Ou Yang Hsiu. Wild Geese : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], WILD GEESE When wild geese leave the uplands lone The frost turns sand and rock to stone. When over Chiang Nan they scream Pale leaves go drifting down the stream. Broad is the water; heaven leans low; Sullen and dun the cloud-wracks show. When...
Liu Chi. The Convent Of Siang Fu : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 84 LIU CHI A.D. 1311-1375 The most celebrated of the poets belonging to the Mongol period, Liu Chi was also one of the foremost adherents of the rising dynasty of Ming, and eventually became Censor and Under-Secretary of State to the first...
Introduction. Introduction : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 11 A FEAST OF LANTERNS INTRODUCTION In Spring, "for sheer delight," sang Yuan Mei, "I set the lanterns swinging through the trees." This was no formal Feast of Lanterns held in the first month of the year, but his own private affair...
Lu Yu. Song Of Three Gorges : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 80 LU YU A.D. 1125-1210 A distinguished official who also made a name for himself as poet and historian. SONG OF THREE GORGES From the twelve Hills of the Witches I see the Nine Peaks rise; Beyond my prows a myriad tints flush autumn's empty...
Ch'ang Ch'ien. The Tomb Of Chao Chun : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 61 THE TOMB OF CHAO-CHN Death would have ravished her some hapless day Even among the palaces of Han, But she was never born to taste The bitterness of fate so far away-- This pearl of beauty for whose sake did haste The camels'...
Anon. Calycanthus Flower : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 89 CALYCANTHUS FLOWER Robed in pale yellow gown she leans apart, Guarding her secret trust inviolate; With mouth that, scarce unclosed, but faintly breathes Its fragrance, like a tender grief remains Half-told, half-treasured still. See how...
Yuan Mei. After The Rain : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], AFTER THE RAIN In the Pavilion of Green Purity The green of the circling lawns is mirrored anew, Across the crystal frontiers 2 that divide Are smiling flowers and raindrops glancing through. And lo, the strange blue void wells clear...
Ou Yang Hsiu. The Pavillion Of Abounding Joy : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 71 THE PAVILION OF ABOUNDING JOY Red trees, green hills in the sunset, and steppes of boundless grass. O little the pilgrim reckons of the Spring about to pass. In front of the Joy Pavilion, in the drift of scented showers To and fro I come...
Liu Ch'ang. Autumn Thoughts : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 81 LIU CH'ANG CIRCA A.D. 1150 AUTUMN THOUGHTS Moonlight! the floating mists are gone, a wind unveils the deep clear night. Star rivals star, and the silver river draws to her breast the dreamy light. Gaunt old trees cast shadows on the plain;...
Ou Yang Hsiu. Bell Hill : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], BELL HILL In the ravine the water wanders through; Soundless it laps the stems of tall bamboo. Westward a tiny strip of green all scrolled With fairy pennons flaunting, red and gold. Oh rare! Oh delicate is spring! Thatched roofs face one...
Ou Yang Hsiu. Return : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 70 OU-YANG HSIU A.D. 1007-1072 Ou-Yang Hsiu, Chief Minister of State 1061 A.D., was one of the two foremost poets of the Sung dynasty. His poems, which have been all too little translated, are remarkable both for their exquisite imagery...
Li Po. Iii. Sorrow : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 52 "III. SORROW" Dawn reddens in the wake of night; but the days of our life return not. Sweet-scented orchids blot out the path; but they die in the drift of waters and their flowers are blotted out. The Yang-tse-Kiang splashes through...
Untitled : * This is a short anthology of translations of classic Chinese poetry, including such favorites as Tu Fu and Li Po. This entry in the Wisdom of the East series was written by L. Cranmer-Byng, the series editor. The introduction discusses some of the cultural background of the symbolism in these...
Introduction. Dragons : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 20 DRAGONS The Dragon is one of the four spiritually endowed creatures of China, the others being the Unicorn, the Phoenix, and the Tortoise. There are four principal Lung, or Dragons: the celestial Dragon, which supports and guards...
Wang An Shih. At The Parting Ways : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 73 WANG AN-SHIH A.D. 1021-1086 Social reformer, politician, and literary man, Wang An-Shih has often been called the Father of Chinese Socialism. For many years he enjoyed supreme power as Prime Minister of the Emperor Shen Tsung, during...
Ch'ang Ch'ien. Ch'ang Ch'ien : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 60 CH'ANG CH'IEN CIRCA A.D. 720 The story of the beautiful Chao-Chn is a favourite theme of Chinese poets and ballad-mongers. The Emperor Kaotsu, the founder of the glorious Han dynasty, made a treaty with a certain Prince of the Huns, who...
Li Po. Ii. Sadness : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 50 "II. SADNESS" The east wind has returned. The green of the grass renews and I know that spring is here. Streams unbound awake into the dance of life. Softly the weeping willow waves its long slim boughs. What sorrow is there in its...
Yuan Mei. A Feast Of Lanterns : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 91 A FEAST OF LANTERNS In spring for sheer delight I set the lanterns swinging through the trees, Bright as the myriad argosies of night, That ride the clouded billows of the sky. Red dragons leap and plunge in gold and silver seas, And, O my...
Yuan Mei. A Challenge From The Moon : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 94 A CHALLENGE FROM THE MOON The moon leans mirrored on the dark guitar As though she fears its cadences unheard May lapse into the night. Oh! I am stirred By some some rare tone afar Caught from the drifting Palaces of Cold, 1 Where pale...
Yuan Mei. Home : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 95 HOME Surely there sings no lighter heart than mine beneath the sky! And now, companion of my nights of long moon-dreams, good-bye! For mine is the silver dragon car That hovers beyond the Rainbow Dome, 1 And it's oh to be galloping...
Li Po. Along The Stream : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], ALONG THE STREAM The rustling nightfall strews my gown with roses, And wine-flushed petals bring forgetfulness Of shadow after shadow striding past. I arise with the stars exultantly and follow The sweep of the moon along the hushing stream...
Wen T'ung. Morning : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 79 WEN T'UNG CIRCA A.D. 1100 MORNING Sunbeams through twinkling pinewoods cast Their shadows on my window screen. A night of clouds and rain is past And, newly blue and freshly green, The Dawn rebuilds my world at last. Pear-tree...
Yuan Mei. Willow Flowers : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], WILLOW FLOWERS O willow flowers like flakes of snow, Where do your wandering legions go? Little we care, and less we know! Our ways are the ways of the wind; Our life in the whirl, and death in the drifts below.
Li Po. Bright Autumntide : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 53 BRIGHT AUTUMNTIDE I climb the mountain of Tsyu-i. I look down on clear rivers. Coldly the Syan speeds along, cold as it widens to meet the sea. Clouds break into autumn tints, the skies are flaked with golden foam. I am now in the foreign...
Wen T'ung. Evening : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], EVENING Now pale flocks glimmer as they wind along; Into the deep ravine the herd goes down; The cold dumb pool awaits the nightly throng Of wild geese wailing through the twilight brown. With jars of new-made wine old farmer Wang Gladdens...
Po Chu I. Morning Studies : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 68 MORNING STUDIES Smooth and white the walls that ring the pool, Carefully swept the rose-walk's mossy green, Across the water dimpling winds blow cool Where lotus-leaves as large as fans are seen. What does yon flower-bright pavilion hold...
Yuan Mei. Illusion : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 92 ILLUSION 'Tis we that wail the hour of birth, 'Tis others weep the hour we die. If I am sad, 'tis others sing; Should they lament, I will be feasting. All flows, all passes, like yon stream; Like yonder wind-wheel all revolves. We change...
Liu Tzu Hui. Listening To The Harp : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 77 LIU TZU-HUI CIRCA A.D. 1100 LISTENING TO THE HARP Night and the midway moon. Some hidden lute Sounds from a silken alcove. As the wind Swells and recedes the lutany now swells, Now falters. Now commingled with the clouds It throbs betwixt...
Introduction. Conclusion : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], CONCLUSION The great storehouse of Chinese poetry is still untouched. Forty-eight thousand nine hundred p. 35 are the collected poems of the T'ang dynasty alone, and of these possibly some three or four hundred have been translated into various...
Liu Ch'ang. On Waking From Sleep : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], ON WAKING FROM SLEEP At noon comes rest from the long routine; I launch my boat on the lilied pond and float Till I drift without will into sleep. Green shadows lattice the waters green; Courtyard and house the silence keep. p. 82 Then a bird...
Yuan Mei. A Medley Of Perfume : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], A MEDLEY OF PERFUME Prone beside the western stream, In the lilied dusk I dream; And mocking me the wind of spring Such medley of perfume doth bring, I cannot tell what fragrance blows, Nor guess the lotus from the rose.
Wang Po. A King Of Tang : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 41 WANG PO A.D. 648-670 One of the earliest of the T'ang poets. He was famous for his power of improvising, and seldom required to re-write a single line. His career, begun at the precocious age of six, was cut short by drowning when he w...
Anon. Plum Blossom : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 88 ANON CIRCA A.D. 1700 The following two poems are anonymous, and belong to the Manchu period. They are but two of a series of flower studies endowing each flower with a fragrant personality of its own. The delicate beauty of the Chinese...
Title Page : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 1 p. 2 p. 3 p. 4 p. 5 THE WISDOM OF THE EAST SERIES Edited By L. Cranmer-Byng Dr. S. A, Kapadia A FEAST OF LANTERNS RENDERED WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY L. CRANMER-BYNG AUTHOR OF "A LUTE OF JADE, THE ODES OF CONFUCIUS," ETC. As our gardens have...
Wang Wei. While Roses Fall : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 43 WANG WEI A.D. 699-759 A celebrated poet and doctor who served two masters, the Emperor Ming Huang and the rebel general An Lu-Shan, and was eventually appointed governor of a province by the Emperor Su-tsung. It is recorded of An Lu-Sh...
Han Yu. Disappointment : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 63 HAN Y A.D. 768-824 One of the wittiest and most brilliant of the Tang statesmen and philosophers, Han Y's poetry has been overshadowed by his prose essays, which have been upheld as models of Chinese literature. He attempted to found a new...
Tu Fu. In Exile : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], IN EXILE Through the green blinds that shelter me Two butterflies at play-- Four wings of flame whirl joyously Around me and away; While swallows breasting to the shore Ripple the waves they wander o'er. And I that scan the distant view Of torn...
Introduction. Sources Of Inspiration : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 26 SOURCES OF INSPIRATION "Once upon a time the Emperor Yuen Tsung, of the T'ang dynasty, had imperial ink called Dragon Fragrance. One day he saw in the ink little Taoist priests like flies walking about. They called out to him--"O King...
Ts'ui Hao. Boating Song Of The Yo Eh : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 62 TS'UI HAO A.D. 703-755 BOATING SONG OF THE YO EH O light we glide through forest green, By misty shore and gaunt ravine. And whether we tarry or drift along The clouds and the birds around us throng, And mirrored mountains' nodding brows...
Note : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 96 I am indebted to the editors of "The Nation, The English Review," and "The Poetry Review," for their kind permission to reproduce several of the poems included in the book. My thanks are also due to Dr. Lionel Giles for the great help...
Po Chu I. At Forty One : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 69 AT FORTY-ONE The waters from the pool are vanishing; A mellow sunlight steeps the window-panes, And autumn winds ply many a pleasant fan. O gold and green, half-ripe, the acacias glow, While o'er the threshold of his summer falls...
Introduction. Epochs In Chinese Poetry : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], EPOCHS IN CHINESE POETRY Great dynasties in China made for great art and literature largely under the influence of a national awakening. Expeditions and embassies to distant lands brought back new ideas; and, above p. 33 all, the fusion of two...
Li Po. Spring Rhapsodies. I. Delight : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 48 SPRING RHAPSODIES "I. Delight" Once more Heaven bids the plough-star drive before the spring, and turn its handle to the east, Spring--the blue harmonies of tumultuous waters! The fair fragrance of orchid sprays. Climb and look out...
Li Po. The Two Visits : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 47 THE TWO VISITS "Visit To The Cold Clear Spring" Ah! when the darkness blinds the orb of day This cold clear spring chatters my grief away, And, as the current whirls along, She lilts a little wordless song; This little wizard, clear...
Yuan Mei. Yuan Mei : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 90 YUAN MEI A.D. 1715-1797 One of the happiest poets the world has known was born at Hangchow, the capital of the province of Chekiang, two hundred years ago. At an early age he was admitted to the college of Han-lin with the degree of doct...
A Word From The Wind : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 40 A WORD FROM THE WIND From an ancient Chinese Ballad of the fourth century A.D. There is some one of whom I keep a-thinking; There is some one whom I visit in my dreams, Though a hundred hills stand sentinel between us, And the dark rage...
Su Tung P'o. Farewell To Chao Ta Lin : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], FAREWELL TO CHAO T-LIN Long do I sorrow that the spring should end; Fain is the host to stay the parting friend. When for a while the dull routine is done, We statesmen idle in the sun. The kettle yields its stream of golden tea, And warm winds...
Tu Fu. The Ghost Road : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], THE GHOST-ROAD The winds and the pines are whispering, The river girds in its flight, My footfalls sound through ancient tiles Where grey rats flit from sight. What monarch raised those palace walls? Who knows to-day his name Who left beneath...
Yuan Mei. The Secret Land : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], THE SECRET LAND The flower fairies bring Their playmate Spring, But the Spring goes And takes no rose. She breaks all hearts To incense and departs. p. 93 The river fain would keep One cloud upon its breast Of the twilight flocks that sweep Like...
Introduction. Moon : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], MOON The moon hangs low over the old continent of Chinese poetry. Chang O, Moon-goddess, is the beautiful pale watcher of the human drama, and all that she has known of secret things, of passion and pleasure, swift ruin and slow decay, she...
Advertisements : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 97 The following advertisements appeared at the end of the original book. They are included for completeness. THE WISDOM OF THE EAST SERIES Edited By L. Cranmer-Byng And Dr. S. A. Kapadia THE SERIES AND ITS PURPOSE The object of the Editors...
Po Chu I. Myself : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 67 MYSELF What of myself? I am like unto the sere chrysanthemum That is shorn by the frost-blade, and, torn from its roots, Whirled away on the wind. Once in the valleys of Ch'in and Yung I rambled at will, Now ring me round the unfriendly...
Yuan Mei. In An Old Library : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], IN AN OLD LIBRARY Ten thousand tomes with pendant discs of jade, Bowls of old Shang with bronze of Chow displayed, And suddenly the small Tinkle of girdle gems floats through the hall, As though the wind custodian sings:-- "I guard the fragrance...
Yang Chi. Lines Written In Exile : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 87 YANG CHI CIRCA A.D. 1400 A native of the province of Kiang-su, Yang Chi became a district magistrate and afterwards secretary to the Minister of War, by whom he was sent into the province of Shansi as Treasurer-General to the Forces. He...
Editorial Note : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 10 EDITORIAL NOTE The object of the Editors of this series is a very definite one. They desire above all things that, in their humble way, these books shall be the ambassadors of good-will and understanding between East and West--the old...
Introduction. Chinese Verse Form : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], CHINESE VERSE FORM In a previous book, "A Lute of Jade," I have referred to the structure of Chinese verse. It is necessary to remember that the Chinese language is made up mostly of monosyllabic words expressing root-ideas. There are also...
Introduction. Flowers : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], FLOWERS In the time of the T'ang dynasty there lived a retired scholar whose name was Hsuan-wei. He never married, but dwelt alone, yet his companions were books and flowers, his little friends. If he had any enemies, they were frost and wind...
Po Chu I. Rain At Dawn : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], RAIN AT DAWN At dawn the crickets shrill, then cease their 'plain, The dying candle flickers through my eaves; Though windows bar the wild dust and the rain, I hear the drip, drip, dripping on the broad banana leaves.
Su Tung P'o. At The Kuang Li Pavilion : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 75 AT THE KUANG-LI PAVILION Red-skirted ladies, robed for fairyland, all have flown, But my heart to the wail of their long reed-pipes lilts on: Their clarion songs 'mid the wandering clouds were blown, The tiny-waisted, dreamily-dancing...
Po Chu I. A Night On Lake T'ai : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], A NIGHT ON LAKE T'AI Water and sky, as dusk folds down, together blend in a grey green mist Clear silhouettes of the trees are limned on a sunset of rose and amethyst. Moon doth creep from the bed of the deep paling the storm-black waves afar;...
Liu Chi. Night, Sorrow, And Song : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], NIGHT, SORROW, AND SONG The rain's in the air And the winds arouse, Shaking the cinnamon boughs, And the begonias' gay parterre; Raising dust and wreathing mist, Whirling all things where they list-- Leaves in many-coloured showers, Bright...
Po Chu I. In Yung Yang : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 65 PO CH-I A.D. 772-846 One of the greatest statesmen that China has produced. Po Ch-i comes nearer to our idea of a poet of the Romantic School than most Chinese writers. Yet even when he tells the story of the Emperor Ming Huang...
Su Tung P'o. Dreaming At Golden Hill : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 74 SU TUNG-P'O A.D. 1036-1101 Together with Ou-Yang Hsiu, Su Tung-p'o ranks as the foremost poet of his age. His whole career is curiously similar to that of the older poet. Both were statesmen, and both suffered on account of their...
Tu Fu. Sailing Across Lake Mei Pei : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], SAILING ACROSS LAKE MEI-PEI Tsen-tsan and his brother delighted to dream in grand horizons, They drew me down to the water's edge, their fellow wanderer. Veiled was the sky and sombre the land, and sudden the change from daylight, The wind rose...
Anon. Riding : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 83 ANON "(From The Sung Collection)" RIDING BY MOONLIGHT From the tall hill-top some great star Falls to the west afar and afar. Out of the glistening gorge below The orient moon swims full and slow. Hair dishevelled and sleeves blown wide...
Li Po. The Palace Of Chao Yang : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], THE PALACE OF CHAO-YANG No more the peach-tree droops beneath the snow; Spring draws her breath the willow boughs among. The mango-bird now maddens into song, And the swift-building swallows come and go. 'Tis the time of the long daydreams, when...
Li Po. Li Po : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 44 LI PO A.D. 706-765 The greatest of all the Chinese lyrists, Li Po was a child of Nature and subject like her to infinite moods. He may perhaps be called a pessimist, but not in the sense that we call Schopenhauer and his school pessimists...
Tu Fu. Tu Fu : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 55 TU FU A.D. 712-770 Next to Li Po in the estimation of his countrymen stands Tu Fu. His poetry is more finished in style than that of any Chinese master of the T'ang period. Like many other poets of his age, he was also a painter...
Su Tung P'o. On The River At Hui Ch'ung : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 76 ON THE RIVER AT HUI-CH'UNG Beyond the twilight grove some sprays Of peach-bloom charm the lingering days. In spring, when first the waters warm, The wild duck on the river swarm. When artemisia lights the land Young reeds break through...
Po Chu I. The Little Crow : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], THE LITTLE CROW The little lonely crow Hovered around a little empty nest, Waiting and wailing for the mother breast. Ah! cold and far afield she cannot hear The call incredulous of death. And so It lurked in the old forest for a year...
Liu Tzu Hui. Autumn Moonlight : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], AUTUMN MOONLIGHT Not yet has the cool moon topped the hill. White are the floating clouds that fill Half heaven's void; while to and fro By the verandah windows go My halting steps that pause as though Stilled for the sound of one I love...
Ou Yang Hsiu. Songs Of The Night : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 72 SONGS OF THE NIGHT I In flowing crowds The moon-born clouds Cast their light shade O'er stairs of jade; And all the moonlit ways are one, Shining in silver unison. Yet who can read aright The mystery of night? II Spring-time, and sounds...
Lines From The Tomb Of An Unknown Woman : * "A Feast of Lanterns", by L. Cranmer-Byng, [1916], p. 39 LINES FROM THE TOMB OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN Taken from a tomb on the Fu-Kiu mountain district of So-Chau in the Province of Kiangsu. The date of the poem is many centuries old. Mother of Pity, hear my prayer That in the endless round of birth...