Page 41 - Chinese Porcelain Vol I, Galland

POETRY.
13
forms the groundwork of Voltaire's tragedy, UOrphelin de la
Chine, while the Heir in Old Age is taken from the same col-
lection. No distinction is made between and
regular tragedy
comedy, but the line is pretty well marked " by the historical
or mythological character of the personages, the grandeur and
'
of the the more
gravity subject ; or, on the other hand, by
amusing characters and incidents of everyday life as set forth
in the various plays. It may be of interest here to note that
the Chinese do not use scenery, but the costumes are splendid
and appropriate to the characters represented. Women are
not employed on the stage, their parts being filled by boys.
Sir John Davis says gay silks are lavished on the " dresses
of the actors, and, as most of the serious are historical,
plays
and for obvious reasons do not touch on events that have
occurred since the Tartar conquest, the costumes represent the
ancient dress which, in the case of females, is nearly the same
now as ever, but as regards men very different."

POETRY.

The art of has been in China since the tenth
printing practised
century of our era, and as letters have all along ranked above
arms, much time and attention has been given to the making
of Some of the in the " Book of Odes " are said
poetry. pieces
to be three thousand old. This ancient book, the Chinese
years
"
say, may be likened to the roots. When Soolo flourished, the
buds there was abundance
appeared ; in the time of liien-gdn
of but the
foliage ; during Tang dynasty (622-897 a.d.)
many reposed under the shade of the tree, and it yielded rich
supplies of flowers and fruit." This is a truly Chinese way of
the
respecting past, as there can be little doubt in later times,
Sir John Davis that " the structure of their verse has
says,
undergone considerable improvements, and there have been
particular periods of their history when the art of poetry has
been cultivated."
especially
It is not, however, the structure so much as the character
"
of Chinese verse that we have to do with, and this seems to