Three Poems of Po Chu-i

By Po Chu-i

I recently added this post, Three Poems of Po Chu-i. It is a small sample of the work of Po Chu-i (772-846), one of China’s most enduringly popular poets.

The first of the three extracts collected in this post appeared in NL Clay’s Advanced English Exercises (1939), in a section on the validity of arguments.

“THOSE who speak know nothing;
Those who know are silent.”
These words, as I am told,
Were spoken by Lao-tzu.
If we are to believe that Lao-tzu
Was himself one who knew,
How comes it that he wrote a book
Of five thousand words?

It would also have deserved a place among Clay’s exercises in reading aloud.

Po Chu-i was known (and at times scolded) for the natural simplicity of his verse, but it was that very quality that helped his work to endure. All three poems in this post are simple and direct, yet full of thought-provoking reflection.

Read

In Straightforward English (1949), NL Clay invited readers to combine two sentences into one. For example:

He came up with no fewer than nine variations:

He has done this by introducing words indicating cause, such as because, as, since, result, and consequence. ‘Thanks to’ and ‘owing to’ are two more he might have used, but chose not to. (‘Due to’ is tricky, and received a whole section to itself.) He has also replaced words, phrases and ideas with equivalents. Notice how the last one was created by using an opposite, fresh for sour.

Here are three more cause-and-effect combinations to try.

1 I have to rush. I’ve got an appointment.

2 The General quite liked her. She played cards well.

3 She’s in no danger. They need her alive.

See more Jigsaw Sentences

John Field (1782-1837) was an Irishman whose career was launched by his mentor, London-based pianist, composer and instrument-maker Muzio Clementi. Field made a highly successful debut in Paris the following year, and in 1812 he settled in St Petersburg, where he became a much sought-after teacher and may be credited with helping to lay the foundations of Russia’s remarkable tradition of piano music; Glinka was one of his pupils, and at the age of nine Mussorgsky performed one of his concertos. He nevertheless continued to perform in Western Europe and in England, where his music influenced Brahms, Liszt, Mendelssohn and Schumann. Field’s collection of Nocturnes was the first of its kind, and prompted Chopin to compose his own. See my post A Touch of Silk.

This short piece comes from Field’s first Piano Sonata, Sonata in E-flat, which was composed in 1801. The Sonata has two movements, of which this is the second, Rondo allegretto, a crowd-pleaser that showed off Field’s deft touch at the keyboard, the envy of Europe’s pianists. It is performed here by John O’Conor in a recording provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group.

The Oath of Harold Godwinson

By Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall

I recently added this post, The Oath of Harold Godwinson. It is taken from Henrietta Marshall’s History of France published in 1912.

Harold Godwinson was the son of Earl Godwin, who before his death in 1053 had been a mighty nobleman in the court of King Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066). In 1063, Harold slipped across the Channel to Normandy, where he was welcomed by the young Duke of Normandy, William, Edward’s cousin once removed: William’s grandfather, Duke Richard II, was the brother of Emma of Normandy, Edward the Confessor’s mother. William believed this family relationship gave him a solid claim to the throne of England, as Edward had no child of his own; but it would undoubtedly benefit from the support of Earl Godwin’s son. So William backed Harold into a corner, and extracted a solemn and unbreakable promise to help make William, and only William, King of England.

At any rate, that was what William’s people said had happened, after Edward died early in 1066, and Harold claimed the English crown. William came to remind him about it the following October. Whether the story is true, and whether, if it is true, William’s methods were quite fair, are another matter altogether.

Read

The Dignities of God and Man

By Mencius

I recently added this post, The Dignities of God and Man.

It consists of a few brief chapters from Mengzi or ‘Master Meng’, a collection of sayings attributed to Chinese statesman and philosopher Meng Ke. He is known in the West as Mencius (?371-?289 BC), which is pronounced MEN-shee-us.

Mencius was a follower of Confucius (551-479 BC). He developed his ideas amidst the tensions and temptations of high public policy, and emphasised the importance of personal reform ahead of institutional reform: it was essential for officials to put themselves in order before they could hope to put the country in order. As Sir John Bowring put it, in a collection of proverbs he had gathered during his time in China,

“If every one would see
To his own reformation,
How very easily
You might reform a nation.”

In this passage, Mencius focuses on the virtue that our translator, Herbert Giles, a professor of Chinese at the University of Cambridge, named ‘charity of heart’ in a conscious attempt to evoke a parallel with St Paul’s moving reflection on charity in his First Epistle to the Corinthians.

Read

For Sir John Bowring’s proverb, see also Samuel Smiles on An Unpopular Popular Reform.

Sussex-born Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623) was organist at Winchester College and then at Chichester cathedral. This piece of music is a setting of the Evensong canticle known in Latin as the Nunc Dimittis, and also as the Song of Simeon. According to St Luke’s Gospel, Simeon had waited for many years in the Temple at Jerusalem, in the belief that God had promised he would not die before he saw the promised Christ or Messiah, the heir of King David who would bring to fulfilment the prophecies of Isaiah and other Old Testament seers. When Mary and Joseph brought their infant son Jesus there, Simeon apparently saw something special in him, and taking him into his arms he sang this song.

LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
According to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people:
To be a light to lighten the gentiles
And to be the glory of thy people, Israel.

The choir sings ‘salvation’ as sal-va-si-on, ‘prepared’ as pre-pare-ed and ‘Israel’ as Is-ra-el, which is correct for church music of this period. The translation is from the Book of Common Prayer, first published in 1549.

The canticle is performed here by the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, conducted by Andrew Nethsingha.

Recording provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises.