The Chinese Fairy Book
The Chinese Fairy Book PREFACENURSERY FAIRY TALESLEGENDS OF THE GODSTALES OF SAINTS AND MAGICIANSNATURE AND ANIMAL TALESGHOST STORIESHISTORIC LEGENDSLITERARY FAIRY TALESCopyright
The Chinese Fairy Book
Richard Wilhelm
PREFACE
The fairy tales and legends of olden China have in common
with the “Thousand and One Nights” an oriental glow and glitter of
precious stones and gold and multicolored silks, an oriental wealth
of fantastic and supernatural action. And yet they strike an exotic
note distinct in itself. The seventy-three stories here presented
after original sources, embracing “Nursery Fairy Tales,” “Legends
of the Gods,” “Tales of Saints and Magicians,” “Nature and Animal
Tales,” “Ghost Stories,” “Historic Fairy Tales,” and “Literary
Fairy Tales,” probably represent the most comprehensive and varied
collection of oriental fairy tales ever made available for American
readers. There is no child who will not enjoy their novel color,
their fantastic beauty, their infinite variety of subject. Yet,
like the “Arabian Nights,” they will amply repay the attention of
the older reader as well. Some are exquisitely poetic, such as “The
Flower-Elves,” “The Lady of the Moon” or “The Herd Boy and the
Weaving Maiden”; others like “How Three Heroes Came By Their Deaths
Because Of Two Peaches,” carry us back dramatically and powerfully
to the Chinese age of Chivalry. The summits of fantasy are scaled
in the quasi-religious dramas of “The Ape Sun Wu Kung” and
“Notscha,” or the weird sorceries unfolded in “The Kindly
Magician.” Delightful ghost stories, with happy endings, such as “A
Night on the Battlefield” and “The Ghost Who Was Foiled,” are
paralleled with such idyllic love-tales as that of “Rose of
Evening,” or such Lilliputian fancies as “The King of the Ants” and
“The Little Hunting Dog.” It is quite safe to say that these
Chinese fairy tales will give equal pleasure to the old as well as
the young. They have been retold simply, with no changes in style
or expression beyond such details of presentation which differences
between oriental and occidental viewpoints at times compel. It is
the writer’s hope that others may take as much pleasure in reading
them as he did in their translation.Fredrick H. Martens.
NURSERY FAIRY TALES
IWOMEN’S WORDS PART FLESH AND
BLOODONCE upon a time there were two brothers, who lived in the
same house. And the big brother listened to his wife’s words, and
because of them fell out with the little one. Summer had begun, and
the time for sowing the high-growing millet had come. The little
brother had no grain, and asked the big one to loan him some, and
the big one ordered his wife to give it to him. But she took the
grain, put it in a large pot and cooked it until it was done. Then
she gave it to the little fellow. He knew nothing about it, and
went and sowed his field with it. Yet, since the grain had been
cooked, it did not sprout. Only a single grain of seed had not been
cooked; so only a single sprout shot up. The little brother was
hard-working and industrious by nature, and hence he watered and
hoed the sprout all day long. And the sprout grew mightily, like a
tree, and an ear of millet sprang up out of it like a canopy, large
enough to shade half an acre of ground. In the fall the ear was
ripe. Then the little brother took his ax and chopped it down. But
no sooner had the ear fallen to the ground, than an enormous Roc
came rushing down, took the ear in his beak and flew away. The
little brother ran after him as far as the shore of the
sea.Then the bird turned and spoke to him like a human being, as
follows: “You should not seek to harm me! What is this one ear
worth to you? East of the sea is the isle of gold and silver. I
will carry you across. There you may take whatever you want, and
become very rich.”The little brother was satisfied, and climbed on the bird’s
back, and the latter told him to close his eyes. So he only heard
the air whistling past his ears, as though he were driving through
a strong wind, and beneath him the roar and surge of flood and
waves. Suddenly the bird settled on a rock: “Here we are!” he
said.Then the little brother opened his eyes and looked about him:
and on all sides he saw nothing but the radiance and shimmer of all
sorts of white and yellow objects. He took about a dozen of the
little things and hid them in his breast.
“Have you enough?” asked the Roc.
“Yes, I have enough,” he replied.
“That is well,” answered the bird. “Moderation protects one
from harm.”Then he once more took him up, and carried him back
again.When the little brother reached home, he bought himself a
good piece of ground in the course of time, and became quite well
to do.But his brother was jealous of him, and said to him, harshly:
“Where did you manage to steal the money?”So the little one told him the whole truth of the matter.
Then the big brother went home and took counsel with his
wife.
“Nothing easier,” said his wife. “I will just cook grain
again and keep back one seedling so that it is not done. Then you
shall sow it, and we will see what happens.”No sooner said than done. And sure enough, a single sprout
shot up, and sure enough, the sprout bore a single ear of millet,
and when harvest time came around, the Roc again appeared and
carried it off in his beak. The big brother was pleased, and ran
after him, and the Roc said the same thing he had said before, and
carried the big brother to the island. There the big brother saw
the gold and silver heaped up everywhere. The largest pieces were
like hills, the small ones were like bricks, and the real tiny ones
were like grains of sand. They blinded his eyes. He only regretted
that he knew of no way by which he could move mountains. So he bent
down and picked up as many pieces as possible.The Roc said: “Now you have enough. You will overtax your
strength.”
“Have patience but a little while longer,” said the big
brother. “Do not be in such a hurry! I must get a few more
pieces!”And thus time passed.The Roc again urged him to make haste: “The sun will appear
in a moment,” said he, “and the sun is so hot it burns human beings
up.”
“Wait just a little while longer,” said the big brother. But
that very moment a red disk broke through the clouds with
tremendous power. The Roc flew into the sea, stretched out both his
wings, and beat the water with them in order to escape the heat.
But the big brother was shrivelled up by the sun.Note: This fairy-tale is traditionally narrated. The Roc is
calledpongin Chinese, and the
treasures on the island are spoken of as “all sorts of yellow and
white objects” because the little fellow does not know that they
are gold and silver.IITHE THREE RHYMSTERSONCE there were three daughters in a family. The oldest one
married a physician, the second one married a magistrate; but the
third, who was more than usually intelligent and a clever talker,
married a farmer.Now it chanced, once upon a time, that their parents were
celebrating a birthday. So the three daughters came, together with
their husbands, to wish them long life and happiness. The
parents-in-law prepared a meal for their three sons-in-law, and put
the birthday wine on the table. But the oldest son-in-law, who knew
that the third one had not attended school, wanted to embarrass
him.
“It is far too tiresome,” said he, “just to sit here
drinking: let us have a drinking game. Each one of us must invent a
verse, one that rimes and makes sense, on the words: ‘in the sky,
on the earth, at the table, in the room,’ And whoever cannot do so,
must empty three glasses as a punishment.”All the company were satisfied. Only the third son-in-law
felt embarrassed and insisted on leaving. But the guests would not
let him go, and obliged him to keep his seat.Then the oldest son-in-law began: “I will make a start with
my verse. Here it is:
“In the sky the phenix proudly flies,On the earth the lambkin tamely lies,At the table through an ancient book I wade,In the room I softly call the maid.”The second one continued: “And I say:
“In the sky the turtle-dove flies round,On the earth the ox paws up the ground,At the table one studies the deeds of yore,In the room the maid she sweeps the floor.”But the third son-in-law stuttered, and found nothing to say.
And when all of them insisted, he broke out in rough tones of
voice:
“In the sky—flies a leaden bullet,On the earth—stalks a tiger-beast,On the table—lies a pair of scissors,In the room—I call the stable-boy.”The other two sons-in-law clapped their hands and began to
laugh loudly.
“Why the four lines do not rime at all,” said they, “and,
besides they do not make sense. A leaden bullet is no bird, the
stable-boy does his work outside, would you call him into the room?
Nonsense, nonsense! Drink!”Yet before they had finished speaking, the third daughter
raised the curtain of the women’s room, and stepped out. She was
angry, yet she could not suppress a smile.
“How so do our lines not make sense?” said she. “Listen a
moment, and I’ll explain them to you: In the sky our leaden bullet
will shoot your phenix and your turtle-dove. On the earth our
tiger-beast will devour your sheep and your ox. On the table our
pair of scissors will cut up all your old books. And finally, in
the room—well, the stable-boy can marry your maid!”Then the oldest son-in-law said: “Well scolded!
Sister-in-law, you know how to talk! If you were a man you would
have had your degree long ago. And, as a punishment, we will empty
our three glasses.”Note: This is also a fairy-tale traditionally handed
down.IIIHOW GREED FOR A TRIFLING THING LED A MAN TO LOSE A
GREAT ONEONCE upon a time there was an old woman, who had two sons.
But her older son did not love his parents, and left his mother and
brother. The younger one served her so faithfully, however, that
all the people spoke of his filial affection.One day it happened that there was a theatrical performance
given outside the village. The younger son started to carry his
mother there on his back, so that she might look on. But there was
a ravine before the village, and he slipped and fell down in the
middle of it. And his mother was killed by the rolling stones, and
her blood and flesh were sprinkled about everywhere. The son
stroked his mother’s corpse, and wept bitterly. He was about to
kill himself when, suddenly, he saw a priest standing before
him.The latter said: “Have no fear, for I can bring your mother
back to life again!” And as he said so, he stooped, gathered up her
flesh and bones, and laid them together as they should be. Then he
breathed upon them, and at once the mother was alive again. This
made the son very happy, and he thanked the priest on his knees.
Yet on a sharp point of rock he still saw a bit of his mother’s
flesh hanging, a bit about an inch long.
“That should not be left hanging there either,” said he, and
hid it in his breast.
“In truth, you love your mother as a son should,” said the
priest. Then he bade the son give him the bit of flesh, kneaded a
manikin out of it, breathed upon it, and in a minute there it
stood, a really fine-looking little boy.
“His name is Small Profit,” said he, turning to the son, “and
you may call him brother. You are poor and have not the wherewithal
with which to nourish your mother. If you need something, Small
Profit can get it for you.”The son thanked him once more, then took his mother on his
back again, and his new little brother by the hand, and went home.
And when he said to Small Profit: “Bring meat and wine!” then meat
and wine were at hand at once, and steaming rice was already
cooking in the pot. And when he said to Small Profit: “Bring money
and cloth!” then his purse filled itself with money, and the chests
were heaped up with cloth to the brim. Whatever he asked for that
he received. Thus, in the course of time, they came to be very well
off indeed.But his older brother envied him greatly. And when there was
another theatrical performance in the village, he took his mother
on his back—by force—and went to it. And when he reached the
ravine, he slipped purposely, and let his mother fall into the
depths, only intent to see that she really was shattered into
fragments. And sure enough his mother had such a bad fall that her
limbs and trunk were strewn around in all directions. He then
climbed down, took his mother’s head in his hands, and pretended to
weep.And at once the priest was on hand again, and said: “I can
wake the dead to life again, and surround white bones with flesh
and blood!”Then he did as he had done before, and the mother came to
life again. But the older brother already had hidden one of her
ribs on purpose. He now pulled it out and said to the priest: “Here
is a bone left. What shall I do with it?”The priest took the bone, enclosed it in lime and earth,
breathed upon it, as he had done the other time, and it became a
little man, resembling Small Profit, but larger in
stature.
“His name is Great Duty,” he told his older brother, “if you
stick to him he will always lend you a hand.”The son took his mother back again, and Great Duty walked
beside him.When he came to their courtyard door, he saw his younger
brother coming out, holding Small Profit in his arms.
“Where are you going?” he said to him.His brother answered: “Small Profit is a divine being, who
does not wish to dwell for all time among men. He wants to fly back
to the heavens, and so I am escorting him.”
“Give Small Profit to me! Don’t let him get away!” cried the
older brother.Yet, before he had ended his speech, Small Profit was rising
in the air. The older brother then quickly let his mother drop on
the ground, and stretched out his hand to catch Small Profit. But
he did not succeed, and now Great Duty, too, rose from the ground,
took Small Profit’s hand, and together they ascended to the clouds
and disappeared.Then the older brother stamped on the ground, and said with a
sigh: “Alas, I have lost my Great Duty because I was too greedy for
that Small Profit!”Note: In China—usually on festive days or because of some
religious celebration—a provisional stage is erected before the
village or temple, and a play given. Permanent theaters are to be
found only in the large cities.IVWHO WAS THE SINNER?ONCE upon a time there were ten farmers, who were crossing a
field together. They were surprised by a heavy thunder-storm, and
took refuge in a half-ruined temple. But the thunder drew ever
nearer, and so great was the tumult that the air trembled about
them, while the lightning flew around the temple in a continuous
circle. The farmers were greatly frightened, and thought that there
must be a sinner among them, whom the lightning would strike. In
order to find out who it might be, they agreed to hang their straw
hats up before the door, and he whose hat was blown away was to
yield himself up to his fate.No sooner were the hats outside, than one of them was blown
away, and the rest thrust its unfortunate owner out of doors
without pity. But as soon as he had left the temple the lightning
ceased circling around, and struck it with a crash.The one whom the rest had thrust out, had been the only
righteous one among them, and for his sake the lightning had spared
the temple. So the other nine had to pay for their hard-heartedness
with their lives.Note: A traditionally narrated fairy-tale.VTHE MAGIC CASKONCE upon a time there was a man who dug up a big,
earthenware cask in his field. So he took it home with him and told
his wife to clean it out. But when his wife started brushing the
inside of the cask, the cask suddenly began to fill itself with
brushes. No matter how many were taken out, others kept on taking
their place. So the man sold the brushes, and the family managed to
live quite comfortably.Once a coin fell into the cask by mistake. At once the
brushes disappeared and the cask began to fill itself with money.
So now the family became rich; for they could take as much money
out of the cask as ever they wished.Now the man had an old grandfather at home, who was weak and
shaky. Since there was nothing else he could do, his grandson set
him to work shoveling money out of the cask, and when the old
grandfather grew weary and could not keep on, he would fall into a
rage, and shout at him angrily, telling him he was lazy and did not
want to work. One day, however, the old man’s strength gave out,
and he fell into the cask and died. At once the money disappeared,
and the whole cask began to fill itself with dead grandfathers.
Then the man had to pull them all out and have them buried, and for
this purpose he had to use up again all the money he had received.
And when he was through, the cask broke, and he was just as poor as
before.Note: “The Magic Cask” is a traditionally narrated tale. In
Northern China wooden casks or barrels are unknown. Large vessels,
open at the top, of earth or stone are used to hold water and other
liquids.VITHE FAVORITE OF FORTUNE AND THE CHILD OF ILL
LUCKONCE upon a time there was a proud prince who had a daughter.
But the daughter was a child of ill luck. When it came time for her
to marry, she had all her suitors assemble before her father’s
palace. She was going to throw down a ball of red silk among them,
and whoever caught it was to be her husband. Now there were many
princes and counts gathered before the castle, and in their midst
there was also a beggar. And the princess could see dragons
crawling into his ears and crawling out again from his nostrils,
for he was a child of luck. So she threw the ball to the beggar and
he caught it.Her father asked angrily: “Why did you throw the ball into
the beggar’s hands?”
“He is a favorite of Fortune,” said the princess, “I will
marry him, and then, perhaps, I will share in his good
luck.”But her father would not hear of it, and since she insisted,
he drove her from the castle in his rage. So the princess had to go
off with the beggar. She dwelt with him in a little hut, and had to
hunt for herbs and roots, and cook them herself, so that they might
have something to eat; and often they both went
hungry.One day her husband said to her: “I will set out and seek my
fortune. And when I have found it, I will come back again and fetch
you.” The princess was willing, and he went away, and was gone for
eighteen years. Meanwhile the princess lived in want and
affliction, for her father remained hard and merciless. If her
mother had not secretly given her food and money, no doubt she
would have starved to death during all that time.But the beggar found his fortune, and at length became
emperor. He returned and stood before his wife. She however, no
longer recognized him: She only knew that he was the powerful
emperor.He asked her how she were getting along.
“Why do you ask me how I am getting along?” she replied. “I
am too far beneath your notice.”
“And who may your husband be!”
“My husband was a beggar. He went away to seek his fortune.
That was eighteen years ago, and he has not yet
returned.”
“And what have you done during all those long
years?”
“I have been waiting for him to return.”
“Do you wish to marry some one else, seeing that he has been
missing so long?”
“No, I will remain his wife until I die.”When the emperor saw how faithful his wife was, he told her
who he was, had her clothed in magnificent garments, and took her
with him to his imperial palace. And there they lived in splendor
and happiness.After a few days the emperor said to his wife: “We spend
every day in festivities, as though every day were New
Year.”
“And why should we not celebrate,” answered his wife, “since
we have now become emperor and empress?”Yet his wife was a child of ill luck. When she had been
empress no more than eighteen days, she fell sick and died. But her
husband lived for many a long year.Note: “The Favorite of Fortune and the Child of Ill Luck” is
a traditionally narrated fairy-tale. The dragon is the symbol of
imperial rule, and the New Year’s feasts, which old and young
celebrate for weeks, is the greatest of Chinese
festivals.VIITHE BIRD WITH NINE HEADSLONG, long ago, there once lived a king and a queen who had a
daughter. One day, when the daughter went walking in the garden, a
tremendous storm suddenly came up and carried her away with it. Now
the storm had come from the bird with nine heads, who had robbed
the princess, and brought her to his cave. The king did not know
whither his daughter had disappeared, so he had proclaimed
throughout the land: “Whoever brings back the princess may have her
for his bride!”Now a youth had seen the bird as he was carrying the princess
to his cave. This cave, though, was in the middle of a sheer wall
of rock. One could not climb up to it from below, nor could one
climb down to it from above. And as the youth was walking around
the rock, another youth came along and asked him what he was doing
there. So the first youth told him that the bird with nine heads
had carried off the king’s daughter, and had brought her up to his
cave. The other chap knew what he had to do. He called together his
friends, and they lowered the youth to the cave in a basket. And
when he went into the cave, he saw the king’s daughter sitting
there, and washing the wound of the bird with nine heads; for the
hound of heaven had bitten off his tenth head, and his wound was
still bleeding. The princess, however, motioned to the youth to
hide, and he did so. When the king’s daughter had washed his wound
and bandaged it, the bird with nine heads felt so comfortable, that
one after another, all his nine heads fell asleep. Then the youth
stepped forth from his hiding-place, and cut off his nine heads
with a sword. But the king’s daughter said: “It would be best if
you were hauled up first, and I came after.”
“No,” said the youth. “I will wait below here, until you are
in safety.” At first the king’s daughter was not willing; yet at
last she allowed herself to be persuaded, and climbed into the
basket. But before she did so, she took a long pin from her hair,
broke it into two halves and gave him one and kept the other. She
also divided her silken kerchief with him, and told him to take
good care of both her gifts. But when the other man had drawn up
the king’s daughter, he took her along with him, and left the youth
in the cave, in spite of all his calling and pleading.The youth now took a walk about the cave. There he saw a
number of maidens, all of whom had been carried off by the bird
with nine heads, and who had perished there of hunger. And on the
wall hung a fish, nailed against it with four nails. When he
touched the fish, the latter turned into a handsome youth, who
thanked him for delivering him, and they agreed to regard each
other as brothers. Soon the first youth grew very hungry. He
stepped out in front of the cave to search for food, but only
stones were lying there. Then, suddenly, he saw a great dragon, who
was licking a stone. The youth imitated him, and before long his
hunger had disappeared. He next asked the dragon how he could get
away from the cave, and the dragon nodded his head in the direction
of his tail, as much as to say he should seat himself upon it. So
he climbed up, and in the twinkling of an eye he was down on the
ground, and the dragon had disappeared. He then went on until he
found a tortoise-shell full of beautiful pearls. But they were
magic pearls, for if you flung them into the fire, the fire ceased
to burn and if you flung them into the water, the water divided and
you could walk through the midst of it. The youth took the pearls
out of the tortoise-shell, and put them in his pocket. Not long
after he reached the sea-shore. Here he flung a pearl into the sea,
and at once the waters divided and he could see the sea-dragon. The
sea-dragon cried: “Who is disturbing me here in my own kingdom?”
The youth answered: “I found pearls in a tortoise-shell, and have
flung one into the sea, and now the waters have divided for
me.”
“If that is the case,” said the dragon, “then come into the
sea with me and we will live there together.” Then the youth
recognized him for the same dragon whom he had seen in the cave.
And with him was the youth with whom he had formed a bond of
brotherhood: He was the dragon’s son.
“Since you have saved my son and become his brother, I am
your father,” said the old dragon. And he entertained him
hospitably with food and wine.One day his friend said to him: “My father is sure to want to
reward you. But accept no money, nor any jewels from him, but only
the little gourd flask over yonder. With it you can conjure up
whatever you wish.”And, sure enough, the old dragon asked him what he wanted by
way of a reward, and the youth answered: “I want no money, nor any
jewels. All I want is the little gourd flask over
yonder.”At first the dragon did not wish to give it up, but at last
he did let him have it, after all. And then the youth left the
dragon’s castle.When he set his foot on dry land again he felt hungry. At
once a table stood before him, covered with a fine and plenteous
meal. He ate and drank. After he had gone on a while, he felt
weary. And there stood an ass, waiting for him, on which he
mounted. After he had ridden for a while, the ass’s gait seemed too
uneven, and along came a wagon, into which he climbed. But the
wagon shook him up too, greatly, and he thought: “If I only had a
litter! That would suit me better.” No more had he thought so, than
the litter came along, and he seated himself in it. And the bearers
carried him to the city in which dwelt the king, the queen and
their daughter.When the other youth had brought back the king’s daughter, it
was decided to hold the wedding. But the king’s daughter was not
willing, and said: “He is not the right man. My deliverer will come
and bring with him half of the long pin for my hair, and half my
silken kerchief as a token.” But when the youth did not appear for
so long a time, and the other one pressed the king, the king grew
impatient and said: “The wedding shall take place to-morrow!” Then
the king’s daughter went sadly through the streets of the city, and
searched and searched in the hope of finding her deliverer. And
this was on the very day that the litter arrived. The king’s
daughter saw the half of her silken handkerchief in the youth’s
hand, and filled with joy, she led him to her father. There he had
to show his half of the long pin, which fitted the other exactly,
and then the king was convinced that he was the right, true
deliverer. The false bridegroom was now punished, the wedding
celebrated, and they lived in peace and happiness till the end of
their days.Note: “The Bird With Nine Heads” is a traditionally narrated
fairy-tale. The long hair needle is an example of the halved jewel
used as a sign of recognition by lovers (see No.68, “Yang Gui
Fe”). The “Fish” in the cave is the dragon’s son, for like East
IndianNagaradjas, the Chinese
dragons are often sea-gods. Gourd flasks often occur as magic
talismans in Chinese fairy-tales, and spirits who serve their
owners are often imprisoned in them. See No. 81.VIIITHE CAVE OF THE BEASTSONCE upon a time there was a family in which there were seven
daughters. One day when the father went out to gather wood, he
found seven wild duck eggs. He brought them home, but did not think
of giving any to his children, intending to eat them himself, with
his wife. In the evening the oldest daughter woke up, and asked her
mother what she was cooking. The mother said: “I am cooking wild
duck eggs. I will give you one, but you must not let your sisters
know.” And so she gave her one. Then the second daughter woke up,
and asked her mother what she was cooking. She said: “Wild duck
eggs. If you will not tell your sisters, I’ll give you one.” And so
it went. At last the daughters had eaten all the eggs, and there
were none left.In the morning the father was very angry with the children,
and said: “Who wants to go along to grandmother?” But he intended
to lead the children into the mountains, and let the wolves devour
them there. The older daughters suspected this, and said: “We are
not going along!” But the two younger ones said: “We will go with
you.” And so they drove off with their father. After they had
driven a good ways, they asked: “Will we soon get to grandmother’s
house?” “Right away,” said their father. And when they had reached
the mountains he told them: “Wait here. I will drive into the
village ahead of you, and tell grandmother that you are coming.”
And then he drove off with the donkey-cart. They waited and waited,
but their father did not come. At last they decided that their
father would not come back to fetch them, and that he had left them
alone in the mountains. So they went further and further into the
hills seeking a shelter for the night. Then they spied a great
stone. This they selected for a pillow, and rolled it over to the
place where they were going to lie down to sleep. And then they saw
that the stone was the door to a cave. There was a light in the
cave, and they went into it. The light they had seen came from the
many precious stones and jewels of every sort in the cave, which
belonged to a wolf and a fox. They had a number of jars of precious
stones and pearls that shone by night. The girls said: “What a
lovely cave this is! We will lie right down and go to bed.” For
there stood two golden beds with gold-embroidered covers. So they
lay down and fell asleep. During the night the wolf and fox came
home. And the wolf said: “I smell human flesh!” But the fox
replied: “Oh, nonsense! There are no human beings who can enter our
cave. We lock it up too well for that.” The wolf said: “Very well,
then let us lie down in our beds and sleep.” But the fox answered:
“Let us curl up in the kettles on the hearth. They still hold a
little warmth from the fire.” The one kettle was of gold and the
other of silver, and they curled up in them.When the girls rose early in the morning, they saw the wolf
and the fox lying there, and were much frightened. And they put the
covers on the kettles and heaped a number of big stones on them, so
that the wolf and the fox could not get out again. Then they made a
fire. The wolf and the fox said: “Oh, how nice and warm it is this
morning! How does that happen?” But at length it grew too hot for
them. Then they noticed that the two girls had kindled a fire and
they cried: “Let us out! We will give you lots of precious stones,
and lots of gold, and will do you no harm!” But the girls would not
listen to them, and kept on making a bigger fire. So that was the
end of the wolf and the fox in the kettles.Then the girls lived happily for a number of days in the
cave. But their father was seized with a longing for his daughters,
and he went into the mountains to look for them. And he sat right
down on the stone in front of the cave to rest, and tapped his pipe
against it to empty the ashes. Then the girls within called out:
“Who is knocking at our door?” And the father said: “Are those not
my daughters’ voices?” While the daughters replied: “Is that not
our father’s voice?” Then they pushed aside the stone and saw that
it was their father, and their father was glad to see them once
more. He was much surprised to think that they should have chanced
on this cave full of precious stones, and they told him the whole
story. Then their father fetched people to help him carry home the
jewels. And when they got home, his wife wondered where he had
obtained all these treasures. So the father and daughters told her
everything, and they became a very wealthy family, and lived
happily to the end of their days.Note: “The Cave of the Beasts” is traditionally
narrated.IXTHE PANTHERONCE upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters and
a little son. And one day the mother said to her daughters: “Take
good care of the house, for I am going to see grandmother, together
with your little brother!” So the daughters promised her they would
do so, and their mother went off. On her way a panther met her, and
asked where she were going.She said: “I am going with my child to see my
mother.”
“Will you not rest a bit?” asked the panther.
“No,” said she, “it is already late, and it is a long road to
where my mother lives.”But the panther did not cease urging her, and finally she
gave in and sat down by the road side.
“I will comb your hair a bit,” said the panther. And the
woman allowed the panther to comb her hair. But as he passed his
claws through her hair, he tore off a bit of her skin and devoured
it.
“Stop!” cried the woman, “the way you comb my hair
hurts!”But the panther tore off a much larger piece of skin. Now the
woman wanted to call for help, but the panther seized and devoured
her. Then he turned on her little son and killed him too, put on
the woman’s clothes, and laid the child’s bones, which he had not
yet devoured, in her basket. After that he went to the woman’s
home, where her two daughters were, and called in at the door:
“Open the door, daughters! Mother has come home!” But they looked
out through a crack and said: “Our mother’s eyes are not so large
as yours!”Then the panther said: “I have been to grandmother’s house,
and saw her hens laying eggs. That pleases me, and is the reason
why my eyes have grown so large.”
“Our mother had no spots in her face such as you
have.”
“Grandmother had no spare bed, so I had to sleep on the peas,
and they pressed themselves into my face.”
“Our mother’s feet are not so large as yours.”
“Stupid things! That comes from walking such a distance.
Come, open the door quickly!”Then the daughters said to each other: “It must be our
mother,” and they opened the door. But when the panther came in,
they saw it was not really their mother after all.At evening, when the daughters were already in bed, the
panther was still gnawing the bones he had brought with
him.Then the daughters asked: “Mother, what are you
eating?”
“I’m eating beets,” was the answer.Then the daughters said: “Oh, mother, give us some of your
beets, too! We are so hungry!”
“No,” was the reply, “I will not give you any. Now be quiet
and go to sleep.”But the daughters kept on begging until the false mother gave
them a little finger. And then they saw that it was their little
brother’s finger, and they said to each other: “We must make haste
to escape else he will eat us as well.” And with that they ran out
of the door, climbed up into a tree in the yard, and called down to
the false mother: “Come out! We can see our neighbor’s son
celebrating his wedding!” But it was the middle of the
night.Then the mother came out, and when she saw that they were
sitting in the tree, she called out angrily: “Why, I’m not able to
climb!”The daughters said: “Get into a basket and throw us the rope
and we will draw you up!”The mother did as they said. But when the basket was half-way
up, they began to swing it back and forth, and bump it against the
tree. Then the false mother had to turn into a panther again, lest
she fall down. And the panther leaped out of the basket, and ran
away.Gradually daylight came. The daughters climbed down, seated
themselves on the doorstep, and cried for their mother. And a
needle-vender came by and asked them why they were
crying.
“A panther has devoured our mother and our brother,” said the
girls. “He has gone now, but he is sure to return and devour us as
well.”Then the needle-vender gave them a pair of needles, and said:
“Stick these needles in the cushion of the arm chair, with the
points up.” The girls thanked him and went on crying.Soon a scorpion-catcher came by; and he asked them why they
were crying. “A panther has devoured our mother and brother,” said
the girls. “He has gone now, but he is sure to return and devour us
as well.”The man gave them a scorpion and said: “Put it behind the
hearth in the kitchen.” The girls thanked him and went on
crying.Then an egg-seller came by and asked them why they were
crying. “A panther has devoured our mother and our brother,” said
the girls. “He has gone now, but he is sure to return and devour us
as well.”So he gave them an egg and said: “Lay it beneath the ashes in
the hearth.” The girls thanked him and went on crying.Then a dealer in turtles came by, and they told him their
tale. He gave them a turtle and said: “Put it in the water-barrel
in the yard.” And then a man came by who sold wooden clubs. He
asked them why they were crying. And they told him the whole story.
Then he gave them two wooden clubs and said: “Hang them up over the
door to the street.” The girls thanked him and did as the men had
told them.In the evening the panther came home. He sat down in the
armchair in the room. Then the needles in the cushion stuck into
him. So he ran into the kitchen to light the fire and see what had
jabbed him so; and then it was that the scorpion hooked his sting
into his hand. And when at last the fire was burning, the egg burst
and spurted into one of his eyes, which was blinded. So he ran out
into the yard and dipped his hand into the water-barrel, in order
to cool it; and then the turtle bit it off. And when in his pain he
ran out through the door into the street, the wooden clubs fell on
his head and that was the end of him.Note: “The Panther” in this tale is in reality the same beast
as “the talking silver fox” in No.49, and the
fairy-tale is made up of motives to be found in “Little Red
Riding-Hood,” “The Wolf and the Seven Kids,” and “The
Vagabonds.”XTHE GREAT FLOODONCE upon a time there was a widow, who had a child. And the
child was a kind-hearted boy of whom every one was fond. One day he
said to his mother: “All the other children have a grandmother, but
I have none. And that makes me feel very sad!”
“We will hunt up a grandmother for you,” said his mother. Now
it once happened that an old beggar-woman came to the house, who
was very old and feeble. And when the child saw her, he said to
her: “You shall be my grandmother!” And he went to his mother and
said: “There is a beggar-woman outside, whom I want for my
grandmother!” And his mother was willing and called her into the
house; though the old woman was very dirty. So the boy said to his
mother: “Come, let us wash grandmother!” And they washed the woman.
But she had a great many burrs in her hair, so they picked them all
out and put them in a jar, and they filled the whole jar. Then the
grandmother said: “Do not throw them away, but bury them in the
garden. And you must not dig them up again before the great flood
comes.”
“When is the great flood coming?” asked the boy.
“When the eyes of the two stone lions in front of the prison
grow red, then the great flood will come,” said the
grandmother.So the boy went to look at the lions, but their eyes were not
yet red. And the grandmother also said to him: “Make a little
wooden ship and keep it in a little box.” And this the boy did. And
he ran to the prison every day and looked at the lions, much to the
astonishment of the people in the street.One day, as he passed the chicken-butcher’s shop, the butcher
asked him why he was always running to the lions. And the boy said:
“When the lions’ eyes grow red then the great flood will come.” But
the butcher laughed at him. And the following morning, quite early,
he took some chicken-blood and rubbed it on the lions’ eyes. When
the boy saw that the lions’ eyes were red he ran swiftly home, and
told his mother and grandmother. And then his grandmother said:
“Dig up the jar quickly, and take the little ship out of its box.”
And when they dug up the jar, it was filled with the purest pearls
and the little ship grew larger and larger, like a real ship. Then
the grandmother said: “Take the jar with you and get into the ship.
And when the great flood comes, then you may save all the animals
that are driven into it; but human beings, with their black heads,
you are not to save.” So they climbed into the ship, and the
grandmother suddenly disappeared.Now it began to rain, and the rain kept falling more and more
heavily from the heavens. Finally there were no longer any single
drops falling, but just one big sheet of water which flooded
everything.Then a dog came drifting along, and they saved him in their
ship. Soon after came a pair of mice, with their little ones,
loudly squeaking in their fear. And these they also saved. The
water was already rising to the roofs of the houses, and on one
roof stood a cat, arching her back and mewing pitifully. They took
the cat into the ship, too. Yet the flood increased and rose to the
tops of the trees. And in one tree sat a raven, beating his wings
and cawing loudly. And him, too, they took in. Finally a swarm of
bees came flying their way. The little creatures were quite wet,
and could hardly fly. So they took in the bees on their ship. At
last a man with black hair floated by on the waves. The boy said:
“Mother, let us save him, too!” But the mother did not want to do
so. “Did not grandmother tell us that we must save no black-headed
human beings?” But the boy answered: “We will save the man in spite
of that. I feel sorry for him, and cannot bear to see him drifting
along in the water.” So they also saved the man.Gradually the water subsided. Then they got out of their
ship, and parted from the man and the beasts. And the ship grew
small again and they put it away in its box.But the man was filled with a desire for the pearls. He went
to the judge and entered a complaint against the boy and his
mother, and they were both thrown into jail. Then the mice came,
and dug a hole in the wall. And the dog came through the hole and
brought them meat, and the cat brought them bread, so they did not
have to hunger in their prison. But the raven flew off and returned
with a letter for the judge. The letter had been written by a god,
and it said: “I wandered about in the world of men disguised as a
beggar woman. And this boy and his mother took me in. The boy
treated me like his own grandmother, and did not shrink from
washing me when I was dirty. Because of this I saved them out of
the great flood by means of which I destroyed the sinful city
wherein they dwelt. Do you, O judge, free them, or misfortune shall
be your portion!”So the judge had them brought before him, and asked what they
had done, and how they had made their way through the flood. Then
they told him everything, and what they said agreed with the god’s
letter. So the judge punished their accuser, and set them both at
liberty.When the boy had grown up he came to a city of many people,
and it was said that the princess intended to take a husband. But
in order to find the right man, she had veiled herself, and seated
herself in a litter, and she had had the litter, together with many
others, carried into the market place. In every litter sat a veiled
woman, and the princess was in their midst. And whoever hit upon
the right litter, he was to get the princess for his bride. So the
youth went there, too, and when he reached the market place, he saw
the bees whom he had saved from the great flood, all swarming about
a certain litter. Up he stepped to it, and sure enough, the
princess was sitting in it. And then their wedding was celebrated,
and they lived happily ever afterward.Note: “The Great Flood” is traditionally narrated and a
diluvian legend seems to underlie it. Compare with Grimm’s
fairy-tale (No. 73) “The Queen of the Bees.”XITHE FOX AND THE TIGERONCE a fox met a tiger. The latter bared his teeth, stretched
out his claws, and was about to devour him. But the fox spoke and
said: “My dear sir, you must not think that you are the only king
of beasts. Your courage does not compare with my own. Let us walk
together, and do you keep behind me. And if men catch sight of me
and do not fear me, then you may devour me.” The tiger was willing,
and so the fox led him along a broad highway. But the travelers,
when they saw the tiger in the distance, were all frightened and
ran away.Then the fox said: “How about it? I went in advance, and the
men saw me and had not as yet seen you.”And thereupon the tiger drew in his tail and ran away
himself.The tiger had remarked quite well that the men were afraid of
the fox, but he had not noticed that the fox had borrowed the
terror he inspired from him.Note: This universally known fable is traditionally narrated.
Animal fables are very rare in China.XIITHE TIGER’S DECOYTHAT the fox borrowed the terror he inspired from the tiger
is more than a simile; but that the tiger has his decoy is
something we read about in the story books, and grandfathers talk
about a good deal, too. So there must be some truth in it. It is
said that when a tiger devours a human being, the latter’s spirit
cannot free itself, and that the tiger then uses it for a decoy.
When he goes out to seek his prey, the spirit of the man he has
devoured must go before him, to hide him, so that people cannot see
him. And the spirit is apt to change itself into a beautiful girl,
or a lump of gold or a bolt of silk. All sorts of deceptions are
used to lure folk into the mountain gorges. Then the tiger comes
along and devours his victim, and the new spirit must serve as his
decoy. The old spirit’s time of service is over and it may go. And
so it continues, turn by turn. Probably that is why they say of
people who are forced to yield themselves up to cunning and
powerful men, in order that others may be harmed: “They are the
tiger’s decoys!”Note: This tale is traditionally narrated.XIIITHE FOX AND THE RAVENTHE fox knows how to flatter, and how to play many cunning
tricks. Once upon a time he saw a raven, who alighted on a tree
with a piece of meat in his beak. The fox seated himself beneath
the tree, looked up at him, and began to praise him.
“Your color,” he began, “is pure black. This proves to me
that you possess all the wisdom of Laotzse, who knows how to shroud
his learning in darkness. The manner in which you manage to feed
your mother shows that your filial affection equals that which the
Master Dsong had for his parents. Your voice is rough and strong.
It proves that you have the courage with which King Hiang once
drove his foes to flight by the mere sound of his voice. In truth,
you are the king of birds!”The raven, hearing this, was filled with joy and said: “I
thank you! I thank you!”And before he knew it, the meat fell to earth from his opened
beak.The fox caught it up, devoured it and then said, laughing:
“Make note of this, my dear sir: if some one praises you without
occasion, he is sure to have a reason for doing so.”Note: Traditionally narrated, it may be taken for granted
that this is simply Æsop’s fable in Chinese dress. The manner of
presentation is characteristically Chinese. For “the wisdom of
Laotzse” compare, p. 30, “The Ancient’s Book of Wisdom and Life”:
“Who sees his light, yet dwells in darkness.” Master Dsong was King
Dsi’s most faithful pupil, renowned for his piety. The raven is
known in China as “the bird of filial love,” for it is said that
the young ravens bring forth the food they have eaten from their
beaks again, in order to feed the old birds.XIVWHY DOG AND CAT ARE ENEMIESONCE upon a time there was a man and his wife and they had a
ring of gold. It was a lucky ring, and whoever owned it always had
enough to live on. But this they did not know, and hence sold the
ring for a small sum. But no sooner was the ring gone than they
began to grow poorer and poorer, and at last did not know when they
would get their next meal. They had a dog and a cat, and these had
to go hungry as well. Then the two animals took counsel together as
to how they might restore to their owners their former good
fortune. At length the dog hit upon an idea.
“They must have the ring back again,” he said to the
cat.The cat answered: “The ring has been carefully locked up in
the chest, where no one can get at it.”
“You must catch a mouse,” said the dog, “and the mouse must
gnaw a hole in the chest and fetch out the ring. And if she does
not want to, say that you will bite her to death, and you will see
that she will do it.”This advice pleased the cat, and she caught a mouse. Then she
wanted to go to the house in which stood the chest, and the dog
came after. They came to a broad river. And since the cat could not
swim, the dog took her on his back and swam across with her. Then
the cat carried the mouse to the house in which the chest stood.
The mouse gnawed a hole in the chest, and fetched out the ring. The
cat put the ring in her mouth and went back to the river, where the
dog was waiting for her, and swam across with her. Then they
started out together for home, in order to bring the lucky ring to
their master and mistress. But the dog could only run along the
ground; when there was a house in the way he always had to go
around it. The cat, however, quickly climbed over the roof, and so
she reached home long before the dog, and brought the ring to her
master.Then her master said to his wife: “What a good creature the
cat is! We will always give her enough to eat and care for her as
though she were our own child!”But when the dog came home they beat him and scolded him,
because he had not helped to bring home the ring again. And the cat
sat by the fireplace, purred and said never a word. Then the dog
grew angry at the cat, because she had robbed him of his reward,
and when he saw her he chased her and tried to seize
her.And ever since that day cat and dog are enemies.Note: “Why Dog and Cat are Enemies.” This fairy-tale is given
in the current popular version.
LEGENDS OF THE GODS
XVHOW THE FIVE ANCIENTS BECAME MEN