452 Mr. Davis on the Poelry of the Chinese. 



which M. Remusat alludes is the following, and it confines itself so expressly 

 to the musical, or operatic portions of the drama, that it would seem impos- 

 sil)le to extend its application either to novels, or to any other part of 

 Chinese literature. " A considerable portion of the plays of the Chinese 

 consists of a sort of irregular verse, which is sung, or chaunted with music. 

 This is often very obscure in its import ; and as, according to the Chinese 

 tiiemselves, the gratification of the ear is its main object, sense itself ap- 

 pears sometimes to be neglected (not sacrificed), for the sake of a pleasing 

 sound." That this is really the case, as regards the songs of the drama 

 alone, is proved, as well by the verbal testimony of natives, as by the fol- 

 lowing passage from the preface to the " Hundred Plays of Yuen," which 

 refers chiefly to stage rules. 



•' Although the words may be wrong, provided that the laws of sound and 

 cadence be not violated, there is no harm done : — ^generally speaking, the 

 study of the tune, or air, must be the first consideration, and the knowledge 

 of the part (or role) the second." This is all extremely possible, and finds 

 a parallel in our own opera and stage songs, some of which are sufficiently 

 insignificant, and intended merely as pegs to hang musical notes upon — 

 but that he should ever have said any thing so extravagant regarding poems 

 wiiich are addressed expressly to the eife and the understanding, and to 

 them only, the writer of this must utterly disclaim. As M. Remusat could 

 not have intended to misrepresent his meaning, he feels persuaded that the 

 (piotation was made from memory. 



Since it would appear, then, that Chinese poetry generally lias a meaning, 

 although this meaning may not always be very easy to arrive at,* some ef- 

 fectual means of increasing our acquaintance with it is perhaps one of the 

 greatest desiderata in eastern literature. It is very easy to " harden igno- 

 rance into contempt," and to assume that whatever is unknown is not worth 

 knowing : but the excellent use which has already been made of oriental 

 thoughts and imagery, derived from languages of Asia more familiar to us, 

 might encourage some extension in the range of our enquiries. Fruits of 

 the highest culture may be improved and varied by foreign grafts ; and as 



* ' La langue po6tique des Chinois est veritablement inlraduisible ; on pourrait pput-etrc 

 ajoutci' qu'elle est souvent iniiitelligible.' — M. Remusat. 



