for, and was untroubled by any work. He took his ease, walked about in
the Heavens as he chose, and paid visits to the gods. The Three Pure
Ones and the Four Rulers he treated with some little respect; but the
planetary gods and the lords of the twenty-eight houses of the moon,
and of the twelve zodiac signs, and the other stars he addressed
familiarly with a "Hey, you!" Thus he idled day by day, without
occupation among the clouds of the Heavens. On one occasion one of the
wise said to the Lord of the Heavens: "The holy Sun is idle while day
follows day. It is to be feared that some mischievous thoughts may
occur to him, and it might be better to give him some charge."
So the Lord of the Heavens summoned the Great Saint and said to him:
"The life-giving peaches in the garden of the Queen-Mother will soon
be ripe. I give you the charge of watching over them. Do your duty
conscientiously!"
This pleased the Saint and he expressed his thanks. Then he went to
the garden, where the caretakers and gardeners received him on their
knees.
He asked them: "How many trees in all are there in the garden?"
"Three thousand six hundred," replied the gardener. "There are
twelve-hundred trees in the foremost row. They have red blossoms and
bear small fruit, which ripens every three thousand years. Whoever
eats it grows bright and healthy. The twelve hundred trees in the
middle row have double blossoms and bear sweet fruit, which ripens
every six thousand years. Whoever eats of it is able to float in the
rose-dawn without aging. The twelve hundred trees in the last row bear
red-striped fruit with small pits. They ripen every nine thousand
years. Whoever eats their fruit lives eternally, as long as the
Heavens themselves, and remains untouched for thousands of eons."
The Saint heard all this with pleasure. He checked up the lists and
from that time on appeared every day or so to see to things. The
greater part of the peaches in the last row were already ripe. When he
came to the garden, he would on each occasion send away the caretakers
and gardeners under some pretext, leap up into the trees, and gorge
himself to his heart's content with the peaches.
At that time the Queen-Mother of the West was preparing the great
peach banquet to which she was accustomed to invite all the gods of
the Heavens. She sent out the fairies in their garments of seven
colors with baskets, that they might pick the peaches. The caretaker
said to them: "The garden has now been entrusted to the guardianship
of the Great Saint Who is Heaven's Equal, so you will first have to
announce yourselves to him." With that he led the seven fairies into
the garden. There they looked everywhere for the Great Saint, but
could not find him. So the fairies said: "We have our orders and must
not be late. We will begin picking the peaches in the meantime!" So
they picked several baskets full from the foremost row. In the second
row the peaches were already scarcer. And in the last row there hung
only a single half-ripe peach. They bent down the bough and picked it,
and then allowed it to fly up again.
Now it happened that the Great Saint, who had turned himself into a
peach-worm, had just been taking his noon-day nap on this bough. When
he was so rudely awakened, he appeared in his true form, seized his
rod and was about to strike the fairies.
But the fairies said: "We have been sent here by the Queen-Mother. Do
not be angry, Great Saint!"
Said the Great Saint: "And who are all those whom the Queen-Mother has
invited?"
They answered: "All the gods and saints in the Heavens, on the earth
and under the earth."
"Has she also invited me?" said the Saint.
"Not that we know of," said the fairies.
Then the Saint grew angry, murmured a magic incantation and said:
"Stay! Stay! Stay!"
With that the seven fairies were banned to the spot. The Saint then
took a cloud and sailed away on it to the palace of the Queen-Mother.
On the way he met the Bare-Foot God and asked him: "Where are you
going?"
"To the peach banquet," was the answer.
Then the Saint lied to him, saying: "I have been commanded by the
Lord of the Heavens to tell all the gods and saints that they are
first to come to the Hall of Purity, in order to practise the rites,
and then go together to the Queen-Mother."
Then the Great Saint changed himself into the semblance of the
Bare-Foot God and sailed to the palace of the Queen-Mother. There he
let his cloud sink down and entered quite unconcerned. The meal was
ready, yet none of the gods had as yet appeared. Suddenly the Great
Saint caught the aroma of wine, and saw well-nigh a hundred barrels of
the precious nectar standing in a room to one side. His mouth watered.
He tore a few hairs out and turned them into sleep-worms. These worms
crept into the nostrils of the cup-bearers so that they all fell
asleep. Thereupon he enjoyed the delicious viands to the full, opened
the barrels and drank until he was nearly stupefied. Then he said to
himself: "This whole affair is beginning to make me feel creepy. I had
better go home first of all and sleep a bit." And he stumbled out of
the garden with uncertain steps. Sure enough, he missed his way, and
came to the dwelling of Laotzse. There he regained consciousness. He
arranged his clothing and went in. There was no one to be seen in the
place, for at the moment Laotzse was at the God of Light's abode,
talking to him, and with him were all his servants, listening. Since
he found no one at home the Great Saint went as far as the inner
chamber, where Laotzse was in the habit of brewing the elixir of life.
Beside the stove stood five gourd containers full of the pills of life
which had already been rolled. Said the Great Saint: "I had long since
intended to prepare a couple of these pills. So it suits me very well
to find them here." He poured out the contents of the gourds, and ate
up all the pills of life. Since he had now had enough to eat and
drink he thought to himself: "Bad, bad! The mischief I have done
cannot well be repaired. If they catch me my life will be in danger. I
think I had better go down to earth again and remain a king!" With
that he made himself invisible, went out at the Western Gate of
Heaven, and returned to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, where he
told his people who received him the story of his adventures.
When he spoke of the wine-nectar of the peach garden, his apes said:
"Can't you go back once more and steal a few bottles of the wine, so
that we too may taste of it and gain eternal life?"
The Ape King was willing, turned a somersault, crept into the garden
unobserved, and picked up four more barrels. Two of them he took under
his arms and two he held in his hands. Then he disappeared with them
without leaving a trace and brought them to his cave, where he enjoyed
them together with his apes.
In the meantime the seven fairies, whom the Great Saint had banned to
the spot, had regained their freedom after a night and a day. They
picked up their baskets and told the Queen-Mother what had happened to
them. And the cup-bearers, too, came hurrying up and reported the
destruction which some one unknown had caused among the eatables and
drinkables. The Queen-Mother went to the Lord of the Heavens to
complain. Shortly afterward Laotzse also came to him to tell about the
theft of the pills of life. And the Bare-Foot God came along and
reported that he had been deceived by the Great Saint Who Is Heaven's
Equal; and from the Great Saint's palace the servants came running and
said that the Saint had disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Then
the Lord of the Heavens was frightened, and said: "This whole mess is
undoubtedly the work of that devilish ape!"
Now the whole host of Heaven, together with all the star-gods, the
time-gods and the mountain-gods was called out in order to catch the
ape. Li Dsing once more was its commander-in-chief. He invested the
entire Mountain, and spread out the sky-net and the earth-net, so that
no one could escape. Then he sent his bravest heroes into battle.
Courageously the ape withstood all attacks from early morn till
sundown. But by that time his most faithful followers had been
captured. That was too much for him. He pulled out a hair and turned
it into thousands of Ape-Kings, who all hewed about them with
golden-clamped iron rods. The heavenly host was vanquished, and the
ape withdrew to his cave to rest.
Now it happened that Guan Yin had also gone to the peach banquet in
the garden, and had found out what Sun Wu Kung had done. When she went
to visit the Lord of the Heavens, Li Dsing was just coming in, to
report the great defeat which he had suffered on the Mountain of
Flowers and Fruits. Then Guan Yin said to the Lord of the Heavens: "I
can recommend a hero to you who will surely get the better of the ape.
It is your grandson Yang Oerlang. He has conquered all the beast and
bird spirits, and overthrown the elves in the grass and the brush. He
knows what has to be done to get the better of such devils."
So Yang Oerlang was brought in, and Li Dsing led him to his camp. Li
Dsing asked Yang Oerlang how he would go about getting the better of
the ape.
Yang Oerlang laughed and said: "I think I will have to go him one
better when it comes to changing shapes. It would be best for you to
take away the sky-net so that our combat is not disturbed." Then he
requested Li Dsing to post himself in the upper air with the magic
spirit mirror in his hand, so that when the ape made himself
invisible, he might be found again by means of the mirror. When all
this had been arranged, Yang Oerlang went out in front of the cave
with his spirits to give battle.
The ape leaped out, and when he saw the powerful hero with the
three-tined sword standing before him he asked: "And who may you be?"
The other said: "I am Yang Oerlang, the grandson of the Lord of the
Heavens!"
Then the ape laughed and said: "Oh yes, I remember! His daughter ran
away with a certain Sir Yang, to whom heaven gave a son. You must be
that son!"
Yang Oerlang grew furious, and advanced upon him with his spear. Then
a hot battle began. For three hundred rounds they fought without
decisive results. Then Yang Oerlang turned himself into a giant with a
black face and red hair.
"Not bad," said the ape, "but I can do that too!"
So they continued to fight in that form. But the ape's baboons were
much frightened. The beast and planet spirits of Yang Oerlang pressed
the apes hard. They slew most of them and the others hid away. When
the ape saw this his heart grew uneasy. He drew the magic
giant-likeness in again, took his rod and fled. But Yang Oerlang
followed hard on his heels. In his urgent need the ape thrust the rod,
which he had turned into a needle, into his ear, turned into a
sparrow, and flew up into the crest of a tree. Yang Oerlang who was
following in his tracks, suddenly lost sight of him. But his keen eyes
soon recognized that he had turned himself into a sparrow. So he flung
away spear and crossbow, turned himself into a sparrow-hawk, and
darted down on the sparrow. But the latter soared high into the air as
a cormorant. Yang Oerlang shook his plumage, turned into a great
sea-crane, and shot up into the clouds to seize the cormorant. The
latter dropped, flew into a valley and dove beneath the waters of a
brook in the guise of a fish. When Yang Oerlang reached the edge of
the valley, and had lost his trail he said to himself: "This ape has
surely turned himself into a fish or a crab! I will change my form as
well in order to catch him." So he turned into a fish-hawk and floated
above the surface of the water. When the ape in the water caught sight
of the fish-hawk, he saw that he was Yang Oerlang. He swiftly swung
around and fled, Yang Oerlang in pursuit. When the latter was no
further away than the length of a beak, the ape turned, crept ashore
as a water-snake and hid in the grass. Yang Oerlang, when he saw the
water-snake creep from the water, turned into an eagle and spread his
claws to seize the snake. But the water-snake sprang up and turned
into the lowest of all birds, a speckled buzzard, and perched on the
steep edge of a cliff. When Yang Oerlang saw that the ape had turned
himself into so contemptible a creature as a buzzard, he would no
longer play the game of changing form with him. He reappeared in his
original form, took up his crossbow and shot at the bird. The buzzard
slipped and fell down the side of the cliff. At its foot the ape
turned himself into the chapel of a field-god. He opened his mouth for
a gate, his teeth became the two wings of the door, his tongue the
image of the god, and his eyes the windows. His tail was the only
thing he did not know what to do with. So he let it stand up stiffly
behind him in the shape of a flagpole. When Yang Oerlang reached the
foot of the hill he saw the chapel, whose flagpole stood in the rear.
Then he laughed and said: "That ape is really a devil of an ape! He
wants to lure me into the chapel in order to bite me. But I will not
go in. First I will break his windows for him, and then I will stamp
down the wings of his door!" When the ape heard this he was much
frightened. He made a bound like a tiger, and disappeared without a
trace in the air. With a single somersault he reached Yang Oerlang's
own temple. There he assumed Yang Oerlang's own form and stepped in.
The spirits who were on guard were unable to recognize him. They
received him on their knees. So the ape then seated himself on the
god's throne, and had the prayers which had come in submitted to him.
When Yang Oerlang no longer saw the ape, he rose in the air to Li
Dsing and said: "I was vying with the ape in changing shape. Suddenly
I could no longer find him. Take a look in the mirror!" Li Dsing took
a look in the magic spirit mirror and then he laughed and said: "The
ape has turned himself into your likeness, is sitting in your temple
quite at home there, and making mischief." When Yang Oerlang heard
this he took his three-tined spear, and hastened to his temple. The
door-spirits were frightened and said: "But father came in only this
very minute! How is it that another one comes now?" Yang Oerlang,
without paying attention to them, entered the temple and aimed his
spear at Sun Wu Kung. The latter resumed his own shape, laughed and
said: "Young sir, you must not be angry! The god of this place is now
Sun Wu Kung." Without uttering a word Yang Oerlang assailed him. Sun
Wu Kung took up his rod and returned the blows. Thus they crowded out
of the temple together, fighting, and wrapped in mists and clouds once
more gained the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits.
In the meantime Guan Yin was sitting with Laotzse, the Lord of the
Heavens and the Queen-Mother in the great hall of Heaven, waiting for
news. When none came she said: "I will go with Laotzse to the
Southern Gate of Heaven and see how matters stand." And when they saw
that the struggle had still not come to an end she said to Laotzse:
"How would it be if we helped Yang Oerlang a little? I will shut up
Sun Wu Kung in my vase."
But Laotzse said: "Your vase is made of porcelain. Sun Wu Kung could
smash it with his iron rod. But I have a circlet of diamonds which can
enclose all living creatures. That we can use!" So he flung his
circlet through the air from the heavenly gate, and struck Sun Wu Kung
on the head with it. Since he had his hands full fighting, the latter
could not guard himself against it, and the blow on the forehead
caused him to slip. Yet he rose again and tried to escape. But the
heavenly hound of Yang Oerlang bit his leg until he fell to the
ground. Then Yang Oerlang and his followers came up and tied him with
thongs, and thrust a hook through his collar-bone so that he could no
longer transform himself. And Laotzse took possession of his diamond
circlet again, and returned with Guan Yin to the hall of Heaven. Sun
Wu Kung was now brought in in triumph, and was condemned to be
beheaded. He was then taken to the place of execution and bound to a
post. But all efforts to kill him by means of ax and sword, thunder
and lightning were vain. Nothing so much as hurt a hair on his head.
Said Laotzse: "It is not surprising. This ape has eaten the peaches,
has drunk the nectar and also swallowed the pills of life. Nothing can
harm him. The best thing would be for me to take him along and thrust
him into my stove in order to melt the elixir of life out of him
again. Then he will fall into dust and ashes."
So Sun Wu Kung's fetters were loosed, and Laotzse took him with him,
thrust him into his oven, and ordered the boy to keep up a hot fire.
But along the edge of the oven were graven the signs of the eight
elemental forces. And when the ape was thrust into the oven he took
refuge beneath the sign of the wind, so that the fire could not injure
him; and the smoke only made his eyes smart. He remained in the oven
seven times seven days. Then Laotzse had it opened to take a look. As
soon as Sun Wu Kung saw the light shine in, he could no longer bear to
be shut up, but leaped out and upset the magic oven. The guards and
attendants he threw to the ground and Laotzse himself, who tried to
seize him, received such a push that he stuck his legs up in the air
like an onion turned upside down. Then Sun Wu Kung took his rod out of
his ear, and without looking where he struck, hewed everything to
bits, so that the star-gods closed their doors and the guardians of
the Heavens ran away. He came to the castle of the Lord of the
Heavens, and the guardian of the gate with his steel whip was only
just in time to hold him back. Then the thirty-six thunder gods were
set at him, and surrounded him, though they could not seize him.
The Lord of the Heavens said: "Buddha will know what is to be done.
Send for him quickly!"
So Buddha came up out of the West with Ananada and Kashiapa, his
disciples. When he saw the turmoil he said: "First of all, let weapons
be laid aside and lead out the Saint. I wish to speak with him!" The
gods withdrew. Sun Wu Kung snorted and said: "Who are you, who dare to
speak to me?" Buddha smiled and replied: "I have come out of the
blessed West, Shakiamuni Amitofu. I have heard of the revolt you have
raised, and am come to tame you!"
Said Sun Wu Kung: "I am the stone ape who has gained the hidden
knowledge. I am master of seventy-two transformations, and will live
as long as Heaven itself. What has the Lord of the Heavens
accomplished that entitles him to remain eternally on his throne? Let
him make way for me, and I will be satisfied!"
Buddha replied with a smile: "You are a beast which has gained magic
powers. How can you expect to rule here as Lord of the Heavens? Be it
known to you that the Lord of the Heavens has toiled for eons in
perfecting his virtues. How many years would you have to pass before
you could attain the dignity he has gained? And then I must ask you
whether there is anything else you can do, aside from playing your
tricks of transformation?"
Said Sun Wu Kung: "I can turn cloud somersaults. Each one carries me
eighteen thousand miles ahead. Surely that is enough to entitle me to
be the Lord of the Heavens?"
Buddha answered with a smile: "Let us make a wager. If you can so much
as leave my hand with one of your somersaults, then I will beg the
Lord of the Heavens to make way for you. But if you are not able to
leave my hand, then you must yield yourself to my fetters."
Sun Wu Kung suppressed his laughter, for he thought: "This Buddha is a
crazy fellow! His hand is not a foot long; how could I help but leap
out of it?" So he opened his mouth wide and said: "Agreed!"
Buddha then stretched out his right hand. It resembled a small
lotus-leaf. Sun Wu Kung leaped up into it with one bound. Then he
said: "Go!" And with that he turned one somersault after another, so
that he flew along like a whirlwind. And while he was flying along he
saw five tall, reddish columns towering to the skies. Then he thought:
"That is the end of the world! Now I will turn back and become Lord of
the Heavens. But first I will write down my name to prove that I was
there." He pulled out a hair, turned it into a brush, and wrote with
great letters on the middle column: "The Great Saint Who Is Heaven's
Equal." Then he turned his somersaults again until he had reached the
place whence he had come. He leaped down from the Buddha's hand
laughing and cried: "Now hurry, and see to it that the Lord of the
Heavens clears his heavenly castle for me! I have been at the end of
the world and have left a sign there!"
Buddha scolded: "Infamous ape! How dare you claim that you have left
my hand? Take a look and see whether or not 'The Great Saint Who Is
Heaven's Equal,' is written on my middle finger!"
Sun Wu Kung was terribly frightened, for at the first glance he saw
that this was the truth. Yet outwardly he pretended that he was not
convinced, said he would take another look, and tried to make use of
the opportunity to escape. But Buddha covered him with his hand,
shoved him out of the gate of Heaven, and formed a mountain of water,
fire, wood, earth and metal, which he softly set down on him to hold
him fast. A magic incantation pasted on the mountain prevented his
escape.
Here he was obliged to lie for hundreds of years, until he finally
reformed and was released, in order to help the Monk of the
Yangtze-kiang fetch the holy writings from out of the West. He honored
the Monk as his master, and thenceforward was known as the Wanderer.
Guan Yin, who had released him, gave the Monk a golden circlet. Sun Wu
Kung was induced to put it on, and it at once grew into his flesh so
that he could not remove it. And Guan Yin gave the Monk a magic
formula by means of which the ring could be tightened, should the ape
grow disobedient. But from that time on he was always polite and
well-mannered.
Note: This tale, like "The Pilgrim's Progress," is an
allegory, the ape symbolizing the human heart. Yet
despite its allegorical character, a number of
mythological and fairy-tale motives are incorporated in
it. The ape himself suggests Hanumant, the companion of
Rama. Yo Huang is the Lord of the Heavens. The stone ape
is the stone heart of natural man. The Buddhas, blessed
spirits and gods, represent the ideals of Buddhism,
Taoism and Confucianism. Sun Wu Kung: In Chinese apes
are called Hu Sun, but the word Hu having an unlucky
meaning, the Master chooses Sun as a family name, while
at the same time the letter-sign is freed from the
radical indicating an animal. Wu Kung--"the magic
awaking to nothingness" (Nirwana). The different ways:
magic, the way of raising spirits; the sciences: The
three faiths are: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism; to
these are added six "schools": the Yin-Yang School, the
Mo-Di School, Medicine, War, Law, Miscellaneous, so that
nine directions in all are represented. Quiescence is
the Taoism for non-activity, while Action is the Taoism
for care of the body, as inaugurated by We Be Yang. The
Devil-King of Chaos, i.e., sensuality, whose seat is
supposed to be in Kidneys. "Red garments," colors, here
all have an allegorical meaning. Death, i.e., Yama. The
Evening Star is the star of metal; Sun Wu Kung also
personifies a metal, hence the Evening Star appears as
his apologist. As regards Li Dsing and Notscha see No.
18. As regards the Queen Mother of the West, see No. 15.
As regards Yang Oerlang, see No. 17. Guan Yin is
generally worshipped throughout China as the Feminine
goddess. The motive of the magic flight is found
frequently in fairy-tales the world over. Guan Yin is
often represented holding a vase, Bau Ping. Laotzse's
circlet or ring is the Tao. The eight elemental powers,
i.e., Ba Gua. Buddha: while Sun Wu Kung is equipped to
struggle against all external powers, he is conquered by
Buddha, who does not combat him, but subdues him by his
omnipresence. The Monk of the Yangtze-kiang is Huan
Dschuang, see No. 69. The circlet or ring which can be
made tighter when the ape does not obey, reappears in
Hauff's fairy-tale of "The Young Englishman," as a
cravat.
THE END
Transcriber's Note
Archaic spelling, e.g. rimes, phenix, is preserved as printed. Variable
spelling has been made consistent where there was a prevalence of one
form; otherwise it is preserved as printed, e.g. Kaiutschou &
Kiautschou, Laotzse & Laotsze.
Punctuation errors have been repaired. Hyphenation, and capitalisation
of proper nouns, has been made consistent. Typographic errors, e.g.
omitted or transposed letters, have been repaired.
The following amendments have been made:
Page 24--repeated 'the' deleted--"... "The Wolf and the
Seven Kids," ..."
Page 76--(I) added to end of title for consistency with
the table of contents--"THE EIGHT IMMORTALS (I)"
Page 82--omitted word Lan added--"Lan Tsai Ho, who is also
pictured as a woman, ..."