Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1He who sees it is likely to become the leader of all the other princes.’ Duke Hwan burst out laughing and said, ‘ This was what I saw.’ On this he put his robes and cap to rights, and made Hwangjze sit with him. Before the day was done, his illness was quite gone, he knew not how. 8. Ki Hsing-3ze was rearing a fighting-cock for the king’. Being asked after ten days if the bird were ready, he said,‘ Not yet; he is still vain and quarrelsome, and relies on his own vigour.’ Being asked the same after other ten days, he said, ‘ Not yet; he still responds to the crow and the appearance of another bird.’ After ten days more, he replied, ‘Not yet. He still looks angrily, and is full of spirit.’ When a fourth ten days had passed, he replied to the question, ‘ Nearly so. Though another cock crows, it makes no change in him. To look at him, you would say he was a cock of wood. His quality is complete. No other cock will dare to meet him, but will run from him.’ . 9. Confucius was looking at the cataract near the gorge of Lii”, which fell a height of 240 cubits, and According to the Lieh-3ze version of this story (Bk. II, 17>), the king was king Hsiian, p.c. 827-782. The trainer’s rule seems to have been that his bird should meet its antagonist, with all its vigour complete and undisturbed, and not wishing to fight. * I think that there are two versions of this story in Lieh-3ze. In Bk. VIII (4, 5), it appears that Confucius was on his way from Wei to Lf, when he stopped his carriage or cart at this spot to view the cataract, and the incident occurred, and he took the opportunity to give the lesson to his disciples. PT. Il, SECT. XI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 21
2In Bk. VIII (4, 5), it appears that Confucius was on his way from Wei to Lf, when he stopped his carriage or cart at this spot to view the cataract, and the incident occurred, and he took the opportunity to give the lesson to his disciples. PT. Il, SECT. XI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 21 the spray of which floated a distance of forty li, (producing a turbulence) in which no tortoise, gavial, fish, or turtle could play. He saw, however, an old man swimming about in it, as if he had sustained some great calamity, and wished to end his life. Confucius made his disciples hasten along the stream to rescue the man; and by the time they had gone several hundred paces, he was walking along singing, with his hair dishevelled, and enjoying himself at the foot of the embankment. Confucius followed and asked him, saying, ‘I thought you were a sprite; but, when I look closely at you, I see that you are a man. Let me ask if you have any particular way of treading the water.’ The man said, ‘No, I have no particular way. I began (to learn the art) at the very earliest time; as I grew up, it became my nature to practise it; and my success in it is now as sure as fate. I enter and go down with the water in the very centre of its whirl, and come up again with it when it whirls the other way. I follow the way of the water, and do nothing contrary to it of myself ;—this is how I tread it.’ Confucius said, ‘What do you mean by saying that you began to learn the art at the very earliest time; that as you grew up, it became your nature to practise it, and that your success in it now is as sure as fate?’ The man replied, ‘I was born among these hills and lived contented among them ;—that was why I say that I have trod this water from my earliest time. I grew up by it, and have been happy treading it;—that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not how I do it, and yet I do it ;—that is why I say that my success is as sure as fate.’ 22 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX.
3I grew up by it, and have been happy treading it;—that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not how I do it, and yet I do it ;—that is why I say that my success is as sure as fate.’ 22 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX. 10. Khing, the Worker in Rottlera? wood, carved a bell-stand 2, and when it was completed, all who saw it were astonished as if it were the work of spirits. The marquis of Lf went to see it, and asked by what art he had succeeded in producing it. ‘Your subject is but a mechanic, was the reply; ‘what art should I be possessed of ? Nevertheless, there is one thing (which I will mention). When your servant had undertaken to make the bell-stand, I did not venture to waste any of my power, and felt it necessary to fast in order to compose my mind. After fasting for three days, I did not presume to think of any congratulation, reward, rank, or emolument (which I might obtain by the execution of my task); after fasting five days, I did not presume to think of the condemnation or commendation (which it would produce), or of the skill or want of skill (which it might display). At the end of the seven days, I had forgotten all about myself ;—my four limbs and my whole person. By this time the thought of your Grace’s court (for which I was to make the thing) had passed away; everything that . could divert my mind from exclusive devotion to the exercise of my skill had disappeared. Then I went into the forest, and looked at the natural forms of the trees. When I saw one of a perfect form, then the figure of the bell-stand rose up to my view, and I applied my hand to the work. Had 1 The 3ze or rottlera was and is a very famous tree, called ‘ the king of trees, from its stately appearance and the excellence of its timber. * The ‘ bell-stand’ is celebrated in the Shih King, III, i, Ode 8. A complete peal consisted of twelve bells, suspended in two tiers one above the other. PT. Il, SECT.XII. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 23 I not met with such a tree, I must have abandoned the object; but my Heaven-given faculty and the Heaven-given qualities of the wood were concentrated on it. So it was that my spirit was thus engaged in the production of the bell-stand.’
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1He who sees it is likely to become the leader of all the other princes.’ Duke Hwan burst out laughing and said, ‘ This was what I saw.’ On this he put his robes and cap to rights, and made Hwangjze sit with him. Before the day was done, his illness was quite gone, he knew not how. 8. Ki Hsing-3ze was rearing a fighting-cock for the king’. Being asked after ten days if the bird were ready, he said,‘ Not yet; he is still vain and quarrelsome, and relies on his own vigour.’ Being asked the same after other ten days, he said, ‘ Not yet; he still responds to the crow and the appearance of another bird.’ After ten days more, he replied, ‘Not yet. He still looks angrily, and is full of spirit.’ When a fourth ten days had passed, he replied to the question, ‘ Nearly so. Though another cock crows, it makes no change in him. To look at him, you would say he was a cock of wood. His quality is complete. No other cock will dare to meet him, but will run from him.’ . 9. Confucius was looking at the cataract near the gorge of Lii”, which fell a height of 240 cubits, and According to the Lieh-3ze version of this story (Bk. II, 17>), the king was king Hsiian, p.c. 827-782. The trainer’s rule seems to have been that his bird should meet its antagonist, with all its vigour complete and undisturbed, and not wishing to fight. * I think that there are two versions of this story in Lieh-3ze. In Bk. VIII (4, 5), it appears that Confucius was on his way from Wei to Lf, when he stopped his carriage or cart at this spot to view the cataract, and the incident occurred, and he took the opportunity to give the lesson to his disciples. PT. Il, SECT. XI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 21
2In Bk. VIII (4, 5), it appears that Confucius was on his way from Wei to Lf, when he stopped his carriage or cart at this spot to view the cataract, and the incident occurred, and he took the opportunity to give the lesson to his disciples. PT. Il, SECT. XI. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 21 the spray of which floated a distance of forty li, (producing a turbulence) in which no tortoise, gavial, fish, or turtle could play. He saw, however, an old man swimming about in it, as if he had sustained some great calamity, and wished to end his life. Confucius made his disciples hasten along the stream to rescue the man; and by the time they had gone several hundred paces, he was walking along singing, with his hair dishevelled, and enjoying himself at the foot of the embankment. Confucius followed and asked him, saying, ‘I thought you were a sprite; but, when I look closely at you, I see that you are a man. Let me ask if you have any particular way of treading the water.’ The man said, ‘No, I have no particular way. I began (to learn the art) at the very earliest time; as I grew up, it became my nature to practise it; and my success in it is now as sure as fate. I enter and go down with the water in the very centre of its whirl, and come up again with it when it whirls the other way. I follow the way of the water, and do nothing contrary to it of myself ;—this is how I tread it.’ Confucius said, ‘What do you mean by saying that you began to learn the art at the very earliest time; that as you grew up, it became your nature to practise it, and that your success in it now is as sure as fate?’ The man replied, ‘I was born among these hills and lived contented among them ;—that was why I say that I have trod this water from my earliest time. I grew up by it, and have been happy treading it;—that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not how I do it, and yet I do it ;—that is why I say that my success is as sure as fate.’ 22 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX.
3I grew up by it, and have been happy treading it;—that is why I said that to tread it had become natural to me. I know not how I do it, and yet I do it ;—that is why I say that my success is as sure as fate.’ 22 THE TEXTS OF TAOISM. BK, XIX. 10. Khing, the Worker in Rottlera? wood, carved a bell-stand 2, and when it was completed, all who saw it were astonished as if it were the work of spirits. The marquis of Lf went to see it, and asked by what art he had succeeded in producing it. ‘Your subject is but a mechanic, was the reply; ‘what art should I be possessed of ? Nevertheless, there is one thing (which I will mention). When your servant had undertaken to make the bell-stand, I did not venture to waste any of my power, and felt it necessary to fast in order to compose my mind. After fasting for three days, I did not presume to think of any congratulation, reward, rank, or emolument (which I might obtain by the execution of my task); after fasting five days, I did not presume to think of the condemnation or commendation (which it would produce), or of the skill or want of skill (which it might display). At the end of the seven days, I had forgotten all about myself ;—my four limbs and my whole person. By this time the thought of your Grace’s court (for which I was to make the thing) had passed away; everything that . could divert my mind from exclusive devotion to the exercise of my skill had disappeared. Then I went into the forest, and looked at the natural forms of the trees. When I saw one of a perfect form, then the figure of the bell-stand rose up to my view, and I applied my hand to the work. Had 1 The 3ze or rottlera was and is a very famous tree, called ‘ the king of trees, from its stately appearance and the excellence of its timber. * The ‘ bell-stand’ is celebrated in the Shih King, III, i, Ode 8. A complete peal consisted of twelve bells, suspended in two tiers one above the other. PT. Il, SECT.XII. THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-3ZE. 23 I not met with such a tree, I must have abandoned the object; but my Heaven-given faculty and the Heaven-given qualities of the wood were concentrated on it. So it was that my spirit was thus engaged in the production of the bell-stand.’
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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