LVIII

 

  1. Sinbu put order in Sun land, Nippon, in the beginning of all things

  2. where were DAI till Shogun Joritomo

  3. These Dai were of heaven descended, so saying.

  4. Gods were their forebears. Till the Shogun

  5. or crown general put an end to internal wars

  6. And DAI were but reges sacrificioli after this time

  7. in Miaco, with formalities

  8. wearing gold-flowered robes.

  9. At each meal was a new clay dish for their service

  10. ‘Descended from Ten Seo DAISIN

  11. that had reigned for a million years.’

  12. All these lords say they are of heaven descended

  13. and they ran into debt to keep up appearance

  14. they were there busy with sciences, poetry, history

  15. dancing, in Miaco, and music, playing at jeu de paume and escrime

  16. with a garrison to keep watch on ’em

  17. and to keep ’em from interfering with business.

  18. So came a ‘butler to a person of quality’

  19. Messire Undertree

  20. a slave, in Sa Mo a fish-vendor

  21. a stud-keeper,

  22. that made war on Corea

  23. and was called WAR GOD post mortem

  24. And because of the hauteur of

  25. Portagoose prelates, they drove the Xtians out of Japan

  26. till were none of that sect in the Island

  27. And in the 5th moon of the 20th year of OUAN LI

  28. with ships new conditioned

  29. Messire Undertree went against the Lord Lipan

  30. boozing king of Korea

  31. and four towns opened their gates to the Nippons

  32. and he, Undertree, came to Pinyang the chief city

  33. destroying the royal tombs

  34. and the Koreans ran yowling to China

  35. seeking help of the emperor OUAN LI

  36. At this time were ‘the pirates incorporate

  37. Ku ching the imperial tutor said: I was seduced by imposters

  38. CHIN SONG had come aged 10 to the throne

  39. And on t’other side was the question of horse fairs, and tartars

  40. of whom were Nutché or savage,

  41. these traded at Kaiyuen

  42. and the other great hordes, Pe and Nan-koan

  43. that were beyond the great wall fighting each other

  44. and the Nutché gave refuge to mongols

  45. when the mongrels were driven from China by MING lords

  46. and they were so poor they were driven to peddling

  47. ginseng, beaver pelts horse hair

  48. and fur of martes zibbeline

  49. seven such hordes united, and drave MING before them

  50. But Nutché of Nankoen, first fought the wild Nutché

  51. in the 4th year of Suen Te

  52. They stopped paying tribute 1430 or thereabouts

  53. and a diplomat said to the Tartars:

  54. You have lost yr/ market for ginseng

  55. you have lost horse fairs

  56. by fighting each other.

  57. And on t’other side, was Undertree making war in Korea

  58. and Père Ricci brought a clock to the Emperor

  59. that was set in a tower

  60. And Ku Tchang wasn’t safe, even buried,

  61. Court ladies in cabal, gangsters set to defame him.

  62. till his son hanged himself from the worry.

  63. And the eunuchs of Tientsin brought Père Mathieu to court

  64. where the Rites answered:

  65. Europe has no bonds with our empire

  66. and never receives our law

  67. As to these images, pictures of god above and a virgin

  68. they have little intrinsic worth. Do gods rise boneless to heaven

  69. that we shd/ believe your bag of their bones?

  70. The Han Yu tribunal therefore considers it useless

  71. to bring such novelties into the PALACE,

  72. we consider it ill advised, and are contrary

  73. to receiving either these bones or père Mathieu.

  74. The emperor CHIN TSONG received him.

  75. ten thousand brave men, ten thousand

  76. desperate sieges

  77. like bells or a ghazel

  78. treacheries, and romances,

  79. and now the bull tanks didn’t work

  80. from the beginning of China, great generals, faithful adherents,

  81. To echo, desperate sieges, sell outs

  82. bloody resistance, and now the bull tanks didn’t work

  83. sieges from the beginning of time until now.

  84. sieges, court treasons and laziness.

  85. Against order, lao, bhud and lamas,

  86. night clubs, empresses’ relatives, and hoang miao,

  87. poisoning life with mirages, ruining order; TO KALON

  88. And Ti Koen heard cries from the forest

  89. whence came the bull tanks

  90. came great cars built like ships fifteen feet high

  91. by a hundred, three deckers.

  92. carried on great wheels of stone

  93. drawn each by an hundred or more hundred oxen

  94. But Tchu-yé and his men

  95. made their sortie

  96. Cast petards that frightened the oxen,

  97. thereby war cars were turned over.

  98. and Tchu-yé’s men slaughtered the siegers

  99. HOAI TSONG fell before tartars, 5 ly from Tsunhoa

  100. TAI TSONG of Manchu took them the law from China

  101. forbade manchus marry their sisters

  102. Yellow belt for the Emperor

  103. red belt for the princess of blood

  104. Told all to cut off their pig tails

  105. and south Ming had to fear more from rottenness inside

  106. than from the Manchu north and north east.

  107. Li koen viceroy had spent all this money, not paying the troops

  108. who turned bandit.

  109. And the Lord of MANCHU wrote to the MING lord saying:

  110. We took arms against oppression

  111. and from fear of oppression

  112. not that we wish to rule over you

  113. When in Suen fou I met with YR officers

  114. I sacrificed on this oath, a black bull to earth

  115. a white horse to the Spirit of Heaven

  116. although they were quite subordinate officers

  117. I did this from respect to YR PERSON

  118. as peace oath

  119. to show that we wanted peace

  120. Whereto all my actions have tended

  121. I offered to extradite criminals

  122. to give back droves stolen

  123. And to this offer I had no answer

  124. I don’t mean no proper answer

  125. I had no answer whatever

  126. And Kong Yeou came to join TAI TSONG

  127. and Tai sent an hetman to greet this Kong, rebel,

  128. who came with boats arms munitions and furniture,

  129. an hundred thousand folk came with Kong Yeou

  130. And TAI TSONG said: No tartars favoured of heaven 

  131. have stayed boxed within their own customs 

  132. Moguls took letters from lamas

  133. I a free lord without overlord

  134. will adopt such law as I like, in my right to adopt it

  135. I take letters from China 

  136. which is not to say that I take orders from any man 

  137. I take laws, but not orders.

  138. Thereafter he graded his officers

  139. Aba tchan, Maen tchan, Tihali tchan

  140. on mandarin system

  141. and four more islands came to him

  142. and he TAI set exams in the Chinese manner

  143. for 16 bachelors, first class

  144. 31 bachelors, seconds, and 181 thirds

  145. and he made a Berlitz, Manchu, chinese and mongul

  146. and gave prizes, and camped next year Kourbang tourha

  147. Here Mongrels came to him, and thence into China southward

  148. by gorges

  149. the gorges of Ho-che near Ton,

  150. and by Tai chen gorge west of Taitong

  151. naming Chensi as next place of muster

  152. (TAI TSONG, son of TAI TSOU, ruling from Mougden)

  153. 1625/35

  154. Chose learning from Yao, Shun and Kungfutseu,

  155. from Yu leader of waters.

  156. And in the seventh moon this monarch of Tartary

  157. coming near unto Suen-hoa-fou wrote to the governor:

  158. Your sovran treats me as enemy

  159. without asking what forces my action

  160. you are, indeed, subjects of a great realm

  161. but the larger that empire, the more shd/ it strive toward peace

  162. If children are cut off from parents

  163. if wives can not see their husbands

  164. if yr houses are devast and your riches carried away

  165. this is not of me but of mandarins

  166. Not I but yr/ emperor slaughters you

  167. and yr/ overlords who take no care of yr/ people

  168. and count soldiers as nothing.

  169. And toward the end of the 8th moon

  170. Tengyun sent in dispatches: I have beaten the tartars

  171. I have slaughtered great numbers. Which he had not.

  172. Whereup TAI TSONG wrote him: I will send a thousand

  173. to meet any ten thousand

  174. If you fear to risk that, send a thousand

  175. I will meet them with an hundred

  176. Hoping this will teach you not to lie to your Emperor.

  177. And after the next raid offered peace.

  178. And after vain waiting an answer

  179. His tartar folk again asked him to be Emperor

  180. and he said: If the King of Corea accepts me

  181. Whereon the Tartars wrote the King of Korea:

  182. Eight ROYAL PRINCES OF MANCHU

  183. 18 great lords of our banners to the King of Corea

  184. As heaven appears to desire it 

  185. we accept our King to be Emperor

  186. having begged him to take this mandate.

  187. The Mogul princes have joined us

  188. HONG VOU brought the land under one rule

  189. Before him the Kin were united

  190. and after them was YUEN, entirety

  191. And the Mongols wrote to Corea:

  192. 49 PRINCES MOGUL; to the King of Corea

  193. 200 years under MING

  194. and now turn against them

  195. because of the crimes of their mandarins

  196. we join Manchu to make end of oppression

  197. The weakness of the Ming troops, the faithlessness of their commanders

  198. show that their MANDATE is fallen

  199. we now recognize TAI TSONG of MANCHU

  200. Our blood in his service

  201. For two years we have besought him to take IMPERIAL title

  202. Four hundred thousand Mogul, their quivers and arrows

  203. are back of this.

  204. And Corea replied in the negative

  205. And next year TAI TSONG took throne

  206. third moon, 1635 anno domini

  207. Put the three races in office

  208. as moguls after Ghengis had not done

  209. and continued the raiding ...

  210. round Peking, into Shantung (gallice Chantong)

  211. and into Kiangnan, returning with plunder.

  212. Thus until Ousan invited them to put down the rebels.

  213. Rice was at one mark silver the measure

  214. in Kaï fong

  215. and human meat sold in market

  216. Litse’s gangsters over all Honan

  217. Li Sao: weep, weep over Kaïfong; Kientsong the bloody

  218. and Litse called himself Emperor

  219. Ming troops were unpaid

  220. Eunuchs devoured the taxes; the Prime minister

  221. could not get hold of them

  222. And the castrats opened the gates of Pekin to rebels

  223. till HOEI died hung in his belt

  224. and there was blood in the palace. Li Sao; Li Sao,

  225. wrong never ending

  226. Likoue: faithful to death, and then after

  227. and in this day Ousan asked in the Manchu

  228. TAI TSONG was dead these two years;

  229. his brothers ruling as counsel.

  230. Atrox MING, atrox finis

  231. the nine gates were in flame.

  232. Manchu with Ousan put down many rebels

  233. Ousan offered to pay off these Manchu

  234. who replied then with courtesy:

  235. we came for Peace not for payment.

  236. came to bring peace to the Empire

  237. in Pekin they cried OUAN SOUI

  238. a thousand, ten thousand years, A NOI

  239. eijen, ouan soui; Ousan, Ousan

  240. peace maker Ousan, in the river, reeds,

  241. flutes murmured Ousan

  242. Brought peace into China; brought in the Manchu

  243. Litse thought to gain Ousan,

  244. roused Ousan and Ousan

  245. remembered his father

  246. dead by the hand of Litse.

  247. τάδ᾽ὦδ᾽ἔχει

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a.d. 1578