A Book of Chinese Verse

FOREWORD

FOREWORD This sli m volum e i s a memoria l t o a lon g friendshi p betwee n tw o men, brough t togethe r i n Hon g Kon g by their commo n wor k an d by their commo n lov e of Chinese culture, issuing in this collectio n of translation s o f Chines e poetry , jus t 5 0 years ago . Norman Lockhar t Smith was then the Colonial Secretary in Hong Kong an d my late father, Si r Robert Kotewall , the onl y member o f the Executiv e Counci l representin g th e Chines e community . At firs t th e tw o bus y me n too k u p th e translatio n a s a hobby , which would permit them to penetrate deeply into the minds of the authors o f thei r favourit e Chines e poems . Sometime s the y woul d meet with other scholars and friends t o verify their interpretation of the origina l bu t mor e ofte n the y woul d wor k alon e together , perhaps dee p int o th e night . Fairly quickly their thought s turned toward s publicatio n o f thei r efforts, an d ou t o f th e thre e o r fou r hundre d poem s whic h the y translated, they selected a hundred an d seventy for publication , th e originals spannin g a period o f 2,50 0 years. Returning to England and travelling by boat via the United States, N.L. Smith left Hon g Kong on December 6 , 1941 with two copies of the complete d wor k i n hi s luggage . On Decembe r 8 , wa r brok e ou t betwee n Japa n an d th e USA , and whe n th e boa t wa s torpedoed , N.L . escaped injur y bu t los t al l his belongings . Only by 194 5 was N.L . able t o le t m y father kno w o f the fatefu l journey, and he aske d that a copy of the manuscript be sent to hi m immediately. But Englan d an d Englis h publisher s ha d othe r thing s o n thei r minds during the strenuous years of rebuilding after th e war. It was only abou t I96 0 tha t N.L.' s son, Douglas Lockar t Smith , introduce d him t o th e publishe r o f Pengui n Books . Togethe r the y invite d Professor A.R . Davis, a reputabl e authorit y o n Chines e histor y an d literature, t o edi t th e collectio n an d t o writ e a n introduction . Thus th e firs t editio n o f A Book of Chinese Verse was publishe d in 1962 , thirteen year s afte r th e deat h o f my father . 'Since you, sir, went away, My gauze curtains sigh in the autumn's wind. My thoughts of you are like the creeping grass That grows and spreads without end\ FOREWORD This slim volume is a memorial to a long friendship between two men, brought together in Hong Kong by their common work and by their common love of Chinese culture, issuing in this collection of translations of Chinese poetry, just 50 years ago. Norman Lockhart Smith was then the Colonial Secretary in Hong Kong and my late father, Sir Robert Kotewall, the only member of the Executive Council representing the Chinese community. At first the two busy men took up the translation as a hobby, which would permit them to penetrate deeply into the minds of the authors of their favourite Chinese poems. Sometimes they would meet with other scholars and friends to verify their interpretation of the original but more often they would work alone together, perhaps deep into the night. Fairly qUickly their thoughts turned towards publication of their efforts, and out of the three or four hundred poems which they translated, they selected a hundred and seventy for publication, the originals spanning a period of 2,500 years. Returning to England and travelling by boat via the United States, N.L. Smith left Hong Kong on December 6, 1941 with two copies of the completed work in his luggage. On December 8, war broke out between Japan and the...