The cantos of ezra pound [from The Cantos of Ezra Pound (1972)]
Yüklə 2,9 Mb.
|
|
8009 since the start of the Tartar war, taxes had risen 8010 Year of drought 77 and the Empress MA CHI answered: 8011 Until now few Empresses' relatives 8012 have been enriched without making trouble 8013 When Ouang Chi's five brothers were lifted 8014 thick fog came on this Empire 8015 'History is a school book for princes.' 8016 HAN HO TI heard men's good counsel 8017 a.d. 107 And in the third moon of the first year of HAN NGAN 8018 the Empress' brother named Teng-tchi refused the honour 8019 of princedom 8020 But gathered scholars and finally heard of Yang-tchin 8021 whom he made governor [Page 281] 8022 and Yang-tchin refused gold of the mandarin 8023 Ouang-mi 8024 earthquakes and eclipses. 8025 And they turned out 300 mandarins 8026 that were creations of Léang-ki 8027 And HUON gave most of the swag to the people a.d. 159 8028 500 million tael 8029 war, taxes, oppression 8030 backsheesh, taoists, bhuddists 8031 wars, taxes, oppressions 8032 And some grandees formed an academy 8033 and the eunuchs disliked the academy 8034 but they never got rid of the eunuchs 8035 Téou-Chi brought back the scholars 8036 and the books were incised in stone a.d. 175 8037 46 tablets set up at the door of the college 8038 inscribed in 5 sorts of character 8039 HAN HUON was run by eunuchs 8040 HAN LING was governed by eunuchs 8041 wars, murders and crime news 8042 HAN sank and there were three kingdoms 8043 and booze in the bamboo grove 8044 where they sang: emptiness is the beginning of all things. 8045 Lieou-Tchin died in hall of the forebears--- 8046 when his father wd/ not die fighting--- 8047 by suicide, slaying his children and consort. 8048 Down! HAN is down. Under TçIN 8049 Tou-yu proposed a bridge over Hoang-ho a.d. 274 8050 TçIN OU TI mourned for Sir Yang-Hou 8051 that had planned the union of empire, 8052 and had named Tou-yu to succeed him 8053 Ouang-siun wrote to his MAJESTY: Wind was against us 8054 at San-chan, we cd/ not sail up the Kiang 8055 nor was there sense in returning. 8056 Not I but Sun-hao's own men sacked his palace.
8058 Was an army and navy dog fight. And after the fall of Sun-hao 8059 his ballet distracted the EMPEROR 8060 were five thousand ballet girls 8061 after the first Quindecennio 8062 And Lieou-Y answered the Emperor: 8063 'Difference, milorr', is that HUON and LING TI 8064 extracted and kept it in public vaults 8065 whereas YR Majesty keeps it in yr/ own private 8066 TçIN OU dismissed too many troops 8067 and was complimented on dragons 8068 (two found in the soldiers' well, green ones) 8069 and the country was run by Yang Siun 8070 while the emperor amused himself in his park 8071 had a light car made, harnessed to sheep 8072 The sheep chose which picnic he went to, 8073 ended his days as a gourmet. Said Tchang, tartar: 8074 Are not all of his protégés flatterers? 8075 How can his county keep peace? 8076 And the prince Imperial went into the cabaret business 8077 and read Lao Tse. 8078 a.d. 317 HOAI TI was deposed, MIN TI taken by tartars 8079 made lackey to Lieou-Tsong of Han 8080 TçIN TCHING cared for the people. 8081 TçIN NGAN died of tonics and taoists 8082 TçIN HIAO told a girl she was 30 8083 and she strangled him 8084 a.d. 396 (piquée de ce badinage) he drunk at the time 8085 Now was therefore SUNG rising. 8086 When Lieou-yu's mother was buried 8087 His dad couldn't hire a nurse for this babby 8088 KAO-TSOU. 8089 last TçIN down in a Bhud mess 8090 KAO TSEU preferred distribution 8091 No pomps in palatio, Made peace with the tartars
8093 Et les Indiens disent que Boudha 8094 in the form of a white buck elephant 8095 slid into Queen Nana's bosom, she virgin, 8096 and after nine months ingestion 8097 emerged on the dexter side 8098 The Prince of Ouei put out hochangs 8099 put out the shamen and Taotssé 8100 a.d. 444, putt 'em OUT 8102 'Let artisans teach their sons crafts' 8103 Found great store of arms in a temple 8104 Then To-pa-tao went after the shave-heads, the hochang 8105 And the censor finally printed his placet 8106 against extortionate judgements and greed of 8107 the High Judge Yupingtchi a.d. 448 8108 OUEN TI reduced him (Yupingtchi) 8109 And there was peace between Sung land and Oueï land 8110 and they ordered more war machines à la Valturio 8111 conscriptions, assassins, taoists 8112 taxes still in the hands of the princes 8113 OU TI had 'em centralized 8114 Yen Yen was frugal. Oueï prince went pussyfoot 8115 And the rites of Tien, that is Heaven 8116 were ploughing and the raising of silk worms 8117 OU TI ploughed his festival furrow a.d. 460 8118 his Empress did rite of the silk worms 8119 Then OU went gay and SUNG ended. 8120 Thus was it with Kao's son that was Siao, that was called 8121 as Emperor 8122 OU TI 8123 collecter of vases 8124 (Topas were in Ouei country, they were Tartar) 8125 bhuddists, hochangs, serendipity 8126 'Man's face is a flag' said Tan Tchin
8128 a.d. 'Wheat is by sweat of the people' 8129 503-550 So OU TI of LEANG had a renaissance 8130 Snow lay in Ping Tching till June 8131 Emp'r'r huntin' and the Crown Prince full of saki 8132 And Topa Hong came south under the rain 8133 'No lack of students, few wise. 8134 Perhaps this is due to the colleges.' 8135 And Topa, who was Lord of the Earth called himself Yuen 8136 and there was a hand-out to the aged 8137 halls were re-set to Kung-fu-tseu 8138 yet again, allus droppin' 'em and restorin' 'em 8139 after intervals. And there was war on the Emperor OU TI 8140 Hochang consider their own welfare only. 8141 And the 46 tablets that stood still there in Yo Lang 8142 were broken and built into Foé's temple (Foé's, that is 8143 goddam bhuddists.) 8144 this was under Hou-chi the she empress. 8145 OU TI went into cloister 8146 Empire rotted by hochang, the shave-heads, and 8147 Another boosy king died. Snow alone kept out the tartars 8148 And men turned their thought toward Ouen Ti 8149 Yang-kien of Soui set men to revise his law code 8150 Sou-ouei advised him, grain went into his granaries 8151 HEOU raised the Three Towers 8152 sat late and wrote verses 8153 His mandate was ended. 8154 a.d. 581 Came the XIIth dynasty: SOUI 8155 YANG-KIEN, rough, able, wrathy 8156 flogged a few every day 8157 and sacrificed on Mt Taï Chan 8158 Built Gin Cheou the palace 8159 pardoned those who stood up to him. 8160 Touli-Kahn, tartar, was given a princess 8161 now was contempt of scholars
8163 and failed with his family 8164 YANG (kouang) TI ordered more buildings 8165 jobs for two millyum men 8166 and filled his zoological gardens 8167 1600 leagues of canals 40 ft wide for the 8168 honour of YANG TI of SOUI 8169 the stream Kou-choui was linked to Hoang Ho the river 8170 great works by oppression 8171 by splendid oppression 8172 the Wall was from Yu-lin to Tsé-ho 8173 and a million men worked on that wall. 8174 Pei-kiu was tactful with traders, 8175 knowing that YANG liked news from afar, 8176 with what he learned of the Si-yu he mapped 48 kingdoms. 8177 KONG sank in abuleia. TANG rising. 8178 And the first TANG was KAO TSEU, the starter. a.d. 618 8179 And that year died Li-Chi that had come to his rescue 8180 with a troop of 10,000. The war drums beat at her funeral 8181 And her husband drove back the tartars, Tou-kou-hoen. 8182 Fou stood against foé, damn bhuddists 8183 When TAÏ TSONG came to be emperor he turned out 3000 8184 fancies 8185 Built thus for two hundred years TANG 8186 And there were ten thousand students. 8187 Fou-Y saying they use muzzy language 8188 the more to mislead folk. 8189 Kung is to China as is water to fishes. 8190 War, letters, to each a time. 8191 Provinces by mountain and rivers divided. 8192 'A true prince wants his news straight' 8193 TAÏ TSONG was no friend to taozers hochangs and foés. 8194 Was observer of seasons, saying: 8195 Take not men from the plough 8196 Let judges fast for three days before passing capital sentence
8198 made the Emperor put on his best clothes 8199 Said: in war time we want men of ability 8200 in peace we want also character 8201 300 were unjailed to do their spring ploughing 8202 and they all came back in October 8203 'I grew with the people' said TAÏ TSONG 8204 'my son in the palace' 8205 Died KAO TSEU the emperor's father 8206 635 anno domini 8207 Died the Empress Tchang-sun CHI 8208 leaving 'Notes for Princesses' 8209 And TAÏ in his law code cut 92 reasons for death sentence 8210 and 71 for exile 8211 as they had been under SOUI 8212 And there were halls to Confucius and Tchéou-Kong 8213 Ma-tchéou spoke against corvées 8214 that had been under SOUI 8215 Grain price was high when TAÏ entered 8216 a small measure cost one bolt of silk, entire. 8217 If a prince piles up treasure 8218 he shares only his surplus 8219 Lock not up the people's subsistence. Said TAÏ TSONG: 8220 let a prince be cited for actions. 8221 A measure of rice now cost three or four denars, 8222 that wd/ feed one man for one day. 8223 Oueï-tching spoke his mind to the Emperor. Died a.d. 643. 8224 And there were plots in palatio. 8225 TAÏ TSONG had a letch for Corea 8226 And an embassy came from north of the Caspian 8227 from Koulihan of short nights 8228 where there is always light over horizon 8229 and from the red-heads of Kieï-kou 8230 Blue-eyed and their head man was Atchen or Atkins Chélisa [Page 287] 8231 And the Emperor TAÏ TSONG left his son 'Notes on 8232 Conduct' 8233 whereof the 3rd treats of selecting men for a cabinet 8234 whereof the 5th says that they shd/ tell him his faults 8235 the 7th: maintain abundance 8236 The 10th a charter of labour 8237 and the last on keepin' up kulchur 8238 Saying 'I have spent money on palaces 8239 too much on 'osses, dogs, falcons 8240 but I have united the Hempire (and you 'aven't) 8241 Nothing harder than to conquer a country 8242 and damn'd easy to lose one, in fact there 8243 ain't anything heasier. 8244 Died TAÏ TSONG in the 23rd of his reign. 8245 And left not more than fifty men in all jails of the empire 8246 none of 'em complaining of judgement. 8247 And the tartars wanted to die at his funeral 8248 and wd/ have, if TAÏ hadn't foreseen it 8249 and writ expressly that they should not. 8250 Then the Empress Ou-heou ran the country 8251 toward ruin 8252 but TAÏ TSONG'S contraption still worked--- a.d. 662 8253 local administrations in order 8254 Tching-gintai drove after tartars, 8255 his men perished in snow storms 8256 and the hochang ran the old empress 8257 the old bitch ruled by prescription and hochangs 8258 who told her she was the daughter of Buddha 8259 Tartars remembering TAÏ TSONG 8260 held up the state of TAÏ TSONG 8261 young TCHONG was run by his wife. 8262 Honour to HIEUN 'to hell with embroideries, a.d. 8263 to hell with the pearl merchants' 713-756 8264 HIEUN measured shadows at solstice 8265 polar star at 34.4
8267 at Lang-tchéou was 29 and a half 8268 Tsiun-Y 34° and 8 lines 8269 For five years no taxes in Lou-tchéou 8270 census 41 million, 726 anno domini 8271 And HIEUN TSONG decreed Kung posthumous honours 8272 That he shd/ be henceforth called prince not mere 'maistre' 8273 in all rites 8274 and we were sad that the north cities, Chépoutching 8275 and Ngan-yong were in hands of the tartars 8276 (Tou-san) 8277 And there came a taozer babbling of the elixir 8278 that wd/ make men live without end 8279 and the taozer died very soon after that. 8280 And plotters cried out against the Queen Koué-fei 8281 a.d. 756 'a rebel's daughter' and killed her. 8282 Tchang-siun fighting for SOU TSONG had need of arrows 8283 and made then 1200 straw men which he set in dark 8284 under wall at Yong-kieu 8285 and the tartars shot these full of arrows. And next night 8286 Colonel Tchang set out real men, and the tartars withheld 8287 their arrows 8288 till Tchang's men were upon them. 8289 To SOU TSONG they sent rhinoceri and elephants dancing 8290 and bowing, but when Li-yen 8291 sent TÉ TSONG a memorial on the nuances of clouds our lord 8292 TÉ TSONG replied that plentiful harvests were prognastics 8293 more to 8294 his taste than strange animals 8295 or even new botanical specimens and other natural what-nots 8296 Cock fighting wastes palace time 8297 So they set up another tribunal 8298 to watch mandarins 8299 and no new temples to idols 8300 700,000 men in the army
8302 and in grain 20 million measures of 100 lbs each. 8303 Nestorians entered, General Kouo-tsé-y 8304 is named in their monument. 8305 Such bravery and such honesty, 30 years without rest. 8306 And more goddam Tartars bust loose again 8307 better war than peace with these tartars 8308 Taxes rising, Li-ching had a liaison 8309 And TÉ-TSONG rode apart from his huntsmen in the hunting 8310 by Sintien 8311 and went into a peasant's house incognito 8312 And said: 8313 we had good crops for two years or three years 8314 and no war. 8315 And the peasant said: bé, if we have had 8316 good crops for two years or three years 8317 you've got no taxes to pay to the Emperor 8318 we used to pay twice a year and no extras 8319 and now they do nothing but think up new novelties 8320 We pay the usual tithe, and if there's a full crop 8321 They come round to squeeze more of it out of us 8322 and beat down our prices, and then 8323 sell it back again to us 8324 or else we have to get pack animals 8325 or wear out our own, so that I can't keep a tael quiet. 8326 Does this mean contentment?' 8327 Whereon TÉ TSONG did nothing 8328 save exempt that one peasant from corvée. 8329 and then laid a tea tax 8330 Empresses, rebels, tartars 8331 six months without rain. 8332 Died TÉ-TSONG; the deceived. a.d. 805 [Page 290] LV 8333 a.d. 805 Orbem bellis, urbem gabellis 8334 implevit 8335 And the troops not even paid 8336 And TCHUN the new Lord was dying 8337 but awoke to name Li-Chun his heir 8338 And at this time died Ouei-Kao the just taxer 8339 that set up pensions for widows 8340 His temple stands to this day 8341 that his soldiers built for him. 8342 Honour to TCHUN-TSONG the sick man. 8343 'Cut it! you bastard' said Lin-Yun 8344 'Do you take my neck for a whetstone?' 8345 And the rebel Lieou Pi was delighted. 8346 And the censors said Liki has hogged ten provinces' treasure 8347 If these go to the national treasury 8348 they will go out of circulation 8349 the people thereby deprived, 8350 so HIEN-TSONG threw this into commerce
8351 [Image] [Page 291]
8353 the army 800 thousand 8354 not tilling the earth 8355 And half of the Empire tao-tse hochangs and merchants 8356 so that with so many hochangs and mere shifters 8357 three tenths of the folk fed the whole empire, yet 8358 HIEN reduced the superfluous mandarins 8359 and remitted taxes in Hoai 8360 Li Kiang and Tien Hing were his ministers 8361 remembering TCHING-OUANG, KANG, 8362 HAN-OUEN and HAN KING TI 8363 'Men are the basis of empire', said our lord HIEN-TSONG 8364 yet he died of the elixir, 8365 fooled by the eunuchs, and more Tou-san (tartars) a.d. 820 8366 were raiding 8367 MOU-TSONG drove out the taozers 8368 but refused to wear mourning for HIEN his father. 8369 The hen sang in MOU'S time, racin', jazz dancin' 8370 and play-actors, Tartars still raidin' 8371 MOU'S first son was strangled by eunuchs, 8372 Came OUEN-TSONG and kicked out 3000 fancies 8373 let loose the falcons 8374 yet he also was had by the eunuchs after 15 years reign 8375 OU-TSONG destroyed hochang pagodas, 8376 spent his time drillin' and huntin' 8377 Brass idols turned into ha'pence 8378 chased out the bonzes from temples 8379 46 thousand temples 8380 chased out the eunuchs 8381 and Tsaï-gin whom he had wished to make empress 8382 hanged herself after his death 8383 saying: I follow to the nine fountains' 8384 So SIUEN decreed she shd/ be honoured as First Queen 8385 of OU-TSONG [Page 292] 8386 Ruled SIUEN with his mind on the 'Gold Mirror' of 8387 a.d. 846 TAI TSONG 8388 Wherein is written: In time of disturbance 8389 make use of all men, even scoundrels. 8390 In time of peace reject no man who is wise. 8391 HIEN said: no rest for an emperor. A little spark 8392 lights a great deal of straw. 8393 SIUEN'S income was 18 million strings of a thousand 8395 not counting grain, silk etc. 8396 (calculated at french louis d'or 1770 8397 say about 90 millyun pund sterling) 8398 A man who remembered faces 8399 and had by the taozers 8400 tho' he stood for just price and sound paper 8401 13 years on the throne. 8402 Y TSONG his son brought a jazz age HI-TSONG 8403 a.d. 860 cock fights poverty archery 8404 Squabbles of governors, eunuchs 8405 Sun Te put out the Eunuchs 8406 and got himself murdered 8407 Then came little dynasties, came by murder, by treason, with 8408 the Prince of TçIN rising. 8409 Li-ké-Yong is not dead' said Tchu 8410 'for his son prolongs him' 8411 whereas my sons are mere pigs and dogs. 8412 HIU cut down taxes and douanes 8413 was hell on extorters 8414 10 years chançons de gestes 8415 Khitans rising, Yeliou Apaoki and Chuliu, some gal, 8416 HIU, gallant, pugnacious. So they said 8417 In the city of Tching-tcheou are women like clouds 8418 of heaven, 8419 Silk, gold, piled mountain high. [Page 293] 8420 Take it before Prince Tçin gets there. 8421 Thus Ouang Yeou to the Khitan of Apaoki 8422 whose son was lost in the mulberry forest 8423 Thus came TçIN into Empire 8424 calling themselves later TANG a.d. 923 8425 hunters and jongleurs. Comedians were the king's eyes 8426 but unstable. 8427 Took Chou land in 70 days without disorder 8428 A Prince this was, but no Emperor, paladin, useless to rule. 8429 Tartar Yuen ruled as protector 8430 cut down taxes, analphabetic. 8431 And yet he set all the hawks loose, 8432 said huntin' is hell on the crops 8433 This Li-ssé Yuen, called MING TSONG, had eight years of 8434 good reign 8435 Li Tsongkou ruled his troops by affection 8436 was Prince of Lou at this time a.d. 934 8437 that is Kungfutseu's country. 8438 The dowager empress chose him 8439 a great captain under MING TSONG 8440 and they needed troops for defence against tartars 8441 in Chéking-Tang's department 8442 Called Apaoki son of Chuliu to assist them 8443 And Chéking Tang founded a dynasty 8444 coming up from the ranks 8445 Dry spring, a dry summer 8446 locusts and rain in autumn 8447 and beyond that, lack of specie 8448 tax collectors inhuman. 8449 Chuliu a great Queen of the Tartar 8450 Te Kouang put the emperor in a temple 8451 and supplied him with comforts 8452 tartars put on chinese clothes 8453 Ouan soui!! ten thousand a.d. 947 8454 evviva, evviva Lieou-Tchi-Yuen.
8456 And the tartars called their dead emperor 'salted' 8457 And it wd/ be now 13 years until SUNG. 8458 Teoui-tchéou said: Lou land has produced only writers. 8459 Said TAÏ-TSOU: KUNG is the master of emperors. 8460 and they brought out Ou-tchao's edition, 953, 8461 And TAÏ ordered himself a brick tomb with no flummery 8462 no stone men sheep or tigers 8463 CHI-TSONG in the thick by Tçé-tchéou, against Han 8464 and tartars 8465 sent reserve troops to the left wing 8466 while he held firm on the right, 8467 saying: now, that they think they have beaten us! 8468 And CHI cleared out the temples and hochang 8469 cleared out 30 thousand temples 8470 and that left 26 hundred 8471 with 60 thousand bonzes and bonzesses. 8472 Chou coin was of iron 8473 And CHI'S men drove the Tang boats from the 8474 Hoaï-ho 8475 all north of the great Kiang was to CHI-TSONG. 8476 who lent grain to Hoaï-nan devast. 8477 Died Ouang-po the advisor. 8478 SUNG was for 300 years. 8479 Light was in his birth room and fragrance 8480 as if it were almond boughs 8481 Red the robe of his dynasty 8482 pourvou que ça doure, said his mother 8483 He said: let brothers inherit 8484 you are not here by virtush/ 8485 the last HAN was a minor Yüklə 2,9 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|