Part 9
Then he slept. And he saw one of the great wilderness ants; and a bird flew down to eat the ant. But the ant spoke and said, “I know that you birds try to eat our family all the time. But it is not right that one creature should eat another. You have power to overcome any ant and eat it if you wish, but man has charge of this world. When the hunter comes you can not escape his arrow or his net.
“It is not right that one creature should be against another creature. Go your way, and I will go my way, so that I may find food for my children.
“I have one hundred and fifty eggs in my nest now and I hope every one will soon hatch. Then my children will depend on me to help them. They will all die if you eat me, their parent. The earth has much grain, wheat, and rice. These are enough for your food.”
Then the bird answered, “Tell me what makes you so wise. I am a bird. I am much handsomer than you and I have a beautiful song. The children of men all like me. It is true, as you say, the hunter does catch my people sometimes. But there are many men who raise birds in their own houses and teach them to sing. Then they take us to the music hall or theater where they get money for our songs.
“One member of the bird family carries letters for man; and our feathers are used to make feather balls for the children to play with. So you see, birds are very useful. But as for the ant I can not see how he is useful to man or beast.”
“Oh, you are mistaken,” said the ant earnestly. “Do you see this general here? He needs me to help him now. Do you know why he is lying here? He and his war horse are near death for the lack of water. Soon more than a thousand soldiers will be dead. Then the north nation will take this general’s nation, and his people will no longer have a country. But I will save them.
“Long ago our people saved a nation. Once there was a war between the east and the west nations, and the general, Hai Hau, nearly perished for water, even as this general here is doing. But my people always build their homes near water, and he followed their road and they showed him the way to water and saved many lives.”
Then the bird opened his mouth and laughed scornfully, “Chic, Chic, I do not believe that story. You are speaking falsely. I know of one very evil thing your people have done, which I will tell you about.
“Men built a great tower on the North Mountain once, and soon it fell to earth again. After a time they discovered the cause of this trouble. It was not the wind, nor the storm, nor the rain, nor even the earthquake that shook the tower down. It was found that ants had eaten the wood and this caused it to break and fall.
“Birds do not make trouble in the world. Ants do. But I will give you fair warning, that if you do not do this good thing you boast of, I will eat you at once.”
The ant answered, “You shall yet see that I am able to save this general, his soldiers, and his horses.”
The ant then went straight to the general’s ear and said to him, “Do you remember General Hai Hau who was lost in this wilderness? If you will go to the forest, you will see a black street full of my people. They will lead you to their nests near the great cave spring in the wilderness, which was named Hai Hau for the general who discovered it. It is only a half mile from here.”
Then the general, Gui Süt Yun, awoke and said, “Strange, but I surely heard an ant and a bird talking together while I slept. Where is my map? I did not know of the cave of Hai Hau.”
He found the great cave spring, and he and his horse drank. Then he hurried back to the soldiers, and their lives were saved.
THREE GIRLS WHO WENT TO A BOYS’ SCHOOL
名符其行
There were thirty-five scholars in the school at Qui-Chu, and three were girls. The boys played by themselves and the three girls played together.
One day the teacher said to his mother, “I think I shall have the girls dress in boys’ clothes next year, if they come to school.”
“Why will you do this?” asked his mother.
“Because the boys do not like girls in the school. They will not play, read, or write with them. They tease them and laugh at them. I fear the girls must leave the school next year, and they are only nine years old. But we shall see.” [33]
When the next year came, the mother was willing to do as her son said. She took some cloth and made boys’ clothes for the three girls, which she put on them to see how they would look dressed as boys.
When the girls were dressed, they looked at each other and laughed. “What will you do with the ear-holes, grandmother?” they asked. “Surely the boys will know we are girls.”
The mother called her son and asked him, “What shall we do with the ear-holes? They look like boys now, save for that one thing. I fear the girls can not go to school.”
“I will see,” replied her son. He thought much for two days. Then he went to find an old doctor in the next village, far enough away so that no one would know. He asked the doctor, “Can you close the ear-holes so that girls’ ears will be as boys’?”
“Oh, yes,” answered the doctor, “I can if you will pay me.” Then the doctor came and put something in the ear-holes and colored it so that it looked like skin, and the grandmother was satisfied to send the girls to school.
But the teacher forgot and called them girls’ names. The others laughed at the three boys with funny names, but they did not seem to remember them.
Five or six months went by, and the boys had not yet learned that the three scholars with the pretty names were the girls of last year. Then one boy came to the teacher and asked, “Why do those boys have girls’ names? I wish to know.”
The teacher thought a moment and said, “Lily—Beauty—Moon. That boy was called Lily, I think, because he was so red [34] when he was a little baby. The mother thought he ought to be called ‘Red,’ but that is not a pretty name for a baby, and so they called him Lily.
“And do you not think that Beauty’s name suits him? He is the handsomest boy in the school. I think his mother called him Beauty because he was such a pretty baby. He is as pretty as a girl. I think it is right that he should be called Beauty. Moon’s name is suitable for him, too. You know he is gentle and fair. Did you ever see a more gentle boy in school? I think he was always very gentle and fair, and so his mother gave him that name. All his friends like him as they do the moon.”
The boy ran away and told the other pupils what his teacher had said about the three boys with the pretty names.
New Year came, and each boy had to write his name on a piece of paper and hand it to the teacher, so that he could give them their school names. [35] Eight gave their names as Beauty, and seventeen as Moon, while all the others wanted to be called Lily. They expected the teacher would allow them to have those as their school names.
In the summer time the scholars had a vacation and the teacher went away for a time.
One day they were all on the playground playing “Theater.” They took nine of the prettiest boys and put red and white on their faces and dressed them like ladies and bound their feet to make them small. Six boys put on false beards. Then they piled up chairs and tables high to make a mountain, and the boys with bound feet were to cross over to the other side. The boys who had to climb over the mountain from the opposite side were careless, and when all met at the top, they tumbled and fell down in a heap. One boy broke his arm, one broke his finger, and one hurt his eye. The other boys did not stay to help or see what they could do for those who were hurt. All but the three girls, who were dressed like boys, ran away in fear, and left the wounded children lying on the ground.
One girl ran for the doctor. The other two stayed and gave the hurt ones water to drink, fanned their faces, kept the flies away, and cared for them like little mothers.
In a few minutes the doctor came. He asked, “What were you doing, boys?” The boys were so hurt and scared that they could not talk, but the girls told how it had all happened.
The doctor bound up the broken arm and finger, and dressed the bruised eye. He was a good doctor and said, “These boys must lie still several days. They can not get up without my orders; now who is willing to take care of them?”
“We will help,” said the three girls.
The teacher came back and school began again. When he called for the names of the pupils, they gave those which they liked best—Lily, Beauty, and Moon—as before, but the teacher said, “No, these names are all wrong.
“There is only one Lily, one Beauty, and one Moon in this school now. You boys can not use the names I gave you. You had beautiful names, but your acts were not beautiful.
“You ran away when your schoolmates were hurt. You had no pity for them. Had it not been for Lily, Beauty, and Moon, they would have died. These names mean something. Beauty makes the world a pleasant place for us to live in. The Moon shines and gives us soft light. The Lily gives us beauty and sweet-smelling odors.
“Your acts were not like the names. After this, when boys want such names they must do something to be worthy of them.”
THE RATTAN VINE AND THE ROSE TREE
蔓莖與梅樹
In the San-Wui district, in the garden of a rich merchant, lived the Lon-da-Tang [36] (rattan vine) and the Mui-Kwi (rose tree).
One day the rose tree said to the rattan vine, “Lon-da-Tang, please tell me how you grow so fast. What do you eat that you are able to go any where you wish? Nothing seems to hurt you. Nothing seems to stop you, not even the stone fences or the clay roofs. You have no fear, and there seems to be no danger for you. You care not for the heat of the sun when he is close in the summer time. The rain comes down with a rushing noise from dark places in the heavens, and you are not afraid. The wind blows hard and bends our heads to the earth, but you seem not even to heed it.”
Then the Lon-da-Tang with a proud and happy summer face answered the rose tree, “Mui-Kwi-Si [37] (Mrs. Rose Tree), you should be made to leave this garden. I would not allow you to grow here if I were master.
“I have known you five or six years. The master put you in the earth and gave you much dirt to feed upon. He gives you water every morning. In the winter time he gives you a cover and a bed of straw. He trims your branches and serves you in many ways. And yet you do not grow.
“You are nine years old now, and only five or six feet tall, while I am only four years old and my branches measure many thousands of feet. You bear a few flowers in the summer, and that is all you can do. You have no fruit and not many leaves. You stand still in the garden and do nothing useful. You ought to be ashamed. Do you see my branches? Although I have been here but four years, I now reach over this house and am climbing the fence on the other side. Next year, I shall go and cover up another house.
“The master likes me in summer, because I keep the hot sun from the roof and make his house cool. The children like me, too. Sometimes they climb in my arms and swing. And the fence likes me, because I cover it so thickly that I protect it from the children and the pigs. The birds build their nests high in my arms and they like me also. The bugs like me, because I give them a home and they feed upon my leaves. So the master knows that I am good for many things.
“The birds would not go to you, because you are so small; they can not build a nest upon you. The master’s wife does not care much for you, because you have so many thorns that she finds it hard to gather your flowers. You are pretty, but who cares about that? The fence is high and no one sees you. And so you stand there and do nothing.”
Then the rose tree replied, “Lon-da-Tang, with all your boasting, you can not even stand alone. I can at least do that. I know I am not large, and the birds do not build their nests with me. I can not grow so fast as you, but my children are known to the whole great world of mankind, and are called the sweetest of all flowers.
“And besides, I am independent. I do not lean upon other things. If your house or your fence falls down, where then will be your vain boastful head?
“I care not what you say of me, whether you think a rose is good or bad, strong or weak. I do not wish to lean on the fence or roof as you do. Some day, when the house and fence grow old, they will fall down, and what will you do then?”
Soon after this, there came a great storm. In San-Wiu many houses were partly destroyed and the fences fell to the ground. The roof of the merchant’s house was blown off. The proud rattan vine, Lon-da-Tang, was broken in many places, and his head lay low on the earth.
But the rose tree stood firm. And she laughed and said to the rattan, “I told you that it was dangerous to lean upon other things and never to learn to stand by yourself. I would not trust any house or fence to do my standing for me. I would rather be independent. I grow all the leaves, stems, and flowers I want, and so I stand here forever. The north wind comes and I bow my head to the south. Then the south wind comes and opens my beautiful flowers. I am the rose tree, and in my own strength I stand.”
The following new Ee-Sze has been added to this old story:
Ee-Sze (Meaning): China and her people should be as the rose tree. We must rely upon ourselves. We are better students than warriors; once, when we found ourselves in trouble, we leaned on Japan. Then, when we had trouble with her, Russia told us she would help. But she was much worse and wished to take our land and to make us a people without a country.
THE MELON AND THE PROFESSOR
學由瓜得
Wu-Kiao was a professor in a large Chinese university, and a very proud and learned man. Hundreds of students were under his teaching, and many thousands honored him. When he went out of his house, five people followed, singing and playing the drum all the way down the street, and eight men carried his chair. At home he had six servants about him. During each meal, thirty dishes were served at his table.
The professor was a great man. Through his wisdom and out of his deep knowledge, he explained all questions to the people.
One day Wu-Kiao sat in the shade of a tree in his garden. He turned his head and saw a watermelon lying on the ground, nearly covered with its green leaves. Then, seeing the fig tree with many figs on it, he said, “I think the Creator should have made the melon grow on this tree.”
He touched the tree and said, “How strong you are; you could bear larger fruit like the watermelon.” And he said to the vine, “You, so thin and small, should bear small fruit like the fig. Things are not well ordered. Mistakes are made in creation.” Just then a fig dropped from the tree on his nose, and he was a little bruised.
Then he said, “I was wrong. If the fig tree bore fruit as large as the watermelon and dropped it on my nose, I think I should be killed. It would be a dangerous tree to all people. I must study more carefully. I know many things and many people; and if I study and think more deeply, it may be I shall come to know that the Creator’s works are perfect.”
WORD LIST
accuse 控告 acquainted 相熟 across 越過 actions 作爲 admired 稱讚 adversity 災殃 advice 勸諫 advise 勸·指示 afraid 恐怕 against 拒敵 ails 染恙 alarm 喧嘩 alive 生活 ancestors 祖宗 anger 忿怒 anguish 悽慘·煩惱 anxiety 憂慮 anxious 渴想 appearance 形 appetite 胃口 argue 辯 argument 辯論 arise 起身 army 陸軍 arranged the journey 布置行程 around 四圍 arrow 矢 aunt 嬸母·姑母 authority 威權·權 awake 醒寤 awaken 警醒
bark 樹皮 base 基址 baskets 籃 bathe 洗浴 battle 爭戰 beard 鬚 beaten 鞭責 bee 蜂 beetle 甲虫·槌擊 belt 帶 beneath 底下 bitter 苦 bitterness of spirit 苦心 blessing 福氣 bookkeeper 當賬書記 bore 生養 borrowed 借貸 bowed 鞠躬 bracelet 手鐲 branches 枝 breakfast 早膳 breast 胸前 breeze 和風 bride 新婦 bruised eye 傷目 bulbs 圓物 bundle 捆·束·卷
cackling 相言相語 (指雞言) cage 籠 carp fish 鯉魚 catch 捕 caught 拿獲 causes the trouble 招其禍 cavalry 騎兵 ceased 停 chirped 噪 clapped 拍掌 cleansed 去汚·洗淸 climb 爬上 clothes 衣服 company 伴 complained 出怨言 complaining 出怨言 complete 完全 concerning 關及 confession 服罪·招認 conquer 勝 conquered 得勝 contemptuously 侮辱 corn 眞珠米 courage 勇氣 cousin 堂妹 cowards 怯夫 crab 蟹 cracking 裂 creature 生物 creeper 爬者 crooked 彎曲 cunning 刁猾
dance 跳戲 dark 黑暗 dashed 撞 daughter 女孩 decay 漸壞 deer 牡鹿 delicate 嬌嫩 depend 靠託 deserted 廢棄 deserved 應得 desk 書案 despair 絕望 despised 輕視 destroy 敗壞 determined 决意 dialect 言·土白 different 異 directions 指揮 dirt 汚食 disagreeable 不合之味 disappears 不見 disappointed 失望 disgrace 恥辱 disobedient 違背 distance 距離 doctor 醫生 doctrine 道 dress 衣服 dresses 穿服 driven 逐 dropped 丟落 drum 鼓 drummed 擊鼓
eagle 鷹 ear holes 耳環孔 earnestly 壹意 elephant 象 else 其他 empress 皇上 empty 空虛 endures 堪忍 enemies 讐敵 enough 足·滿 escape 逃避 examine 考驗 exchange 兌換 excused 辭退 expect 希望 explain 解明
face cast down with sorrow 憂形於面 face distorted with anger 因怒變面 failed 不成 fanned 扇風 family 家屬 famine 饑荒 feather 毛 feathered 羽毛 feed 予以食 fell 跌下 fierce 恐懼 fig 無花果 fight 緊 filled 耕種 finally 終 fire cracker 爆竹 fins 鱗 flies 蠅 followers 同黨者 foggy 靄霧 fore 撕 forest 林 forever 永遠 fought 戰爭 fragrant 香氣 frail 軟弱 fresh 新鮮 frightened 威嚇 frowned 蹙額 frozen 冰凍 funeral 出喪 funny 希奇 furniture 器用·裝飾
gardener 管園者 garments 裳袍 gathers 聚 generals 將軍·提督 generation 時代 gibbon 長臂猿 gloomy 昏暗 government 政府 grace 恩愛 grain 米穀 grasshoppers 螳螂 gravy 肉汁之類 greedy 貪饜 grief 憂慮 growled 哮·吠 guest 客 guests 客人 guilty 犯過 gun 鎗
habits 性情 hail 雹 handsome 美麗 happened 逢遇 harvest 收成 hide 隱匿 hoarded 儲蓄 honey 蜜 honor 尊貴 hopped 跳 hunger 餓 hunted 打獵 hurried 急速 hurt 傷
image 影 imitated 仿·效 incense 線香 independent 自立 indifferently 淡漠 infantry 步兵 insisted 迫·逼 instruction 命令 interwoven 連合
jacket 短袍 jail 牢獄 jealous 妒 jewelry 寶珠 judge 裁判官 judgment 意見·决斷 jumped 跳
keen 伶俐 killed 戮 kitchen 厨房
lack of water 乏水 ladder 梯 lemon 檸檬 lightning 電 lion 獅子 listen to 聽從
maiden 童女 meal 食·餐 medicine 藥 merchants’ agent 代銷貨者 mercy 恩 merry 快樂 message 信息 mingling 交雜 mischief 頑 miserable 悽慘 mocks 戲弄 mother-in-law 姑 mounted 上馬 mouse 老鼠 mud 泥 music 音樂 mystery 奧妙
narcissus 水仙花 nature 性情 naughty 刁頑 neighbors 鄰 net 網 noise 喧鬧 nurse girl 侍女 nuts 果子
obeyed 服從 observed 注目 odor 氣味 offends 觸犯 oppose 拒 orchard 菓樹園 outcast 爲人輕視 outrun 走勝 outwit 勝以計 overtook 捕獲
park 公園 party 羣聚·同伴 pasture 牧地 patient 忍耐 peanuts 長生果 pearls 珠 peel 剝皮 perfect 完全 performing 成·演 perish 傷亡 perishing 喪亡 persuade 引勸 pet 鍾愛 petals 花瓣 pig 猪 piled 堆 pillow 枕 pity 悲傷 plenty 豊足 plow 耕耘 poisoned 毒之 pond 池 possible 或可 potatoes 出芋 preparing 預備 presence 面前 proceeding 前進 prophet 先知 province 省 pulled 拉 pulse 脈 punish 責罰 pure 淸潔
quakes 震動 quarreling 爭論 queen 奇怪
radius 半徑 rage 忿怒 raged 怒氣 rapped 拍·急拍 reach 得到 really 的確 refuse 拒 refused 拒絕 relatives 親戚 replied 答 reproved 面責 resist 拒·抵住 respectfully 尊敬 reverenced 尊敬 righteousness 義 roar 吼 robbed 劫掠 robbers 盜 robe 袍 roughly 粗暴
salary 薪俸 sang 唱曲 satisfied 滿意 scales 鱗 scared 怕害 scatter 分散 scattered 走散·分離 scold 面責·斥 scornful 悔慢 scraped 削 screamed 呼喊 searched 尋訪 searching 找尋 secret 密事 secretary 書記 seeds 種子 self-control 自束 served 事奉 shade 蔭 shame 恥 sharp knife 利刃 shelter 遮蓋 shelter 殼 shivered 戰慄 shook 搖動 short time 不多日 shouted 歡呼 shrubs 矮樹 silence 幽靜無聲 silly 蠢愚 silly 呆·獄 skin disease 皮症 slap 掌責 smooth 光滑 snail 蝸 sneering 藐視 sobbing 哭泣之聲 soil 土地 soldier 兵 sour 酸 splashed 潑水 spoil 敗壞 sprang 跳出 spurs 踢 stab 剌 stains 污漬 starving 饑 steepest 高崖 sting 剌 stirred 粘動 stomach 胃 strange 奇 stranger 不相識者 struck 擊 stuck 剌入 succeed 得手 sudden 忽然 suggested 指示 summit 山頂 sunk 陷下 superstitious 迷信 support 供養 suppose 料想 surprised 驚訝 swallowed 一呑 sweet-smelling 美氣味 swimming 泅水 sword 劍 swore 矢願 sympathy 同情
tailor 成衣匠 tear 破壞 teased 嬉弄 temper 大怒 temple 廟 tempted 引誘 terrible 駭 terror 恐懼 theater 戲園 thin 瘦弱 thirsty 渴 thorns 剌 thorn-sticks 荆棘梗 threw 擲·丟 throats 喉 thunder 雷 touched 觸 towards 向 trembled 戰慄 trembling 戰慄 tribute 貢賦 tricks 戲法·術訣 trip 遊 trunk 象鼻 twinkle 閃爍
ugly 醜 uncovered 脫帽 unfinished 未完 unhatched 在卵之雞 unless 除·若不 unstable 不定 upside 顚倒
vegetable 菜蔬 vile 鄙陋 visit 拜訪 voice 聲音
wasted 濫費 watch 觀看 watermelon 西瓜 wax 蠟 weather 天氣 widow 孀婦 wings 羽 wise 噪 withstand 堪當 woodcutters 樵夫 worthy 適當 wounded 受傷 woven 織 wrapped 包縛
youth 年輕
NOTES
[1] This is a folk story of nineteen hundred years ago.
[2] This species of garden-snail is found in China, and is about the size of a large Roman snail. It sucks the juice of the fruit while on the trees, eats flies and bugs and, the Chinese say, is fond of sweets. It reproduces every thirty days by spreading a leaf with a sticky substance where the sun shines, the family of young snails coming in about fifteen days.
[3] This story is about two thousand years old and is found in Chinese historical literature.