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 And I swear that till death I will not do the evil thing. O mother, O Heaven, Why will you not understand me?"

In the following lines a young lady begs her lover to be more cautious in his advances, and that in a tone which may remind us of Nausikaa's request to Odysseus to walk at some distance behind her, lest the busybodies of the town should take occasion to gossip:—

1. "I pray you, Mr. Chung, Do not come leaping into my hamlet; Do not break my willow-trees. Do I care for them? But I fear my parents. You, O Chung, are to be loved, But the words of my parents Are also to be feared.

2. "I pray you; Mr. Chung, Do not come leaping over my wall; Do not break my mulberry-trees. Do I care for them? But I fear the words of my brothers. You, O Chung, are to be loved, But the words of my brothers Are also to be feared.

3. "I pray you, Mr. Chung, Do not come leaping into my garden; Do not break my sandal-trees. Do I care for them? But I dread the talk of people, You, O Chung, are to be loved, But the talk of people Is also to be feared."

The following Ode, conceived in a different spirit, will serve to illustrate one of the most prominent features of Chinese