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T'AN KUNG
41
“Well-timed,” exclaims the superior man, “was the panegyric; and well-timed also was the prayer.”[1]
THE SONG OF THE COFFIN.
An old friend of Confucius having lost his mother, the Master went to assist in varnishing the coffin. “Ai-ya!” exclaimed the friend as he brought the coffin in, “’tis long since I have had any music.” Thereupon he began to sing―
![\relative c'' {
\key g \major
\time 7/8
\override Staff.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
\override Staff.StaffSymbol #'width = #110
\override Score.BarNumber #'stencil = ##f
a'~a fis fis8 |
a[( fis)] a[( fis)] e4 r8 |
fis8 [( a8 fis8 e8)] d4 b8 |
\break
a8[( d8)] e8[( fis8)] d4 r8 |
b8 a8 r8 b8 d8 r8 \bar "||"
| s % empty bar goes here. How to represent?
}
\addlyrics {
Striped like the |
wild cat's head, |
Smooth as a |
\break
maiden's ___ hand |
Ai -- yah! Ai -- yah! |
| % empty bar goes here.
}](http://upload.wikimedia.org/score/c/4/c45m6o7pqae9gn3r9nlaci227i7kufc/c45m6o7p.png)
[alluding (1) to the grain of the wood and (2) to the varnish.][2]
Confucius pretended not to hear, and moved away; but one of his disciples cried out, “Master, should you not have done with a fellow like this?”
“It is not right,” replied Confucius, to disregard the duties we owe to our parents; neither is it right to disregard the duties we owe to our friends.”
- ↑ The strange part of the congratulation was to allude, even indirectly, to the hateful contingency of death, as suggested by the word “weep.” But the reply skilfully turned into a compliment what must otherwise have been taken as an affront.
- ↑ The music is not part of the text. These few bars are given merely as a sample of a Chinese popular air.
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