LOVE'S LABOUR WON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13146, 7 April 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

LOVE'S LABOUR WON.

PATHETIC LOVE LETTER THREE AND A-HALF YARDS WIDE. Tin: Asiatic Journal quotes; a manuscript translation of a romantic and beautiful souvenir of Eastern literature. It is from a sketch of the lives, of the ladies of the Imperial palace of China, the translator vouching for.'" the literal " rendering of the anecdote. Its interesting feature" consists in the poetic imagery disclosed typical of life at the Court "of China at the, time the anecdote treats of.

" Soo-hwuy was the wife of Tow-taou, whoso sobriquet; was Jo-lan, a fanciful appellation presumed only to belong to one of superior attainments. During the viceroyship of Ho-Keen Tow-taou was a mandarin (Chinese; governor) at Tsin-Chow, but was banished for life to the desert ; of Slia-! mo. ■ Soo-hwuy, loving him dearly, never ceased to lament him. She wove a letter into the form of an aggregate of intricate 'knots, arid this, in tier husband's behalf, she '.presented to the Emperor. Its width was seven cubits and fire inches. According to our English methods of computation the lineal measure of a cubitbeing the length ol '& man's arm from the upper extremity of the ulna at the elbow to the tip of the middle finger—is 18in. Therefore the splendid billet-doux woven by Shoohwuy measured I3lin wide, consisted of five gorgeous ■ artistically mingled colours, 280 characters, representing Cninese philology, and, like an acrostic, was capable of being reau in every direction, all in needlework, with the Emperor's name conspicuously embroidered in the centre. The letter was as follows: — ,

"Whenmy husband was banished I accompanied him to the foot of, the bridge. I tried to suppress my grief, but could not say farewell. " Why sine:* your departure have I not received a letter from you? Remember, 0 remember, our couch, even in spring, is cold. Through grief I have suffered the staircase you raised to decay, and the windows with white curtains are soiled with dust. ~

"When you left me my spirits were bewildered. I wish to become the shadow of the moon in the sea, or a cloud that Hits over the lofty mountain. " "The clouds behold my husband's face, as doth the sea-moon in her monthly journcy. They can discern him though at the distance of 10,000 lee. Since we parted the green rushes by the riverside have faded, and who would believe that ere we meet the Mei will blossom again and again, perhaps. -^, " Every flower unfolds itself to greet the beautiful spring, yet our hearts expand in vain. . ■ ', ''' : ..

"My thoughts are ever employed on your return alone, so that the willow at the door bends to the ground, and when the flowers fade and fall there are none to sweep them away. ■. > ~ . " The grass before our house grows rank, your flute hangs unemployed ..the hall, my husband no more sings to me a Keangnan song. For three springs have I heard the wild fowl utter their cries in crossing the river! Grief ends my song. " O, husband, forget not your wife, whose affections are firm as a mountain and who thinks of you incessantly. She weaves this letter, and presents it to His Imperial Majesty, beseeching him to grant you a speedy return." *; , ' The Emperor pitied Soo-hwuy, and recalled Tow-taou from exile, -subsequently appointing him to one of the most exalted and lucrative offices in connection with the government of the Empire.