Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
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Snow Studio .-seal<br />
carved by Ho Chen<br />
Charmfor curing all kinds<br />
of heart trouble,<br />
headaches, and inveterate<br />
dyspepsy (Dori?)<br />
WHOSE STRANGE STORIES?<br />
One evening after this Lien-hsiang came, and<br />
said in alarm to Sang, "Whatever has made you<br />
look so melancholy?" ["You look dreadful! What's<br />
the matter?"] Sang replied that he did not know,<br />
and by-and-by she took her leave, saying they<br />
would not meet again for some ten days. During<br />
this period Miss Li visited Sang every day, and on<br />
one occasion asked him where his other friend<br />
[lover] was. Sang told her; and then she laughed<br />
and said, "What is your opinion of me as<br />
compared with Lien-hsiang? [Which of us is more<br />
heautiful? ]" "You are both of you perfection,"<br />
replied he, "but you are a little colder of the two."<br />
Miss Li didn't much like this, and cried out, "Both<br />
of us perfection is what you say to me. Then she<br />
must be a downright Cynthia,3 and I am no<br />
match for her." Somewhat out of temper, she<br />
reckoned that Lien-hsiang's ten days had expired,<br />
and said she would have a peep at her, making<br />
Sang promise to keep it all secret.<br />
One niaht LienhSiana<br />
ayyears<br />
and comments<br />
on Sana's yare,<br />
sickly apyearance.<br />
She aoes<br />
awayJr ten<br />
days, aurinfj<br />
wRich time 'Miss<br />
Li visits him<br />
every niflht.<br />
rfhey talk a60ut<br />
Lien-hsiana, and<br />
'Miss Li, JeefinA<br />
somewhat jealous<br />
of the other airf's<br />
beauty, te[{s<br />
San,q she wants<br />
to observe her.<br />
25<br />
With the 'peeping', the author brings ghost and<br />
fox into clear focus: with the 'beautll contest',<br />
he makes wall fo r the 'peeping', Subtle. (Tan)<br />
3 The Lady of the Moon: The beautiful wife of a<br />
legendary chieftain, named Hou I, who flourished<br />
about 2,500 Be. She is said to have stolen from her<br />
husband the elixir of immortality, and to have fled<br />
with it to the moon. (Giles)<br />
Words of jealousll spoken with such charm!<br />
(Tan)<br />
Cynthia prima suis mise rum me cepit ocellis,<br />
Contactum nullis ante cupidinibus. Ahl woe<br />
is me! 'twas Cynthia first ensnared me with<br />
her eyes; till then my heart had felt no<br />
passion's fire. (Propertius)
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