temple of Laotsze. The ancient was sitting in the shade of the
mulberry trees blowing the flute. He took Du Dsi Tschun along with him
to the cloudy peaks of the holy mountains of the West. When they had
gone some forty miles into the mountains, he saw a dwelling, fair and
clean. It was surrounded by many-colored clouds, and peacocks and
cranes were flying about it. Within the house was a herb-oven nine
feet high. The fire burned with a purple flame, and its glow leaped
along the walls. Nine fairies stood at the oven, and a green dragon
and a white tiger crouched beside it. Evening came. The ancient was no
longer clad like an ordinary man; but wore a yellow cap and wide,
flowing garments. He took three pellets of the White Stone, put them
into a flagon of wine, and gave them to Du Dsi Tschun to drink. He
spread out a tiger-skin against the western wall of the inner chamber,
and bade Du Dsi Tschun sit down on it, with his face turned toward the
East. Then he said to him: "Now beware of speaking a single word--no
matter what happens to you, whether you encounter powerful gods or
terrible demons, wild beasts or ogres, or all the tortures of the
nether world, or even if you see your own relatives suffer--for all
these things are only deceitful images! They cannot harm you. Think
only of what I have said, and let your soul be at rest!" And when he
had said this the ancient disappeared.
Then Du Dsi Tschun saw only a large stone jug full of clear water
standing before him. Fairies, dragon and tiger had all vanished.
Suddenly he heard a tremendous crash, which made heaven and earth
tremble. A man towering more than ten feet in height appeared. He
called himself the great captain, and he and his horse were covered
with golden armor. He was surrounded by more than a hundred soldiers,
who drew their bows and swung their swords, and halted in the
courtyard.
The giant called out harshly: "Who are you? Get out of my way!"
Du Dsi Tschun did not move. And he returned no answer to his
questions.
Then the giant flew into a passion and cried with a thundering voice:
"Chop off his head!"
But Du Dsi Tschun remained unmoved, so the giant went off raging.
Then a furious tiger and a poisonous serpent came up roaring and
hissing. They made as though to bite him and leaped over him. But Du
Dsi Tschun remained unperturbed in spirit, and after a time they
dissolved and vanished.
Suddenly a great rain began to fall in streams. It thundered and
lightninged incessantly, so that his ears rang and his eyes were
blinded. It seemed as though the house would fall. The water rose to a
flood in a few moments' time, and streamed up to the place where he
was sitting. But Du Dsi Tschun remained motionless and paid no
attention to it. And after a time the water receded.
Then came a great demon with the head of an ox. He set up a kettle in
the middle of the courtyard, in which bubbled boiling oil. He caught
Du Dsi Tschun by the neck with an iron fork and said: "If you will
tell me who you are I will let you go!"
Du Dsi Tschun shut his eyes and kept silent. Then the demon picked
him up with the fork and flung him into the kettle. He withstood the
pain, and the boiling oil did not harm him. Finally the demon dragged
him out again, and drew him down the steps of the house before a man
with red hair and a blue face, who looked like the prince of the
nether world. The latter cried: "Drag in his wife!"
After a time Du Dsi Tschun's wife was brought on in chains. Her hair
was torn and she wept bitterly.
The demon pointed to Du Dsi Tschun and said: "If you will speak your
name we will let her go!"
But he answered not a word.
Then the prince of evil had the woman tormented in all sorts of ways.
And she pleaded with Du Dsi Tschun: "I have been your wife now for ten
years. Will you not speak one little word to save me? I can endure no
more!" And the tears ran in streams from her eyes. She screamed and
scolded. Yet he spoke not a word.
Thereupon the prince of evil shouted: "Chop her into bits!" And there,
before his eyes, it seemed as though she were really being chopped to
pieces. But Du Dsi Tschun did not move.
"The scoundrel's measure is full!" cried the prince of evil. "He shall
dwell no longer among the living! Off with his head!" And so they
killed him, and it seemed to him that his soul fled his body. The
ox-headed demon dragged him down into the nether regions, where he
tasted all the tortures in turn. But Du Dsi Tschun remembered the
words of the ancient. And the tortures, too, seemed bearable. So he
did not scream and said not a word.
Now he was once more dragged before the prince of evil. The latter
said: "As punishment for his obstinacy this man shall come to earth
again in the shape of a woman!"
The demon dragged him to the wheel of life and he returned to earth
in the shape of a girl. He was often ill, had to take medicine
continually, and was pricked and burned with hot needles. Yet he never
uttered a sound. Gradually he grew into a beautiful maiden. But since
he never spoke, he was known as the dumb maid. A scholar finally took
him for his bride, and they lived in peace and good fellowship. And a
son came to them who, in the course of two years was already beyond
measure wise and intelligent. One day the father was carrying the son
on his arm. He spoke jestingly to his wife and said: "When I look at
you it seems to me that you are not really dumb. Won't you say one
little word to me? How delightful it would be if you were to become my
speaking rose!"
The woman remained silent. No matter how he might coax and try to make
her smile, she would return no answer.
Then his features changed: "If you will not speak to me, it is a sign
that you scorn me; and in that case your son is nothing to me,
either!" And with that he seized the boy and flung him against the
wall.
But since Du Dsi Tschun loved this little boy so dearly, he forgot the
ancient's warning, and cried out: "Oh, oh!"
And before the cry had died away Du Dsi Tschun awoke as though from a
dream and found himself seated in his former place. The ancient was
there as well. It must have been about the fifth hour of the night.
Purple flames rose wildly from the oven, and flared up to the sky. The
whole house caught fire and burned like a torch.
"You have deceived me!" cried the ancient. Then he seized him by the
hair and thrust him into the jug of water. And in a minute the fire
went out. The ancient spoke: "You overcame joy and rage, grief and
fear, hate and desire, it is true; but love you had not driven from
your soul. Had you not cried out when the child was flung against the
wall, then my elixir would have taken shape and you would have
attained immortality. But in the last moment you failed me. Now it is
too late. Now I can begin brewing my elixir of life once more from the
beginning and you will remain a mere mortal man!"
Du Dsi Tschun saw that the oven had burst, and that instead of the
philosopher's stone it held only a lump of iron. The ancient man cast
aside his garments and chopped it up with a magic knife. Du Dsi Tschun
took leave of him and returned to Yangdschou, where he lived in great
affluence. In his old age he regretted that he had not completed his
task. He once more went to the mountain to look for the ancient. But
the ancient had vanished without leaving a trace.
Note: The "pieces of copper" are the ancient Chinese
copper coins, with a hole in the middle, usually hung on
strings to the number of 500 or 1000. Money had a
greater purchasing value in ancient China, however, than
in the China of to-day. The "Persian Bazaar": During the
reign of the Tang dynasty China maintained an active
intercourse with the West, traces of which are at
present being investigated in Central Asia. At that time
Persian bazaars were no novelty in the city of Si-An-Fu,
then the capital. "Herb-oven": a tripod kettle used for
brewing the elixir of life, with which the fairies,
dragon and tiger (both the last-mentioned
star-incarnations) are connected. In order to prepare
the elixir the master must have absolute endurance. It
is for this reason that he had placed Du Dsi Tschun in
his debt by means of kindness. The yellow cap which the
master wears is connected with the teachings of the
Yellow Ancient (comp. w. No. 15). The "prince of the
nether world," Yan Wang, or Yan Lo Wang, is the Indian
god Yama. There are in all ten princes of the nether
world, of whom the fifth is the highest and most feared.
"Obstinacy," literally; his real offense is reticence,
or the keeping secret of a thing. This quality belongs
to the Yin, the dark or feminine principle, and
determines Du Dsi Tschun's reappearance on earth as a
woman. "Purple flames rose wildly from the oven": Though
Du Dsi Tschun had overcome his other emotions, so that
fear and terror did not affect him, love, and love in
its highest form, mother-love, still remained in him.
This love created the flames which threatened to destroy
the building. The highest point in Taoism--as in
Buddhism--is, however, the absolute negation of all
feeling.
NATURE AND ANIMAL TALES
XXXIX
THE FLOWER-ELVES
Once upon a time there was a scholar who lived retired from the world
in order to gain hidden wisdom. He lived alone and in a secret place.
And all about the little house in which he dwelt he had planted every
kind of flower, and bamboos and other trees. There it lay, quite
concealed in its thick grove of flowers. With him he had only a boy
servant, who dwelt in a separate hut, and who carried out his orders.
He was not allowed to appear before his master unless summoned. The
scholar loved his flowers as he did himself. Never did he set his foot
beyond the boundaries of his garden.
It chanced that once there came a lovely spring evening. Flowers and
trees stood in full bloom, a fresh breeze was blowing, the moon shone
clearly. And the scholar sat over his goblet and was grateful for the
gift of life.
Suddenly he saw a maiden in dark garments come tripping up in the
moonlight. She made a deep courtesy, greeted him and said: "I am your
neighbor. We are a company of young maids who are on our way to visit
the eighteen aunts. We should like to rest in this court for awhile,
and therefore ask your permission to do so."
The scholar saw that this was something quite out of the common, and
gladly gave his consent. The maiden thanked him and went away.
In a short time she brought back a whole crowd of maids carrying
flowers and willow branches. All greeted the scholar. They were
charming, with delicate features, and slender, graceful figures. When
they moved their sleeves, a delightful fragrance was exhaled. There is
no fragrance known to the human world which could be compared with it.
The scholar invited them to sit down for a time in his room. Then he
asked them: "Whom have I really the honor of entertaining? Have you
come from the castle of the Lady in the Moon, or the Jade Spring of
the Queen-Mother of the West?"
"How could we claim such high descent?" said a maiden in a green gown,
with a smile. "My name is Salix." Then she presented another, clad in
white, and said: "This is Mistress Prunophora"; then one in rose, "and
this is Persica"; and finally one in a dark-red gown, "and this is
Punica. We are all sisters and we want to visit the eighteen
zephyr-aunts to-day. The moon shines so beautifully this evening and
it is so charming here in the garden. We are most grateful to you for
taking pity on us."
"Yes, yes," said the scholar.
Then the sober-clad servant suddenly announced: "The zephyr-aunts have
already arrived!"
At once the girls rose and went to the door to meet them.
"We were just about to visit you, aunts," they said, smiling. "This
gentleman here had just invited us to sit for a moment. What a
pleasant coincidence that you aunts have come here, too. This is such
a lovely night that we must drink a goblet of nectar in honor of you
aunts!"
Thereon they ordered the servant to bring what was needed.
"May one sit down here?" asked the aunts.
"The master of the house is most kind," replied the maids, "and the
spot is quiet and hidden."
And then they presented the aunts to the scholar. He spoke a few
kindly words to the eighteen aunts. They had a somewhat irresponsible
and airy manner. Their words fairly gushed out, and in their
neighborhood one felt a frosty chill.
Meanwhile the servant had already brought in table and chairs. The
eighteen aunts sat at the upper end of the board, the maids followed,
and the scholar sat down with them at the lowest place. Soon the
entire table was covered with the most delicious foods and most
magnificent fruits, and the goblets were filled with a fragrant
nectar. They were delights such as the world of men does not know! The
moon shone brightly and the flowers exhaled intoxicating odors. After
they had partaken of food and drink the maids rose, danced and sung.
Sweetly the sound of their singing echoed through the falling gloam,
and their dance was like that of butterflies fluttering about the
flowers. The scholar was so overpowered with delight that he no longer
knew whether he were in heaven or on earth.
When the dance had ended, the girls sat down again at the table, and
drank the health of the aunts in flowing nectar. The scholar, too, was
remembered with a toast, to which he replied with well-turned phrases.
But the eighteen aunts were somewhat irresponsible in their ways. One
of them, raising her goblet, by accident poured some nectar on
Punica's dress. Punica, who was young and fiery, and very neat, stood
up angrily when she saw the spot on her red dress.
"You are really very careless," said she, in her anger. "My other
sisters may be afraid of you, but I am not!"
Then the aunts grew angry as well and said: "How dare this young chit
insult us in such a manner!"
And with that they gathered up their garments and rose.
All the maids then crowded about them and said: "Punica is so young
and inexperienced! You must not bear her any ill-will! To-morrow she
shall go to you switch in hand, and receive her punishment!"
But the eighteen aunts would not listen to them and went off.
Thereupon the maids also said farewell, scattered among the
flower-beds and disappeared. The scholar sat for a long time lost in
dreamy yearning.
On the following evening the maids all came back again.
"We all live in your garden," they told him. "Every year we are
tormented by naughty winds, and therefore we have always asked the
eighteen aunts to protect us. But yesterday Punica insulted them, and
now we fear they will help us no more. But we know that you have
always been well disposed toward us, for which we are heartily
grateful. And now we have a great favor to ask, that every New Year's
day you make a small scarlet flag, paint the sun, moon and five
planets on it, and set it up in the eastern part of the garden. Then
we sisters will be left in peace and will be protected from all evil.
But since New Year's day has passed for this year, we beg that you
will set up the flag on the twenty-first of this month. For the East
Wind is coming and the flag will protect us against him!"
The scholar readily promised to do as they wished, and the maids all
said with a single voice: "We thank you for your great kindness and
will repay it!" Then they departed and a sweet fragrance filled the
entire garden.
The scholar, however, made a red flag as described, and when early in
the morning of the day in question the East Wind really did begin to
blow, he quickly set it up in the garden.
Suddenly a wild storm broke out, one that caused the forests to bend,
and broke the trees. The flowers in the garden alone did not move.
Then the scholar noticed that Salix was the willow; Prunophora the
plum; Persica the peach, and the saucy Punica the Pomegranate, whose
powerful blossoms the wind cannot tear. The eighteen zephyr-aunts,
however, were the spirits of the winds.
In the evening the flower-elves all came and brought the scholar
radiant flowers as a gift of thanks.
"You have saved us," they said, "and we have nothing else we can give
you. If you eat these flowers you will live long and avoid old age.
And if you, in turn, will protect us every year, then we sisters, too,
will live long."
The scholar did as they told him and ate the flowers. And his figure
changed and he grew young again like a youth of twenty. And in the
course of time he attained the hidden wisdom and was placed among the
Immortals.
Note. Salix: the names of the "Flower Elves" are given
in the Chinese as family names, whose sound suggests the
flower-names without exactly using them. In the
translation the play on words is indicated by the Latin
names. "Zephyr-aunts": In Chinese the name given the
aunt is "Fong," which in another stylization means
"wind."
XL
THE SPIRIT OF THE WU-LIAN MOUNTAIN
To the west of the gulf of Kiautschou is the Wu-Lian Mountain, where
there are many spirits. Once upon a time a scholar who lived there was
sitting up late at night, reading. And, as he stepped out before the
house, a storm rose up suddenly, and a monster stretched out his claws
and seized him by the hair. And he lifted him up in the air and
carried him away. They passed by the tower which looks out to sea, a
Buddhist temple in the hills. And in the distance, in the clouds, the
scholar saw the figure of a god in golden armor. The figure looked
exactly like the image of Weto which was in the tower. In its right
hand it held an iron mace, while its left pointed toward the monster,
and it looked at it with anger. Then the monster let the scholar fall,
right on top of the tower, and disappeared. No doubt the saint in the
tower had come to the scholar's aid, because his whole family
worshiped Buddha dutifully.
When the sun rose the priest came and saw the scholar on his tower. He
piled up hay and straw on the ground; so that he could jump down
without hurting himself. Then he took the scholar home, yet there
where the monster had seized his hair, the hair remained stiff and
unyielding. It did not improve until half a year had gone by.
Note: This legend comes from Dschungschong, west of the
gulf of Kiautschou. "The tower which looks out to sea,"
a celebrated tower which gives a view of the ocean. At
present the people give this name to the Tsingtau Signal
Station. Weto (Sanscrit, Veda), a legendary Boddhisatva,
leader of the hosts of the four kings of heaven. His
picture, with drawn sword, may be found at the entrance
of every Buddhist temple. In China, he is often
represented with a mace (symbolizing a thunderbolt)
instead of a sword. When this is the case he has
probably been confused with Vaisramana.
XLI
THE KING OF THE ANTS
Once upon a time there was a scholar, who wandered away from his home
and went to Emmet village. There stood a house which was said to be
haunted. Yet it was beautifully situated and surrounded by a lovely
garden. So the scholar hired it. One evening he was sitting over his
books, when several hundred knights suddenly came galloping into the
room. They were quite tiny, and their horses were about the size of
flies. They had hunting falcons and dogs about as large as gnats and
fleas.
They came to his bed in the corner of the room, and there they held a
great hunt, with bows and arrows: one could see it all quite plainly.
They caught a tremendous quantity of birds and game, and all this game
was no larger than little grains of rice.
When the hunt was over, in came a long procession with banners and
standards. They wore swords at their side and bore spears in their
hands, and came to a halt in the north-west corner of the room. They
were followed by several hundred serving-men. These brought with them
curtains and covers, tents and tent-poles, pots and kettles, cups and
plates, tables and chairs. And after them some hundreds of other
servants carried in all sorts of fine dishes, the best that land and
water had to offer. And several hundred more ran to and fro without
stopping, in order to guard the roads and carry messages.
The scholar gradually accustomed himself to the sight. Although the
men were so very small he could distinguish everything quite clearly.
Before long, a bright colored banner appeared. Behind it rode a
personage wearing a scarlet hat and garments of purple. He was
surrounded by an escort of several thousands. Before him went runners
with whips and rods to clear the way.
Then a man wearing an iron helmet and with a golden ax in his hand
cried out in a loud voice: "His Highness is graciously pleased to look
at the fish in the Purple Lake!" Whereupon the one who wore the
scarlet hat got down from his horse, and, followed by a retinue of
several hundred men, approached the saucer which the scholar used for
his writing-ink. Tents were put up on the edge of the saucer and a
banquet was prepared. A great number of guests sat down to the table.
Musicians and dancers stood ready. There was a bright confusion of
mingled garments of purple and scarlet, crimson and green. Pipes and
flutes, fiddles and cymbals sounded, and the dancers moved in the
dance. The music was very faint, and yet its melodies could be clearly
distinguished. All that was said, too, the table-talk and orders,
questions and calls, could be quite distinctly heard.
After three courses, he who wore the scarlet hat said: "Quick! Make
ready the nets and lines for fishing!"
And at once nets were thrown out into the saucer which held the water
in which the scholar dipped his brush. And they caught hundreds of
thousands of fishes. The one with the scarlet hat contented himself
with casting a line in the shallow waters of the saucer, and caught a
baker's dozen of red carp.
Then he ordered the head cook to cook the fish, and the most varied
dishes were prepared with them. The odor of roasting fat and spices
filled the whole room.
And then the wearer of the scarlet hat in his arrogance, decided to
amuse himself at the scholar's expense. So he pointed to him and said:
"I know nothing at all about the writings and customs of the saints
and wise men, and still I am a king who is highly honored! Yonder
scholar spends his whole life toiling over his books and yet he
remains poor and gets nowhere. If he could make up his mind to serve
me faithfully as one of my officials, I might allow him to partake of
our meal."
This angered the scholar, and he took his book and struck at them. And
they all scattered, wriggling and crawling out of the door. He
followed them and dug up the earth in the place where they had
disappeared. And there he found an ants' nest as large as a barrel, in
which countless green ants were wriggling around. So he built a large
fire and smoked them out.
Note: This charming tale is taken from the Tang Dai
Tsung Schu.
XLII
THE LITTLE HUNTING DOG
Once upon a time, in the city of Shansi, there lived a scholar who
found the company of others too noisy for him. So he made his home in
a Buddhist temple. Yet he suffered because there were always so many
gnats and fleas in his room that he could not sleep at night.
Once he was resting on his bed after dinner, when suddenly two little
knights with plumes in their helmets rode into the room. They might
have been two inches high, and rode horses about the size of
grasshoppers. On their gauntleted hands they held hunting falcons as
large as flies. They rode about the room with great rapidity. The
scholar had no more than set eyes on them when a third entered, clad
like the others, but carrying a bow and arrows and leading a little
hunting dog the size of an ant with him. After him came a great throng
of footmen and horsemen, several hundred in all. And they had hunting
falcons and hunting dogs by the hundred, too. Then the fleas and gnats
began to rise in the air; but were all slain by the falcons. And the
hunting dogs climbed on the bed, and sniffed along the walls trailing
the fleas, and ate them up. They followed the trace of whatever hid in
the cracks, and nosed it out, so that in a short space of time they
had killed nearly all the vermin.
The scholar pretended to be asleep and watched them. And the falcons
settled down on him, and the dogs crawled along his body. Shortly
after came a man clad in yellow, wearing a king's crown, who climbed
on an empty couch and seated himself there. And at once all the
horsemen rode up, descended from their horses and brought him all the
birds and game. They then gathered beside him in a great throng, and
conversed with him in a strange tongue.