the mirror of kong ho-第36节

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that　this　country　is　notas　practically　all　our　former　travellers



have　declaredcompletely　down…side…up　as　compared　with　our　own



manners　and　customs；　but　at　the　same　time　it　is　very　materially



sideways。







Thus；　instead　of　white；　black　robes　are　the　indication　of　mourning；



but　as；　for　the　generality；　the　same　colour　is　also　used　for　occasions



of　commerce；　ceremony；　religion；　and　the　ordinary　affairs　of　life；　the



matter　remains　exactly　as　it　was　before。　Yet　with　obtuse　inconsistency



the　garments　usually　whitein　which　a　change　would　be　really



noticeableremain　white　throughout　the　most　poignant　grief。　How　much



more　markedly　expressed　would　be　the　symbolism　if　during　such　a　period



they　wore　white　outer　robes　and　black　body　garments。　Nevertheless　it



cannot　be　said　that　they　are　unmindful　of　the　emblematic　influence　of



colour；　for；　unlike　the　reasonable　conviction　that　red　is　red　and　blue



is　blue；　which　has　satisfied　our　great　nation　from　the　days　of　the



legendary　Shun；　these　pale…eyed　foreigners　have　diverged　into



countless　trifling　imaginings；　so　that　when　the　one　who　is　now



expressing　his　contempt　for　the　development　required　a　robe　of　a



certain　hue；　he　had　to　bend　his　mouth；　before　he　could　be　exactly



understood；　to　the　degrading　necessity　of　asking　for　〃Drowned…rat



brown；〃　〃Sunstroke　magenta；〃　〃Billingsgate　purple；〃　〃London　milk



azure；〃　〃Settling…day　green；〃　or　the　like。　In　the　other　signs　of



mourning　they　do　not　come　within　measurable　distance　of　our　pure　and



uncomfortable　standard。　〃If　you　are　really　sincere　in　your　regret　for



the　one　who　has　Passed　Beyond；　why　do　you　not　sit　upon　the　floor　for



seven　days　and　nights；　take　up　all　food　with　your　fingers；　and　allow



your　nails　to　grow　untrimmed　for　three　years？〃　was　a　question　which　I



at　first　instinctively　put　to　lesser　ones　in　their　affliction。　In



every　case　save　one　I　received　answers　of　evasive　purport；　and　even



the　one　stated　reason；　〃Because　although　I　am　a　poor　widder　I　ain't　a



pig；〃　I　deemed　shallow。







I　have　already　dipped　a　revealing　brush　into　the　subject　of　names。



Were　the　practice　of　applying　names　in　a　wrong　and　illogical　sequence



maintained　throughout　it　might　indeed　raise　a　dignified　smile；　but　it



would　not　appear　contemptible；　but　what　can　be　urged　when　upon　an



occasion　one　name　appears　first；　upon　another　occasion　last？　A　dignity



is　conferred　in　old　age；　and　it　is　placed　before　the　family



designation　borne　by　an　honoured　father　and　a　direct　line　of　seventeen



revered　ancestors。　Another　title　is　bestowed；　and　eats　up　the　former



like　a　revengeful　dragon。　New　distinctions　follow；　some　at　one　end；



others　at　another；　until　a　very　successful　person　may　be　suitably



compared　to　the　ringed　oleander　snake；　which　has　the　power　of　growing



equally　from　either　the　head　or　the　tail。　To　express　the　matter　by　a



definite　allusion；　how　much　more　graceful　and　orchideous；　even　in　a



condensed　fashion；　would　appear　the　designation　of　this　selected　one；



if　instead　of　the　usual　form　of　the　country　it　was　habitually　set



forth　in　the　following　logical　and　thoroughly　Chinese　style：…



Chamberlain　Joseph；　Master；　Mr。；　Thrice　Wearer　of　the　Robes　and　Golden



Collar；　One　of　the　Just　Peacemakers；　Esquire；　Member　of　the　House　of



Law…givers；　Leader　in　the　Council　of　Commerce；　Presider　over　the



Tables　of　Provincial　Government；　Uprightly　Honourable　Secretary　of　the



Outlying　Parts。







Among　the　notes　which　at　various　times　I　have　inscribed　in　a　book　for



future　guidance　I　find　it　written　on　an　early　page；　〃They　do　not



hesitate　to　express　their　fathers'　names　openly；〃　but　to　this



assertion　there　stands　a　warning　sign　which　was　added　after　the



following　incident。　〃Is　it　true；　Mr。　Kong；〃　asked　a　lesser　one；　who　is



spoken　of　as　vastly　rich　but　discontented　with　her　previous　lot；　of



this　person　upon　an　occasion；　〃is　it　really　true　that　your　countrymen



to　not　consider　it　right　to　speak　of　their　fathers'　names；　even　in



this　enlightened　age？〃　To　this　I　replied　that　the　matter　was　as　she



had　eloquently　expressed　it；　and；　encouraged　by　her　amiable



condescension；　I　asked　after　the　memory　of　her　paternal　grandsire；



whose　name　I　had　frequently　heard　whispered　in　connection　with　her



own。　To　my　inelegant　confusion　she　regarded　me　for　a　period　as　though



I　had　the　virtue　of　having　become　transparent；　and　then　passed　on　in　a



most　overwhelming　excess　of　disconcertingly…arranged　silence。







〃You've　done　it　now；　Kong；〃　said　one　who　stood　by　（or；　as　we　would



express　the　same　thought；　〃You　have　succeeded　in　accomplishing　the



undesirable〃）；　〃don't　you　know　that　the　old　man　was　in　the　tripe　and



trotter　line？〃







〃To　no　degree；〃　I　replied　truly。　〃Yet；〃　I　continued；　matching　his



idiom　with　another　equally　facile；　〃wherein　was　this　person's　screw



loose？　Are　they　not　openly　referred　tothose　of　the　Line　of　Tripe　and



Trotterby　their　descendants？〃







〃Not　in　most　cases；〃　he　said；　with　a　concentration　that　indicated　a



lurking　sting　among　his　words。　〃Generally　speaking；　they　aren't



mentioned　or　taken　into　any　account　whatever。　While　they　are　alive



they　are　kept　in　the　background　and　invited　to　treat　themselves　to　the



Tower　when　nice　people　are　expected；　when　dead　they　are　fastened　up　in



the　family　back　cupboard　by　a　score　of　ten…inch　nails　and　three…trick



Yale　locks；　so　to　speak。　And　in　the　meantime　all　the　splash　is　being



made　on　their　muddy　oof。　See？〃







I　nodded　agreeably；　though；　had　the　opportunity　been　more　favourable；



I　would　have　made　the　feint　to　learn　somewhat　more　of　this　secret



practice　of　burying　in　the　enclosed　space　beneath　the　stairs。　Thus　is



it　set　forth　why；　after　the　statement；　〃They　do　not　hesitate　to



express　their　fathers'　names　openly；〃　it　is　further　written；　〃Walk



slowly！　Engrave　well　upon　your　discreet　remembrance　the　unmentionable



Line　of　Tripe　and　Trotter。〃







Another　point　of　comparison　which　the　superficial　have　failed　to



record　is　to　be　found　in　the　frequent　encouragements　to　regard　The



Virtues　which　are　to　be　seen；　like　our　own　Confucian　extracts；　freely



inscribed　on　every　wall　and　suitable　place　about　the　city。　These　for



the　most　part　counsel　moderation　in　taking　false　oaths；　in　stepping



heedlessly　upon　the　unknown　ground；　in　following　paths　which　lead　to



doubtful　ends；　and　other　timely　warnings。　〃Beware　a　smoke…breathing



demon；〃　is　frequently　cast　across　one's　path　upon　a　barrier；　and　this



person　has　never　failed　to　accept　the　omen　and　to　retrace　his　steps



hastily　without　looking　to　the　right　or　the　left。　Even　our　own



national　caution　is　not　forgotten；　although　to　conform　to　barbarian



indolence　it　is　written；　〃Slowly；　slowly；　drive　slowly。〃　〃Keep　to　the



Right〃　（or；　〃Abandon　that　which　is　evil；〃　as　the　analogy　holds；）　is



perhaps　the　most　frequently　displayed　of　all；　and　doubtless　many



charitable　persons　obtain　an　ever…accruing　merit　by　hanging　the　sign



bearing　these　words　upon　every　available　post。　Others　are　of　a　stern



and　threatening　nature；　designed　to　make　the　most　hardened　ill…doer



pause；　asin　their　own　tongue〃Rubbish　may　be　shot　here〃；　which　we



should　render；　〃At　any　moment；　and　in　such　a　place　as　this；　a　just



doom　and　extinction　may　overtake　the　worthless。〃　This　inscription　is



never　to　be　seen　except　in　waste　expanses；　where　it　points　its



significance　with　a　multiplied　force。　There　is　another　definite　threat



which　is　lavishly　set　out；　and　so　thoroughly　that　it　may　be



encountered　in　the　least　frequented　and　almost　inaccessible　spots。



This；　as　it　may　be　translated；　reads；　〃Trespass　not　the　forbidden。　The



profligate　may　flourish　like　the　gourd　for　a　season；　but　in　the　end



assuredly　they　will　be　detected；　and　justice　meted　out　with　the



relentless　fury　of　the　written　law。〃







In　a　converse　position；　the　wide　difference　in　the　ceremonial　forms　of



retaliatory　invective　has　practically　disarmed　this　usually　eloquent



person；　and　he　long　since　abandoned　every　hope　of　expressing　himself



with　any　satisfaction　in　encounters　of　however　acrimonious　a　trend。　At



first；　with　an　urbane　smile　and　gestures　of　dignified　contempt；　he



impugned　the　authenticity　of　the　Ancestral　Tablets　of　those　with　whom



he　strove；　in　an　unbroken　stream　of　most　bitter　contumely。　Finding



them　silent　under　this　reproach；　he　next　lightly　traced　their　origin



back　through　generations　of　afflicted　lepers；　deformed　ape…beings；　and



Nameless　Things；　to　a　race　of　primitive　ghouls；　and　then　went　on　in



relentless　fluency　to　predict　an　ea