
 '' tlcman dressed in mulberry colored clothes, who was standing at the 
 *' gap in the wall, crying out ' well done ' ! "' 
 
 " Very well, " said Keaou Lwan, " and did you ask it of him ? that 
 " would be riglit ! ' 
 
 Ming hea replied, " to be sure I did ! and I've also got him willing 
 *' to return it me ! " 
 
 " And why did he not return it you then ? '' — asked Keaou Lwan. 
 
 " ^Vhy," answered Ming hea, " he told me that his family name was 
 *' Chow, and that his own name was Tingchang, that he is a native of 
 " Woo keang been, in Soo chow foo, that his father is professor of the 
 •' College in this place, and is now residing here in his official capacity, 
 " that between our two houses there is no more than one partition 
 " wall, and moreover he added, 'that as the gauze handkerchief belongs 
 '• to my young lady, my young lady herself must come and beg it of 
 " me. " ' 
 
 " Indeed ! " said Keaou Lwan, " and how did you reply to all this.^ 
 
 " I replied to him," said Ming hea, "that I would inform my young 
 " lady that such were his commands, when lo ! he added, I have got a 
 " verse of jjoetry for my young lady, which I will trouble you to hand 
 " up to her, and when you bring me her reply, I'll then return you 
 " the gauze handkerchief ! " Saying those words, Ming hea took the 
 
[12] 
 
 peach flowered billet-doux and laid it before her young lady. 
 
 Keaou Lwan, on seeing it, felt rather pleased than otherwise, so she 
 
 broke it open, and found it to contain a stanza of poetry of four lines, 
 
 each line consisting of seven characters. 1 1 was to the following effect. 
 
 The handkerchief which has escaped the beauty's hand, breathes 
 
 fragrance beyond measure — 
 And Heaven has bestowed it on an admirer, who is acquainted with 
 
 the sentiment of love ! 
 With sincere respect 1 send you this couplet, which I hope may speak 
 
 our mutual sentiments — 
 And I trust to convert the handkerchief, into the scarlet thread* 
 
 which will guide me to the recesses of your bridal chamber. 
 Now had Keaou Lwan been a girl who had a mind of her own, she 
 would have cast away this gauze handkerchief as a thing not worth a 
 thought, she would have taken the poetry and burned it, and told 
 her v/aiting maid that she would not let such liberties pass again with 
 impunity : — had she been so, 1 say, then this mighty bubiness had come 
 harmlessly to an end ! 
 
 But Lwan, as already observed, was in the first place like a melon in 
 season — she was marriageable, and not yet flnarried, she was a girl who 
 knew what "love'' was and who longed after enjoyment: in the 
 second place her head was full of talent, which she could not consent 
 to bury in obscurity--Ehe therefore took some of the finest flowered 
 paper, and made answer in these eight lines. 
 
 Afy person is pure as a piece of ^ade stone, without a single speck — 
 I am descended of an honorable house^ the members of which have 
 been generals and ministers — 
 
 * Aliiiding to an old Chinese c\ siom, not now miicli practised : on tiie 
 evening of uianiage the biiiie coiiducted the bridegroom to the marriage 
 bed, leaditii? liim by a scarlet thread of silk, emblematical of the sott 
 cords of iove ! it may also allude to the scarlet thread with which it is 
 said, that Vue laou, or the old man of the ujoop, biuds the fates of !nar» 
 ,afj4 wiie together. 
 
[13] 
 
 * Amid (he silence of evening, I gaze at the moon with my mother — 
 In the day time, having nothing else to do, I look at the flowers alone — 
 The pure bluish Wootung tree, will only permit the rare phenix to 
 
 repose on it's branches — 
 And the chaste emerald colored bamboo — how can it consent that the 
 
 filthy crow should defile it ! 
 I send these to the orphan-like stranger from another part of tfie 
 country — 
 + That he trouMe not his peace of mind, in hoping for what is un- 
 attainable ! 
 Ming hea having received this poetry, took it to the back garden, 
 where she found Ting cliang still waiting for her, at the gap in the 
 wall. " Now Sir " said she to him, " my young lady having sent you 
 " an answer, 1 expect nothing less than that you will forthwith restore 
 " me the gauze handkerchief." 
 
 Ting chang took tlie poetry and read it once over : the more he read, 
 the more he admired Keaou Lwan's talents, and the more he burned 
 to possess her. lie therefore said to Ming hea, " have a little patience 
 " my dear, for this note of your young lady's requires a rejoinder.'* 
 With that he retired to his library where he wrote out the following 
 stanza of four lines, — 
 
 If I dwell at the door of an honorable house, it is my kind fate that 
 
 has so ordained it — 
 Being an orphan-like stranger, I am indeed worthy of compassion — 
 If you will only consent that the male and female phenix;}: repose 
 
 on the same branch — 
 During the whole night, the sound of their joyful notes will ascend 
 to the ninth heaven!— 
 
 * There is also an inuendo implied in tliese two lines. See note jiaire 7. 
 
 t Literally, take not your heart's business and have it ravelled like a ball 
 of hemp. 
 
 + Emblems of matrimoni.il love among the Chinese. The terms, m.ile and 
 femnle phenix, are also often applied to lovers even .^Uho' the marri.ise 
 ceremony may not have passed betwetn thera. See note B B at the eui. 
 
L14 1 
 
 " And the liandkcrcliief !" exclaimed Ming hea, " so you don't mean 
 " to give me that back eh? you're only going to send me with some 
 " poetry or other ! I'll not take charge of it ! — not 1 ! " 
 
 Ting chang upon this drew forth from his sleeve a golden hair-pin, 
 and said, " my pretty maiden ! I beg to present this to you in the 
 '^ meantime, just as a trifling token of the profound respect I entertain 
 " for you ; and be good enough to make my kindest compliments to 
 " your young lady.* Now Ming hea coveted the gold hair-|)in, and 
 ■without saying another word, took the poetry and handed it up to 
 Keaou Lwan. Lwan having read it appeared sorrowful, and far from 
 being satisfied. Ming hea enquired of her, if there were any expres- 
 sions in the note, which had given offence to her young lady. " The 
 student, '' answered Keaou Lwan " is a giddy and scoffing youth, his 
 '^ verses have no other object than to turn me into ridicule." AFhy, 
 said Ming hea, "my young lady possesses first rate talents! would it 
 " not be a good plan to send him back a few lines upbraiding him, so 
 "as to baulk his expectations.''" "No. '' answered Keaou Lwan, 
 " the disposition of young folks is wild and given to levity, it would 
 " be no use upbraiding him : however, there will be no harm in giving 
 " him a little piece of good advice." With that she took a sheet of 
 richly flowered paper and wrote the following eight lines. 
 
 As I was standing alone, without the hall, in the verdant shade of 
 the chaste bamboos — 
 
 My maid transmitted me your lines— their meaning why so deep ? 
 + Your unique object seems lusting after forbidden pleasures — 
 X And your whole heart appears to be filled with nothing but rakish 
 ideas I 
 
 * In accepting tlie gold iiair pin, or more properly tlie bar of gold wliirli 
 forms the back head piece of a Chinese lady's coitTiire, Ming hea merely 
 did what her sister abigails of Europe would have done under similar 
 circumstances. The expression in the original is very much the same as 
 the Spanish digale vd. muchas cosas de mi pane. 
 
 + Literally, your whole body is a gall, lusting after filching jade stone, and 
 stealing fragrance. 
 
 Z Literally, your whole heart is bent on holding a cloud, and throwing 
 
[15 3 
 
 * How can a little boy be permitted to break the branch of the Ole* 
 
 frag rails ? 
 t Or the rude morning wind, roughly to blow under the pearly 
 
 curtain ? 
 X I would advise you Sir not to revel in foolish dreams — 
 II But to exert yourself, attack your books, and endeavor to enter the 
 College of the forest of pencils ! 
 
 After this, it was tit for tat, song and chorus, reply and rejoinder, 
 until little by little their mutual love ripened, and their intercourse 
 by letter became unceasing. Ming hea's steps were seldom out of the 
 back garden, and Ting changes eyes scarcely ever left the gap in the 
 wall: the poetry that passed between them was so voluminous, that we 
 cannot here narrate it all. 
 
 The season of the year was now the Twan yaug term^ and Captain 
 Wang spread a little family banquet in the pavilion in the garden. 
 Ting chang kept going backwards and forwards near his favorite spot: 
 he knew perfectly well that the young lady herself was in the back 
 garden, but he had no means of seeing her or speaking with her face 
 to face, neither could Ming hea communicate a single word. While 
 he was in the very midst of his perplexity, he unexpectedly met with a 
 soldier of the military station whose name was Sinkew, Now this 
 said Sinkew was also a very skilfui carpenter ; he was commonly era- 
 ployed in the military station wiiere he acted as a sort of poHce serjeant, 
 and was moreover frequently in the College, where they employed him 
 as a workman. Ting chang then on meeting Sinkew, forthwith wrote 
 
 rain about. These expressions are neitlier chaste nor refined, and do, 
 
 not speak uuuli for the delicacy ot" ovir heroine. 
 * See note C at the end. f Sue note D at the end. 
 
 X i. e. The sound or symptom of levity, oui^ht not to enter the chaste 
 
 precincts of the haiem. 
 II i. e. Study hard, and try to become a Han lin, or member of the Royp.l 
 
 Academy the highest literary grade in the Empire. 
 § The fifth day of the 5th moon, a great Chinese holiday. 
 
[16] 
 
 out a verse of poetry, which he sealed up carefully, and taking two 
 hundred cash, gave them to the soldier to buy himself a cup of wine, 
 entrusting hira at the same time with the letter, which he was in- 
 structed to hand over to Miss INIing hea. Sinkew when he had received 
 a man's pay, was an honest enough fellow in discharging the duty he 
 was engaged for, so he waited till next morning, when spying a good 
 opportunity, he slipped the letter into Ming hea's hand, who in her 
 turn handed it up to her young lady. Keaou Lwan accordingly broke 
 it open and perused it. There was a small introduction which said. 
 " On the festival of the Twan yang, I looked for my young lady 
 " Keaou Lwan jn the garden, and not seeing her, my mouth uttered 
 " the following verse impromptu : — 
 
 I have spun the party colored thread, with which I had hoped to 
 have bound our destinies together — 
 
 * I have poured out the full goblet, spiced with the Chang poo leaf, 
 
 which I had expected to have pledged with you ! 
 + But clouds sunder the river of our mutual sympathies, I see not 
 
 her who is the delight of my eyes — 
 ^ And like the beauteous sun-flower, in vain my heart turns to the 
 
 god of day ! 
 At the end of the billet-doux were these words; " Chow Ting chang 
 " of Sung ling who scribbled this, presents his best respects."' 
 
 Keaou Lwan having read this love letter, placed it on the top of her 
 book stand. She then in course went to comb her hair, not yet having 
 made a reply, when unexpectedly Aunt Tsaou entered the fragrant 
 apartment, and seeing a scribbled sheet of poetry, gave a great start and 
 exclaimed : " ah ! Miss Keaou ! if you have these clandestine goings-on 
 
 * The wine drank on the Twan yang festival is so spiced. It operates as 
 a charm in keeping off evil spirits. 
 
 t See note E at the end. J Something like the s.ime simile is to be 
 
 found in one of Moore's beautiful songs, altho* a little differently employed.. 
 As the sun-flower turns to her god when he sets, 
 The same look that she did when he rose. 
 
[17] 
 
 in the western outhouse,* wliy not have the landlord of the eastern 
 path to direct you ? How could you ever think of concealing this 
 piece of business from me ? 
 
 Keaou Lvvan blushed and replied, altho' we have been stringing a 
 few rhymes together, the thing has not indeed gone any further ! 
 ^Vere it so, I should not dare to conceal it from my dear aunt ! 
 
 Aunt Tsaou remarked, this young student Chow is a sewtsae of 
 Kean^^ nan province ; your respective families are much upon a par, 
 •why not desire him to send a go betweent to arrange matters ? You 
 would then complete a matrimonial connexion for life, and would not 
 this be a good plan ? 
 
 Keaou Lwan nodded her head and said, yes — and when her toilet 
 was finished, she made answer in the following eight lines— 
 Eighteen years have I l»een locked up in the deepest recesses of the 
 
 harem — 
 The sound or sight of dissipation has never been permitted to 
 
 breathe thro' it's pearly curtain ! 
 Who knows that my embroidered bed-clothes are warni and fra- 
 grant? or who knows to the contrary? 
 For under my costly hangings, cold as spring, I love to sleep alone ! 
 ^ When awake, I dread to hear the note of the solitary cuckoo, as it 
 
 reminds me of my unmarried state — 
 \\ When asleep, 1 feel grieved should wedded butterflies wrap thera- 
 fc selves in my dreams, they are so much happier than I ! 
 
 * Tins alludes to a well known cliitiese novel called the Se sean? (lit. the 
 western outliouse), which relates the intiii.'-ues of Miss Tsuy : (see uote 
 H at llieeml). Tiie latter part of Aunt Tsaoii's speech implies that she 
 ought to have a ])ersoii older than herself to direct her loves or play the 
 part of a go-hetween — and see that all is done correctly. 
 
 t In China all marriages are settled hy a go-hetween, who is a very res- 
 ponsible personage. In one of their classic works, the Heaoii king ; 
 is the follouing singular passage. " There is a difference between niea 
 and brutes in their amours, men employ a go-between, but brutes do 
 not." Tiie go-between in indispensable to a Chinese marriage. 
 
 J Literally, when alive . H Literally, when dead. 
 
tlS] 
 
 My love ! if you have indeed a sentimeiit of mutual pity and aflPec- 
 tion — 
 
 Toil will do well to employ the go-between* to communicate a 
 word in season ! 
 
 Ting chang having received this poetry, forthwith made use of his 
 father's name, and by telling a falsehood engaged Chaou heo kewt 
 (or the examiner) to go to Captain Wang's house, and solicit the 
 honor of his relationship by marriage. Now, altho' Captain A\'ang had 
 a high opinion of both the student's talents and persona! appearance, yet 
 Keaou Lwan was his favorite daughter : moreover, she was thorough- 
 ly skilled is literature of all kinds, he himself was an old man, every 
 public document, every letter that passed thro' the bureau of the 
 military station, he depended upon his daughter to help him with, he 
 could not possibly do without her, nor could be suffer the idea of her 
 being taken away to a distant part of the country; for these reasons he 
 doubted and delayed, and in fine would make no promise. 
 
 Tin"^ chanf^ knew that he would not succeed in his attempt to marry 
 her, and his heart felt as if it had been stabbed. Under these feelings 
 he Avrote the following letter to the young lady, putting at the top, 
 '• your friend, and younger brother Ting chang of Sung ling, sends 
 " up this rough scrawl with compliments — 
 
 " From the first moment that 1 saw your lovely face, my wander- 
 '•' ing soul has known no rest ! Husband and wife are ordained in apre- 
 '•' vious state of existence,:}: until death they mate with no other: 
 " and this day the go-between having acquainted me that no time can 
 " be fixed upoi— my goddess still remains locked in the deepest recesses 
 " of the fragrant apartment, and I am like unto the Emperor Tae tsung 
 " of the Tang dynasty,|| when in a dream he left the palace of tlie 
 " moon, and sought to woo the nymph Chang go in vain ! or if I wish 
 
 * Literally, ttie man of ice. , i i r ^ 
 
 t This pe'r.son playi-d the part of— wliat is cnlkd in Scotland, a blackfoot. 
 X There i.s a Spanish proverb to the same elTect, vizt : cusamiento y mor- 
 taja, del cielo baja. 11 See note C at the end. 
 
[19 J 
 
 " to cross the flower garden, I am as the bridegroom Keen new,* who, 
 " separated from his bride by the milky way, fruitlessly longs after the 
 " interdicted Chih neu ! If you again delay months and days, your 
 " poor student must die young, without a name, t unknowing and 
 '? unknown; and if he cannot marry you, even in death he will not 
 " close his eyes in peace ! 
 
 " With great effort, I have composed a stupid stanza of eight lines, 
 " upon which I humbly hope you will cast a look of conpassion!" The 
 poetry was to the following effect. 
 
 No happy day is fixed for our marriage, to console my wounded 
 
 feelings ! 
 Alas ! the spring time of life, is worth a thousand pieces of gold ! 
 When sorrow comes upon me at the place of study, :|: I drown it 
 
 in three cups of wine — 
 When overwhelmed with grief, I take my guitar, and sing a song 
 
 before the flowers ! 
 My love is well off! she finds employment in the deep recesses of 
 
 the harem — 
 But I amid stillness and silence bewail my sorrows to my lonely 
 
 curtain ! 
 My love ! this night at dusk, when the moon is sad and solitary 
 
 as we — 
 Will you permit me to unburden my heart, while clasping each 
 
 other's hands ? 
 Keaou Lwan having read this, without loss of time wrote the fol- 
 lowing letter in reply. At the top of it she put, "Keaou Lwan the 
 favorite daughter of the chief of the military station, |i with best re- 
 spects presents this rough copy." 
 
 " When the light lilies spot the surface of the limpid wave, and 
 
 * See note F at tlie end. f Literally, die in the comrcon serer. 
 
 X Liter.'illy, beneath the cold window. 
 
 Ij Literally, the Tieer public court. The tiger among the Cl/inesp is ths 
 emblem cf the jnilitary [irofessicn. 
 
120] 
 
 " when tlie leaves of gossanjer gently fly against my cditaiii — before 
 " the pavilion for adoring the bright moon, I h'stlessly confront the 
 "east wind,* and hearken to the notes of the solitary cuckoot : or 
 " beneath the window for painting my eye brows, 1 endeavor to pass 
 " my dreary days, in embroidering tlie Yuen and Yang!;}: Just as I 
 " was getting disgusted with my toilet, your poetry suddenly dropped 
 " upon the fragrant table ! I now begin to perceive your meaning, 
 *•' and that I am unlimitediy, the mistress of your heart. Alas ! tlie 
 " hapless beauty is indeed to be pitied, who thus kills with chagrin, 
 " her too-loving swain ! When your letters come, they only double 
 " my distraction, and so often as I receive your verses, so often i\o 
 " they increase my feeling of loneliness ! Cease to jump over the 
 " eastern wall, or to leain the practice of stealing flowers. i| but look up 
 " to the north star, the place whence honors flow, and mount upon a 
 " heart for plucking the olea fragrans § Having no go-between before 
 " vour eyes, endeavour to find a mistress in your books, and as for me, 
 " my love for you is returned in this enclosure. Please to ask no 
 " news of my messenger. I thus respectfully respond to your burn- 
 'j^ ing lines, and looking up hope that you will pardon me." The 
 poetry was as follows. — 
 
 The autumn moon and the spring flowers are also not without 
 their love?.^ 
 
 These likewise knovv that as respects themselves, their value is 
 more than a thousand pieces of gold ! 
 
 * Tlie east wiiul, denotes infidelity in a lover. 
 
 •f Tlie cnckoo i-epresents a person who lives and dies uiiliout meeting a 
 
 pnrttier for life. 
 X The Yuen and Yan^r, or male and female mand-irin ducks are tlie emblems 
 
 of r.atrinionj-. The cxfuession in the oritiinal means figuratively, that, 
 
 she bad been amnsinfr herself with hopes of marriajre which were vain. 
 II I. e. don't invade the landlord or ma&ler's prf mises, in order to debauch 
 
 his woman-Uiiul, as did Chang kung in the Se seang-. 
 § See note C at the end. 
 ^ In the oritrinal. — Keaou Lvvan's poetry ends with the same cliaractcis, 
 
 liiat Tin^ chan;.''8 ended in, but she artfully uses these characters so as 
 
 to give them a diflVrcut nieanin''. 
 
[21] 
 
 But you must spy the countenance of Han Seang tsze, and en- 
 deavor to get to the azure locked apartment.* 
 
 And as for me I must blush to hear at the east wall, the guitar of 
 the assignment— making Tsuy.t 
 
 My foolish thoughts I henceforth dissolve into ether, 
 
 And as for your charming verses, I shall merely recite them in my 
 
 dreams ! 
 This life we can be nothing more than a mere platonic brother and 
 
 sister. 
 
 S^ stop till the life to come, when we may love each other with all 
 the warmth of affection ! 
 
 Tin'T chang having looked over the letter, praised and sighed wilh- 
 out end, but on reading the poetry, when he came to the last couplet 
 vizt, " This life we can be nothing more than a mere platonic 
 brother and sister &c.", a plan suddenly suggested itself to him, 
 " AVhy ! " exclaimed he, " a long time ago Chang kung's marriage 
 " was brought about with Miss Tsuy$ (as the story goes) by their 
 " first having a clandestine amour as brother and sister ! Now Mrs. 
 " AV'ang is of the same family name as myself (i. e. Chow) why 
 " should I not pay my respects to her, and beg her to become my 
 ''adopted aunt! || I might then come and go as a relation of the 
 " family, and from such an advantageous position.— I could not fail 
 " to reap some little benefit ! " 
 
 Having laid this plan, he made use of a false pretext to his father, 
 raying, that the precincts of the College were cramped and confined, 
 that the students there were perpetually raising a racket, and that 
 in fine he wanted the back garden of the military station where he 
 might pursue his studies. 
 
 Professor Chow himself, first opened his mind on the subject to 
 Captain Wang. The old officer gave his consent, and remarked, 
 
 * See no'e G at the end. -f- See note H at tlie end. 
 
 jt See not H at the end. H This is a very common custom in Chiisa. 
 
[22] 
 
 " that as we are of equal ranlc, your son may remain and partake of 
 " our family fare, I will not trouble you to send him his meals." 
 
 Old Mr. Chow thanked the other gentleman most heartily, and 
 returning home, recounted all these circumstances to his son. Ting 
 chang said in reply: '' altho' I may accept this proof of the great 
 '' kindness of Mr. Wang, yet seeing that he is not a relation, neither 
 " is he an old friend, I feel some repugnance to give him so mudi 
 " trouble. The best plan will be for your boy, to get ready some 
 " little present or other and beg Mr?; Chow to become my adopted 
 " Aunt ! Thus aunt and nephew living together in the same house, 
 " will wonderfully save appearances ! " 
 
 Now professor Chow was a foolish sort of man, his only object was 
 to gain some little advantage or other to himself, so he merely ob- 
 served, " very well, my son may act in this matter just as it pleases 
 " him." 
 
 Upon this Ting chang requested a person to communicate the same 
 to old Mr. Wang and his lady, and choosing a lucky day out of the 
 almanack,* he got ready some of the finest colored silks, and a con- 
 sideration in money for the u'e of the books, + then writing out his 
 calling card in wliich he styled himself nephew by the lady's side, he 
 went to their house to have his relationship recognized. Oh ! his res- 
 pect — it was very servile! oh! his relationship — it was tridy an in- 
 timate relationship ! 
 
 Now old Mr. Wang, be it remembered, was a military man, + and 
 liked nothing better than flattery, so he requested the young gentle- 
 man to walk into the private hall, and desired his wife and family 
 to come out and make his acquaintance. Aunt Tsaou was also re- 
 
 * Tlie Chinese like the Romans always consult tbeir augurs before un- 
 dertaking HDV business of importance. 
 
 •\- This mitfht give offtnce to a European, but it is the invariiible cus- 
 tom in China. 
 
 I The military profession and those cn-raged in it, are not lieUl in sucl.. 
 Ijigh tsteem in China, rs in inost couBtries df Europe. 
 
U3J 
 
 fcognizcd as an aunt of his own, and Keaou Lwan became Iiis fair 
 cousin, and they all reciprocated their bo\vsj.nd courtesies at the same 
 time. Old .Mr. >Vang spread a little banquet in the back hall, and 
 as is wont, when meeting a relation, the whole family ate at the same 
 table.* Ting chang and Keaou Lwan were both in secret well pleas- 
 ed ; at the festive board their amorous glances came and went, but of 
 this there is no occasion to speak. Tliat day when tlic little feast 
 broke up, their happiness was at tlie full! 
 
 In their marriage — whether they are to love or to hate each other, is 
 
 a mystery which we rnay yet enquire into — 
 But what steps the lover took — wheu a stranger, and when a relation, 
 
 are now being distinctly traced. 
 Next day old Mr. Wang got the library put in order, and received 
 therein his adopted nephew Ting chang, that he might pursue his 
 studies. He had at the s.uiie time good sense enough tocutoffali 
 communication betweei the inner and outer apartments, and to that 
 end put the former under lock and key, nor would he suffer any of the 
 laJies of the house, to enter the flower garden. Ting chang's meals, 
 and any little things that he required, were supplied him from an out- 
 house, so that tho' they now formed but one family, communication 
 whether orally or l)y letter, was quite out of the question. 
 
 Let us now remark in reference to ?teaou Lwan, that tho' her virtue 
 like die bark of the pine tree stiil remained entire, ytt her tender pas- 
 Eiotie had been aroused: these had been still further inflamed by the a- 
 morous oeiUades exchanged at table, and how could she now endure 
 the torturing thought, that in the garden was her male phenix, from 
 whom she was thus cruelly torn apart! Iler grief at the commence- 
 ment having no conductor to turn it off. changed to disgust, which in 
 it's turn induced sickness: in the mornings she was chilly, in the 
 evenings in a burning fever, her meals afforded her no sustenance, and 
 
 * Generally, the Chinese lulies eat by themselves. 
 
L241 
 
 in vain her father consulted soothsayers * and physicians, they brought 
 her no relief. Tingchang several times went to the inner hall to en- 
 quire how she did, but old Mr. Wang would only periirt^ his compli- 
 ments to be sent in to the young lady; he would on no account permit 
 him to enter her room. 
 
 Tingchang bethought him of a scheme; he told a falsehood and 
 said, that " when he lived formerly at Keangnan, he had some know- 
 " ledge of the medical art. He felt just then at a loss to say which 
 " complaint it was that so afflicted his fair cousin, but could he only 
 " feel her pulse, he would know it in a moment. " 
 
 Mr. U''ang mentioned this circumstance to his wife, and moreover 
 desired Ming hea to communicate it to her young lady, after which he 
 requested Tingchang to enter the fragrant apartment. The student 
 then sate himself down by Keaou Lwan's bedside, under the pretence 
 that he had no other object than to feel her pulse. This he felt a 
 little, but as Mr. Wang and his lady were both present, he had no op- 
 portunity of carrying on any conversation, he merely said, "take care 
 '^ of yourself my dear cousin, " and left the room. lie then remarked 
 to the old gentleman, saying, " my fair cousin's complaint has been 
 " brought on by vexation and disgust t you must get some roomy shed 
 " or other where she may be able to stroll about and take exercise, so 
 *' as to rouse her spirits. Her female companions ought also to do 
 " every thing to cheer her, so that she may get rid of this ennui 
 ♦' which consumes her. Th«re is no occasion for any medicine. " 
 
 Old Mr. Wang was in the habit of believing Tingchang at all times, 
 and now had less occasion than ever to mistrust him ; so he said simp- 
 ly in reply, that " in his public Court there was no roomy shed, nor 
 " indeed any thing of the kind, excepting the pavilion in the back 
 " garden. " 
 
 This was exactly the point which Ting chang was driving at : and 
 he rejoined, " if my fair cousin should wish at any, or at all times to 
 
 • Among the Chinese it is as custoiriary to consult the one, as the other. 
 
[25] 
 
 •' stroll in the back garden, I fear that your nephew's being there may 
 *' be inconvenient ? I shall therefore beg in the meantime for permis- 
 " sion to go home." 
 
 " No ! " said Mr. Wang, " since you are now as brother and sister, 
 " why should I suspect you, or throw obstacles in your way ? '' That 
 very day he caused the back door to be opened, and taking the key, 
 handed it over to aunt Tsaou to take care of. He further desired that 
 lady to attend her niece, who, he requested, should be allowed to roam 
 and romp about as much as ever she pleased : — Minghea was also to 
 be in %vaiting and was commanded not to stir from her mistress a 
 single step. With all these precautions which he considered absolutely 
 perfect, the old gentleman's mind was set at rest ! 
 
 We may again remind the reader, that it was thinking too much 
 about her lover the young student Chow, which had at first led to 
 Keaou Lwan falling sick; but having had her pulse felt by him, and 
 being now permitted to ramble thro' the garden ad libitum, attended 
 only by people in whom she had implicit confidence, she felt so de- 
 lighted, that fully half of her complaint left her in a moment! She 
 was now continually coming to the pavilion in the garden, where she 
 and Ting chang saw each other frequently, they walked together, 
 they sate together, and even sometimes would she be prevailed on to 
 join him in a cup of tea at his studies, until at length, little by little 
 they paid no heed to the strict barrier which law and custom have 
 placed between the sexes in China,* for they sate side by side, they 
 clasped each other's hands, and gave numerous, tho' hitherto innocent 
 tokens of their burning love. 
 
 Ting chang at length seized an opportunity when no one was present, 
 
 to urge his suit, and earnestly implored for a glance at the fragrant 
 
 chamber. 
 
 * So very strict is this barrier, tliat by the letter of the Rites and Cere- 
 monies a male is not permitted to pive even so ranch as a letter into the 
 hands of a female. He ought to leave it on a table or chair and allow her 
 to take it up. Shaking hands a I' anglahc is an abomination. 
 
[ 26] 
 
 Keaou Lwan stole a look towards the spot where aunt Tsaoii stood, 
 and answered in a low whisper, " the key is in her possession, my bro- 
 " ther must himself beg it of her •! '' 
 
 Tingchang in an instant comprehended her meaning, and next day 
 having purchased two pieces of the finest silks, and a pair of gold brace- 
 lets, he employed Minghea to lay them before Aunt Tsaou. This 
 good lady forthwith hied away to her niece and said to her, " yonng 
 " master Chow has been sending me a very handsome present ! I' m 
 " sure I dont know what his meaning can be by so doing "' ! 
 
 " Why," said Keaou Lwan, " he is a young and thoughtless student, 
 " and not without his faults, I presume he means by his present to so- 
 " licit my kind aunt's indulgence ! '' 
 
 Aunt Tsaou replied, *' what is most at heart with you t\yo young 
 " folks, I know perfectly, but whatever intercourse you may have, I 
 " will never, never, disclose it ! '' Saying these words, she took the key, 
 and handed it over to Minghea. 
 
 Lwan's heart was delighted, and she instantly wrote the following, 
 stanza to Tingchang. 
 
 In secret I take these words, and send them to my lord — 
 
 But do not inconsiderately open your lips to other people ! 
 
 This night the door of the fragrant apartment will not be locked, 
 
 And when the moon changes the shadows of the flowers, let my 
 lover come ! 
 
 On receiving these lines, Tingchang'o joy was without bounds! 
 That night when it was already dusk, and the watch-man's first drum* 
 had sounded, he with slow and stealthy steps bent his way to the 
 inner section of the house, and the back door being ajar, he sideways 
 slipped himself thro'. From that day, when he felt her pulse in her 
 bedroom, and returned by the backgarden, he had but a slender recol- 
 lection of the passage, so he moved along slowly : — but at length seeing 
 the rays of a lamp, and Minghea standing waiting for hini at the door, 
 
 * The first watch is from seven till nine p. M. 
 
[27] 
 
 he quickened his pace, and walked straight into the young lady's 
 chamber. Tingchang made her a low bow, and wished to clasp her 
 in his arras, but Lwan pushed him off, and desired Minghea to call 
 aunt Tsaou to come and sit with her. 
 
 At this the student's hopes were greatly baulked ! and all the bitter- 
 ness of disappointed love rising up before his eyes, he upbraided her 
 with change of mind, and his tears were about to flow. Lwan seeing 
 him in this state, observed, "I am a virtuous maiden, and you, Sir, are 
 " I believe no rakej alas ! it is only because the youth possesses talent, 
 " and the fair one beauty, that Ave thus love, thus compassionate each 
 " other! I, having clandestinely admitted you to my appartment, now 
 " hold myself your's for ever !— and you, Sir, were you now to cast me 
 " off, would not this be a poor return for the implicit confidence I 
 «' repose in you ? No ! you must here, in the presence of the all seeing 
 " gods, swear to live with me as man and wife till both our heads 
 " are white with age! — if you aim at any irregularity beyond this, 
 " tho' you slay me, yet will I not coni^ent \" She spoke these words 
 with great earnestness, and had scarce finished when aunt Tsaou arrived. 
 This lady in the first instance thanked Tingchang for the handsome 
 present he had sent her during the day, and the young gentleman in 
 return implored her to play the part of a go-between and marry them. 
 He swore to be a most faithful and loving husband : and his impreca- 
 tions, if false, flowed from his mouth like a torrent. Under these cir- 
 cumstances, aunt Tsaou thus addressed them both : " 3My beloved 
 "nephew and niece, since you wish that I play the go-between, you 
 " must begin by writing out conjointly, four copies of a marriage con- 
 " tract. The first copy we shall take and burn before Heaven and 
 *' Earth, so as to call the good and evil spirits to witness what we are 
 " now about.* Another copy you will leave with me the go-between, 
 " as proof, if at some future day your love towards each other should 
 " wax cold : — and each of you should preserve a copy, as a pledge that 
 
 '^ A curious Chinese custom, said to be introduced by the Bhuddisls. 
 
[28] 
 
 " one day or another, you will join the bridal cups, and go thro' the 
 *' other forms of a regular marriage. If the woman deceive the man — 
 "may tlie swift lightning strike her dead! if the man deceive the 
 " woman — may unnumbered arrows slay his body ! and further, may 
 " he or she again receive the punishment of their crime in the City of 
 " the Dead, by sinking into the hell of darkness * for ever and ever !"' 
 Aunt Tsaou pronounceil the curse in a most solemn and touching 
 manner, that struck awe for a moment into the hearts of both the stu- 
 dent and Lwan ; with mutual fondness however, they set about writing 
 out the several copies of the marriage contract, which being solemnly 
 sworn to, they knelt in humble worship before Heaven and Earth, and 
 afterwards returned their hearty thanks to aunt Tsaou. This lady 
 then producing rich fruits and mellow wine^ pledged each of them in 
 a cup, and wished them joy as man and wife, t This continued until 
 the third drum, (midnight) when aunt Tsaou taking her leave, the stu- 
 dent hand in hand with Lwan ascended the nuptial couch, and the plea- 
 sures of matrimony are too well known to require further amplification. 
 At the fifth drum (3 to 5 in the morning) Lwan urged the student 
 to rise, and laid the following strong injunction upon him : " As I 
 " have now given my person to you for life, you must never, never, 
 '* turn your back upon my goodness ! Heniember that the all-seeing 
 *' gods are above us ; it is indeed hard to escape their piercing glance ! 
 " after this, when I have leisure, I shall send Minghea, to wait upon 
 " you, and receive you. Do not upon any account act giddily ; you will 
 "thereby provoke the slanderous remarks of other people!" Ting- 
 chang, word for word, promised to do as she had commanded him, and 
 
 * In the original @l^ ^^ Fung too. This is a prison connected with 
 
 the Hell of mill stones, over which ^^ jK ^^ Tae shan nang, 
 one of the ten kings of Hades, ( accordini; to the BLuddists ) presides, 
 fie soids of the dead may be rescued i'roni tlie other nine liells, but 
 Avhen once locked up in " Fung too " e'en est fait d'elles, it is all up witk 
 
 them, 
 
 t Such claadestine marriages don't often taie ]}hcs in China. 
 
[29] 
 
 he still lingering about, loath to depart, she hastily called iMinghea, 
 and desired her to conduct him out by the garden. 
 The same day Lwan sent the student the two following stanzas of 
 
 eight lines each. — * 
 
 ******** 
 ******** 
 
 Tingchang had also his reply in the same strain. 
 
 From this time Lwan got perfectly cured of her complaint, and the 
 key of the back door resembled an unstrung bow, in being put to 
 no use whatever. Every third day, or every fifth day, Lwan was sure 
 to dispatch Ming hea to call the student, and their intercourse bsing 
 so frequent, their love grew even stronger than before. 
 
 Thus upwards of half a year rolled on, when Professor Chow's term 
 of public Office being completed, he was promoted to be chief magis- 
 trate of Go-me district in the province of Szechuen. Such was the 
 ardent affection that the student bore towards Lwan at that time, that 
 it would not permit him to leave her, in order to accompany his 
 father. So he made an excuse, saying, that he was rather unwell, that 
 he stood in dread of the hardships to be encountered on the road to 
 Szechuen, f that moreover his education was not yet completed, that 
 teacher and pupil took kindly to each other, and, in sliort, be begged to 
 be left where he was, that he might advantageously pursue his studies. 
 Professor Chow was daily in the habit of giving in to his son, there was 
 indeed nothing which the young gentleman said, that the old one 
 would not accede to; so on the day when his father set off on his 
 journey, Tingchang merely gave him convoy a little way beyond the 
 City, and returned on "love's liglit wings" to the mistress of his 
 lieart. Poor Lwan felt deeply grateful to the student, for thus manag- 
 
 * For a reason hinteil at in our preface, we are compGlIed to omit these 
 Jines. We would not for t!ie world, Lui t the feelings of our squeamish 
 reader. 
 
 i" Szechuen is a mountainous province on the west of Cliiua, and tha 
 climate is reported to be very trying to the constitution. 
 
1301 
 
 ing to remain behind, and that very day invited him to a conference, 
 ■where their ardent affection was confirmed. 
 
 Again half a year and more rolled down the stream of time, during 
 which period the pages of poetry that passed between them were ex- 
 ceedingly numerous, so much so, that to record them all were impossi- 
 ble. One day when Tingchang was looking over the Peking Gazette, 
 he saw that his father, not agreeing with the climate of Go me^ had 
 announced his sickness to the Emperor, and begged permission to re- 
 turn to his native place. Now Tingchang had been long away from 
 home : — on one hand, his bowels yearned to see his parents once more, 
 while on the other hand, his strong love for Lwan held him to the spot 
 ■where lie was, and he could not brook the idea of being parted from 
 her. Thus being beset by difficulties on both sides, the characters of 
 grief began to be legible on his countenance. Lwan enquired, and 
 finally discovered the cause of his sorrow, when setting wine before 
 him, she addressed him to the following effect. " The love of husband 
 " and wife, is indeed deep as the lakes and seas, but high heaven itself 
 " cannot be compared to that bond of natural affection, which unites 
 " father and son ! If you, sir, by hankering after a clandestine amour, 
 " should neglect to perform the manifest duty you owe your parents, 
 *' not only will you thereby be departing from the principle of piety 
 " •which ought to guide j/ou as a son, but you will be causing me to 
 " forget what I owe you, as your wife also ! " Aunt Tsaou too 
 exhorted the student to the same effect. '' These stolen interviews, " 
 said she, " that you at present enjoy, cannot be considered in the same 
 *' light, as a regular marriage which would unite your destinies for 
 " ever ! The best plan for you, young gentleman, is— in the meantime 
 " to go home to your native place, and when you are paying those 
 " marks of respect to your parents, Avhich the rites exact, consult with 
 " them, and settle at once this matrimonial piece of business. You 
 " will thus be able speedily to fulfil your oath; getting rid thereby of 
 " the racking anxiety of sundered love ! " 
 
[31] 
 
 Tingchang's heart being still undecidecl, Keaou Lwan requested 
 Aunt Tsaou to take up all the circumstances connected \Yith the young 
 gentleman's desire to return home, and state them distinctly to her fa- 
 ther. That very day was again the Twan yang term, and old Mr. Wang 
 spread a little farewell banquei in honor of his nephew, and further 
 presented him with a handsome sum for his expenses on the road. 
 Under these circumstances Tingchan^'s sense of propriety would no 
 longer permit him to delay, or make further excuses, so he could not 
 do less than put his baggage in order, and gird up his loins for the 
 journey. 
 
 That night Lwan set out wine in the fragrant apartment, and sent 
 an invitation to Tingchaug. There she again went over all the cir- 
 cumstances of their previous oath, and again they fixed upon, as it were, 
 their wedding day. Aunt Tsaou also sate by their side ; they con- 
 versed the live long night, nor did balmy sleep once seal up their eyes. 
 
 \Vhen about to depart, Lwan asked the student to leave with her 
 the place of his abode. Tingchang enquired for what reason. "No- 
 thing," said Lwan, " merely in case of your not coming speedily, I 
 *' may perhaps send a few lines to you." The student caught up a 
 pencil and wrote the following sentence. 
 
 When I think of my relations a thousand miles off, I must return 
 to Soo chow — 
 
 My family dwell in Woo keang town, the seventeenth division — 
 
 You must ask for the mouth of the Shwang yang rivulet, in ihc 
 South Ma— 
 
 And at the bottom of the Yenling bridge stands the house of Woo, 
 the Grain Inspector. 
 
 Tingchang said farther by way of explanation — " The name of our 
 •' family is properly speaking Woo, and one of my ancestors, a long 
 " time ago, in fulfilling the duties of a tithing man, was very famous 
 "for the way in which he managed the grain intrusted to him, hence 
 " we are called the family of Woo, the grain inspector: Chow is tha 
 
]32j 
 
 " name of another family into ^vhich we have been adopted Altho' to 
 '■' satisfy you, my love, I have vrritten out these lines, yet is there little 
 "occasion for them, seeing the vehemence of my desire to return to 
 " you. While separated from you, days will seem years ! The longest 
 ♦' that I can possibly be away is a year, the shortest, about half that 
 *' time, when I will most certainly bring my father's card in my hand, 
 "and come myself to claim you as my bride! As I live! — I will 
 " never, never, permit my Beauty of the Harem to be a prey to anxie- 
 *' ty and suspense ! " 
 
 Having thus spoken, they tmbraced each other and wept. Gradu- 
 ally, "nights candles being burnt out, the envious streaks of day, 
 " did lace the severing clouds, in the far east " when Lwan herself, 
 accompanied her lover out of the garden. There is on record, a stanza 
 of eight lines in couplets to the following purport. — 
 
 Ting Chang. 
 "Bound together by mutual sympathy, as fish to the water, so have 
 
 we been evidently created for each other ! 
 " But alas ! when I think of my parents far away, I am compelled 
 to tear myself from you ! " 
 
 Keaou Lwan. 
 " In the flower garden henceforward, who will look with me at the 
 
 bright moon .'' 
 "In the fragrant apartment from this, I care not about playing at 
 chess ! " 
 
 Ting Chang. 
 " I only fear lest your person being far distant from me, your love 
 
 may also grow cold ! 
 " I feel no anxiety about my literary essays not being complete, 1 
 only dread lest ray happiness be not complete ! " 
 
 Keaou Lwan. 
 " I droop my head and speak not, but the feelings of ray heart art 
 perfectly alive to what is goipg on 1 
 
[33] 
 
 '■' TIio' overcome with grief at the tlioughts of parting, I perforce 
 
 assume a look of content and satisfaction ! " * 
 In a moment more it was broad day light, and the horse that was to 
 bear the student from his bride, stood at the door ready saddled and 
 bridled. IMr, Wang got wine ready in the inner hall, and his wife 
 and the oth.er ladies assembled for the stirrup cup or parting glass.t 
 Tin" chan[» again made an obeisance and took his leave. Lwan, find- 
 ing that her grief was getting the better of her, and that she was 
 about to burst into tears, silently stole away to her apartment, where 
 she caught up a piece of black silk, such as is used on these occasions, 
 and wrote thereon a verse of eight lines. This she gave to Ming hea, 
 and desired her to wait for a favorable opportunity when Ting chang 
 •was mounting his horse, privately to put it into his hand. The stud- 
 CHt, when on horseback, broke it open, and read as follows. — 
 We have grasped each other's lily hands, and sate side by side— 
 And now compelled to part— how can I bear up against two torrents 
 
 of tears ! 
 Before your horse, my love, shall have distanced yon mournful 
 
 willow — X 
 My heart shall have gone before you, far as the white clouds be- 
 yond ! 
 I will adhere to the rules of chastity as firmly as did the unfor- 
 tunate lady Keang — || 
 Or as you, sir, in esteeming the five relations of mankind — are of the 
 
 class of the dutiful Min keen. § 
 When your aim is accomplished, do you speedily turn your head, 
 
 and bend your steps hitherward — 
 For your poor girl of the harem, is thin, and unable to endure so 
 much troubled sleep ! 
 
 * I perforce take my parting tears, and di'ess therewidi my arched eyebrows. 
 
 t This is as much observed in China, as in the Highlands of Scotland. 
 
 X 'll>e place of parting, in Chinese, is emblematically expressed, by tlte 
 
 long pavilion, the weeping willow &c. &c. 
 H See note I at the entl, § See note K at the end. 
 
[34] 
 
 Ting cbang having read these Hnes, his tears flowed afresh, and while 
 pursuing his solitary route he was continually meeting some little 
 thing or other, that brought his love to mind ; nor during the whole of 
 the journey, were his thoughts for an instant diverted from his belov- 
 ed Lwan ! 
 
 But let us not indulge in irrelevant discourse. After a few days 
 then, he arrived at his home in A\''oo Keang, where he saw his parents, 
 and the whole house echoed with joy at his arrival. 
 
 Now the fact was, that his father had just made an arrangement of 
 a matrimonial nature for his son— with the member of a family of the 
 same place, vizt, that of Wei, the assistant Foo magistrate, and was 
 at that time anxiously hoping for his son's return, in order to send the 
 marriage presents, and conclude the match. The student, when he 
 first heard of this, was by no means pleased, but making enquiries and 
 learning afterwards, that Miss Wei was an incomparable beauty, that 
 her father the magistrate was a man of prodigious wealth, and that 
 the dowry would be immense — he coveted the pelf, he lusted after the 
 young lady, and, in one word, forgot his previous oath ! After half 
 a year Miss Wei crossed his threshold; man and wife took to each 
 other kindly, and, in short, he knew not now that such a being as Miss 
 Keaou Lwan Wang was in existence ! 
 He only knows her, who is nov/ his new and beauteous bride — 
 He cares not for his former love, who anxiously waiting his return, 
 
 bores as it were, the very clouds with her eyes ! 
 Let us now say a word or two about poor Keaou Lwan. At the time 
 when she advised the student to go home to his friends, she was 
 prompted so to do, by the feelings which actuate a virtuous, as well 
 as an intelligent girl. Yet no sooner was he gone, than she could not 
 help being racked by anxiety ! During the day she felt cheerless and 
 forlorn— at r.ight she M'as wretched and lonely -.—before the pale lamp 
 her own shadow was her only companion — and beneath the curtain 
 was now no one with whom to exchange the soft whispers of love ! 
 
[35] 
 
 Whenever she met the autumn moon or tlie spring flowers, her dreams 
 were interrupted and her spirit was troubled ! * 
 
 Upwards of a year had now sped on, and strange to say, she had 
 not received the slightest intelligence of her absent lover ! One day 
 Rlinghea came running in, in a great hurry, and exclaimed, *' Sister ! 
 " sister ! I dare say you would like to send a letter to your husband 
 ".Mr. Chow, would not you?'' Lwan asked of her, " where have 
 " you got this delightful op])ortunity ? " I\Jinghea replied, " it is only 
 "this moment that Sinkew told me of it! A man has just now ar- 
 " rived with a public document from the military station at Lingan, 
 *' now Lingan, you know, is in the Mangchow district, and to return 
 " thither he must pass thro' Woo keang, so it is a very convenient 
 "way of sending a letter !''t Keaou Lwan said, "since we have 
 " such a good opportunity of sending a few lines, you may tell Sinkew 
 " to desire the messsenger not to go away yet. " 
 
 Upon this she drew up a letter without loss of time, in which she 
 hinted indirectly at the pains of parting, and enjoined him to lose no 
 time in returning to Nan yang, to act up to the letter of their mar- 
 riage contract; thus setting her mind at rest, by completing a matri- 
 monial arrangement for life, with the knowledge and consent of the 
 parents of both parties. The letter being too long, we do not insert it. 
 At the close of th.e letter were ten verses of poetry, of which we mere- 
 ly transcribe the first, which was as follows. 
 
 Since we parted on the Twan yang terra — strange to say I have heard 
 no news of you ! 
 
 In two distant lands we only see each other, by gazing at the bright 
 moon !| 
 
 * These brought to her notice the pairing of birds and other emblems of 
 
 compkte connubial happiness, 
 t There are no posts in Cliitia, at least not on the same system as our's are 
 
 in Europe. 
 t The moon is often called poetically the jade stone looking glass. Lovers 
 
 when far apart, see, or fancy tliev see, the figure of each other reflected 
 
 ui it, 
 
[36] 
 
 AVhile from a sense of duty to your parents^ you have left my fa- 
 ther's house. — 
 Do not suffer your affections to be made captive, by wine and by 
 
 the fair ones* of Woo city ! 
 Within the tower of the rambHng genii, I cast lots, to see when we 
 
 shall meet again after so long an absence — 
 Before the pavilion for worshipping the moon, I enquire how long 
 
 we may live, and when we shall die.'t 
 I send this, my lord, from a desire that you may awake from your 
 
 lethargy — 
 And come hither to share the humble viands, prepared by your 
 
 faithful spouse !J 
 The following eight lines were also written on the envelope. 
 
 I will trouble the bearer to take this letter, and present it at a 
 
 public court in Woo city — 
 The family of which are of the greatest respectability, |j worthy 
 
 indeed to be boasted of ! 
 Their ancestors have dwelt for a long time, in the house of a certain 
 
 Grain Inspector — 
 And the distinguished father at this moment, holds the office of a 
 
 Seuen hwa ! ^ 
 If you already know the eastern part of the building, the v/estern 
 
 will not be far off- 
 Only take care that you don't make a mistake, and go to the north 
 
 Ma instead of the south Ma ! 
 If you meet any one on the road, you must ask of him, "pray sir 
 " In what pretty little hamlet, is the bridge of Yen ling ?" 
 
 * Literally, by the flowers and wine of Woo City. 
 
 f The most intelligent, and best educated of the Chinese, arc not cntirtly 
 
 free from these superstitious practices, 
 t Literally, come with me your concubine to stir the soup about. 
 II Literall}', the face or front of the doOr is as spring wind. 
 § An ancient mandarinship, about equal to a modern Che been. 
 
[37 1 
 
 Lwaii further took two silver liair pins, and gave them to the 
 bearer, as a remuneration, for taking charge of her letter.* 
 
 This letter had been gone upwards of seven months, and strange to 
 say, not a syllabic had been heard in reply ! It was now about the 
 beginning of the year, when upon enquiry they learned, that in the 
 milit;:ry station beyord thgirs,' was a Mr. Chang, a merchant, who was 
 coin"' to the city of Soo chow to buy goods. Keaou Lwan forthwith 
 took a couple of golden flowers, which she requested Sin kew to pre- 
 sent to Mr. Chang, begging him at the same time, that he would be 
 kind enough to take charge of a letter for her. The purport of this 
 letter was much the same as the previous one, and there were also 
 ten verses of poetry, the first of which was to the following effect. 
 Spring now again smiles upon mankind, and all nature is fresh and 
 
 happy — 
 But she of the fragrant apartment, has her soul torn from her 
 
 by an absent lover ! 
 The east wind is indeed boisterous and uncertain, but you sir, are 
 
 more uncertain than he — 
 The bright moon is completely round, but my happiness, alas ! is 
 
 far from being at the full ! 
 Our loves being blended — if you wish it, you can easily gain the 
 
 consent of your parentst — 
 But in the wide expanse of heaven, I have no plan for commission- 
 ing the phenix!:}: 
 These painful feelings that rend my heart— to whom shall I disclose 
 
 them ? 
 I send them to you my love— that you may slowly and carefully 
 peruse ! 
 
 * This " postage " of a letter tliey coinmonly call " wine money " or 
 
 " betelnut money " &c. 
 t Literally, the white hairs. 
 t I. e., it is not properly .speaking my business, neither is it in my power 
 
 to employ the ^o-between to arrange matters. That rests with you- 
 
[38] 
 
 On tlie cover were also these four lines. 
 
 Not far from Soo chow, is AV^oo keang — 
 
 And there lives one of the surname Woo, whose family have been 
 for ages, Grain Inspectors at the sonth Ma ! 
 
 I enjoin my messenger thai he give good heed— 
 
 And enquire of my lover his news ! 
 
 Now, Mr. Chang the merchant was an honest man, and a man of his 
 •jvoid — so no sooner had he finished purchasing his goods, which was 
 the express object of his visit to Soo chow, than he set off for Woo 
 keang, intending to present the letter with. his own hands Just as 
 he was upon the long bridge there, enquiring his way, in a happy 
 moment, who should pass but Chow Ting chang himself! who hearing 
 a man speak with a Houan accent, and farther ask for the house of 
 Woo the Grain Inspector, knew by sympathy that this must be a 
 man entrusted with a letter, from Keaou Lwan : moreover he felt a- 
 larmed lest it should fall into other hands, by which the secret of his 
 being previously married might be known ; so stepping forward he 
 made a low bow, announced his name, and begged Mr. Chang to ac- 
 company him to the next tavern, to join him in a friendly glass of 
 wine. Here he broke open the letter, and having perused it, borrowed 
 paper, pen and ink from the landlord, with which he wrote a very 
 hurried reply, saying by way of excuse, that his father was not yet 
 thoroughly well, and that he was even then emj)loyed in waiting on 
 physicians and administering medicines, which was the reason why he 
 had misled the ha])py time appointed for their meeting again, but 
 that he hoped ere long to have the pleasure of seeing her face to face, 
 and begged that in the meantime, she would not afflict herself with 
 anxious tiioughts. On the back of the letter, he wrote that he 
 had borrowed writing materials by the way side, which was the reason 
 why he was so brief &c. &c., for which he begged that she would be 
 kind enough to excuse him. 
 
 Mr. Chang having received tliis letter returned in the course of ;.. 
 
[39] 
 
 few clays to Nan jang, when ho gave it to Sin kew, who in Iiis turn 
 handed it up to his young lady Lwan. This unfortunate young lady, 
 having torn open the letter, devoured the contents witii eager haste, 
 and tlio' it did not specify any time for her lover's return, yet it held 
 out a hope, and served as "painting cakes does to apiiease ones 
 *•' hunger, or looking at plums to allay one's thirst.' * After three 
 or four months more however had roiled on, and as hefore, strange to 
 say, not a word of news reacliing her concerning her husband, poor 
 Lwan's fortitude gave way, and in despair she addressed Aunt Tsaou — 
 "Ting Chang's words alas! have deceived my ear !" hut her Aunt 
 interrupted her saying " his written oath is here in my possession, and 
 " above is the searching glance of High Heaven ! think you, that of 
 " all mankind, Mr. Chow alone feirs not to die?" 
 
 One day they unexpectedly heard that a man had arrived from their 
 native phice Lingan. This was indeed no other than a special mes- 
 senger, sent to communicate tlie joyful tidings, that Keaon Fung, 
 Lwan's younger sister, had been safely delivered of a fine boy. 
 
 Poor Lwan, on contrasting their different destinies, sighed still more 
 deeply than hefore. She felt however so far well pleased, that the 
 return of her sister's messenger afforded her a good opportunity, to 
 send another letter to !ier faitldess lover. Tliis was the third time slie 
 had written him, and all without effect. To it were annexed ten 
 stanzas of poetry, of whicli the last was — 
 
 I again and again enjoin upon my lover, that he miss not an oppor- 
 tunity of returning — 
 
 Even should we live a hundred years as man and wife, pray how 
 Ion" is that after all !t 
 
 * A favorite Chinese expression frrqucntly used by petitioners when ad- 
 dressing? the mandarins, implying ttiat tliey are mockin!,' the people with 
 " a show of jiTStire," or in viili^ar Enf^lish, humhneging them. 
 
 t Tiiis line may also read, of those who enjoy wedded bliss for a hundred 
 years, bow many are there .' i. e. very few. 
 
L40 j 
 
 The daughter of the Wang family, has become the bride of the sou 
 
 of the Chow family-^ 
 The civilian's boy, has espoused the military officer's girl ! 
 Three enclosures of the feelings of my heart, have I handed down 
 
 to the azure birds — * 
 And ten thousand bushels of sorrow, lock donn my eye-brows over 
 
 cast with care ! 
 A single small letter, about fo go such along journey, cannot convey 
 
 all I feel- 
 Alas ! when I reflect that we are in two distant lands, my regret is 
 greater than ever ! 
 On the cover were these four lines— 
 
 I will trouble the bearer to take this letter, and deliver it in the town 
 
 of Woo Keang — 
 At the house of a certain Inspector of grain of the South Ma, 
 
 whose name is " Respectability itself " ! + 
 When on your journey, there will be no occasion to run about to 
 
 make enquiries— 
 You have only to stop your boat for a little, below the Yen ling 
 
 bridge ! 
 From this time sleep forsook poor Lwan's pillow, nor ''ared she for 
 her food ] the odour of her charms gradually fled, and hei jade-stone- 
 like beauty, slowly melted away ! she chose out dark corners, where 
 silent and alone she wept her unhappy fate, until little by Utile her 
 feelings of disappointment laid her again upon a bed of sickness. Her 
 parents now wished to provide a suitable match for her, but Lwau 
 would by no means consent to any thing of the kind ; on the contrary, 
 she loved to indulge in long fasts, and spent nr.uch of her time in the 
 worship of Fo. (or Bhudda.) 
 
 One day Aunt Tsaou remarked to her, " 1 am almost certain that 
 " Mr. Chow will never return again ! Take my advice, do not from a 
 
 * I, e. I have committed to writing', f Literally, ^liis name is "Fragrance.'' 
 
[41] 
 
 '• bigotsd adheve4ice to a little piece of good faith, destroy those pros- 
 " pects which the spring- time of life still holds out to you! — allow your 
 "father to select another husband for you!" Lwaii replied "a, 
 " human being without good faith, is as a beast I I would rather that 
 " Mr. Chow should deceive me, than that I should altempt to deceive 
 " the all-seeing gods ! " 
 
 Time creeps on apace, and without noticing it, three years had now 
 expired. Lwan said one day to her aunt, " I have heard a report that 
 " Mr, Chow has married into another family ; however, I am unable to 
 '•■ say whether it be true or false. Nevertheless, it is now upwards of 
 " three years, and be has not returned. Alas ! alas ! — I fear that his 
 " heart is changed, and that he loves me no longer ! Still, until I can 
 " learn somethiiig cerluir, 1 do not like yet to give up all for lost !* " 
 
 Aunt Tsaou replied, " why then not send Sin kew himself a trip to 
 '•' Woo Keang ? Give him a little surplus money for his expenses on 
 " the road, and if young .Mr. Chow's heart be not changed, then Sin 
 " kew can wait for him, and they may return together ! Will not 
 " this be a good plan } '' 
 
 " It is indeed a very excellent plan," said Lwan, '• and agrees with 
 " my own ideas exactly ! I must also beg my kind Aunt to Write a 
 " few lines, urging him without loss of time to set out on lii? journey 
 " hitherward. This will likewise be well. " 
 
 Upon the instant Keaou Lwan sate down and wrote him a ditty ia 
 the ancient style; the following is a short extract. 
 
 Ah ! well do I remember that happy day, the Tsing rain^ term— now 
 long since past ! 
 
 ^Vhe^ I first met you, ray lord, by accident— and our mutual ac- 
 quaintance was formed ! 
 
 Then followed the delights of innocent courtship, and our love- 
 letters came and went by turns- 
 Till gentle " Love" was kindled within my breast; ah! I thuik of 
 
 this without ceasing ! 
 * Literally, my heart will not die within me. 
 
[42] 
 
 The golden chain of a nobleman's gate * gave way to our united 
 
 efforts — 
 And hand in hand, side by side, we roamed through the painted 
 
 tower ! 
 Gladly then we took the azure fibre, + and bound our fates for Ufe 
 
 and. death together — 
 And swore by th:' hills, and made oath by the seas, that we were 
 
 not nigtrards of love ! 
 But as the wliife clouds disperse in the distance, and the green 
 
 grass soon fades — 
 So you thinking of your relations, found it necessary to cut our loves 
 
 asunder ! 
 Suddenly I observed that your peach — flower face, was without the 
 
 color of spring — :}: 
 With grief I learned, that in the letter transmitted you by the wild 
 
 goose||-were his notes of sadness ! 
 Aliho' when my lord set out, it was not to prepare the phenix car to 
 
 wed another — 
 Yet was njy sorrow greater, than when my father and brother went 
 
 to subjugate the barbarians ! 
 With the voice of sighing ai;d weeping, as if my very heart would 
 
 break — ^ 
 I clasped your hand, I clung to your garments, and turned your at- 
 tention to your previous oath ! 
 
 * The door of the Harem. 
 
 t Our silky liair. Some of the Cliinese follow a supcrEtitious custom 
 when betrothing a boy and gir) of tender years to-cut a lock of hair from 
 the head of each, and cast it into a tub of water. It the two locks of hair 
 «re mutually attracted and speedily entwine, it is considered agoodomen, 
 ar,d if they repel each other, the contrary. 
 
 + 'Ihe color of spring is as we s.iv the picinre of health and happiness. 
 
 II Among the Chinese the wild goose, is the letter carrier as the dove wa§ 
 among the ancients. See Anacreon's ode — E/JX<^jM."J 's^e><~iix. 
 
 § Literaliyj as if my bowels would rend. 
 
[43] 
 
 Having therefore with youj my lord, completed the intercourse of 
 
 the male and female phenix — * 
 Do not, I beseech you, allow your affections to be entrapped by the 
 
 flowers and willowst of Soo chow ! 
 Since you went away Sir, I do nothing but knit my eyebrows— 
 I am grown careless about arranging my rouge and cosmetics, and 
 
 my head is like a broom l^ 
 Bride and bridegroom in two distant lands, oh! painful is the 
 
 thought — 
 Who is there now to look with me at the snow white moon— or the 
 
 flowers waving iu the wind ! 
 Alas ! for husband and wife ! — in the prime of youth and beauty — 
 They dream in vain the dream, of the butterfly and the rose!|| 
 While standing in the wind, or confronting the moon, nothing 
 
 agreeable suggests itself to my imagination — 
 But cold and cheerless is my pillow, " and the dreams of the night 
 
 trouble roe " ! 
 One night I dreamt that my love was wedded to another— 
 Ai:d when morning broke, without being aware of it, grief had 
 
 transformed my face from youth to age ! 
 We swore that if false, we were willing that the gods should hurl 
 
 their thunder, an 1 dart the avenging lightning — 
 And the goddess Heuen mu communicated our oath through the 
 
 whole of the nine heavens !§ 
 Since then you have only returned to your native place, and not to 
 
 the streams of Hades — 
 
 * Marriage. 
 
 t I. e. the filles de joie of Soochow. 
 
 + Tliis is wliat is always said by a Chinese young lady in love. 
 II Connnbijilia jiiia — frni, ut supra exprimitur. 
 
 § This is the equivalent of Sterne's beautiful expression vizt. — "There- 
 cording angel wrote it down." 
 
[44] 
 
 Why is there so much difficulty in seeing your face, or in getting 
 
 tidings from you ? 
 My lover'5 affection is false, but mine alas ! is too true — 
 And I now again send this letter by express, to show the carnation 
 
 color of my heart !* 
 Alas ! for a blushing flower of thrice seven summers- 
 Silent and lonely is her fragrant apartment— and her painful 
 
 thoughts insupportable ! 
 Aunt Tsaou in her letter also made particular mention of the state 
 to which her niece was reduced, by the misery of continually thiuking 
 about him, by the agony of hope deferred. The two letters were then 
 put under one envelope on which was written — 
 
 These, for a majestic and striking house, like a prime minister's 
 
 palace-" 
 And moreover a grain inspector's — who rules over the Southern 
 
 Ma!— 
 Vou need not s!op your boat, to ask questions of the people you 
 
 meet- 
 But where a bridge bestrides the river at Yenling, it is the first 
 
 house. 
 Sinkew having received the letter, set out on his journey forthwith. 
 He travelled by day, and slept by night, until arriving safe at Woo 
 Keang, he drew up at the Yenling bridge. Here, fearing lest should 
 he intrust his packet to another, it might not reach the party for whom 
 it was intended, he took his stand — determined to give it to none other, 
 save Chow Ting chang himself. 
 
 When Ting chang saw Sin kew, his face became scarlet ; he asked 
 not of him any questions whatever,+ but taking the letter, thrust it up 
 his sleeve, and hurriedly entered the house. After a brief space of time, 
 
 * This means a sincere lieart; tbey say that tlie Iieart of a bad iiia.n is 
 
 black. Morrison. 
 t Literally, did not ask of him whether he Was hot (M" coM, 
 
L451 
 
 he sent a servant boy to deliver a verbal answer, which was to the 
 following effect. " My master, " said the boy, '' has been married to 
 " the young lady of Mr. Wei, the Tung che foo magistrate, new about 
 " three years : — the road to Nan yang is very far, and he can hardly 
 *' be expected to go back there; and as a letter is a difficult thing to 
 " write, he relies upon you that you will deliver this verbal message 
 " for him. This little scented gauze handkerchief, in former days 
 "belonged to Miss Lwan, as well as this sheet of paper, which is a 
 " marriage contract ; and he begs that you will return them to her, in 
 ♦• order that she may think no more about him. Master at first 
 " wanted to have kept you to give you a dinner, but he is afraid lest 
 " the old gentleman his father might be asking annoying questions, 
 '' and getting surprised and angry, so he sends you these five mace of 
 " silver * for your road expenses, and expects that next time you 
 " wont give yourself the trouble of a long journey for nothing ! " 
 
 Sin kew on hearing these words got into a violent passion : he would 
 not receive the money, but casting it indignantly on the ground, walk- 
 ed out at the great door, and exclaimed in a loud voice of reproach, "as 
 *' for thee — coldblooded and unrighteous villain that thou art, the wild 
 " beasts and the birds of prey are not such as thou ! Alas ! alas ! thou 
 •' hast deceived the too confiding heart of my young lady Lwan ! but 
 " High Heaven will never grant you its protection, for the iniquity 
 "you have done!" Having spoken these words, his feelings over- 
 powered him, and he wept aloud. The passers by, one striving with 
 another, wished to learn the cause of his tears, and Sin kew related the 
 whole of the circumstances to them with the greatest minuteness, so 
 that, in a moment, the fame of Tingchang's dishonorable conduct, 
 spread thro' the whole town and neighborhood of Woo Keang, and 
 people of any respectibility, from that time forth, hdd him in no. 
 esteem :t so true is the saying : 
 
 * About three sliillings sterling-. 
 
 t Literally, did not hang hiiu upon their teeth. 
 
[46] 
 
 If in the common affairs of life, you do no actions which shock your 
 own conscience — 
 
 Certes, in the wide world, you ought to have no men who gnash 
 their teeth at you ! 
 
 Let us now again relate, how that Sinkew returned to Nan yang, and 
 there seeing Minghea, he blubbered and cried without ceasing. Minghea 
 said, '•! presume by this that you have met with some accident on the 
 "road ! or— out and alas! perhaps my young masterChow is dead!'' Sin- 
 kew only shook his head, and took breath for half a minute, then re- 
 counted all the particulars of ills visit, and Tingchang's reception; how 
 that he would send no answer, but merely returned the scented gauze 
 handkerchief and the marriaj^e contract, to the end that miss Lwan 
 might think no more about him. " I cannot for my life go in to see 
 my young lady," added Sinkew, and brushing away the tear from his 
 eye, he sij^hed deeply and left the house. 
 
 Minghea did not dare conceal from her mistress what she had heard, 
 so she recounted every thing that Sin hew had told her, with the greatest 
 exactness. The wretched Lwan, on seeing the scented gauze napkin, 
 the pledge of love in byegoiie and more happy times, knew thereby 
 that the story of Sinkew v/as no fabrication ; and in a moment, ra^e 
 choked her woman's breast, while indignation flushed her lovely 
 countenance! she begged that her aunt misht wait upon her in the fra- 
 grant apartment, where she made her a complete narration of the whole. 
 Aunt Tsaou exiiorted and admonished her to bear her hard lot with 
 patience, but Lwan gave no heed to her friendly counsel. Three entire 
 days and as many nights she spent in tears; she took out the little gauze 
 napkin and turned it over again and again, ah ! how many recollections 
 of her once happy moments, did that now bring to her broken heart! 
 She even sought an opportunity of destroying herself, but, upon reflec- 
 tion, said, "I, Keaou Lwan. am the beloved daughter of a family of note, 
 " 1 was not without beauty, and the world said that I possessed some 
 'i' little talent; were I thus eilently and obscurely to pass into obUvion>_ 
 
[47] 
 
 " would I not thereby be conferring a great favor on my heartless 
 " lover ! " With that she drew up thirty two stanzas of poetry, inti- 
 mating that she was about to take away her own life, and an ode or 
 ballad of eternal resentment directed against Tingchang. The follow- 
 ing is a verse of the poetry alluded to — 
 
 As I lean against my door post, and in grief and silence meditate on 
 
 byegone scenes — 
 I sigh ; alas ! my dream of wedded bliss has now vanished like a 
 
 smile ! 
 Love, ill early life, stirred up the rambling fibres of passion, and 
 
 dragged the green and tender buds of my heart astray — 
 Rage now follows like a torrent, and shrinks these green buds to the 
 
 withereil red of resentment ! 
 Then, I said, my lord will return true to his promise, as spring to 
 
 her revolving period — 
 But now, alas ! full well I know that '• all is vanity " !* 
 I turn my head, and lean against the railing', the painful spot of our 
 
 long fare well — 
 And all my sorrows for ten thousand years, I lay at the door of the 
 
 false and cruel East wind !t 
 The remainder of the poetry is not recorded, but her ode of resent- 
 ment, was to the following effect — 
 
 This ode of hatred eternal, upon whose account do I now make it ? 
 Ah ! when I bethink me of its com in en cement, my heart is truly sad! 
 In the morning I meditate upon it, in the evening I revolve it in my 
 
 mind, the painful thought never leaves me — 
 So I figain take up this marriage paper, to declare the heartlesness 
 of thy love ! 
 
 * In the original " Sili she kunj? ; " literally " the colorinsr for fine pros- 
 pects that this world ?eeins to hold out) is empty." ' Used by the Bhnd- 
 dist priests iis translated above. 
 
 t Areorg the Chinese the east wind is the emblem of the faithless lover. 
 
[48] 
 
 My family dwelt originally in the district of Lingan — 
 
 And my ancestors, having deserved well of their prince, were wet 
 
 with the dew of Imperial favor !* 
 Afterwards, my father being old, made a mistake in military raan- 
 
 oevres — 
 And was degraded to the post of Captain, at the military station of 
 
 Nan yang. 
 In the deepest recesses of the harem, was Keaou Lwan born and 
 
 brought up — 
 Nor had she yet gone a step from her paternal hall — 
 When, how was I to know it? at the age of twice nine, my baleful 
 
 star arrived ! 
 I had followed my female companions, to indulge in our womanly 
 
 amusements — 
 And we were just about to finish our last trick of the feet on the 
 
 Chinese swing — 
 When suddenly I was startled by the student's voice, at the corner 
 
 of the wall— 
 And suffused with shame, I returned in haste to the fragrant apart- 
 ment ! 
 Amid fear and confusion, I sought for my scented gauze handker- 
 chief — 
 Who knew it ? the handkerchief was in your possession Sir ! 
 In vain did I desire my maid servant to go and fetch it, times 
 
 without number — 
 I had only to thank you Sir, for making it the subject of your 
 
 sonnets:— 
 Vexation and constant thinking about you, induced a long sickness — 
 When you were good enough to pay your respects to my mother, 
 
 and get us adopted as brother and sister ! 
 
 * The remainder of the idea in this line is, "and had their portraits pre- 
 served in the Imperial galenes." 
 
[49] 
 
 The couplets tliat came from you, and those that I sent, overflow- 
 ing with the language of love — 
 
 And fearing lest our mutual passion might lead to irregularity— 
 
 We two bound our hair in a connubial knot, and swore to be faith- 
 ful, as long as the hills endured ! 
 
 But eyen then not implicitly believing each other, tho' we thus 
 made oath by moan tain and sea — 
 
 We begged Aunt Tsaou to play the part of a go-between, as proof 
 that we were man and wife— 
 
 And our marriage contract being written oi.it and ratified, we 
 burned a copy thereof before the gods :— 
 
 Thus our being bound together in holy matrimony, was merely 
 fulfilling the destiny of high heaven 1* 
 
 For a short half year we enjoyed our loves, sweet, oh ! sweet as 
 honey from the comb — 
 
 When my lover thinking of his parents, suddenly fell sick : 
 
 My heart could not brook, that my lord's should feel sorrowful — 
 
 So I advised you to return to your native home ! 
 
 1 enjoined upon you to this effect, " you are now about to depart 
 for the far famed city of Soo chow — 
 
 " In the streets where live the fair, listen not to the voice of the 
 syren — t 
 
 " But so soon as you have seen your mother's face,;]: turn your 
 head hitherward — 
 
 " For remembei- that your bride in the fragrant apartment, is 
 orphan-like alone ! " 
 
 * The Chinese have a favorite proverb to this effect vizt. — " If tlegtined ta 
 be man and wife, the parties will come to<retlicr from the distance of a 
 thousand miles, but if not so 'predestined, tho' face to face, they will 
 never pair I " 
 
 f" Literally. " In the streets of flowers, hearken not to the sounds of 
 masculine spring or open sensuality." 
 
 X Literally, " the countenance of mercy " One's father's face is called i'/ 
 opposition, " the countenance of sererity." 
 
[50] 
 
 Kindly and considerately did I state to my parting lover — 
 
 " Should you cast off your old love, and woo another, it is indeed 
 
 in your power so to do"' — 
 But how should I ever suppose, that having gone, you would forget 
 
 to return ? — 
 Ah ! it is better to die at once, than thus to thinlv of you, and pine 
 
 day by day ! 
 A man came, who said that you had again married — 
 Several times I wished to believe it, but it was then difficult to 
 
 get proof — 
 Afterwards by means of Sin kew's journey to your place of abode 
 
 and back — 
 I learned that husband and wife, were living as harmoniously as in 
 
 the days of Miss Wan keun !* 
 For this I mortally hate thee ! heartless villain that thou art ! 
 The destiny that unites in marriage those a thousand miles asunder, 
 
 is hard to be cut off and cast away ! 
 The love you have already enjoyed, you now turn your back upon— 
 And the pleasure you have sipped — where— oh ! where is it now !t 
 Discuss not whether my sorrow be great or small — 
 No where is there a box or bag, that is not filled with my mournful 
 
 ditties — 
 I have written over five thousand sheets of the finest paper — % 
 I have spoiled three hundred of the best Chinese pencils !|| 
 Your love of the harem is thin ; tho' she may possess beauty, yet is 
 
 she without strength — 
 For the happy time that we were to meet, is now changed to a 
 period that I look upon with disgust ! 
 
 * See note L at the end. 
 
 t Allndin* ajrain to the dream of the butterfly and Hie rose. 
 
 X Literally, embroidered bark. 
 
 y Literally hair pointed a\vls. 
 
L511 
 
 Uselessly now shall I take my eight characters, and try to solve 
 
 them by the Tsze ping—* 
 In vain shall I take my past, present, and future state of existence, 
 
 and divine them by the Chow yih !t 
 When I reflect upon, and consider all the particulars of our history 
 
 from the beginning — 
 In our mutual loves of byegone days, I never injured you ! 
 Since then your affection is light and inconstant as the floating 
 
 clouds — 
 Oh ! how much better, had we never met or loved at all ! 
 The greenfinch and the swallow both pair — 
 Why then did heaven create me alone, that I should be without- 
 
 a mate ! 
 My sister Keaou Fung, younger than myself by two years — 
 Has already born a son, some twelve months ago ! 
 I fe^l ashamed that I so lightly threw away my person upon you — 
 You may rejoice at it, but my orphan like heart is sorrowful indeed !' 
 The solemn oaths you swore to me in former years, what has 
 
 become of them now? 
 Raise but your head three cubits high, and the gods and spirits are 
 
 around you ! 
 Yovi have gone to the southern river, I remain on the northern — 
 Thousandsof miles, and intervening mountains, part us far asunder — 
 But were it possible that two wings should suddenly issue forth 
 
 from my body — 
 } would fly to Woo keang, and stand up, my lord, by your side ! 
 Our early intercourse, only heaven, earth, you and myself knew — 
 But now unnumbered people shall deplore (he tragic ending of our 
 
 loves ! 
 
 * A famous work on fortiine-telJing', I'lie ciglit cliaracters she alludes to, 
 are those wliich mark the year, month, day, and hour of her biitb, two 
 rhdiacteis, one a /teavetdy slcm and one an earthly branch, to each divi- 
 sion of lime. + A famous work on divination. 
 
[52] 
 
 I wag locked up in the recesses of a soldier's harera, as a beauty of 
 
 a tliousand pieces of gold — * 
 When heaven, with the smile still on my face, gave me over to 
 
 your villainies ! 
 With detestation do I view your unrighteous conduct Sir ! and now 
 
 that I am returning to the city of the dead — 
 Far better had it besn, had imperial heaven never created me at all ! 
 From tlie time that I send this letter to the friend of my youth— 
 I expect that no answer will reach my father's camp ! 
 Alas ! for one of a family of generals,, who wore iron armour of old— 
 A maiden brought up in the fragrant apartment, lovely as a flower — 
 Who, only because she had some little knowledge of letters and 
 
 music — 
 Thus after a short life of pleasure, returns to the yellow sands of 
 
 Hades !t 
 By means of twelve cubits of white gauze, suspended from a high 
 
 beam — 
 In the closing of an eye, will my spirit gently float in the immensity 
 
 of space ! 
 When the report is once spread abroad, that Keaou Lwan has 
 
 strangled herself — 
 Oh ! how a hard-hearted world, X will laugh at the misfortunes of 
 
 poor Wang of Lin gan ! 
 I feel ashamed that I did not act the part of a wise and virtuous 
 
 maiden — 
 In as much as I took the favors of the harem, and allowed a wretch 
 
 easily to possess them ! 
 My debt of ill-requited love is paid, and I am now about to return 
 
 to the Nine streams — 
 
 * In the complimentary lani^uage of the Cliinese, when speaking: of your 
 (Uughter, it is customary to style ber " your thousand pieces of gold." 
 
 t The Chinese Ijave a great many expressions to denote the abode of de- 
 li^rted spirits. + Literally the whole city. 
 
I53i 
 
 Bat even at the Nine streams, I will not pardon you I 
 
 Before— you loved me tenderly ! alas ! 'tis not so now ! 
 
 Now — I hate you, villain ! even as the sea is deep ! 
 
 Knowing that my intentions towards you were full of kindness — 
 
 Who would have suspected, that your heart was like that of a 
 
 wild beast ! 
 I now again take a piece of stuff, like the fatal gauze handkerchief — 
 And send it you with all due ceremony, far as your home may be ! 
 I sigh when I think, that our acquaintance began, and shall end by 
 
 a trifle like this ! — 
 
 Slaying a man may be excused, but it is difficult to pardon treason 
 
 in love! 
 AH my former reiterated injunctions thus come to an end ! — 
 
 All my unnumbered sorrows of bye-gone days, this day cease for 
 ever ! 
 
 If you would like to remember the mournful story of our loves — 
 
 Please read, till you are full of it, this letter from the wretched 
 Keaou Lwan ! 
 
 Her letters and poetry being now fairly written out, she wished again 
 to dispatch Sin kew with them, but the soldier knit his brows, ground 
 his teeth, and would on no account consent to go. There was then no 
 way of getting her letters sent to Ting cliang, when it so happened, 
 that just at that very time, her father fell sick of tlie phlegm, and 
 called Keaou Lwan to look over, and arrange some public documents 
 for him. In looking over these papers, she found one relating to a 
 soldier, a native of VVoo keang district, who had deserted from that 
 quarter, and had joined her father's military station at Nan yang. 
 Lwan's heart immediately conceived the following project. She took 
 all their former love correspondence, along with the newly composed 
 poetry relating to the taking away of her own Hfe, and her ballad of 
 eternal resentment — these she classed in order, so as to form a little 
 volume : then taking the two copies of their marriage contract, she 
 
[54] 
 
 placed them vvitliiii the cover: afterwards she made a parcel of the 
 whole, which she put up in the form of a mandarin's public docu- 
 ment: this she sealed, and wrote upon tlie envelope — "Captain 
 " U^ang, who holds the seal of office of tlie military station of Nan 
 " yang, to the chief magistrate of ^Voo keang, in the imperial dis- 
 " trict of Soo chow, to be opened when seated in his public hall — 
 " these." This done, she di.spatched an accredited messenger with 
 the same, and her father Mr. Wang knew nothing whatever about the 
 matter. 
 
 That very night, Keaou Lwan washed her person with the utmost 
 care, and having changed her clothes, she desired Ming hea to go and 
 boil her some tea, using this deceit, to get I\Iing hea out of the room. 
 No sooner was her maid gone, tlian having first fastened the door, she 
 made use of a stool to support her feet, then taking a white sash, she 
 threw it over a beam and tied it ; next, having made fast the scented 
 gauze napkin, the first cause of all her woes, round her throat, she 
 joined it to the white sash in a dead knot, and finally kicking away 
 the stool, her feet swung in mid air, and in a moment her spirit dis- 
 solved in ether,* while her soul sought the habitations of the dead, at 
 the early age of twenty one years ! 
 A little scented gauze handkerchief commenced and ended her tragic 
 
 history.— 
 It made, as it were, Seaou ho, and it also marred Seaou ho.t 
 Ming hea then having boiled the tea, was bringing it to her mis- 
 tress, when she found tlie door fast shut. She knocked for some time, 
 but no one opening, she ran in a great fright to communicate the 
 intelligence to Aunt Tsaou. This lady along with Mrs. Chow speedi- 
 ly arrived, and the room. door being forced open, words cannot de- 
 scribe the horror and dismay that seized them, when the sad spectacle 
 within presented itself to their view ! Old Mr. Wang was not long 
 in hearing the dismal tale, and in an instant he repaired to the spot. 
 
 ^ Se,e note M at tlie end. f See note N at the end. 
 
[55] 
 
 It were needless to relate the scene pf sorrow that ensued : neither 
 
 the old gentleman nor his lady knew for what reason their beloved 
 
 daughter had committed this rash act. But it was necessary to take 
 
 some steps for the interment of the body, and a coflin being procured, 
 
 what was once the lovely and accomplished Lwan, was, amid the 
 
 tears and lamentations of the whole household, consigned to the silent 
 
 grave ! 
 
 Let us now however relate, how that his worsliip Keut-, the chief 
 
 magistrate of Woo Keang district, received the public document from 
 
 the military station of Nanyang. Ilavirag perused it, great was his 
 
 surprise indeed; from times of old until then, he had never heard of 
 
 so extraordinary a cise ! It so happened that at that very time, his 
 
 worship Chaou the Tuy Kwan,* in the train of the Imperial Censor 
 
 Fan die, (who was traversing that part of the country inspecting and 
 
 reforming abuses.) had com j to the very district of Woo keang. Now 
 
 Keue the Che been, had obtained the honors of Tsin szet the same 
 
 year that Chaou the Tuy kwan had, and being very intimate together, 
 
 his worship Keue communicated this singular occurrence to his fellow 
 
 student Chaou. This gentleman having viewed the matter carefully, 
 
 conceived it such a strange occurrence, that it ought to be brought to 
 
 the notice of the Censor himself. His Excellency Fan took the poetry, 
 
 the ballad and the marriage corvtract. and turned tliem and revolved 
 
 them again and again, so as to make himself thoroughly acquainted 
 
 with, and get at the very marrow of, this strange piece of business. 
 
 He deeply lamented the talent of Keaou Lwan, worthy of a better fate, 
 
 while he viewed with no less abhorrence the cruelty of Chow Ting 
 
 chang. He commanded his worship Chaou to make secret inquiries 
 
 about the gentleman, and next day had him apprehended, and brought 
 
 up to the Censor's Public Court for examination. His Excellency 
 
 Fan hiterrogated him himself. Ting chang at first persisted obstinate- 
 
 * An ancient civil nppointment, equal to nliout a modern CUe foosliip. 
 t A title about eqHivalent to our Doctor of Laws. 
 
[56] 
 
 ly in saying that the whole was not true, but the marriage contract 
 being produced as evidence, he did not dare open his mouth. His Ex- 
 cellency the Censor in great wrath, commanded the lictors to give 
 him fifty severe blows of the bamboo, and conduct him to the public 
 prison. In the meantime he dispatched a letter to the military station 
 of Nan yang, to enquire if Keaou Lwan had in very deed strangled 
 herself or not. After not many days, a reply came, containing the 
 particulars of poor Lwau"s untimely end, upon which the Imperial 
 Censor Fan had Ting chang taken out of prison, and brought up a 
 second time to his tribunal. The Censor in a voice of wrath thus ad- 
 dressed him. " To treat with levity or insult the daughter of a man- 
 " darin of rank, is one crime. Being already betrothed to one wife, 
 " marrying another is a second crime. Having had adulterous inter- 
 " course, leading to the death of a party concerned, is a third crime. 
 "In your marriage contract it is written, " if the man deceive the 
 "woman, may unnumbered arri > slay his body!'' I have now 
 no arrows here to slay thee, — but"— he raising his voice, " thou 
 
 " shalt be beat to death with staves lik. f, dog, so that thou mayest 
 " serve as a warning to all coldblooded villains in future ] " With 
 that he shouted with a loud voice as a signal to the baillifs and lictors 
 who were in waiting : — these grasping their clubs of bamboo tushed 
 forward in a body and tumultuously struck* the wretched culprit, 
 pieces of whose body flew about the Hall in all directions, and in a 
 moment, a bloody and hideous mass marked the corpse of the betrayer 
 of Lwan ! 
 
 Within the City there was not one man who did not approveof this 
 punishment, as well merited by his former heartless crueltj'. His 
 father, professor Chow, on hearing of this new?, suddenly died of 
 grief and indignation, and not long after, the daughter of Wei whom 
 Ting chang had married, gave her hand to another. 
 
 * In the original it says, tliey made no distinclion between sol and si, i. e. 
 tliey ruiij all the notes ox the gamut upon liiiu at the same time. 
 
[57] 
 
 Reader ! Why should he thus court the wealth and beauty of a 
 second bride, and turn his back upon his previous oath ? What really 
 "was the profit on't ? There is a stanza which says — 
 
 Having become man and wife for a single night, remain man and 
 wife for ever ! 
 
 What can you expect to gain, by deceiving a tender girl's too con- 
 fiding heart ? 
 
 Should you say that no vengeance awaits the false and cruel 
 lover — 
 
 Please to read this story of lasting resentment which took place in 
 byegone years ! 
 
 FI]¥I($ • 
 
[59] 
 
 ^^* o t e s . 
 
 Note A — Wftnji:k\Tei turned liis back &c., see pajje 6. Wiins: kwei lidvinif 
 been disappointed in ol)t!iiiiinj; academic honors, retired from the spot in 
 hiu'h dudireon, and, with n friend, went to drown crire and disappoit\tmfiit, 
 in a cup of wine at tlie house of a youna; a'ld heautifti! coartez;in. Tlie fair 
 lady was called Kwei yin,!^, and siie and Wanuf kwei were on tiie most in- 
 timate terms. One day she said to him. — "My love! do yon exert yourself 
 " and study hard in order to get on in the world, and as for voiir expenses 
 •' all the year round, leave that to me." W'ani: kwei accordingly went tu 
 attend tlie next triennial examinations, and before settina: out on his jonrnev, 
 they went to^^elher to the temple of the " ijod of the sea" where ihev swcrrt 
 to be faithful to each other for life and death. But no sooner hid he suc- 
 ceeded in obtaining government employ, than he disregarded his former 
 oath. Kwei ying sent him several letters which he never answered, and at 
 length the young lady, learning that he was seated on his bench of jiistire, 
 sent a messenger to his public hall to present a petition to him, in whicli 
 was embodied a sketch of his own conduct. Wang kwei guessed very well 
 what the subject of the petition was, and without much ceremony, in an 
 anqry tone, ordered her messenger out of court. This deputy having rejiort- 
 ed the same to the young lady, she forthwith seized a knife and cut her 
 throat. One day when Wang kwei little expected such a visit, the ghost of 
 Kwei ying, as like the young lady as Hamlet's fatlier's ghost was to hisi 
 father, suddenly stood before him. Wang kwei in a great fright ciclnimed — 
 " I will get a Bhudhist priest to say masses for your soul without number, 
 " to help your soul across the yellow stream (styx) and secure it a pleas- 
 " ant abode in Keih lo kwo (elysium or paradise) if you nill only let me 
 " escape 1" *' No " ! indignantly exclaimed the ghost of Kwei yiug, " thou 
 " art such a heartless villain that notliiug will satisfy my revenge but thy 
 " life ! " and strange to say, not long after, Wang kwei suddenly fell dead ! 
 
 See the Tsing she, vol. 7 article ■^ ^ih 
 
 Note B — Le yih also sinned against his conscience &r., page 6. Lc yih 
 was a native of the district anciently called Lung se, now formins; a part of 
 the modern province of Shen se, and was about thirty years of age, when 
 the anecdote we are about to relate of him took place. He was then em- 
 ployed as a Tsin sze, his family were of the utmost resi)ectability — from his 
 youth his talents had attracted attention, and his compositions were unrival- 
 led for their beauty. When about to set out for the city of Chang gan 
 (Peking) to attend the triennial examinations, he was introduced by a pro- 
 curanse mother Paou the eleventh, to the acquaintance of a young liUe de 
 joie of exquisite beauty, called Seaou yuh (the little jade-stone.) They 
 clandestinely enjoyed their loves, and Seaou yuh being completely versed in 
 poetry, fine writing, music &c., they bound themselves by a solemn oath, 
 that each should never wed another. Le yih then went lo the examinalions, 
 and on parting with Seaou yuh agreed upon a term when he was speedily 
 to return. But he having obtained the object of his ambition, and being 
 new smployed as a mandarin, bis parents made him marry another, and 
 
[60] 
 
 consequently his correspondence with his former love came to an end. 
 Seaou yuli took off her head-dress and sent it by a messenger to see and 
 learn how matters went on. It chanced that a sort of knight errant came 
 to hear of her story, and he found means to bring Le yiii into the presence 
 of Seaou yuh once more. Tlie young lady clasped his band, and bursting 
 into a flood of tears died of a broken heart. After tliis Le yih's disposition 
 underwent a complete change ; whenever he saw any thing in the shape of 
 womankind, he looked at it with distrust and abhorrence. He was thrice 
 married, and yet no wife would suit him, and when he died no one dared to 
 approach him. He was thus condemned to be a hermit, as it were, in re- 
 quital of his former cruelty. 
 
 See Tsing she, rol. 7 article ^^ ^ 
 
 Note B B — If j'ou will only consent that the male and female phenix, &c., 
 page 13. The characters used here, vizt. Lwan and Fung, both mean the 
 male phenix, and when the character Fung meets in conjunction with 
 Hwang, it must be so translated. But, strange to say, when the same cha- 
 racter meets with Lwan it can only bft translated as female, thus in the Chi- 
 nese Courtship the expression. "Tan Lwan shwang Fung twan yuen." 
 " The perfect happiness of the bridegroom and his two wives," again the 
 title of a well known Chinese play is, " San Fung Lwan," which can only be 
 translated. — " The three brides and their bridegroom " (at least such is the 
 suhject of the play) : and finally the real meaning of our text is : " If you will 
 only consent that I (the young gentleman represented by the character 
 Lwan) repose upon the same pillow with you (the young lady represented 
 by the character Fung) then," — &c., &c., &c. 
 
 Note C — How can a little boy be permitted &c., page 15. " The Emperor 
 Tae Tsung of the Tang dynasty " &c., page 18 and " look up to the north 
 star the place whence honors flow " &c., page 20. The Emperor Ming 
 of the Tang dynasty, commonly called Tae tsung, was very fond of his ease 
 and pleasure. One night when the autumn moon was at it's full, and the 
 whole canopy of heaven was clear blue sky, Tae tsung went to take a ram- 
 ble in the moon's rays accompanied by a Taou priest called Lo kiing yaen 
 who was a famous enchanter. The Taou priest threw his staff from him 
 which instantly changed into a long bridge. Along this they sauntered till 
 they were brought up by a splendid palace, where was growing the Oiea 
 fragrans tall beyond conception, the leaves and branches were exceedingly 
 abundant — while the most balmy perfume took possession of their senses. 
 Tae tsung asked of his guide " what place is this '" ? The Taou priest an- 
 swered, " this is the palace of the moon " ! So when Tae tsung returned to 
 this lower world (or anglice, when he awoke from his dream) he built a 
 hall resembling the one he had seen in the palace of the moon, in which he 
 pla;ited the olea fragrans, and afterwards when a scholar obtained the high- 
 est academic honors, he caused him to enter this sublunary palace of the 
 moon, and pluck a branch of the said plant, which action is therefore the 
 equivalent of attaining the greatest success in one's studies. 
 
 When Tae tsung was in the palace of the moon, he had an opportunity of 
 seeing the beauteous Nymph Chang go, (Diana) and ou returning', ofcec 
 
[61] 
 
 longed to have lier on earth as his companion. This is in Chinese, the 
 equivalent of hoping for au impossibility. 
 
 At the side of the temple of the moon, were spread out in due order the 
 stars forming the Chinese northern constellation. Advising a student to 
 studv hard and endeavor to get a sight of these, has therefore the same 
 meaninjj, as recommending him to try to pluck the Olea fragrans from the 
 moon. 
 
 Note D — I would advise you sir not to revel in foolish dreams pape 15 Sec. 
 Literally, I would recommend you not to think of the dreams of ^'ang tae. 
 In days of old, Seang, sovereign of the state of Tsoo, while ramhiing in the 
 district of Kaon tang, being much fatigued, fell asleep in open day. in a 
 dream he saw a beautiful woman approach him, whom he embraced in his 
 sleep. The woman said to him. '• I dwell in the Yang tae (literally ter- 
 race exposed to the suu) in the Woo shan: (literally mountain of niiitricians) 
 ** in the morning I am a cloud, in the evening I aui rain &c." When the 
 Emperor Seang awoke from his dream he related the circumstance, and 
 from that day, the nxpression " clouds and rain " is used to denote 
 the intercourse of the sexes. — See Pr. Morrisons dictionary, characters 
 
 ^ yun and ^ yu. 
 
 Note E — But clouds sever the river, &c., &c., page 1(5. There are the 
 following legends connected with the Seang keang, or literally, boiling or 
 bubbling up river. It is said that Cliing keaoii foo was in the habit of 
 constantly rambling along the banks of the Seang keang. On one occasion 
 he saw a couple of Nymphs goigeously appareled and beauteous " beyoml 
 compare," who had two bright pearls, big as pigeon's or hen's eggs bound 
 to their waists. Ching keaou foo on seeing tlicui fell in love with tliein, 
 and knew not that they were genii. Wishiig to possess himself of their 
 pearls he begged tbem of them, and they gave him tliem. He on receiving 
 them treasured up the pearls in his bosom, but in an instant the pearls 
 were missing, the divine Nymphs had vanished into tliin air, and ever after 
 he looked for them in vain ! Also, the good Emperor Shun having died at 
 a place callc(i Tsang woo, his royal concubine Seang (Seang fe) sate by the 
 brink of the Seang-keang, where she wept so bitterly that she stained the 
 reeds that grew by the river's side with her tears- She afterwards died in 
 that spot. 
 
 The language of the text admits of more than one rendering, but the idea 
 is, the tryingto obtain a beloved object, and not being able to succeed. A 
 famed Chinese poet, Le keun yuh, speaking of a beautiful Nymph, says. — 
 " The train of her gown which she drasiged along, was six folds of Seang 
 "keang water, and the head dress wliiih she sjiorted, was the mountain 
 " Woo in a cloud ! " The meaning of the poet is, in tlie first place to ex- 
 press the maiden's beauty by these comparisons, and in the second place lo 
 say that she was unattainable or imaginary, like Cbing Keaou foo's genii, 
 or like the lady who dwelt in Woo shau. — See note D. 
 
[89] 
 
 Note F — The bridi-groom Keeff new, who srpiratcil, kc, pige 19. 
 
 This alludes to tlie constellations Chili-neu ^^C "^" Lyra, and Keen- 
 
 Jiew 1^? Ji^ or New-lnng .^p* WtJ Cupncoiuus. The Koo-«z«-yuen 
 
 gays, East of tlie Milky Way is the constellation Cliih-nen, the graml- daughter 
 of Tfiente, (sovereign of the stars). She was very industrious, and yearly 
 wove articles of delicate texture. So intent was she on weavin-/, as to be 
 careless of adorniiip her person. Teen-te coniusiseratinp; her Hviiii^ alone, 
 married her to K<5en new, a constellation to the south of the Milky Way. 
 "When married, she no ioncer applied herself to work. Tlie soveieiffu dis- 
 pleased, ordered her to return to her former residence, and from that time 
 only permitted her once a year to visit her husband, which takes place on 
 the seventh evening of the seventh moon. Chih-neu is now worship|)ed by 
 iinmarrigd women to obtain skill in embroidery. P. P. Thorns' Chintss 
 Courtship. 
 
 Note G — Yon must spy the countenance of Ilan senno: ts/.e, Ac, page 21. 
 Han lang or Han seang tsze flourished during the Tan? dynasty. His 
 temper was remarkably platonic ; wine, women, and wealth he cared not a 
 Jtraw about. Indeed he carried this to ridiculous e.\tremes. He used to 
 sit in his stndy which was c^.lled the Tsing so keue or azure locked apart- 
 ment, Tfhere he applied himself to his books and cared for nought else. One 
 day (us the story goes) his mother anxious that he should leave some |ios- 
 terity behind him, .sent his wife to his study with some additional clothinLS 
 the weather being then exceedingly cold : the old lady's object was that they 
 might hold conjugal intercourse together, but Han seang tsze smelt a rat 
 und turned the baggage out. He paid great attention in his life-time to the 
 doctrines of the Taou sect, and acquired much fame as a seer or prophet. 
 After death he was made one of the eight genii. 
 
 Note H — The guitar of the assignment making Tsuy, &c., page 21, 
 Miss Tsuy is the heroine of the famous Chinese Novel called the Se seang yo, 
 or intrigues of the western outhouse. This young lady otherwise called 
 Tsuy Ying ying and Shwang wan was beautiful and accomplished. She 
 liad accompanied her mother Mrs. Tsuy to watch her father's bier at the 
 Poo kew sze (or Temple of Universal Salvation) when " as luck would 
 *' have it" the student, master Chang kung alias Kwnn snV, travelling for 
 Lis education passed that way. At one glance of Miss Tsuy's eyes, sou! 
 and spirit left him, and from that moment he became this young lady's 
 ardent admirer. He forthwith borrowed the outhouse of the Temple under 
 the pretence that he wanted to pursue his studies there, but the reality was 
 that he hoped to get another view of that face and form which had subdued 
 Lis heart. It so happened that just at that time, a noted bandit called Sun 
 fe boo (literally the grandson of the flying tiger) surrounded the Temple 
 ■with his marauders and wished to carry off Miss Tsny. In this extremity 
 the old lady declared that he.who should be able to raise the siege, would 
 Le lewarded by having her daughter to wife. Chang kung forthwith sent a 
 Bhuddist priest, who escaped the besiegers and managed to deliver a letter 
 from Chang kung to his friend General Pih ma or the white Hor«e, who 
 
[63] 
 
 speedily l)rouc;lit his troops nnJ rnised the sieee. Wht^n the service wax 
 performed, Mrs. Tstiy broke ftiitli with Chang kiing; and pre])aring a hanqnet 
 intiodiiced the young gentleman to her daughter, on the understanding tiiat 
 they weie to be a mere brother and sister and nothing more. Chang hung 
 Leing greatly disajipoinled thereupon fell sick, when meeting a confidential 
 icivaut girl of Miss Tsuy's called Hung neang, he got her to convey a letter 
 to her mistress. This letter was written in consequence of Chang kung, 
 while i>assing the eastern wall win r: Miss Tsny held out, hearing her play 
 her guitar and it seemed to hiui from the words she sung that she was 
 inviting him to an assignation in her private apartment. When he had got 
 J her* the young lady turned short upon him and gave him a round scolding, 
 saying. — " Because we have become brother and sister, mayhap you 
 " think that the rules of decency are not to be observed between us .'" 
 Chang kung at this re'iuff le urncd to his r lom, where his complaint to(jk a 
 more serious turn than bufore. Now it so happened, tliut Miss Tsuy was a 
 sly little baL'gaiie, and tlio' she had thus refused him, yet she loved hiui ;it 
 her heart, and felt sorry and indignant that her uiollier had broken faiili 
 with the young gentleman ; so she found an opportunity ot slijiping into the 
 sick youth's bed chamber, where she laid oiieu to him the true feelings of her 
 bosom. Tlie cuirent of their loves however did not run smooth. Chang 
 kung went to the cajiital to attend the triennial ex iminalions, and they 
 never met more. The story ends al)ruptly. It is jaid that afterwards eacli 
 man led another oaity. — * 
 
 The passage alluded to may also be translated. " Do you feel ashamed 
 " to listen to the guiliir of Miss Tsuy at the east wall." 
 
 Note I — As did the ui-vfortunatc lady Keang page 33. There are two or 
 three females naniid f\eaug very famous in Chinese story. One of them 
 who was called Chini; Keang (or the virgin ) was the royal concubine of Chaou 
 ]^mperor of tlie T>0(). <7ne day her lend v.xnt out to amuse himself, leaving 
 this I, id}- in the '1,'seon terrace (or teii-aec of the gradually (ipproacl]in'.r 
 wateis.) Tliey had luevifinuly agreed that when tlie iMupeior should wish 
 Queen Keang to join him in his rambles, he would send her a ticket by the 
 messenger, without wliieh she was not quit the palace ; but that day seeing 
 the waters of the river risin;? rapidly, he sent a servant to order her fo leave 
 the house directly, else she would be di owned ; and such was his hurry, that 
 he forgot to si'ud the ticket, or liter:,lly the little sli[> of bamboo. She 
 demaiuhd this of the messenger, and he not bein;r able to produce it, she fol- 
 lowed the Emperor's previous commands aii pied Jr la lettie, and obstinately 
 refusing to leave the jdace, was drowned in her terrace. Another lady of this 
 name was the wife of Kung pih prince of Wei. Her lord having died early, 
 lier parents Vrished to compel lier to marry again, hut she obstinately per- 
 sisted in maintaining her chastity, and composed certain stanzas called the 
 
 * There is also another tradition which represents Chang kung as obtain- 
 ing hii;h literary honors, and wedding Miss Tsuy on his return, when, ns 
 stories" generallv end, they lived together as hai>pily as man and wife possi* 
 bly CJuUl do, and Miss 'J'su'y is often spokcu of as a model of filial respect.. 
 
[64] 
 
 " Pill cliow she " in which she bound herself bj- a solemn oath never to wed 
 
 another. And aiain there was a woman vizt, the wife of one Keang she, who 
 lived in the time of the Kwang Han, remarkable for her filial piety. Her 
 mother in law liked very m\ich to drink of the water of a river that ran 
 seven Cliinese miles (2^ English miles) from theii- house, and the poor woman 
 (vizt Keang she's wife) had to get up every morning at cock-crow, and draw 
 it at the stream with her own hands- However, when the snow lay thick on 
 the giound, and the weather was bad, she could not bring it very regularly, 
 upon which her husliand chid her for being a lazy disrespectful sluf, and turn- 
 ed her out of doors. The poor woman went to a neighbour's hou.'e where she 
 supported herself by spinning and weaving, and anon would send her cruel 
 or capricious mother-in-law, by the hands of the old woman she staid with, 
 some nice little bonnes-bouches, or the produce of her loom. Keang she on 
 hearing of this took her back, when a spring of water of the same taste exactly 
 as that of the river began to flow by the side of their cottage ; her filial piety 
 being thus rewarded in not reouiring to make her foriuer long journies again. 
 
 See the ^ ^1 ^^ 0^ Vol. 9 Cap. 6. 
 
 Moreover the Queen of the famous Wan wang was named Keang. One 
 day she undid her head-dress, and falling on her knees before her lord, 
 demanded punishment. \Van wang said, that as she had committed no crime, 
 he had no occasion to punish her : upon which she replied that she had 
 committed a crime, in as much as she was the cause why the King lay so 
 long a-bed in the niorninss, by which evil habit, many of the jieople's 
 grievances were left unredressed. Wan wang took the hint, and ever after- 
 wards got up earlier- See Gonsalves Arte China No, 15. Keaou Lwan's 
 allusion is evidently to the first of the name. 
 
 Note K — The dutiful iWin Keen page 33. Min Tsze Keen was a disciple 
 of Confucius, and remarkable for his filial piety. His own mother being 
 dead, his father married another wife, who bore him a son, still an infant.* 
 His father -was a coachman by profession, and Min Keen used to accompany 
 him to learn the noble science of the whip, or as others say, he used to push 
 his father about in a sort of hurley or wheelbarrow. One day his father see- 
 ing the poor boy shivering with cold, said to him, " why child, you have got 
 *' on a nicely cotton-wadded gown, how comes it that you look as cold as 
 " an icicle ? "—but looking more narrowly he saw that his dress was meiely 
 stuffed with straw and leaves, his stepmother having deprived him of the 
 cotton to give it to her own child. His father got into a great rage and 
 wished to put his wife outside of the house for her partiality and injustice, 
 but Min Tjze Keen with tears in his eyes implored his father saying, "while 
 " mother is still here, it is only one son who suffers cold, but were you to 
 •' send mother away, both boys would be destitute and forlorn ! " His father 
 at these words paused and reflected, and stopped the currentof his wrath. His 
 stepmother felt grateful to the boy for his goodness, and ever afterwards 
 treated them both with equal kindness. Speaking of him, Confucius said in 
 his praise, " who is the dutiful son.'— .why it is Min Tsze keen ! " 
 
 * Some people say that his second wife bore him two sons. 
 
* 
 
 • • 
 
 . • ' • • - • • • : . • 
 •.•!•. 
 
 L65 1 
 
 Note L — The days of niadanie Wan Keun page SO. Clio Wan Keiin, was 
 a bean ti fill woman, and possessed commanding talents. Her father's name 
 was Cho Wang sun ; he was a rich and noble personage during the lime of the 
 Han dynnstv, and loved much to hold intercourse with men of letters. One 
 day the old gentleman sjjrcad a feast , and in\'ited Sze ma Seangjoo to come and 
 jiartake of it. Now it so hajipened that at that very time Wan Keun had just 
 become a widow. She played the guitar or harp most beaulifnily, a circum- 
 stance which Seang joo was perfectly aware of, so when he got rather tipsy, 
 he called for his liarp and played the air, " 'J'he male phenix is calling his 
 mate " in order to excite her passions. Wan Keun being constitutionally 
 very loving, was indeed well pleased to hear this air pla\ ed, she was at no 
 loss to understand what he wanted, and at midnight stole to Si-nng joo'a 
 apartment where they agreed to become man and wife. Sze ma Seaug joo 
 took his own clothes and put them on Wan Keun, when they ran olf (^ la 
 Gretna Green ) to Ching too foo the Capital of Sze chuen, Seang joo's native 
 place. They lived together very happily as man and wife, I)otli being pas- 
 sionately fond of reciting verses, and both, when their throats were dry with 
 this intellectual exercise, being no less fond of a glass of good wine. 
 
 Note M — Her spirit dissolved in ether, while her soul, &c., page 54. The 
 literal translation of this passage is : Her three spirits or three tenths of spirit, 
 floated, vague and dazzling ; her seven souls or seven tenths of soul, deep in 
 liidden recesses sinik. There are two lines of poetry which e.xpre-ss tiie same 
 meaninff in antithcr passage \izt — 
 
 = Sfe !0 ;j# # ^ 't -b.^i^/^A:^it 
 
 San hwan nieauu meaou kwei shwuy too=Tseih piii yew yen- juh iiiin^ tfio : 
 Her three tenths of spirit floating on vasty space, returned to the tity of 
 the waters ; Her seven tenths of soul mournfully entered the road of the ha- 
 bitations of the dead ! Tlie term hwan, here translated spirit, is defined as 
 
 belonging to the "jl;^ yang, i. e. the nobler or male principle of nature, 
 
 while the term pili, translated soul, belongs to the ^^ >"">, i- f- the less 
 
 noble or female principle of nature. These different tt-rms may remind the 
 reader of the words llyivy.x and ■i'vxv nscd by St, I'aul in the ].') C.ip. v( 
 his 1st epistle to the Corinthians, also translated spirit, and .soul. Why t!ie 
 ntiuibers, three of the one and seven of the other, or rather \yliy the himi.ni 
 soul should be composed of three tenths of the ethereal principle, and seven 
 tenths of thedrossy principle, I cannot learn, having never met a Chiiiese wh;) 
 cared a stiaw about the in itlev, or who h:«\ ever given it a thOMght. If any 
 reader shonl.l feel inclined for clear and succinct inform. iti'.n on this, and 
 many other peculiar ideas of the Chinese, 1 beg to leler him to Or. M>r- 
 
 rison's Syllabic Dictionary, and to the characters J^^ huan Q^ j ih 
 ^jl shin g ling yiu f^ >ang ^ ke J^ le ^ taon 
 
 JHj yih i\^ sin, &:e., &c., and to the same gentleman's English and 
 
 (Jliinese dictionary under the words. Soul, Spirit, God, Devil, Heaven, 
 Hell, &c., &c. 
 
[66] 
 
 Note N — It iniide as it were Seaou ho and it also marred Seaou ho &c.,page 
 54. Seauu ho was the prime minister of the first sovereign of the Han dj'nasty 
 railed after his death, Kaou tsoo. When estahlishing himself on his throne, 
 lie drew iij, three books of laws, but he was not able to finish the work, leav- 
 ing still undone that part of the code which distinguished between more and 
 less severe punishments. This the Emperor deputed Seaou ho to do, and he 
 did it. in a style which called forth the warmest approbation of his Imperial 
 master. But when the unfortunate law-concoctor was copying his work 
 clean out, and preparing it for the press, his mother called him several times 
 to come and take his rice, as the dinner was getting cold. He however was 
 too intent on transcribing his work and wished to finish it, so he "answered 
 negliffenlly, he knew not what." After a little time the whole being com- 
 pleted, his wife c;dled him to dinner, when he went immediately. His 
 mother asked liim, " what have you been about sir, that yon did not come 
 " when I called you ?" Seaou ho replied, " I have been dividing or dis- 
 " tinguishing between light and severe punishments." " And pray what 
 *' punishment," added the old lady " do your laws award to a son, who 
 "hearkens to his wife, and disobeys his mother ? " " Decapitation " in- 
 nocently answered Seaou ho. His mother (having no idea that the joke 
 was to end so tragically) reported this circumstance to the Emperor. He 
 felt exceedingly grieved thereat, and wished much to pardon Seaou ho, but 
 feared that if he pardoned the first law-breaker at the out set, his laws 
 would not be respected, so he had the ill starred Seaou he's head, severed 
 from his body at the market place I This bloody and cruel example was quite 
 as well calculated to teach people to beware of practical jokes, as to beware 
 of breaking the laws; and may remind the European reader of the brazen, 
 bull which Ihe sapient I'erilliis, presented to the tyrant Pbalaris. 
 
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