Year

1804

Text

Type

Publication

Contributors (2)

Mentioned People (1)

Subjects

Chronology Entries (2)

#	Year	Text	Linked Data
1	1770-1791	Teignmouth, John Shore. Memoirs of the life, writings and correspondence of Sir William Jones [ID D27057]. 1767 Teignmouth : "His excursions into the regions of literature were unlimited ; and as his application was directed with his usual perseverance, he nearly completed his Commentaries, transcribed an Arabic manuscript on Egypt and the Nile, borrowed from Dr. Russel, and copied the keys of the Chinese language, which he wished to learn". 1770 (July) Brief von William Jones an C. Reviczki : "What shall I send in return for your present ? Accept the accompanying ode, which is, at least, valuable for its antiquity. You will perhaps smile : it is not an epithalamium on the Marriage of Antoinette the dauphiness, but contains the eulogium of a very ancient Chinese monarch, whose name, though a monosyllable only, I have forgotten. When I read the works of Confucius, translated by Couplet and others, I was struck with admiration at the venerable dignity of the sentiments, as well as at the poetical fragments, which adorn the discourses of that philosopher. They are selected from the most ancient records of Chinese poetry, and particularly from a work, entitled Shi-king, of which there is a fine copy in the royal library at Paris. I immediately determined to examine the original, and, referring to the volume, after a long study, I succeeded in comparing one of the odes with the version of Couplet, and analysed every work, or, more properly, every figure in it. Of this ode, I now send you a literal translation : it is a composition of wonderful dignity and brevity ; each verse contains four words only ; hence the ellipsis is frequent in it, and the obscurity of the style adds to its sublimity. I have annexed a poetical version, making every verse correspond with the sense of Confucius ; you will judge whether I have succeeded, or not ; it will be sufficient for me, if it please you. You know that this philosopher, whom I may venture to call the Plato of China, lived about six hundred years before the Christian aera ; and he quotes this ode, as very ancient in his time. It may, therefore, be considered a a most precious gem of antiquity, which proves, that poetry has been the admiration of all people, in all ages, and that it every where adopts the same images…" 1770 (9. Aug) Brief von C. Reviczki an William Jones. "I am exceedingly obliged to you for the extraordinary composition with which you favoured me ; it is, indeed, a literary curiosity. But pray inform me when you learned the Chinese language : I did not suspect that this was one of your accomplishments ; but there are no bounds to your acquisitions as a linguist. I am the more delighted with this little performance, as I can rely upon it as a faithful translation from the Chinese language, or which the few things we have translated appear very suspicious ; it has not only the merit of being very ancient, but, in your version, appears even elegant." 1770 Teignmouth : The letter C. Reviczki to William Jones (Oct. 16) was received by Mr. Jones, after his return to England… The account which ge gives of his success in deciphering an ode of Confucius, is a remarkable proof of his ardour for universal literature, and of his invincible application in the pursuit of it. He had before acquired the keys of the Chinese language, and having accidentally discovered, through the medium of an inelegant translation, a treasure locked up in it, he applies them skilfully, and, with great perseverance, obtains access to it. 1771 (3. Juni) Brief von William Jones an J. Wilmot. "I am sorry the characters you sent me are not Persian, but Chinese, which I cannot decipher without a book, which I have not at present, but, tous Chinois qu’ils sont, I shall be able to make them out, when the weather will permit me to sit in the Bodleian. In the mean time, I would advise you to enquire after a native of China, who is now in London. I cannot recollect where he lodges, but shall know when I come to town, which will be to-morrow or Saturday." Fan Cunzong : We know very little how Jones learned his Chinese. This letter gives us an idea of his knowledge of Chinese and a clue as to the assistance he may have received in his Chinese studies. So far as I can ascertain, there were at least two natives of China in London in the ‘seventies, and it is almost certain that Jones knew both. One of them, by the name of Tan Chetqua = Tan Chitqua, a modeler from Canton, had was in England 1769-1772, he was the fashion in London. His lodging at Mr. Marr’s in the Strand was much frequented by savants, connoisseurs and artists. The Royal Family had been pleased to receive him and had given him several commissions for small modeled portraits. In the exhibition of the Royal Academy in 1770 he was represented by a bust. Jones must have met him and may have consulted him about some difficult characters. 1789 (20. Okt.) Brief von William Jones an Mr. Justice Hyde. "I have written four papers for our expiring society, on very curious subjects, and have prepared materials for a discourse on the Chinese…" 1791 (18. Okt.) Brief von William Jones an Joseph Banks. "I believe I shall send a box of inestimable manuscripts, Sanscrit and Arabic, to your friendly care. If I return to England, you will restore them to me ; if I die in my voyage to China, or my journey through Persia, you will dispose of them as you please."	Document: The vision of China in the English literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ed. by Adrian Hsia. (Hong Kong : Chinese University press, 1998). [Enthält] : Qian, Zhongshu. China in the English literature of the seventeenth century. In : Quarterly bulletin of Chinese bibliography ; vol. 1 (1940). Fan, Cunzhong. The beginnings of the influence of Chinese culture in England. In : Wai guo yu ; no 6 (1982). Chen, Shouyi. John Webb : a forgotten page in the early history of sinology in Europe. In : The Chinese social and political review ; vol. 19 (1935-1936). Qian, Zhongshu. China in the English literature of the eighteenth century. In : Quarterly bulletin of Chinese bibliography ; vol. 2 (1941). Chen, Shouyi. Daniel Defoe, China's severe critic. In : Nankai social and economic quarterly ; vol. 8 (1935). Fan, Cunzhong. Chinese fables and anti-Walpole journalism. In : The review of English studies ; vol. 25 (1949). Fan, Cunzhong. Dr. Johnson and Chinese culture. In : Quarterly bulletin of Chinese bibliography ; vol. 5 (1945). Chen, Shouyi. Oliver Goldsmith and his Chinese letters. In : T'ien hsia monthly ; vol. 8 (1939). Chen, Shouyi. Thomas Percy and his Chinese studies. In : The Chinese social and political science review ; vol. 20 (1936-1937). Fan, Cunzhong. William Jones's Chinese studies. In : The review of English studies ; vol. 22 (1946). Chen, Shouyi. The Chinese garden in eighteenth century England. In : T'ien hsia monthly ; vol. 2 (1936). Chen, Shouyi. The Chinese orphan : a Yuan play. In : T'ien hsia monthly ; vol. 4 (1936). [Ji, Junxiang. Zhao shi gu'er]. Hsia, Adrian. The orphan of the house Zhao in French, English, German, and Hong Kong literature. In : Comparative literature studies ; vol. 25 (1988). [Ji, Junxiang. Zhao shi gu'er]. S. 328-329. (Hsia8, Publication) Person: Jones, William Person: Teignmouth, John Shore
2	1804	Jones, William. Desiderata. [MS]. China 21. A translation of the Shi-king. [Shi jing]. 22. The text of Can-fu-tsu, verbally translated. [Confucius].	Person: Jones, William

Cited by (1)

#	Year	Bibliographical Data	Type / Abbreviation	Linked Data
1	2007-	Worldcat/OCLC	Web / WC