not curing the Queen. The doctor was alarmed at Rin Jin's evident
displeasure, and excused his want of skill by saying that although he
knew the right kind of medicine to give the invalid, it was impossible
to find it in the sea.
"Do you mean to tell me that you can't get the medicine here?" asked
the Dragon King.
"It is just as you say!" said the doctor.
"Tell me what it is you want for the Queen?" demanded Rin Jin.
"I want the liver of a live monkey!" answered the doctor.
"The liver of a live monkey! Of course that will be most difficult to
get," said the King.
"If we could only get that for the Queen, her Majesty would soon
recover," said the doctor.
"Very well, that decides it; we _must_ get it somehow or other. But
where are we most likely to find a monkey?" asked the King.
Then the doctor told the Dragon King that some distance to the south
there was a Monkey Island where a great many monkeys lived.
"If only you could capture one of those monkeys?" said the doctor.
"How can any of my people capture a monkey?" said the Dragon King,
greatly puzzled. "The monkeys live on dry land, while we live in the
water; and out of our element we are quite powerless! I don't see what
we can do!"
"That has been my difficulty too," said the doctor. "But amongst your
innumerable servants, you surely can find one who can go on shore for
that express purpose!"
"Something must be done," said the King, and calling his chief steward
he consulted him on the matter.
The chief steward thought for some time, and then, as if struck by a
sudden thought, said joyfully:
"I know what we must do! There is the _kurage_ (jellyfish). He is
certainly ugly to look at, but he is proud of being able to walk on
land with his four legs like a tortoise. Let us send him to the Island
of Monkeys to catch one."
The jellyfish was then summoned to the King's presence, and was told
by his Majesty what was required of him.
The jellyfish, on being told of the unexpected mission which was to
be entrusted to him, looked very troubled, and said that he had never
been to the island in question, and as he had never had any experience
in catching monkeys he was afraid that he would not be able to get
one.
"Well," said the chief steward, "if you depend on your strength or
dexterity you will never catch a monkey. The only way is to play a
trick on one!"
"How can I play a trick on a monkey? I don't know how to do it," said
the perplexed jellyfish.
"This is what you must do," said the wily chief steward. "When you
approach the Island of Monkeys and meet some of them, you must try
to get very friendly with one. Tell him that you are a servant of the
Dragon King, and invite him to come and visit you and see the Dragon
King's palace. Try and describe to him as vividly as you can the
grandeur of the palace and the wonders of the sea so as to arouse his
curiosity and make him long to see it all!"
"But how am I to get the monkey here? You know monkeys don't swim!"
said the reluctant jellyfish.
"You must carry him on your back. What is the use of your shell if you
can't do that!" said the chief steward.
"Won't he be very heavy?" queried _kurage_ again.
"You mustn't mind that, for you are working for the Dragon King!"
replied the chief steward.
"I will do my best then," said the jellyfish, and he swam away from
the palace and started off towards the Monkey Island. Swimming
swiftly he reached his destination in a few hours, and was landed by a
convenient wave upon the shore. On looking round he saw not far away a
big pine-tree with drooping branches and on one of those branches was
just what he was looking for--a live monkey.
"I'm in luck!" thought the jellyfish. "Now I must flatter the creature
and try to entice him to come back with me to the palace, and my part
will be done!"
So the jellyfish slowly walked towards the pine-tree. In those ancient
days the jellyfish had four legs and a hard shell like a tortoise.
When he got to the pine-tree he raised his voice and said:
"How do you do, Mr. Monkey? Isn't it a lovely day?"
"A very fine day," answered the monkey from the tree. "I have never
seen you in this part of the world before. Where have you come from
and what is your name?"
"My name is _kurage_ or jellyfish. I am one of the servants of the
Dragon King. I have heard so much of your beautiful island that I have
come on purpose to see it," answered the jellyfish.
"I am very glad to see you," said the monkey.
"By-the-bye," said the jellyfish, "have you ever seen the palace of
the Dragon King of the Sea where I live?"
"I have often heard of it, but I have never seen it!" answered the
monkey.
"Then you ought most surely to come. It is a great pity for you to go
through life without seeing it. The beauty of the palace is beyond all
description--it is certainly to my mind the most lovely place in the
world," said the jellyfish.
"Is it so beautiful as all that?" asked the monkey in astonishment.
Then the jellyfish saw his chance, and went on describing to the best
of his ability the beauty and grandeur of the Sea King's palace, and
the wonders of the garden with its curious trees of white, pink and
red coral, and the still more curious fruits like great jewels hanging
on the branches. The monkey grew more and more interested, and as he
listened he came down the tree step by step so as not to lose a word
of the wonderful story.
"I have got him at last!" thought the jellyfish, but aloud he said:
"Mr. Monkey, I must now go back. As you have never seen the palace of
the Dragon King, won't you avail yourself of this splendid opportunity
by coming with me? I shall then be able to act as guide and show you
all the sights of the sea, which will be even more wonderful to you--a
land-lubber."
"I should love to go," said the monkey, "but how am I to cross the
water? I can't swim, as you surely know!"
"There is no difficulty about that. I can carry you on my back."
"That will be troubling you too much," said the monkey.
"I can do it quite easily. I am stronger than I look, so you needn't
hesitate," said the jellyfish, and taking the monkey on his back he
stepped into the sea.
"Keep very still, Mr. Monkey," said the jellyfish. "You mustn't fall
into the sea; I am responsible for your safe arrival at the King's
palace."
"Please don't go so fast, or I am sure I shall fall off," said the
monkey.
Thus they went along, the jellyfish skimming through the waves with
the monkey sitting on his back. When they were about halfway, the
jellyfish, who knew very little of anatomy, began to wonder if the
monkey had his liver with him or not!
"Mr. Monkey, tell me, have you such a thing as a liver with you?"
The monkey was very much surprised at this queer question, and asked
what the jellyfish wanted with a liver.
"That is the most important thing of all," said the stupid jellyfish,
"so as soon as I recollected it, I asked you if you had yours with
you?"
"Why is my liver so important to you?" asked the monkey.
"Oh! you will learn the reason later," said the jellyfish.
The monkey grew more and more curious and suspicious, and urged the
jellyfish to tell him for what his liver was wanted, and ended up by
appealing to his hearer's feelings by saying that he was very troubled
at what he had been told.
Then the jellyfish, seeing how anxious the monkey looked, was sorry
for him, and told everything. How the Dragon Queen had fallen ill,
and how the doctor had said that only the liver of a live monkey would
cure her, and how the Dragon King had sent him to find one.
"Now I have done as I was told, and as soon as we arrive at the palace
the doctor will want your liver, so I feel sorry for you!" said the
silly jellyfish.
The poor monkey was horrified when he learnt all this, and very angry
at the trick played upon him. He trembled with fear at the thought of
what was in store for him.
But the monkey was a clever animal, and he thought it the wisest plan
not to show any sign of the fear he felt, so he tried to calm himself
and to think of some way by which he might escape.
"The doctor means to cut me open and then take my liver out! Why I
shall die!" thought the monkey. At last a bright thought struck him,
so he said quite cheerfully to the jellyfish:
"What a pity it was, Mr. Jellyfish, that you did not speak of this
before we left the island!"
"If I had told you why I wanted you to accompany me you would
certainly have refused to come," answered the jellyfish.
"You are quite mistaken," said the monkey. "Monkeys can very well
spare a liver or two, especially when it is wanted for the Dragon
Queen of the Sea. If I had only guessed of what you were in need, I
should have presented you with one without waiting to be asked. I have
several livers. But the greatest pity is, that as you did not speak in
time, I have left all my livers hanging on the pine-tree."
"Have you left your liver behind you?" asked the jellyfish.
"Yes," said the cunning monkey, "during the daytime I usually leave
my liver hanging up on the branch of a tree, as it is very much in the
way when I am climbing about from tree to tree. To-day, listening to
your interesting conversation, I quite forgot it, and left it behind
when I came off with you. If only you had spoken in time I should have
remembered it, and should have brought it along with me!"
The jellyfish was very disappointed when he heard this, for he
believed every word the monkey said. The monkey was of no good without
a liver. Finally the jellyfish stopped and told the monkey so.
"Well," said the monkey, "that is soon remedied. I am really sorry to
think of all your trouble; but if you will only take me back to the
place where you found me, I shall soon be able to get my liver."
The jellyfish did not at all like the idea of going all the way back
to the island again; but the monkey assured him that if he would be so
kind as to take him back he would get his very best liver, and bring
it with him the next time. Thus persuaded, the jellyfish turned his
course towards the Monkey Island once more.
No sooner had the jellyfish reached the shore than the sly monkey
landed, and getting up into the pine-tree where the jellyfish had
first seen him, he cut several capers amongst the branches with joy at
being safe home again, and then looking down at the jellyfish said:
"So many thanks for all the trouble you have taken! Please present my
compliments to the Dragon King on your return!"
The jellyfish wondered at this speech and the mocking tone in which
it was uttered. Then he asked the monkey if it wasn't his intention to
come with him at once after getting his liver.
The monkey replied laughingly that he couldn't afford to lose his
liver; it was too precious.
"But remember your promise!" pleaded the jellyfish, now very
discouraged.
"That promise was false, and anyhow it is now broken!" answered the
monkey. Then he began to jeer at the jellyfish and told him that he
had been deceiving him the whole time; that he had no wish to lose
his life, which he certainly would have done had he gone on to the Sea
King's Palace to the old doctor waiting for him, instead of persuading
the jellyfish to return under false pretences.
"Of course, I won't _give_ you my liver, but come and get it if you
can!" added the monkey mockingly from the tree.
There was nothing for the jellyfish to do now but to repent of his
stupidity, and return to the Dragon King of the Sea and confess his
failure, so he started sadly and slowly to swim back. The last thing
he heard as he glided away, leaving the island behind him, was the
monkey laughing at him.
Meanwhile the Dragon King, the doctor, the chief steward, and all the
servants were waiting impatiently for the return of the jellyfish.
When they caught sight of him approaching the palace, they hailed him
with delight. They began to thank him profusely for all the trouble he
had taken in going to Monkey Island, and then they asked him where the
monkey was.
Now the day of reckoning had come for the jellyfish. He quaked all
over as he told his story. How he had brought the monkey half way over
the sea, and then had stupidly let out the secret of his commission;
how the monkey had deceived him by making him believe that he had left
his liver behind him.
The Dragon King's wrath was great, and he at once gave orders that the
jellyfish was to be severely punished. The punishment was a horrible
one. All the bones were to be drawn out from his living body, and he
was to be beaten with sticks.
The poor jellyfish, humiliated and horrified beyond all words, cried
out for pardon. But the Dragon King's order had to be obeyed.
The servants of the palace forthwith each brought out a stick and
surrounded the jellyfish, and after pulling out his bones they beat
him to a flat pulp, and then took him out beyond the palace gates and
threw him into the water. Here he was left to suffer and repent
his foolish chattering, and to grow accustomed to his new state of
bonelessness.
From this story it is evident that in former times the jellyfish once
had a shell and bones something like a tortoise, but, ever since the
Dragon King's sentence was carried out on the ancestor of the jelly
fishes, his descendants have all been soft and boneless just as you
see them to-day thrown up by the waves high upon the shores of Japan.
THE OLD MAN AND THE DEVILS
A long time ago there was an old man who had a big lump on the right
side of his face. One day he went into the mountain to cut wood, when
the rain began to pour and the wind to blow so very hard that, finding
it impossible to return home, and filled with fear, he took refuge in
the hollow of an old tree. While sitting there doubled up and unable
to sleep, he heard the confused sound of many voices in the distance
gradually approaching to where he was. He said to himself: "How
strange! I thought I was all alone in the mountain, but I hear the
voices of many people." So, taking courage, he peeped out, and saw a
great crowd of strange-looking beings. Some were red, and dressed in
green clothes; others were black, and dressed in red clothes; some had
only one eye; others had no mouth; indeed, it is quite impossible to
describe their varied and strange looks. They kindled a fire, so that
it became as light as day. They sat down in two cross-rows, and began
to drink wine and make merry just like human beings. They passed the
wine cup around so often that many of them soon drank too much. One of
the young devils got up and began to sing a merry song and to dance;
so also many others; some danced well, others badly. One said: "We
have had uncommon fun to-night, but I would like to see something
new."
Then the old man, losing all fear, thought he would like to dance,
and saying, "Let come what will, if I die for it, I will have a dance,
too," crept out of the hollow tree and, with his cap slipped over his
nose and his ax sticking in his belt, began to dance. The devils
in great surprise jumped up, saying, "Who is this?" but the old man
advancing and receding, swaying to and fro, and posturing this way and
that way, the whole crowd laughed and enjoyed the fun, saying: "How
well the old man dances! You must always come and join us in our
sport; but, for fear you might not come, you must give us a pledge
that you will." So the devils consulted together, and, agreeing that
the lump on his face, which was a token of wealth, was what he valued
most highly, demanded that it should be taken. The old man replied: "I
have had this lump many years, and would not without good reason part
with it; but you may have it, or an eye, or my nose either if you
wish." So the devils laid hold of it, twisting and pulling, and took
it off without giving him any pain, and put it away as a pledge that
he would come back. Just then the day began to dawn, and the birds to
sing, so the devils hurried away.
The old man felt his face and found it quite smooth, and not a trace
of the lump left. He forgot all about cutting wood, and hastened home.
His wife, seeing him, exclaimed in great surprise, "What has happened
to you?" So he told her all that had befallen him.
Now, among the neighbors there was another old man who had a big lump
on the left side of his face. Hearing all about how the first old man
had got rid of his misfortune, he determined that he would also try
the same plan. So he went and crept into the hollow tree, and waited
for the devils to come. Sure enough, they came just as he was told,
and they sat down, drank wine, and made merry just as they did before.
The second old man, afraid and trembling, crept out of the hollow
tree. The devils welcomed him, saying: "The old man has come; now let
us see him dance." This old fellow was awkward, and did not dance as
well as the other, so the devils cried out: "You dance badly, and are
getting worse and worse; we will give you back the lump which we took
from you as a pledge." Upon this, one of the devils brought the lump,
and stuck it on the other side of his face; so the poor old fellow
returned home with a lump on each side.
AUTUMN AND SPRING
ADAPTED BY FRANK HINDER
A fair maiden lay asleep in a rice field. The sun was at its height,
and she was weary. Now a god looked down upon the rice field. He knew
that the beauty of the maiden came from within, that it mirrored the
beauty of heavenly dreams. He knew that even now, as she smiled, she
held converse with the spirit of the wind or the flowers.
The god descended and asked the dream-maiden to be his bride. She
rejoiced, and they were wed. A wonderful red jewel came of their
happiness.
Long, long afterwards, the stone was found by a farmer, who saw that
it was a very rare jewel. He prized it highly, and always carried it
about with him. Sometimes, as he looked at it in the pale light of
the moon, it seemed to him that he could discern eyes in its depths.
Again, in the stillness of the night, he would awaken and think that a
clear soft voice called him by name.
One day, the farmer had to carry the midday meal to his workers in
the field. The sun was very hot, so he loaded a cow with the bowls of
rice, the millet dumplings, and the beans. Suddenly, Prince Ama-boko
stood in the path. He was angry, for he thought that the farmer was
about to kill the cow. The Prince would hear no word of denial; his
wrath increased. The farmer became more and more terrified, and,
finally, took the precious stone from his pocket and presented it as
a peace-offering to the powerful Prince. Ama-boko marveled at the
brilliancy of the jewel, and allowed the man to continue his journey.
The Prince returned to his home. He drew forth the treasure, and it
was immediately transformed into a goddess of surpassing beauty. Even
as she rose before him, he loved her, and ere the moon waned they were
wed. The goddess ministered to his every want. She prepared delicate
dishes, the secret of which is known only to the gods. She made wine
from the juice of a myriad herbs, wine such as mortals never taste.
But, after a time, the Prince became proud and overbearing. He began
to treat his faithful wife with cruel contempt. The goddess was sad,
and said: "You are not worthy of my love. I will leave you and go
to my father." Ama-boko paid no heed to these words, for he did not
believe that the threat would be fulfilled. But the beautiful goddess
was in earnest. She escaped from the palace and fled to Naniwa, where
she is still honored as Akaru-hime, the Goddess of Light.
Now the Prince was wroth when he heard that the goddess had left him,
and set out in pursuit of her. But when he neared Naniwa, the gods
would not allow his vessel to enter the haven. Then he knew that
his priceless red jewel was lost to him forever. He steered his ship
towards the north coast of Japan, and landed at Tajima. Here he was
well received, and highly esteemed on account of the treasures which
he brought with him. He had costly strings of pearls, girdles of
precious stones, and a mirror which the wind and the waves obeyed.
Prince Ama-boko remained at Tajima, and was the father of a mighty
race.
Among his children's children was a Princess so renowned for her
beauty that eighty suitors sought her hand. One after the other
returned sorrowfully home, for none found favor in her eyes. At last,
two brothers came before her, the young God of the Autumn, and the
young God of the Spring. The elder of the two, the God of Autumn,
first urged his suit. But the Princess refused him. He went to his
younger brother and said, "The Princess does not love me, neither will
you be able to win her heart."
But the Spring God was full of hope, and replied, "I will give you a
cask of rice wine if I do not win her, but if she consents to be my
bride, you shall give a cask of _saké_ to me."
Now the God of Spring went to his mother, and told her all. She
promised to aid him. Thereupon she wove, in a single night, a robe and
sandals from the unopened buds of the lilac and white wistaria. Out of
the same delicate flowers she fashioned a bow and arrows. Thus clad,
the God of Spring made his way to the beautiful Princess.
As he stepped before the maiden, every bud unfolded, and from the
heart of each blossom came a fragrance that filled the air. The
Princess was overjoyed, and gave her hand to the God of Spring.
The elder brother, the God of Autumn, was filled with rage when he
heard how his brother had obtained the wondrous robe. He refused to
give the promised cask of _saké_. When the mother learned that the
god had broken his word, she placed stones and salt in the hollow of
a bamboo cane, wrapped it round with bamboo leaves, and hung it in the
smoke. Then she uttered a curse upon her first-born: "As the leaves
wither and fade, so must you. As the salt sea ebbs, so must you. As
the stone sinks, so must you."
The terrible curse fell upon her son. While the God of Spring remains
ever young, ever fragrant, ever full of mirth, the God of Autumn is
old, and withered, and sad.
THE VISION OF TSUNU
ADAPTED BY FRANK RINDER
When the five tall pine-trees on the windy heights of Mionoseki were
but tiny shoots, there lived in the Kingdom of the Islands a pious
man. His home was in a remote hamlet surrounded by mountains and great
forests of pine. Tsunu had a wife and sons and daughters. He was a
woodman, and his days were spent in the forest and on the hillsides.
In summer he was up at cock-crow, and worked patiently, in the soft
light under the pines, until nightfall. Then, with his burden of logs
and branches, he went slowly homeward. After the evening meal, he
would tell some old story or legend. Tsunu was never weary of relating
the wondrous tales of the Land of the Gods. Best of all he loved to
speak of Fuji-yama, the mountain that stood so near his home.
In times gone by, there was no mountain where now the sacred peak
reaches up to the sky; only a far-stretching plain bathed in sunlight
all day. The peasants in the district were astonished, one morning,
to behold a mighty hill where before had been the open plain. It had
sprung up in a single night, while they slept. Flames and huge stones
were hurled from its summit; the peasants feared that the demons from
the under-world had come to wreak vengeance upon them. But for many
generations there have been peace and silence on the heights. The good
Sun-Goddess loves Fuji-yama. Every evening she lingers on his summit,
and when at last she leaves him, his lofty crest is bathed in soft
purple light. In the evening the Matchless Mountain seems to rise
higher and higher into the skies, until no mortal can tell the place
of his rest. Golden clouds enfold Fuji-yama in the early morning.
Pilgrims come from far and near, to gain blessing and health for
themselves and their families from the sacred mountain.
On the self-same night that Fuji-yama rose out of the earth, a strange
thing happened in the mountainous district near Kyoto. The inhabitants
were awakened by a terrible roar, which continued throughout the
night. In the morning every mountain had disappeared; not one of the
hills that they loved was to be seen. A blue lake lay before them. It
was none other than the lute-shaped Lake Biwa. The mountains had, in
truth, traveled under the earth for more than a hundred miles, and now
form the sacred Fuji-yama.
As Tsunu stepped out of his hut in the morning, his eyes sought the
Mountain of the Gods. He saw the golden clouds, and the beautiful
story was in his mind as he went to his work.
One day the woodman wandered farther than usual into the forest. At
noon he was in a very lonely spot. The air was soft and sweet, the sky
so blue that he looked long at it, and then took a deep breath. Tsunu
was happy.