Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/326

 314 CHINESE LITERATURE

" The theme had hardly been uttered, when up started Chi Nien, generalissimo of the Ch'in State, and cried out, ' This is but a question of natural philosophy ; what difficulty is there in it ? ' He thereupon advanced to the front, and, having obtained permission to compete, seized a stylus and wrote down the following reply :

' Nothing supports the sky ; nothing supports the earth; How can we guess at the number which to the universe gave birth ? From the reaches above come the eddying waves of the rivers

rolling might : How can we tell where to look for the germ of the mountain's

towering height ?

By every one of the elements five is the work of Nature done; And of all the ten thousand things that are there is no particular

one.

There you have my replies to the questions set by you ; And the arbiter 's post I hereby claim as the trusty man and true'

"Chi Nien, having delivered this answer, proceeded to tuck up his robe, and, passing to the front of the palace, seized with both hands the sacrificial vessel, and raised it some two feet from the ground, his whole face becoming suffused with colour under the effort. At the same time there arose a great noise of drums and horns, and all the assembled nobles applauded loudly ; whereupon Duke Ai personally invested him with the golden tablet and proclaimed him arbiter of the exhibition, for which Chi Nien was just about to return thanks, when suddenly up jumped Wu Yiian, generalissimo of the Ch'u State, and coming forward, declared in an angry tone that Chi Nien's answer did not dispose of the theme in a proper and final manner ; that he had not removed the sacri- ficial vessel from its place, and that consequently he had not earned the appointment which Wu Yiian now contended should be bestowed upon himself. Duke Ai,

�� �