1909年秋，曼殊自日本归至上海，继续谋求《拜伦诗选》的出版。他通过蔡哲夫的关系，请英国驻上海领事馆的佛莱蔗为撰英文序，并参订英文《拜伦年表》，以提高出版的可能性。但此书的出版一时未遂。他就干脆将年来从英文所译的诗歌，及所辑录汉家的英译汉诗汇编成册，取名《潮音》，撰上此序言。后来，他在新加坡遇到罗弼·雪鸿，把她手抄的《英吉利闺秀诗选》一卷加了进去，利用1911年暑假，从爪哇带至日本印行。
Byron and Shelley are two of the greatest British poets. Both had the lofty sentiment of creation, love, as the theme of their poetic expressions.Yes, although both wrote principally on love, lovers, and their fortunes, their modes of expression differ as widely as the poles.
Byron was born and brought up in luxury, wealth, and liberty.He was an ardent and sincere devotee of libery, —yes, he dared to clain liberty in everything—great and small, social or political.He knew not how or where he was extreme.
Byron's poems are like a stimulating liquor, —the more one drinks, the more one feels the sweet fascination.They are full of charm, full of beauty, full of sincerity throughout.
In sentimentality, enthusiasm and straightforward-ness of diction, they have no equal.He was a free and noble hearted man.His end came while he was engaged in a noble pursuit.He went to Greece, where he sided with the patriots who were fighting for their liberty.His whole life, career and production are intertwined in Love and Liberty.
Shelley, though a devotee of love, is judicious and pensive.His enthusiasm for love never appears in any strong out-burst of expression.He is a “Philosopherlover”.He loves not only the beauty of love, or love for love, but “love in philosophy” of “philosophy in love”.He had depth, but not continuance: energy without youthful devotion.His poems are as the moonshine, placidly beautiful, somnolently still, reflected on the waters of silence and contemplation.
Shelley sought Nirvana in love; but Byron sought action for love, and in love.Shelley was self-contained and quite engrossed in his devotion to the Muses.His premature and violent death will be lamented so long as English literature exists.
Both Shelley and Byron's works are worth studying by every lover of learning, for enjoyment of poeticbeauty, and to appreciate the lofty ideals of Love and Liberty.
In these pages, I have the honour to offer my readers translations of a few poems from the works of Byron.
Hereafter, I shall try my best, to present them with the translation of the world reknowned Sakunta la of the famous poet Kalidasa of Hindustan, the Land of Lord Sakya Buddha.
That the labour bestowed on the present publication will be appreciated by my readers is the writer's earnest desire.
Manshu
MCMIX.
