In her every mood and action,
In truth she was beyond compare,
Peerless! exquisite ! perfection !
Poets wrote her praise in song.

She was loved by Tang-ming-kuang.1

1 Tang-ming-kuang, a celebrated Emperor of the Tang dynasty, about A.D. 730: Yang-kuei-fei was his favourite concubine.

AN IMPERIAL LOVER.

(CHINESE ANACREONTIC.)

TANG-MING-KUANG loved Yang-kuei-fei,—

Living for her, in her, with her,—
Walking by her, hither, thither—

In the pleasant summer weather,
Strolling hand-in-hand together.
Side-by-side with Yang-kuei-fei,
Listening to the play of fountains—
Climbing up the mimic mountains--
Through romantic scenery,

Of hill and lake, rock, dell and tree.

"If I had not Yang-kuei-fei,

What were all my Empire worth?
With her, earth is heaven to me,—

This is paradise on earth."

notes.

Mid-day in the lakelet found them,

Lotus leaves and blossoms round them;

Disporting gaily in the water,

(Daily to this place he brought her).

Now an avenue they tread,

Where the trees arch over-head,—

Saving just enough of space

To catch a glimpse of heaven's face,
Showing its intensest blue,

Peering down upon the two.

"If I had not Yang-kuei-fei,
What were all this lovely scene?

With her, walking thus by me

This is heaven, and she its queen."

On the sward beneath their feet,

Flowers of every hue were springing;

Bright-plumed birds with voices sweet.

Their passage here and there were winging.
Sheltered here from mid-day heat,

She taught to them the art of singing.1

The Chinese actually say that the birds imitated her voice in their

Now is heard from every tree

Leafy voices, softly uttering

Whispers, which sound mysteriously—
Like wings of angels gently fluttering.

"If I had not Yang-kuei-fei,

What were all my Empire worth?
With her, sitting thus by me,

This is paradise on earth."

Streaks of light through foliage glancing

Mixing, blending, interlacing—

Now retreating-now advancing—

Sunbeams after shadows racing,

Flinging on the sward a net-work
Of embroidered golden fret-work—
Quaintly-beautifully grotesque,

As of flickering arabesque

Sculpt'd from sunbeams, light and shade, Its ground the green enamelled glade.

"If I had not Yang-kuei-fei,

What were all this lovely scene ?

With her, sitting thus by me,

This is heaven, and she its queen."

SILKEN MESHES.

(CHINESE ANACREONTIC.)

ONE by one the rich tresses fell down at her feet,

Still her hands with the scissors remorselessly played

Mid her wealth of black hair, till the work was complete,

Then she paused-and looked down on the wreck she had

made.

Her sparkling eyes flashed with ineffable scorn,

As she stamped her small feet on her own raven hair ;

The glory, alas! from her head had been shorn,

But her glass told her truly her face was still fair.

Then her mood became changed and she silently knelt
On those locks which just now had adorned her fair head;
Her pale face betrayed all the anguish she felt,

As, with fast falling tears, she whispering said: