Chau Ju-Kua - University of Oregon Libraries

10
1,22 THE ARABS. 117
5 Lo-ssi-mei (P^ M H) i5 P'u-hua-lo
(ff :^ ^)
Mu-kii-lan (tK -^ M)
Ts'6ng-pa ^g)'^ (^
K'ie-li-ki i^ ±) ;f] Pi-p'a-lo
(^^^ g pk)
-P'i-no-ye_(Bii; p^ ||J)>2 ^^_p^ ^^ ^^^ '
I-lu (P 1^) Wong-li (^ g)
10 Pai-ta (^ )i)
20 Ki-shi (Ig ||)
Ssi-lien (^, ^) Ma-kia (^ ^)
Pai-lien (Q ^) Pi-ssi-lo
^g^ ||f ^)
Tsi-ki {% ±) Ki-tz'i-ni (± ^ j/g)
Kan-mei (-^ ^)
Wu-ssi-li (^ ff ^)-
This country (or people) was originally a branch of the Persians (y)j^
^). In the ia-ye period of the Sui dynasty (A. D. 605— 617) there lived
a high-minded and wise man among the Persians who found deep down in a
hole a stone bearing an inscription, and this he took for a good omen. So he
15 called the people together, took by force the things necessary (for arming
men) and enrolled followers, who gradually increased in number till h^
became powerful enough to make himself king, and then he took possession
of the western portjoq of Po-ssl.
Since the ymg-hui period of the T'ang dynasty (A. D. 650—656) the
20 Ta-shii have come repeatedly to our Court to present tribute. Before the time
of their king P'6n-ni-mo-huan (^ X^ tIc ^ Beni MerwAn) they were called
(.White-robed Ta-shi»; after A-p'o-lo-pa (|Jp|' ^ Abu'l 'Abbds) they
were called «Black-robed Ta-shi[» ".
^ ^^
In the fourth year of the kHen-to period of the reigning dynasty (A. U,
25 966) the bonze Hing-k'in (^ HJj)
journeyed toi the Western Regions; on
this occasion an (Imperial) letter to their king was granted to enlist his
sympathy ".
In the' first year of the k'ai-pau period (A. D. 968) they sent envoys with
tribute to our Court, and in the fourth year (A. D. 971) they sent presents
80 with Chan-ch'pag and Sho-p'o to Li Yii (^ j^)
in Kiang-nan^®. Yu did
not venture to accept them, so the' envoys submitted the matter to the Court,
anrl an Order in Council was issued forbidding that tribute presents should
henceforth be brought".
In the, fourth year of the shun-hua period (A. D. 993) they sent tribute
35 through the Assistant Envoy Li-a-wu (^ [(Jf ^) who stated, at an audience
granted him in the Ch'ung-chong Audience Hall (of the Palace), that his
country bordered on Ta-ts'in, and thatit produced ivory and rhinoceros
hoiTis. The Emperor T'ai-tsung asked him how rhinoceros and elephants were