Page:Columbia University Lectures on Literature (1911).djvu/91

Rh from foreign languages generally is an unwelcome task, requiring as it does a philologist and a poet combined in the translator who is constantly subject to the conflict between faithful adherence to the original and poetic license, the rendering of a Chinese poem into English is a particularly thankless one. For a literal translation the philological edition of the Shi-king by the late Professor Legge is the standard work. However, Dr. Legge was anything but a poet. The flavor of these ancient rhymes may appeal to a native thoroughly at home in Chinese ancient folk-lore, but will hardly ever do so to a European reader. Readable translations, of course, lose as much in philological accuracy as they gain in poetical charm. There is an excellent German translation by Victor von Strauss, in which the poetic spirit is occasion- ally rendered without sacrificing too much of philological accuracy; and among English translations the one that will appeal most to Western readers is that of Mr, Clement F. R. Allen. Such as it is, I look upon the venerable "Canon of Odes" rather as a source of information on Chinese ancient culture than of poetical enjoyment.

(4) The "Canon of Rites" (Li-ki), a collection of rules describing, to the minutest detail, the ceremonial to be ob- served by the Chinese gentleman on all occasions of daily life. Similar in spirit is another work, which is not now comprised among the "Five Canons," though fully as important as the Li-ki. It describes under the title Chou-li the government and its many subdivisions with their functions during the Chou dynasty.

(5) The "Spring and Autumn," in Chinese, Ch'un-ts'iu, an historical work containing in the tersest possible language the annals of the state of Lu, where Confucius was born. It is supposed to have been compiled by Confucius himself; and its style, consisting in the simple statement of events in strictly chronological order, has become the pattern for numerous later works on historical subjects. Much more important