The Oregon daily journal., March 29, 1908, Page 34, Image 34

. .. .ifviv'fT a.
. ThougKts of Her Mai-
esty brjapaExjesse
Verse
'TTT O 5 Atf empress of a great people
i . is a proud distinction, but to be both
empress and poetess is unusual. ' :
H er, majesty the empress of Japan, be
sides being the beloved, co-occupant of the
throne, is the poetess laureate; the favorite
songstress, of the land u-here the cherry
blooms. ' .
But two women of royal position have
. become famous both as generous, gracious
and admired ruleff.and as leaders of na-
tional literature. They are Elizabeth, queen
of Roumania, knoxvn as "Carmen Syha" '
throughout the world, and the charming,
first lady of Japan, who, singularly, is little
known as a figure in literature butside her
island empire.
Yet she has written more than 30,000
poems.
In the schools and homes of the King
dom of the Rising Sun the little poems of
me empress are read and admired. They are
not pretentious bits of literature, to be sure,
for the literatiire.of Japan has not yet even
reached the stage of English letters at the,
time of Chaucer. ; r
Like the women of this stran re kin ?-
'dom, the' poeins of the country are unpre-
tenuous, moaesi,. yet wttn tne touch of hu
man nature;. Arid no; one has done native
poetry better than the empress.
7 KITTEN - in five f phrases, the poems
1 ww of Japan conm:thirty:one words.
J',f T The fobns ' are? different entirely
from those of ourl country. The
first phrase contains five, characters,, the 6econd
' seven, the third five and the last ; two lines
. . seven each. 1
Perhaps the "Twelve Virtues", are : typical
of the best; of Japanese poetry. : In Japan' they
are regarded as an index to the character, of
the little woman who lives secluded iniher pal-
ace, and who is seen bv the Tubli usnallv at"
tospitals, where she visits the sick, or institu-
', ( im; i . . . .
lions ot learning for women, m which she. IS
s zy ... . ' ;-r.f: " . i
particularly interested. ' . Can never be recalled. v. . ...
The 'first of the "Twelve Virtues" is "Mod-' ' What, the Japanese '.call a poem we would
, . eration," . It is customary in Japan for: the peo? regard merely as a versed or perhaps a couplet.
, ple,te-,go on picnics during the spring and fall , Because of being so short, the task of writing
1 Out in, tlie woods and under-the trees they in- '30,000 of .them was not as formidable ,as " it
dulge in sweets'and sake, many, indeed, ;drink-.;'" might 'appear. i ;
iiig to excesst Generally a temperate '.- people, - . Most of the verses ! are mere expressions"
h Japanese regard-jthese es occasions when a the embodiment of poetic fancies, sometimes
. Person may become intoxicated without censure, j: rather misty," but, ,,'as a rule,, delicate, A literal
But this-i the sentiment of tha pmnresa. rpn-' , translation serves to rive -one an idea of 1 the
. dered bto. English verse by; a' Japanese trans-
lator: v v - - '
when 'cherry trees pnblossom' in the spring i
SAhd 'thth i8 mav !itilrBoni oi birds and flowers,
" ri -..V:" "'"'V rr.?r V- 7
Xted autumn and -rejoicing picnic hours,
9 H S ' W . . r - JW 1 A M J MM II llf "
Fw. people, perhaps, are more cleanly in
their, home life than the Japanese. It would be
but 'natural -that the empress, in her 30,000
iu
poems, should praise cleanliness, but, as you
see. cleanliness of one s garments only calls
to mind a purity of soul. To wit, this poem on
"Cleanliness," :the "Second Virtue" :
From off one' garment, howe'er white and clean,
A man can brush the dust that falls by day,
But when by unkind words and actions mean
He clouds his soul, he cannot brush away
The worrlment of conscience.
The "Third Virtue" is fDiligence." How
ever, it is not thejdiligence in performing only
manual labor, but-in duty, goodness, righteous
ness: -4;"
E'en as an uncouth pebble, dull and gray.
By polishing becomes a gem serene,
The human mind, a mass of Inert clay. ; ,
Transforms' into a diamond clear and clean
By righteous persevering.
There is a whole world of philosophy in the
poenvon "bilence"
Th rhnii f hn. n. rtnm
-fciIntll ' 1tnl0,v'u?c'e .If
..This life Is short, therefore 'tis well to learn
, E'en so the careless words that one has said
sentiments, at least, although thre is-not' the
rhvme that we are accustomed to. The noem on
"Firmness" is as follows: : -
A human mind should be as pure and transparent .
j A pure soul cannot be destroyed tvsn by a fir
Qt"burgatiirjrt ,
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THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. ; rORTLAND. SUNDAY ' HORNING. MARCH 2 1905
v - -
And this is a sentiment, which "
has often been expressed, on "Sincer-
'ty '
lt is better to be inwardly sincere-hearted
Than outwardly decorated with beautiful
flowers.
Here is a pretty conceit which
gives the lady's idea of "Gentleness";
"When in trouble be gentle as a pine tree,
Behave not like cherry blossoms in spring.
High as is her position, the empress utters
a charming expression on "Modesty";
As the shadows of a high peak are reflected in the
bottom of a stream,
So try to bring your exalted self to the level of
your Inferior. .
Of "Orderliness" she writes:
If you start carefully and continue so till the end,
'.. You can reach your goal, no matter how far.
Of "Frugality": ':
Although a bamboo tree grows straight with meas
ured lengths, . " - v. .
Even tiny ctewdr ops that And their dwelling place
on the leaves retain, their usefulness.
Many of her poems express maxims for
daily living, as, for, instance, "Calmness" :
When overwhelmed with difficulty
Do not be discouraged, but be calm.
"Duty, to the . Nation" is" practically- the
Christian's "Golden Rule": ?
' To give succor to a multitude, begin with your 1m- '
mediate neighbor; ' .
y.lt win eventually. Teach the remotestr , ' -.
-The 'empresa ia greatly interested in char
itable work, and personally doea a great deal of
: good. -And her idea of beginning charity at
: home is carried out by her majesty herself in '
th6 city of Tokio. - '
During the Chinese-Japanese War she per
sonally'visited the Military.; Hospital at Tokio
and looked after, the condition of the wounded.
'soldiers. ; To the other hospitals she sent "the
"princes of the royal family.
' With the assistance of -her ladies in wait- ,.;
ing the empress . made 6000 . bandages for the .
injured. She repeated this during the Japanese
Eussian War. " '
Twentyone years ago she '.founded ?the
Charity Hospital, and since then each year has
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are interesting. That her heart waa -often
grieved is shown by this little verse;
When the news ofVreat victory reaches me. when
the people rejoice In the winning of battles,
Then I think of the intrepid Boldlen who are ex
posed to the gravest dangers.
And how succinctly she sums up "The Japa
nese Spirit": , : ;
Jt is the indispensable spirit In winning victory
Which doea not stop or falter until the victory Is
assured. v
And this surely tquched the hearts of the
men who were fighting: " . V
HoW sad.I'feel thinking of the poor soldiers lying
frostbitten on the battlefield; ' . --
We 1 Of the royal family pass cold nights by the
warm fireside thinking of them.
, A touching bit this: "
Before me He visions of soldiers asleep.
Ready to battle at morn despite, dangers and fears. -
When I think of the hardships endured for the
country's sake, . , , . .
I cannot control the abundant flowing of tears.
These poems of the empress, printed in the
official journals, are copied in all parts of the
empire.;, ( : , .
Her 'skill in verse is to some' extent attrib
utable to the excellent - training she received
when a igirl from-Sejki Tsugina, . one of the
cleverest scholars of the country,' who taugnt
her both the Chinese and Japanese classics.
iwo ot tnp more recent poems oi; tne em
press were sent to the School of Princes and
Nobles, of which General Nogi is the principal.
These are "The Diamond" and - "Water -in a
Vessel" which "are written in a .new meter, con
siderably longer than the thirty-one-word poem.
"Water in a Vessel" ia as follows:
Water poured Into a vessel conforms to the, shape
of it;. . , :'.'..,. J, s -'
One-lalRd into good or evil by the friends one se-
. lecllC ' s - -
So you should choose- a frfrenif superior to yourself,
And hand In hand with him you can - diligently
strive onward on the road of learning, i , ;
- ".That on "The Diamond" expresses her ided
of perseveraricel a virtue which forms, the sub
ject of many of ner poems. ' ' "... ,: -Unless
polished the diamond will not become bril
liant, -
Even ao -only after-learning Can a man show. his.
, - best 'nature;' '
,!'.
t in
?)
As the needle ot a clock constantly glides onward
minute after minute,
So if a man studies without -wasting precious time.
There is nothing which he cannot accomplish.
Perhaps few occasions so stir the empress
as the New Year celebration, which is accom
panied by impressive and picturesque cere
monies. On the 1st of J anuary a religious cere
mony, performed by his majesty the empcrori -begins
. at 5 o'clock in the morning by torcli- .
light inthej palace gardens. On a mall table
are placed incense, an antique lamp, oil and
sake, tho native wine. "
4 - Costumed-in ancient fashion, tho emperor,
followed by chamberlains, leaves, the palace and ,
enters a four-sided screen, which incloses tha."
table. The screen is Closed. Alone he turns to
the , north, the east, the, south and the west, and
implores his ancestors to' grant hia nation dur
ing tho coming year happiness prosperity and
peace. . '
There is great rejoicing and merrymaking.
Of the New Year the empress has written:. !
We who live In the city,
We who live In the country,
A'll greet the new year pleasantly,
'And we sing the song of praise cheerfully.
About spring the empress sings :
Under the shadow of the radiant sun I feel the
Balmy spring approaches! Both the high -.and low '
' welcome springl . . ,
It matters not- whether we are from the'NIne Cir
- cles (the palace) or-from the humble inn, -
We all -greet spring. , f
Women in Japan are little counseled by the
men ; The empress is an exception. Among the
people it is known that the emperor, finds pleas- ,
ure. nowhere so much as in the company of hia f
consort. .. . , " ,
The people of Japan are certain that in
Iier majesty the ruler has a wise counselor. Her
verse on "Public Opinion" is aj1ationajaxiomJ
i on tlje lips "of ""the people - - " , . '
The public opinion of a nation is like the stream of.
a river- - - ' .
If dammed up. It is bound to overflow the banks of .
a river to play -destruction.- -v - . .
-i ;--' -i . . t - : .." -:.''''.'' r:.
A. .wise obs'ertration of a .wise ttonarchl : : ?
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