(1) 滕王高閣臨江渚 (2) 佩玉鳴鸞罷歌舞 (3) 畫棟朝飛南浦雲 (4) 珠簾暮卷西山雨 (5) 閒雲潭影日悠々 (6) 物換星移幾度秋 (7) 閣中帝子今何在 (8) 檻外長江空自流 The Chinese would read the poem in this style:— (1) _T’eng wang kao kê lin kiang chu_ (2) _P’ei yü ming luan pa kê wu_ (3) _Hua tung ch’ao fei nan p’u yün_ (4) _Chu lien mu kuan hsi shan yü_ (5) _Hsien yün t’an ying jih yu yu_ (6) _Wu huan hsing i chi tu ch’iu_ (7) _Kê chung ti tzu kin hê tsai_ (8) _Kien wai ch’ang kiang k’ung tzu liu._ The Japanese would read it in an entirely different manner:— (1) _Tō-ō no kōkaku kōsho ni nozomeri_ (2) _Haigyoku meiran kabu wo yamu_ (3) _Gwatō ashita ni tobu nanpo no kumo_ (4) _Shuren kare ni maku seizan no ame_ (5) _Kan-un tan-ei hi ni yū-yū_ (6) _Mono kawari hoshi utsuru ikutabi no aki_ (7) _Kakuchū no teishi ima izuku ni zo aru_ (8) _Kangwai no chōkō munashiku onozukara nagaru._ We will next give a word-for-word translation of the Chinese:— (1) T’eng prince high tower overlook river shore (2) Gird jewel sound bell stop song dance (3) Picture roof-tree morning fly south coast cloud (4) Crimson blind evening roll west hill rain (5) Quiet cloud deep-water shadow day far far (6) Thing change star move how many time autumn (7) Tower interior emperor son now where is (8) Balustrade outside long river vain of-itself flow. The following translation into intelligible English will help to show the elliptical character of Chinese poetry:— (1) The high palace of Prince T’eng looks down upon river and shore; (2) No more, in cars with jewels decked and tinkling bells, the courtiers come for song and dance, (3) Around the painted roofs fly at morn the clouds from the southern coast; (4) The crimson blinds, rolled up at eve, reveal the rain on the western hill; (5) And far away appear the quiet clouds and darkling pools. (6) Things change, time passes, and how many years are gone? (7) And the prince of this palace, where is he now? (8) The long river beyond the balustrade flows on alone and unchanged. Chinese poetry has, it will be seen, the conciseness of a skeleton telegram; but in elasticity and pregnancy of meaning, in disregard of time and, indeed, in contempt of grammar, no telegram, skeleton or other, can come up to it. [Illustration: TEA-MAKING.]