The Legend of Tchi-Niu


A SOUND OF GONGS, A SOUND OF SONG,--THE SONG OF THE BUILDERS
BUILDING THE DWELLINGS OF THE DEAD:--

_Khiû tchî yîng-yîng.
Toû tchî hoûng-hoûng.
Tch[)o] tchî tông-tông.
Si[)o] liú pîng-pîng._




THE LEGEND OF TCHI-NIU.


In the quaint commentary accompanying the text of that holy book of
Lao-tseu called _Kan-ing-p'ien_ may be found a little story so old that
the name of the one who first told it has been forgotten for a thousand
years, yet so beautiful that it lives still in the memory of four
hundred millions of people, like a prayer that, once learned, is forever
remembered. The Chinese writer makes no mention of any city nor of any
province, although even in the relation of the most ancient traditions
such an omission is rare; we are only told that the name of the hero of
the legend was Tong-yong, and that he lived in the years of the great