Page:Pekinese Rhymes (G. Vitale, 1896).djvu/17

Rh After the work of collection, came the work of explanation and translation which was not always easy. The people who spoke the words often were not able to give me light on the difficult points. When pressed by me they suggested something and I picked up what looked more truthlike and reasonable; never did I force or prefer views of my own. Somebody will object to my statement that sparkles of true poetry are to be found in this book. That will very naturally happen to all those who are entirely foreign to the chinese world. Several rhymes (however few in proportion to the bulk of the book) are simple and touching and may be "poetry" for those who have even a slight knowledge of chinese joys and sorrows.

I shall draw also the reader's attention to the system of versification followed in these rhymes. Composed as they are by illiterate people who have no notion of written language, they show a system of versification analogous to that of in any European countries, and almost completely agreeing with the rules