was born destined by the Master of Heaven to become the Porcelain God.
And his divine ghost, ever hovering above the smoking and the toiling of the potteries, still gives power to the thought of the shaper, grace to the genius of the designer, luminosity to the touch of the enamelist. For by his heaven-taught wisdom was the art of porcelain created; by his inspiration were accomplished all the miracles of Taoyu, maker of the Jiayuji ,and all the marvels made by those who followed after him:
All the azure porcelains called Yuguo Tianjing ;brilliant as a mirror, thin as paper of rice, sonorous as the melodious stone Qing , and colored, in obedience to the mandate of the Emperor Shizong, “blue as the sky is after rain, when viewed through the rifts of the clouds.” These were indeed, the first of all porcelains, likewise called Zhaiyao, which no man howsoever wicked, could find courage to break, for they charmed the eye like jewels of price;
And the Ruyao, second in the among all porcelains, sometimes mocking the aspect and the sonority of bronze, sometimes blue as summer waters, and deluding the sight with mucid appearance of thickly floating spawn of fish;
And the Guanyao, which are the Porcelains of Magistrates, and third in rank of merit among all wondrous porcelains, colored with colors of the morning—sky blueness, with the rose of a great dawn blushing and bursting through it, and long-limbed marsh-birds flying against the glow;
Also the Geyao, fourth in rank among perfect porcelains, of fair, faint, changing colors, like the body of a living fish, or made in the likeness of opal substance, milk mixed with fire; the work of Xing Yi, elder of the immortal brothers Zhang;
Also the Dingyao, fifth in rank among all perfect porcelains—white as the mourning garments of a spouse bereaved, and beautiful with a trickling as of tears—the porcelains sung of by the poet Son Dongbo;
Also the porcelains called Biseyao ,whose colors are called “hidden,” being alternately invisible and visible, like the tints of ice beneath the sun—the porcelains celebrated by the far-famed singer Xin Yin;
Also the wondrous Shuyao , the pallid porcelains that utter a mournful cry, when smitten—the porcelains chanted of by the mighty chanter, Tushao Ling;
Also the porcelains called Qinyao, white or blue, surface-wrinkled as the face of water by the fluttering of many fins. … And ye can see the fish!
Also the vases called Jihongqi , red as sunset after a rain; and the Totaiqi, fragile as the wings of the silkworm-moth, lighter than the shell of an egg ;
Also the Jiajing, fair cups pearl white when empty, yet, by some incomprehensible witchcraft of construction seeming to swarm with purple fish the moment they are filled with water;
Also the porcelains called Yaopian, whose tints are transmuted by the alchemy of fire; for they enter blood-crimson into the heat, and change there to lizard-green, and at last come forth azure as the cheek of the sky;
Also the Jizhouyao, which are all violet as a summer’s night; and the Xingyao that sparkle with the sparklings of mingled silver and snow;
Also the Xuanyao , some ruddy as iron in the furnace, some diaphanous and ruby-red, some granulated and yellow as the rind of an orange, some softly flushed as the skin of a peach;
Also the Zuiqiyao, crackled and green as ancient ice is; and the Zhoufuyao ,which are the Porcelains of Emperors, with dragons wriggling and snarling in gold; and those yao that are pink-ribbed and have their angles serrated as the claws of crabs are;
Also the Wuniyao ,black as the pupil of the eve, and as lustrous; and the Hutianyao ,darkly yellow as the faces of men of India; and the Wugongyao, whose color is the dead-gold of autumn-leaves;
Also the Longgangyao, green as the seedling of a pea, but bearing also paintings of sun-silvered cloud, and of the Dragons of Heaven;
Also the Jinghuayao, pictured with the amber bloom of grapes and the verdure of vine-leaves
And his divine ghost, ever hovering above the smoking and the toiling of the potteries, still gives power to the thought of the shaper, grace to the genius of the designer, luminosity to the touch of the enamelist. For by his heaven-taught wisdom was the art of porcelain created; by his inspiration were accomplished all the miracles of Taoyu, maker of the Jiayuji ,and all the marvels made by those who followed after him:
All the azure porcelains called Yuguo Tianjing ;brilliant as a mirror, thin as paper of rice, sonorous as the melodious stone Qing , and colored, in obedience to the mandate of the Emperor Shizong, “blue as the sky is after rain, when viewed through the rifts of the clouds.” These were indeed, the first of all porcelains, likewise called Zhaiyao, which no man howsoever wicked, could find courage to break, for they charmed the eye like jewels of price;
And the Ruyao, second in the among all porcelains, sometimes mocking the aspect and the sonority of bronze, sometimes blue as summer waters, and deluding the sight with mucid appearance of thickly floating spawn of fish;
And the Guanyao, which are the Porcelains of Magistrates, and third in rank of merit among all wondrous porcelains, colored with colors of the morning—sky blueness, with the rose of a great dawn blushing and bursting through it, and long-limbed marsh-birds flying against the glow;
Also the Geyao, fourth in rank among perfect porcelains, of fair, faint, changing colors, like the body of a living fish, or made in the likeness of opal substance, milk mixed with fire; the work of Xing Yi, elder of the immortal brothers Zhang;
Also the Dingyao, fifth in rank among all perfect porcelains—white as the mourning garments of a spouse bereaved, and beautiful with a trickling as of tears—the porcelains sung of by the poet Son Dongbo;
Also the porcelains called Biseyao ,whose colors are called “hidden,” being alternately invisible and visible, like the tints of ice beneath the sun—the porcelains celebrated by the far-famed singer Xin Yin;
Also the wondrous Shuyao , the pallid porcelains that utter a mournful cry, when smitten—the porcelains chanted of by the mighty chanter, Tushao Ling;
Also the porcelains called Qinyao, white or blue, surface-wrinkled as the face of water by the fluttering of many fins. … And ye can see the fish!
Also the vases called Jihongqi , red as sunset after a rain; and the Totaiqi, fragile as the wings of the silkworm-moth, lighter than the shell of an egg ;
Also the Jiajing, fair cups pearl white when empty, yet, by some incomprehensible witchcraft of construction seeming to swarm with purple fish the moment they are filled with water;
Also the porcelains called Yaopian, whose tints are transmuted by the alchemy of fire; for they enter blood-crimson into the heat, and change there to lizard-green, and at last come forth azure as the cheek of the sky;
Also the Jizhouyao, which are all violet as a summer’s night; and the Xingyao that sparkle with the sparklings of mingled silver and snow;
Also the Xuanyao , some ruddy as iron in the furnace, some diaphanous and ruby-red, some granulated and yellow as the rind of an orange, some softly flushed as the skin of a peach;
Also the Zuiqiyao, crackled and green as ancient ice is; and the Zhoufuyao ,which are the Porcelains of Emperors, with dragons wriggling and snarling in gold; and those yao that are pink-ribbed and have their angles serrated as the claws of crabs are;
Also the Wuniyao ,black as the pupil of the eve, and as lustrous; and the Hutianyao ,darkly yellow as the faces of men of India; and the Wugongyao, whose color is the dead-gold of autumn-leaves;
Also the Longgangyao, green as the seedling of a pea, but bearing also paintings of sun-silvered cloud, and of the Dragons of Heaven;
Also the Jinghuayao, pictured with the amber bloom of grapes and the verdure of vine-leaves
Similar Books
