LVI 

  1. Billets, biglietti, as coin was too heavy for transport,
  2. but redeemed the stuff at one third
  3. And Ou-Kiai had another swat at the tartars
  4. and licked ‘em
  5. And Yu-Tchong, governor of Kingtcheou in the Chensi
  6. said: my spies have told me etc/
  7. easy to start a war,
  8. not easy to finish one.
  9. SUNG died of levying taxes
  10. gimcracks, SUNG died under HOEI the slider,

  11. And there was a man named Tchinkis in Tartary
  12. hearing of alphabets, morals, mores
  13. and a man named Yeliu-Tchutsai.
  14. Yeliu apaoki Ouanyen akouta,
  15. of Kin, of Khitan, and Genghis of Yuen,
  16. hearing of alphabets
  17. and Yeliu Tchutsai said to Ogotai:
  18. tax, don’t exterminate
  19. You’ll make more by taxing the blighters
  20. thus saved several millyum lives of those chinamen
  21. Bojars thought land was for grazing.
  22. ten percent tax on hooch, 3 1/3rd on necessities
  23. And they tried to stop the Tartars on Hoang Ho
  24. day falls like a fluttering flag
  25. East princes went by the valley of box wood

  26. to cover Mt Kuai with a palace ...
  27. ‘There is’, said the Taozers,
  28. ‘A medicine that gives immortality.’
  29. and ships sent (li Sao) to Japan.
  30. Mt Tai Haku is 300 miles from heaven

  31. lost in a forest of stars,
  32. Slept on the pine needle carpet
  33. sprinkled horse blood
  34. praying no brave man be born among Mongols
  35. Ouen yan Tchin hochang of Kin.

  36. YAO, CHUN, YU controller of waters

    yao shun yu

  37. Bridge builders, contrivers of roads
  38. gave grain to the people
  39. kept down the taxes
  40. Hochang, eunuchs, taoists and ballets
  41. night-clubs, gimcracks, debauchery
  42. Down, down! Han is down
  43. Sung is down
  44. Hochang, eunuchs, and taozers
  45. empresses’ relatives, came then a founder
  46. saying nothing superfluous
  47. cleared out the taozers and grafters, gave grain
  48. opened the mountains
  49. Came taozers, hochang and debauchery
  50. And litterati fought fiercer than other men to keep out the mogul
  51. drifting dung-dust from the North.
  52. Hochang southward like rabbits
  53. half a million in one province only
  54. mus ingens, ingens, noli meum granum comedere
  55. No slouch ever founded a dynasty
  56. Died Kin Lusiang, historian and Confucian
  57. all mulberries frozen in Pa Yang
  58. Where were two million trees and beyond that
  59. Litterati fought fiercer than other men
  60. Hail breaking the trees and walls
  61. in I-Tching-tcheou
  62. Crops gone.

  63. Against Ogotai’s catapults Nik-ia-su used powder
  64. May the white birds remember this warrior, good at logistics
  65. Ozin (Wodin) Youriak had ‘em set out mulberry trees

  66. Ghenso was for no taxes, grew up as a labourer
  67. A hundred chi of rice for ten denars
  68. that is an ½ ounce of silver
  69. ZinKwa observed that gold is inedible
  70. Stored grain against famine
  71. observed that jade is inedible
  72. And they used invisible writing
  73. in Ten Bou’s time came a white phoenix
  74. and in this time was Yeliu Tchutsai
  75. Meng Kong still held against Mogols.
  76. Han, Lang, Ouen, Kong,
  77. Mie, Kien, Tchong, King
  78. Fou, Pong, Chun King
  79. gone
  80. Vendome, Beaugency, Notre Dame de Clery,
  81. and they took law against Yeliu, but his leaving
  82. was 13 flutes, his lute and his library
  83. to refute charge of embezzlement
  84. And after him died Meng Kong.
  85. Kujak was crowned
  86. And the first day they put on their white clothes
  87. and the second day red robes
  88. and the third day were all lords in violet,
  89. scarlet the fourth day, and Kujak went against Hungary
  90. made war on Poland, on Prussia
  91. and Mengko took off taxes
  92. And in Caï Fong they made a grain dividend
  93. and gave instruction in farming
  94. ploughs, money, ammassi

  95. YAO, SHUN, YU, Kung
  96. TCHIN OUANG, OUEN, Ghengiz Khan
  97. And Mengko went into Bagdad, went into Kukano
  98. and died by the wall at Ho-tcheou
  99. Ogotai reigned for nine years
  100. Kublai ascended Mt Hianglou
  101. the Kiang full of war junks
  102. that SUNG thought security
  103. LI TSONG believed his news service
  104. wrongly
  105. Kublai before him
  106. and about him damned rascals, courtezans, palace women
  107. Cliques, easy wars without justice.
  108. And Kublai said: Sung laws very beautiful
  109. unlike their conduct
  110. Kiassé harmed SUNG more than Mongols
  111. North is the cradle of mongols
  112. Pasepa gave them their alphabet
  113. 1000 words mongol, and 41 letters
  114. SUNG sank by Yai island. The line of Ghengiz called YUEN
  115. this dynasty mo’gol
  116. Hoang-ho’s fount in a sea of stars.
  117. Ouang tchi slew Ahama. Ouen Tiensiang was faithful.
  118. War scares interrupt commerce. Money was now made of brass
  119. and profit on arms went to the government
  120. wine taxed high, settlers licensed.
  121. Lou-chi brought back the grafters (Ahama’s)
  122. and boosted the tea tax
  123. Tchin-kin disgusted by the size of the tax receipts
  124. and L Sieuen staved off a war with Japan
  125. staved off a war on Annam
  126. said: Taxes are not abundance
  127. Yeliu resumed the imperial college, gathering scholars
  128. KUBLAI was a buggar for taxes
  129. Sangko stinking with graft
  130. Ouantse made a law code
  131. eliminated 250 tribunals, that mostly did nowt but tax
  132. KUBLAI died heavy with years
  133. his luck was good ministers, save for the treasury.
  134. ‘As hunger alone drove them to brigandage
  135. they wd/ continue bandits till fed’
  136. This known in the time of TIMOUR
  137. The last SUNG fled in what was left of a navy
  138. went down in sea waves, came mongols
  139. of Ghengiz
  140. rose KUBLAI
  141. HIA, CHANG, TCHEOU
  142. were great lines till Kungfutseu
  143. Then were HAN
  144. TÇIN
  145. TANG
  146. SUNG
  147. Then these mongols or  YUEN
  148. Ghengiz, Ogotai, KUBLAI KHAN
  149. that came into Empire
  150. From the Isle of Yai, no more SUNG counting
  151. and mogols stood over all China
  152. 89 years more till MING came, 1368
  153. that is from Ghengiz an hundred and 60 (Cambuskin)
  154. And in south province Tchin Tiaouen had risen
  155. and took the city of Tchang tcheou
  156. offered marriage to Ouang Chi,
  157. who said: It is an honour.
  158. I must first bury Kanouen. His body is heavy.
  159. His ashes were light to carry
  160. Bright was the flame for Kanouen
  161. Ouang Chi cast herself into it, Faithful forever
  162. High the hall TIMOUR made her.

  163. And in the 8th moon the public works and corvée department
  164. presented GIN TSONG a volume on mulberry culture
  165. by Miao Haokien where he explains in detail the
  166. growing of silk worms
  167. and of unwinding cocoons
  168. and the Emperor had this engraved with all diagrams
  169. and distributed throughout all China
  170. nor had any emperor more care to find men of merit---
  171. doing what KUBLAI had intended---
  172. than had Aïulipata called GIN TSONG
  173. (Algiaptou khan) honouring Kung with the rites.
  174. And his son died of assassins
  175. died of the gang of Tiemoutier, lamas, foés,
  176. shit and religion always stinking in concord
  177. Came Jason against these assassins
  178. came CHUNTI last of the mogul.
  179. Two million families went down in famine
  180. blood rained on the high land
  181. green hair came down like rain
  182. Hanjong levelled the temples
  183. his folk burst into joy
  184. to put land back under tillage
  185. CHUNTI came to the college, as had not in 12 years of reign
  186. gave a silver seal to Kung’s epigon
  187. but gangsters continued
  188. a pirate declined to turn mandarin,
  189. a comet exploded in Pleiades
  190. Hoang-ho shifted its bed
  191. and they said that the Milé Buddha
  192. had come down to turn out the mogul,
  193. pseudo-Sung put on red hats
  194. Tienouan beat the rebels, Taipou was killed by rebels
  195. Singki respected
  196. and the lamas put on a ballet for CHUNTI
  197. in ivory headgear
  198. castagnettes crinkling and clacking, and a Tang dance
  199. without fancy clothes
  200. Kongpei said to Toto: Don’t open dispatches.
  201. Dragon barge drifted with music
  202. Statue poured water amidship
  203. Spirits struck the night watches
  204. they say CHUNTI invented this clockwork
  205. The Red Caps called their candidate Ming Ouan
  206. as if emperor
  207. Left monkhood and put manhood on
  208. to end the line of Ghengiz khan
  209. Yuentchang ceased being hochang
  210. took Ito Yen without pillage
  211. and passed over Kiang river
  212. conquered the Taiping province
  213. Comet in Tchang star, over Tai Ming shone the meteor
  214. broom-shaped
  215. Ming coming out of South Country, In 35 years’ dissolution
  216. CHUNTI ceased from the throne.
  217. Died Yukiou of more than ten wounds
  218. Now in Chang-tou was ruin

  219. the high house of KUBLAI cast down
  220. Came Ming slowly, a thousand, an hundred thousand
  221. the pirate Kouetchin came to him
  222. At court, eunuchs and grafters
  223. among mongols no man trusted other
  224. The empress’ folk in Corea killed off king Peyen
  225. Of MING were now 200,000
  226. that fought three days in the boat fight
  227. there by lake Peyan
  228. to Hoang Ho the river
  229. Yeougin and the Tching brothers
  230. till Leou Lean was arrowed.
  231. And they left Tchin-li his father’s treasure
  232. but took his grain for the people.
  233. Came MING thus to KianKing, say 1368
  234. For crime after TIMOUR the mandate
  235. left YUEN mongols
  236. No slouch ever founded a dynasty
  237. From Ghengiz were 8 score years until MING time
  238. Said now YUENTCHANG
  239. suis fils d’un pauvre laboureur
  240. In a village of Ssetcheou in the province of Kiangnan
  241. at seventeen was made shaveling
  242. then enrolled under Tsehing the captain
  243. This is called Destiny
  244. Schicksal to bring peace to the Empire
  245. Li, Su, Tong and I
  246. were four musketeers
  247. We were workmen in the same village
  248. we were plain sojers together
  249. If we can take Chantong province, we can take Pekin
  250. (and did so, 1368)
  251. He said to Su Ta: Do as you deem
  252. CHANG, CHOU, and HAN rose by talents
  253. Once we four were lucky to have even canvas coats
  254. Mongols are fallen

    53 ideograms 5

  255. from losing the law of Chung Ni
  256. (Confucius)
  257. HAN came from the people 
  258. How many fathers and husbands are fallen
  259. Make census 
  260. Give rice to their families
  261. Give them money for rites
  262. Let rich folk keep their goods by them
  263. Let the poor be provided
  264. I came not against YUEN
  265. but against grafters and rebels
  266. I rebelled not against KUBLAI, not against Ghengizkhan
  267. but against lice that ate their descendants.
  268. TAI TSONG
  269. KAO TSEU
  270. TAI TSOU
  271. and now HONG VOU three hundred, three hundred
  272. each had 300 years by the mandate
  273. five cycles of 60 years
  274. Mongols were an interval
  275. yao shun han chou 1

  276. ‘Once again war is over. Go talk to the savants.’
  277. He gave fur coats to the troops in Ninghia
  278. Showed no zenophobia. Moguls wd/ not have chinese in office.
  279. In Pekin he paid the soldiers
  280. To peasants he gave allotments
  281. gave tools and yoke oxen
  282. No eunuchs to serve save as domestics
  283. ‘Don’t believe all you are told by officials
  284. ‘I suggest’, said HONG VOU, ‘that you get a faculty
  285. a good faculty before increasing the number of students.’
  286. He declined arab cosmetics
  287. Capn Yé-ouang built an ice wall
  288. to keep off the Yuen
  289. which they took for a real wall.
  290. ‘Coreans are gentle by nature’.
  291. and that year the Emperor died.
  292. Five planets were in conjunction.
  293. In ‘84 died General Li-ouen, in ‘85 Su Ta
  294. in 1386 peace
  295. HONG VOU declined a treatise on Immortality
  296. offered by Taozers, Et
  297. En l’an trentunième de son Empire
  298. l’an soixante de son eage
  299. HONG VOU voyant ses forces affoiblir
  300. dict: Que la vertu t’inspire, Tchu-ouen.
  301. Vous, mandarins fidèles, lettrés, gens d’armes
  302. Aidez mon petit-fils à soutenir
  303. La dignité de cest pouvoir
  304. le poids de son office
  305. Et comme au Prince OUEN TI
  306. jadis des HAN
  307. Faictes moi mes funérailles.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1225/65

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1278

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1295

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

b.c. 202
a.d. 265
a.d. 618
a.d. 950

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1312/20