the mirror of kong ho-第23章

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efforts；　and　instructing　him　to　bind　it　about　his　head；　I　encouraged



him　with　the　imperishable　watch…word　of　the　Emperor　Tsin　Su；　〃The



stars　are　indeed　small；　but　their　light　carries　as　far　as　that　of　the



full　moon。〃







At　the　steps　of　the　pagoda　so　great　was　the　throng　of　those　who　would



have　overwhelmed　me　with　their　gracious　attention；　that　had　not　this



person's　neck　become　practically　automatic　by　ceaseless　use　of　late；



he　would　have　been　utterly　unequal　to　the　emergency。　As　it　was；　he



could　only　bestow　a　superficial　hand…wave　upon　a　company　of



gold…embroidered　musicians　who　greeted　his　return　with　appropriate



melody；　and　a　glance　of　well…indicated　regret　that　he　had　no　fuller



means　of　conveying　his　complicated　emotions；　in　the　direction　of　the



uppermost　tier　of　maidens。　Then　the　awaiting　Sir　Philip　took　him



firmly　towards　the　inner　part　of　the　pavilion；　and　announced；　so



adroitly　and　with　such　high…spirited　vigour　had　this　one　maintained



the　conflict；　that　it　had　been　resolutely　agreed　on　all　sides　not　to



make　a　test　of　his　competence　any　further。







Thereupon　a　band　of　very　sumptuously　arrayed　nymphs　drew　near　with



offerings　of　liquid　fat　and　a　variety　of　crimson　fruit；　which　it　is



customary　to　grind　together　on　the　platterunapproachable　in　the



result；　certainly；　yet　incredibly　elusive　to　the　unwary　in　the　manner



of　bruising；　and　practically　ineradicable　upon　the　more　delicate



shades　of　silk　garment。　In　such　a　situation　the　one　who　is　now



relating　the　various　incidents　of　the　day　may　be　imagined　by　a



broad…minded　and　affectionate　sire：　partaking　of　this　native　fruit　and



oil；　and　from　time　to　time　expressing　his　insatiable　anguish　that　he



continually　fails　to　become　more　proficient　in　controlling　the　oblique



movements　of　the　viands；　while　the　less　successful　crickets　are



constrained　to　persevere　in　the　combat；　and　the　ever…present　note　of



evasive　purport　is　raised　by　a　voice　from　behind　a　screen　exclaiming；



〃Out　afore？　That　he　may　have　been；　but　do　ee　think　we　was　a…going　to



give　he　out　afore？　No；　maaster；　us　doant　a…have　a　circus　every　day



hereabouts。〃







Thus　may　this　imagination　of　competitive　locusts　be　set　forth　to　the



end。　If　a　fuller　proof　of　what　an　unostentatious　self…effacement



hesitates　to　enlarge　upon　were　required；　it　might　be　found　in　the



barbarian　printed　leaf；　for　the　next　day　this　person　saw　a　public



record　of　the　strife；　in　which　his　own　name　was　followed　by　a



numerical　emblem　signifying　that　he　had　not　stumbled　or　proved



incompetent　in　any　one　particular。　Sir　Philip；　I　beheld　with　pained



surprise；　had　obtusely　suffered　himself　to　be　caught　out　in　the



committal　of　fifty…nine　set　offences。







With　a　not　unnatural　anticipation　that；　as　a　result　of　this



painstaking　description；　this　person　will　find　two　well…equipped　camps



of　contending　locusts　in　Yuen…ping　on　his　return。







KONG　HO。



















LETTER　XII











Concerning　the　obvious　misunderstanding　which　has　entwined



itself　about　a　revered　parent's　faculties　of　passionless



discrimination。　The　all…water　disportment　and　the　two；　of



different　sexes；　who　after　regarding　me　conflictingly　from　the



beginning；　ended　in　a　like　but　inverted　manner。















VENERATED　SIRE；Your　gem…adorned　letter　containing　a　thousand



burnished　words　of　profuse　reproach　has　entered　my　diminished　soul　in



the　form　of　an　equal　number　of　rusty　barbs。　Can　it　be　that　the



incapable　person　whom；　as　you　truly　say；　you　sent；　〃to　observe　the



philosophical　subtleties　of　the　barbarians；　to　study　their　dynastical



records　and　to　associate　liberally　with　the　venerable　and　dignified；〃



has；　in　your　own　unapproachable　felicity　of　ceremonial　expression；



〃according　to　a　discreet　whisper　from　many　sources；　chiefly　affected



the　society　of　tea…house　maidens；　the　immature　of　both　sexes；　doubtful



characters　of　all　classes；　and　criminals　awaiting　trial；　has　evinced



an　unswerving　affinity　towards　light　amusement　and　entertainments　of　a



no…class　kind；　and　in　place　of　a　wise　aloofness；　befitting　a　wearer　of



the　third　Gold　Button　and　the　Horn　Belt…clasp；　in　situations　of



critical　perplexity；　seems　by　his　own　ingenuous　showing　to　have



maintained　an　unparalleled　aptitude　for　behaving　either　with　the



crystalline　simplicity　of　a　Kan…su　earth…tiller；　or　the　misplaced



buffoonery　of　a　seventh…grade　body…writher　taking　the　least



significant　part　in　an　ill…equipped　Swatow　one…cash　Hall　of　Varied



Melodies。〃　Assuredly；　if　your　striking　and　well…chosen　metaphors　were



not　more　unbalanced　than　the　ungainly　attitude　of　a　one…legged



hunchback　crossing　a　raging　torrent　by　means　of　a　slippery　plank　on　a



stormy　night；　they　would　cause　the　very　acutest　bitterness　to　the



throat　of　a　dutiful　and　always　high…stepping　son。　There　is　an　apt



saying；　however；　〃A　quarrel　between　two　soldiers　in　the　market…place



becomes　a　rebellion　in　the　outskirts；〃　and　when　this　person　remembers



that　many　thousand　li　of　mixed　elements　flow　between　him　and　his



usually　correct　and　dispassionate　sire；　he　is　impelled　to　take　a　mild



and　tolerant　attitude　towards　the　momentary　injustice　brought　about　by



the　weakness　of　approaching　old　age；　the　vile…intentioned　mendacity　of



outcasts　envious　of　the　House　of　Kong；　and；　perchance；　the　irritation



brought　on　by　a　too　lavish　indulgence　in　your　favourite　dish　of　stewed



mouse。







Having　thus　re…established　himself　in　the　clear…sighted　affection　of



an　ever　mild　and　perfect　father；　and　cleansed　the　ground　of　all



possible　misunderstandings　in　the　future；　this　person　will　concede　the



fact　that；　not　to　stand　beneath　the　faintest　shadow　of　an　implied



blemish　in　your　sympathetic　eyes；　he　had　no　sooner　understood　the



attitude　in　which　he　had　been　presented　than　he　at　once　plunged　into



the　virtuous　society　of　a　band　of　the　sombre　and　benevolent。







These；　so　far　as　his　intelligence　enables　him　to　grasp　the　position；



may　be　reasonably　accepted　as　the　barbarian　equivalent　of　those　very



high…minded　persons　who　in　our　land　devote　their　whole　lives　secretly



to　killing　others　whom　they　consider　the　chief　deities　do　not　really



approve　of；　for　although　they　are　not　permitted　here；　either　by



written　law　or　by　accepted　custom；　to　perform　these　meritorious



actions；　they　are　so　intimately　initiated　into　the　minds　and　councils



of　the　Upper　Ones　that　they　are　able　to　pronounce　very　severe



judgments　of　torturea　much　heavier　penalty　than　merely　being



assassinatedupon　all　who　remain　outside　their　league。　As　some　of　the



most　objurgatory　of　these　alliances　do　not　number　more　than　a　score　of



persons；　it　is　inevitable　that　the　ultimate　condition　of　the　whole



barbarian　people　must　be　hazardous　in　the　extreme。







Having　associated　myself　with　this　class　sufficiently　to　escape　their



vindictive　pronouncements；　and　freely　professed　an　unswerving



adherence　to　their　rites；　I　next　sought　out　the　priests　of　other



altars；　intending　by　a　seemly　avowal　to　each　in　turn　to　safeguard　my



future　existence　effectually。　This　I　soon　discovered　to　be　beyond　the



capacity　of　an　ordinary　lifetime；　for　whereas　we；　with　four　hundred



million　subjects　find　three　religions　to　be　sufficient　to　meet　every



emergency；　these　irresolute　island　children；　although　numbering　us



only　as　one　to　ten；　vacillate　among　three　hundred；　and　even　amid　this



profusion　it　is　asserted　that　most　of　the　barbarians　are　unable　to



find　any　temple　exactly　conforming　to　their　requirements；　and　after



writing　to　the　paper　to　announce　the　fact；　abandon　the　search　in



despair。







It　was　while　I　was　becoming　proficient　in　the　inner　subtleties　of　one



of　these　ordersthey　who　drink　water　on　all　occasions　and　wear　a



badgethat　a　maiden　of　some　authority　among　them　besought　my　aid　for



the　purpose　of　amusing　a　band　which　she　was　desirous　of　propitiating



into　the　adoption　of　this　badge。　It　is　possible　that　in　the　immature



confidence　of　former　letters　this　person　may　already　have　alluded　to



certain　maidens　with　words　of　courteous　esteem；　but　it　is　now



necessary　to　admit　finally　that　in　the　presence　of　this　same　Helena



they　would　all　appear　as　an　uninviting　growth　of　stunted　and　deformed



poppies　surrounding　a　luxuriant　chrysanthemum。　At　the　presumptuous



thought　of　describing　her　illimitable　excellences　my　fingers　become



claw…like　in　their　confessed　inadequacy　to　hold　a　sufficiently　upright



brush；　yet　without　undue　confidence　it　may　be　set　down　that　her　hands



resembled　the　two　wings　of　a　mandarin　drake　in　their　symmetrical　and



changing　motion；　her　hair　as　light　and　radiant…pointed　as　the



translucent　incense　cloud　floating　before　the　golden　Buddha　of



Shan…Si；　thin　white　satin　stretched　tightly　upon　polished　agate　only



faintly　comparable　to　her　jade　cheeks；　while　her　eyes　were　more



unfathomable　than　the　crystal　waters　of　the　Keng…kiang；　and　within



their　depths　her　pure　and　magnanimous　thoughts　could　be　dimly　seen　to



glide　like　the　gold　and　silver　carp　beneath　the　sacred　river。







When　this　insurpassable　being　approached　me　with　the　flattering



petition　already　alluded　to；　my　gratified　emotions　clashed　together



uncontrollably　with　the　internal　feeling　of　many　volcanoes　in



movement；　and　my　organs　of　expression　became　so　entangled　at　the



condescension　of　her　melodious　voice　being　directly　addressed　to　one



so　degraded；　that　for　several　minutes　I　was　incapable　of　further



acquiescence　than　that　conveyed　by　an　adoring　silence　and　an



unchanging　smile。　No　formality　appeared　worthy　to　greet　her　by；　no



expression　of　self…contempt　sufficiently　offensive　to　convey　to　her



enlightenment　my　own　sense　of　a　manifold　inferiority；　and　doubtless　I



should　have　remained　in　a　transfixed　attitude　until　she　had　at　length



turned　aside；　had　not　your　seasonable　reference　to　a　Swatow



limb…contorter　struck　me　heavily　and　abruptly　turned　off　the　source　of



my　agreement。　Might　not　this　all…water　entertainment；　it　occurred　to



this　one；　consist　in　enticing　him　to　drink　a　potion　made　unsuspectedly



hot；　in　projecting　him　backwards　into　a　vat　of　the　same　liquid；　or



some　similar　device　for　the　pleasurable　amusement　of　those　around；



which　would　come　within　the　boundaries　of　your　refined　disapproval？　As



one　by　himself　there　was　no　indignity　that　this　person　would　not



cheerfully　have　submitted　to；　but　the　inexora