PEKINESE RHYMES

CHINESE FOLKLORE

PEKINESE RHYMES

FIRST COLLECTED AND EDITED WITH NOTES AND TRANSLATION

BY

BARON GUIDO VITALE

CHINESE SECRETARY TO THE ITALIAN LEGATION.

PEKING.

PEI-.T'ANG PRESS

1896.

MAIN LIBRARY

Hum fWYEH CHINESE LIBRARY

PROFESSOR LODOVICO NOGENTINI

IN

SIGN OF ESTEEM AND FRIENDSHIP

751696

應 廳醒應 廳麵麵

PREFACE

I bring for the first time to light a collec- tion of Pekinese children-rhymes with the con- viction that the reader may gather from the lecture these benefits.

7°. The acquirement of a small treasure of words and phrases hardly to be met with elsewhere. ,

■2。. A clearer insight into scenes and de- tails of Chinese common life.

Jo. The notion that some true poetry may he found in chines e popular songs.

These rhymes have no known authors ; some of them are perhaps composed by mothers watching at children s bedside, others may be composed by naughty school-boys when the tea- cher is having his nap over a page of the great philosopher. At all events they are like wild flowers which spring up nobody knows how and when and fade and die in the same way.

VIII

PREFACE.

The trouble in collecting them was far greater than I had thought. " Tabood" as ive are in Peking, where could I go myself to hear the rhymes and note them down ？

Then I had recourse to my teacher, but as he thinks to be a literary man, he grew quite indignant at my proposal, and assured and pledged that no such rubbish had ever existed in China. However as I happened ( of course by chance ) to take out of my drawer some dollars, and place them beneath his reach ， he suddenly abated his furors and mumbled that "perhaps I was not mistaken and that of course he ivould by every possible mean try to get IV hat I wanted ，，.

A nd I shall say to his justice that he kept his word and the dollars. But when he had collected forty or so, his stock iras quite exhaus- ted and I had to look for other helps.

In Slimmer time residing in temples in the neighbourhood of Peking I had large chance of intercourse with the people and could in- crease my stock of rhymes. I was furthermore able to improve the former texts and to reprove all those which being not matched by oral tes- timony ivcre probably spurious.

PREFACE.

IX

After the work of collection, came the work of explanation and translation which was not always easy. The people ivho spoke the words often were not able to give me light on the difficult points. When pressed by me they suggested something and I picked up what looked more truthlike and reasonable ; never did I force or prefer views of my own.

Somebody ivill object to my statement that sparkles of true poetry are to be found in this book. That will very naturally happen to all those TV ho are entirely foreign to the chinese world. Several rhymes ( however few in pro- portion to the bulk of the book/" are simple and touching and may be ^'poetry ，， for those ivho have even a slight knowledge of chinese joys and sorrows.

I shall draw also the reader's attention to the system of versification followed in these rhymes. Composed as they are by illiterate 'people who have no notion of written lan- guage, they show a system of versification analogous to that of in any European countries, and almost completely agreeing with the rules

( I )3.(j.io.i i.i3.i3.23. 3-2.43.44. 33. 54. 35. Go. yi . 1 17. i23. i25.

X

PREFACE.

of the Italian poetry. A new national poetry could perhaps spring up based on these rhythms and on the true feelings of the people.

I took every pain to collect the most I could, yet the work could be by far richer than it is. Those who live in freeer intercourse with the people could easily add numerous and fine sam- ples of this uncultivated poetry. I would be ex- tremely pleased if anyone would either furnish to me new materials, or would himself under- take the work of a new collection of rhymes.

Any critic ， advise or literary contribution will he gratefully received by the author.

I am glad to be able to express here my deep feelings of gratitude to Mr. A. M.C. Raab of the British Legation, who kindly undertook the revision of almost the whole manuscript and to Mr. Krehs of the German Legation who kindly helped me in correcting the proofs.

Baron Guido Vitale

Italian Legation.

Peking. 30'、' (September 1896.

'"^^^^•^-^,1*11^'-^-^^^^^^

INDEX.

Chang' ta'i sao- Pag. 23

Che4 ko* jen- sheng' lai? 192 Cheng! yiie'' H - cheng' yue^ cheng' 195

Chi' tsao'' Chi'' tsao'' 170

Gbiao* ni' pan'' r 169

Chie' cho ch'iang^ 'eur 165

Chih'' chi' ling' 100

Chin* ku< lu' pang^ 34

Ch'in2 shih'- huang' 184

Ching" t'iao- kun'-'r 88

Ch'iung-' t'ai' t'ai'' ，r 193

Ch'o:: ch'o:; 35

Ch'u' la men- 52

Ch'u' la men- 'r hao - sang^ ch'i^ 145 Ch'u' i' ch'u' eur'' ch'u' san' ssu* 207

Ch，ii3 hsi-' fu'' ，r ti 90

Chui' pang' tzu:'' ，r 189

Fan' ping '' lao'' ping' 78

Feng' lai' la 103

Han- ya' ，r han- ya' 'r kuo'' 21

Hao- jo* t'ien' ，r 116

Hao< tzu teng' 133

Hei' lao:'' p'ouo- ，r 125 Ho- shang'' ho- shang' iao- ling?

tang'* 67

張大嫂

這個 人生來 性兒急

正月裏 正月正

祭竈 祭竈新 年來到

膠 泥雜兒

隔 着牆兒 扔切糕

維 « 储

金 軲轆棒

秦始皇

荆條— 棍 兒

窮 太太兒

扯扯

出 了門兒

出 了門兒 好喪氣

初 一初二 初三四 5a 娶媳 婦兒的 雜 幫子兒 翻 餅格餅 風來 p^f

寒 鴇兒寒 鴉兒過 好 熱天兒 蒿子燈 黑 老 兒

和 尙和尙 搖鈴鐺

XII

INDEX

Hou4 ti3 ，r hsie2	80	度 底兒鞋 /-F* •fiE
Hui hu<	95	糊糊
Hua' hung- liou^ lii^ hsien^ ，r	64	花紅 柳緑線 5?
Huai- shu^ huai?	31	槐 M 槐 I/O lot J Mb
Huang2 kou3 huang- kou^	17	莨狗黃 你看突
Huang2 ch'eng' ken< ，r	128	黄 城根兒 >^ >t<^ 'ijjv yu*
Huang- tou^ li^ ，r	175	黄豆粒 §2^
Hung? to? li	201	紅得哩
Hung2 hu、' 111?	84	紅 M
Hsi3 ch'iao^ P pa' ch'ang-	92	直潘 尾巴長
HsF' ，r hsr ，r ch'ih' tou'* fu^	138	喜 兒喜兒 吃豆腐
Hsi3 ，r hsP ，r maF' tou'' fu-^	139	喜 兒喜兒 買豆腐
Hsii hsi' chiaoi	185	蹊溪 踏 '7、 乂、 **r'W
HsP hua< ch'ia' lai、) tai'' maaH'ou^ 188	喜 花稻來 遨滿頭
HsP 'r hsP ，r	198	專 兒喜兒
Hsiang' hsiangi hao' tzu	46	香 香蒿子
Hsiang' lu- 'r	105	香爐兒
Hsiao^ t'u' 'r	10	小秀 兒
Hsiao3 pai- ts'ai^	22	小 白茱兒
Hsiao?' eur'' koi	32	小二哥
Hsiao:' u" ，r	42	小 五 兒
Hsiao^' hsiao^ tzu	44	yj、 /J、 子
Hsiao3 hui- hui- 'r	68	小 lil 兒
Hsiao-' t'u' 'r	93	/J 、秀兒 '
Hsiao"' nil! I ，r	106	小钮兒
Hsiao '- chiao3 ，r niang-	107	小 脚 兒 娘
Hsiao" hsiao^ tzu	113	小 小 子 兒
Hsiao' hsiao^ tzu	127	小 小 子 兒

INDEX

XIII

flsiao3 ch'in? chiao> 131

HsiaoS san' ，r I'a' mai 134

Hsiao^ hao'* tzu 135

Hsiao3 ta^ chie^ 142

Hsiao3 yiian? 'r 149

Hsiao^ san' 'r, hsiao^ san, ，r 164

Hsiao- t'ao' ch'i^ 179

Hsiao3 ta'' chie3 187

Hsiao" hsiao3 tzu k'ai' p'u^ ，r 1%

Hsiao:; ku' niang- tsuo^ i' meng^ 196

Hsiao3 p'ang' hsiao^ tzu 204

Hsiao3 p'angi kot 219

Hsint ta3 i' pa^ ch'ao hu- 65

Hsin' ku' niang- shih? chP la 143 I' chin^ men- hsP ch'ung' ch'ung* 66

I' ya' eur* ya' 69

I' fu' k'uang' 77 I' chin'' men- ，r hei' ku< lung<

tung^ 147

I' ko'* chien< ，r 176 Jihi t'ou^ ch'u< lai- i' tieif' hung? 25 Kao' kao' shan' shang^ you'll' chia' 45 Kao' kao' shan< shang'* i' tsuo'*

hsiao ' miao'* 64 Kao I kao' shan> shang'' i' luo''

chuaa' 79 Kao' kao' shan' shang' i' k'o' hao' 104

Kao' kao' shan' shang' i' tsuo lou- 108

小 秦椒兒 小三 兒他媽 小 耗子兒 小大姐 小元兒

小三兒 小三兒 小 陶氣兒 小大姐

小小 f 開鋪兒 小^ 娘 作一夢 小胖 小子兒 小胖哥

新打一 把茶壺 新姑 娘十幾 一 進門兒 喜冲冲 一 呀二呀 一副筐

一進 門兒黑 piSP 冬 一 個毽兒 曰 50 出來 一照紅 高 高山上 有一家

高高 山上一 座小廟

高 高山上 一落磚 高 高山上 一顆蒿 高 高山上 一座櫻

XIV

INDEX

Kao' kao' shan' shang'' i' k'o' ma^ 116	问 m [U jL 一 m 麻
Kao' kao' sban' shangi iou^ ko^
hsiao3 miao^	119	咼 山 上 有個刁 、屬
Kao' kaoi shan' shangM' tsuo'' lou^ 148	1^ 向山 Jl ~ "座樓
Kao' kao' shan' shangM' uo' chu'	190	'& if, U X 仏 局局山 丄一简 猪
Kao' kao' shan' shangM' ko''niu2 205	问局 山上一 個午
ITan 1 ，i» Iran I 'r» JVC 11 1 Hell X	IDC	服兄 5fH 兄
IT" 4 nil 1 1 cVllll? cYliiaii nVt t\t\^ In IVU pu lU 1 oUiU oIlUcl uUaU la		觀小侍 ~ B^m W
JVU'' K aO^ CuO" KIT' lftl、	lyy	鼓靠 着鼓來
IVU lUUg IfUIlg	OA n	毂洞洞
JLiSt' la* CflU*		*^ 大鋸
IjR' in KU ll【 CO 0 ' Sail' KO* KO'	I DO	III
Lan? tien^ ch，ang3	A AJ lUl	itfc iTtt 藍 u 疋 m
Lao*^ t，ai' t，ai'* chiao* maoi	J on	老太太 》4猫
lii; la ch'iu' lai- li* la ch'iu*		立 了秋來 立了秋
Li^ 11* 11* 1" cnan* r		JL JL -U _LL 兄
Liang*^ chih* la'	loo	雨枝蠟
Ling- lung' t	no	玲瓏塔
Luo' kuo' tzu CO iao、	r r 00	m 鍋子橘
LUO* t'02 luo'* t，02 S04 SO*	110	IM^g^K 噻噻
'Luo? kuo< ，r ch'iao^	124	羅 鍋兒橋
Ma? tzu^ ma2	12	痲子癞
Ma- tzu3 kueP	187	：麻 子 鬼
Mai3 i' pao*	208	賈一包
Mei- mu4 ，r	97	煤糢兒
Men' ，r ch'iao' ti pang' pang'	178	門 52 敲 的梆梆
Miao' liHi ho^ shang'' la' ta'* suo「	466	廟裏 的和尙 拉大頌
Miao'' men- tuei'' miao'' men- 'r	191	廟門對 廟門兒

INDEX

Mie' mie' yang' 62

Muo4 Ii'i hua' ，r ti change fu' 153

Nan' chingi ta'* liou" shu'* 216

Ni? ni- ni' ni? puo< puo' 47

Ni3 ma' ch'i' m

iaoi sha' nP iao'' sha^ 208

Niao' niao' niao' 192

Nien- nien- iou'; ko'' san< yiie* san' 215

Niu' ，r iao'' ch'ih' mien^ 49

Pa' hsien' chuo* ，r 137

Pai2 Vsfi ssu4 186 Pienl' p'ao'' i' hsiang:; pa'' chang'

k'ai^ 209

P，mg2 tso? men? la« ta^ kungi 155

Sani V san' 'r 60

Sungi chih' ，r shu^ 173

Sung' pai3 chih' ，r 176

Sbai t'u3 ti* ，r 9

Shangi ku' lu^ t'ai' 2

Shih? liou4 huat ，r ti chie^ 28

Shih4 shuF p'aii uo^ ti men? ，r 194

Shou^ hsing' lao3 ，r fu- lu'* hsing< 219

Shu^ ye^ ，r ch'ing* 38

Shu4 ye^ ，r hei' 78

Shui? ken' uo^ uan^ ，r 14

ShueP niu^ ，r shueP niu^ ，r 48 Shuo' k'ai' ch'uan' chiou'' k'ai'

ch'uan' 161

晬畔羊

荥 莉花兒 的丈夫 南京 大柳樹 泥 泥泥泥 薛薛 你 媽 七

你要奢 你要奢

鳥 鳥 鳥

年 年有個 三月三 妞 兒要吃 S 八 仙 掉 兒 白塔寺

鞭 炮一晌 把張開 平則門 粒大弓 三 兒三兒 松 枝兒樹 松 柏枝兒 沙 土地兒 上$^| '轆台 石榴花 兒的姐 是 誰柏我 的門兒 壽 星老兒 福祿星 樹 葉兒靑 樹 葉兒黑 誰跟 我頭兒 水牛兒 水牛兒

說開船 就開船

XVI

INDEX

Ta' lien' ，r ta'

Ta' lien- ，r ta'

Ta" hua' pa' chang-'

Ta" luo~ ，r shai'

Ta3 luo? 'r shai'

Ta4 t'u' tzu" to? ping*

Ta4 niang? tzu^ ho' chiou^

Ta'' fan' ch'o'

Ta'* ko> ko' eur'* ko' ko'

Ta4 niang- eur'' niang- ts'ai'

T'ao? shu* ye'* 'r chien'

Til ti' ti'

T,i4 teng' kun' ，r

T'iao' shueP ti ko'

T'ien' huang? huang-

T，ie3 ts'an' tou^

Tou'' ya^ ts'ai ^

T'ou? pien' hui!

T'u' tzu'> t'u'

T，ui t'u' ch'a'>

Tu3 li2 ，r shu-*

Timgi yii^ miao'^

Tung' tung' tung'

Tsao'' uang- ye-

Tzu3 pu4 tzu3

Uo3 i» ko4 ta* eur? tzu

Uo3 eur- tzu shuei'' chiao'' la

Uo3 ti' eur? uo^ ti' chiao'

53 ？笞 連兒搭

59 ？ i 連兒搭

72 打 花巴掌 76 打 羅兒篩

ISO fir 羅兒歸 36 大, 子得病

57 大娘子 喝 酒

63 大翻車 194 大， 哥 5 哥哥 202 大娘 二娘猜 112 桃樹 葉兒尖 171 滴滴滴

27 剔 燈棍兒

7 挑 水的哥 211 天皇皇

89 鐡蠶豆 183 豆芽茱

213 頭遍灰 58 秀子秃

83 杜 黎兒樹 56 東嶽廟 146

2i2 竈王爺 159 紫不紫

15 ^一個 大兒子 丄6 我兒子 睡覺了 182 我的兒 我的妓

INDEX

XVII

Ya' t'ou? yai

Yang^ shu4 ye'* ，r

Yang2 pa' pa' tan^ ，r

Yang3 huo' chu' ch'ih' k'ou" jou'*

Ye- ye- pao^ sun* tzu

Yen^ pien' hu-

You3 ko'' niu' ，r pu'' hai^ sao'* You:} ko'* hsiao^' t'u' ，r You3 pien' ，r you^ pieni 'r Yue^ liang^ ye^ Yue'* liang'* ye- Yue'* liang* ye-

97 丫 頭 丫

6 楊 樹葉兒 IS 羊巴 巴蛋兒 •97 養活猪 吃口肉 L06 爺 抱孫子 -29 簷蝙蝠 2i 有 個紐兒 不害羞 22 有個 小秀兒 本姓高 ^44 有邊兒 有邊兒 LSO 月亮爺 月亮爺 月亮爺

一 rr^ir^w^:?'^^ -

PEKING. 一 Pei-t'ang Press.

PEKINESE BABY-SONGS

NOTES

Singing these words, the mother or any elder of the family takes the baby by the hands and pushes him for and backwards as if it was really the matter of drawing a saw. 姥姥 家 lao "' lao' chia', the family of the mother's mother. 娶娘子 ch'ii^ niang- tzu, goes to fetch the bride for her son, niang^-tzu is the name for a wife, and here it is used instead of 新 姑娘 hsin'-ku'-niang-, the real term for a bride. 搭 大 棚 ta'-ta'-p'eng-, they raise a large matshed. The Chinese houses have not generally large rooms, therefore in marriage, death, anniversary, and other occasions in which many guests are to be invited,

1

棚戲娘 婿甥去

； 」 大大姑 女外也

一 . 搭唱接 請小你

^ I

一 鋸鈮頭 子家子

大大木 房 姥娘

拉枇鈮 蓋姥娶

an additional matshed is raised in the court-yard. 大 戲 t"s" a play performed in the matshed by hired actors, an amusement much liked by the 'Cbinese^^ ^^t whfch only rich people can afford to h'aVb in: th^fi-'lVoWs. 接姑娘 g 靑女 婿 chie' ku'- fei'an^%<^l£'ing^. ijij^.-ihsu.^ ,• .th e grandmother with her family invites on this marriage occasion her married daughters and their husbands. 夕卜 甥 uai^-sheng', is the name by which a sister's son is designed.

TRANSLATION

( People ) draw the saw ― pull the saw 一 saw the wood ― build rooms 一 the grandmother and her family go to fetch the bride ― a large mat- shed is raised ― in which a play is performed ― and they come to take home the married daughters ― and to invite their husbands ― small nephew ― do you want also to go ？

來

n 茶

台 二口媽

轆轆 媽香香

軲軲 家也也

上下 張茶酒

— 3 —

NOTES

車 輔台 ku' lu' t'ai', a rounded stone placed Some times outside the outerdoors to sit on. 麻 \^ ma?-leng4 is the dragon fly (libellula virgo); it ought

牙

包

去飯老

裳 拉家 扎 轄煞兒 家家米 兒的

衣 水 腿惱到 馬人^ 兒 等阿那 親我老 茶瓣兒

0 口 練別來 白 俏鼠針 二問上 贈到的 奶四物

m 一 花你車 車 個銀小 個兒你 兒家兒 就夾厭

0 着 姐姐兒 轔 着襖包 了門煞 親成 餑榔個

個動 IS 含小小 後車轆 坐皮荷 * 車阿 南了現 錚檳這

八不麻 愣了姐 兒麽毂 頭鼠子 南着煞 到完家 子南你

十駝叫 麻噴小 明甚紅 裏灰對 解把阿 我瞧我 達安絡

一 4 一

to be correctly written 媽 娜 and pronounced ma'- lang^, I have however preferred the more popular and incorrect form as the sounds and the tones of the characters correspond to the Pekinese pronunciation, and the correct form is popularly unknown. 含 着 hen-cho, holding something in the mouth without showing it. The correct pronunciation of the character 含 is han-, as it is also pronounced in vulgar phrases as for instance 暗含着 an'' han^ cho, hiddenly, without showing, said sometimes of a meaning hidden in words which pretend not to say anything. 械 腿 k，u4 t'uei-', cloth-bands wrapped around the ankles of ladies with small feet. 輸 取 chiao'* ch，o'， sort of cart longer than the ordinary one, used only by the upper mandarin classes. 悄 人 家 chMao^ jen2 chia', a beautiful woman. 灰 鼠 huei'-shu", the grey squirrel. 皮 澳 p'i'-ao^, Chinese overcoat lined with fur. 銀 鼠 yin 乙 shu'i, the white squirrel. 對 子 tuei^-tzu, a pair ； the numeral ― one is wanting. 荷 包 ho? -pao'， a small side-pouch in which the Chinese keep banknotes, or even betel-nuts. 小 針 兒 hsiao'-chen'-eur, a small needle used by women to work flowers on a cloth. This working different from the embroidery is called 扎 cha'. 轄 hsia', the character ought to be pronounced in the second tone, but here is pronounced in the first because it is only used to represent the Manchu word hiyd meaning a body-guard of the sovereign ； this word is very often used in Peking instead of the Chinese equivalent 侍衞 shih''-w8i''. 阿煞 a''-sha'， two

— 5 -

characters which represent the Manchu word asha meaning one's elder brother's wife, and is used in the same complimentary way and in the same meaning as the Chinese 嫂 子 sao^-tzu. 達子薛 孛 ta^-tzu puo'- puo'， tartar-cakes many of which keep yet their old Manchu names, and are largely used in Peking. 奶 茶 naP-ch'a?, "milk-tea". 安南植 鄉 ani-nan?- pingi-Iang ？， Annamlte betel-nuts. 夾四辦 §3 chia'- ssu''-pan4 ，r， which are cut in four pieces. 5§ ko* character not mentioned in any dictionary ； it means to stick in the teeth, and also to hinder, to hurt. 厭 物 兒 yeii4 u4，r， despising term for a person who disgusts people ； it could be translated " you worrying thing ！" 包牙 pao' ya-, it is said of the front teeth when they protrude under the upper lip.

TRANSLATION

Goes up the sitting-stone 一 comes down from the sitting stone (！ ). The old lady Chang comes to pour tea ― the tea is fragrant ― the wine is fragrant 一 ten camels are loaden with clothes ― they are unable to move on ― and they call the dragon-fly ― the dragon fly-with the mouth full of water 一 spurts the young lady's figured ankle-bands ― young lady, young lady do not get cross ― to-morrow or after to-morrow the cart shall arrive ― what cart ？ ― a chair-cart with red wheels, drawn by a white horse ― and inside there sits a beautiful woman ― who wears an over coat lined with grey squirrel

fur and a jacket lined with ermine fur ― and has with her a pair of side-pouches with flowers worked on it by the small needle ― then, comes from the south direction an Imperial body-guard of the second class ― who leaning to the cart-door asks his sister-in-law ― sister-in-law, sister - in law, where do you go? ― "I am going towards South to pay a visit to my family" ― "When you have already paid a visit to your family, come to my house. ― I have at home ready-cooked old rice ― tartar cakes and tea milk ― but the Annamite betel- nuts cut in four pieces ― shall break the protruding old front teeth of you worrying thing ！ "

III

媧

罷 他

NOTES

楊樹 yang2 shu'', the poplar (latin popiiliis) this tree is in China very commonly seen in burial grounds. The Chinese say that its leaves stir even

找你我

覺 兒了

兒 睡貝來

葉拉 兒寳子

樹拉 孩乖虎

裼曄 小乖螞

一 7 一

without wind, and that the noise produced by their stirring, moves to sadness. 哮 -拉拉 hua' la' 1 &'， pro - nounced as one word, is imitative of the noise. This sad introduction is supposed to scare the boy and to get him sooner asleep. 乖乖 kuai'-kuai', means to kiss as Chinese mothers kiss their children in somewat a different way than the Europeans. The same expression is used too to say : be quiet ！ dont be saucy ！ ― probably the two meanings melt in one, as the second may simply be a promise of a kiss if the boy will be quiet. Another common form for the last meaning is adverbially formed so, 乖乖兒

的 kuai'' kuai'*，r ti. 媽虎子 ma* liu:! tzu, a phantastic monstruos creature spoken of and called every time it is thought proper to scare a baby.

- The poplar leaves ― are stirring ― the baby is about to sleep and looks for his mother ― be a good boy, my treasure, get asleep ― if the bogie comes, I'll beat him.

TRANSLATION

IV

祧 水

聽 着 南 河

的 我

沿

哥 說

兒

NOTES

These words are adressed by the Chinese boys to the water-carriers who are generally people of the Shantung province. As no water-ways of any kind exist in Peking, a great many of these fellows take the water from the wells into the houses. Their bad pronunciation, and their awkward man- ners delight extremely the Peking cockneys. The boys have therefore composed for their benefit this special song, which they hum at their back, and whose general aim is to define them as turtles. The word turtle in China is used for one of the most direst insults, as this animal is phantastically empeached of an unnatural crime. The insult is however so largely used that people are not shocked by it. 哥 ko' means elder brother, but here is used in the meaning of man, fellow in the same way as the Russians use the word brat ( latin f rater ) . 竊 uo' means not only a nest but also a den, a hole. 8 西 蓋 子 shai'' kai;- tzu, to dry the shell in the^un, as turtles do. 縮 suo', to withdraw one's head, to retreat. This last phrase is allusive to the fact that the water-carriers do not go out when it rains, as the tunles do too.

宿

子 兒

窩蓋膀

的晒把

你天天

有睛陰

TRANSLATION

Water carrying fellow 一 hear what I say ― on the bank of the south river ― is your hole ― when the weather is fine, you dry out your shell ― and when it is bad weather then you draw in your neck.

V

他 NOTES

沙 土 地 兒 sha' tV' ti"r, a sandy plain ground as outside the wall between the Manchu and the Chinese town in Peking. 丈 人 chang'-jen, name given to one's wife or bride's father. 大舅兒 ta'" chiou'*'r, one's wife's elder brother. 小 舅 兒 hsiao"^ chiou''，r, one's wife's younger brother. For 他 is here to be understood the bride whom the young man succeeds in spying through the curtain. 銀盤大

家 見髪銀

人讓拉 看頭澳

丈裏裏 兒黑棉

兒 到望望 簾臉子

地 .ij? 跑兒兒 竹大緞

土 白跑 舅舅着 S 白

沙跑 I 大小 隔銀月

― 10 ―

臉 yin2 p'an^ ta^ lien^, a big face as white as a silver tray. 月 Q yiie^ pai^, "moon white" means a light blue. 挖 2 read ko'-ta' or more vulgarly ka'-ta', here means a metal button, it may also mean pimples and has other different shades of meanings.

TRANSLATION

On the sandy plain ― gallops a white horse ― galloping gets to the (horseman's) future father-in- law's house ― his elder brother-in-law invites him to come in ― his younger brother-in-law pulls him in ― through the bamboo-curtain he has seen her ― her large face as white as a silver-tray and her black hair ― and her cotton overcoat of light azure colour with silver buttons.

爹 鞋 三

你帽兒 着

是纓板 露

水紅乍 頭

打着着 指

. 兒咧 兒戴穿 步拉脚

秀咧 邊爹媽 一 拉個

小咧 南你你 走蹋十

NOTES

The Chinese boys generally as far as three years old have their hair shaven ； therefore a common nickname for a boy is 秀兒 t'u''r, meaning a bald-headed. 柳 啊 I 列 lie ''-lie ''-lie'', is imitative of the sound of weeping. The boy weeps and to quiet him the song is sung to him. 打 水 ta-^ shuei\ to draw water from a well, by a rope and a bucket. 紅 m 子 hung- ing' tzti， Red silk twists fixed round the top of a Chinese official hat. 乍 板兒鞋 cha* pan-^'r hsie-, old shoes with no heels ； they are so called because the noise the sole produces slapping on the ground is like the sound of a Chinese musical instrument called 乍板兒 cha'' pan^'r, consisting in two small bamboo tablets strung together, which are shaken by the fingers in a similar manner to the Spanish and italian castanets 踢拉拉 t'a' la' la', imitates the slapping of the shoe sole on the ground. 三 san' is here ( as very often in vulgar language) pronounced sa', in order to rhyme with the precedent verse who ends with 拉.

TRANSLATION

Small bald-headed ― here he is weeping ！ ― to the South side it's your father who draws water from the well ― your father wears an official hat with red silk twists on it ― and your mother wears on

― 12 ―

her feet old shoes with no heels 一 as she advances a step ― it sounds t'alala — and of her ten toes three peep out of her shoes.

VII

子 摔了個 痲跟頭

痲 燒 餅

架 痲子勸

子的 痲腿子

NOTES

This song is profusedly interspersed with the character 麻 ma? whose meaning is "smallpox." This disease is so common in China that very often children who have been sick with it and keep marks

痲 爬咬拿 痲錢個 吃看打 役子痲

子樹 又又 的大了 子子子 衙板打

痲上狗 人嚇痲 買 痲痲痲 痲拿單

一 13 —

on their faces are familiarly called 麻 子 ma--tzu. Furthermore the word is used in other relative meanings. Here throughout these words, it is impossible to translate it always, as the repetition is done for the sake of playing on the word. The character I have written here is the regular one, but popularly the other character 麻 ma', which means hemp, is substituted for it. In the first verse it is repeated to intensify the original meaning, thus saying " mucli marked with small pox. 麻 跟 頭 ma? ken' t'ou', ken'-t'ou' is a tumble ； the word 嘛 ma- is referred to the subject. 繊大錢 ma "a'' ch'ien-, so is called a cash when its surface Is sugged, uneven, as if there were marks of small pox on it. 繊燒 ffi ma? shao' ping-', a wheaten cake with an uneven surface, as it is when sesamum seeds are placed on it. 燒餅 shao' ping'', round wheaten cake.

TRANSLATION

The boy much marked with the small pox ― climbs up a tree ― the dog barks ― and people go to catch him. ― The small-pox marked is so scared that he tumbles. ― With an old rugged cash he buys a cake ― a small pox marked eats ― and a small pox marked looks on ― the small pox marked come to a fight ― and a small-pox marked advises peace ― small pox marked policemen 一 take the bamboo stick 一 and only thrash the legs of the small pox marked boy.

一 14 一

VIII

NOTES

火織 兒 huo"' lien-'r, a piece of steel used to strike sparks from a flint. 甜 瓜 kua', sweet melon. 豆 腐 tDu4-fu3, bean cheese, largely used in China 茶樣 ft 蛋 ch'a? chi" tan^ eggs boiled in tea. 雞 i # 兒 chii tan4 k'o»> the shell of an egg ； it is generally pronounced k，o?，r.

殼哥茱 奶香睛

兒 殼哥買 奶燒服

頭兒燒 蛋着來 着來子

我 鐮兒瓜 腐爛蛋 雞坐出 坐出鼻

跟火鐮 甜瓜豆 腐雞蛋 頭哥頭 奶了

誰打 火賣敌 賣豆茶 雞裏哥 裏奶燒

TRANSLATION

Who is going to play with me ？ ― strike the flint-steel ― the flint steel takes fire ― sell sweet melons 一 the sweet melons are bitter ― sell bean cheese ― the bean cheese is spoiled ― boil eggs in tea ― in the shell of the egg, of the egg ~ there is sitting the elder brother ― the elder brother goes out to buy provisions 一 inside there sits the grand-mother ― the grand mother goes out to burn incense ― ana burns her nose and her eyes.

IX

子

NOTES

These words are often repeated by the pekinese mothers to their babies 疼痕兒 ko' ta' ，r， means here a little thing of a round form just as it was a round metal button. 開 胸 順氣九 k'ai' hsiung" shun'' ch'i* uan-, is a medical pill advised by Chinese doctors to people who feel the breast oppressed and the respiration uneasy. The literal translation of its

大 子痘氣

一 個貝胸

我 一 i

― 1 0 ―

name is "pill which opens ( lightens ) the breast and makes the respiration easy. The mothers liken their babies to that pill, and really every mother holding her child in her arms must feel happy and free from every sorrow. ,

TRANSLATION.

. I; .

This one great son of mine ！ ― one son of

mine I a precious little thing I 一 a pill who lightens

the heart and makes people happy I

X

兒 子 人 精

NOTES

These words are repeated by mothers near the cradles of their sons to get them asleep. The phrase 把 卜 了 pa'' pa-' la, is rather difficult to explain, because the Chinese themselves cannot give it a meaning. However, after many enquiries I see that people are generally of opinion that this phrase has the meaning of being drowsy, being

了了 了乖哄

覺覺 卜個個

睡困 把是是

子兒 兒兒兒

兒花花 花 花

K 我 法我我

一 I

asleep. 乖兒子 kuai' eur- tzu, an obedient boy, meaning derived from the above mentioned phrase 乖乖 kuai' kaai'. ''be quiet I 哄 人的精 hung:; jea- ti ehing'. the word hung '- which means commonly to deceive, but its original meaning is to cajole, to flatter, to charm. The word ching' means essence, sep^en ； the whole phrase could be translated : the ess^ce, the f^i^-er of those who charm people.

TRANSLATION

My flower is sleeping ― my flower has fallen asleep ― my flower is resting ― my flower is a quiet son ― my flower is the flower pf those who charm people.

麫片

家花了 家擀大 轉辦

看梅 深我會 一 線團花

你深沒 到兒杖 如團蓮

狗邊花 兒婦麫 賽裏裏

黄南梅 人媳擀 刀鍋碗

狗到杂 雙家起 起在在

黄我 一 雙我拿 拿搠盛

"—18 — ■

NOTES

This song although very childish, yet is founded on the fact that Chinese mothers-in-law are often unkind and sometimes even cruel to their daughters-in-law. 雙雙人 51 shnang' shuang' jen-'r, means a couple of persons, not four persons. 我 家 媳 婦 兒 ua' chia' hsi- fa'''r, " the wife in my house " probably these words are meant to be

睡

兒

碗 眼那 烟

半 碗碗碗 碗瞪在 搏鞭溜

碗兩 一 51 了 上直兒 落溜 一

1 兒藏舔 » 鋸兒婦 睡 一一兒

婆姑下 來來來 婦媳裏 着着婦

碗小底 過過過 媳兒坑 麼皮麽 皮麽錘 拿拿媳

1 個板兒 兒子的 婦爐甚 羊甚狗 甚棒. 婆的

. ^兩案 猫狗耗 嚇媳在 鋪鋪蓋 蓋枕枕 ^婆打

一 19

uttered by the mother in law, who may call so her son's daughter. 撥 g kan"^ mien;， to stretch out dough to make vermicelli. 構 杖 kan' mien'* changS a roller to stretch dough. ~ • 大 片 i' ta'* p'ien's a large flat piece (of dough) ； in the text the verb "she stretches out" is wanting. 赛 如線 sai* ju'i hsien'*, which may rival, compete with thread as to thinness. 團 團 t'uan- t'uan- chuan'*, conglomerated they turn round in the pan. ( said of the vermicelli) 蓮花辦 lien--hua' -pan's ( as they were ) petals of the lotus blossom. 公 kung' father-in-law, here kung' is instead of ^ ^ kung" kung' . 婆 p'uo). mother in law, here p'uo- is instead of 婆 婆 p'uo- p'uo-. 小 姑 兒 hsiao^ ku'，r， her husband's younger sisters. 案 板 an'' pan^, a wood board on which dough is stretched to make vermicelli. 爐 坑 lu- k'eng' is a pit under the stove where the ashes fall down ； an imcommon severe punishment inflicted by mothers-in-law to their daughters-in-law is to let them sleep in the stove-pit. 鋪甚麼 P，u' she- mmo， what have you for bedding ？ 枕甚麼 chen' she- mmo, what have you for pillow ？ Somebody is supposed to ask now from the unfortunate wife about her condition. 棒鍾 pang' ch'ui- , a beater used in washing clothes ； it is generally made of 壤木 tsao^u'', date wood. ― 落 石專 i' luo4 chuan', a pile of bricks, that is to say, as many bricks as could form a pile of them. ~ - 溜 鞭 i' liou'' pien', "a row of whips " rather a strange expression for many whips, lots of whips. ― 溜 姻 i' lioi" yen', as a stream of smoke ； the verse is not

一 20 一

complete because its whole meaning is : they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke ( a cloud of smoke). The Chinese associate the idea of smoke with quickness ； very often it is heard 他 走一溜 姻 兒似的 t，a' tsou:'' i' liou^ yen''r shih'-ti, he walks as quickly as a stream of smoke.

TRANSLATION

Yellow dog, yellow dog, look after the house ― I go towards South to pluck plum-blossoms ― I have not yet plucked a single plum-blossom ― and two persons arrive at the house ― my son's wife knows how to stretch out dough ― she takes the roller and stretches a large slice of dough ― she takes the knife and cuts vermicelli as thin as hread ― then she puts them in the cooking-pan, and they turn conglomerated about 一 afterwards she puts them down in the bowls and they look like petals of the lotus blossom. ― ( She fills ) one bowl for her father-in-law 一 one bowl for her mother-in-law ― and two half-bo、vls for her sisters- in-law ― she hides one bowl under the dough- board ― but the cat comes over and licks the bowl ― the dog comes over and has broken the bowl ― the mice come over and gnaw the bowl ― and the housewife is so scared that she stares vacantly ― "wife, wife, where do you sleep?" ― "I sleep in the stove-pit ― what have you for

一 21 ―

bedding ？ ― I have for bedding a goat's skin ― what have you for coverlet ？ ― I have a dog's skin ― what have you for pillow ？ ― I have a linen-beater ― the father-in-law takes up in his hands as many bricks as could form a pile ― the mother-in-law holds up in her hands a row of whips ― and they beat the wife so that she runs away as quickly as a stream of smoke.

XII

寒 ® 兒過 十 個

兒 更好吃

NOTES

寒稿兒 han' ya'V is the Corvus monedula, a white breasted crow ； a large number of them comes to Peking from the North, at the beginning of winter, and their first apparition is greeted by the Pekinese boys with these verses who are however too gastronomic to be sentimental. The flesh of these crows is eatable, but the taste for it is not general. 一 遍 i' pien's at one time. 刹 puo' is read vulgarly pao- .

兒打 吃吃皮

鴉遍 着着了

寒 一 熬赏刹

— '22

TRANSLATION

The white breasted crows, the white breads ted crows are passing ― at one time we strike ten of them ~ we eat them boiled in gravy ― we eat them boiled ― but they are even better to eat when the skin is taken off them.

XIII

過

强

NOTES

Of all the popular songs that are in this collection, 1 think this one could claim any artistic value. It is very simple, subject and words, but the

爹 娘整我 娘

爹 後年： 親

着 娶三弟 想

兒 兒 跟 爹娘兄 啼

茱黄 歲娘兒 爹後個 茱湯啼

白裏 八了好 怕了了 吃泡哭

小地 七離好 叉娶養 他我哭

一 '2：\ ―

child's grief is movingly depicted. The boy liken^s himself to a small cabbage which gets yellow and dry in the earth, because nobody takes care of it. The'comparison is not poetical for us, but in China there is nothing- peculiarly vulgar attached to the word cabbage. 過 kiio' is here for 過日子 kuo^ jih''-tzu, to live, to get on. 三年整 san' nien^ cheng\ just after three years. }^ 溢 p'ao" fang', to pour the gravy on the rice. 哭 哭 P 帝 P 帝 k'u' k'u> t，i? t，F， weeping and wailinjr.

TRANSLATION

Like the small cabbage ― which has become yellow and dry on the ground ~ at the age of seven or eight years, I have lost my mother. ― I lived so well near my father ― only I was afraid he would take another wife ― and he has taken her ； just after three years ― they have given me a brother who is more worthy than I am ― because he eats the food ― and 1 only may pour the gravy on my rice ― weeping and wailing I think of my own mother I

XIV

張大嫂

李 大

一 2'i ―

NOTES

大 嫂 ta'i sao\ general appellation for the eldest brother's wife ； married women call each other ta'' sao" for sake of ceremony. 豆 角 tou* chiao:;, bean pods. 據 liao<, to grasp, to pull, here, " to pull away " *^ 藤 k'ang'* hsi-, the mat wich is spread on the k'ang. Somebody could be curious to know which of the two ladies ran home, but the song does not satisfy the curiosity.

TRANSLATION

Mistress Chang ― and Mistress Li ― have gone to the Southern slope 一 to gather bean pods ― ( one of them ) felt a pain in her bosom ― and ran home 一 pulled off the k'ang-mat ― spread dry

、 0

賣

子 店 iK

兒 大頭

坡 角疼跑 腈草個 保開饅

南豆子 家^^ 了 豆保賣

上 摘肚往 撩鋪養 叫豆乂

― m 一

grass on the k'ang 一 and bore a child whom she called Tou' pao^ ― Tou'-pao^ not it has opened a shop ― and sells bread and flower.

辦花

紅 齄走東 花藥花 花蓮愛 陶氣 熬子遙

s^a 騎街海 盆芍丹 桃大的 陶婆 夫抱逍

^ 一 我 遶過家 五紅牡 是是無 家樂^ 丈不又

來馬 馬龍我 着個個 的的姐 出兒受 受中淡

出騎 騎靑有 種愛愛 愛愛五 要人不 不懷散

頭傅傅 騎東家 姐姐姐 姐下心 家來 來來來

日師 師我海 我大二 三四剩 一 出一 二三四

NOTES

藥 shao- yao', peony, lat. pcvouia 牡 丹 mu?' tan'

― 一

the tree peony, hit. pa'onia mutan. 蓮 花， lien- hua', the lotus flower, hit. ^elumbiiim speciosum. 無 的 愛 11' til ai^ she has nothing that she likes. [ij 家 c'j'u' cilia', "to go out of the family" means to enter the monastic life. 樂 陶 陶 b'' t'ao- t'a。 -'， joyfully, happily. 熬 ao', to boil, to decoct, and figurately to vex, to disturb. 散 淡 san: tan'-, freely, easily, with no coercions 遣 遙 hsiaa' yao', in a state of peace and bliss.

' TRANSLATION

The sun has come out like a red spot ― my teacher rides on a horse and I ride on a dragon ― the teacher riding on the horse goes along the streets ― I riding on the dark dragon cross over to the East of the sea ― at the East of the sea there lives my family 一 and in my family they cultivate five fllower-pots ― my first sister likes the red peony ~ my second sister likes the tree peony ― my third sister likes the petals of the peach blossom ― my fourth sister likes the large lotus blossoms. ― There is the fifth sister who has nothing she may like ― and does not think of other but of becoming a nun ― the women in the monastic life live very happily indeed ― firstly they do not suffer the vexations of father-and mother-in-law - secondly they do not suffer a husband's maltreatment 一 thirdly they do not bear children ― and fourthly they live freely and in a condition of blissful peace.

― ― XVI

了個 禿奶奶 52 §3 竟發默

NOTES

别 燈 棍 兒 t'i ten^' kun'' ，r， a wire to pull up the wick in an oil lamp. 打 燈花兒 ta' teng' hua' ，r， to take away the burned part of the wick. ― The scene depicted is rather a comic one ； a man has married a woman whom he has never seen, and as soon as he enters the nuptial room, he snuffs the candle to see better and perceives that the bride is a very ugly one. 爺 ?S 兒 ye ye' ，r, means in vulgar Pekinese a man, a husband as 奶奶兄 nai' naP ，r， means a woman, a wife. Both words are used in different meanings in family relations tedrhnology. SI 默 fa' tail, to stare vacantly.

TRANSLATION

With the oil-lamp wire ― he takes away the burned wick ― the man perceives he has got for

兒兒筹 爺

棍 花 1： 儿 斜歪爺

燈 燈爺一 乂又的

剔打爺 眼嘴氣

一 28 —

himself a bald wife ― she is squint eyed ― and has a crooked mouth ― the husband is so struck with anger ― that he stares stupidity.

XVII

房

了

, 嚷地進 香香 地

嚷椅走 兒兒 長掃香

子 頭 鬧來娘 香 花瓣澳 地來花

姐郧帳 枕被 子棠： g 簪花紅 落兒合

的 的的床 的的禱 海的鏡 花玉桃 大拖花 百尖圓

兒 兒的兒 兒 菊兒 花桂粉 唇仵裙 松起兒

花 花花兒 花花花 秋人銀 頭官乐 一 羅 ffi 掃葉葉

楷 莉 蓉花芝 藥球聲 美對油 * 檫黠 穿地了 花姑花

石 1^ 芙 繡蘭： 叫虞 兩梳 臉嘴身 下叫松 荷

一 一

江 南

NOTES '

It appears this song has no other aim than to put together the greatest number of flowers and plants names. 花 shih' liu' hua', pomegranate

flowers. 荣莉 花 mm'' li'' hu.i', Arabian jasmine (lat. Jasminum Samba'), -j^ 转 花 fa' jung- hua', the Hibiscus mutabilis. 儘 花 hsiou* hua', flowers embroidered by hand. 蘭芝花 Ian- chih' hua", and also 隨 花 Ian- hua', the Cymbidium ensifoliuni. '1^ 球 花 hsiou'i ch'iu' hua' , sort of geranium ( lat. geranium {(male). |簡 嚷嚷 nao' jang' jang', to be noisy, here perhaps to be in confusion, to be meddled together. 秋 菊 ch'iu' chii-, autumn chrysanthemum. 海 棠 hai:、' fang-, pyrus spectabilis, cultivated for its flowers and fruits. 虞美' 人 yii? mei? jea-', papaver rhoeas, a double variety of the poppy. ；!: 圭 花 kuai' hua', the Cassia flower ( lat. Cinnamomiim Cassia ). 官 粉 kuan' fen"', sort of good white cosmetic powder which ladies rub on their cheeks 玉替花 yii* tsan' hua', Funkia subcordata. 下 地 hsia''-ti''， to reach the ground. 羅裙 luo? ch,iin.-'， a long petticoat, made with a sort of silk called 羅 luo-. 拖 落 t'uo' lo''， is said of the dresses when they are too long and the skirts sweep the ground. 松 花 sung" hua', pine-

丹里望

牡 十嫂

抱香嫂

S 兒兒

花花花

開開開

芝仙子

靈水梔

― 0 ―

flower. The Chinese use to throw the flowers into the stove to prevent the bad smell of coal. 百 合 花 pa3'-'no?-hua' read also pu3''-ho-hua', the lily ( lat. Liliiim ). ^ 姑 tz'u? kill, an herb with arrowlike leaves ( lat. Sagiitaria sagittifnlia). 荷花 In' hua', the Lotus blossom, the same as 蓮 花 lien- hua', ( lat. Nelumbium speciosiim). 靈 芝 ling- chih', the plant of long life. 水 仙 s'luei-' hsien", the narcissus. 栃 子 chih'-tza, the gardenia 望江南 uang' chiang' nan-, means literally " looking towards the South of the river" but it is also a flower name.

TRANSLATION

The bride, is the pomegranate flower ― the bridegroom is the jasmin ― the curtains are covered with flowers of the Hibiscus mutabilis ― the bed is covered with embroidered flowers ― the pillow is covered with flowers of Cymbidium ensifoHum 一 and the coverlet is spread with peony flowers 一 the mattress is strown w th geraniums flowers, which are in disorder ― they call the autumn chrysanthemum and the flower of the pyrus spectabilis, to let them sweep the floor ― here miss poppy has entered the room ― there are two mirrors with frames inlaid with silver ― and she combs her hair as perfumed as the Cassia flower ― then she rubs her face with white cosmetic powder, with the smell of the Funkia subcordata ― and she marks a red spot on her lips, as scented as petals of the peach blossom ―

一一 :n ―

she wears a big red overcoat ― and a petticoat so long that it sweeps the ground ― then she calls the pine flower that it may sweep the floor 一 the pine flowers beegins to sweep the floor and a lily odour is smelt ― the leaves of the Sagittaria sagittifoHa arc pointed ― the leaves of the lotus blossom are round ― the plant of immortality opening the flowers embraces the tree peony ― the narcissus opens the flowers and the odour is smelt as far as ten li ― the gardenia opens the flowers and the sister-in-law looks toward South. '•

XVIII

NOTES

槐 樹 huai'2 shu'% the ash tree (lat. fr ax in us). 打 着傘 ta:i cho' san:、'， keeping the umbrella open. 光 着脊梁 kuang' cho' chi:'' niang", bare from head to

了來

台 來 了 纂

戲 部還來 着

搭 娘娘就 挽

下 姑姑着 梁

槐底 的的說 驪傘脊

樹樹 家家着 着着着

槐槐 人我說 騎打光

一 ：]2 ―

waist. 挽着慕 uan3 cbo' tsuan--, with the back-hair combed as a chignon.

TRANSLATION

Ash trees, ash trees 一 under the ash trees they have raised a stage -— everybody's girls are come ― only mine does not come yet ― just while speaking, here she is come ― riding on a donkey ― with an open parasol ― and with her hair combed into a chignon.

XIX

戶兒 兒兒兒

窗兒鏡 兒曲兒 猴兒天

上檔照 底唱頭 耍圈鑽

多飯 婆有婆 有婆有 婆有婆

哥 兒了婆 老沒老 沒老沒 老沒老

二飯 完老 的戶的 子的兒 的兒的

小吃吃 打打窗 打鏡打 -曲 打猴打

- 33 -

NOTES

There is not much coherence in the words, and the fun is in the fact that many verses are ended with the final 兒, which produces a ridiculous effect. 二 哥 eur'' ko'， the second brother in the family also simply a familiar name. 老 婆 lao:; p'uo-, an old woman, a wife. The accent falls generally on the 老 lao?' in this meaning ； but if said lao"^ p*uo- tzu^, with the accent on the p'uo-, then it means "a female servant 檔兒 tang"r, small wood bars placed horizontally in the Chinese window-sash. 耍猴兒 shua' hou- 'r, " to (let) play the monkey, that is to exhibit the tricks of a monkey to gain the life "； the other metaphorical meaning is "to lark, to romp, to be impertinent". 圈 兒 ch'iuan' ，r， a wooden circle through which the monkeys are let jump.

TRANSLATION '

The small second brother ― eats too much 一 and when he has finished eating ― he beats his wife ― and the wife is so beaten that she jumps on the window ― the window has no bars 一 and the wife is so beaten that she looks in the mirror 一 the mirror has no bottom ― the wife is beaten so that she begins to sing ― the song has no end 一 the wife is so beaten that she "plays with the monkey " 一

3

一 34 一

the monkey has no circle ― and the wife is so beaten that she springs up to the sky.

XX

返 兒 放

揚 NOTES

車 古繊棒 ku< lu' pang's a child toy, consisting in a short wood mace with a handle. The wood above the handle is circularly worked as to give the idea of wheels 賴 輔 ku' lu''. It is the imitation of an ancient Chinese weapon. 大天亮 ta'' t'ien' Hang'-, when the daylight was very bright. P« ^兒喊 兒 tzu' ，r tzu' 'r, imitates the sound produced by the lips of a person who is sipping broth. There was no character in the dictionary for it, but I was forced to adopt the above written as corresponding to the exact sound and having by side the radical 口 .

亮 沒上米

兒 天子. 1 口暍

板 大 孩鍋的

棒棒 打唱到 個在兒

轆轆 兒兒唱 了放嗞

軲軲 爺奶唱 活放兒

金 銀爺奶 一養 一 嗞

TRANSLATION

Gilt wood mace ― silvered wood mace 一 the husband strikes the castanets and the wife sings ― and they have been singing till broad daylight ― and she has born a child, and there was no place to lay him ― and they have laid him on the kitchen-stove ― where he is sipping the rice gravy.

XXI

線頭 回

紅 後 一

掛門 又

圓前在 拉

轆門厚 袖風頭 刀尖天 雷賊曄

扯軲家 線大鬼 後腰刀 大打咬 I？

祉扯 家紅鬼 一 門 掛腰項 天狗唏

NOTES

These words are sung by children as they give each other the hand and turn around in a circle : no particulary defined meaning is attached to them, as they are put together only to keep measure with the steps, ^jl; 鞭 圓 ku' lu'' yiian-, as round as a wheel . 鬼 shuaF', expresses a movement peculiar to the Chinese, that of letting down with a sudden jerk of the arm, the long sleeve which was tucked up the wrist. P§ tfe hsi' liu' hua' la', words with no meaning.

TRANSLATION

Draw, draw ― draw the circle as round as a wheel ― at every house-door is hanging a red thread ― the red thread is thick ― drop the sleeve ― drop it as far as behind the door ― behing the door ― is hanging the swoard 一 the swoard is cutting ― and is so long that it touches the sky ― the sky- thunders 一 the dog bites the thieves 一 hsiliuhuala once more ！

XXII

大秀 子得病 二 禿子慌

"―^ 37

NOTES

For a baldhead is meant in this song a child, for the reason explained before. 墓 chiang' fang', ginger broth, a medicine given to make the patient sweat. 乖 乖 kuai' kuai', dear, treasure, said of children. 莉 廣子兒 hu? lu' tzti:'' ，r， the seeds In his gourd (meaning his head), 出來 peng'' ch,u' lai-'， to spring up ； said of things which being thrown down, by force of elasticity, spring up.

TRANSLATION

The first baldhead gets sick ― the second baldhead is scared ― the third baldhead goes to call a doctor ― the fourth baldhead boils a ginger decoction 一 the fifth baldhead bears him (the sick one) on the shoulders ― the sixth baldhead buries

. 出

迸

來麽乖 兒

進甚乖 子

夫湯 连哭秀 蘆

大薑 着他個 莉

請 熬抬埋 哭問了 枱埋個

子 子子子 子子死 兒那

禿 禿秀禿 秀秀家 快快讓

三 四五六 七八我 快怏刖

一 38 —

him ― the seventh baldhead comes in ― the eight baldead asks "why do you weep "？ ― In my family a dear baldhead is dead ― quickly take him away ― quickly bury him ― lest the seeds should spring out of his gourd. '

XXIII

娃

冬 被睡襖 澳子子 m 杈 兒兒娃

1 花皮 子皮簪 圈頭喀 鎧縫銀

過花羊 紬破金 竹高樹 銀牆個

英 姐着着 着着着 着着着 着着着

靑兒 姐蓋蓋 穿穿戴 戴騎騎 澄澄抱

葉呀 跟姐妹 姐妹姐 妹姐妹 姐妹姐

樹呀 我組妹 姐妹姐 妹姐妹 姐妹姐

兒

一乂

麻哇

個哇

着來

抱步

妹 一

妹走

- 39 —

NOTES

呀呀 兒英 ya' ya' ，r ying', meaningless refrain which rhymes with the preceding verse. 花花被 hua' hua' peiS a coverlet embroidered with flowers. 替子， tsani tzu, Chinese hair-pin. 竹圈子 chu- ch'iiian' tzu, ear-rings made of bamboo ； in Peking ear-rings are generally called 子 ch'ien' tzu. 嘎 ； f 义 k，ai ch'a', a forked branch 瘤 給 麻 lai* ha- ma', a scabby toad. 睡 兒 1^ ku' ，r ku &'， imitates the voice of a toad.

TRANSLATION

The tree leaves are dark ― I spend a winter with my elder sister ― my elder sister covers her bed with a coverlet embroidered with flowers ― and I the younger sister cover my bed with a goat skin 一 my elder sister wears a satin overcoat 一 I the younger sister wear a broken skin overcoat ― my elder sister wears golden hair-pins 一 and I the younger sister wear bamboo ear-rings ― my elder sister rides on a splendid horse ― and I the younger sister ride on a forked branch 一 my elder sister leans her feet on silver stirrups ― and I the younger sister lean my feet on the wall crevices ― my elder sister holds in her arms a silver baby ― and I the younger sister hold in my arms a scabby toad ― which moves a step and then cries kurkua kurkua.

XXIV

NOTES

立 秋 li'' ch'iu', the beginning of winter, fjg chao'', illumines. 人 烟 靜, jen' yen' ching'', men and smoke (houses) are resting ； everything- is quiet. 押 虎 子 ya' huUzii, Peking street watchmen, kept by the Government to tell the hour by striking on a bamboo rattle. ^ 壽 tsou^ ch'ou-, to take round by night time a bamboo tally from one watch-post to another. 一 根燈草 i' ken' teng' ts'ao', a lamp wick made of the stalk of the Juncus communis (rushes). 怎奈 tsea^-nai's there is no remedy, no way. 猴兒頭 •hou- ，r t'ou-, a monkey's head, slang Pekinese term to mean money. Several words are used in the same meaning as for instance 大車 iS 纖 ta'* ku> lu''， the big wheel. 官 板 kuan' pan", official stamp, stamped by the Government. Several terms cannot be written

禱 頭

樓 连 油蠟兒

高 子亮 了油猴

秋照 靜虎不 費羊有

了兒 姻押他 怕枝沒

丄 =i 月人 個嫌 叉 一 中

來五 聲雨草 草買手

秋十 無了燈 燈要我

了月 赛見根 根心奈

立 八鴨瞧 I 雨有怎

— 41 —

at all, wanting a character for them, not with standing I 、vill venture to write them down with homophonous characters. So for instance read ka〜 Ex. 我的 這個搭 連兒就 剩了叫 嘆丫 uo^ ti' che''-ko'' ta'-lien- ，r ciou' sheng'' la chiao'' huan* ka- la, there is noting left in my purse but noisy cash" meaning that the purse only contains two or three cash which at every step meet and ring. It is also said 古 Pg ku:'' ka-. Ex. 古 沒有 ku^ ka' niei- ioii、'， I have no cash. Another term is 侧 ts'o?, or 側 羅 tsV lo-. Foreign words are sometimes used as chi'-ha', the Chinese transformation of the Manchu word jiha " money •' and chao' su'， said to be Mongol and generally used, peculiarly in the whole phrase chaoi sa' u'' kuei', which is meant for "I have no money " and is all in Mongol.

TRANSLATION

The autumn has set in, the autumn has set in ― on the fifteenth of the eighth month the moon illumines the high palaces ― crows and other birds are silent and men and houses are resting ― I have seen two watchmen who went round taking the watch-tally 一 here, with only one wick in the lamp, I am sorry it is dark 一 but I am afraid to consume too much oil burning two wicks ― I intend buying a candle of mutton-tallow ― but, alas I I have not a single cash in the hands.

一 42 一

XXV

NOTES

Chinese children are given by their parents a 奶名 nai',' ming ；'， "milk-name" by which they are designated in the family. These milk names are numberless. A common habit in the family is to give the new born children only a number for milk name, by which number the child is called four or Jive, if it is the fourth or fifth son in the family. The common forms for these arithmetical names are

兒 》4 親娘

0

稍了戲

高樹軟 翻氣出

. 上柳兒 兒淘唱

糖兒愛 到枝五 直子戲

兒兒 水豆兒 爬稍小 兒翳了 湯凉小

五六 塊包五 爬樹的 六上完 熱不的

小小一 一小一 柳摔 小戴唱 唱湯變

— 43 —

such ： A first born may be called ~ - 子 i'-tzu, ( the form is not much used ； the accent falls on the i' ). The second son may be called 二 哥 eur'* ko'， or 小 ~ "兒 hsiao3 i' ，r. The third son may be called 三 兒 san' ，r， the fourth 四 兒 ssu^ ，"， the fifth 五 兒 ，r， the sixth 六 兒 liou'' ，r， and so forth as far as ten. These milk names are also given to children independently of their order in the family and become like our christian names Charles, John and so forth. 水 糖 ping" fang-, white sugar in pieces sold on the streets to children. ^ 包豆兒 i' pao' tou'* 'r, a parcel of roasted beans, another delicacy for children. 翻 目氏 fan' yen^, to turn up the eyes, like a man who loses his senses and shows the white of his eyes. 満 氣 t'ao--ch'i'% impertinent, saucy. 戴上 翁子 tai' shang' hu- tzti, to put on a false beard as actors do In theaters.

TRANSLATION

The small Five ― and the small Six ― with a piece of white sugar ― and a parcel of beans ― the small Five likes to go high up ― and he climbs up to the tip of the branch of the willow tree 一 the tip of the willow branch is weak ― and the small Five tumbles down and hurts himself so that he shows the white of his eyes. 一 The small Six is really impertinent ― he puts on a false beard and sings an act of an opera ― when he has finished singing the opera, 一 he drinks hot broth 一 the

一 44 —

broth is not cool ~ ■ and the small Six scalds himself so that he calls for his mother.

XXVI

婦 兒

ffi 麽

小 m 兒

NOTES

門 淳々 兒 men? tan' ，r， a big stone-seat placed by the side of a street door. P 咸 着 han' cho, crying loudly.

TRANSLATION

The small boy ― is sitting outside the door on the stone-seat ― and weeping and wailing he wants to have a wife ― when he has got a wife what will he do with her ？ ― when the lamp is lighted he will have a chat with her ― when then the lamp is out he will keep company wich her ―

媳作 OK 兒梳

要兒 話伴來

兒 兒着婦 說作起

子 礅喊媳 燈燈個

小 門 着了 上了兒

小 坐哭要 黠吹明

— 45 —

乂 ，

and the next morning after getting up she will comb his small pigtail.

XXVII

兒

擦

巴

NOTES

柱 cha', to lean on a stick. 拐棍 兒 kuai; kun'' ，r， a stick used by old men to lean on. 就地！ j^J chiou'* ti'' 'r, bent to the ground (walking) as very old men do. 擦 ts，a'，to walk painfully dragging ( rubbing) the feet on the ground. 避 鼠的猫 pi* shu' ti'-mao', a cat which shuns ( does not catch ) mice. Q 猫 li- mao', the wild cat.

TRANSLATION

棍 兒腿尾

家塌 柺地條 M

.1 問 柱就三 短

有九來 來兒猫

上子 出出狗 ®

山 房 子 子的的

高 問頭 i< 家 鼠

高十老 老肴避

On a very high mountain there lives a family ― of the ten rooms in the building nine rooms are in ruin ― the old man goes out leaning on a stick ―

— 4G -

and the old wife walks painfully and bent to the ground. ― the dog which watches the house has only three legs 一 the wild cat which does not catch the mice is without a tail.

XXVIII

子

兒

叭花 兒

是 好漢兒 的是龜 蓋兒^

NOTES

These words are sung by Pekinese boys who want to imitate the ambulant grocer, and tell aloud the names of their wares. 香 富 子 hsiangi hao' tzu, the Artemisia annua-the Chinese make with its dry- stalks a sort of vegetable rope which they burn to keep away mosquitoes. 刺 朿！) 耀 兒 la' la" kuan'' ，r， a wild grass which grows at the beginning of spring. 苦費 SSor 苦系 k，u:Us，ai''， the sowthistle (lat. Lonchus ar pens is). 香 采 hsiang' ts'ai's '■'■odorous herbs" (lat. Coriaiidrum sativum ) the Chinese use its leaves for

蒿 罐兒兒 tr 兒的人

香剌 麻茱叭 雀我別

香 剌苦香 喇翠買 買

一 4 7 一

parsley. 卩刺 ||/^ 花 la:'' pa' hua', " trumpet flowers •， is the white stramony ( lat. Datura alba ). 翠雀兒 ts'uei'i ch'iao" ，r， the larkspur (lat. Delfiniiim authris- cifolium ). 龜蓋兒 kuei' kai'' ，r， a mild form of the common Chinese insult "turtle-shell,'.

TRANSLATION

Here is Artemisia annua ― here is lalaqua'r grass ― here are sowthistle and parsley ― white stramony flowers ― and larkspur ― who buys my ware is a good fellow ― and who buys other people s is a " turtle-shell

XXIX

人兒 八 蛋 兒

NOTES

Chinese boys are till a certain age as busy in the manufacture of mud-pies as any other boy in foreign countries. They buy for a few cash ready- made moulds out of which they work pagodas,

讓漢王

醇兒 不好個

薛人 酒個是

泥泥 暍是的

泥泥 兒的我

泥泥 頭我買

泥 泥老買 不

— 48 —

small fishes, turtles, and so forth. When the wares are ready and dry, the small merchants sing these verses as if they meant to sell the products of their work. 泥 縛 薛 ni' puo' puo', is the exact equivalent of the english " mud-pie "-

TRANSLATION

Here are mud pies ― here are mud figures ― the old man drinks wine and does not offer to others ― who buys my ware is a good fellow ― and who does not buy mine is a turtle's egg.

XXX

牛 兒

後出頭

燒肝 兒燒羊 肉

NOTES

In all countries children have verses to address snails, and in China too, although the meaning of the verses is not to be looked for. 水 牛 兒 shuei:) niu' ，r， the snail.

TRANSLATION Snail, snail 一 you first show out your horns and

水 角媽下

兒 觭你買

牛 出爹你

水 先你給

一 49 一

then your head ― your father and mother ― will buy for you some roasted liver and roasted mutton.

XXXI

^ 哼、 哎. ^

6< i5 呀 的哼 ， 哎

哼 ％^ 兒 兒不 哼

兒不 兒哼糕 呀 塊汁兒 辣來暮 兒呀

麫 段條來 肉六腿 不梨熬 脆個豆 §1 辣兒白 五塊兒

吃老 細兒吃 老後來 吃糖眞 一 喝. 老的茱 吃老大 *

要找 兒棍要 找兒瘦 要水呀 的要找 兒瓜要 找兒的

你條 子兒你 1® 肥 兒得酥 大兒得 酸黄兒 你穰子

妞 給寛簾 紐給腰 眞紐還 眞 好妞還 酸酸組 給黄栗

NOTES

^ 兒 niu< ，r， girl, familiar term for 姑 娘 ku' niang?. 吃 ^ ch'ih' mien^ to eat vermicelli. ^ mien'* is here for 想條兒 mien; t'iao- ，r， 老 段 Lao^ t 囊、 the old man named Tuan, probably a shop-keeper. 寬 條 兒 k'uan' t'iao2 ，r， flat and large vermicelli. 細 5J hsi'' t，iao、' ，r, finer vermicelli. 簾 子棍兒 lien^-tzu* kun'' ，r， another sort of vermicelli so called because of its resemblance to the bamboo sticks which are bound together to form a summer curtain. 來不 P 亨 PjJ 5^ lai- pu eng a-yo, meaningless refrain. 腰竊兒 iaoi uo， ，r， " the loins nest" the best part of the loins of a mutton or a beef. 後腿 52> hou'' t'ueP ，r， the back part of the thigh. 眞肥瘦 chen< fei' shou's " really there are both fat and lean", that is very good meat-a buyer going to the butcher's shop, if not particularly wishing to get more fat or more lean, calls the meat he wants 巴 瘦 fei- shou'' that is fat and lean together. So the phrase 你 鈴我 ~ - 斤 巴瘦 §2 ni' kei'uo-'i' chin' fei- shou'' ，r， means " give me a pound of good meat',. 梨 ^ li- kao*, pear jam dried in slices. 穌 su'， is said of the food and particularly of pastry, when it is so delicate that it melts in the mouth-french "fondant". 脆 ts'uei'', crisp. 豆 汁 兒 tou; chih' ，r， a decoction of seeds which is drunk in spring time and is thought a powerful agent to cool one's blood : it is mostly used by Bannermen. 老西兒 lao' hsi' ，r， nickname given

- 51 —

by the Pekinese to the natives of the Shan-hsi province, who do not enjoy a very good reputation, even among Pekinese. Here they are quoted because they are generally fond of sour food as the tou'«-chih' is. 黄瓜茶 huang- kua' ts，ai''， salted cucumber. 由 著 pae- shu^, the sweet potatoes. 獲 兒 jang? ，r， the pulp of a fruit, the stuff of a pudding, generally the interior of objects, from a cake to a clock.

TRANSLATION -

Young lady, if you want to eat vermicelli, ― we will go to see the old Tuan for you, ― who has flat vermicelli, and thin vermicelli ― and "curtain- sticks '' vermicelli ― Young lady, if you want to eat meat ― we will go to the old Six's for you ― he has got good loin of mutton and good haunch of mutton ― both fat and lean meat ― Young lady, if you want to eat pear-jam ― we must also boil it in white sugar ― it is really melting in the mouth and so crisp I ― and what a big slice of it ！ ― Young lady, if you want to drink bean decoction ― then we must go to the old Shan-hsi man's ― how sour it is ！ how bitter it is ！ ― and how sour the salt cucumbers taken with it ― Young lady, if you want to eat sweet potatoes ― we will go to the old Five's ― who has there large slices of sweet potato pulp ― which smell like chestnuts.

XXXII

專 倆錢兒

閙 着 頭 a

NOTES

These verses are supposed to be uttered by a beggar who complains of his bad luck on a winter's day. The song is rhymed by adding the character 兒 eur- at the end of each verse. 抱着肩 兒 pao'' cho- chien* ，r， lit. "embracing one's shoulder" that is to keep the arms folded on the breast, as Chinese beggars do when they feel cold. 爐]^ 兒 lu- t'ai- ，r， a small stove made of bricks. 尋 hsin-)， means to ask something from somebody, to look for, the ordinary sound of the character is hsiin. 老天爺 lao"^ t'ien' ye' ？， the old gentleman in the sky. Has no relation whatever with our religious beliefs. ― the expression

兒兒兒 兒兒友 兒 人

門 天肩館 台朋館 花爺篛

了 了着茶 爐個茶 雪天和

出 陰抱進 靠找出 飛老竟

一 J)3 一

is a very common one but the same Chinese are the first to be puzzled when asked for the meaning. It is a personification of the providence, luck, justice, and also weather, and is as undefined a word as many others in Chinese. 雪花兒 hsuS^ hua' ，r, lit. snow-flowers, snow-flakes. 鬧着頭 兒 nao'' cho- uan^ ，r， to play with, to make sport with.

TRANSLATION-

As soon I have gone out 一 the weather has become cloudy ― folding my arms on my breast ― I enter a tea-shop ― I lean against the brick stove ―" - and look for a friend from whom I may beg some money ― as I go out of the tea-shop ― here snow- flakes are falling ― the old gentleman in the sky ― only likes to make sport with us poor people.

XXIII

家頭熟

親梳子

作會麥

娘個 1；! 油架溜

搭連 姑了成 成了据

兒褡 的梳磨 磨上打

建和 家梳子 藤瓜子

褡我親 一 麥 芝黄茄

NOTES

The beginning of the song does not seem to have any comprehensible meaning and I can only translate it literally. 搭連兒 ta' lien? ，r， cloth purse in which the Chinese keep their banknotes, called also 錢 搭連兒 ch'ien- ta" lien' ，r， money purse. Another sort is styled 樓鄉搭 連!^ ping> lang? ta' lien? 'r, and is used for holding betel nuts, as the name shows. 作親家 tsuo'' ch，in， chia'， to become a relative. The word ch'in' chia' means all relations who bear a different family name. The word is in modern Pekinese wrongly pronounced ch'ing^ chia'. 梳了個 麥子熟 shui la< ko'' mai'' tzti shou->， she has taken as much time to comb her hair, as would be required for the wheat to become ripe in the fields. 上了架 "has grown on the bower". Cucumber plants are made creep on small bowers. 打 提 溜 ta^ ti' liu", to swing, pushed by the wind.

TRANSLATION

The purse, the purse ― I have become a relation of the purse ― the purse family's girl knows how to dress her hair ― and has taken as much time to comb it as is required for the wheat to get ripe ― for the wheat to be ground and made into flour ― for the sesamum to be ground and made into ail ― for the cucumber to grow on the bowers ― and for the brinjal fruit to be swung by the wind.

XXXIV

NOTES

This stanza is composed in praise of the fine scenery in the Emperor's Summer palace grounds, where the hun. hbacked bridge is also to be seen. ~^ ^磁兒 i' teng'' ，r， a step in a staircase, in a flight of stairs. 蘭 草 cha' ts'ao^ grass wich grows near the gatelocks, called also 燈 籠兒草 teng" lang2 ，r ts，ao3， "lantern grass" from its leaves being strung to a stalk like so many Chinese lanterns to a rope. 金魚兒 chin' yu^ ，r， " 'goldfish". 水皮兒 shuei3 p'i2 ，r， the surface of the water, lit. "the water skin". 銀魚兒 yin- yii- ，r, "silverfish".

TRANSLATION

On the hunchback bridge 一 one step is higher than the other ― under the bridge the leaves of the lantern grass float on the water ― the goldfish

高漂兒

兒兒尾 叫

澄皮魚 的

一 水 銀嫫呱

草 着蟝兒

橘到 閛 咬的哇

子兒兒 兒子呱

鍋磴鼇 魚肚兒

羅一燈 金大哇

― 56 一

run after the silverfisli and bite their tails ― and the toads with big bellies ― cry kurkua kurkua.

XXXV

兒

兒 的 腿 兒

NOTES

東嶽 tung' yii、 one of the five sacred mountains, thd 泰山 t，ai'' shan', in the Shantung province. 塾 兒 tun' ，r， a small earth moud. Each verse ends with the character 兒 eur ？， which gives fun to the song.

TRANSLATION

In the temple of mount T'ai-shan 一 under the east verandah ― under the east verandah there is an earth mound ― on which squats a turtle with golden eyes and a shell covered with green moss 一 from the south has come a devil ― bearing on his

兒毛兒 棍龜

螯 緑鬼兒 根毛

個眼個 水撿綠

有金了 担兒眼

廟下 下個來 一 水金

嶽 廊廊着 南着下 打

威東東 轉 解 挑 掘 單

一 57 ―

shoulders a load of water 一 he lays down the water, picks up a stick ― and only strikes the legs of the turtle with golden eyes and the shell covered with moss.

XXXVI

來

會

NOTES

大娘子 tai niang- tzu, is the wife of the first brother in the family. 二娘子 eur; niang- tzu, is the wife of the second brother and so forth. 歸 酒 shai' chioa-', to warm the wine before drinking it. 棒 p'eng^, to keep on one's hands, to present, to offer. 小 茶 兒 hsiao3 ts'aii ，r, salted vegetables with which the Chinese relish their food. 端 采 tuaa> ts'ai^ to bring the food on the table. ― 傍 i p'ang-, by the side, aside. 團圓會 t'uan- yiian- huei's general feast in which all the members of the family collect to dine together. This day falls on the fifteenth of the

兒 茱安圓

碟 端兒團

茱去 座個懷

酒 過回 傍家樂

喝 棒來 一 大令

子 子子子 子是行

娘 婊娘娘 娘說丰

大二二 四 五他滑

— lis —

eighth month, because in that night the moon is perfectly full 團 圓 t'uan- yuan-. 棒 举 hua- ch'iiian'-, to play at guessfingers, at morra. 行 令 hsing- ling'', literary amusement. Somebody in the company begins by giving a verse or a classical phrase, and the other members of society must follow by inventing another verse or phrase with the same rhyme, or with the same parallelism of words, or the same style of allusions. The man who first exhausts his 乂 tock of phrases is punished by being forced to drink a number of glasses of wine.

TRANSLATION

The first lady drinks w ne ― the second lady warms the wine 一 the third ladies come bringing in small saucers with salted cucumbers ― the fourth lady at the side arranges the places ( covers ) ― she says that every body has come for a complete meeting ― to play at guessfingers, to play at allusions game, and to be merry.

XXXVII

秀子禿 箍 出油來

上腦箍 煎豆腐

NOTES

These words arc sung to tease the boys, who

— oO —

have their hair shaven. ku', a &oop， an iron belt put about barrels. ^% 繃 nao^ ku', is the name of an old instrument of torture consisting of a red hot circle of iron which was put on the head.

TRANSLATION

You baldhead ― we will ^ut a red hot >vhoop round your head ― and with the oil we will press out of it ― we will fry bean-cake.

xxxvin

NOTES

The beginnig- of this song is identical with that of song N° 33. 診狐 chen'' muo''， to feel the pulse as Chinese doctors do. 藥方 iao> fang medical prescription written and signed by the physician.

家 沉診藥 斤

親 兒胍把 半

作病 把兒膽 要

兒娘 夫方子 兒

搭連姑 大藥蚊 髀

兒搭 的個個 是心翅

連和 家了了 的备蠅

_ ^我親 請開 開屹蒼

— 60 —

歧子 uen? tzu, the mosquito. 蛇蚤 ko; tsao', the flea. 蒼 繩 ts'ang' ying', the fly.

TRANSLATION

The purse, the purse ― I am now a relation of the purse family 一 but their daughter has grown dangerously sick ― and they have called a physician who has felt her pulse ― and then, has written a prescription, and people have gone to buy the medicines ― on the prescription there is written : mosquito's livers, flea's hearts and half a pound of flies wings.

XXXIX

鞋兒

子 兒兒臉

婶 兒玉 花臉期

兒縐 兒執香 莉雙明

撒洋 溻糞腕 茉的子

兒甚靑 汗牛着 着兒襪

三是是 纖個戴 戴底的

兒的的 洋着邊 邊分白

三穿 靑梳左 右五漂

NOTES

These words are addressed to a young girl, as

― 61

may be seen from the description of her dress, which follows. The slang word sa? ，r， not generally known even among Pekinese, means dress, fashion, toilette. As no written character exists to represent this sound and this meaning, I have used for it the character sa 撒 which being originally in the first tone, here ought to be read in the second. Wanting to find a character for the word, it could be formed this combination 徵 to be read sa- 'r. ― One of the phrases commonly heard is this 你有撮 兒沒撒 51 iou-' sa- ，r， meP sa? ，r ? — meaning ' ' have you got a good dress or not : 洋 纖 yang- chou', crape imported by foreigners. 汗榻兒 ban; fa' ，r， sort of cloth under-dress or shirt worn by Chinese in contact with the skin. European shirts are mostly styled 汗 衫 han'' sban'. 牛 囊 niu- fen'* " ox- dung", name for a sort of head dress, more decently called 圓 頭 yiian- t'ou- "round head". 輒 p'ai\ character not noted in the dictionaries but mentioned by Sir T. Wade in his Tone exercises. It means "to let onself down, to lie down, and -then to be seated, placed". Here it is used as a noun, and is referred to the chignon placed on the girl's head. 腿? ^ 玉 uan' hsianj" yu', the gem which smells in the evening, the tuberosa (lat. Poliauthes tuberosa ). 五分 底兒 u^-fen' tP ，r， thick five fen. The fen is the tenth part of the ts'un, an inch. The shoe sole is called 底 兒 ti! ，r， or 底子 ti - tzu. and may be as thick as five or six inches. That sort of heel which is placed sometimes in the center of the sole in

— G2 —

ladies shoes is called 花 盆底兒 hua' p'en' ti^ ，r， " flower-pot heel '，. 雙 臉兒鞋 shuang' lien ，r hsie、'， literally " two faced shoes,, are so called when two ornamental leather strings, come from under the sole on the point of the shoe. 漂 白 p'iao' pai-, whitewashed, painted in white ― the character 漂 is here vulgarly p'iao^. 明 期臉兒 ming? ch'i lien?' ，r， Chinese socks are so called when the seam is to be seen in the middle.

TRANSLATION

San，r, San'r, what sort of dress have you put on? ― "I have put on trowsers made of foreign crape ― and a shirt made of foreign crape ― my hair is combed in a round chignon ― on the left of it I have stuck a tuberose ― and to the right a jasmine ― then I have got shoes with a sole half- inch thick and with leather ornaments 一 and white socks with the seam to be seen outside.

XL

晬咩羊 抓把草 跳花牆 餵他娘

NOTES

畔 mie'，the sheep's bleating. 他娘 t，a' niang'?, the small sheep's mother. This is one of those

一 G3 一

little songs the mothers teach their children, when they begin to speak.

TRANSLATION

The^bleating small sheep 一 has jumped over the flowery wall ― to catch a bunch of grass ~~ - and to feed her mother.

XLI

花大姐

倆 . ：、

NOTES

The beginning of this song is not clear ； it appears that the disposition of words in the first and in the second verse is irregular, saying 大 翻 車 小 翻 車 ta'* fan' tch'o'-hsiao: fan eh'o instead of 大 車翻 小車 翻 ta'ch'o' fan'-hsiao。'ch，o' fan', meaning the big cart has overturned, the small cart has overturned. Furthermore the song speaks at the

個 \iLF UTS ^

了 脚酒姐

車 翻兒 兒小暍 親

翻翻翻 襖 番面像

大小 一 tt 緑 丁對倒

—— 64 ―

beginning of only one girl and it ends with two. That shows the song is not complete and every cart is supposed to be occupied by a girl. 花 大 姐 hua' ta'' chie^ lit. " a flowery elder sister" means, a beautiful and well dressed girl. It is also said in the same sense 花班兒 hua' niu' ，r. 丁 香 ting hsiang, clove, very small feet are compared to grains of clove.

TRANSLATION

A big cart has overturned ― a small cart has overturned ― and a very beautiful young lady has fallen out of one ― ( and another young lady has fallen too ) ― with a red petticoat ― and a green overcoat ― with feet as small as grains of clove ― they drink wine one in front of the other ― and really are very much like two sisters.

XLII

兒 兒

小道兒 兒兒籐 n: 几兒

座神 帽套道 着遶廟

一 個羅 外喝抬 一歸

上着 項仵鬼 鬼兒來

山坐 戴穿小 小門回

高頭 上上個 個了巡

高裏 頭身兩 四出出

— 65 ——

NOTES

jji 申 道 shen? tao''， a spirit. 夕 f» 套兒 uai^ t'ao^ ，r， "external cover,' is a sort of long dress, worn externally. P 易道兒 ho' tao'< ，r， and also 喝道子 ho' tao^ tzu, to shout before the chair of an official to make way. 藤 暢 t，eng? chiao^ a light chair made of rattan. ― 遠兒 i jao4 ，r， a turn, a stroll. 出述 ch'u' hsiin', to go out on a tour of inspection.

TRANSLATION .

On a very high mountain there is a small temple ― and inside sits a spirit ― he wears on his head a crape-hat ― and wears on his body a long gown ― two small devils go in front shouting for room ― four small devils bear the rattan-chair 一 he has gone out for a stroll ― to make an inspection and then returning comes back to the temple.

XLIII

糠 飯

NOTES

打 ta\ to beat, to strike, to work in metal. 亮

堂吃^

堂 不不娘

亮 兒兒親

壺 猪婦他

茶 小媳想

把 個個汪

1 二

打 買娶淚

新 新新眼

—— OG ——

堂 堂 liang' t'angi t'ang', very bright ； the character 堂 is originally read in the second tone, but here is pronounced in the first. 糖 k，ang'， husks of grain with which pigs are fed.

TRANSLATION A newly made metal tea-kettle is very bright 一 a newly bought small pig does not eat husks of grain ― a newly married wife does not take food ― she weeps profusely and thinks of her mother.

XLIV •

m 兒

NOTES

This song contains a sketch of marriage cere- monies. 喜 冲 冲 hsF' ch'imgi ch'ung' very merrily and with much noise. The character 沖 ch'ung means to shake, to dash against, but here it is only used to mean confusion, hurry, disorder. 洞 房 tung4 fang ？， the bridal room. 淚盈盈 lei'' ying'

冲搠黠 盈回東

冲大燈 淚來兒

喜搭把 傍的黠

頭子 一 住吃疼

門裏屋 娘> ^不 心

進 子房姑 郎你可

一院洞 新新說 、我

—— fj / ——

ying, with many tears. 盈 盈 ying' ying, flowing, in great quantity, said of tears. The character 盈 is here in the first tone, but its regular tone is the second, and ought to be read ying-. 新 那 hsin' lang-, the bridegroom. —不 住 的 pu'* chu' ti, without inter- ruption. 來 [eJ lai- huei-, repeatedly.

TRANSLATION

Entering the gate, how merry it is ！ ― in the courtyard they have raised a big shed ― in the bridal room the lamp is lighted 一 the bride in a corner is weeping bitterly ― the bridegroom repea- tedly calls to her ― and says : if you do not take some food ― my heart will ache.

XLV

鈴 鐺

我 騎上、

去

NOTES

This song is repeated by boys to ridicule the buddhist priests who go round begging, and read their sacred books shaking a small beil. They are therefore compared to asses and mules which are similarly provided with bells. 鈴 鎮 ling' tang' ,

搖 暍去兒

尙嘆兒

和 嗒那天

尙 兒到到

一 68 —

a small bell ― 旦兒搭 pronounce torta, a peculiar voice to get the mule, or the ass to walk. There are of course no characters for it and those written above not only are completely arbitrary, but do not exactly correspond to the pronunciation. The same is to be said for the word 俊 P 易 uo-ho, which has the same meaning.

TRANSLATION

Oh the bonze, the bonze is shaking the bell ― go ahead ！ I will ride him 一 ride how far ？ ― as far as the boundary of the sky.

XL VI

天

跑

NOTES

These words are sung to insult Mohammedans who are not allowed to eat pork. 左 右 tsuo^ mo''， right and left (the Chinese right hand being the European left hand). Means now and now, several times, repeatedly.

半少家

奸 約嫌往

兒麼 肉右頭

间那 猪小猪

间麽 雨嫌着

小怎 四左抱

— 69 —

TRANSLATION

The small Mohammedan ― how deceitful is he ! ― to buy only four ounces of pork, he is wei- ghing for a good half-day ― now he complains it is little and then he complains again it is little ― then folding in his arms a pig's head he runs home.

XL VII

礁 燕扯孫 呂李瘸 竈 城

毬 麽窝麽 線麽扯 麽賓麽 兒麽爺 麽廟麼

郧 甚子甚 花甚臏 甚洞甚 柺甚王 甚隙甚

is! 慮燕燕 扯扯孫 孫呂呂 瘸竊竈 竈城城

1

兒 丈

棍 兩

呀三五 六 七打兩 二兒雙 虎 牛

二建 J!K 數 兒兒打 麽掌麽 棍麽檜 麽鼓麽

呀 打棍錢 鏨錠花 甚馬甚 夾甚植 甚皮甚

1 倒花銅 鏨銀花 雨二二 雙雙虎 虎牛牛

— 70 —

肚兒疼	雪 花兒飄
肚 甚麽	雪 甚麽雪
搖葫蘆	孫猴 兒钢打 猪八戒
搖 甚麽搖

NOTES

Chinese children practice a game which is also known by boys in foreign countries. Two boys sit one facing the other and strike first their own hands together and then each other's. To keep measure with the movement they mark, the time with these words, which are meaningless, and are huddled together only for the sake of the final rhymes. The game is called 打 花巴掌 ta' hiia' pa' chang-'. 呀 ya', is purely phonetic and meaningless. 倒 打 ta:)''ta:、 to strike alternately ― here the character 倒 is pronounced in the fourth and not in the third tone. 建三棍 5i lieii? san' kun''，r， uninterruptedly three sticks ( that is to say three blows). 數 in the third tone shu\ means to calculate, to reckon. 誕 tsan, to carve, to chisel. 籠 子 tsan'' tzu, a chisel. 銀 餘 yin- ting'', an ingot of silver. 夾棍兒 chia' kun'« ，r， an instrument of torture to squeeze the ankles lit. squeezing sticks. 郞 種 k'o> lang' ch'iu- ； I cannot find any explanation of this. The Chinese say that they do not know the meaning of the word. AH that I could get from them is that the vulgar word k'o'-lang ，i,, means a corner, and is used instead of the more common 嬉拉兒 ka'-la- V ( written

一 '

according to Sir Thomas Wade's manner ) . The word ch'iu- is a ball. Could it be an empty ball" ？ ― 孫 ^ Sun 'pin' a remarkable minister in the old state of Jen ； generally known by all children. 呂 洞 賓 Lti3 tuag' pin', one of the eight genii. 鐵 才另— t'ie^ kuaP li '-, another of the eight genii, a lame man called also : 腐拐李 ch'ue- kuai' li^, 竈王爺 tsao'* mng- ye'-, The god of the cooking stoves, familiar Chinese god to whom a sacrifice is offered the 23^ day of the twelfth moon. The god is said to have a wife called 憲 王奶奶 tsao'- uang- nai- nai" she is worshipped in Chinese families, but not in the shops, in which only the Tsao-uang is worshipped. 城陰廟 ch'eng^ huang- miao\ the tutelar god of Chinese cities. 搖莉藍 iao- hu' lu-, to shake a pumpkin, one of the favourite amusements of Chinese babies, who are very often seen deeply absorbed in shaking a small calabash. 孫猴兒 sun' hou-'r, the monkey traveller in the novel 西遊 R 已 Hsi'-yu--chi's Re- collections of wanderings in the west countries. 播八戒 cbu' pa' chie's a pig spoken of in the same novel as lazy and uxorious and therefore severely beaten by the monkey who was in charge of his education. These notions although taken from a novel in literary style, yet are generally known by the people, that have besides many ditties and rhymes on the subject.

TRANSLATION One. two ― let us strike alternately three

— 72 —

blows ― five flowery sticks ― count the cash ― six chisels ― seven ingots of silver ― let us strike as long as two chang and one foot (！) 一 two, what two ？ 一 two horse shoes ― two, what two ？ ― a pair of squeezing sticks ― a pair, what pair ？ ― the tiger bears a gun on its shoulders 一 tiger, what tiger ？ ― a drum covered with ox skin ― ox, what ox ? ― an empty ball (？) ― K'oS what KV' ？ ― a swallow's nest ― swallow, what swallow ？ ― pull the flowery thread ― pull, what pull ？ ― Sun pin pulls ― Sun, what Sun ？ ― LiT'-tung^ pin ― Lii"', what Lii3? —— The lame genius Ch'ue- kuai" ，r IP ― Ch'iie'^, what ch'ue ？ ― The god of the cooking stoves. Stove, what stove ？ ― The god protector of the city ― City, what city? ― The belly aches ― belly, what belly ？ 一 shake the pumpkin ― shake, what shake ？ ― Snow-flakes are whirling round 一 snow, what snow ？ ― The monkey Sun' Chu'-po'-chie's

XL VIII

燈 兒

兒蓮棍

正 花兒枝 二糖兒

月 蓮佛串 月白佛

正個着 二 個着

的 逃念花 的吃念

掌 愛兒莉 掌愛兒

巴太香 巴太香

花 太着莉 花太着

打 老燒茱 打老燒

蓮烟蓮 蓮薯蓮 肉蓮鶴 蓮鴨蓮

枝三 東兒枝 四刺兒 枝五白 兒枝六 煮兒枝 七煮兒 枝八爆 兒枝九

串月 關佛串 月摘怫 串月生 佛串月 白佛串 Hr: 白 佛串月 白佛串 m:

一 兒三 個着兒 四不着 兒五個 着兒六 個着兒 七個着 兒八個 着兒九

S 花的 吃念花 的魚念 花的吃 念花的 巧念花 的吃念 花的吃 念花的

一 莉掌 愛兒莉 掌吃兒 莉掌愛 兒莉掌 愛兒莉 掌愛兒 莉掌愛 兒莉掌

荣巴 太香荥 巴太香 茉巴太 香茉巴 太香茉 巴太香 茉巴太 香荥巴

莉花 太着莉 花太着 莉花太 着莉花 太着莉 花太着 莉花太 着莉花

■ 荣打 老燒茉 打老燒 荣打老 燒茉打 老燒荣 打老燒 茉打老 燒荣打

NOTES

This song, like the last one is also sung by boys when playing at 打花巴 掌 ta"' hua' pa' chang:). IE 月正 Cheng' yiiei cheng", the first moon. 蓮 花 燈 lien- hua' teng', Lantern made of paper and shaped like a lotus flower. 逛 燈 kuang; teng', means to go out on the streets to look at the different shows of lanterns exhibited during five days, from the thir- teenth to the seventeenth in the first month in the year. The regular day for the show is the 1 5'^ on which falls the 燈 葡 teng' chie- feast of lanterns. 念着佛 nien'' cho Fao-, uttering prayers before Buddha. 串枝蓮 ch' 腿'' cliih' lien?, a wild flower not unlike the lotus. This refrain is repeated at every couplet. We translate it only once. 白 糖 棍 IJJ pai- fang- k!m'' *r, small sugar sticks bought by children. 關東姻 kuan' tung' yea',toba co from Manchuria, the best quality of tobacco. 摘 刺 chai' tz'u^, to take away the bones from a fish. 生白著 shcng' pai- shii:!， uncooked sweet potato. 徵 甲, tun'' ya'， a stewed cluck. 花 f 禹' pai- hua' ou:;, a flour made from the

耦 蓮梨蓮

花兒枝 一 花 枝

白 佛串月 雪佛串

一 個 着兒十 個着兒

『1 吃 念花的 吃念花

一 愛 兒莉掌 愛兒莉

太 香茉巴 太香茉

太 着莉花 太着莉

老 燒茉打 老燒茉

― /l) ―

root-stock of the lotus. 雪花梨 hsue^ hua, 口， sort of very good pears found in Shantung, whose pulp is said to be as white as flakes of snow.

TRANSLATION

Strike the hands, in the first month of the year ― the old lady likes to go out to look at the lotus- lanterns ― burning incense and saying prayers ― with jasmines, jasmines and wild lotus ― Strike the hands, the second day of the second moon ― the old lady likes to eat sugar sticks ― Strike the hands, the third day of the third moon ― the old lady likes to smoke Manchurian tobacco. Strike the hands, the fourth day of the fourth moon 一 the old lady likes to eat fish without taking the bones away. ― Strike the hands, the fifth of the fifth moon ― the old lady likes to eat raw yams ― strike the hands, the sixth day of the sixth moon ― the old lady likes to eat boiled pork ― strike the hands, the seventh day of the seventh moon ― the old lady- likes to eat a boiled chicken with no sauce ― strike the hands, the eighth day of the eighth moon ― the old lady likes to eat stewed duck ― strike the hands, the ninth day of the ninth moon ― the old lady likes to eat lotus root flour ― strike the hand, the first day of the tenth moon ― the old lady likes to eat snow-white pears.

XLIX

伯

NOTES

These words are not heard within the walls of Peking, but in the country. 羅 兒 luo^ ，r a silt to bolt flour. 曳 ye'', to drag, to pull, to shake. 伯 read by the peasants not puo? but pai', one's father's elder brother. This character is read also paP, in the word 大伯子 ta'' pai^ tzu, title given to a man by his younger brother's wife. 叔 shu- read here shou-, as the peasants do. One's father's younger brother.

TRANSLATION

Beating the sieve sift ！ ― shaking the sieve sift ！ ― when the wheat is ripe, we will invite your uncle ― your elder uncle likes to eat meat ― your younger uncle likes to eat beans.

你兒兒

請 肉 豆

篩篩 了吃吃

兒兒 熟愛愛

羅羅 子伯叔

打曳 麥你你

, NOTES

These words are sung by children to imitate the perambulating vendors in the street. ~ - 副 售 i' fu'' k'uang' a pair of baskets hanging from the pole called 扁 檐 pien3 tan. 八 根 兒 繩 pa' ken'r sheng^ eight strings. As every basket is attached to an end of the pole by four strings, so eight strings conies to mean a porter's pole and more generally every sort of small Chinese industry practiced by vendors furnished with such a pole. 九 城 chiu^ ch'eng-, the nine cities, the city of Peking. 靑 茶 ch'ingi ts'ai^ every sort of green vegetable. After speaking of the vendors of vegetables the song comes to speak of a curious sort of small industry practiced in Peking. Two men go together. One marches forward and beats a little drum, the other bearing

城

檐 兒賣

繩扁 阿兒 錢來

筐兒了 阿兒茱 兒銀飾

副根起 葱蒜靑 鼓雜首

一 八 挑賣賣 賣打暍 1^

— 78 —

on the shoulder a pole with baskets calls loudly for people who are willing to sell silver head-ornaments, or other small objects of value. This proceeding is called P 易 雜銀錢 ho' tsa? yin^ ch'ien ？， to call for diffe- rent (and bad quality) silver to buy them for ready money.

声 TRANSLATION

With a pair of baskets 一 are provided all the small pedlars 一 with pole and baskets they go all over the city ― to sell onions ― to sell garlic ― to sell green vegetables ― the man who beats the drum ― and the other who cries : I buy objects of silver 一 ohe, (who has got ) head ornaments let him come and sell.

LI

翻餅^ 餅 油 炸 餡 兒 餅 翻過 來贈瞧

NOTES

Chinese boys playing together take each other by the hands and then turn round without separating- the hands. The movement of turning round is likened to the action of turning a pie on the pan,

一 79 一

and so this game is called 翻餅； I； 各餅 fan' ping^ lao'* ping-'. 格 餅 lao' ping-', to cook a pie. 油 ； jS;^ iu'-)-cha ？， fried in the oil.

TRANSLATION '

Turn the pie, cook the pie ― the pie with stuf- fing fried in oil 一 turn it round and let us sek e/

LII

太 兒 兒

NOTES

一 落 f 専 兒 i' luo" chuani'r, a pile of bricks 馬 尾 纂 §g ma?' i:'' tsuan'- ，r， sort of sham chignon made of the hair of a horse tail. ― 心 i' hsin*. she has no other thought but, compare latin " toto covde " . 凉 凉眷兒 summer hair-pins ； during the summer ladies are supposed to lay aside silver-pins and to wear jade pins and also jade bracelets and rings. People who cannot afford to buy jade pins, get for a trifling sum pins made of glass, imitating the jade. These last are called Hang' Hang'-' tsan>'r.

兒 太兒簪

磚 老纂凉

落 個尾凉

一 着馬個

上 坐髮戴

山 上頭要

高 兒根心

高磚三 一

一 80 一

TRANSLATION-

On a very high mountain there is a pile of bricks. ― On the bricks there is sitting- an old lady ― with three hairs and a false horse-tail chignon ― and she only thinks that she wants to wear summer pins on her hair.

LIII

錢 米

兒 兒 飯酒

百 無點 的的走

I 坐熱登 》5 動 子子妹 年妹起 們們就

走上不 板不椅 腿妹半 妹> ^你你 我

鞋 家 * ^搬搬 搬沒鈴 還鈴還 鳴娘

兒 攀娘說 說說說 說說說 說說說 不不親

底 兒到哥 子哥子 哥子哥 子哥子 也也瞧

厚 幫我哥 嫂哥嫂 哥嫂哥 嫂哥嫂 我我瞧

— 81 ―

NOTES

Chinese wives are allowed from time to time to visit their old family, and to stay there for some days. Here this song depicts the grief of a wife who goes to visit her mother, arrived there she meets with her brother who treats her well and with her sister-in-law who hates her. The words are simple and touching. 厚 底兒鞋 hou' tP ，r hsie\ shoes with a thick heel. 臂兒窄 pang' eur chap, the heel-band is narrow, and therefore it is painful to walk. Pang' eur is "the leather heel-band of a shoe, for strengthening the back of a shoe" (Giles). 娘家 niang- chia', a wife's family. 走 "百 tsou^ pai^ I walk a hundred, it is understood 基 地 『 ti''， Chinese miles. The k'ang^ Chinese brick bed is warmed during winter by fuel. 板裳 pan^ teng'-, a wooden stool. 還半年 huan" pan^ nien^, it may be understood so " to give her a little money we shall borrow it and then we shall not be able to repay it back until after a good half-year'. 還不起 huan、' pu4 ch'P, in the same meaning, we shall not be able to give it back to the person who lends the rice to us. The expression pu^ ch'P following the verb, that verb acquires a negative potential meaning, as not 6

狗

黄 打

大 來

個兒 出

見 裙手哥

遇 的的哥

兒 我我的

門了 了心

出 撕咬忍

一 82 —

to be able to... or better corresponding to the Chi- nese, "not to be up to... " 忍 心 jen'' hsin'， these words are a reproach to the brother, meaning you who may tolerate in your heart that I suffer so much, meaning that the brother after all his good intentions lets his wife do as she likes.

TRANSLATION

With high-heeled shoes ― and narrow heel- bands ― I walk a hundred li to arrive at my home, ― My elder brother says : Sit on the k，ang'' — my sister-in-law says : the k'ang is not warm ― my elder brother says : bring here a wooden stool ― my sister-in-law says : it cannot be brought round ― my elder brother says : bring here a chair ― my sister-in-law says : the chair has no legs ― my elder brother says : give your younger sister some money ― the sister-in-law says : we would take half a year to pay it back ― my elder brother says : give your gounger sister a little rice ― the sister-in-law says, we could not give it back to the lender ― But I will not eat your rice ― and I will not drink your wine ― I will only see my mother and then go away ― going out of the gate I have met with a big yellow dog ― that has torn my apron ― and has bitten my hand — My patient elder brother, come out and beat the dog ！

一 83 —

LIV

NOTES

These words are sung to small girls by their parents. The first two verses have nothing to do with the rest, but, as a girl is the subject of the song, they fit very well. 杜黎兒 tu'' li'' ，r， a pear with small fruit ( Pynis betulaefolia ). 瞎嘆搭 hsia' ka- ta'， familiar expression, it means to make noise using a pair of scissors and without good effect, and it is said of the small girls who begin to learn how to cut the cloth to make dresses of it. Hsia'

麽搭家 毋哭穀 丫

甚 1#人 丈别斗 禿

作瞎給 勸你二 的

樹 頭子了 來 母有兒 你

兒花 丫剪 會哭哭 過丈還 米粥死

茱 白活起 塔也也 婿毋家 小豆不

杜開養 拿！^ 爹一娘 女丈我 碍熬餓

— 84 —

originally means blind, and then irregularly, badly as a blind man could do. 給人家 keP jen- chia', they give (the parents) her to people, that is to say they get her married. 豆兒粥 ton'' ，r chou, a gruel made of rice and beans. 秀丫頭 t'u' ya' t'ou? bald- headed servant, title given in the family to small girls, who are generally called by their parents ya' h 謹 2 or 丫頭 ya^ tW. 餓不死 ngo" pu'' ssu\ negative potential form, she cannot be starved to death.

TRANSLATION

The small pear-tree ― has opened its white flowers ― to bring to light a small girl ― what is the use of it ？ ― she begins first to take the scissors and to cut badly the cloth 一 then when she has learned to cut the cloth, one must give her up to other people ― the father also weeps ― the mother also weeps 一 the bridegroom comes over to console his mother-in-law ― and says : mother-in-law, mo- ther-in-law, do not weep ― I have got at home three pecks of grain ― we will grind the oats 一 and boil a rice congee with beans ― so that your bald-hea- ded daughter shall not be starved to death.

LV

紅葫蘆 軋腰兒

我 是爺爺 的肉錢 5i

一 85 ―

NOTES

The words are supposed to be said by a small girl. 紅薪魔 hung? hu' lu«, red pumpkin ； the boys who have not enough money to buy playthings, content themselves with pumpkins which they go whirling about. 車 L 腰兒 ya* yao' ，r， " with crushed sides'' is the name of a sort of pumpkin shaped in the form of two balls placed one on the other. Cutting this pumpkin in the middle one has two cups. As to the relation between these words to what follows, I suppose the girl speaks of herself as of a precious little thing, because that kind of pumpkin is sometimes appreciated by the Chinese who buy the smallest for two or three taels, and wear them on the body as an ornament. 肉妓 兒

子兒 娘 子

妹包麽 娘麽： g 麽娘麼 漢

親氣甚 姑甚賠 甚姑甚 嫁

的的賠 賠賠兒 賠賠賠 頭

哥子 (命 櫃奶籮 哥巾嫂 >J

哥嫂 爺大奶 哥手嫂 子子那

是是爺 箱奶線 哥布嫂 罈權發

我我爺 大奶針 哥花嫂 破爛打

一 86 —

jou' chiao' ，r， lit. " my flesh dear", an endearing term for a little girl, meaning to say : you are my own flesh and blood. 氣包兒 ch'i^ pao' ，r， curious express on said of a person who has the privilege of irritating somebody constantly. The literal translation would be " the wrath-bundle". The small girl speaks so because it is generally admitted and practiced in Chinese families that the elder brother's wife carries on continual warfare with her sisters-in-law. Afterwards the girl pretends to want to know what their relations will give her on her wedding day. To give cadeaux to a bride to form her dowry is called 賠 p'ei", or more completely 賠 送 p'ei- sung'*. 奶 奶 nai-' nai,^ one's father's mother. The bannermen call naP naP a mother. 針 線 直 羅 chen' hsien'' p'uo^ luo?， a basket where needles, pin, thread, scissors are kept and everything else required for ladies' work. 姑 娘 ku'-niang-, is here used instead of the personal pronoun thou or you. 輝子 fan' tza, a big bottle to contain salt vegetables, water and also coal. 耀 子 kuan'*-tzii， other sort of vessel made of porcelain or of earthenware. 嫁漢 子 chia* ban'' tzu to marry a husband, a man. Here it would perhaps be better to translate "a fellow,' as the woman's words are not inspired with friendly feelings altogether.

TRANSLATION

The red pumpkin ― has crushed sides ― I am my grandfather's "own dear flesh and blood'' ―

一 87 —

I am my brother's "carnal sister" ― and I am my sister-in-law's "bundle of wrath" ― grandfather, grandfather, what will you give me at my marriage? ― "I will give you a big chest and a big wardrobe ― "Grandmother, grandmother, what will you give me ？ •， 一 "I will give you a work basket" ― " Elder brother, elder brother, what will you give me ？ ，： 一 " I will give you a fancy cloth tcnvel" — Sister-in- law, sister-in-law, what will you give me ？，， 一 "A broken jar ― and a smashed bottle 一 and send you, that girl, away to marry a fellow *.

LVI

孛 逵 眼 兒 鞭 杆 兒

兒

兒

NOTES

These words are sung to children of a brown complexion. The second verse is simply a refrain with no meaning. 小 黑 兒 hsiao"^ hei' ，r， nickname

像着黑 餅項

煤的 K 個 兒麯山

黑 子 長 兒 着 牛 黑

兒 喲兒牙 JS 黑個.

葉呀 黑着裏 着着. ..i

樹呀小 咨手騎 K 二

' — 88 —

given to a brown child. The word hei' contains all the shades of colour from black to brown. 李 逵 Li:; k'uei?, a celebrated brigand in the Sung dynasty, who was of a brown complexion. He is spoken of in the Novel 水 滸 shueP hu^. His nickname was 黑 旋 風 hei'hsiian- feng', the black whirlwind. 咨着牙 tzii' cho' ya?， showing the teeth.

TRANSLATION

The tree-leaves are dark ― yaya yiietzu mei 一 the small brown boy is very like Li-k'uei ― showing his teeth and staring ― he grasps in his hand a black whip-stick ― he rides on a black ox ― eats a cake made of black flour ― and going up he gets as far as the mountain summit.

LVII

兒

柳 斗兒大 兒 哥哥

NOTES

荆 ching' is instead of 荆 富 花 ching' hao' hua'， the Vitex incisa^ with stems of which baskets are

兒多斗 斗

棍兒柳 籮倒柳

條處了 笸篛着

荆用編 編恒替

— 89 —

woven. 柳 斗 liou3 tou?', a measure made of willow branches ； sometimes it is made of Vitex stems, but it is even then called a "willow-peck". 誉着 kuan:'- cho', with regard to, giving a denomination. 荆 條 棍 兒 ching' t'ia3- kun'* ，r stems of Vitex.

TRANSLATION

The stems of the Vitex incisa ― are fit for many uses ― one may make of it a "willow-peck" ― and one may make of it a basket ― the basket is indeed larger than the willow-peck ― and calls the willow peck "elder brother,,.

LVIII

兒 就不要 媽

NOTES

The first two verses with which the song begins are called 頭子 tzi " head". They do not seem to have here any relation with the meaning of the following words. The song speaks about some cases in which new-married men forget the duty of obedience to their own mother, and want to set

婦叉家

抓 媳耍分

豆兒 個就就

蠶把 了媽叉

鐡大 娶要耍

- 90 —

up a family by themselves. The words are ironical and there is in them a sense of reproach and grief. 鐵 t'ie", iron, here "as hard as iron", 霞 豆 ts'an? tou''， broad beans, which are sold to children on the streets for the modest sum of a ta for a handful. 大 把 兒 ta4 pa3 'r, a big handful. 耍 叉 shua^ ch'a', to light with a pronged stick, metaph. for " to quarrel". 分 家 fen' chia', to set up an autonomous family, to separate from the old stock.

TRANSLATION.

Broad beans as hard as iron 一 to be had in big handfuls 一 after having married a wife, then he does not want his mother 一 if he wanted his mother then they would quarrel 一 and if they quarrelled, then he ought to separate from the old house. ―

LIX

口

個傍 樂走門

二雨細 娘大房

的 十站奏 姑的洞

兒 過燈扇 手着家 A

婦兒 戳傘鼓 抬婆兒

媳 口 燈鑼個 子到門

娶門 宮旗八 轎抬進

— 91 —

小 新 郎 三年 並二載 小子沒 處兒擺

NOTES,

娶媳、 婦兒的 ch'ii:; hsi^ fui ，r ti, the persons who go to fetch the bride and take her to the bridegroom's house. A marriage procession. 宮 燈 kung' teng', " palace lanterns ，， a sort of lanterns taken in hand by people in the marriage cortege. They are made with silk, or glass doors, and have no lighted candles in them. 戮 燈 ch'uo' teng', another kind of lanterns fixed on a long stick, which may be stuck in the ground. 鼓 手 ku^ shou\ literally "drum-hands" general name for all musicians who accompany the bride-chair. Some beat drums, other play on a sort of trumpet called 鎖 卩[^ suo^ na'. These men are also called 吹 鼓手的 ch'ui' ku:: shou3 ti. 奏 樂 tsou'' yiie'', to play solemn music. 細 樂 hsi^ yiie's a concert, a supposed harmony produced by different instruments. 婆 家 p'uo- chia', mother- in-law, mother-in-law's family, in the husband's family. 小 新 郞 hsiao^ hsin* lang-, the young bridegroom. 二 載 two years. 三年 並二載 san> nien- ping' eur'' tsai', a curious expression to mean 5 years.

TRANSLATION The bridal procession ― passes by the gate ―

會了頭

去娶丫

一 92 —

there are twelve "palace lanterns " and "fixed lanterns', ― banners, gongs, umbrellas, fans are on each side ― eight musicians produce music ― the chair which contains the girl passes on ― and brings her as far as her mother-in-law's family house-gate ― she enters the door and goes into the bridal room ― she goes to stay with her young bridegroom ― after having married her these five years there are so many babies and girls that there is no more room in the house for them.

梨

娘 脆 . 吃

要薄籬 你

不兒^ 梨 兒

d 長 兒竊輔 婦

巴婦 吃錢要 媳

尾 媳要閒 兒驢集 梨皮兒

雀 了媽有 婦上起 了了婦

喜 娶媽沒 媳備去 買打媳

NOTES

This song is inspired by the same feeling as song N° 58. 竊 兒薄脆 uo' ，r pao^ ts'ueiS sort of

— 93 —

very hard and cheap cake. Jj^ ^ chao'' li ？， a big spoon made of willow stems and used to take food out of the pan. The current phrase "we have no idle money to mend the willow spoon '， means that a person has no intention of spending money for useless things, as would be to mend a willow spoon. 打 皮 p，i?， to peel a fruit.

TRANSLATION The magpie has a long tail ― after he has taken a wife he no more wants his mother 一 when his mother wants to eat some cheap cake ― then ( he says) "there is no idle money to mend willow spoons" 一 when his wife wants to eat pears ― then he gets ready his ass ― and goes to the market ― when he has bought the pears 一 he peels them 一 and asks wife, wife, will you eat pears ？

LXI

活一對 雙棒兒

子裏 又有咧 NOTES

These words are addressed by one boy to another

兒兒養 了咧肚

秀樣媽 大走媽

小長你 多會你

— 94 —

in a joking way. 小 秀 兒 hsiao^ t'u' ，r， the small baldhead, the boy, used here instead of the personal pronoun "you". 長樣兒 change yang^ ，r， he is grown up, lit. " his figure has grown ". 養活 yang' huo?， to bear of women ； it means also to nourish, to give food. 雙棒兒 shuang' pang'' ，r， twins, in literary language they are called 雙生 shuang' sheng'.

TRANSLATION You small bald-heads ― are grown up ― your mother has born a couple of twins ― how old are they ？ 一 "they can walk " ― "your mother is again in the family way".

LXII

線 兒

媽 裤 腿帶兒 NOTES

These words are for young girls who want to begin to work early with needle and thread. 花 紅 hua' hung', as red as red flowers are. 柳 緑 liou?' lii's as green as willow-trees are ，靡 /j 退 帶 兒 k'u^ t'ueP taii ，r， cloth bands used by women to bind the trowsers to their ankles.

緑 兒兒媽

柳 針線王

紅 買買買

花 IK 又叉

一 93 —

TRANSLATION

I want red thread as red as red flowers and green thread as green as green willows ― and I want to buy needles ― and to buy more thread ― and to buy ankle-bands for mother Wang.

LXIII

來吃 狗肉" E

NOTES

Dog meat is a much appreciated dish in China. The character 糊 hu-, is used here in want of another, and is pronounced hu'， in the first tone. It means a special Chinese way of preparing meat, by smearing it with sauce and then having it roasted in a pan. There is in the western city a restaurant called 狗 肉 居 kou3 jou* chiii, where roasted dog meat is provided for " amateurs", p 區 ou's phonetic character with no meaning here.

TRANSLATION Roast, roast 一 roast dog meat, oh ！ ― the first

嘔 香臭媽

. 肉裏裏 媽，

糊狗 鍋鍋王

糊糊 大二請

一 96 一

pan smells ― and the second pan stinks ― I beg mother Wang to come and eat dog meat, oh ！

LXIV

尙 無頭髪

的禿 光把兒

NOTES

Chinese boys do not show much reverence towards the priests, for whom they always have a ready collection of songs, epigrams and epithets. One of the general names with which Buddhist priests are gratified is 秀 驢 t'u' lu-, a bald ass, 鍾 ch'a', small cymbals used as toys ； there is no character for the word and I used, in fault of better, this character ； its original tone however is the first. As these cymbals are very bright and shining, the pates of bonzes are likened to them. 秀 光把兒 t，u' kuangi pan^ 'r, a bald and shining pate.

TRANSLATION Bald bald cymbals 一 shining, shining cyrrfbals

和 a 兒尙

鍤 鯆的磚 K 和

禿光裏 摄撂打

秀光廟 你我單

一 97 —

the bonzes in the temple have no hair 一 you fling bricks and I fling tiles 一 only to strike the bonzes' bald pates.

NOTES

Coal dust is mixed up with sand and water and then put into small wood square boxes, out of which the coal comes in the form of a small brick. This sort of coal is called 煤鎌兒 mei" chien^ ，r. When Pekinese boys are so lucky as to get hold of one of those wood-boxes called 煤模兒 mei- mu- ，r， they put inside of it all their small property, as toys, or food. @ 兒， kui kill till' ，r， seeds of dates.

TRANSLATION

(In) the coal-mould 一 ( there are) roast beans 一 small pears ― and date seeds.

LXVI

Y 頭

會看家

LXV

杜梨子 咕 IS 兒

兒兒

模豆

媒炒

― 98 一

頭叫 姥姥 •

NOTES

袖 燈 蜜 iu- cha- mi'\ sort of sweet cake made of flower, sugar and honey, and then fried in oil. 康兒 職 tsao3 ，r kao, pudding of date jam. 火 燒 huo^ shao', "roasted on the fire" name of a cake. 撑 的 ch'eng' ti， with a full stomach from having eaten too much.

TRANSLATION

The small girl ― knows how to watch the house ― she steals old rice ― and barters it for sesamum seeds ― the sesamum seeds are small ― (and then) a sweet cake ― a date-pudding ― and a roasted cake ― the small girl feels so overeaten that she calls for her grandmother.

Lxvn

玲瓏塔 '塔 玲瓏

米 麻細蜜 糕燒丫

老 芝藤煃 兒火的

偷 換芝袖 康熱撐

— 99 —

NOTES

玲 聰 ling" lung-, elegant, pleasant, smart. 老 僧 lao3 seng', an old buddhist priest. ~)j 丈 fang' chang', the abbot in a buddhist monastery. 徒 弟 t'u- U''， pupils who are supposed to learn the law and read the sacred books to become priests afterwards. 靑 頭 傍 ch'ing' t'ou- leng's expression impossible to translate ； it is applied by Chinese in a despising sense to different objects, as for instance to an

層 法輕

三 愣靑 黥僧把 奔磬笙 昝 鐘說念

十廟 儈丈名 頭頭僧 黠蘆蘆 打棒吹 撞會會

塔 座老方 六 靑愣僧 黠葫葫 會會會 會把奔

寶有有 當有叫 3 '是 是奔把 愣靑黠 僧蘆蘆

玲前 內僧弟 個個個 個個個 頭頭僧 黠葫莉

玲塔 廟老徒 一一一 一 一 一 靑楞僧 奔把

― 100 —

unripe fruit, or to a scorpion. 磐 ch'ing'' a musical stone used as a bell. 组 sheng', a sort of pipe. 棒 ^ p，eng3 sheng', to hold the sheng near the mouth by the two hands, that is to say, to play the sheng. 管 kuan?', a flute. 撞 鐘 chuang^ chung', to strike the bell ； Chinese bells are not provided with a clapper, but are struck from outside by means of a wood truncheon hanging by cords at a small distance from the bell. 説 法 shuo' fa'', to speak about the law, to recite a pious sermon.

TRANSLATION How elegant is the pagoda ！ ― how the pagoda is elegant ！ 一 the elegant pagoda has thirteen stores ― before the pagoda there is a temple ― in the temple there is an old bonze ― the old bonze acts as abbot ― and has by himself six pupils ― one is called ― Ch'ing' t'ou^ leng^. ― one is called Leng^ t'ou' ch'ing' ― one is Seng' seng' tien^ ― one is Tien" tien^ seng' ― one is P'en'-huMu'-pa^ ― one is Pa'*-hu--lu--p3ni ― Ch，ing2 t'ou2 leng^ can strike the musical stone 一 Leng'* t'ou' ch'ing* can play the pipe 一 Seng'-seng'-tien^ can play the flute ― Tien^ tien-'. seng' can strike the bell ― Pen'-huMu?-pa4 can recite a sermon ― and Pa^-hu-- lu-pen' can read the sacred books.

LXVIII

維 雞 《«

m 馬 城

― 101 ―

馬城開

丫 頭小子 送馬來

NOTES ： - ，；

The military officers in the preceding dynasties used to wear on their hats feathers of the ringed pheasant ( Phasianus torquatus ) called 维雞负 1 chih^ chi' ling'. The boys of the present day like to ape these old fashions and stick on their hats some cock feathers, which they suppose to be those of the pheasant. Then some of them have a pasteboard horse's head, and horse's rump ； the first they tie to the stomach, the other to the back, and their infantile imagination is quite satisfied, as they gallop here and there singing these verses the meaning of which is very doubtful. The pasteboard horse has inside a frame of bamboo sticks and is called 竹 馬 chu- ma^

TRANSLATION

With ringed pheasant feathers 一 I gallop to the horse city ― the city opens the gate ― and girls and boys come out leading a horse for me.

LXIX

籃靛廠 四 角兒方

一 102 一

NOTES

This song has no other aim then that of collecting names of places in Peking and near Peking. 藍餘廠 Ian- tien'' ch'ang"' the indigo factory, name of a place near Ta-chung-ssu ； the ground is now occupied by military quarters for bannermen. 宮 門 口 kungi men? k'ou\ is the name of a street near the Fing-tse-men. 六那莊 liu' lang^ chuang' "the Liou^ lang^'s" farm. A place to the South of Yiian- ■ming--yiian''. As a matter of fact the Kung' men- k'ou^ street and this farm cannot face one another because the street is inside of the city and the farm is in the Hai '-tien'-. 羅 鍋 橘 luo、） kuo' ch'iao-, the hunchbacked bridge in Yuan--ming--yuan- ( see song 34). 番山 hsiang< shan< "perfumed mountains " hills near Peking. 跑 p，ao:i ma3， the place in which military men train themselves to shoot arrows whilst galloping on horseback. 金 山 chin' shan', gold mountain, name of another hill in the neighbourhood of Peking. 萬 壽 山 uan'' shoa'' shan", a favourite imperial villa on a hill near Peking. It was once permissible to visit the grounds but now foreigners are no longer admitted. 求 雨 cb'iu- yii" to pray for rain, as the

莊高

s 麼 .

六那 鬧山潭

着麽 熟壽龍

對怎 好萬黑

緊撟 馬山雨

口兒 跑銀求

門鍋； 3, 山上

宮 羅，， 脊 ，^ 皇

一 103 ―

Emperor in time of drought dees himself or by deputy, according to the gravity of the situation. 黑 龍 潭 he" hingU'ani, a temple near Peking, so called because in its grounds there is a pool where a black dragon is supposed to live. The Temple is a Government one and in time of drought imperial kins are sent there to pray for rain. In this small song there is no syntaxis ； the names are huddled together without distinction or explanation. The last phrase in order to express correctly the sense, ought to say in the simplest form 皇上 爲求 雨遣官 到 黑 龍潭 huang- shang'' wei^ ch'iu- yii^ ch'ien'' kuan' tao'' bei> lung-t'an' . The Chinese original phrase could however be translated " and the temple of Hei-lung-t'an where the Emperor (goes to pray for rain or) sends people to pray for rain". As a matter of fact from Ch'ien- lung' till now no Emporor has gone there in person to pray for rain. He prays now for it in the 大高殿 ta* kao' lien's the very high hall, in the interior of the Palace.

LXX

背了鼓 來！^

NOTES

When a storm is coming cn with wind, rain

略^ 尙

來來和

風雨老

一 m ―

and thunders Pekinese boys say these words. The thunder is supposed to be produced by the striking of a big drum like those which the wandering priests take round with them.

TRANSLATION

The wind has come ― the rain has come ― the old priest with the drum on his back has come.

LXXI

莉 蘆兒上 NOTES

~ ■ 顆萬 i' k，o' hao', a stem of artemisia. This 蓄 is for 香萬 hsiang' hao'. 秀子 t'u'-tzu, small boys, as explained before. 耍 刀 shua^ tao'， to fence, to play with swords. 兩 扇 two gourd ladles-a gourd cut in the middle forms two ladles, used by poor people to put the rice in. The vulgar numeral is not 扇 but 個 ko''.

TRANSLATION

On a very high mountain there is a stem of Artemisia ― two boys fence with swords ― the two

蒿 刀在瓢

顆 耍落扇

一去 兩

上 子尖蘆

山 秀刀莉

高 個把個

高兩兩 一

一 lOo -

sword points fell on a calabash 一 and from a calabash were made two ladles.

LXXII

個奶 奶兒來

愛 喝 兒 治

個 拙老婆 NOTES

The first two verses are the ordinary t'ou--tzu without any reference to what follows. 香爐兒 hsiang' lu- ，r， a metal or clay vessel to burn incense before the Gods ； it means literally perfume-stove. 瓦燈臺 ua3 teagi t'ai-, a sort of earthenware oil- lamp used in very poor houses. 氣 的 ch'i'-ti, he is so irritated. ^ tuo' sua', to tremble, to shake with anger. •

TRANSLATION An incense-stove and an earthenware lamp 一

了 竟法嗦 這

娶 懶沒^ 你

臺 兒頭活 手 兒竟打

爐燈爺 梳作證 爺的我

香 K 爺不 不嘴 爺氣說

― 106 ―

the gentleman has married a lady ― who does not comb her hair ― does not work ― is gluttonous and lazy and likes nothing but drinking ― the husband has no way of correcting her ― and is so angry that he trembles ― and says : I will beat you stupid old woman ！

LXXIII

/j 、妞 M 錐 幫子兒

坐椅子]^^ S 力 底子兒

NOTES

Girls in poor families make their own shoes. 雜驚子 chuii pang' tzii, to bore with an awl holes into the cloth for binding it to the sole. 钢底子 na'i tP-tzti， to beat the sole to harden it. The sole is made of felt.

TRANSLATION The little girl ― is sitting on the chair ― bores the sides of the shoe — and beats the sole of the shos.

LXXIV

爺爺 抱孫子 坐在波 接蓋兒

一 107 一

醋蒜兒 ' 兒

三 嘴巴兒 NOTES

藤 Chan's to dip in, said of a brush in the ink, or of meat In the sauce. 醋蒜兒 ts'u^ suan< ，r， sort of sauce made of vinegar and bits of garlic. 撒婿 兒 sa' chiao' ，r， to gambol, to tease, said of spoilt children. 嘴 巴 tsueP pa', a blow in the face.

TRANSLATION

The grandfather embraces his grandson ― who sits on his knees ― (the grandfather says ) here are meat-balls to dip in vinegar sauce ― when you have finished eating you will be saucy ― and will come over to hit your grandfather three blows in the face.

LXXV

酷攝爺

子撒你

包了打

i 來

羊吃過

哭

兒

0 買脚

兒 糖兒小

脚，； 2:- 錢着

小 愛沒搬

― 108 ―

NOTES

搬 脚 pan' chiao", to sit down with crossed legs holding the feet in the hands. Children often sit so when disappointed and weeping.

TRANSLATION.

The little lady with the small feet ― likes to eat sugar ― but has no money to buy it ― and sits crosslegged and weeps for a good while.

LXXVI

毬

潦裳裳 子子

樓 頭髻樓 子 板板坐 磨娃娃

座 梳龍花 獅 金銀的 疆金銀

一 去盤 赛梳個 是是沒 一 個個

上娘的 的的了 的的姐 在着着

山姑梳 梳沒梳 坐坐三 坐抱抱

高個姐 姐姐梳 姐姐下 坐姐姐

高兩大 二 三 一 大二剩 一 大二

― 109 一

三姐 沒得抱 一抱抱 着個樹 溘 权

NOTES

盤龍譽 p'an- lung' chi'', sort of women's head dress ； literally coiled dragon chignon. 赛花樓 sai' hua' loa-, another sort of head dress very high and adorned with flowers ； it means literally "tower which emulate the flowers". :} 師 子滚織 ® shihi tzj kun?' hsiou'i ch'iu^ "a lion who rolls an embroidered ball,' sort of amusement in the fairs. Two men dress themselves as lions and then fight, in the same time pushing with the feet a large embroidered ball. Here the phrase is used in the meaning of " confused, not well done, ruffled". — 磨 i' P'an'^ muo\ a mill-stone.

TRANSLATION

On a very high mountain there is a high tower ― two girls go there to comb their hair ― the eldest sister combs her hair into a "coiled dragon chignon" 一 The second sister combs her hair into a "rivalling flowers tower chignon " ― the third sister has no other way of combing her hair ― and combs it in a ruffled way ― the first sister sits on a golden stool ― the second sister sits on a silver stool ― there remains the third sister who has no room to sit ― and sits on a stone-mill ― the first sister folds in her arms a golden baby 一 the second

― 110 一

sister folds in her arms a silver baby ― the third sister has nothing to fold in the arms ― and folds a forked branch.

LXXVII

兒 兒

NOTES

Pekinese boys address these words to camels, which are well tempered enough not to take any notice of them. 嚷暖 so'so', signal given to the camels to make them kneel down, to receive the load on their back. The word is probably derived from the word sok used by Mongol camel drivers. The same word is however used to call a dog to come. 拜 拜 pai' pai、 to salute as women do ； here the words refer to the awkward movement of the camels when kneeling down. 袖鼻兒 ch'ou' pi- ，r， to sniff, as camels use to do. 小 姨 兒 hsiao^ i- ，r， a man's wife's younger sister.

噻哥拜 太鼻姨

S5 哥拜 太柚小

K '你稱 你驟你

® 是© 是駢是

它 |> 它 1> 它

© 王駢 王駢王

一 111 ―

TRANSLATION

Camel, camel, kneel down ― a turtle is your older brother ― camel, camel, make a salute ― a turtle is your wife ― camel, camel, sniff ― a turtle is your sister-in-law.

LXXVIII

兒 開黄花

裏有 小孩兒

裏 又有了 NOTES

Two things are to be observed in the first two verses. Apparently there is nothing wrong in them but it is quite the contrary. Ladies generally avoid pronouncing in succession the numbers seven ch，i' and eight pa', because, these two syllabes put together, give a sound very similar to that of an

脚 兒兒子 子

七八小 fflffl 肚 了了肚

媽媽媽 一 1 媽 大走媽

你我你 左右你 多曾你

一 112 一

equivocal word largely spoken by Chinamen. Now in this case the two syllabes are separated but no Chinese will fail to understand the meaning of it, so much more that translating the numerals simply as they are, would convey no meaning in the two first verses. Again-the word 八 that is to say the number eight, has been chosen by Chinese to mean what in higher style would be called 玉 門 yii* men'. Therefore the meaning of the second verse cannot be an edifying one. 開 黄花， k，ai' huang'^ hua', "to open yellow flowers" it seems that in Pekinese slang a "yellow flower foot" means a small foot. ^兒 i' P，an2 ，r， a tour, a walk.

TRANSLATION

Your mother "seven" ― your mother "eight" ― your mother has small feet ― a tour to the left 一 and a tour to the right ― your mother is in a family- way 一 "how old is the baby"? ― "he can walk" 一 your mother is again in a family way.

LXXIX

鞭

草覉

丹兒頓

牡梭 一

喚三了

尖圓 兒拿挨

兒兒 花手開

葉葉 開掌花

樹花 子人氣

桃荷 栀仙淑

— 113 —

NOTES

仙人掌 hsien' jen? chang, a cactus, ( Opiintia Dillenii ). 三樣草 san， leng? ts,ao3, lit. "grass with three edges" a three-cornered sedge (Cyperus). 淑 氣 花 shu- ch'i; hua', called in vulgar language 蜀 角 shou? chiao^ (the original pronunciation and tones ought to be shu:' cMao"", the hollyhock (lat. Althcea rosea ). 霸王鞭 pa* uang- pien', tyrant's whip, a sort of cactus, called so because of its resemblance to an iron whip property of a king of the Ch'u 楚 kingdom, renowned for his bodily strength, named 項 羽 Hsiang'' yu-'. In the last verse the phrase has a double meaning as 校 一 頓鞭 ai* i' tun'' pien', means to receive a number of whip blows.

TRANSLATION

The peach tree leaves are pointed 一 the lotus leaves are round ― the gardenia opens its flowers and calls the peony tree flower 一 the cactus (the wise man's palm ) holds in its hands the three cornered sedge ― the hollyhock flower opens and receives a good many blows from the "tyrant's whip "\

LXXX

小 小 子 兒

拿 倒錘兒

8

一 m —

NOTES

拿 倒 na- tao'', to hold a thing just in the opposite way form that in which it ought to be held, for instance taking a sword by the point. 鍾 ch'ui-, a toy for boys which imitates an ancient weapon to be seen now only on the theatres, it is formed of a large ball of iron to which is attached a handle, and can be compared to our mace used in the middle ages. 怯屋子 ch'ie'' wu' tzu, a common, plain room, as of labourers in the fields. 八 仙掉子 pa' hsien» chuo' tza, a table for eight persons. 、漆 椅子 ch'i* i:; tzu.

兒兒 兒

門子 人兒

扇椅兒 景 道席了

雨漆子 名 茶兒兒 個素飽

子兒搭 有迪 仁子 是擺吃

屋子脚 兒茱 嫩蠛鴨 娘席娘 兒兒

怯踔着 壺子兒 燒大 華大台 戲扇子

開仙 $^一 滿 嵐樣根 大猪上 下聲南 大蕉蚊

開 A 足水 洗四嫩 八燒天 撒叫上 聽芭打

lacquered chairs. 脚搭子 chiaos ta< tzu, a small four-legged stool to lay the feet on. 窟子 ts'uan'' tzu, very vulgar name for a kettle. 名 景 ming- ching\ fame, renown. 嫩根 兒 nen' ken''r， with delicate stems. 韭 菜 chioif' ts'ai ；， leeks. 八 大 pa< ta< instead of 八大碗 【'a' ta' wan', the eight entries in a good Chinese dinner. The verse is very laconic, 瑕 仁 兒 huei' hsia'' jen-'r, shrimp pulp with sauce, 大 上 大 娘 t'ien' shang' ta- niang-', a fairy in heaven, but here very probably a term of flattery for a nun. 道人 兒 tao'« jen-'r, said also in relation to above, a person who has reached the perfection of reason, a holy person. 軍 席 hun' hsi-, a dinner comprising meat and food, which persons in monastic life should abs- tain from eating. 南 台 nan? t'ai-, the theatre placed on the Southern side. 蒲 pa' chiao'， palm tree, 打跌子 ta:i uen--tzd, to drive away the sandflies.

TRANSLATION

The small boy 一 holding the mace by the head 一 opens the two leaves of the door of the plain room 一 ( inside there are ) one table for eight people and varnished chairs ― he leans his feet on a small footstool ― the tea pot is overfilled with water ― and washes the kettle ― four sorts of food are there spread out 一 delicate leeks with delicate stems ― and eight plates with sauced shrimp pulp ― pork with sauce and roasted duck ― ( the nun ) like the great lady in heaven is a holy person ― and she has the common food removed and vegetable food

— 116 -

prepared 一 people call out : the great lady has eaten to fullness ― and goes to the Southern stage ~~ - to see the play ― and with a palm-leaf fan ― strikes away the mosquitoes.

LXXXI

m 的

NOTES

吉了兒 chi? liao^'r, the cicada, correctly written 鯽療兒 • 怎的 tsen:' ti, antiquated form for 怎 麼 着 tsem' mo cho, how ？ why ？ 吃 蘇 ch'ih' ma-, to eat hemp, a curious way of letting thirst pass away.

TRANSLATION

On a very high mountain there is a stem of hemp — there is a cicada who creeps on it ― I ask the cicada, why do you creep on ？ 一 and she says : I am thirsty and want to eat hemp.

LXXXII

好 熱天兒 掛 竹簾兒

蔴 上怎藤

顆 往爬呓

一 兒兒要

上 了了了

山吉 吉渴

高 個問說

高 有我他

— 117 —

NOTES

"？^ 膀 52 ii\ uai' puo-'r shu's "trees with a crooked heck" crooked trees. 大 紅 ta'* hung', deep red. 沿邊兒 yen- pien'Y, coloured border of ladies dresses. 袖 頭 iu? t'ou- a hairdress combed with odorous oil. 別 pie-, there is no particular character for the meaning; it means to wear pins in the hair as women do. 花 藍 hua' lan-'r, a flower basket.

TRANSLATION 、

What a hot day ― set up the bamboo curtain ！ 一 under the crooked trees ― there is a small girl who plays and jests with me ― she wears a deep red waistcoat ― without coloured border ― she has combed her hair with oil ― and has stuck jade pins into her hair ― in the left hand she holds a flower basket ― and in the right hand she holds gardenias, jasmine and wild lotus flowers.

兒

枝

兒 串

頌肩 莉

我坎 籃茉

下着紅 花子

底 哄大兒 玉梔

樹 兜件邊 兒着着

兒扭 一 沿頭 簪拿拿

脖個 着有油 玉手手

歪有 穿沒梳 別左右

— 118 —

LXXXIII

蛋 5a

來 我是哥 兒 © 們 倆人喝

打鼓再 娶一個

NOTES

The beginning of this song is nasty but I could not cut it off the song. 羊巴 巴蛋兒 yang- pa^ pa^ tan'T, goat dung ― 打 |g 酒 52 ta^ hu? chiou^ to go to buy a bottle of wine. 鼻 兒 pi'r, the mouth of a flute, therefore 吹鼻兒 ch'ui" pi"r, means to play the flute or other wind instrument. This phrase alludes to the band of players which accompanies the chair of a bride.

TRANSLATION

Goat's dung ― crushed by the foot ― you are my second brother and I am your first brother 一 go and buy a bottle of wine ； we will both drink it 一 when I am drunk ― I will beat my wife 一 and then with flute-players and drummers I will marry another.

巴 撮兄酒 了婆兒

巴 脚是壺 醉老鼻

羊用你 打暍打

— m —

LXXXIV

rrJ

號

吹 兒

哇 少吊 兒

兒 兒年兩 廟

廟兒 S.I 春蠻 了 小惱

小道 兒 哇靑元 逮 的好兒 兒兒兒

個神 轔 兒個張 還兒 你心 票少少

有 個兒兒 兒兒抬 囉一千 兒兒抱 燒聽發 年年冒

上 着蜎罩 套要鬼 鬼了溜 抱抱懐 兒閜^ 春春 ®

山住草 藍皮草 小小來 提兒馕 懐我火 花兒小 靑靑. S

高頭 戴穿穿 爾個個 南裏廟 個我給 把兒道 聲拿的 ®

高裏頭 身腿腰 四雨解 手進求 鈴不船 > "灰 神^ 快嚇^

NOTES

罩 兒 chao'',r， very thin overcoat which the Chinese

一 120 一

wear over their clothes. 蔡要 51 ts，ao。' yao^'r, sort of rope made of dry grass to bind vegetables together, and in this case as a girdle. 温兒娃 weur' wa', imitates the sound of the trumpet. 吹 號 for 吹 號 筒 ch'ui' hao'' t'ung^ to blow the trumpet, ff 春 ch'ingi ch'un, the pure spring, the flower of life, youth. 千 張 ch'ien' chang', a paper ladder burned in ceremo- nies in order to give the spirits a way to ascend to heaven. 元蠻雨 jfj yiian^ pao'' liang^ tiao's two strings of paper money, resembling the silver yuan-pao, which the Chinese burn for their dead and in other offerings. 懷抱兒 huaP paa''"r, something to carry in the bosom, a child. ~~ JgJ 火 i' pa'' hno\ a bundle of combustible matter for obtaining a fire. 灰 兒 花 兒 hui''r hua' 'r, wants to imitate the noise of a conflagration. 發 票 fa< pW'， to issue a warrant to arrest a man. 胃泡兒 隨'' p,ao''，r， to gasp and let air out of the mouth as fish does when just taken out of the water ； that is said to show the agonizing fear of the young girl. pgf P^' 卿 ku' ta' ku' to', imitates the gurgling round of the air gasping out of the throat.

TRANSLATION On a very high mountain 一 there is a small temple ― inside is sitting a holy man ― who wears on his head a dry grass hat ― and on his body an azure cloak ― and on his legs skin leggings ― and round his waist a grass rope for girdle ― four small devils bear the chair — two small devils blow the

- 121 一

trumpet ― from the South has come a young girl in the bloom of life ― who has in her hands a paper ladder and paper money ― she enters the temple ― to pray for a child ― (she says : ) give me a child and it shall be all right ― if you do not give me a child ― I will make a fire ― and burn your small temple 一 the holy man hearing this is very much angry ― and calls for the small devils to issue a warrant of arrest ― ( saying) quickly apprehend this young woman in the bloom of life, ― but the young woman in the bloom of life is so scared that she gasps for breath.

LXXXV

紅石榴

NOTES

端 cb'uai, means to feel, to grope, and also to hide in the bosom, as Chinese do because of their not having pockets. 袖 hsiou'', a sleeve, and also, to place in the sleeve ^.|J 禾 Ij :f_^ li' ir' la' la' — without interruption-without end. ~ • 大 溜 i' ta'' liu'*, a great row a great number of.

羞舅 一 溜

害 f 我 大

不的給 一

兒花舅

g 賣舅 榀釉拉

@ 着舅 裏裏利

有昝舅 懷釉利

― 122 ―

TRANSLATION There is a small girl who does not feel ashamed ― and calls the flower seller her own uncle ― uncle, uncle give me a flower of the red pomegranate ― I will put it in my bosom ― I will put it in my sleeve ― and all the ground shall be strown with flowers.

LXXXVI

高

燒

NOTES

The Chinese are accustomed to burn incense on the first and fifteenth of a month. 爲長毛 uei" chang'* mao-, to make the hair grow. 掛 袍 kua' p'ao', " to put on Buddha's body a jacket". Some people who want to get a favour from the Divinity, to soothe

姓燒 女毛上 了 火怒瓢

本香 兒長長 掉 架冲開

兒把 爲爲毛 毛 爺冲就

秀五 香香天 天 老見刀

小十燒 燒三香 袍三了 一 大

個 一 家子了 燒掛了 倒爺起

有初 人秀到 iKiK 到 搬老拿

一 123 一

him, buy a silk or satin jacket which they themselves put on his body. 搬倒了 pan' tao* la, he upset the God. 老 爺 lao:i ye-, Mister, Sir, gentleman, here it is instead of 關老爺 kuan' lao" ye-, the God of war. 架 cMa、 to lean the object on a stand, here in order to burn it completely. 冲 冲 怒 ch'ung' ch'ung' nu*, in great irritation.

TRANSLATION. There was a small bald-headed man, whose name was Kao ― who went to burn incense on the first and on the fifteenth ― people burn incense to get a son or a daughter ― but the baldheaded man burns incense to make' his hair grow ― after three days the hair was growing 一 and he burns incense 一 and dresses the God with a new jacket ― after three days the hair fell off ― and he upset the Kuanti statue and placed him against a stand to burn him ― But Kuanti seeing that, was awfully irritated ― he took up his great halberd and split the man's calebash (head) into two ladles.

LXXXVII

兒

兒半 兒

站兩 采

立兒劈 兒兒酒

立沿猪 半半就

立河個 I 1 酒

立上 一 你我打

一 124 一

NOTES

The first word li'' is reapeted four times for the sake of the rhythm. 就、 酒茶兒 chiou^ chiou"Hs，ai''，r， to accompan ytlie food which is generally taken whilst drinking wine ； here it alludes to the pig s head.

TRANSLATION I top here ― go on the banks of the river ― of a pig's head we will make two portions 一 you will get a half ― and I will get a half ― and we will go and buy wine to suit the wine-food.

LXXXVIII

邊

淀 NOTES

This song is not very intelligible ； names of places are put together without any apparent reason. 鎮 chen'', to protect against bad luck and danger. 鎮物 chen'' u', an object which counteracts evil influences. The brass ox which is spoken of here is on the shore of the lake k'uni ming- hu' and is there to oppose the danger which Chinese believe would arise from the overflowing of the lake. In the lake there is snppo-

上的海

在兒在

橋 牛腦 SI

兒山 銅腐寵

鍋壽 海豆喝

鑼萬 鎮賣喝

― 12o 一

sed to be a 海 眼 hai'' yea-\ that is to say a sea-eye" a hole in the bottom of the lake which communicates with the sea, and out of which all the sea water would rise and overflow the country. The lake 見 明 '湖 k'un' ming- hu- is in the Haiticn in the neigh- bourhood of Peking. 在上邊 tzai'' shang'- piea', on the shore. 豆 腐 腦 ton'' fu:、' nao''， sort of bean-curd. 喝 ho' ho', cries of vendors in the street, JJl lien- lien-, without interruption.

TRANSLATION

The hunchback bridge ― Wan-shou-shan 一 the brass oxen on the shore, which protects the country from the sea water ― the vendors of bean curd ― go along crying their ware without interruption.

LXXXIX

粉 餘馬櫃

買買買 K

不拔 不打不 餵不盛

兒 男他 男他男 他男他

婆潦他 粉他薛 ffiiH? 他櫃

老 地着了 着了着 了着了

黑 滿 瞵 買 嗔賀嘴 ^2; 嘴 .fi..

― 126 一

NOTES

滿地滚 man"' ti'' kun^, rolls all over the ground. 嘆 着 ch'en' cho?， speaking angrily, scolding. 打 薛 ta:i ma ？， to beat the hemp, to take away the bark from the stems. 盛 here read ch，eng?， to fill something with, to put, to place in. 上甲 shang'' tiao,', to hang oneself.

TRANSLATION

The old brown woman ― rolls herself all over the ground ― scolding because her husband does not buy cosmetic for her 一 but when he has bought cosmetic then she does not use it ― scolding becau- se lier husband does not buy hemp for her 一 when he has bought hemp, then she does not thrash it ― scolding because her husband does not buy a horse ― when he has bought a horse, she does not feed it 一 scolding because her husband does not buy a wardrobe ― when he has bought the wardrobe, she does not puts her things there 一 scolding because her husband has not bought a cord ― when he has bought a cord, she hangs herself ― and frightens her husband to death.

買 大

不弔 一

人上人

rt9 1^ gas

s\ 他多

着了了

一 127 一

NOTES

胖 Prf? 園螯 兒 P'ang' ku' lun' tun'V, fat and round, said of a child. 5t fit tou' tu''， a covering for the stomach worn by children. 袋瓜兒 naoUai'' kua'，r， the head, the skull, a jocular expression. 毛兒 uai' mao? ，r， a round tuft of hair which small boys wear either on the right or on the left of the head. 酒竊兒 chiu3 uo'，r， dimples in the cheek.

TRANSLATION The very little boy ― Is round and fat ― he wears a gold bracelet on his arm ― and wears a red stomach protector and green trowsers ― on his head he wears a tuft of hair ― when he laughs two dimples appear on his cheeks ― when he walks all his body trembles ― and taking the elder sister by the hand says : elder sister, let us go and buy fruit.

兒 兒

子兒毛 子

鐲子歪 果

金擁個 買

個緑着 們

兒 着肚梳 竊嗉借

兒螯戴 s< 兒酒^ 姐

子圇上 紅瓜倆 I 姐

小. a- 臂穿袋 笑走着

小胖 K 身腦 一 粒.

一 128 一-

XGI

人 兒 子 兒 兒

NOTES

皇 城 huang- ch'eng'-, the wall which goes round the imperial city. 城根兒 ch'eng? ken''r, near the wall, opposite to it. 姐人兒 niu'-jen", rather affected for the sake of rhyme instead of the simple 組 兒 niui'r. 有個意 思 il iou:'' ko'' i'' ssu'-'r, there is a thought, it is amusing pleasant to look at it and to think of it. 徘 環墜兒 p'ai- huan- chueFr, a sort of earrings for women. 據 胸 ch'a' yen', to rub rose cosmetic on the cheeks or on the palms of the hands. 林 粉 muo ' fen to rub white cosmetic powder on the cheeks. 小 女婿兒 hsiao:' nu"' hsu', a small son-in-law, said to a girl to mean her bridegroom.

TRANSLATION Near the wall of the imperial town ― there is

娥 婶墜譽 兒

小 布環抓 婿

個 藍徘大 女

着兒 兒着是 小

兒 兒站思 Si 戴的 兒兒的

根 門兒意 汗上梳 賙粉我

城溜 口個布 15^ 上 着着是

黄 一 門有 白耳頭 搽秣誰

一 120 一

a row of doors ― near a door there stands a small girl ― she is really nice ― with a shirt of white cloth and trowsers of blue cloth ― she wears round ear- rings ― and, has a great chignon on her head ― on the face she has rubbed red powder ― and white powder ― who shall be rny J^ittle bridegroom ？

XCII

簷 蝙 蝠 你 是 奶奶兒

穿花鞋 我是爺

NOTES

The first two verses are the common introduc- tion without definite meaning. 詹編幅 the bat is called in suhua yen'' pien'' hu -, but the regular pronun- ciation ought to be yen- pien'' fu-. As to th^e fact of wearing embroidered shoes, the Chinese explain as follows : sometimes in order to catch a bat, a shoe is thrown in the air, and the bat himself runs into the shoe and so falls to the ground and is taken. Very likoly the need of a rhyme has forced in the whole phrase.

TRANSLATION

The bat ― wears embroidered shoes ― you arc a wife — and I am a husband.

9

一 130 一

XCIII

狸 敏

蹄

的 猫兒去

NOTES

花兒 花兒 hua'，r hua'，r， is equivalent to the english puss ！ puss ！ to call a cat. 花 兒狐 裡 hua'，r hu? IF striped fox-the name of one of the cats belonging to the lady. 鞭 打編球 pien' ta^ hsiou' ch'iu-, means literally " a whip that beats the embroidered ball ". The coats of cats have different curious names to distinguish them. This phrase means a cat which has a black tail and a black spot on the forehead, meaning that with his long black tail (the whip) he strikes the black spot on the forehead (the embroidered ball). 金鎮玉 chin' hsiang' yii''， another name for a cat's coat " jade inlaid with gold ，， a cat with a white coat with yellow spots. 雪 裏送炭 hsiie'- li:'' sung' fan'', another name, literally explained "coal sent in the snow" a black coat with four white paws. 銀 蹄 in'-t'i-, a silver hoof, said of white hoofs and paws.

狐兒 玉銀們 一

兒名鍵 個我來 一

貓花 有金四 了筋皮

.r 兒 維球炭 偷的： S

太花 的繡送 要你你

太兒 們打裹 人了了

老花 我鞭雲 有柚斜

一 I3t 一

TRANSLATION

The old lady calls the cat ― puss, puss ！ Fox ― our cats have all a name ― (there is) " the whip that beats the embroidered ball " and " jade inlaid with gold" ― and more "coal brought in the snow " with four white paws ― if there is a man who wants to steal away my cat ― I will draw out your muscles ― and peel away your skin.

XCIV

怕. 他，

害蠟、 兒家

就燈了 兒孩 罷去同

媽個 i: 香巴 . 牙？^ 我出不

我着兒 說嘴 着 一 了滚我

見 ffl 油脚 跑還 挨兒兒 了 饒我遠

兒 辣瞧下 了洗前 子舆烟 茶媽叫 兒氣东

椒 不爸地 流要往 機說袋 碗我爸 太生兒

秦 麼爸在 怕媽爹 了是過 過的爸 太要今

小 怎我婉 還我我 脫要装 甅 樂我 老再從

一 132 一

NOTES

This song is supposed to be sung by a small boy who innocently relates the strife between father and mother. In China although the family laws are severe and different from ours, yet there exists a sufficient number of henpecked husbands. A number of anec- dotes regarding uxorious husbands are currently spread. 秦 椒 ch'in) chiao', chillies (lat. Capsicum aniiuum ) ； very likely here the house wife is not wrongly likened to the chillies. 爸爸 pa'' pa'', common appellation for father, and the same as our papa, ffl 着燈 ting'-cho'-teng", bearing a lamp on the head ； a henpecked husband is jestingly supposed to kneel down before his wife, who orders him as a punish- ment to stay a long time in that position, with an oil-lamp on his head. So the husband must endure the pain of being scalded by the oil that drops down from the lamp and runs on his back. This notion is so generally known and jested about that one of the must common tricks to produce general hilarity is to alarm a friend by saying he has got oil-stains on his back. Everybody understands what fictions that alludes to. 油 iu-, for oil is intended here the pro- duct of the melting of wax. ~ ■ 袋 姻 i'tai'' yen', a pipe filled with tobacco. 孩 兒 他 ^？禺 hai'V t'a' ma', "the children's mother" title given by the husband to a wife who has born children to him. The wife in her turn calls the husband 孩兒他 爸爸 hai 'r t'a' pa' pa', the children's father. Two abridged phrases for that are 他媽 and 他爹.

― 133 一

TRANSLATION The small chillies ― how could they not be bitter ？ ― when my father catches sight of my mo- ther, he is afraid ― he kneels down with a lamp on his head, ― and is also afraid lest the oil should run down, or the candle should fall ― when my mother wants to wash her feet ― my father runs forward ― when he has taken down the socks he says that it is scented ― if he says it is bad smelling he gets a slap on the face ― when he has filled her pipe ― and handed over to her a cup of tea ― my mother is so delighted that she shows her teeth -一 my father has once called her : o mother of my children ― old lady, forgive me, now ― if you are going to get angry again, I will roll away ― and from now henceforward I will never come back home.

xcv

蒿 子燈 今 a 默 iw 葉 m 明 兒 個 扔

NOTES

On the fifteenth day of the seventh moon is celebrated the Feast of the Spirits 中 元節 chung' yiian- chie-. In the evening many lanterns are lighted on the streets. 筒- 子 燈 hao' tzj'' tang', it is not a lantern but a whole plant of artemisia on the branches of which incense sticks are bound and then lighted.

一 134 一

荷葉燈 ho? ye'* teng', another lantern formed of a leaf of lotus on which a candle has been fixed.

TRANSLATION The artemisia lantern ― and the lotus-lantern ― to day they are lighted ― and to-morrow they are thrown away.

NOTES

頊 ting3， to reach with the head . ^ if^ fang? t，uo?， the principal beam in the roof. 框 k'ou' means here sunken, deep and 竊框眼 uo' k'ou' yen', sunken eyes. 挺 t，ing3， character used to form the superlative in very common language, used instead of 項 ting-'.

XCVI

他 m

仵 破 移

兩 罷

有我鳴

沒了得

子嫁又

大 叙媽來

柁眼脖 I 兒多 的你悠

三 房樞長 着窿丁 身訴得

々B 竊挺穿 輔蹿告 J

— i 3tj —

移 穩 tuo ； luo-, sort of old dress consisting of a long gown with a high collar, worn in winter time. 補 丁 Pu' tingj, patches. A Chinese coat has never more than six buttons.

TRANSLATION Sar's mother ― is as tall as the roof ― has sun- ken eyes ― and a very long neck ― she wears a broken overcoat ― with big holes ― and many patches ― on her whole person there arc not even two buttons 一 now, tell your mother to marry mc ！ ― she will get food and drink.

XCVII

小 子兒 倫 m 吃 上 m 6、 下 不 來

TRANSLATION The small mouse ― has climbed up the cand- lestick ― to steal oil to eat 一 and now cannot come down.

XCVIII

王

竈

祭 i:

o 草

蠟 番三兒

枝 股十碟

IS 一 二

—— 136 ——

NOTES

This song speaks about the ceremony for the God of the stove on the 23'' day of the twelfth moon. Before the God's picture incense is burning and on the table there is a dish containing water, and one with grass which is supposed to serve for the God's horse. The water then is thrown to the ground and the grass in the air. That means the end of this ce- remony. 當家的 tang" chia' ti， the oldest man in the family who is called to perform the sacrifices and all religious ceremonies. 天 堂 t'ien' fang-, the Heavenly hall, the paradise. 爆 竹 p，ao'' chu-, fire crackers. 响 口 丁 hsiang^ ting' tang', the noise is ting-tang; 關東糖 kuan'-tung' t'ang ？， Manchurian sugar. The Chinese offer sugar to this God, with the aim of letting his teeth stick together and so prevent him from relating to Heaven all the incon- venience and misdeed he had occasion to see in the family during twelve months ； with this hope, the Chinese merrily begin their New-year.

堂頭^ 糖

, 天把叮 罷東

上來晌 來關

下過竹 同着

水 地的爆 爺罷留

碗 在家灘 王來你

一 撥當三 竈同給

一 137 一

TRANSLATION

Two candles 一 a bundle of incense sticks ~ on the 23'' day it is sacrificed to the God of the hearth ― there is a dish full of grass ― and a dish full of water ― when the water is thrown on the ground the God ascends to Heaven ― the eldest of the family comes over and knocks his head on the ground ― then three volleys of crackers with a great noise ― God of the hearth ― come back I come back 1 ― we keep for you Manchurian sugar.

XCIX

m

NOTES

四角兒 ssu'' chiao-'r, with four corners. 中 央 Chung yang', in the middle-the word yang' is pronoun- ced vulgarly yang-. 束坡肉 tungi p'uo' jou''， sort of meat prepared in a special way as directed by a certain old literary man who was a great authority also on kitchen matters. His name was 蘇 戟 Su'- shih'< and his surname, hao, was Tung p'uo'. 保 府 Pao3-fu; is instead of 保定府 Pao' ting' fu:''， the head

央肉香

中坡寶

在农八

擺子的

兒方 兒鴨來

i& 兒 碗燒帶

仙^^子猪府

八四 S 燒保

一 138 ―

prefecture in the Chih-li province. 八 喪香腸 pa' pao' hsiaag' ch'ang' " the odorous sausages with eight treasures '， a sort of sausages made of pork stuffed into chicken's intestines. The eight treasu- res alluded to arc the spices, aromas which arc in the stuff. These sausages come from Pao-ting-fu.

TRANSLATION A tabic for eight persons ― with four corners square ― plates and cups arc placed in the middle of it ― roast pork, roast duck, and meat prepared a la Tung-p uo ― and sausages from Pao-ting-fu.

C

乐 X

NOTES

Yi- 5il hsi 'r stands for 0 hsi : cli'iaa'', the magpie. 嫌 ch'ieu', to peck. 汪 汪 uang' uang', imitates the noise of barking. 撲 鼠 p'u' shu to rush on mice, to catch mice as cats do. These words arc repeated by children when they catch sight of magpies.

TRANSLATION The magpie, the magpie eats bcancurd ― the chicken comes over and pecks a handful of grain ―

•s 把家 a

豆赚看 K

吃 來要會

兒 過汪來

喜 S 汪 過

S 小狗猫

一 m ―

the dog barks and wants to look after the house ― the cat comes over and wants to catch the mice.

CI

喜 兒 g 兄買豆 腐 該 我的錢 臘月 二十五

NOTES

Chinese accounts and debts arc paid at the end of every quarter and the great bulk of money accounts ought to be paid, in the 1 2"' month from the 25"' day to the 3o"' at midnight.

TRANSLATION The magpie, the magpie buys bcancurd ― those who owe mc money ― ( I shall sec them) on the 25"' day of the 12"' moon.

Gil

一 時睡着

顚你 我上创

一 140 一

NOTES

The song relates a dream. 顧不得 ku'' pu'» to-, without aperceiving it ； insensibly. fj§ kao''， said also 缀 頭 chiie; t'ou-, a hoe. The first character is not noted in dictionaries. 包 p'ao', to dig the ground with a hoe. 蒲包 p'u- pao', a bundle made of rushes. 金鋼石 chin' kang' shih', the diamond. 金 鋼鑽兒 chin' kang' tsuan'-'r, the diamond-pointed awl used by menders of crockery. 倒 槽 tao:: ts'ao-, said of ani- mals "to die near the manger, in the stable". 眼 力 兒 潮 yen" li'V ch'ao', lit. the strenght of the eyes

保 子

包 潮兒微

蒲瞧 高 燒 兒人 的康

大裏寶 丈跆火 槽力沒 IS 神

個 望元， 雨逃怕 倒哏子 頭^<

出 包銀兒 樹怕子 w 鋪掉 摸模 ffi 鬼

® 蒲蠻 鑽赞子 人房驪 當錢兒 兒個我

刨着 元鋼大 珊買買 W 問開 J_ 您了的

一 隔 金金兩 瑚要要 S 要要東 ：晩 模；^

一 141 ―

is damp, that is to say we have not eyes good enough to distinguish good objects from bad ones - a faculty which is necessary in such an establishment as a pawn-shop. The word ch'ao- has also in other cases the meaning of not up to, insufficient, as in 潮 銀子 ch'ao' yin- tzu, bad silver, with too much alloy. 錢 掉 子 ch'ien- cho'-tzu, lit. "money-table" a bank autho- rized to issue small banknotes and guaranteed by other banks. 模 niuo', to feci with the hands, read here vulgarly ma A 1；^ 哭 樣 kuei ' k,u' shen' hao'， "the devils weep and the spirits wail " that is " in a very painful way".

TRANSLATION

Without perceiving it in a moment I fell asleep ― ( I dreamed ) you had shouldered a gun 一 and I shouldered a hoe 一 and went to the South morass ― to dig out silver ingots ― and digging 、vc dug out a big rush wrapper ― through the rush wrapper we looked in 一 there were gold ingots and silver ingots ― and two large buckets of diamonds ― and two coral trees two chang high ― but if we buy servants I am afraid they would run away ― if we buy houses I am afraid they would burn ― if we buy cm ass, I am afraid he would die near the manger ― if we open a pawn-shop, wc have not eyes good enough for that ― if we open a money-shop, there is none who will guarantee us ― but feeling for the Fast 一 and feeling for the West ― I felt a big ugly

― 14-2 一

scorpion 一 wliicli bit me so painfully that it made me scream.

cm

爹 鞋

NOTES

tiy. 胡琴兒 lai-hu'-ch,m"r， to play the tartar fiddle. 打 鐵 ta:' t'ie^ to beat the iron, to work the iron. 腰 裏 被 yao' li:'ye'， to hide, to place something in the waist. ― These baskets made of rushes arc especi- ally used for containing objects for gifts. 格登： ^老 ko? tengi tengi imitates the noise of the shoes slapping on the ground. 鴨 蛋 ya' tan'-ch'ing' of the same colour as the eggs of ducks.

鐡 乾帽 S 靑

打 贈纓底 ffi

我 兒紅厚 鴨

琴兄 包着着 S3

姐姐胡 錢披蒲 戴穿步

大二^ 了裏 個爹兒 一 登 5

小小你 腰 貝乾乾 走格扎

一 143 一

TRANSLATION You the first small young lady ― and I the se- cond small young lady ― you play on the fiddle 一 and I will strike the iron ― when we will have gai- ned money ― we will put it in the waist ― we will buy a rush basket and will go to see our adopted father ― Our adopted father has a red fringed hat ― and our adopted mother has shoes with a thick sole ― at every step ― the creaking is heard ― the but- terflies embroidered on the shoes are of duck's egg colour.

NOTES

The dragon is compared to the bridegroom and the phoenix bird .to the bride. In the marriage cor- tege there arc taken round a pair of banners on which the dragon is painted and another pair on

w ^了 天 板

G 幾嬰 朝 上

十要 龍鳳斧 々子

娘家 兒兒鉞 鞋兒掉

姑婆 對對瓜 紅蝶了

新要 一 一 金小^ 跳

― 144 一

which is painted the phoenix. 余 瓜 chin' kua'， gilt wood gourd stuck to the end of a pole and taken round. 娥 斧 yiie'' fu:''， a sort of wooden axe. 朝 天 錢 ch'ao- t'ien' teng'', a stirrup iron turned upside down and stuck on a pole. 小 紅 鞋 53 hsiao:'' hung' hsie-'r, red satin shoes worn by the bride, ffl 蝶兒夢 hu* t ier- r meng''， the Dream of the butterflies, name of a pattern of shoes on which butterflies are embroi- dered.

TRANSLATION

The bride is ten years and more ― the mother- in-law wants to take her home 一 a pair of dragon flags ― and a pair of phoenix flags ― and gilt gourds, gilt axes, and reversed stirrups. ― ( the bride wears ) small red shoes 一 and she jumps on the table and then on the bench.

NOTES

These words describe the toilet of a small oirl. 有邊 • 兒 iou' pien^'r, slang phrase which means to be

GV

邊 5i « 有遜兒

兒

子

衫 的

节 大兄

兒 的肩花

^布 坎典

有^ ffi 時

—— 14o 一

very nice, to be first rate. 衫 兒 shan'V, read here shan'V, a summer thin bodice. 時 典 shih、） hsingi, the fashion. 赛 糧船兒 sai' Hang- ch'uan-V, bigger, larger than a ship used to bring the grain tributes.

TRANSLATION

She is first rate, first rate, really first rate I 一 with a great bodice of azure cloth ― and a brown waistcoat ― and trowsers with a new pattern, as large as a rice junk. '

CVI

喪 氣 倒 愁 氣

NOTES

In Peking, generally acknowledged to be the dirtiest city in the world, it is not an uncommon sight to see people stopping- on the public streets to per- form the duties of nature. The chinese do not resent it but the boys have composed these few verses which they sing loudly, when the occasion arises

' 10

好子 打 的

兒兎 枪看屎

門 M 拿一

了了 要了傰

出 剛看足

一 140 一

of insulting any one caught in the act. 好 hao^ does not mean here good but "how much ，， ！ how great ！ ― We have already hinted at the double meaning of the word hare in China. Here the word is not used without a reason ； 倒愁氣 tao'' pie< ch，i''， means to draw in the breath as if preparing for an effort.

TRANSLATION As soon as I came out of my gate, what an unauspicious sight ！ ― I saw a hare which was drawing in its breath 一 I was just going to take the gun aiyl shoot ― when looking more closely —— it was a man who had been taken short ！

CVII

到 二廟兒

着個肥 4^ 鶴 兒

NOTES

P^tungi tung" tung', imitates the noise of a drum and 根 兒 imitates the cock's crowing. 草 ts，ao3 tim's a heap of straw, of oats.

咚兒坐東西坐§-^^

咚轔 坐廟廟 頭娘草

^坐 一二 二裏 股上

一 147 一

TRANSLATION The drums are striking ― ( she) is sitting in the chair 一 and has gone as far the second temple 一 the east of the temple ― and the west of the tem- ple ― inside there sits a fat cock ― which crows 一 and flies on a heap of straw.

CVIII

麼 咚

一窩 耗子精

要

NOTES

The interior of a miserable house is described. 黑 薩 hei< ku' lung- tung' ( pronounce with the accent on the last) the first syllabe only gives a clear sense-the other cannot be explained but the general sense is that of complete obscurity, chaos. 耗子精 hao' tzj ching', transformation of mice : fantastical mouse-like elves. 不 好 pu* hao:; here alas ！

TRANSLATION

Upon entering all was pitch dark ― because first the copper basin had been pawned and then the lamp too ― going inside ( I perceived ) I was in a nest of mouse-like elves ― and just when I was saying : alas ！ here the wall is coming down ！

.gl 當是牆

黑 後本好

兒 盆兒不

門 銅門聲

進當進 一

先 1 0

― 148 一

CIX

NOTES

At first it was very difficult for me to get any sense out of these four verses but at last I got from quite an uncultivated person this explanation which could solve all the difficulties. The words above refer to the theatre and to the actors. In China no female actors are allowed and so the second verse could represent a man who combs the hair as a woman, to act on the stage. It seems furthermore to say in the third verse that although the actors on the stage very often play the part of scholars approved at the examinations yet they ha- ve no real reason to be glad there at. The fourth verse then means to say that although loving and affectionates pairs are to be seen on the stage yet that is sham as they are of the same sex. 及 第 chi' ti', technical phrase to mean "to be ap- proved at the examinations". ^ k'ung', void, vainly. 恩 愛 en'-ai'', mutual love derived from gratitude and esteem, as that between husband and wife. 不 到 頭 pu' tao' t'au-, " does not come to a point" that is, has no aim, no regular fruit, as expected after marriage.

0 頭 s 0

跑 人歡到

一女 《発不

上 着第妻

山 梳及夫

高 人 元 ^

高 男狀恩

一 1 41) 一

TRANSLATION On a very high mountain there is a high tower (stage) ― a man is combing there as a woman ― the first candidate approved at the examinations rejoices in vain ~ and lovino husband and wife will never come to a point.

CX

元

Mi 兒 兒

m 兒 .

茶 兒

Mi §a

NOTES

小 元 52 hsiao3 yuan'V, " the small First ，， surna- me for a boy. 踢 球 t'i' ch'iu- to kick balls ', sort of game in which the ability consists in pushing with the feet a stone ball and trying to touch the adver- sary's. 打 嘆 52 ta:i ka、'，r， another game which con- sists in throwing very far a wooden ball by mean of a wooden racket called 棒 兒 pang^'r. 二間兒 eur* cha-'r, the second canal lock near the Tung- pien-men. On the banks there is a very elegant resort for young men. Fating- houses provide

小人 « 兒個 個去人

兄倆 打闢一 一 家倆

元 們球二 了了 到們

小偕 if 上吃 喝 m 偕

一 150 ―

meals, female singers, boats and all that is neces- sary to make a Chinese happy.

TRANSLATION

Small Yiiar ？、 small Yiiar- ― now, let us play ― let us kick the balls or play at rackets ― and go to the second Canal lock ― when we shall have taken a meal ― and when we shall have drunk tea ― we will go back home ― now, let us play ！

CXI

裳 落

衣 大

洗白， 兒 一

兒得婦 兒 有

門獎媳 花 燒個倒

爺堂後 白個財 酒牌麻 火錢兒 哥過子

亮堂開 得了存 喝鬬餅 S 大壁 三會靴

月亮開 洗娶不 愛愛燒 黑倆隔 姜也緑

一 lol 一

NOTES

月亮爺 y"' liang? ye-, " the father moon " name given to the moon by children. 亮堂堂 Hang'' fang' t'angl, very bright. Observe here the change of tone in the word 堂 to be read regularly fang'-. 存 財 ts'un- ts'ai-, to be economical, to put aside money. 麻 花 52 ma、' hua'，r, a sort of bun. 一 落 i' luo a pile. These words are supposed to be uttered by a wife who in the night, goes out in the court to wash her linen and working, thinks of her sorrows. 姜三哥 Chiang' san' ko', the word Chiang is a family name. San' ko', means that the man in question is the third in his family. 過 kuo'* is here tor 過日子 kuo; jih' tzu, to pass one's life, to live and spend one's days peacefully, that is to say economically and fru- gally. 緑 《|> 買子 1" ' mao' tzu, " a green hat ； the green colour is in China reserved for deceived husbands, and the phrase "to wear a green hat' means to have a partner in the marriage.

TRANSLATION

The father moon ― is so bright ！ ― I open the back door to wash my linen ― I wash it white and I starch it white ― but ( my husband ) after having

子子子

帽袍套

緑緑緑

一 lo5 一

married me ― is thrifty with his money 一 he likes to drink wine ― he likes to play cards ― ( and likes t^o) a great pile of cakes and buns ― and brown flower biscuits ― which cost two big cash each ― but here living by us ― there is a neighbour, Chiang the third ― who knows how to live well ― because he has got green boots 一 and a green hat 一 and a green garment ― and a green jacket.

CXII

穀

看黄

了頭 襠 脚兒兒 兒兒去

兒 活 賣丫飪 掷鍋裹 碟面地 邊葉裏

* 探養個 都秃刷 冼刷洗 檫洗掃 南穀家

兒 草年八 的了他 裏他裏 他裏他 到着上

* 上 一 七 好剩讓 赶讓鍋 讓碟讓 崩看再

― l:;:^ 一

NOTES

From the beginning of the song I could think that the matter is about a cock, but that is only in a jocose way because afterwards it conies to speak of a girl. 摊 I 嵩 k,u' tang', the bottom of the trowsers. 裹 脚 kuo' chiao'. foot-bands used by women with small feet.

TRANSLATION

The cock crowing ― has jumped on the heap of grass ― every year he bears seven or ei.ght times ― the good ones he has all sold — only a bald-hea- ded ( small ) girl is left ― if he lets her wash the vats ― she washes there the bottom of the trowsers ― if he lets her wash the ricepot ― she washes there her footbands ― if he lets her wash the sau- cers ― she washes her face in the saucers ― if he lets her sweep the ground ― she runs away tow- ards the South to look at the grain fields ― when she has seen that the gva'in is yellow ― she conies back home.

CXIII

棠^

海 T

男 化 J

頭走

夫 郧枕娘

丈 的的姑

兒兒 兒兒

花 花蓮人

莉 莉枝美

茉 荣串虞

NOTES

攻瑰露 mei'、' kuei'' lu's rose water ； in other cases it means also a sort of white wine. This song seems to be composed of scraps of other songs.

TRANSLATION

The jasmine -husband ― the jasmine-bride- groom ( is there ) ― on the wild lotus pillow is embroidered the flower of the Pyrus specta bill's ― the Rhoeas young-lady enters the room ― and weeps bitterly thinking of her own mother ― she rubs on her face good cosmetic powder scented with rose water ― and she rubs rouge scented like rose petals on her lips ― by means of a round cloth shaped like a plum-flower.

香

兒 糠

香瓣 吃

5^瑰 >^ ^

娘 露玫兒 ^

親瑰 脂堂猪 靠

^ 想玫 網堂小 兒

汪粉 花亮個 婦

汪官 梅步了 鼓鑼媳

淚檫點 I 買 靠靠娶

眼臉嘴 * 新鼓 鑼新

55 ―

衣賣 兒兒兒 兒

宮寺 撟廟櫻 估錢兒 灣刺寺 口糖房 奶皮

^ 弓天字 塔« 布跳王 蘆牌. 賣 兒烟家 根國斗 街大家 袋奶瓜

§ 大 朝大白 紅馬三 帝莉四 下 多袋毛 扎護大 新賣蔣 姻王西

粒是 寫是掛 是跳是 搖是東 西底衣 柚是兒 是賣是 是 安是陏

門就宮 就寺就 ig 就廟就 * 樓樓 估火就 灣就寺 就口就 房就奶

則 去天去 塔去布 去王去 牌牌牌 間個去 家去國 去街去 家去奶

平過朝 過白過 iHl 過 * 過四四 四 問打過 毛過護 過新過 蔣過王

NOTES

This song contains a description of the streets in Peking. 平 則 門 p'ing- tso' men', the central gate in the west-wall of the Manchu city. 拉大 弓 la' ta''' kung', to practice archery using a large bow ； lit. to draw the long bow. 朝 天 宮 chao' t'ien' kung', name of a temple. 白塔寺 pai' t'a: ssu''， the temple of the white pagoda. 掛 紅 飽 kua'' hung- p'ao', to put a red coat on the image of Buddha, as people do who have received a favour. 馬 Th' 橋 The horse mart bridge. A bridge on the canal. 搖 莉 藍 iao' hu' lu-, to shake a gourd, as babies are allowed to do, in order to keep them quiet. 四 牌 樓 ssu'' p'ai- lou-, a square formed by the junction of four streets at right angles. At each side there is a wooden monumental arch. Two of these squares exist in Peking, one in the east of the Tartar city called 東四 牌樓 tiing' ssu'' p'ai^ lou? and another in the west of the city called 西 四 牌 櫻 hsi' ssu'' p'ai- lou?， which is alluded to here. 估 衣 ku- i'， old

多

局兒 根兒？ S

藥針 城頭八

火 鋼老雨 王子鍋

是賣是 5： 儿 是 ^ =t

就 局就根 就曬蹯

去 藥去城 去天天

過 火過老 過晴陰

clothes, the word ku' is here pronounced ku*. 打火 ta3 huo\ to strike the tire-stone to get fire. 丄 Matches are not yet in general use. 毛家灣 mao' chia- uan''r Mao family's corner-name of place. 扎 根 束 ij cha' ken' tz'u% to be pricked by a thorn, a needle. This phrase is merely introduced for the sake of rhyming with the next verse. 護國寺 hu'' kuo- ssu'*, temple for the protection of the State. 斗 tou", a willow peck, a Chinese measure. 新街口 hsin- cbie> kW, Mouth of the new street, name of a street. 大 糖 ta' t'ang?, sticks of sugar sold to children. 蔣 家 房 Chiang:' chia' fang-, " the house of the Chiang family '' name of street. 安姻袋 an' yen' tai's to fit the mouth piece of pipe. In the afore-said street there is a pipe-shop. 王 奶奶" the old lady Wang '• there is a temple dedicated to her. She was a very good and religious woman who lived during the present dynasty and who after her death was thought to have become a saint spirit, so that temples were erected to her. k'en^, to gnaw ； this is naturally purely imaginary as the good lady had lost all her teeth a very long time before. 火藥局 huo"- yao' chii'》， the powder factory. 兩 頭兒多 liang' t'oa-' r tuo, each part has the same lenght. 多 is here for 長 ch'ang'. 王八竊 uang- pa' 110，， a nest of turtles; this imaginary lair is thought to give a saucy and witty end to the song. 媳湯鍋 ts'uan' fang' kuo', they jump in the broth kettle. These words arc purely absurd.

一 m 一

TRANSLATION Near the Ping-tso-men they draw long- bows ― next there is the temple Ch'ao-t ien- kung ― " Ch'ao-t'ien-kung " is written on the temple in big characters ― next there is the temple of the white Pagoda. ― In the white pagoda people come to give Buddha a red jac- ket― next there is the Horse mart bridge. ― Near the Horse mart bridge, take three jumps ― and there is the temple of T'i-wang. ― near this temple, shake the gourd ― next there are the four archs. ― At the east of the four archs ― and at the west of the four archs ― and under the four archs old clothes are sold ― you ask how much for these old clothes ？ ― you strike a light smoke a pipe ― you go on and get to the " Corner of the Mao family ，，. 一 Near the corner of the Mao family one is pricked by a thorn ― after that comes a " temple for the protection of the State " ― near the " temple for the protection of the State ，, they sell large willow-pecks ― after that there comes " the mouth of the new street ― near the " mouth of the new street, they sell sugar sticks ― after that is " the house of the Chiang family ― in " the house of the Chiang family '， they fit together smoking pipes ― after that there is the temple of old lady Wang. — Old lady Wang gnaws the peel of a melon ― next comes the powder factory ― near the powder factory they sell steel needles ― after that there

― 159 ―

IS the wall ― the wall is of the same lenght on both sides 一 after that comes a nest of turtles ― in fine weather they warm that shells in the sunshine ― and in bad weather they spring in the hoth-pot.

GXV

NOTES

The first two verses are the common t'ou--tzu which has nothing to do with what follows. 海 菊 haP ch'ie-, the egg plant fruit. The Chinese pretend to see in the moon a hare, to which they give offerings on the fifteenth of the 8"' moon.

爺 紅靑 ,

兒 個兒笑 S

兎 供裏皮 i" 外

是 洪紅 瓜哈分

的 亂 兒 西的兒

供 兒 兒花 的吃光

紫茄裏 白紅馬 中枝子 兒爺的

> ^海月 來來光 當豆冠 月亮夜

紫大八 自自月 供毛鷄 圓月今

― ―

This hare is called 鬼兒爺 t'u-' r ye'. 自來白 tzu* lai- pai-, " naturally white '• a sort of white cake. 自 來 紅 tzu' lai- hung", " naturally red', — a cake with sugar on it. 5{lma:;,r, a picture on which is drawn the moon. Inside the moon the hare is sun piling drugs in a mortar. This picture is burned after the offering. 當 中 tang' chung' , in the middle. 毛 豆枝兒 soy beans are offered to the rabbit, as this animal is very fond of this food. 亂 拱 '洪 luan" hung' hung', disorderly irreg-ularly, said of the beans on the branches. 鶴冠子 chi' kuan' tzu, the cocks comb flower. 紅 裹個紅 hung- Vv ko'' hung-, " red in the red '' very red. 圓 月 兒 yiian-' yuC' r, like the round moon . The water melon which is called on this occasion 團 (11 西瓜 t uan- yuan' hsi' kua^ ( the meeting melon ■) is cut in as many slices as there arc persons in the family.

TRANSLATION

Purple or nut purple ― the biq; fruit of the egg-plant ? ― In the eighth moon Lord Rabbit is worsh pped ― white cakes ― brown cakes ― the picture of the moon ― is worshipped and plaVed in the middle ― the soy beans are in disorder" ― the cockscomb flowers are of the deepest-red ― the peel of the melon offered to the moon is dark ― the Lord moon eats and laughs heartily ― to-night the moonlight is brighter than usual.

― 161 ―

廟

個和尙

NOTES

跑馬 or 跑 獅 的 p'ao' ma' hsie'' ti, circus riders. 上刀山 shang'' tao' shan', lit. " to climb on the sword mountain ，， is the name for an exercise seen very often in our circuses ； that of jumping from one side of a row of standing swords to the other. 天 錯 ch'ao"? t'ien', teng'-, " the staff looking towards the sky " other feat of deyterity which consists in raising one's leg up perpendicularly turning the foot-sole to the sky.

朝天 teng' ch*ao- t'ien', the same phrase as before in a different form. .

TRANSLATION We say " set sail ，， and the ship starts ― the - 11

王 一 杆 戲山兒 錢天

^ 船南 大兒旗 子刀線 籃天朝

g 開江 個邊個 封上根 根朝錄

C 就 一 一一一 馬有 兩的的

船船 有廟兒 有跑上 紅搬搬

開了 南王邊 年年山 根的的

說 開江大 一 今過刀 兩男女

一 162 一

ship is in motion and we go downwards to Kiang- nan ― in Kiang-nan there is a big temple to the great king of heaven ― at each side of the Tai- wang-miao there is a priest ― and at each side a flagstaff ― this year there are a couple of theatrical performances ― and next year there will be circusriders and " jumping on the swords ,， 一 on the row of swords there are four threads ― two of them are red and two are blue ― the men perform the feat of " the stirrup looking to the sky ― and the women perform the feat of the " stirrup which looks to the sky.

哭

哥哭 ，了

哥 也哭齊 風 鐘找道

n 三 娘別坐 陣 門黎知

^ 車車 你娘樹 一 打疾誰

C 的上 娘三兒 娘 娘花娘

穀 兒娘我 猎鐺三 三開親

粒孩 @着 麻鈴我 我黎想

賴女 叫等芝 掛想想 «誰

NOTES

拉拉穀 la' la' ku\ sort of a locust. The begin-

一 163 一

ning of the song is hard to translate. In the second verse there begins to be light. 三 娘 san> niang -'， perhaps it is meant her uncles wife, the uncle being the third in his family. 坐齊了 tsuo' ch'i- la, to sit together, in full number. 芝麻 措兒 樹 chih' ma' chie'' r shu', the sesamus plant. This verse and the following form a sort of 頭子 in the very middle of the song, and it is hard to guess why a bell is spoken of as being attached to that plant. 一 陣風 i' cben" feng' , my thought goes as quick as a gust of wind. 打 門 鐘 ta、' men- chung", it seems to me as if I were striking the door-bell. 蒋黎花 5i chi- li- bua'Y, caltrop flowers.

TRANSLATION

The locust cart and the third brother (？) ― when I, the girl sit down in the cart, my mother also weeps ― I say once : mother, mother do not weep ― wait till the third aunt sits also and then 、veep ― on the sesamum-tree there hangs a bell ― thinking of my aunt my thought travels as quick as a guest of wind ― thinking of my aunt methinks I am striking the door-bell at home. ― where the caltrops open their flowers there you may look for them 一 only those can understand me who long so for their mother.

一 164 ―

CXVIII

兒

NOTES

The toilet of a young lady is here described. 鎖 suo3， to hem clothes, to work a sort of embroidery at the edges of a dress. 狗 牙 兒 kou^ya-'r, pattern of embroidery in form of small triangles resembling dog's teeth. 騎, 馬德兒 chi? ma^ suei^' r， a row of cut hair left standing just before the plaited hair. 摔 鍋圈兒 ning' kuo' ch'uan''r, small braids plaited on children' s heads. 辩 德 兒 pien- suei'V, the silk tassel at the end of a pigtail. 辩花兒 pien'« hua'' r， the knots of a braid. 聰香玉 腹"' hsiang> yii''， the tuberose. 藹 康尖兒 a shoot of Ocyminn

牙 兒兒兒

狗 玉 尖臉線

兒子着 香 康道道

三兒婶 鎖 腕藹 一 一

小 拌的兒 兒兒兒 兒兒着 着子鞋

兒 打縐溻 蹋穗圑 穗花掖 掖機兒

三麼 洋汗汙 揚鍋 辩游邊 邊白臉

小 甚靑白 白騎摔 靑緊左 右魚雙

一 165 一

basil i cum ( sweet basil ). 魚白 yu<! pai', as white as a fish skin ； white with a greenish shade of colour. ^ 臉 兒 i' tao'' lien"' r， " with one surfa- ce this means that no seam is to be seen on the socks. ~- - 道 線 兒 i' tao' hsien" r， the two leather strings which come on the shoe are as thin as a thread.

TRANSLATION Small San'r, small SanV ― what dress are you wearing ？ ― I have got dark crape trowsers 一 and a white shirt 一 on the white shirt are embroidered '-^ dog's teeth " ― on the head I have a row of standing hair ― and some small braids ― a dark tassel for my pigtail ― and the pigtail is plaited very tight ― on the left of my hair I have stuck a tuberose ― and on the right a head of sweet basil ― I have too white socks with no seam ― and my shoes have leather strings as thin as a thread.

頭 子

兒 落

糕了頭 把子沒

K 切掉磚 兩票娘

g 扔都扔 的扔姑

兒兒兒 兒道

牆豆牆 妞牆知

着兒着 了着麽

隔 隔 § 隔怎

― 166 ―

NOTES

I do not think that this song can be properly understood by children, but the fact is that numbers of them sing these verses the meaning of which is rather equivocal. It alludes to a man who tries to win a young girl in different comical ways. 切 糕 ch'iei kao'， slices of pudding made with flower, dates and leng beans. 兩 把兒頭 liang:'' pa'' r t，ou'， "a head with two handles ，， Chinese name for the manchu women's head-gear. This leads one to suppose that this rhyme originated from bannermen. 沒落子 mei.、) lao'i tzu， means literally has not a halting-place, a refuge-and then, to be in a miserable condition, to be poor, not to know where to go.

TRANSLATION

From outside the wall he throws slices of pudding ― the dates and the long beans all fell to the ground. ― From outside the wall he throws lumps of bricks ― and has broken the girl's manchu head-gear ― from outside the wall he throws bank-notes ― how does he know that the girl has no means ？

cxx

廟裏 的和尙 拉大鎖

挨家兒 搖鈴鐺

一 167 ―

NOTES

This song is one of the less devotional towards the buddhist priests and is widely sung in Peking by children and grown people. 大 鎖 ta'* suo:''， a large chain which the priests fasten to their neck and drag around when travelling about to collect alms. Sometimes, in order to excite pity and devotion, this chain is made so heavy that the help of a second man is required to drag it along. 挨家兒 ai' chia'' r, from one house to the other in succession. 化月米 hua'' yiic mi:', to collect the monthly rice. Many families are in the habit of giving every month a quantity of rice to certain

廟

賣 樓

杆要兒 覺 钉

米 旗不攤 着娘 頃經不 ^髮行

月 了全小 生>^：^ 大念香 茶頭修

化聲 典袍擺 花睡大 拿麽燒 打留不

尙十 尙道尙 落尙兒 尙怎尙 的尙的

和嘆 和兒和 的和壁 和子和 兒和兒

的兒的 魚的抓 的隔的 脾的. 瞎的字

裏家 裏勒裏 把裏着 赛了裏 兒裹個

廟 挨廟摩 廟大廟 想廟踡 廟叮廟 一

一 168 一

temples. The first and fifteenth of the month a priest goes around with a coolie who bears a barril to collect the offerings. 摩勒 魚兒 muo? lo' yii-' r， a wooden drum in the shape of a fish'head ； this instrument is beaten during the ceremonies, and is also taken round by almsbegging priests who carry it on their back tied by a cord. 道 tao^ p'ao-, the priests ceremonial dress. 落花生 luo; hua' shengi, ground nuts. 拿 大 ]^ na- ta'- ting^, to stand on one's head, as jugglers do. 韓 ch'ing'*, a copper instrument struck during a religious service. 一 個字兒 i' koi tzu'' r, "in one word ，， altogether, with no exception. 修 行 hsiu' hsing^ to perfect and reform one's character, as Chinese priests are supposed to do in their temples.

TRANSLATION

The priest of the temple drags a heavy chain ― and goes from one house to the other ringing a bell 一 the priest of the temple goes out for the monthly rice ― and from house to house he sighs ten times, ― the priest in the temple has mortgaged the flag-staffs and has sold the temple ― and he does not want either the fish-drum or the ceremonial 4re«s ― the priest in the temple has prepared a small fruit stall 一 ( and says ) " ground nuts, a big handful of them ！ ― The priest in the temple cannot sleep ― because he is thinking of the neighbour's elder daughter ― the priest in the temple stands on his head ― but

一 169 一

having sprained his neck how could he read the sacred books ？ 一 The priest in the temple does not strike the copperdrum ― but ding dong ！ he strikes instead the tea-cup ― the priest in the temple lets his hair grow ― and does not care a bit about the improvement of his moral conduct.

CXXI

兒

着一項 困秋蝸

着一 枝鳳頭 4^

NOTES

This song is sung by children who play at making mud-pies. 藤 泥 chiao' ni-, the clay mixed up with water becomes sticky like glue. 泥辩兒 ni' pan''' r， a block of clay. 使勁摔 shih* ching^' r shuai', cast it with force on the ground. Before the clay is fit to be put into the moulds, it must be rendered softer and that result is obtained by beating the clay repeatedly on the ground. 刻， read here k'oi and not k，o'、 to mould. The moulds sold to the boys in the streets are of different forms and some of them have the form of a man or

兒摔爺 兒戴戴

瓣 兒爺奶 兒兒

泥勁了 奶爺奶

滕使刻 刻爺奶

—— 170 ——

of a woman. 困 秋 k'un'* c,iu' mao''， an old round hat. 鳳頭叙 fengi tW ch'ai', a hair-pin for women ； it means literally a phoenix-head pin.

TRANSLATION

The sticky clay blocks ― first we throw them on the ground, and then we mould out a gentleman ― we mould out a lady ― the gentleman wears on old round hat ― and the lady a phoenix-head hairpin.

CXXII

到

脚

花 炮

NOTES

These words are pronounced while sacrificing to the god of the stoves near the end of the year. 裹 脚 kuo"' chiao", ankle bands for ladies trowsers. At the New-year and the days which precede it, every body tries to dress well and to look his best. 小 満 氣 兒 hsiao ) t'ao' ch，i''，r， general nickname given to children meaning the small impertinent. 花 炮 hua' p'ao', crackers.

來毯 裹要

年耍 要來

新 * 來過

竈過過

祭 子子氣

竈頭婆 g

祭 老老小

一 171 ―

TRANSLATION Sacrifice to the god of the stoves, Sacrifice to the god of the stoves, the new-year has arrived ― the old man comes over and wants a felt-hat ― the old lady comes over and wants anklebands ― the impertinent youngster comes over and wants crackers.

^ .力 f

個 克 着 ij^ 疼 M

一 東 昝去怪 知

獨 山 子兒兒 3 '誰

活 到 叔台手 的難

滴^ 養冼臥 聘.^ 婆 小井小 鳥扎受

滴 草媽盆 盆聘個 個個他 的上兒 #1

滴上 他金龈 一 十十十 勒樹^ 受

NOTES

滴 滴 滴 ti' ti' ti'， imitates the noise made by

一 1 72 一

a chicken. 克 k'o', an unusual pronunciation of the word 去 ch'ii', to go. It is specially used by bannermen and old fashioned people. 小 叔 子 hsiao:'' shu? tz3， husband's younger brothers. 井"^ 兒 ching:'' t，ai、'， r， the well step. 勒手 lei' shou^ " to have one's hands strangled ,， that is to say to hurt one's hands by pulling with a rope. 卩支 兒 扎 chih'V chai, is supposed to imitate the birds chattering. 難 nan's in the fourth tone, means adversity, trouble.

TRANSLATION

The chicken screaming ― flies on the grass- stack. ― Her mother had reused only her ― she washed in a gold basin ― she slept in a silver basin ― and then they married her in the Shan-tung ― ( it looks as if she had ) ten fathers-in- law ― and ten mothers-in-law 一 and ten bro- thers-in-law to watch her ― now they let her go to the well to draw water ― and her small hands are swollen with the great pain ― the birds on the trees ― chatter merrily ― who knows that I am suffering bitterness and pain ?.

CXXIV

嫁

0

姑

爺堂的

亮堂坊

月亮街

― 173 ―

NOTES

餘兒粉 tingi' r fen\ an inferior quality of cosmetic powder in square pieces. 棒兒香 pang ；， r hsiang', an incense stick. 棉 花 晒 脂 mien- hua' yen' chih', small cotton strip of cloth imbued with cos- metic rouge, to paint women's lips.

TRANSLATION The father-moon ― is bright and shining 一 the neighbour's girl wants her bridal presents ― squares of cosmetic powder ― incense sticks ― and two hundred rouge cotton-strips.

GXXV

0

粉香雇

兒兒花

S 棒棉

維

上 誰

兒 娘艫妹

船 親後妹

小 想上哥

在 兒哥

樹 我飯湯 碗碗聲

鎮賣米 兒飯飯 一

枝鈴 娘子魚 起下了

松褂 親接小 端擱哭

一 174 ―

親 娘 我 想

想 一 m 風 親娘在 夢 中

NOTES

The first two verses form the common introduction. The word 松 枝 兒樹 sung' chih" r shu', means literally a fir-branched tree, that is the same as 松 樹 sung' shu'-, a fir-tree. 梭子米 suo'- tzu mi:!， a coarse quality of rice ； the character is not to be found in any dictionary, but is currently written as above. The words are supposed to be uttered by a small boy who has been sold by his mother to be a small servant on a boat. ~ ■ 陣 風 i' cben'' feng', here, as quick as a gale of wind.

TRANSLATION

On the fir-tree ― there is a small bell ― my own mother has sold me on board a boat ― ( I eat here ) course rice ― and fish broth ― taking the rice-bowl to my mouth I think of my mother ― when I lay down the rice-bowl then I go to the stern rooms ― and I shed some tears saying : brothers, sisters, which of us thinks of each other? ― the care of my mother for me has been as fleeting as a squall of wind ― but I think of my mother in my dreams.

― 1 /o ―

CXXVI

NOTES

黄 豆 huang' tou^ a small sort of yellow haricot ( Phaseolns flavus ). 圓上圓 yiian' shang'' yiian'. " round on round " that means*very much round - The song is taken from the country and that may be observed in some phrases different from the pure Pekinese. For instance the last verse says : 燒 茶袁飯 shao' ch,a' chu:: fan's instead of ^ fiS.

ch'i' ch，a? chu^ fan'', to prepare tea and food.

TRANSLATION

The yellow haricot ― is completely round ― bearing a daughter, she is worth no money ― just as much as two bits of bean-curd and two ounces of wine. ― when we send her to her mother-in- law's house ― the mother-in-law says : her feet are large and her face is ugly ― the father-in-law

酸 viae

iK 着

錢酒 口臉 他

値兩門 大罷用

不 二 大 也着也

S 頭 腐婆脚 飯

粒圓 丫豆^ 說說赏

豆上 活瑰在 gf-4I 茶

g 圓養三 送婆. ^燒

― 176 一

says ： let her stay, let her stay I ― she can be use- ful for boiling tea and cooking food.

CXXVII

NOTES

相 樹 pai:' shu', the cypress. The branches of fir and cypress ar§ burned in some offerings to the spirits, but here the second verse has no rational meaning.

TRANSLATION

The branches of fir and cypress ― are crushed by a stone roller ( ？ ) ― I and my elder sister both marry ― my elder sister will marry in the mountains of the South ― and I will marry in the Northern bogs.

CXXVIII

一 個毽兒

嫁裏裏

出山窪

同南 ±？

兒 姐在在

枝軋 姐嫁嫁

栢子 跟姐妹

松^ 我姐妹

― 177 ―

NOTES

The shuttle-cok is kicked by boys but the girls push the ball with their hands and this is called 柏 p'aii. Sometimes while playing they sing some rhymes, one of which I present to the reader. 柏 兩辦兒 p'ai' liang"' pan"' r, is struck so hard as to be broken in two pieces. 打 花 鼓 §2 ta:* hua' ku^, sort of musical amusement consisting of a song- accompanied by drum beating performed generally by girls. This drum beating is accompanied by various evolutions of the arms, non unlike the movement of pushing the shuttle-cok. ― 繞花 線 兒 jao'i huai bsien', r， another game. The player places the shuttle-cok on his foot, kicks it in the air, awaits its falling down, and just before it touches the ground, he turnes the foot down round it and kicks it up again. 裏拐夕 |^ 拐 liu' kai; uai' kuaP， pushing inside and pushing outside the shuttle-cok.

TRANSLATION

A shuttle-cok ― is kicked up and broken in

1-2

百

兒兒兒 柺海個

辧鼓線 外過九

兩花花 柺仙十

柏打繞 裏八九

一 178 一

two pieces 一 beat the drum ― pick up the shuttle-cock. ― push inside, push outside ― the eight genii cross the sea ― ninety nine and a hundred.

NOTES

掷 掷 pang! pang', imitates the knock at the door. 汪 '/王 uang' uang's the barking of a dog. 毛 驢 兒 mao? lii-, r， a common name for an ass, instead of the simple 驢 兒 lii" r. A slang word for it is 毛團 兒 mao- t'uan- 'r ； here the rice-seller is supposed to advertise his wares in the last four verses. 量 餘兒的 Hang? k'ang' ，r ti^, rice and husks together, rice which has not b^en winnowed. 雜 淨兒的 Puo3 chingi' r ti, clean rice with no husks.

K 梆汪

^ 梆 汪誰兒

c 得得 5^ 驩 的的

敲咬 一 毛米的 的兒兒

兒 兒說着 着粗細 糖淨

門 狗我騎 扛要 要量簸

一 179 一

TRANSLATION

People knock at the door ― and the dog barks ― I ask once, who is there ？ ― (the rice seller ) rides an ass — and bears the rice on his back. ― (he says ) do you want coarse rice ？ ― do you want fine rice ？ ― here is rice and husk, ― and here is winnowed rice.

cxxx

小 蟠千兒 p 屬

NOTES

跳讚讚 52 t'iao* tsuan< tsuan'' r， hopping and jumping. 爐 千 1J2 la* c'ien" r， a Chinese candlestick. When boys have not yet hair enough to comb a pigtail, sometimes their hair is bound up in a small plait which stands perpendicularly on the top of the head. 八宗藝 pa' tsung- eight kinds of abilities. 椅 鐘 chuang' chung'% lit. "to strike the bell ,. A game practised by boys who each throw a piece of cash against a wall. The greater or lesser distance to which the cash rebounds from

0 藝 汀

着宗帶

兒兒 上了球

氣鑕兒 *sl

陶鑕 瓜入鐘

小跳 腦一撩

一 180 一

the wall makes one the winner or loser. 外 帶 uai^ tai's and furthermore.

TRANSLATION

The impertinent youngster ― goes hopping and jumping ― he has a " candle ,, toupet on his head ― he himself has mastered eight sorts of abilities — he can play at "bell-striking" at foot- ball and also at wood ball.

CXXXI

m m

麫錢 不拿來 拿 來 來

燎

了個 大窻薩

NOTES

逛 燈 kuangi teng', a