Hsi, Liu Yu

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MISCELLANEOUS.THE LARGER GOD.BY THOS. E. WINECOFF, D.D.Your paltry schemes of doubt-cursed men,Your little God to creeds trimmed down,Y'our limits set by tongue and pen.Your heaven but an elfin town—A larger God than these I own.My God who once the star-fields sowed.Hath surely since no lesser grown,Nor heaven walled with priestling's code.I've seen Rainier's eternal snowsAlight with awful altar-firesNo man-made altar ever knows.Nor glint the tallest churchly spires.I've seen his garments brush the dew,And heard the thunder's pedal swellHis praise, in anthems grand and true,Your little creeds can never spell.With fire the hymnist never knewI've seen him touch the outcast's lip,And men that human creeds had damnedHe gave the wine of God to sip.With doubting, damning rule and lineYou wall his larger presence out;Unbounded God hail I as mine—And leave vour creeds his heart to doubt.THE SCHOLAR'S HUMBLE DWELLING.'BY LIU YU HSI.[Liu Yu Hsi, otherwise Liu Meng Te, belonged to the city of Peng. Afterobtaining his degree, he was given an honorary title that may be rendered as"doctor of literature." On the accession of Shiui Tsung, he received an' Translated by James Black.MISCELLANEOUS. 187appointment in the treasury, but when Hsien Tsung became emperor sliortlyafterwards, he was degraded to Lien district as sub-prefect, soon, however,being made prefect, and then transferred in the same capacity to the districtsof Fan and Ho in succession. He returned to the capital as secretary ofimperial receptions and was granted another high literary degree. He left thecapital once more to be prefect of Suchow, where he acquired fame as anofficial. Finally, he reached the highest office, becoming advisor of the heir-apparent, inspector of Han-liu manuscripts, and president of the board ofrites. Su Wen Chung, a later poet and statesman, said that Liu Yu Hsi andLiu Tsung Yuan, by not adhering to the plans of the faithless censor, WangShu Wen, were to be reckoned among the most faithful subjects of the T'angdynasty. Po Chu-i, the contemporary poet, praised Liu Yu Hsi as a mosteminent poet and a most poetical correspondent, and, according to a fashionthen current, the works of both poets were classed together under the singlename of Liu Po. Another story runs that one day Liu Yu Hsi, Liu TsungYuan, Po Chu-i, and others, sitting together, started to versify on the subjectof "Thoughts of old Nankin." Liu finished first, and Po, looking at what hehad written, said : "Four of us have been seeking the dragon, but Liu hasfound the pearls. All that is left is the scales and the claws, so why shouldwe write any more?"' And with that the others cast aside their unfinishedverses. It was a Chinese mode of conceding Liu's superiority. Not unlikelythe following lines were written on some similar occasion.]Who heeds the hill's bare height untilSome legend grows around the hill?Who cares how deep the stream beforeIts fame is writ in country lore?And so this humble hut of mineMa}' shelter virtues half divine.The moss may climb its ruined stair.And grassy stains the curtain wear.But scholars at their ease within,F"or all but Ignorance enters in.With simple lute the time beguile.Or "Golden Classic's" page a while.No discords here their ears assail.Nor cares of business to bewail.This is the life the Sages led."How were they poor?" Confucius said.A CRITICISM OF THE CLERGYMAN'S "CONFESSIONS."To the Editor of The Open Court:Not having read the book entitled Confessions of a Clergyman, I am per-haps in no position to discuss intelligently any of its points. However, I shalltrust the powers of lucid exposition of Dr. Cams concerning one position ofthe unknown author."He rejoices that the passage in Mark relating to the story of the Ascen-sion has been cut out by higher {sic, why not lower?) criticism so that it willno longer trouble a distressed faith" {Open Court, Dec. 1910, p. 769).Why rejoice? Because the passage contains an account of "the signs that

The Scholar\u27s Humble Dwelling (Poem). Liu Yu Hsi. Translated by James Black.

https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2516&amp;context=ocj

The Scholar\u27s Humble Dwelling (Poem). Liu Yu Hsi. Translated by James Black.

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