NEW MONTHLY No. 79.] MAGAZINE. AUGUST 1, 1820. POETRY OF THE JAPANESE. CONCERNING the literature, and particularly the poetry of the Japanese, but little is known. Captain Golownin, the latest writer on Japan, in the Narrative of his Captivity, says, that he considers the Japanese as the most enlightened people in the world, for education is so generally diffused among them, that there is not an individual, even of the meanest rank, who does not know how to read and write. Captain Golownin gives some very curious information respecting the Japanese language, but he had few opportunities of becoming acquainted with the literature of the country. The extracts which we here present to our readers, are from a work just published by M. Titsingh, who for the space of fourteen years resided at the Dutch factory at Naugasakay, where the respect with which he was treated, and his intimacy with many of the most distinguished natives of the country, enabled him to acquire the most correct information on a variety of subjects interesting to Europeans. The Japanese suffer no event, possessing the least degree of interest, to pass away without rendering it a subject for the exercise of their taste for poetry. The following quotations from some poetic effusions on the death of Yahmahsseero, may afford an idea of the style of their poetry, and the energy of their language +. Kee rah ray tah vah Bah kah to see yo ree to Kee koo tah fah yah Yah mah mo o see ro mo Sah vah goo sin bahn. A councillor of state, who was assassinated. + M. Titsingh at first endeavoured to translate these Japanese lines, word for word; but he renounced this difficult task, and substituted a free translation for the literal version. In fulfilment of his intention to afford the reader an accurate notion of Japanese poetry, the exact sense is given line for line in Latin, and M. Titsingh's paraphrase is also inserted. NEW MONTHLY MAG.-No. 79. Præcidisse Consiliarium minorem Nuper audivi, In montis castello [VOL. XIV. Turbas excitantem, novum custodem. "I have just learned that one of the new guards has excited a tumult in the castle, by assassinating a councillor in his folly." Yah mah see ro no Rubentemque consiliarium "The white robe of Yahmahsseero is stained with blood, and all call him the red councillor." Ah soo mah see no Sahn no no vah tahree nee Per Sahnno vicum irruentes, Terram lacunæ perfosscrunt "The current which, on the Eastern road, crosses the village Sahnno, has swelled, and penetrated the dike round the quagmire, and the high castle of the mountain has fallen down." Fah tsee oo yay tay Quis in ignem projecit ? Sahnno quidem eas præcidit. "Who has cast into the fire the plum and cherry-trees?—valuable trees, which are planted in boxes, for the sake of their agreeable flowers? Sahnno has cut them down." Præcidit (consiliarium) Vesanus consiliarius, Dicere possumus, Si prius talia unquam audiverimus, "A councillor, in his madness, has been overthrown; if ever such an event was heard of, it may be said to be a punishment of Heaven." REMARKS ON THE PRECEDING Bahkah tosee yoree. An extraordinary councillor is called vahkah tosee yoree, or young councillor ; the change of the first letter of his name gives this new signification, and this play of words proves how much he was despised. Yahmah seero no. Yahmah means mountain, and seero, castle; no is a particle which has no meaning, but which confers expression and elegance on the language: it is used both in prose and verse. In these two words the name and rank of the murdered person, as well as the spot where the assassination took place, are described; the palace of the Djogoon being situated in the last enclosure of the castle, on a height. Sahvahgoo sin bahn, signifies properly a new fashion which makes a great noise but these words are here metaphorically used for a new guard. Seero no Okosoday: a loose upper robe of white, which no one has the privilege of wearing, except those who bear the title of Kahmee, women and priests. an Ahsoomah.-Yedo, according to the division of the empire, lies on the road to the east of Meeyako, which is its capital. Ahsoomah is old word, of which some persons thus explain the origin. Tatshay bahnah feemay, the wife of Yahmahtto dahkay no meekotto, being, with her husband, overtaken by a storm at sea, threw herself overboard to appease the fury of the sea deity, Reeoozeen, and was drowned. Her husband, having landed, ascended the mountain Oosooee, which commanded an extensive prospect over all the eastern part of the country. There, recollecting the sacrifice of his beloved wife, he exclaimed, uttering a profound sigh:Ahtsoomah! or, my wife! Hence, it is said, Japan received the name of Keesee kokf, or the country of women: others allege that the name is derived from Tensio Daïseen, from whom the Japanese believe they are descended. -: When the provinces Odjo and Deva, opposite to the island of Yeso, were in a desert state, the inhabitants were styled Ahsoomah eebees, or rude and savage people; and the term is still applied to any one who is vulgar and ill-educated. Sahnno; the name of a village, which is intersected by a great river, over which is a bridge of boats, fastened together by chains. It presents a superb aspect, and has been the subject of some very beautiful poetry. Googeen presented it to one of the ancestors of Sinsayemon, as a reward for the services he had rendered him in war. Tahnomah :—tah, arable ground; nomah, or noomah, a quagmire. When a quagmire happens to be situated near arable ground, the farmers separate it by a dike. Here the word alludes to the father of Yahmahsseero, who was compared to a quagmire, on account of the innovations he meditated, and which made him disliked. Yahmahsseero is properly the name of a castle on a mountain; a castle on the sea-shore is called Oomee seero; and one in a valley receives the appellation of Feerah seero. This line is an allusion to the following story : Under the 88th Dairi, Go fookakoosano-in, Fosio toki yori was prime minister to Yori-tsoogoo and Moone taka sin-o, Djogoons of Kamakoora. Under his administration the empire flourished, and the people were happy in the full enjoyment of their rights. In the eleventh month of the eighth year Ken-tsho (the year 1256), Toki-Yori having formed the determination of travelling through the empire, in order to ascertain, from his own observations, whether the reports which he received from different quarters were correct, resigned his post in favour of his son, Toki Moone, who was then only six years old; appointing Naga-toki and Masa-moora to fulfil the functions of prime minister until the child should be of a fit age to act for himself. Toki-Yori then withdrew to the temple called Saï-mio-see, where he shut himself up, and forbad any one to approach his apartment. In the second year Djo-ko (the year 1258) he circulated a report of his death, and that of his councillor of state Nikaido-sinanonoodo, who had retired along with him; and the event plunged the whole empire into mourning and consternation. He then prosecuted his design, and travelled through the empire for the space of three years, accompanied by Nikaido, both habited like priests to avoid incurring suspicion. : When he arrived at the village of Sahnno, a heavy fall of snow prevented him from continuing his journey. He knocked at the door of a cottage, roofed with thatch, and requested a night's lodging. The woman who opened the door replied that if it depended on herself she would readily give him shelter, but that her master was from home; she however offered to go in quest of him. The master having arrived, observed to the priest that his house was small and ill built, and that he would pass but an indifferent night in it. He advised him to go a few streets further on*, to the village of Yahmahmotto, where he would find several good houses, and would be better accommodated:-the priest, however, urged the impossibility of his proceed ing farther, owing to the darkness of the night, and the man at length agreed to receive him if he would be content with so humble a lodging. The woman presented him with some baked millet, and apologized for not having rice, which she said she would have offered him had her circumstances been such as they once were. The priest replied, that millet was his favourite dish. While they were conversing together, the night became darker and the cold more severe, but the poor people had neither covering to offer their guest, nor wood to make a fire. In this extremity they determined to cut down the trees which grew in boxes before the house. Toki-Yori perceived their intention, and said that a priest should accustom himself to endure cold and hunger, and even to sleep in the open air if necessary. He asked to see the trees, and the man brought them to him. "They are," said he, the only remnants of my former prosperity. I had once a great number; but when poverty visited me I gave them to my friends, with the exception of these three, which I liked best of all (these were an oome, or plumtree; a sahkoora, or cherry-tree; and a mahts, or fir-tree;) but now I will cut them down to make a fire for you." The priest thanked him for his kindness, but requested that he would not cut them. Trees," said he," live like men; they grow, bloom, bear fruit, and wither away only to bloom again." The man, however, carried the trees out of the house, cut them down, made a fire, and requested his guests to approach 66 The word street, mahishay, is used to mark distances. and warm themselves. Toki-Yori expressed his regret for the trouble the man had taken, and in the course of their conversation be inquired his name: he at first hesitated to tell it; but at length being urgently pressed by his guest, he acknowledged himself to be Sahnno gen-sahye-mon-tsoone-yo, the son of Sahnno sahbro-masa-tsoone. The priest seemed surprised. "Sahnno sahbro," said he, "was a great nobleman : how happens it that you are so poor?" My uncle, Sahno-toda," replied the man, "secretly murdered my father, and persuaded the Djogoon, that he had committed suicide in a fit of insanity; he afterwards banished me, and this is the cause of my misfortune. I have, more than once, been almost tempted to kill my uncle, to avenge my father's death; but he is a great man, and is surrounded by so many servants, that it is impossible to obtain access to him." Whilst he related the story, the poor man, as well as the woman, shed a torrent of tears; and the two travellers wept with them. Toki-Yori asked why he did not prefer a complaint to Kamakoora; but he replied, that he had learned with sorrow that the prime minister Toki-Yori was dead, and that the other councillors of state did not govern with such equity. Though poor," said he, "I have still a cuirasse, a nage-natat, and a red horse, at the service of the Djogoon, should war be declared against Kamakoora." Toki-Yori, amazed at what he had heard, advised the poor man to be patient, and to hope for happier days. While they were thus conversing together, day-light appeared, and the two travellers bade adieu to their kind guest, and pursued their course. 66 Having completed their journey, TokiYori suddenly appeared at the court of Kamakoora. This unlooked-for event diffused joy throughout the empire, for all had believed him dead. He immediately summoned Sahnno-toda-tsoone-yosi, with his relations, as well as Sahnno-gensahyemon-tsoone-yo, to appear before him. After a rigorous examination, he was convinced that the account which the latter had given him was perfectly true, and Sahnno toda, together with one of his relations who had been the accomplice of his crime, were beheaded on the sca-shore. Toki-Yori restored to Gensayemon all the lands that belonged to his father, and gave him, besides, the + A curved sabre with a long handle. village of Oomeda, in the province of Kaga; the village of Sakoora-ee, in the province of Yetshop; and the village of Matsooyeda, in the province of Kotsooki; thus making allusion to the three trees oome, sakoora, and mats, which he had cut down to kindle a fire for his guests. Plum-trees and cherry-trees are much esteemed in Japan on account of their flowers. They are planted in boxes, at the back of almost every house; and in the apartments of the rich there is generally a porcelaine vase, with a branch of a cherry or plum tree in blossom. Here the poet alludes to Yahmahsseero, as though he meant to say, Who has cut the beloved stem of Tahnomo Sahuno ?” 66 Sinsahyaymeemon. Then in the first and last syllables, taken for the consonant si, makes si before; sahyay, it was not; mee, ever; mo, heard: by omitting the syllable mee, it forms the name Seensahyaymon, which is pronounced Seensaheemon. Ten meï. When any misfortune happens, it is common to say ten meï; it is a punishment of Heaven: if any one commits a crime, which cannot be clearly proved, and if afterwards any misfortune should befal him, the same expression is used. Here it expresses the mischief committed by Yahmahsseero, through his abuse of power, together with the period at which he was punished, namely, the fourth year, ten mei, or ten mio.t Nah ee gah sahn sah Eeyo sahmo seensah Day tsheevah sahnsah Eeo ee keemee secahnee eeyay. "We harbour no enmity against the heen overthrown. old father Tonomo, though his son has His only son has been killed; Sahnno shed his blood :— it is a happy event." Tonomah Yahmahsseero Den tshoo kee soo ahn Eeo ee keemee seeahnee eeyay. "Tonomah Yahmahsseero was grievously wounded at the castle. Though his wounds were not deep, yet he was unable to leave the castle; his blood flowed;-it is a happy event." Lines which include the names of all the months containing thirty days, and of some others containing only twenty-nine. See eeyo dahee mee o Moo seeo nee neekoo mo oo Nahnahts oo bo see Ee mah see koo ray bah Seemo no see yah vah see, "All the grandees of the empire hold in horror the Bear (the arms of Yahmahsseero, which consist of seven stars); may it no longer shine:-it is a happy event, even for the meanest servants." These lines contain the months that have thirty days, namely, those in Roman characters, moo, the 6th; seco, the 1st.; nee, the 2d; nahnahts, the 7th, see, the 4th; koo, the 9th; and seemo, the 11th. The rest have only twenty-nine days, namely, those marked in italics*. Stanzas to the air of a Romance called OOTAHEE, formerly written on the Story of GENSAHYEMON, whose memory is still revered on account of his humanity. Ee day so no to kee nee To no mah yah sahnno nee These jeux-d'esprit, which resemble our rebuses and calembourgs, are very common in Chinese poetry. It is obvious that they must be easily produced in a language in which every syllable, taken separately, may bear a great many different significations. The Japanese experience the same facility in making phrases with double meanings, by adapting their own mode of pronunciation to the Chinese characters. The words of their language also afford scope for numerous allusions, as may be seen by the foregoing production. KOTZEBUE is known in our country chiefly as a dramatic writer, and even in that respect as one more distinguished by his voluminousness, and a mawkish sensibility, which laid him open to every kind of ridicule, than by any other qualifications. His writings certainly form a kind of epoch in modern dramatic literature; and the representation of his pieces caused a sort of sentimental hysteric in the public, which, however, it grew ashamed of, upon more sober reflection, by finding that what it took for dignity was rant, and what it imagined to be pathos was silliness. Kotzebue's literary career was an extraordinary one; -it began early, it continued to the last moment of his existence; and though he never produced any thing that could be said to cause an universal sensation, yet those effusions of his pen made up in number what they wanted in weight, and though each struck only a feeble blow, yet before the impression of it was gone off, another and another was produced, and thus the public mind was kept in a state of constant irritation by the rancour and abominable personalities in which he indulged himself, and which those who have hitherto been accustomed to think of him only as a dealer in lachrymals and soft speeches, will scarcely be able to reconcile to the idea they had before formed of his character. Kotzebue was, at an early age, T imbued with a taste for reading by his mother, who, left a widow whilst yet in the very bloom of life, renounced all its gaieties to devote herself entirely to the instruction of her children. At six years old he could dwell with pleasure, upon the story of Romeo and Juliet, the exploits of Don Quixote, and the adventures of Robinson Crusoe. He was in love, and wrote poetry, at seven years old, and he was likewise at that tender age extremely devout; but he was cured of this species of enthusiasm by his tutor, who enforced upon him a rigorous attendance at church, and a noting down of the sermon as it was delivered. The destiny of man often turns upon an event apparently the result of mere accident. So it was with Kotzebue." An itinerant company of players came to Vienna, where he resided. One of his relations took him to see the " Death of Adam," by Klopstock, and from that moment he seems to have literally thought "all the world a stage, and all the men and women merely players." The entire absorption of his faculties in his intense contemplation of the drama, his veneration for the persons of the performers, his own unwearied assiduity in getting up pieces for private representation, in which he would perform, by turns, every character that might be wanting, are all related in a lively manner by his biographer, who, at the same |