as fast as ever you can! Do not open it, and do not look around! I
will follow you in secret."
So he turned North and ran with all his might and main. He had been
running for a day and a night, had covered nearly a hundred miles, and
passed the boundaries of the wild people's country, when his legs gave
out and he grew hungry. Before him lay a mountain village. He stopped
at the village gate to rest, drew some food from his pocket and began
to eat. And he looked around without being able to see his wife.
Said he to himself: "Perhaps she has deceived me after all, and is not
coming with me!"
After he had finished eating, he took a drink from a spring, and
painfully dragged himself further. When the heat of the day was
greatest a violent mountain rain suddenly began to fall. In his haste
he forgot what his wife had told him and opened his umbrella. And out
fell his wife upon the ground.
She reproached him: "Once more you have not listened to my advice. Now
the damage has been done!"
Quickly she told him to go to the village, and there to buy a white
cock, seven black tea-cups, and half a length of red nettlecloth.
"Do not be sparing of the silver pieces in your pocket!" she cried
after him as he went off.
He went to the village, attended to everything, and came back. The
woman tore the cloth apart, made a coat of it and put it on. No sooner
had they walked a few miles before they could see a red cloud rising
up in the South, like a flying bird.
"That is my mother," said the woman.
In a moment the cloud was overhead. Then the woman took the black
tea-cups and threw them at it. Seven she threw and seven fell to earth
again. And then they could hear the mother in the cloud weeping and
scolding, and thereupon the cloud disappeared.
They went on for about four hours. Then they heard a sound like the
noise of silk being torn, and could see a cloud as black as ink, which
was rushing up against the wind.
"Alas, that is my father!" said the woman. "This is a matter of life
and death, for he will not let us be! Because of my love for you I
will now have to disobey the holiest of laws!"
With these words she quickly seized the white cock, separated its head
from its body, and flung the head into the air. At once the black
cloud dissolved, and her father's body, the head severed from the
trunk, fell down by the edge of the road. Then the woman wept
bitterly, and when she had wept her fill they buried the corpse.
Thereupon they went together to her husband's home, where they found
his old mother still living. They then undid the bag of pearls and
jewels, bought a piece of good ground, built a fine house, and became
wealthy and respected members of the community.
Note: Realgar: The Chinese believe that realgar is a
mithridate and tonic.
HISTORIC LEGENDS
LX
THE SORCERER OF THE WHITE LOTUS LODGE
Once upon a time there was a sorcerer who belonged to the White Lotus
Lodge. He knew how to deceive the multitude with his black arts, and
many who wished to learn the secret of his enchantments became his
pupils.
One day the sorcerer wished to go out. He placed a bowl which he
covered with another bowl in the hall of his house, and ordered his
pupils to watch it. But he warned them against uncovering the bowl to
see what might be in it.
No sooner had he gone than the pupils uncovered the bowl and saw that
it was filled with clear water. And floating on the water was a little
ship made of straw, with real masts and sails. They were surprised and
pushed it with their fingers till it upset. Then they quickly righted
it again and once more covered the bowl. By that time the sorcerer was
already standing among them. He was angry and scolded them, saying:
"Why did you disobey my command?"
His pupils rose and denied that they had done so.
But the sorcerer answered: "Did not my ship turn turtle at sea, and
yet you try to deceive me?"
On another evening he lit a giant candle in his room, and ordered his
pupils to watch it lest it be blown out by the wind. It must have been
at the second watch of the night and the sorcerer had not yet come
back. The pupils grew tired and sleepy, so they went to bed and
gradually fell asleep. When they woke up again the candle had gone
out. So they rose quickly and re-lit it. But the sorcerer was already
in the room, and again he scolded them.
"Truly we did not sleep! How could the light have gone out?"
Angrily the sorcerer replied: "You let me walk fifteen miles in the
dark, and still you can talk such nonsense!"
Then his pupils were very much frightened.
In the course of time one of his pupils insulted the sorcerer. The
latter made note of the insult, but said nothing. Soon after he told
the pupil to feed the swine, and no sooner had he entered the sty than
his master turned him into a pig. The sorcerer then at once called in
a butcher, sold the pig to the man, and he went the way of all pigs
who go to the butcher.
One day this pupil's father turned up to ask after his son, for he had
not come back to his home for a long time. The sorcerer told him that
his son had left him long ago. The father returned home and inquired
everywhere for his son without success. But one of his son's
fellow-pupils, who knew of the matter, informed the father. So the
father complained to the district mandarin. The latter, however,
feared that the sorcerer might make himself invisible. He did not dare
to have him arrested, but informed his superior and begged for a
thousand well-armed soldiers. These surrounded the sorcerer's home and
seized him, together with his wife and child. All three were put into
wooden cages to be transported to the capital.
The road wound through the mountains, and in the midst of the hills up
came a giant as large as a tree, with eyes like saucers, a mouth like
a plate, and teeth a foot long. The soldiers stood there trembling and
did not dare to move.
Said the sorcerer: "That is a mountain spirit. My wife will be able to
drive him off."
They did as he suggested, unchained the woman, and she took a spear
and went to meet the giant. The latter was angered, and he swallowed
her, tooth and nail. This frightened the rest all the more.
The sorcerer said: "Well, if he has done away with my wife, then it is
my son's turn!"
So they let the son out of his cage. But the giant swallowed him in
the same way. The rest all looked on without knowing what to do.
The sorcerer then wept with rage and said: "First he destroys my wife,
and then my son. If only he might be punished for it! But I am the
only one who can punish him!"
And, sure enough, they took him out of his cage, too, gave him a
sword, and sent him out against the giant. The sorcerer and the giant
fought with each other for a time, and at last the giant seized the
sorcerer, thrust him into his maw, stretched his neck and swallowed
him. Then he went his way contentedly.
And now when it was too late, the soldiers realized that the sorcerer
had tricked them.
Note: The Lodge of the White Lotus is one of the secret
revolutionary societies of China. It harks back to Tung
Tian Giau Dschu as its founder. Compare note to No. 18.
The "mountain spirit," of course, is an optical illusion
called up by the sorcerer, by means of which he frees
his family and himself from the soldiers.
LXI
THE THREE EVILS
Once upon a time, in the old days, there lived a young man by the name
of Dschou Tschu. He was of more than ordinary strength, and no one
could withstand him. He was also wild and undisciplined, and wherever
he was, quarrels and brawls arose. Yet the village elders never
ventured to punish him seriously. He wore a high hat on his head,
adorned with two pheasants' wings. His garments were woven of
embroidered silk, and at his side hung the Dragonspring sword. He was
given to play and to drinking, and his hand was inclined to take that
which belonged to others. Whoever offended him had reason to dread the
consequences, and he always mixed into disputes in which others were
engaged. Thus he kept it up for years, and was a pest throughout the
neighborhood.
Then a new mandarin came to that district. When he had arrived, he
first went quietly about the country and listened to the people's
complaints. And they told him that there were three great evils in
that district.
Then he clothed himself in coarse garments, and wept before Dschou
Tschu's door. Dschou Tschu was just coming from the tavern, where he
had been drinking. He was slapping his sword and singing in a loud
voice.
When he reached his house he asked: "Who is weeping here so
pitifully?"
And the mandarin replied: "I am weeping because of the people's
distress."
Then Dschou Tschu saw him and broke out into loud laughter.
"You are mistaken, my friend," said he. "Revolt is seething round
about us like boiling water in a kettle. But here, in our little
corner of the land, all is quiet and peaceful. The harvest has been
abundant, corn is plentiful, and all go happily about their work. When
you talk to me about distress I have to think of the man who groans
without being sick. And who are you, tell me that, who instead of
grieving for yourself, are grieving for others? And what are you doing
before my door?"
"I am the new mandarin," replied the other. "Since I left my litter I
have been looking about in the neighborhood. I find the people are
honest and simple in their way of life, and every one has sufficient
to wear and to eat. This is all just as you state. Yet, strange to
say, when the elders come together, they always sigh and complain. And
if they are asked why, they answer: 'There are three great evils in
our district!' I have come to ask you to do away with two of them, as
to the third, perhaps I had better remain silent. And this is the
reason I weep before your door."
"Well, what are these evils?" answered Dschou Tschu. "Speak freely,
and tell me openly all that you know!"
"The first evil," said the mandarin, "is the evil dragon at the long
bridge, who causes the water to rise so that man and beast are drowned
in the river. The second evil is the tiger with the white forehead,
who dwells in the hills. And the third evil, Dschou Tschu--is
yourself!"
Then the blush of shame mounted to the man's cheek, and he bowed and
said: "You have come here from afar to be the mandarin of this
district, and yet you feel such sympathy for the people? I was born in
this place and yet I have only made our elders grieve. What sort of a
creature must I be? I beg that you will return home again. I will see
to it that matters improve!"
Then he ran without stopping to the hills, and hunted the tiger out of
his cave. The latter leaped into the air so that the whole forest was
shaken as though by a storm. Then he came rushing up, roaring, and
stretching out his claws savagely to seize his enemy. Dschou Tschu
stepped back a pace, and the tiger lit on the ground directly in front
of him. Then he thrust the tiger's neck to the ground with his left
hand, and beat him without stopping with his right, until he lay dead
on the earth. Dschou Tschu loaded the tiger on his back and went home.
Then he went to the long bridge. He undressed, took his sword in his
hand, and thus dived into the water. No sooner had he disappeared,
than there was a boiling and hissing, and the waves began to foam and
billow. It sounded like the mad beating of thousands of hoofs. After a
time a stream of blood shot up from the depths, and the water of the
river turned red. Then Dschou Tschu, holding the dragon in his hand,
rose out of the waves.
He went to the mandarin and reported, with a bow: "I have cut off the
dragon's head, and have also done away with the tiger. Thus I have
happily accomplished your command. And now I shall wander away so that
you may be rid of the third evil as well. Lord, watch over my country,
and tell the elders that they need sorrow no more!"
When he had said this he enlisted as a soldier. In combat against the
robbers he gained a great reputation and once, when the latter were
pressing him hard, and he saw that he could not save himself, he bowed
to the East and said: "The day has come at last when I can atone for
my sin with my life!" Then he offered his neck to the sword and died.
Note: A legendary tale rather than a folk-story, with a
fine moral.
LXII
HOW THREE HEROES CAME BY THEIR DEATHS BECAUSE OF TWO PEACHES
At the beginning of his reign Duke Ging of Tsi loved to draw heroes
about him. Among those whom he attached to him were three of quite
extraordinary bravery. The first was named Gung Sun Dsia, the second
Tian Kai Giang, the third Gu I Dsi. All three were highly honored by
the prince, but the honor paid them made them presumptuous, they kept
the court in a turmoil, and overstepped the bounds of respect which
lie between a prince and his servants.
At the time Yan Dsi was chancellor of Tsi. The duke consulted him as
to what would be best to do. And the chancellor advised him to give a
great court banquet and invite all his courtiers. On the table, the
choicest dish of all, stood a platter holding four magnificent
peaches.
Then, in accordance with his chancellor's advice, the Duke rose and
said: "Here are some magnificent peaches, but I cannot give one to
each of you. Only those most worthy may eat of them. I myself reign
over the land, and am the first among the princes of the empire. I
have been successful in holding my possessions and power, and that is
my merit. Hence one of the peaches falls to me. Yan Dsi sits here as
my chancellor. He regulates communications with foreign lands and
keeps the peace among the people. He has made my kingdom powerful
among the kingdoms of the earth. That is his merit, and hence the
second peach falls to him. Now there are but two peaches left; yet I
cannot tell which ones among you are the worthiest. You may rise
yourselves and tell us of your merits. But whoever has performed no
great deeds, let him hold his tongue!"
Then Gung Sun Dsia beat upon his sword, rose up and said: "I am the
prince's captain general. In the South I besieged the kingdom of Lu,
in the West I conquered the kingdom of Dsin, in the North I captured
the army of Yan. All the princes of the East come to the Duke's court
and acknowledge the overlordship of Tsi. That is my merit. I do not
know whether it deserves a peach."
The Duke replied: "Great is your merit! A peach is your just due!"
Then Tian Kai Giang rose, beat on the table, and cried: "I have fought
a hundred battles in the army of the prince. I have slain the enemy's
general-in-chief, and captured the enemy's flag. I have extended the
borders of the Duke's land till the size of his realm has been
increased by a thousand miles. How is it with my merit?"
The Duke said: "Great is your merit! A peach is your just due!"
Then Gu I Dsi arose; his eyes started from their sockets, and he
shouted with a loud voice: "Once, when the Duke was crossing the
Yellow River, wind and waters rose. A river-dragon snapped up one of
the steeds of the chariot and tore it away. The ferry-boat rocked like
a sieve and was about to capsize. Then I took my sword and leaped into
the stream. I fought with the dragon in the midst of the foaming
waves. And by reason of my strength I managed to kill him, though my
eyes stood out of my head with my exertions. Then I came to the
surface with the dragon's head in one hand, and holding the rein of
the rescued horse in the other, and I had saved my prince from
drowning. Whenever our country was at war with neighboring states, I
refused no service. I commanded the van, I fought in single combat.
Never did I turn my back on the foe. Once the prince's chariot stuck
fast in the swamp, and the enemy hurried up on all sides. I pulled the
chariot out, and drove off the hostile mercenaries. Since I have been
in the prince's service I have saved his life more than once. I grant
that my merit is not to be compared with that of the prince and that
of the chancellor, yet it is greater than that of my two companions.
Both have received peaches, while I must do without. This means that
real merit is not rewarded, and that the Duke looks on me with
disfavor. And in such case how may I ever show myself at court again!"
With these words he drew his sword and killed himself.
Then Gung Sun Dsia rose, bowed twice, and said with a sigh: "Both my
merit and that of Tian Kai Giang does not compare with Gu I Dsi's and
yet the peaches were given us. We have been rewarded beyond our
deserts, and such reward is shameful. Hence it is better to die than
to live dishonored!"
He took his sword and swung it, and his own head rolled on the sand.
Tian Kai Giang looked up and uttered a groan of disgust. He blew the
breath from his mouth in front of him like a rainbow, and his hair
rose on end with rage. Then he took sword in hand and said: "We three
have always served our prince bravely. We were like the same flesh and
blood. The others are dead, and it is my duty not to survive them!"
And he thrust his sword into his throat and died.
The Duke sighed incessantly, and commanded that they be given a
splendid burial. A brave hero values his honor more than his life. The
chancellor knew this, and that was why he purposely arranged to incite
the three heroes to kill themselves by means of the two peaches.
Note: Duke Ging of Tsi (Eastern Shantung) was an older
contemporary of Confucius. The chancellor Yan Dsi, who
is the reputed author of a work on philosophy, is the
same who prevented the appointment of Confucius at the
court of Tsi.
LXIII
HOW THE RIVER-GOD'S WEDDING WAS BROKEN OFF
At the time of the seven empires there lived a man by the name of
Si-Men Bau, who was a governor on the Yellow River. In this district
the river-god was held in high honor. The sorcerers and witches who
dwelt there said: "Every year the river-god looks for a bride, who
must be selected from among the people. If she be not found then wind
and rain will not come at the proper seasons, and there will be scanty
crops and floods!" And then, when a girl came of age in some wealthy
family, the sorcerers would say that she should be selected. Whereupon
her parents, who wished to protect their daughter, would bribe them
with large sums of money to look for some one else, till the sorcerers
would give in, and order the rich folk to share the expense of buying
some poor girl to be cast into the river. The remainder of the money
they would keep for themselves as their profit on the transaction. But
whoever would not pay, their daughter was chosen to be the bride of
the river-god, and was forced to accept the wedding gifts which the
sorcerers brought her. The people of the district chafed grievously
under this custom.
Now when Si-Men entered into office, he heard of this evil custom. He
had the sorcerers come before him and said: "See to it that you let me
know when the day of the river-god's wedding comes, for I myself wish
to be present to honor the god! This will please him, and in return he
will shower blessings on my people." With that he dismissed them. And
the sorcerers were full of praise for his piety.
So when the day arrived they gave him notice. Si-Men dressed himself
in his robes of ceremony, entered his chariot and drove to the river
in festival procession. The elders of the people, as well as the
sorcerers and the witches were all there. And from far and near men,
women and children had flocked together in order to see the show. The
sorcerers placed the river-bride on a couch, adorned her with her
bridal jewels, and kettledrums, snaredrums and merry airs vied with
each other in joyful sound.
They were about to thrust the couch into the stream, and the girl's
parents said farewell to her amid tears. But Si-Men bade them wait and
said: "Do not be in such a hurry! I have appeared in person to escort
the bride, hence everything must be done solemnly and in order. First
some one must go to the river-god's castle, and let him know that he
may come himself and fetch his bride."
And with these words he looked at a witch and said: "You may go!" The
witch hesitated, but he ordered his servants to seize her and thrust
her into the stream. After which about an hour went by.
"That woman did not understand her business," continued Si-Men, "or
else she would have been back long ago!" And with that he looked at
one of the sorcerers and added: "Do you go and do better!" The
sorcerer paled with fear, but Si-Men had him seized and cast into the
river. Again half-an-hour went by.
Then Si-Men pretended to be uneasy. "Both of them have made a botch of
their errand," said he, "and are causing the bride to wait in vain!"
Once more he looked at a sorcerer and said: "Do you go and hunt them
up!" But the sorcerer flung himself on the ground and begged for
mercy. And all the rest of the sorcerers and witches knelt to him in a
row, and pleaded for grace. And they took an oath that they would
never again seek a bride for the river-god.
Then Si-Men held his hand, and sent the girl back to her home, and the
evil custom was at an end forever.
Note: Si-Men Bau was an historical personage, who lived
five centuries before Christ.
LXIV
DSCHANG LIANG
Dschang Liang was a native of one of those states which had been
destroyed by the Emperor Tsin Schi Huang. And Dschang Liang determined
to do a deed for his dead king's sake, and to that end gathered
followers with whom to slay Tsin Schi Huang.
Once Tsin Schi Huang was making a progress through the country. When
he came to the plain of Bo Lang, Dschang Liang armed his people with
iron maces in order to kill him. But Tsin Schi Huang always had two
traveling coaches which were exactly alike in appearance. In one of
them he sat himself, while in the other was seated another person.
Dschang Liang and his followers met the decoy wagon, and Dschang Liang
was forced to flee from the Emperor's rage. He came to a ruined
bridge. An icy wind was blowing, and the snowflakes were whirling
through the air. There he met an old, old man wearing a black turban
and a yellow gown. The old man let one of his shoes fall into the
water, looked at Dschang Liang and said: "Fetch it out, little one!"
Dschang Liang controlled himself, fetched out the shoe and brought it
to the old man. The latter stretched out his foot to allow Dschang
Liang to put it on, which he did in a respectful manner. This pleased
the old man and he said: "Little one, something may be made of you!
Come here to-morrow morning early, and I will have something for you."
The following morning at break of dawn, Dschang Liang appeared. But
the old man was already there and reproached him: "You are too late.
To-day I will tell you nothing. To-morrow you must come earlier."
So it went on for three days, and Dschang Liang's patience was not
exhausted. Then the old man was satisfied, brought forth the Book of
Hidden Complements, and gave it to him. "You must read it," said he,
"and then you will be able to rule a great emperor. When your task is
completed, seek me at the foot of the Gu Tschong Mountain. There you
will find a yellow stone, and I will be by that yellow stone."
Dschang Liang took the book and aided the ancestor of the Han dynasty
to conquer the empire. The emperor made him a count. From that time
forward Dschang Liang ate no human food and concentrated in spirit. He
kept company with the four whitebeards of the Shang Mountain, and with
them shared the sunset roses in the clouds. Once he met two boys who
were singing and dancing:
"Green the garments you should wear,
If to heaven's gate you'd fare;
There the Golden Mother greet,
Bow before the Wood Lord's feet!"
When Dschang Liang heard this, he bowed before the youths, and said to
his friends: "Those are angel children of the King Father of the East.
The Golden Mother is the Queen of the West. The Lord of Wood is the
King Father of the East. They are the two primal powers, the parents
of all that is male and female, the root and fountain of heaven and
earth, to whom all that has life is indebted for its creation and
nourishment. The Lord of Wood is the master of all the male saints,
the Golden Mother is the mistress of all the female saints. Whoever
would gain immortality, must first greet the Golden Mother and then
bow before the King Father. Then he may rise up to the three Pure Ones
and stand in the presence of the Highest. The song of the angel
children shows the manner in which the hidden knowledge may be
acquired."
At about that time the emperor was induced to have some of his
faithful servants slain. Then Dschang Liang left his service and went
to the Gu Tschong Mountain. There he found the old man by the yellow
stone, gained the hidden knowledge, returned home, and feigning
illness loosed his soul from his body and disappeared.