COMPANION TO CANTO LV

CITATION FORMATS

Annotations in the List of Works Cited –

Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of the Article or Individual Page.” Title of the Website, Name of the Publisher [if different from website name], Date of Publication in Day Month Year format, URL. [MLA 8 format].

Example – Preda, Roxana. “Companion to Canto IV.” The Cantos Project, 5 August 2016. thecantosproject.ed.ac.uk/index.php/a-draft-of-xvi-cantos-overview/canto-iv/companion-to-canto-iv

In–text references

Abbreviation:

OCCEP – The Online Companion to The Cantos of Ezra Pound

(Contributor name, OCCEP IV – n.no).

Example – (Bressan, OCCEP IV – n.3). If no name is indicated, the gloss was written by Roxana Preda. In this case, the citation will have this format – (OCCEP IV – n.13). 

References to The Cantos

As The Cantos Project is numbering the lines of The Cantos, references to cantos already glossed will be by canto number and line number(s), as standard with classical works. Example – ÜI – ll.7–17.

For cantos that are not yet glossed within the project, the references will be by canto number slash page number, as standard in the research on the poem. Example – ÜI/12. The page number refers to the American edition of The Cantos by Ezra Pound. New York – New Directions, 1998.

©Roxana Preda. Canto LV, 16 February 2021

Updated August 2023

Updated December 2025

Note on Romanization of Chinese names

In his cantos dedicated to Chinese history, Pound is using the French romanization of his source, Jacques de Mailla’s Histoire générale de la Chine. To read the names with any degree of accuracy, the reader needs to follow the rules of French pronunciation. Occasionally in the Chinese History Cantos, Pound also uses the Wade Giles system, which brings a certain degree of confusion to the text.

In the research tradition of these cantos, scholars have used the Wade-Giles system, which was generally followed before the standardization of the pinyin notation in 1986. 

The Cantos Project is therefore including the names in sinograph and pinyin in the annotation of these cantos for the first time. Names of emperors are given in Pound’s French source and are further notated in brackets in Chinese characters followed by the equivalent in Wade Giles and pinyin as notated in Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and New World Encyclopaedia. When the annotator uses a Chinese name in the notes, it will be in pinyin.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

1. Orbem bellis, urbem gabellis implevit – L. “[Pope Urban VIII] filled the world with wars and the city with taxes.”
   Canto 54 ended with the death of Emperor Dezong of Tang in 805. His reign had burdened the people with heavy taxes: at the same time, he had not been able to pay his soldiers regularly, which caused disturbances and revolts during his late reign. Pound compared the situation with the costly military campaigns of Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644). See also OCCEP XLIII: nn. 13, 59.

   TANG DYNASTY EMPERORS. The names mentioned in the canto are linked to further information.

   Order	Names: Temple name Birth name	Notes	Reign Time (years)
   12	Tang Shunzong 唐顺宗 (Li Song李诵)	The eldest son of Dezong; though his reign was very short, he tried to improve the administration of the Tang court by making some reforms.	805
   13	Tang Xianzong  唐宪宗 (Li Chun. 李淳, later changed to 李纯)	The eldest son of Shunzong; in his reign, the eunuchs' power became rampant. Xianzong was murdered by a eunuch.	805 - 820
   14	Tang Muzong  唐穆宗 (Li Heng 李恒)	Son of Xianzong; an unwise emperor who neglected duty and allowed the increasing power of the Jiedushi (regional military governors)	820 - 824
   15	Tang Jingzong  唐敬宗 (Li Zhan 李湛)	The eldest son of Muzong; a teenager emperor who ruled with the real power held by eunuchs and corrupt officials	824 - 826
   16	Tang Wenzong  唐文宗 (Li Ang 李昂)	The second son of Muzong; younger brother of Jingzong; His reign was still controlled by the eunuchs.	826 - 840
   17	Tang Wuzong  唐武宗 (Li Yan 李炎)	During his reign, the central power was under the control of military eunuchs for some time. As an emperor, he was known for the religious persecution of Buddhism.	840 - 846
   18	Tang Xuanzong 唐宣宗 (Li Chen 李忱)	One of the most revolutionary emperors in the Tang Dynasty; He encouraged the development of culture and technology.	846 - 859
   19	Tang Yizong  唐懿宗 (Li Cui 李漼)	The eldest son of Xuanzong; He was a lazy and unskillful emperor. Starting from his reign, the Tang Dynasty was in decline.	859 - 873
   20	Tang Xizong 唐僖宗 (Li Xuan 李儇)	The fifth son of Yizong; In his reign, the Huang Chao Rebellion broke out which weakened the Tang regime.	873 - 888
   21	Tang Zhaozong 唐昭宗 (Li Ye 李晔)	The seventh son of Yizong and younger brother of Xizong; With chaos and rebellions, his reign nominally remained the Tang Dynasty.	888 - 904
   22	Tang Aidi 唐哀帝 (Li Zhu 李柷)	Ninth son of Zhaozong; the last emperor in the Tang Dynasty; He was poisoned by Zhu Wen (a chancellor in late Tang) who founded the Later Liang (907 - 923).	904 - 907

2. TCHUN TSONG – Emperor Shunzong of Tang (Zh. 順宗; W/G Shun Tsung; pinyin: Shunzong, r. 805-805). He was very ill and reigned only for a few months in 805. Against the machinations of his eunuchs, he had just enough strength to put through his ablest successor, his eldest son, Li Chun.

3. Li Chun – (Zh. 李淳, 李纯, 778-820), birth name of the future Emperor Xianzong of Tang (Zh. 唐憲宗, r. 805-820), the eldest son of Emperor Shunzong of Tang. His accession in 805 was fraught with intrigue and manoeuvering at court, as his father had suffered a stroke and was unable to speak. Nolde 190. Histoire VI: 368.

4. Ouei-Kao – Wei Gao (Zh. 韦皋), a general and provincial governor in Sichuan for Emperors Dezong of Tang and his son Shunzong. He died in 805 but is remembered for the care for his soldiers and the generous provision for their families. Nolde 190. Histoire VI: 371.

5. Lin Yun – Lin Yun (Zh. 林蕴). In 806, lieutenant Lin Yun resisted the military governor Liu Pi of Sichuan, who wanted to recruit him for a rebellion. Liu Pi was so furious that he ordered his men to seize Lin Yun and put a knife to his throat, but not kill him. De Mailla quoted Lin Yun’s defiance:
   [“‘Despicable rebel, if you want to kill me, why don’t you do it? Is my neck a whetstone to sharpen your sabres?’ Liu Pi, admiring his firmness, ordered his men to withdraw and set him free.”]. Nolde 191. Histoire VI: 372-3.

6. Lieu Pi – Liu Pi (Zh. 刘辟) Wei Gao’s deputy governor in the province of Sichuan. After Wei Gao’s death in 805, he sought to pressure the new emperor Xianzong to award him more territory:
   “Meanwhile, Wei Gao died late in 805, and his deputy Liu Pi seized power of Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), which Wei had governed, rejecting the replacement that Emperor Xianzong sent, Yuan Zi. Emperor Xianzong, believing to lack the power to attack Liu at this point, initially made him acting military governor. However, Liu then made further demands to be given two neighbouring circuits […]. When Emperor Xianzong refused his demand, he launched an attack on Dongchuan in spring 806. […] In the fall of 806, Gao [Emperor Xianzong’s general] captured Sichuan’s capital Chengdu （成都）and delivered Liu to the imperial capital Chang’an （长安）to be executed.” Wikipedia: Emperor Xianzong of Tang.

7. LiKi – Li Qi (Zh. 李锜) one of the richest jiedushi in the empire, governing over the Zhenjiang, Jiansu. In 807, he rebelled but was quickly defeated. The emperor arrested him, wanting to confiscate his wealth and add it to the imperial treasury, but several officials persuaded the sovereign to redistribute the wealth back to the provinces previously administered by Li Qi which had suffered most from his abuses. Nolde 192. Histoire VI: 375-8.

8. HIEN-TSONG – Emperor Xianzong of Tang (Zh. 唐憲宗; W/G Hien Tsong; pinyin: Xianzong, r. 805-820). See also n.3 on “Li Chun,” his name before he became emperor. Histoire VI: 370.

9. 仁者以財發身不// 仁者以身發財 – Zh. “the humane man uses wealth to develop himself, the inhumane uses himself to develop wealth” (Da Xue X.20). 
   The correct text display should be 仁者以財發身// 不仁者以身發財 (pinyin: rén zhě yǐ cái fā shēn, bù rén zhě yǐ shēn fā cái). Pound translated the phrase in 1951: “The humane man uses his wealth as a means to distinction, the inhumane one becomes a mere harness, an accessory to his taking.” Con 83. See also Legge Four Books 343; Chinese character table.

10. tao-tse hochangs – Daoists and Buddhists.

11. TCHING-OUANG – King Cheng of Zhou (Zh. 周成王, W/G: Chou Ch’eng Wang; pinyin: Zhou Cheng Wang,  r. 1042-1021 BC) had the political counsel of his wise uncle and regent Zhou Gong (Zh. 周公, The Duke of Zhou). See canto LIII, ll.121-31, and OCCEP LIII nn. 62, 65.

12. KANG – King Kang of Zhou, the son of Cheng Wang, was advised by the illustrious Shao Gong (The Duke of Shao), Zhou Gong’s half-brother. See Canto LIII, ll.146-57. OCCEP LIII nn.67, 74, 75.

13. HAN OUEN – Emperor Wen of Han (Zh. 漢文帝, pinyin: Han Wendi, r. 180-157 BC). Pound quotes the emperor as saying: “Earth is the nurse of all men/ I now cut off one half the taxes/ I wish to follow the sages, to honour Chang Ti by my furrow.” Canto LIV, ll. 83-85, see also extended section devoted to Emperor Wen in LIV, ll. 70-96. See also OCCEP LIV n.40.

14. HAN KING TI – Emperor Jing of Han (Zh. 漢景帝, pinyin: Han Jingdi, r. 157-141 BC). Pound devotes one line to his reign (LIV, l.105) to say that he was pressured by rebel warlords to sacrifice his counsellor C’hao Tsu (Zh. 晁错, pinyin: Chao Cuo). He did, in order to avert war; the rebels however, attacked, notwithstanding. See OCCEP LIV n.45.

15. yet he died of the elixir – The Daoist alchemists were looking for and recommending elixirs of immortality to rulers and important personalities. Eight Tang emperors died of the various prescriptions, mainly based on mercury and cinnabar, combined with herbs. See Soth 2018.

16. MOU-TSONG – Emperor Muzong of Tang (Zh. 唐穆宗, W/G Tang Mu Tsung; pinyin: Tang Muzong, r. 820-824). See Nolde 193; Histoire VI: 430. 
    “After succeeding to the throne, Muzong spent his time feasting and heavily drinking, thereby neglecting his duties as emperor. Meanwhile, the temporarily subdued regional military governors (jiedushi) began to challenge the central Tang government, leading to the new de facto independence of three circuits north of the Yellow River, which Emperor Xianzong had subdued. Internally, corruption was rife. Emperor Muzong’s brief reign came to an end in 824, and was viewed as the start of the downward spiral of the Tang Dynasty.”  Wikipedia.

17. MOU’s first son – Emperor Jingsong of Tang (Zh. 唐敬宗, W/G Tang Gin Tsung, pinyin: Tang Jingzong, r. 824-827). When coming to the throne, Jingsong was 15, still a child who left governing to his ministers. He was assassinated after three years. Nolde 197; Histoire VI: 442. De Mailla makes it clear that Jingzong’s destiny reflected the lack of filiality of his father. 

18. OUEN TSONG – Emperor Wenzong of Tang (Zh. 唐文宗; W/G Tang Wen Tsung; pinyin: Tang Wenzong, r. 827-40). Nolde 197-8; Histoire VI: 451.

19. OU-TSONG – Emperor Wuzong of Tang (Zh. 唐武宗, W/G Tang Wu Tsung; pinyin: Tang Wuzong, r. 840-46). Nolde 198-200; Histoire VI: 473.       
    “Buddhism had flourished into a major religious force in China during the Tang period, and its monasteries enjoyed tax-exempt status. Because they didn’t contribute taxes, Emperor Wuzong believed Buddhism to be a drain on the state’s economy. Coupled with his devotion to Taoism as well and his deep trust in the Taoist monk Zhao Guizhen (Zh. 趙歸真), he set out to act against Buddhism, initiating an imperial edict in 842 weeding out sorcerers and convicts from the ranks of the Buddhist monks and nuns, and returning them to lay life. Monks and nuns were to turn their wealth over to the government unless they returned to lay life and paid taxes. During this first phase, Confucian arguments for the reform of Buddhist institutions and the protection of society from Buddhist influence and practices were predominant.         
    The religious persecution reached its height in the year 845 CE, ultimately confiscating the Buddhist temple properties, destroying 4,600 Buddhist temples and 40,000 shrines, and removing 260,500 monks and nuns from the monasteries. Emperor Wuzong’s reasons for doing so were not purely economic. A zealous Taoist, Wuzong considered Buddhism a foreign religion that was harmful to Chinese society.” Wikipedia.

20. Tsaï-Gin – Consort Wang (Zh. 王才人; W/G Wang Tsai-jen; pinyin: Wang Cai Ren). One of Wuzong’s imperial consorts. Nolde 199-200; Histoire VI: 493-4.            
    “In 845, Emperor Wuzong wanted to make Consort Wang his empress. The lead chancellor Li Deyu (Zh. 李德裕), however, opposed on the grounds that Consort Wang was of low birth and did not have a son. Emperor Wuzong therefore did not proceed. It was said that late in Emperor Wuzong’s reign, he came to believe in alchemists who claimed to be able to achieve immortality for him, and he was taking pills they made, causing him to become progressively unhealthy. Consort Wang noticed this and counselled him against doing so, but he did not listen to her. When Emperor Wuzong subsequently became seriously ill, he asked Consort Wang what she would do if he died. She responded that she would like to follow him in death. He thus gave her a scarf. After Emperor Wuzong died in spring 846, she hanged herself with the scarf. It was said that while the other consorts had long been jealous of her because of the favour Emperor Wuzong had for her, they all were touched by her righteousness. Emperor Wuzong’s uncle and successor Emperor Xuanzong, hearing this, was also saddened, and he posthumously honoured her Xianfei, the second highest rank for imperial consorts, and buried her in the perimeter of Emperor Wuzong’s tomb.” Wikipedia: Consort Wang. 

21. nine fountains – the nine fountains, or nine springs (Zh. 九泉; pinyin: jiŭ quán), a name for the realm of the dead. See Diyu.

22. SIUEN – Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (Zh. 唐宣宗; W/G Tang Hsuan Tsung; pinyin: Tang Xuanzong, r.846-5). Nolde 200-201; Histoire VI: 493.

23. ‘gold mirror’ of TAI TSONG – De Mailla’s “Kin-king or le miroir d’or” (Zh. 金镜; W/G Chin King; pinyin: jīn jìng) of the Emperor Taizong of Tang. Histoire VI: 496. The Golden Mirror is one of the two essays on imperial statecraft that Emperor Taizong wrote after taking the throne. (Chen 81).  See also 54: ll.340-405 on Emperor Taizong of Tang. 

24. HIEN said – a reference to Emperor Hien Tsong [Xianzong of Tang] who was introduced at the start of the canto. See nn. 3, 6, and 8.

25. louis d’or –  “gold louis.” French gold coin first issued by King Louis XIII in 1640. It was replaced by the franc at the time of the French revolution in 1789. The initial louis had a weight of 6.75g of 23 carat gold. Wikipedia: Louis d’or.

26. Y TSONG – Emperor Yizong of Tang. (Zh. 懿宗; W/G I Tsung; pinyin: Yizong, r. 859-873). Nolde 202; Histoire VI: 508.

27. HI TSONG – Emperor Xizong of Tang. (Zh. 僖宗; W/G Hsi Tsung; pinyin Xizong, r. 873-888). His reign was marked by famine caused by drought, rebellion, and civil war. The dynasty was almost lost during the Huang Chao rebellion (Zh. 黄巢, 877-884). Pound does not include an account of the rebellion itself but mentions two generals that distinguished themselves in the defence of Tang, Li Keyong (Zh. 李克用) and Zhu Wen (Zh. 朱温). Nolde 202; Histoire VI: 527.

28. Sun Te – Sun De Zhao (Zh. 孫德昭; W/G Sun-té-tchao; pinyin: Sun Dezhao), general in the service of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (r. 888-904).   
    Pound refers to a coup attempt by the eunuch Liu Jishu (Zh.刘季述) in 900. Liu managed to depose Emperor Zhaozong of Tang (r. 888-904), putting him in house arrest and forcing on him the title of “Retired Emperor” so that his son could assume the throne. On the lunar new year of 901, Sun Dezhao led a countercoup that restored the emperor to power. He killed one of Liu’s allies, Wang Zhongxian (Zh. 王仲先). Nolde 203; Histoire VII: 55-6.  
    Sun Dezhao was not murdered, as Pound states in the canto. It was emperor Zhaozong who was assassinated in 904, three years after the coup. Achilles Fang speculated the error must have emerged because of the “tchao” (Zh. 昭; pinyin: zhao) that is a component in both the name of the emperor and that of the general (Fang I: 128).

29. little dynasties – Pound starts a new section of the historical record, the period between the date when the last emperor of Tang was murdered in 907 and the establishment of the Song dynasty in 960. The period is also known as “The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.” The succession of five short dynasties roughly covered the territory of the Tang in the Central Plains, whereas the ten kingdoms is a denomination for a varying number of provinces mostly in the South of China. See map below. See also Wikipedia.
    
    The Five Dynasties in Central China 907-959.

    Dynasty	Historical period	Founder
    Later Liang 后梁	907-923	Zhu Wen
    Later Tang 后唐	923-936	Li Cunxu
    Later Jin 后晋	936-947	Shi Jintang
    Later Han 后汉	947-950	Liu Zhiyuan
    Later Zhou 后周	951-959	Guo Wei.

     

30. Prince of TÇIN – Li Keyong (Zh. 李克用; W/G Li K’o-yung, 856–908). Tang general of Turkic origin who became a distinguished commander of imperial troops defending the state against the peasant rebellion of Huang Chao (878-884). Emperor Zhaozong made Li Keyong military governor of Jin (present-day Shanxi) in 895. When Zhu Wen poisoned the last emperor of Tang and established the Later Liang dynasty in 907, Li Keyong refused obeisance and his state, Jin, became independent. His son, Li Cunxu, would overthrow Later Liang and establish the Later Tang dynasty in 923.

31. Li-Ké-Yong is not dead – speaking here is the great adversary of Li Keyong, Zhu Wen, meditating on political succession at Li Keyong’s death in 908, barely a year after he himself had reached the supreme imperial power after his coup against the Tang. He correctly foresaw that Li Keyong’s son, Li Cunxu (to whom Pound refers as Hiu, below), would gain the supremacy over Northern China over his own sons. Nolde 204; Histoire VII: 125.

32. Tchu – Zhu Wen (Zh. 朱溫; W/G Chu Wen; pinyin: Zhu Wen, 852-912). Rebel military governor and warlord who defended the Tang in the Huang Chao rebellion but overthrew the dynasty in 907. He killed the last emperors of Tang, Zhaozong in 904 and Ai in 907. He then installed himself as Emperor Taizu of what he called the Later Liang dynasty and reigned until 912. The Later Liang survived for ten more years after Zhu Wen’s death, until 923, a situation suggested by Pound’s lines.

33. HIU – Li Cunxu (Zh. 李存勖; W/G Li Ts’un-hsü; pinyin: Li Cunxu, r. 923-926), son of Li Keyong. He overthrew the Later Liang dynasty and in 923 set himself up as the first emperor of the Later Tang dynasty, ruling under the name Zhuangzong (923-926). He waged successful wars against the Khitan Tartars in the north and regained the province of Sichuan for the empire. The later Tang controlled the north and centre of the former Tang empire but fell in 937, being replaced by another short-lived dynasty, the Later Jin. 

34. chançons de gestes – Fr. “songs of heroic deeds.”

35. Khitans – Khitan people (Zh. 契丹; pinyin: qì dān). Mongol tribe of Northern China, to the north-east of the Tang. By 907, they had become very strong under the Yelü clan, whose chieftain, Abaoji, proclaimed himself emperor of an independent kingdom with the dynastic title of Liao (916-1125). The existence of the Liao empire roughly overlaps the Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, as well as the Northern Song periods. At its greatest extent, it covered Mongolia, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far east and part of North Korea. The Liao was radically weakened by the Jurchens (1125), who restricted the Khitans to what is today western Xinjiang (Western Liao); this empire in turn was destroyed by the Mongols in 1220. 

36. Yeliou Apaoki – [Yelü] Abaoji (Zh. 阿保機, 872-926), posthumously known as Emperor Taizu of Liao. Khitan leader (Khagan) and founder of the Liao dynasty. He became khagan of the Khitans on 27 February 907 and was subsequently enthroned as emperor of the Khitans in 916. He adopted Chinese court formalities in which he declared himself Celestial Emperor in the Chinese style and adopted an era name, also in the Chinese manner of ruling. He was responsible for the conquest and unification of all inner Mongolia, northern China and southern Manchuria. Once the Khitan Empire became the Liao dynasty in 942, he posthumously received the title of Liao emperor.

37. Chuliu – Shulü Ping (Zh. 述律平; W/G; Shu-lu; pinyin: Shulü, 879-953). Yelü Abaoji’s wife and Khitan Empress. When her son, Deguang, founded the Liao dynasty, she became Empress Dowager.

38. Tching-Tcheou – Zhenzhou (Zh. 鎮州), prefecture city in the small state of Zhao. 
    Pound is referring to an episode around 921, when “the Prince of Tçin” (Li Cunxu) was fighting against Later Liang. The city (Fr. Spelling Ting Tcheou) was under the military commander Wang Rong in the Zhao region. “In the eighth month (921 AD), the Prince of Jin (Li Cunxu) learned that in the principality of Zhao there had been a great crisis and that Zhang Wenli, one of the principal officers of Wang Rong [the military governor of Zhao], had rebelled against him, killed him and taken Zhenzhou, Denzhou, and his lands. On the other hand, it happened that Wang Yu (Zh. 王郁), who had fled Zhao so as not to fall into the hands of Li Cunxu and be punished as one of the authors of this revolt, was influencing the Khitans so as to engage their support for Zhang Wenli; and in order to persuade their king (Abaoji) to give them military help, he said: “Zhenzhou is a city where women are more beautiful than clouds in the sky; gold and silks are as high as mountains; if you use your diligence you will make yourself master of them all; but if you delay, the Prince of Jin will take them from you.” Nolde 205; Histoire VII: 188-190.   

39. Ouen Yeou – Wang Yu (Zh. 王郁), fl. 921, was the son of Wang Chuzhi (王处), the military governor of the Beiping circuit, a province at the north of Zhao and east of Jin. (See map above).            
    “Concerned [about the political effects of the crisis in Zhao], Wang Chuzhi contacted his son Wang Yu—who was then serving as the military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi) of Xin Prefecture (新州, in modern Zhangjiakou, Hebei) under Li Cunxu. He requested that Wang Yu secretly instigate an incursion by Khitans’ Emperor Taizu. Wang Yu agreed, and also requested to be made his heir, and Wang Chuzhi agreed.” Wikipedia: Wang Chuzhi.

40. mulberry forest – Wang Yu’s eloquence paid off: Abaoji decided to use the crisis in Zhao to invade. However, Li Cunxu defeated the Khitans at Sang-lin (Zh. 桑林镇), which de Mailla in error rendered as “a mulberry forest” (Fang I: 128). Abaoji’s son was taken prisoner. Nolde 206; Histoire VII: 190. 

41. Thus came Tçin into empire – Two years after the confrontation with Abaoji, Li Cunxu conquered the territory of the Later Liang and founded the Later Tang dynasty.

42. Chou land – State of Shu (Zh. 蜀) covering roughly the present-day Sichuan. 

43. Li-ssé Yuen, called MING TSONG – Li Siyuan (Zh. 李嗣源, 867-933). Adopted son of Li Keyong. Of Turkic, Shatuo descent, he was the second emperor of the short-lived Later Tang dynasty. In 926, he seized power from Li Cunxu in a coup and ruled for the next seven years under the temple name of Mingzong (Zh. 明宗; W/G Ming Tsung; pinyin: Mingzong, r. 926-933). Nolde 207; Histoire VII: 255.

44. Li Tsongkou – Li Conghou (Zh. 李從厚; W/G Li Ts’ung-k’o; pinyin: Li Conghou, 914-934). Third emperor of the Later Tang dynasty. He ruled only for one year and was overthrown by his brother Li Congke (885-937), chosen by the dowager empress. It was Li Congke who was prince of Lu (not Confucius’ state but a circuit in Shaanxi, see Fang I: 129). Li Congke deposed Li Conghou in 934 and managed to rule the Later Tang until 937 when he was himself deposed by Shi Jingtang. Nolde 209; Histoire VII: 292. 

45. Chéking-Tang – Shi Jingtang (Zh. 石敬瑭; W/G Shih Ching-t’ang; pinyin: Shi Jingtang, 892-942). General of the later Tang who rebelled against Li Congke in 936 and founded a new dynasty, the Later Jin. To overthrow the Later Tang, he enlisted the help of the Khitans and yielded territory to them, subjecting himself to the Liao dynasty as a vassal and paying tribute. Nolde 210; Histoire VII: 319.

46. Apaoki son of Chuliu – Yelü Deguang (Zh. 耶律德光; W/G Yeh-lü-Té-kuang; pinyin: Yelü Deguang, 902-947), second son of Yelü Abaoji and Khitan Empress Shulü. In 927, he succeeded his father to the throne of the Khitan Tartars as Emperor Taizong of Liao and in 936, he agreed to help Shi Jingtang gain the empire of the Later Tang from Li Congke in return for territory in the so-called Sixteen Prefectures.    
    “Apaoki” is an error, as Abaoji was the husband, not the son of Chuliu.

47. Lieou-Tchi-Yuen – Liu Zhiyuan (Zh. 劉知遠; W/G Liu Chih-yüan; pinyin: Liu Zhiyuan, 895-948), was a distinguished general and governor of Shanxi Province under Shi Chonggui (Zh.石重贵), the last emperor of the Later Jin (r. 942-947).
    However, the Later Jin he served was weak and little more than a puppet of the expanding Khitan empire to the north. At his ascension, the Later Jin decided to defy the Liao and renege on the vassalage that had been established by Shi Jingtang. In 944, the Khitans sent an expedition south that resulted in the destruction of the dynasty in 947. The Khitan emperor, Yelü Deguang, entered Kaifeng, the capital city of the Later Jin, and treated the emperor with mercy, by moving him with his family to a temple.
         
    Yelü Deguang decided to return from Kaifeng to his base in present-day Beijing, in the heart of the contentious Sixteen Prefectures, while his new conquest was still fragile. Following constant harassment from the Chinese, he died of an illness on the return route in May 947. The combination of the fall of the Later Jin and the succession crisis among the Khitans resulted in a power vacuum. Liu Zhiyuan, who had not submitted to the Liao, was proclaimed emperor by his army. He was able to fill the political void and founded the Later Han, the fourth of the five dynasties of the period. He ruled under the name Gaozu of (Later) Han (947-948). Nolde 212; Histoire VII: 385.

48. Turk of the horde of Chato – Liu Zhiyuan was of Turkish origin, of the Shatuo ethnicity.

49. Caïfon fou – Kaifeng, city in Henan Province, East central China. It served as the capital of various Chinese states during the period of the Five Dynasties (907-960) and of their successor, the Northern Song dynasty.

50. Emperor “salted” – On the way back from Kaifeng to the North, the Khitan emperor Yelü Deguang died of illness in 947. De Mailla recounts that his soldiers opened his belly and poured salt into it to be able to preserve his body during the journey. They called him Ti-Pa, “The Salted Emperor.” Nolde 212; Histoire VII: 381-2. 

51. SUNG – Song (Zh. 宋), the nineteenth dynasty (960-1279). It is divided into two periods: the Song (960-1127), sometimes called the Northern Song (北宋), and the Southern Song (Zh. 南宋, 1127-1279).

52. Teoui-tchéou said – Tsouï-tchéou-tou (Zh. 崔周度; W/G Ts’ui-chou-tu; pinyin: Cui Zhoudu), officer to a warlord holding out against Taizu of later Zhou in 952. He advised his master to submit to the emperor, who had treated him with kindness. He argued that the land of Lu had produced just scholars, not military men and that further resistance will bring only misfortune. His advice was badly received and he paid with his life. Nolde 213; Histoire VII: 431.      
    Fang corrected the error in the French transliteration of the name and stated that it cannot be truncated.

53. TAÏ-TSOU – Taizu of Later Zhou (Zh. 太祖; W/G T’ai Tsu; pinyin: Taizu, r. 951-954). Born as Guo Wei (Zh. 郭威), he was a military commissioner to Li Zhiyuan. He overthrew the later Han in a coup in 951 and founded the Later Zhou dynasty, the fifth of the Five dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.   

    Taizu, the first Han Chinese on the throne since 923, proved to be an able administrator and leader. He was a patron of literature and honoured the memory of Confucius by saying, “Confucius is the master of a hundred generations of emperors” Nolde 213; Histoire VII: 432.

54. Ou-tchao’s edition – Wu Zhaoyi (Zh. 毋昭裔, fl. 953). Wishing to start a college, he requested permission of Meng Chang (孟昶) the king of Shu (919-965) to have the Four Books and Five classics.         
    A. Fang pointed out the name cannot be abbreviated as in the text.

55. CHI-TSONG – Emperor Shizong of later Zhou (Zh. 世宗; W/G Shih Tsung; pinyin: Shizong, r. 954-959). Nolde 214-216; Histoire VII: 445. 

56. in the thick by Tçé-tchéou – When emperor Shizong took the throne of Later Zhou in 954, the Northern Han and the Liao decided to invade. In the battle at Zezhou (Zh. 澤州, Jincheng, Shanxi), Shizong was betrayed by two generals who left the field with their troops. He did not give up but continued fighting and won the battle. “To think that they have beaten us” was not Shizong’s comment but that of his most trusted general, Zhao Kuangyin (Zh. 赵匡胤), talking to his younger brother; they would become in turn the first two emperors of the Song dynasty. Nolde 214; Histoire VII: 437-9.

57. bonzes and bonzesses – Buddhist monks and nuns.

58. Chou coin was of iron – In the Shu Kingdom (present-day Sichuan) the coin was of iron, not silver. The Prince of Shu needed to finance his army and taxed iron and furniture, reducing his people to extreme misery. Histoire VII: 448.

59. Hoaï-ho – The Huai river (Zh. 淮河; pinyin: Huái Hé). It was on the Huai River that a naval battle was fought between the armies of Emperor Shizong and those of the ruler of the Southern Tang in 957. Nolde 215; Histoire VII: 468.

60. Kiang – the Yangtze river. After the war with Southern Tang, all the regions north of the Yangtze now belonged to Later Zhou.

61. lent grain to Hoaï-nan devast – Huainan, city on the Huai river. After his victory over Southern Tang, emperor Shizong lent grain to farmers to compensate for the devastation in their region. Nolde 216.

62. light was in his birth room – the founder of the Song dynasty was born as Zhao Kuangyin in 927 in Luoyang in the kingdom of the Later Zhou. De Mailla notes the extraordinary light and agreeable fragrance that spread in the room. Nolde 216; Histoire VIII: 2.  
    Pound notes the almond boughs in a nod to his own canto 20: “The boughs are not more fresh / where the almond shoots / take their March green” and “e l’olors/ the smell of that place–d’enoi ganres.” See also OCCEP XX: n.21-22.

63. Red was the robe of his dynasty – De Mailla includes this detail casually, among others. Yet, Pound may have given it a distinct colouring with a reference to Confucius’ phrase 紫之奪朱 [zĭ zhī duó zhū] “purple spoils vermillion” (The Analects 17.18 in CON 277).    
    Regional rulers of the Spring and Autumn period used purple in their ceremonies instead of the traditional red used by the Zhou dynasty (Chin, ed. Analects, 191). The time of Zhao Kuangyin was similar to that of the Warring States; his desire to adopt the red for imperial robes had strong political connotations: the return to a powerful dynasty of ancient times, the wish to establish peace and stability in a long, stable government. Pound used the original quotation in canto 96/679.

64. puorvu que ça doure – Fr. “pourvu que ça dure” – “provided that it lasts.” This is Pound’s remark in French, possibly connected to the connotation of imperial red robes as a return to the splendour of ancient Zhou. 

65. He said – This should read: “she said” – the passage refers to a conversation Zhao Kuangyin had with his mother while she was on her deathbed in 961. She asked him how he obtained the empire. He answered that he had done so by virtue of his ancestors. She replied that they had nothing to do with it, rather the fact that his predecessor, (Cai Zongxun (Zh. 柴宗训, 953-973), the last emperor of the later Zhou), had come to the throne as a child in 959. She told him to let his brothers inherit the throne after he died. Nolde 217; Histoire VIII: 16. He did so, and his brother, Zhao Guangyi succeeded him in 976.

66. by virtush – “by [your] virtue.” 

67. The last HAN – this is an error: the reference should be to the last Zhou emperor, Cai Zongxun, who was six when the army declared Zhao Kuangyin emperor. See also Fang I: 130.

    The Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127). Emperors mentioned in the canto are linked to further information.

    Order	Name	Notes	Reign Time (years)
    1	Song Taizu 宋太祖 (Zhao Kuangyin) 赵匡胤	Formerly the leading general of the Later Zhou (951 - 960); He usurped the throne and founded the Song Dynasty by launching a coup.	960 - 976
    2	Song Taizong 宋太宗 (Zhao Guangyi) 赵光义	The younger brother of Zhao Kuangyin; during his reign, the whole China was unified by his defeating the Northern Han dynasty (951 - 979). See map above.	976 - 997
    3	Song Zhenzong 宋真宗 (Zhao Heng) 赵恒	Son of Emperor Taizong; In his reign, the military power of Song was strengthened but he signed the first humiliating treaty with the Liao (916 - 1125).	997 - 1022
    4	Song Renzong 宋仁宗 (Zhao Zhen 赵祯)	Son of Emperor Zhenzong; His reign was the turning point of the Song Dynasty from prosperity to disintegration.	1022 - 1063
    5	Song Yingzong 宋英宗 (Zhao Shu 赵曙)	Son of one of the imperial clansmen who was adopted by Emperor Renzong. Actually, Emperor Yingzong’s father was the first cousin of Emperor Renzong.	1063 - 1067
    6	Song Shenzong 宋神宗 (Zhao Xu 赵顼)	During his reign, he appointed Wang Anshi as Chancellor who presented a series of reform policies. He tried to expel Xixia (a contemporary kingdom of the Northern Song) troops out of the Song’s territory but was unsuccessful.	1067 - 1085
    7	Song Zhezong 宋哲宗 (Zhao Xu 赵煦)	Son of Emperor Shenzong. During his reign, a conventional chancellor named Sima Guang was appointed, who halted the reform policy put forth by Wang Anshi.	1085 - 1100
    8	Song Huizong 宋徽宗 (Zhao Ji 赵佶)	The 11th son of Emperor Shenzong; one of the few monarchs who favored Taoism against Buddhism; As an emperor, he was better known as a painter, poet, calligrapher and musician.	1100 - 1125
    9	Song Qinzong 宋钦宗 (Zhao Huan 赵桓)	The eldest son of Emperor Huizong, he ascended to the throne after his father abdicated. However, the Song court was defeated by the Jin army in 1127 after which both Qinzong and Huizong were demoted to commoners.	1125 - 1127

     

68. TCHAO KOUANG – Zhao Kuangyin, founder of the Song dynasty (960-1127) who ruled as Emperor Taizu of Song (960-976). He was a distinguished general in the army of later Zhou and came to power in a coup d’état against his emperor.
    Fang protested against the truncation of the name, saying it was impermissible.

69. South Han – Southern Han. This principality was located on the South coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. It had its capital at Guangzhou and lasted from 917 to 971.

70. Tsiuenpiu – Wang Ch’üan-pin (Zh. pin 王全斌, pinyin: Wang Quanbin,  fl. 965), was a general serving Zhao Kuangyin. He was in charge of the expedition that overcame the remnants of the Later Shu dynasty in Sichuan. He took the Shu in sixty-six days. Nolde 219-220; Histoire VIII: 34-5. 

71. went gay – After he finished dealing with his enemies, the general Wang Quanbin spent his time with high living and entertainment, paying no more attention to his soldiers.

72. Chou – Later Shu dynasty (934-965), see also preceding note. 

73. TAI TSONG – Taizong of Song (Zh. 宋太宗; W/G Tai Tsung; pinyin: Taizong, r. 976-997). Zhao Guangyi, second emperor of the Song dynasty. 

74. Ouang Siaopo – Wang Xiaobo (Zh. 王小波,  fl. 993), was a rebel from Sichuan province (Later Shu kingdom) that revolted against its governor in 993. There was little money in the province because the conquering Song troops had carried it away a few years before. Greedy officials set up new taxes without the knowledge of the emperor. Imperial troops soon put down the rebellion, and Emperor Taizong appointed a governor who improved the condition of the poor. Nolde 221; Wikipedia: Da Shu coinage; Histoire VIII: 118-9.
    
    “Only three decades after the foundation of the Song dynasty a peasant uprising shook the foundations of the state and proved that the most important social problems were not resolved. In the area of modern Sichuan, the region of Shu 蜀, tea farmers rose up against the bureau of tea merchandise monopoly (bomaiwu 博買務) that deprived the tea farmers of a reasonable income. Leader of the peasant rebels was Wang Xiaobo 王小波 who assembled not only tea farmers but also thousands of landless tenant farmers (panghu 旁戶) that were exploited by the rich landowners of the Sichuan Basin. The motto of the rebels was to equalize the income of the rich and the poor, and their motivation alone proved sufficient enough that the rebels were able to defeat regular Song armies and to conquer the city of Chengdu (成都) in 993. Li Shun (李順), the second leader of the rebellious movement, declared himself king of Shu. It was only with the strongest efforts that the Song military was able to reconquer the Sichuan Basin and to wipe out the last rebels until the beginning of 995.” Chinaknowledge.de.

75. went against Tsing-chin city and took Pongchan – Qingshen (Zh. 青神) and Pengshan (Zh. 彭山) districts under the administration of Meishan city (Zh. 眉山), Sichuan.

76. Jelly Hugo – Yelü Xiuge (Zh. 耶律休哥,  d. 998), was governor of the region of Yen, which surrounded the city of Beijing (once called Yen as well). He was a general of the Khitan Tartars and is known for his humanity and his just administration. Nolde 222; Histoire VIII: 132.

77. Genghis rising – Genghis (1158-1227), first Khan of the Mongol empire. His personal name was Temüjin (pinyin: Tie Muzhen) and after his death he was acknowledged as the founder of the Yuan Dynasty with the imperial title of Taizu. He proclaimed himself emperor of the Mongols in 1206. By 1214, through a series of wars with various Tartar tribes (mainly Khitan and Nü-chên), he became master of all the territory north of the Yellow River, except for Beijing.
    It is rather early to say that Genghis was rising at this time, as it will be more than hundred years until his birth.

78. 

    Tchin-Song – Emperor Zhenzong of Song (Zh. 真宗; W/G Chên Tsung; pinyin: Zhenzong, r. 997-1022), the third emperor of the Song dynasty. Nolde 222-3; Histoire VIII: 152.

79. sables (marte zibeline) – Martes zibellina, a species of marten, an animal inhabiting the forests of Russia and Mongolia very valuable for their fur.

80. made terms with the tartars – In January 1005, emperor Zhenzong had to decide whether to continue fighting the Khitans or to accept peace and pay tribute of silk and silver. He decided for peace, saying that his “people need time to breathe.” This peace treaty between the Song and the Liao in the city of Chanyuan led to 102 years of peace (Hu Lin 113). See Chanyuan Treaty (Zh. 澶渊之盟).

81. Tchongking – Zhongjing (Zh. 中京), the “Central Capital” of the Liao dynasty was built in 1007, two years after the Chanyuan Treaty with the Song. It was situated north of the Great Wall in the Laoha river valley, south of the Liaoxi steppe in south-eastern inner Mongolia (Hu Lin 113-4). De Mailla calls it “Court of the Middle.” Nolde 224; Histoire VIII: 160. The city is now an archaeological site.

82. going mumbo – Zhenzong (Zh. 真宗) was a capable emperor but a devout Taoist, whose superstition led him to disgrace. Three books, reputed to be from heaven, were presented to the emperor, who was so impressed by this supposed honour that he ordered a huge temple built; the project took seven years to complete and cost so much that some historians date the decline of the Sung dynasty from this extravagance. By 1020, the emperor was insane, and his power had passed to eunuchs. See also n.78.

83. GIN TSONG – Emperor Renzong of Song (Zh. 仁宗; W/G Jen Tsung; pinyin: Renzong, r. 1022-1063), fourth emperor of the Song dynasty. Nolde 225; Histoire VIII: 187.

84. Han – should read “Hsia,” (Zh. 西夏; pinyin: Xīxià ), a Tangut Tartar tribe whose leader adopted Chinese models for organising its military forces in 1032. Nolde 225. Fang I: 131.

85. Fou-Pié – Fu Bi (Zh. 富弼, 1004-1083), scholar and diplomat serving Emperor Renzong. In 1042, the Khitan Tartars demanded ten counties of the empire and threatened war if the emperor refused. Fu Bi was sent to negotiate, and the resulting treaty enjoined the Khitan to keep peace and promised them an annual tribute of 100,000 ounces of silver and 100,000 pieces of silk in addition to the tribute promised in 1006 by Emperor Zhenzong. C LV: n. 108. Nolde 226; Histoire VIII: 217.

86. CHIN-TSONG – Emperor Shenzong of Song. (Zh. 神宗; W/G Shên Tsung; pinyin: Shenzong, r. 1067-1085), sixth emperor of the Song dynasty. Nolde 226-236; Histoire VIII: 256.
87. 

    Ngan / (or more fully Ouang-Ngan-ché) – Wang Anshi (Zh. 王安石; W/G Wang An Shih; pinyin: Wang Anshi, 1021-1086).   
    He “became Emperor Shenzong’s confidential adviser and minister of state in 1069. He and the emperor instituted reforms based on Wang’s new and ‘more correct’ interpretations of the classics: state administration of commerce, state support for farmers, compulsory military service, a state system of barter, a new land tax system. In the face of strong opposition, the emperor put Wang’s reforms into practice, but Wang tried to move too rapidly and lived to see all his reforms abolished. After his death, he was disgraced, and his tablet was removed from the Confucian temple.” C LV n.110. Nolde 226-236; Histoire VIII: 264-82.   
    Achilles Fang protested that the name cannot be truncated to Ngan, for fear of confusion: Wang Anshi had a brother whose name was Wang Anguo (Zh. 王安国, Fang I: 131).

88. TCHEOU emperors – The Western Zhou dynasty (1046-771 B.C.), admired by Confucius. See Canto LIII, ll. 103-301, where Pound adopts the W/G spelling, “Chu.”
89. Douanes – Fr. “customs.”
90. YAO – mythical emperor whose reign is traditionally interpreted as a golden age for China. See canto LIII, ll.27-39.
91. Koen – Gun (Zh. 鯀, fl. 2297 BC), Count of Zhong and father of Yu the Great. He was minister of works under Emperor Yao and was appointed to drain and guide the floodwaters after the disastrous overflow of the Yellow River in 2295 BC. In 2286, after he had worked for nine years but had accomplished little, his son was given the task. After another nine years, Yu succeeded.
92. YU – Yu the Great, minister who was tasked by Emperor Yao to channel the flood waters of the central China rivers to the sea. Yu succeeded in this task and went on to found the first historically attested dynasty, the Xia. See canto LIII, ll. 30-39.
93. confino – It. enforced sites of detention in isolated areas for Italians deemed potentially dangerous to the Fascist regime. See OCCEP XLI: n. 8.
94. Liu-hoei – Lü Huiqing (Zh. 吕惠卿, 1032-1111), a minister serving Emperor Shenzong who originally opposed the reforms of Wang Anshi. C LV n.116.
95. Tengtcheou – Tengzhou (Zh. 滕州) a city in Shandong.
96. 

    Ssé-ma – Sima Guang (Zh. 司馬光; W/G Sséma Kuang; pinyin: Sima Guang, 1019-1086), distinguished statesman, historian, and scholar. He was minister of state under Emperor Renzong of Song (1022-1063) and an important minister under Emperor Shenzong (1067-1085). Sima Guang zealously opposed the reforms of Wang Anshi and, when Shenzong refused to part with the latter, retired to private life.
    The semi-colon after the name is in all probability a printer’s error.

97. TSONG of TANG – Emperor Taizong of Tang (626-649) the most illustrious emperor of the Tang dynasty. See LIV: ll.340-404.

98. Tsé-tchi tong kien hang mou – Sima Guang’s greatest work was Zizhi Tongjian (Zh. 资治通鉴; W/G Tzu Chih T’ung Ch’ien; pinyin: zī zhì tōng jiàn), A Comprehensive Mirror for the Aid of Government, which was finished in 1084, after more than 20 years of work. The Mirror narrates the history of China from 403 BC to 959 AD, the year before the Song dynasty came to power.  
    Read the title with the correct spelling as Tsé-tchi tong kien kang mou.
    
    Achilles Fang pointed out that the title of Sima Guang’s book was Tsé-tchi tong kien – the extra two words came in when the Neo-Confucian scholar Zhuxi and his disciples abridged it in 1172: “Kang mou” has traditionally been translated as “Outline and Digest” but the current translation is “The String and Mesh.” See Wikipedia: Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu (Zh. 資治通鑑綱目). Fang I: 84-86; 132.
    The Manchu translation of Zizhi Tongjian Gangmu was the basis of De Mailla’s Histoire générale de la Chine for the period from 403 BC to the Song dynasty.

99. 

    Tso kieou ming – Zuo Qiuming (Zh. 左丘明, 556-451 BC). Historian contemporary with Confucius. He wrote a commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals [Chunqiu] which is a chronicle of the state of Lu covering the period 722-468 BC. Zuo has been canonized as the “Father of Prose,” for he expanded the brief entries of the Annals into narrative episodes. His history is known as the Zuozhuan (Zuo’s Commentary).
    As “Tso kieou ming” is the name of the author not that of his book, it is confusing to use the italics, which are probably a printer’s error.

100. OUEÏ-LIE – King Weilie of Zhou (Zh. 周威烈王; W/G Wei-Lieh Wang; pinyin: Weilie Wang, r. 425-402 BC). Sima Guang’s Zhizhi Tongjian begins in 403, the 23rd year of King Weilie’s reign.

101. Lux enim per se omnem in partem Reason from heaven, said Tcheou Tun-y / enlighteneth all things / seipsum seipsum diffundit, risplende / Is the beginning of all things, et effectu – L. “Lux enim per se in omnem partem se ipsam diffundit” Grosseteste 51. [“Light by its essential nature, diffuses itself in all directions”] (Liebregts 215).

     “seipsum seipsum” in l.268 (with the Faber variant as “seipsam seipsam”) should read “se ipsam.” Pound first introduced the quotation in his essay on Cavalcanti (LE 161) where he quoted Grosseteste correctly. 
     
     Pound combines Grosseteste's Latin with quotations in Italian from Guido Cavalcanti's poem, Donna mi prega (A Lady Asks Me): "risplende / in sé perpetuale effecto" ([Love] shines out in its own effect unendingly). See OCCEP XXXVI n.15.

102. Tcheou Tun-y – Zhou Dunyi (Zh. 周敦頤; W/G Chou Tun-yi; pinyin: Zhou Dunyi, 1017-1073). Song dynasty scholar and philosopher, he held small posts in the government. His chief work consists in elucidations of the mysteries of the Book of Changes, or Yijing. He was called “Master of Water Lily” (Fr. “nenuphar”). 
     “He conceptualized the Neo-Confucian cosmology of the day, explaining the relationship between human conduct and universal forces. In this way, he emphasizes that humans can master their qi (“vital life energy”) in order to accord with nature. He was a major influence on Zhu Xi, who was the architect of Neo-Confucianism” Wikipedia: Zhou Dunyi. 
     
     De Mailla paid homage to Zhou Dunyi by saying that “dans l’explication qu’il en donne il prétend faire voir que la raison émane du ciel et éclaircit le commencement et la fin de toutes choses” Nolde 233; Histoire VIII: 277-8.   
     [“in the explication which he gives of it [I Ching], he tries to show that reason emanates from heaven and sheds light upon the beginning and end of all things.”] Nolde 233.                    
     Pound is thus inspired to compare Zhou Dunyi with Neoplatonist philosophy, particularly with Grosseteste’s theory of light, and associates him with Cavalcanti’s poem, Donna mi prega. 

103. risplende – It. “shines out.” from l.26 of Guido Cavalcanti’s poem Donna mi prega. Striving to define love, Guido wrote: “Perchè da qualitatde non disciende/ Risplende/ in sé perpetuale effecto” [“Descendeth not by quality/but is its own effect unendingly”]. (XXXVI ll.26-27; OCCEP XXXVI n.15. See also LE 164 for Pound’s 1928 version of the poem).

104. et effectu – L. “in effect.” It is a reference to Cavalcanti’s “in sé perpetuale effecto,” see previous note. 

105. master of Nenuphar – Zhou Dunyi, see n. 102.

106. His dictionary – In 1075, Wang Angshi presented to the emperor a dictionary in 24 volumes. Confucians strongly criticized it, saying the definitions were fanciful and extravagant, influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. Nolde 234; Histoire VIII 285.

107. Tsaï King – Cai Jing (Zh. 蔡京, 1047-1126). Song official, working for Emperor Huizong. In 1094, he was involved in political activity to revive Wang Anshi’s economic policies. In 1107, he became lord high chamberlain and gained control of the administration. He filled all posts with his own men, made oppressive changes in the salt tax and the coinage, and led the empire into expensive wars. He was several times degraded but always managed to work his way back to power.

108. HOEÏ – Emperor Huizong (Zh. 徽宗; W/G Hui Tsung; pinyin: Huizong, r.1100-1125). Nolde 237; Histoire VIII: 332.

109. Akouta – Aguda (Zh. 阿骨打; W/G Akuta) (1068-1123), chieftain of the Jurchen Tartars. They lived in Manchuria, northeast of China, and were subjects of the Khitan empire ruled by the Liao dynasty. In 1114, Aguda rebelled against the Liao and a year later declared himself emperor of the Jin dynasty. By the end of his life, he conquered most of the territory of the Liao: in 1145, he was declared Taizu (founding emperor). 

110. Kin tartars – Jurchen people. Tartar tribe also known as 女真, nǚ zhēn. In 1125, the Jurchen captured the Liao emperor, forcing the Khitans to migrate to the west, where they formed the Western Liao empire which survived until it was conquered by the Mongols in 1218.
     The Jin dynasty (1115-1234) was the first to conquer Chinese territory from what was later known as Manchuria. In 1127, the Jin defeated Northern Song, took Kaifeng, and forced the Song to withdraw south of the Huai River.

111. And a fox walked into the Imperial palace / and took his seat on the throne / a mad man ran shrieking: change, tartars more tartars / tartars pass over Hoang-ho – Pound captures the natural sign of catastrophe (the fox on the throne) and the general panic when the Jin successfully attacked and captured Kaifeng, the capital of the Song dynasty in 1127. The Song had to withdraw to the south of the Hoai River. 

112. Hoang-ho – The Yellow River. Kaifeng, the capital of the Song is situated on its banks.

113. Redeemed those notes at one third – Pound notes the spread and use of paper money during the Song dynasty. Paper was used for convenience, as a replacement for coins, which were considered the “true” money. Thus, paper money was not a well-functioning financial instrument: it was easy to counterfeit and not universally accepted for payments, so that its value eroded in time. Paper slips were cheques, promises to pay a certain amount of real metal money. In reality, this promise was seldom held: in the case mentioned by Pound, devaluation of paper stood at 66%, a reflection of the wars between the Song and the Jin around 1125-27. Out of 100%, only a third of the sum written on the paper promise to pay was “redeemable” with metal. 
     Similar cases are referred to in The Cantos, notably Wellington’s paper certificates to pay his army in the Peninsular War (L/248); or the counterfeit of “continentals” during the American revolution (LXII/345).

114. Nutsche – The Jurchen. Their language (Zh. 女真語; pinyin: Nǚzhēn yǔ) was the Tungusic language of the Jurchen people of eastern Manchuria, the rulers of the Jin dynasty in northern China of the 12th and 13th centuries. It is ancestral to the Manchu language. In 1635 Hong Taiji renamed the Jurchen ethnicity and language to "Manchu".

115. Koublai – Kublai Khan (Zh. 忽必烈; W/G Kublai Khan pinyin: Hu Bilie, 1215-1294) also known as Emperor Shizu of Yuan. He established the Yuan dynasty in 1271 and conquered the Southern Song in 1274, uniting all China under his rule. Pound uses his name at this early stage to note the emerging power of the Mongols to the west of the Jin empire.

116. Mongrels in fish skin – The Mongols wore armour breastplates of fish skin which were impervious to arrows.

117. Oulo of Kin – Emperor Shizong of Jin (Zh. 金世宗, r. 1161-1189). His personal name was Wu Lu (Zh. 乌禄) and he was the fifth emperor of the Jin dynasty.

118. Ghingiz – Genghis Khan (1162-1227). After unifying the Mongol clans under his leadership, he attacked the Jin empire in 1211 and weakened it by constant attacks. He also defeated the Western Liao (Khitan Tatars) in 1218; finally, the Western Xia (Tanguts) in 1227. By the time of his death in 1227, the Mongol empire was directly threatening Southern Song. The Jin empire would be destroyed by his successor, Ögedei Khan, in 1234. See also n.77.

119. mores – L. “manners.”

120. fumée maligne – Fr. “evil smoke.”

121. Yéliu Ychusaï – Yelü Chucai (Zh. 耶律楚材; W/G Yeh-lü Ch’u-ts’ai; pinyin: Yelü Chucai, 1190-1244).
     “He was a Khitan statesman from the imperial clan of the Liao dynasty who became a vigorous adviser and administrator of the early Mongol Empire in the Confucian tradition. He was the first of Genghis Khan’s retainers to formulate policy during the Mongol invasions and conquests, and he also introduced many administrative reforms in North China during the reign of Genghis Khan and his successor Ögedei.”  Wikipedia: Yelü Chucai. Histoire IX: 124.   
     By 1230, Yelü Chucai established a tax system for the Mongols, establishing the revenue at 500.000 taels. 

122. mohammeds say different – By 1239, a Moslem councillor at the Mongol court advised to double the existing taxes. Yelü Chucai opposed the measure, saying that a heavy tax burden would ruin the land and make the Mongol government unsustainable. Nolde 245; Histoire IX: 231-2.

123. Antzar – An Zhaer (Zh. 按札儿,  fl. 1231), was a Mongolian general who served under Ögedei Khan during the great Mongol campaigns against the Jin Tartars. Nolde 245-6; Histoire IX: 139.

124. By Tang and Teng – Tang and Teng: T’ang (Zh. 唐) and Teng (Zh. 邓) are villages in the province of Henan, near the modern city of Nanyang. C LV n.175. Nolde 245-6; Histoire IX: 142.