Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/145

 Oh, for the humble turtle's flight,

my mate and I ; Not the lone crane far out of sight

beyond the sky ! "

The original name of a striking character who, in A.D. 502, placed himself upon the throne as first Emperor of the Liang dynasty, was HSIAO YEN. He was a devout Buddhist, living upon priestly fare and taking only one meal a day ; and on two occasions, in 527 and 529, he actually adopted the priestly garb. He also wrote a Buddhist ritual in ten books. Interpreting the Buddhist commandment " Thou shalt not kill " in its strictest sense, he caused the sacrificial victims to be made of dough. The following short poem is from his pen :

" Trees grow, not alike,

by the mound and the moat; Birds sing in the forest

with varying note; Of the fish in the river

some dive and some float. The mountains rise high

and the waters sink low, But the why and the wherefore

we never can know."

Another well-known poet who lived into the seventh century is HSIEH TAO-HENG. He offended Yang Ti, the second Emperor of the Sui dynasty, by writing better verses than his Majesty, and an excuse was found for putting him to death. One of the most admired couplets in the language is associated with his name though not actually by him, its author being unknown. To amuse a party of friends Hsieh Tao-heng had written impromptu,

M A week in the spring to the exile appears Like an absence from home of a couple of years*

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