Chapter XVI
Chapter XVI The Answer : Back to the Buddha
THE Master was exceedingly grateful for this
Imperial favour and bowed low and gave
thanks. He then removed his whole house-
hold to Green Mountain Castle, which was among
the hills to the south of the city. The towers were all
in good repair and the views from their tops,
beautiful beyond comparison, were like the fairy
vistas of the Pong-nai Hills.
The main hall was empty and there he placed the
Imperial rescripts and orders. In the inner pavilion
he made the two Princesses live and the six sisters.
Day by day in company with his household he visited
the groves and streams, enjoyed the light of the moon,
or went into the valleys to seek cherry blossoms.
There they wrote verses as they sat under the shade
of the pines, or played on the harp, so that all who
knew of it spoke with admiration of their happy old
age.
Desiring quiet, the Master no longer saw guests
or callers.
On the 1 6th of the 8th Moon, which was his
birthday, a great feast was held at which all the
members of his clan were present. It lasted for ten
days, during which time the whole place was astir.
When it was over and quiet had returned, the retired
mode of life was resumed.
A little later came the 9th Moon, when the buds
of the chrysanthemum began to open and the so-yoo
290
The Answer : Back to the Buddha
berries bloomed red on the high peaks and ledges of
the hills.
To the west of Green Mountain Castle was a high
tower from which a view of the Chin River was to
be had, stretching a hundred miles, silvery and clear
in its long expanse of water. The Master greatly
enjoyed this view, and one day he took the two
Princesses and the six ladies with him to the top.
Each had a wreath of chrysanthemum flowers
encircling her brow, and as they looked off over
the autumn valleys they passed the glass together.
Suddenly the descending sun cast a shadow from the
neighbouring peak that ran a shaft of darkness over
the wide stretch of plain. The Master drew forth his
green stone flute and began to play. The tune was
one plaintive beyond expression, as though heaped-
up sorrows and hidden tears had broken forth upon
them. The ladies' hearts were overcome with sadness,
joy departed, and deep, long shadows closed down
upon the soul.
The two Princesses asked : " Yotir Excellency
has won everything in the way of honour and fame.
You are rich in goods that you have long enjoyed,
with which the world blesses you — something but
rarely seen. When you are so happily circumstanced,
with a beautiful world outstretched before you, and
the golden flowers dropping their petals at your feet,
why should you suggest sadness and sorrow ? With
our loving hearts around you, too, what more could
you have of what the world calls happiness ? The
notes of your flute break our hearts and cause our
tears to flow. You never did this before ; what does
it mean, pray ? "
291
The Cloud Dream of the Nine
Then the Master threw away the flute, drew aside,
and resting on the railing of the balcony, pointed to
the darkening landscape and said : " When I look
north a stretch of level country greets me as far as
the eye can see ; one dismantled hill-top only breaks
the view. The falling light of the evening permits me
to see indistinctly amid the long grass the ruined
A-bang Palace where dwelt the Emperor Chin-see.
When I look west the lonely winds rustle the dry
reeds of the evening as the mists crown the hill over
the deserted tomb of Moo-jee of Han, As I look east,
a white wall encircles a hill, and a red-tiled palace
rises skyward over which the moon now casts its
beams. The marble railings show no one resting on
them, for it is the long-vacated palace of Hyon-jong,
where he dallied his days away with the famous
woman Yang Kwi-pee. Alas, these were all kings of
great renown, who made their gates of the surround-
ing sea, and their court of the far-stretching world.
All the people were their subjects, and were at their
service as courtiers or mistresses. Their mighty
powers and talents were enlisted in search of the
eternal Pong-nai Hills where they might enjoy
unending bliss for ever.
" I, So-yoo, in my boyhood was a poor scholar,
but I have been blessed with enduring favours from
his Majesty, and elevated to the highest rank. The
members of my household have lived together in
sweetness and accord till this time of old age. If it
had not been for the affinity of a former existence,
how could this have been ? By reason of this mys-
terious bond it has all come to pass. When the term
fixed for this mortal life is completed, we must part ;
293
The Answer : Back to the Buddha
and when once death has swept us away, even this
lofty tower shall fall and the fair lake beneath us
shall be dried up. This palace hall^ where to-day
is music and dancing, will be overgrown with grass
and the mists will cover it. Children who gather wood
or feed their cattle on the hillside will sing their songs
and tell our mournful story, saying : * This is where
Master Yang made merry with his wives and family.
All his honours and delights, all the pretty faces of
his ladies, are gone for ever.'
" The boy who gathers wood and the lad who cares
for the cattle will look upon this place of ours just as
I look upon the palace and tomb of the kings that
have gone before us. When I think of it, a man's life
is only the span of a moment after all.
" There are three religions on earth, Confucian-
ism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Among the three.
Buddhism is the most spiritual ; Confucianism deals
with terrestrial matters and has to do with the duties
of man to man. It helps to pass on names to posterity.
Taoism is related to the misty and unknown, and
though it has many followers there is no proof of its
verity.
" Since I gave up office I have dreamed of meditation
before the Buddha. This is proof of my affinity with
the God. Just as Chang Cha-pang [46] followed Chok
Song-ja, the fairy, I, too, must say farewell to my home
and go to the distant shore, there to seek the Merciful
Buddha, ascend the Sacred Hall, and bow low before
his image. The Way that has no birth and no death
beckons to me and puts off all the sorrows of life.
To you with whom I have spent so many happy
days I must say a long farewell, and so my sorrow
29.3
The Cloud Dream of the Nine
and loss is expressed by the sad notes of the green
stone flute."
The ladies in their former existence had been the
eight fairies who lived on Nam-ak Mountain. Now
they had fulfilled their human affinity, and hearing
the Master's word they were moved by it and said
each to the other : " In the midst of all his affluence
the Master's speech is evidently at the command of
God. We eight sisters who have lived our life in these
inner quarters and have bowed night and morning
before the Buddha shall await the departure of our
lord. When he goes he will assuredly meet the
Enlightened One and the righteous friends who have
gone before him and will hear the words of life. Our
humble wish is that after he has attained he may be
pleased to teach us the way."
The Master, greatly delighted, said : " Since your
hearts are one with mine in this you need have no
fear. I start to-morrow."
The ladies all said : ** We shall each raise the glass
that wishes you great peace on the eternal way."
Just at the moment when they had given orders to
the serving maids to bring the glasses, the fall of a
staff was heard on the stone pavement beyond the
open balcony. They exclaimed : " Who has come,
I wonder ? "
Immediately an old priest appeared before them
with eyebrows an ell long and eyes like the waves of
the blue sea. His appearance and his behaviour were
mysterious and wonderful. He ascended the tower,
sat down before the Master, and said : " A dweller
from the hills seeks audience with your Excellency."
Already the Master knew that he was no common
294
The Answer : Back to the Buddha
man, so he arose quickly and made a respectful
obeisance as he replied : " Whence comes the
honoured teacher ? "
The old priest made answer : " Do you not know
an old friend ? I have heard before that you had a
gift for forgetfulness, and now I find that it is true."
The Master looked carefully and then he thought
he recognised the face, but he was not sure. Suddenly
he recollected, and turning to the ladies said : " When
I went into Tibet against the rebels, in my dream
after I had shared the feast of the Dragon King and
was on my way home, I went for a little up the Nam-
ak Hills and saw an aged priest sitting in the seat of
the Master reciting with his disciples the sacred
sutras of the Buddha. The priest whom I saw there
is the same who greets me now."
The priest clapped his hands, laughed and said :
' ' You are right, right. You remember, however, seeing
me in your dream only ; the ten years that we spent
together you have forgotten all about. Who would say
that the Master Yang was an enlightened man ? "
Yang, not knowing what he meant, replied : "When
I was sixteen I was still with my parents. I then passed
my examinations and from that time entered office,
and did not again leave the capital till I went south
as envoy. My next journey was to put down the
Tibetans. There is no place that my feet have
travelled over that I do not recall. When did I spend
ten years with you, sir ? "
The priest looked sad and said : " Your Excellency
has not yet awakened from your dark dream."
" Have you, great teacher, any means of awakening
me ? " asked Yang.
295
The Cloud Dream of the Nine
" That is not difficult," said the priest. He raised
his stone staff and struck the railing, when suddenly
a white cloud arose all about them that came forth
from the recesses of the hills till it enclosed the
tower and made all dark and indistinct so that no one
could see.
The Master, bewildered as in a dream, called
loudly : " Will the Teacher not teach me the true way,
instead of appljdng to me the terrors of magic ? "
He did not finish what he was about to say, for
suddenly the clouds moved off and everybody had
disappeared, including the priest and the eight ladies.
He was greatly alarmed and mystified, and looked
with wonder to find the tower with its ornamented
curtains, but it also hadpassed from view. He turned
his eyes upon himself to find his body, and there he
was sitting cross-legged on a little round mat in a
silent temple. There was an incense brazier before
him from which the fires had died out. The moon
was descending towards the west. He felt his head
and it had just been shaved, with only the prickly
roots noticeable. A string of a hundred and eight
beads was round his neck, and there he was a poor
insignificant priest with all the glory of General Yang
departed from him. His mind and soul were hope-
lessly confused and his heart beat with trepidation.
He suddenly awakened and said : " I am Song-jin,
a priest of Yon-wha Monastery."
As he thought over the past he remembered how
he had been reprimanded and what had followed.
He recalled his flight to Hades and how he had
transmigrated into human life ; how he had become
a clansman of the Yang family ; his passing the
296
1u 4^
Yang looks away from the World : Back to Religion
The Answer : Back to the Buddha
examination and becoming a high Hallim ; his
promotion to the rank of General, and later to be the
head of the entire official service ; how he had
memorialised the Emperor to resign his office ; his
retirement with the two Princesses and the six ladies ;
how he had enjoyed music and dancing and the notes
of the harp and lute ; how he had drunk wine and
played at^o, and had lived his days in pleasure. Now
it was all as a passing dream.
Then he said: " The Teacher indeed, knowing my
great sin, sent me forth to dream this dream of life
so that I might learn the fleeting character and in-
stability of all earthly things and the vain loves of
human kind."
So he hastened to the stream of water rushing by
and washed his face, put on his priest's cassock and
hat and went to take his place among the disciples
before the Teacher. When they were arranged in
order the Teacher called with a loud voice and said :
" Song-jin, how did you find the joys of mortal Ufe ? "
Song-jin bowed, shed tears, and said : " I have at
last come to realise what life means. My life has been
very impure and my sins I can lay at no one's door
but my own. I have loved in a lost and fallen world,
where for endless kalpas I should have suffered
sorrow and misery had not the honoured Teacher
by a dream of the night awakened my soul to see. In
the ages to come I can never, never sufficiently thank
Thee for what Thou hast done for me."
The Teacher said : " You have gone abroad on
the wings of worldly delight and have seen and known
for yourself. What part have I had in it, pray ? You
say that you have dreamed a dream of mortal life
297
The Cloud Dream of the Nine
upon the wheel and that now you think the two to
be diflFerent, the world and the dream itself ; but that
is not so. If you think it so it will show that you
are not yet awakened from your sleep. Master Chang
became a butterfly, and the butterfly became Master
Chang. Was Chang's becoming a butterfly a dream,
or was the butterfly's becoming Chang a dream ?
You, Song-jin, now think yourself reality, and your
past life a dream only ; you do not reckon yourself
one and the same as the dream. Which shall I label
the dream, you Song-jin, or you So-yoo ? "
Song-jin replied : "I am a darkened soul and so
cannot distinguish which is the dream and which is
the actual reality. Please, Teacher, open to me the
truth and let me know."
The Teacher said : "I shall explain to you the
Diamond Sutra to awaken your soul, but there are
other and new disciples whom I am shortly expect-
ing. I await their coming."
Before he had ended speaking the gate-keeper came
in to say : " The eight fairies of Lady Wee who
called yesterday have again arrived before the gate
and desire to see the Great Teacher,"
They were invited in, and as they entered they
joined hands and bowed, saying : " We maids, though
we wait upon Lady Wee, are untaught and unlearned
and have never known how to repress the lawless
workings of the soul. Our earthly desires have gone
forth after sin and evil in the dream of mortal life
and there is no one to save us but the Great Teacher,
who in love and mercy Himself came to call us.
" We went yesterday to Lady Wee, confessed our
sins and wrongdoings and asked forgiveness. Now
298
The Answer: Back to the Buddha
we have bade a long farewell to her, and have come
home to the Buddha. We humbly pray that the Great
Teacher will forgive our many shortcomings and
tell us the way to the blessed life."
He answered : " Though your desire is one greatly
to be praised, the law of the Buddha is deep and hard
to attain. It cannot be learned in a moment of time.
Unless there be great earnestness and a deep heart
of longing it can never be attained. I ask that you
fairy maidens think well over it before you decide."
The eight fairies then withdrew, washed the rouge
and colour from their faces and put aside the silks
and satins in which they were bedecked. They took
scissors and cut away their clouds of floating hair, and
again entered to say : " We have made the necessary
changes in our persons and will take the teaching of
the Master with sincere and faithful hearts."
The Teacher answered : " Good, good. Since you
eight have thus shown your true and earnest purpose,
why should I longer withhold the Truth from you ? "
Then he led them to their places in the Hall of the
Buddha and made them recite the Sacred Sutras and
the Chin-on. Thus did Song-jin and the eight priest-
esses awaken to the truths of religion and become par-
takers of the Buddha.
The Great Teacher, seeing the faithfulness and
devotion of Song-jin, called his disciples to him and
said : " I came from a far distant world to the Empire
of the Tangs in order to preach the Truth. At last I
have found one who can take my place and the time
has come for me to go."
He took his cassock, his alms-dish, water-bottle,
his ornamented staff, his Diamond Sutra, gave them
299
The Cloud Dream of the Nine
to Song-jin, bade farewell, and took his departure to
the west.
From this time Song-jin became chief of the dis-
ciples on the heights of Yon-wha and taught the
Doctrine, so that fairies, dragons, demons and men
all revered him as they did the late Great Teacher.
The eight priestesses, too, served him as their master,
drank deeply of the Doctrine, and at last they all
reached the blissful heights of the Paradise to come.
300
Appendix
[i] Page 3. — The worship of the hills. This religion of the
East finds its origin in a passage of the " Book of History "
which reads, " King Soon (2255-2205 B.C.) offered sacrifice
to God, to the six Honourable Ones, to the hills and streams,
and to the multitude of spirits."
Since that far-away time mountains have been regarded
as divinities, presiding over the fortunes of the State and the
welfare of the King, and as such have had prayers and sacri-
fices constantly offered to them.
[2] Page 3. — Deluge. In the " Book of History " there is
an account of a deluge that lasted for nine years, from which
the people were saved by the might of Ha-00. (2205-2197
B.C.).
[3] ^*g^ 4- — ^^^" See-wang. (221-209 B.C.). This is the
king who built the Great Wall of China ; he is likewise famed
for having destroyed all the libraries and literature of the
kingdom, saying that it was a source of pride and contention,
and of no service to the State. For this his unblessed name
has been handed down through the centuries as keul-e tojok,
the " thief of literature."
[4] Page 10. — Talma. He was the 28th, or last of the Indian
patriarchs, Boddhidarma.
[5] Page 16. — Chee-jang. The God of the Buddhists, who
has supreme charge of all earthly things, and under whose
commands the King of Hades is supposed to act.
[6] Page 18. — Saree. These are relics that are said to
spring forth from the body of a faithful Buddhist, usually
during cremation. They are guarded with great care, often-
times having monumental stones placed over them ; some-
times again they are swallowed by devoted disciples.
[7] Page 20. — Pong-nai Hills. One of the fabled abodes of
the genii, supposed to belong to some celestial island in the
Eastern Sea. The story of it dates from 250 B.C. The fairy
inhabitants of the place are said to live on gems found on
the sea-shore. The elixir of life is also dug from its enchanted
slopes.
301
Appendix
[8] Page 21 . — Panak. A youth of great beauty who Uved in
the time of the Chin Kingdom, 300 a.d.
[9] Page 23. — Willows. Before the capital of ancient China
there was a grove of willows where people said their farewells
and where expressions of sorrow at departure were spoken ;
hence the willow became the token of special love. It is the
first tree, too, of springtime to announce by its blush of green
the happy season.
[10] Page 30. — Koo Sa-ryong. He was a noted rebel who
attacked the State during the period of the Tangs, 840 a.d.
[i i] Page 37. — Nakyang. This city lies south of the Yellow
River, not far from the great elbow where the stream turns
east, and its name to-day is Ho-nan. The capital mentioned
in the story is modern Si-an, or Si-ngan, that lies about 250
miles directly west.
[12] Page 19-43. — Superior Man. This is a translation of
the term koon-ja, which means a man of superior virtue.
Learning and training play their part, but goodness is the
sine qud non for this great master. His superior, again, in the
scale of immortals is the " Sage," or holy man.
[13] Page 46. — Examinations. According to the old laws
of China the official examinations were held only in the years
of the intercalary moon, but special examinations might be
held at other times with the permission of His Majesty.
[14] Page 49. — Princess Tak-moon. The daughter of a
great Croesus of China, B.C. 150, she has become associated
with the most famous of all historic scandals. Through
the influence of his skill upon the lute, she became enamoured
of the scholar and poet, Sa-ma Sang-yo, and, contrary to all
the laws that govern widows and keep them exclusively to
the memory of their late husband, she eloped with him. Her
name is universally associated to-day with the delights and
charms of sweet music.
[15] Page 50. — Yi Tai-baik. The most famous of China's
poets. He lived from 699 to 762 A.D., in the Tang Kingdom,
a hundred years or so before the time of this story. He claimed,
as this story depicts, that he was one of the genii, exiled for
a period to this dusty, troubled world.
[16] Page so-— Han Moo-je. Died B.C. 87. He is one of
302
Appendix
the most famous Emperors of China. At first he was a great
lover of Confucian literature, but later this love waned and
he became a devotee of Taoism. He is said to have visited
the famous Western Queen Mother, So Wang-mo, who
kept her court of paradise on the tops of the Kuen-luen
Mountains. She also visited him, and this has become the
most famous incident in the life of this Emperor, who reigned
for over fifty years.
[17] Page 56. — The Division of the Sexes. This custom has
been strictly observed in Korea up to the present time, and
forbids not only acquaintance but even the seeing of women
and girls by members of the male sex. According to the law
of Confucius, brothers and sisters were divided at seven years
of age, the girls to abide thereafter in the inner quarters, while
the boys were to live their lives outside this enclosure.
[18] Page 58. — The Feast of Lanterns, Held as a prayer to
the first full moon of the year. One of the great sacrificial
seasons of the Far East.
[19] Page 58. — Kok Kang. In the year 785 a.d. King Tok-
jong, on the ist day of the and Moon, called his ministers
and made them come to the Kok Kang Pavilion and write for
him. The commemoration of this event has become a festival
for the literati, and is called the Kok Kang Assembly.
[20] Page 64. — Wang So-geun. This marvellous woman,
by her beauty, brought on in the year 33 B.C. a war between
the fierce barbarian Huns of the north and China Proper.
She was finally captured and carried away, but rather than
yield herself to her savage conqueror, she plunged into the
Amur River and was drowned. Her tomb on the bank is said
to be marked by und3ring verdure.
The history of Wang So-geun forms the basis of a drama,
translated by Sir John Davis, and entitled " The Sorrows of
Han."
[21] Page 73. — The Hoi Examination. This is the second
regular examination taken by those who have passed the
first. The Chon is a special examination taken before the
Emperor.
[22] Page 73. — Hallim. The term hallim means a member
of the college of literature, a literary senator.
303
Appendix
[23] Page S6.—S0 Wang-mo (Western Queen Mother).
A great divinity of Taoism, who is supposed to dwell in her
paradise on the tops of the Kuen-luen Mountains, Tibet.
For thousands of years she has been regarded as the chief of
•the genii, and kings and emperors have become immortalised
from having had audience with her. She dwells by the " Lake
of Gems," near whose border grow the peach trees of the
fairies. Anyone eating of this fruit will live for ever. The
gentle messengers who carry her despatches are the " azure
pigeons " mentioned so often in Far Eastern stories.
[34] Page 102. — Song Ok. He was a great poet of the fourth
century B.C. His teacher was Kool-won, who was drowned
in the Myok-na River. Song Ok, by supernatural power,
called up the dead spirit of his teacher and talked with him,
[25] Page 105. — Cho Yang-wang (650 B.C.). He met a fairy
from Moo-san Mountains and lived with her. Her way of
going and coming was by becoming rain in the evening and
visiting him, and by becoming a cloud in the morning and
so sailing away.
[26] Page 126. — Wang Ja-jin. A man of the time of Han
Myong-je (58 A.D.), who became one of the genii. He was a
magistrate of a far distant county, and yet he came the
first day of every month to pay his devotions to the Emperor.
His Majesty, amazed at his coming thus over so impossible
a distance, had an officer commissioned to watch and find
out how he came. This official, when the time came for Ja-
jin's arrival, was on the look-out and saw two ducks flying
toward the capital. He caught them in a net, when suddenly
they changed into a pair of shoes. The shoes, on being ex-
amined, turned out to be a pair that the Emperor had given
to Ja-jin.
When the time of Ja-jin's departure from the earth came,
a green stone coffin descended from heaven. Ja-jin, seeing
it, said that God was calling him. He then bathed and took
his place in the coflSn ; the lid arose of itself and covered the
top. A grave was found made without human hands just
outside the city, where he is said to be buried.
[27] Page 127. — Nong-ok (sixth century B.C.). She was the
wife of Wang Ja-jin, the most renowned of all China's flautists.
304
Appendix
She learned from him, and when they played together
it is said they brought down angel-birds (phoenixes) from
the sky to hear them.
[28] Page 129. — Yo, Soon. These are the two most famous
rulers of patriarchal China. Their names are associated in
Korea with the golden age of the world, and are passed from
lip to lip as the ultimate of righteous kingship. Their story
is told in the sacred " Book of History."
[29] Page 143. — The Three Relationships. The subject's
duty to his sovereign ; the son's duty to his father ; the wife's
duty to her husband.
[30] Page 144. — The Primary Laws. These are the Five
Laws for which special honour is done Confucius, as the
great sage who emphasised their importance. They are : duty
to the king ; duty to a father ; duty to an older brother ;
duty to a husband ; duty to a friend.
[31] Page 145. — The Six Farms. These have to do with
marriage, and may be defined as : ist, the announcement ;
2nd, asking the name ; 3rd, choosing the day ; 4th, making
the presents ; 5th, settling the various times ; 6th, perform-
ing the ceremony.
[32] Page 149. — Stic Laws. These pertain to the art of war-
fare, and are explained in the famous treatise said to have
been written by the Duke Kang-tai, who flourished in the
twelfth century B.C. The six divisions are marked respec-
tively by the names Dragon, Tiger, Ideograph, Warrior,
Leopard, Dog.
[33] Page 149. — Eight Diagrams. These are sets of lines
divided and undivided, arranged in threes, which, when
combined in double sets, form the basis of " the Book of
Changes," the most famous literary work of Far Eastern
Asia.
[34] Page ^56. — The Dragon King. He is said to live in the
crystal palace, in the bottom of the sea, and to be the giver
of rain. As the tiger is regarded as the king of the mountains,
so the dragon rules the deep. The chief Dragon King pre-
sides over the Four Seas, while the lesser dragon kings hold
court in such places as Nam-hai, Tong-jong, etc.
[35] Page 160. — Grandmother of the Moon. There was a
305 V
Appendix
man in the time of the Tangs called Wi-go, who greatly
desired to get married. Once, while he was going on a journey
he saw an old woman sitting in the moonlight reading a book,
while she leaned her back against a linen sack. Wi-go asked
what book she was reading, and she replied that it was a book
of the marriages of all the earth. Again he asked, " What is
in the sack ? " " Red string," said she. " When once I have
tied the feet of those who are destined for each other with
this red cord the whole world cannot keep them apart."
[36] Page 174. — Transmigration of Souk. This is a teaching
that came in with Buddhism, and has had a ruling place in
the thought of the East for 2000 years. A righteous life in
this present age means a step upward in the next existence,
which, if continued, will at last bring one to Nirvana. .Sin
brings one lower and lower till at last it lands the guilty one
in the hells that await the lost.
[37] Page 178. — Weaving Damsel. She is one of the celestial
lovers. Her sweetheart, the herdsman, is supposed to be the
star b in Aquila, while she is the star a in Lyra. They are
lovers who, by the abyss of the Milky Way, are separated
all the year round, till the 7th night of the 7th Moon, when
the magpies of the earth assemble and form a bridge over the
chasm and enable them to meet. This is one of the Orient's
most famous legends.
[38] Page 179. — Panso. She is the most noted of ancient
literary women. Her brother is one of the first historians of
the East, and after his death she, at the command of the
Emperor, carried on what he had begun.
[39] Page 180. — Pi-yon (first century B.C.) A famous dancing
girl who, by her grace and loveliness of form, won the name
of Pi-yon, Flying Swallow, and became the first favourite
of the Emperor. So gifted was she in the touch of the toe that
she could dance on the open palm of the hand.
[40] Page 208. — Seven Precious Things, ist, the full moon ;
2nd, lovely ladies ; 3rd, horses ; 4th, elephants ; 5th, the
guardians of the treasury ; 6th, great generals ; 7th, wonder-
working pearls.
[41] Page 219. — The left hand. While in the East the right
hand is really the place of honour if we judge by evidences
306
Appendix
of antiquity, still in ordinary usage the left comes first.
In the marriage here mentioned, Princess Blossom takes
precedence of Princess Orchid.
[42] Page 248. — Che Kal-yang. He is the great Napoleonic
leader of China 200 B.C. Hang-00 and Pom-jing, who lived
shortly before the beginning of the Christian era, were lesser
lights in the world of the warrior.
[43] Page 265. — A-whang; Yo-yong. These were two sisters,
daughters of the Emperor Yo (2288 B.C.), who, like Leah
and Rachel, were given to his successor as his faithful wives.
Tradition relates that they journeyed south with him till they
reached Chang-o, where he died. They wept, and their tears,
falling on the leaves, caused to come into being the spotted
bamboo.
[44] Page 272. — Im, Sa. Two famous women of China,
who lived 1122 B.C.
[45] Page 288. — So-boo (Nest-Father). He is a legendary
being said to have lived B.C. 2357, and to have made his home
in a tree ; hence his name. He was a man of singular upright-
ness, who greatly influenced his age for good. Once, when
offered the rule of the empire by the great Yo, he went and
washed his ears in the brook to rid them of the taint of worldly
ambition.
[46] Page 293. — Chang Cha-pang. One of the founders of
the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.) and one of China's three great
heroes. Mayers says : "At the close of his official career he
renounced the use of food and prosecuted the search for the
elixir of life under the guidance of a supernatural being, but
failed to attain immortality."
307
From Daniel O'Connor's List
REPRINTS JUST PUBLISHED
By the Author of
" THE BEGGAR'S OPERA " POLLY : AN OPERA
Being the Second Part of " The Beggar's Opera," by
Mr. Gay. The Foreword by Oswald Doughty, M.A.,
Lecturer in English, University College, London.
With a Portrait of John Gay, and a facsimile title-page
(reduced) of the first edition. Crown 8vo, 6s. net.
" There are pretty songs in ' Polly,' which would go
well to music at Hammersmith." — The Times.
The impending revival of this Opera on the English Stage
makes this reprint very opportune. The volume is a triumph
of the printer's art.
An Edition de Luxe of
JOHN GAY'S " TRIVIA : or The Art of
Walking the Streets of London.
An authoritative opinion states that this is the best pro-
duced book this year.
With Introduction and Notes by W. H. Williams,
M.A. Limited Edition on Van Gelder Dutch hand-
made paper, with a Portrait, i6 Plates in Collotype, a
Facsimile Title-page, Head and Tail Pieces in the text,
and special end-papers. Imperial 8vo (ii by 7J ins.),
gilt top, in cardboard case, £2 zs. net.
"... The main charm of ' Trivia ' is that it tells
vividly of Old London of which much survives in our
own time . . . A beautiful and delightful book." — Times.
LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOHN GAY
Author of" The Beggar's Opera." By Lewis Melville.
With a Portrait. Demy 8vo, 8^. bd. net.
" Of Gay's literary and social life, Mr. Melville, with
an enjoyably liberal employment of the letters, both of
Gay and his friends, gives a lively description." —
Scotsman.
LONDON : 90 GT. RUSSELL ST., W.C.i
FROM DANIEL O'CONNOR'S
READY SHORTLY
THE BEGGAR'S OPERA. By John Gay.
Edited with an Introduction by Oswald Doughty,
M.A., Assistant Lecturer in English, University
College. With i6 Illustrations in Collotype. Limited
Edition of i,ooo numbered copies. Imperial 8vo.
Gilt top, uncut edges, printed on Van Gelder Dutch
hand-made paper. 42^. net.
Gift Books for the Christmas
Season for Children and Adults
Charmingly Illustrated
THE STORY OF THE MIKADO. By Sir
W. S. Gilbert. With 6 Coloured lUlustrations
and ID others by Alice B.Woodward. Decor-
ated title and end-papers. Crown 4to, bs. net.
" ' The Story of the Mikado,' with its beautiful
illustrations, should be one of the most popular books
of the season." — The Sphere.
THE LUCK OF THE BEAN-ROWS : A
Fairy-Tale for Children. With 29 Illustrations
in Colour by Claud Lovat Fraser, and a
Dedication to H.R.H. The Princess Mary.
Royal 8vo, 6s. net.
" A charming old-world air pervades this quaint
fairy tale, emphasised by the coloured fancies of C.
Lovat Fraser that jewel its pages." — Bookman.
" The book is a gem of modern typography, and
will be treasured as such." — The Observer.
THE WOODCUTTER'S DOG. By Charles
Nodier. With 14 Coloured Illustrations by
Claud Lovat Eraser. Royal 8vo, 35. 6d. net.
The fascinating story " Le Chien de Brisquet,"
which has enthralled French children for years, is now
introduced to English children, with a few delightful
coloured illustrations.
LONDON : 90 GT. RUSSELL ST., W.C.i
AUTUMN LIST
Gift books for the Christmas Season
for Children and Adults (continued)
THE BOWER BOOK OF SIMPLE POEMS
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. Edited by Letty
and Ursula Littlewood. With lo Coloured
and 21 Text Illustrations and specially designed
end-papers by Honor C. Appleton. F'scap
4to, 75. 6d. net.
THE HOUSE OF FANCY. By Mrs. H. C.
Cradock. With 6 Coloured Illustrations by
Honor C. Appleton. F'scap 4to, 6s. net.
MY FAVOURITE NURSERY RHYMES.
With 12 Coloured and 50 Black and White
Illustrations and a Coloured Jacket by Maud
TiNDAL Atkinson. F'scap. 4to, ys. (id. net.
CHRISTMAS CAROLS. With 13 Coloured
Illustrations by Eleanor Fortescue Brick-
dale. Imperial 410, 215. net.
ONCE UPON A TIME : Fairy Tales of
Long Ago. By Charles Perrault. With 6
Coloured Illustrations and end-papers by
Helen Sinclair. F'scap 4to, 6s. net.
THE SWEET AND TOUCHING TALE
OF FLEUR AND BLANCHEFLEUR :
The Classic Tale of True Love Rewarded.
With 37 Coloured Illustrations by Eleanor
Fortescue Brickdale. Crown 4to, 75. 6d. net.
LONDON : 90 GT. RUSSELL ST., W.C.i
DANIEL O'CONNOR'S NEW BOOKS IN THE PRESS
TRAVEL, OLD AND NEW. Edited by
Samuel J. Looker. Demy 8vo, 21s. net.
No class of literature is more fascinating and so
varied in its interest as the literature of Travel. This
book gives a selection from the great • travel books,
past and present. No lover of the delights of Travel
in all lands can afford to be without it.
A NEW SERIES OF GREAT INTEREST
THE BEECHWOOD BOOKS ON SPORT
A Series of Popular Anthologies on Golf, Racing, Cricket,
Fishing, Yachting and Hunting, combining literary charm
with the practical side of the sports.
F'cap 8vo, 6s. net each.
FLOAT AND FLY A Little Book for
Anglers. Selected and Arranged by Samuel
J. Looker. With Coloured Jacket and Front-
ispiece by the late Claud Lovat Eraser,
A masterly selection from the literature of Fishing,
past and present. Every lover of the pastime and
devotee of the open air will treasure this book.
THE CHASE : An Anthology of Hunting.
Selected and Arranged by Samuel J. Looker.
With Coloured Jacket and Frontispiece by the
late Claud Lovat Eraser.
Hunting, past and present, described by the great
sporting writers, and by famous English Novelists
and Poets. Since the days of the Druid and Nimrod
nothiiig has appeared of so vital an interest to the
lover of Sport.
PYROTECHNICS : The History and Art of
Firework Making. By St. H. Brock, a.r.i.b.a.
With numerous Coloured and other Illustra-
tions. Crown 4to, 25s. net.
A book by an expert which records the romance of
Fireworks from the earliest times to the present day.
Some fine Japanese illustrations add to the charm of
a notable book.
LONDON : go GT. RUSSELL ST., W.C.i