The Dogs and the Flute
I.
Long ago a young woodcutter called Kaminagahiko (which means long-haired boy) lived at the base of Katsuragiyama in the country of Yamato. He had the soft face of a girl, and had received his name because his hair was also as long as a girl's.
Kaminagahiko played a flute very well, and when he went up the mountain to cut wood he would often sit down and play, enjoying the sound by himself. And at those times, strangely enough, even the birds and animals and the trees and shrubs could sense the charm of his flute. When Kaminagahiko played the grasses would wave, the trees would sway, and the birds and animals would gather around and sit still, listening.
One day Kaminagahiko was again sitting against the root of a large tree, intently playing his flute, when a one-legged giant wearing large numbers of blue gems suddenly appeared before him.
"You play that flute pretty well. For years I've been in a cave up in the mountain, dreaming of the age of the gods. But since you began to come here to cut wood, I've been charmed by the sound of your flute, and I've enjoyed it every day. And so today I will reward you for taking the trouble to come here. Anything you want will be fine."
"I like dogs-- could I have a dog?"
The giant laughed.
"If all you want is a dog, you can't be a very greedy man. But I admire that too, and I'll give you a wonderful dog unlike any other. I am the one-legged god of Katsuragiyama!"
The giant gave a loud whistle, and a white dog came running through the leaves from deep in the forest. The giant pointed at the dog.
"His name is Sniff; he can sniff out anything, no matter how far away it is. But you must take very good care of him for me." Then the form of the giant faded into a mist and disappeared.
Kaminagahiko was overjoyed, and returned to the village with the white dog. The next day he again went to the mountain and was intently playing his flute when a one-armed giant with a black gem hung around his neck appeared from somewhere.
"I understand my big brother, the one-legged god, gave you a dog yesterday, I've come to give you a reward today. Don't be shy-- you can have anything you want. I am the one-armed god of Katsuragiyama."
Kaminagahiko said he'd like another dog as nice as Sniff, so the giant whistled and a black dog came.
"This dog is called Fly, and if anyone sits on his back he can fly a hundred miles or a thousand miles through the air. My little brother will probably give you something tomorrow."
Then the giant disappeared, just like his brother had.
The next day a one-eyed giant wearing a red gem came down through the air before Kaminagahiko even started to play his flute.
"I'm the one-eyed god of Katsuragiyama. I understand my brothers gave you rewards, so I'll give you a fine dog just as good as Sniff or Fly."
Once again a whistle rang through the forest, and a spotted dog with protruding fangs came running up.
"This is Bite. She can kill any opponent, even the most terrible demon, with a single bite. These dogs we have given you will go to wherever you are, no matter how far it is, when you play your flute. But they won't go if you don't play. Don't forget that."
Then the one-eyed god blew away like the wind through the leaves of the forest.
II.
Four or five days later Kaminagahiko was walking with his three dogs, playing his flute, when he came to a fork in the road near the base of Katsuragiyama. On both the left and right forks he saw two young samurai armed with bows and arrows approaching slowly on horseback. When Kaminagahiko saw them he stuck his flute through his sash and bowed politely.
"Hello, sirs. Where is it you are going?"
"Both daughters of the great lord of Asuka were stolen away by some demon last night, and no one knows where they are."
"The lord is most worried, and has said he will give a rich reward to whoever can find his daughters. And so we have come looking for them."
The two samurai looked down on the girlish woodcutter as though he were a complete fool, and hurried on their way.
Kaminagahiko felt he had heard some good news, and quickly patted the white dog's head.
"Sniff! Sniff! Sniff out where the daughters have gone!"
The white dog thrust his nose into the wind a few times, then froze into a point and replied that the older daughter was the captive of the Clam-eater that lives in a cave up on Ikomayama. (This Clam-eater is the monstrous villain that raised the eight-headed serpent long ago.) The woodcutter picked up the white dog and the spotted dog, one under each arm, and shouted at the black dog as he straddled its back.
"Fly! Fly! Fly to the Clam-eater that lives in a cave up on Ikomayama!"
Before he finished speaking, there was a terrible wind blowing from under his feet; the black dog sailed into the air like a leaf in that wind and they began to truly fly toward the distant blue peak of Ikomayama.
III.
As Kaminagahiko looked around Ikomayama, he saw there was in fact a big cave about halfway down the mountain. In that cave a beautiful girl with a golden comb in her hair was weeping bitterly.
"Miss! Miss! I have come for you, so do not worry. Please get ready to return to your father."
As Kaminagahiko spoke, the three dogs pulled at the girl's sleeves and urged her to quickly get ready.
But the girl continued to weep, and pointed to the back of the cave.
"The Clam-eater who carried me here was drinking wine, and just went to sleep. When he wakes he will catch us immediately. And when that happens you and I will both lose our lives."
"I am not the least afraid of the well-known Clam-eater. And I'll prove it by easily subduing him now."
Kaminagahiko laughed as he said this. Then he patted the spotted dog's back and spoke to it in a brave voice.
"Bite! Bite! Kill the Clam-eater in the back of this cave in one bite!"
The spotted dog immediately bared her fangs and dashed back into the cave roaring like thunder. In a moment she returned with the bloody head of the Clam-eater in her jaws, and walked out of the cave wagging her tail.
But then, strangely, a gust of wind blew up from the cloud-filled valley below and a gentle voice was heard.
"Thank you, Kaminagahiko. I will not forget this kindness. I am Komahime of Ikomayama, who has been tormented by the Clam-eater."
But the girl did not mention her joy at having her life saved. She looked at Kaminagahiko with a worried expression.
"You have saved my life, but I wonder what my little sister is faced with right now."
Kaminagahiko patted the white dog.
"Sniff! Sniff! Where is the other young lady?"
The white dog poked his nose up at his master's face and said that the younger sister was the captive of the Earth-spider that lived in a cave in Kasagiyama. This Earth-spider was the tiny villain that Emperor Jimmu had punished long ago. So once again Kaminagahiko grabbed a dog under each arm, and together with the girl he straddled the black dog.
"Fly! Fly! Fly to the cave of the Earth-spider in Kasagiyama!"
As Kaminagahiko spoke the black dog leaped into the air and sped like an arrow toward Kasagiyama, which rose into blue clouds in the distance.
IV.
The Earth-spider, with his evil cunning, saw Kaminagahiko coming before he arrived at Kasagiyama, and he was waiting with a smile in front of his cave.
"Well, well, Kaminagahiko! You've really gone out of your way! Please come in. It's nothing special, but I've fixed you some fresh deer liver and some baby bear to eat."
"No. I've come for the young lady you carried away. Return her immediately, or I'll kill you as I killed the Clam-eater!"
The Earth-spider stepped back a little, but continued to speak.
"Oh, if you want her back, how can I refuse anything you say? The young lady is sitting alone at the back of the cave. Please don't hesitate to go in and get her."
Kaminagahiko led the older sister and the three dogs into the cave, where a girl with a silver comb was crying sadly.
She was surprised that someone had come and quickly looked up. When she saw her sister's face, both cried out "sister!" and they rushed to each other. Kaminagahiko cried in sympathy as he watched the pair. But the dogs raised their hackles and barked wildly at the Earth-spider. Kaminagahiko turned to look, and saw that the crafty Earth-spider had just rolled a huge stone up to seal off the mouth of the cave. He heard the Earth-spider clap its hands and laugh.
"So there, Kaminagahiko! Shut up like this you will all starve to death in less than a month! You must admire my strategem!"
Even Kaminagahiko was upset at first that he had been so completely taken in, but luckily he remembered the flute hanging at his side. When he would play his flute the birds and animals, and even the trees and shrubs would forget themselves in its sound; perhaps the crafty Earth-spider would also be moved. So Kaminagahiko took courage and, patting his howling dogs, calmly began to play the flute.
And the melody was so absorbing that the villainous Earth-spider did forget himself. First he turned an ear toward the entrance and then, entranced, he moved up and pushed the stone back inch by inch. Soon the opening was large enough for a person to pass through.
"Bite! Bite! Bite the Earth-spider at the cave entrance!"
The Earth-spider was terrified by Kaminagahiko's voice and turned to escape, but there was no time. Bite was out of the cave in a flash and killed the Earth-spider with no effort.
But then, strangely, a gust of wind blew up from the cloud-filled valley below and a gentle voice was heard.
"Thank you, Kaminagahiko. I will not forget this kindness. I am Kasahime of Kasagiyama, who has been tormented by the Earth-spider."
V.
Then Kaminagahiko got on the black dog with the two girls and the other two dogs, and flew straight from the peak of Kasagiyama to the town where the great lord of Asuka lived. As they flew through the air the two girls, for some reason, pulled the gold and silver combs from their own hair and quietly stuck them in Kaminagahiko's long hair. He seemed not to notice. He simply urged the black dog to make every effort, and watched as they rushed over the beautiful plains of Yamato.
As they flew over the fork in the road where this adventure had begun, Kaminagahiko looked down and saw the two samurai riding quickly back to town from wherever they had been. When he saw them, Kaminagahiko was overcome by the desire to tell them of his exploits. He told the black dog to fly down to the fork.
The two samurai felt they had looked everywhere and were dejectedly returning with no idea where their lord's daughters were, when suddenly both girls dropped out of the sky with that girlish woodcutter on the back of a stout dog. The samurai were surprised, of course. Kaminagahiko got off the dog and again bowed politely.
"Sirs! After we parted I flew straight to Ikomayama and Kasagiyama, and I was able to assist these two young ladies."
The two samurai, having been shown up by this lowly woodcutter, could only be envious, jealous and angry. But they pretended to be very pleased, and continued to praise Kaminagahiko's deeds. And they carefully asked about the details, including the origin of the three dogs and the strange power of the flute stuck in his sash. As Kaminagahiko talked on, they secretly took the precious flute, then quickly jumped on the black dog's back and shouted instructions as they grabbed the two girls and the other two dogs.
"Fly! Fly! Fly to the town of the great lord of Asuka."
Stunned, Kaminagahiko leaped at them, but the black dog, with its tail wagging and the two samurai on its back, had already flown off with a rush of wind and was barely visible off in the blue sky.
Seeing himself left alone, with only the two horses the samurai had been riding, Kaminagahiko fell on his face in the middle of the road, and lay there crying.
But soon he heard a quiet wind blowing from the peak of Ikomayama, and a voice that whispered, "Kaminagahiko! Kaminagahiko! I am Komahime of Ikomayama." And at the same time he seemed to hear a quiet wind blowing from the peak of Kasagiyama and a voice that whispered, "Kaminagahiko! Kaminagahiko! I am Kasahime of Kasagiyama." Then both voices spoke at once.
"We will follow after the two samurai and take back your flute. You have no need to worry."
As they spoke the wind began to howl, and then blew wildly off in the direction the black dog had flown. But a moment later the same quiet voices could be heard from the air above the fork in the road.
"Those samurai have already appeared before the lord of Asuka with the two young ladies, and have received great rewards. Well then, quickly play your flute and call the three dogs to you. In the meantime we will dress you properly for the trip."
As these words formed in his mind, Kaminagahiko saw first his flute, and then the golden armor, the silver helmet, peacock-fletched arrows and sandalwood bow of a great general descending before his eyes and sparkling in the bright sun like raindrops or hailstones.
VI.
Soon Kaminagahiko, looking like a god with the sandalwood bow and peacock-fletched arrows on his back, was sitting on the back of the black dog and holding the white and spotted dogs at his sides as he flew through the air toward the mansion of the great lord of Asuka. The two young samurai were in a panic when he arrived. Even the great lord was surprised, and stared in amazement at the dignified figure of Kaminagahiko.
Kaminagahiko removed his helmet and bowed politely to the lord.
"I am the one they call Kaminagahiko, and I live at the foot of Katsuragiyama in this country. I am the one that saved your two daughters-- the samurai standing here never moved a finger to subdue the Clam-eater or the Earth-spider."
When the two samurai, who had just given themselves the credit for everything Kaminagahiko had done, heard this they immediately turned pale and both started talking at once.
"This fellow is telling unimaginable lies! We cut off the Clam-eater's head, and we're the ones that saw through the Earth-spider's plot!"
The great lord, standing in the middle, didn't know who to believe. He looked carefully at the samurai and Kaminagahiko, then turned to his daughters.
"I can only listen to what you all tell me. Who really did save you?"
Both girls ran to their father and embraced him.
"Kaminagahiko is the one who saved us! As proof we put our combs in his long, flowing hair. Look and see!"
When the great lord looked, he of course saw the gold comb and the silver comb sparkling beautifully on Kaminagahiko's head. At that point there was nothing the samurai could do but throw themselves at the feet of the great lord of Asuka.
"We are indeed schemers; it was Kaminagahiko who saved your daughters but we tried to take the credit for what he had done. We make this confession and beg that you spare our lives."
There is no need to describe what happened after that. Kaminagahiko became the son-in-law of the great lord of Asuka. The two young samurai fled from the mansion chased by the three dogs. But because this all happened so long ago, it is not known now which of the girls became Kaminagahiko's bride.
********************************************************* |  | | | The Sage
Long ago a man went to find work in Osaka. I don't remember what his name was. But since he just worked as a kitchen helper, we can call him Gonsuke.
Gonsuke stepped into an employment agency and asked the clerk, who was sucking on his pipe, for help in finding a job. "Oh, clerk! I'd like to become a Taoist immortal; please direct me to the proper place."
The clerk's mouth dropped open and wouldn't say anything for a moment.
"Clerk? Can you hear me? I want to be a sage, so please send me to the proper place."
"I'm truly sorry, but . . ." And then the clerk went back to puffing his pipe. "No one has ever come to this shop in connection with a position for a sage, so I'm afraid you'll have to look elsewhere."
But Gonsuke did not give up. He came closer to the clerk and began to explain his logic: "There must be some mistake. Do you recall what's written on the sign at your door? Doesn't it say 'Jobs of All Kinds?' Since it says 'All Kinds,' you must be able to find me a position. If that wasn't true, your sign would be a lie, wouldn't it?"
When you look at it that way, it's no wonder Gonsuke was upset. The clerk took evasive action, and accepted Gonsuke's request: "No, the sign isn't lying. If you want me to find a position that's suitable for a sage, please come back tomorrow. I'll spend today looking for one."
This did not mean the clerk knew where one trained to become a sage, or even if such a thing was possible. So as soon as Gonsuke left, the clerk went to the home of the neighborhood doctor, where he explained Gonsuke's request.
"What do you think, doctor? What is the best sort of work to do to learn to become an immortal?"
The doctor was puzzled too. He sat awhile with his arms folded, gazing at the pine tree in his garden. But as the clerk finished speaking, there was a voice from the next room. It was the doctor's wife, who was nicknamed the Old Fox.
"Send him to me! If he comes here, I'll make him a sage in a few years."
"Really? That's wonderful! I'm deeply indebted. I just knew there must be a close relationship between sages and doctor."
The clerk, who knew no better, bowed again and again, then went back overjoyed. But the doctor turned around with a pained look, and bitterly called to his wife: "What kind of foolishness was that? You can't teach that country boy anything, no matter how long he works at it. What are you going to do when he finds out?"
But the doctor's wife didn't apologize. In fact, she laughed derisively and shut the doctor up: "You just keep yourself still! There's no way an honest fool like you can feed himself in this bitter world."
As promised, the yokel Gonsuke came back with the clerk the next morning. This time Gonsuke had prepared himself for his first interview by putting on a formal coat complete with family crests. He still looked like an ordinary farmer, though. His appearance was at least surprising-- the doctor stared as he would at some wild beast from India. He spoke with a tone of disbelief.
"I hear you would like to become a sage. Where did you get an idea like that?"
"There's no real reason. But when I saw Osaka Castle, I thought that even great men like Hideyoshi die sooner or later. Life passes, no matter how much honor and glory you get."
"And so you're you're willing to do anything, if you can just become an immortal?" The crafty wife hardly opened her mouth as she spoke.
"That's right. I'll do anything if I can just become a sage."
"Then come and serve me for 2O years. If you do, at the end of the 20th year I'll teach you the secrets of the immortals."
"You really will? Nothing would make me happier than that."
"But in return you will work 2O years with no pay at all."
"Yes, yes. I understand."
And so for the next 2O years Gonsuke worked for the Old Fox. He hauled water. He cut firewood. He cooked. He swept. When the doctor went out he went along to carry the medicine chest. And he never asked for a penny in payment-- you could search throughout Japan and never find such a precious servant.
But finally the 2O years had passed, and Gonsuke again put on the crested coat he had come in, and went before his master and mistress. He spoke of payment for the service he had politely provided for 2O years.
"The time has come to teach me, as you promised so long ago, the secret of becoming a sage who will never grow old and die."
As Gonsuke spoke, his master-- the doctor-- sat tight-lipped. He had let Gonsuke work for 2O years, and he didn't know the least thing about the secrets of the sages. There was only one thing he could say:
"My wife is the one who knows the secret of being a sage. Have her teach you."
He spoke bluntly, but doctor's wife was calm.
"Well, I'll teach you the secret, but you'll have to do what I say, no matter how difficult it seems. Otherwise you won't become a sage, and what's more, you'll be punished by death if you don't work free for the next 2O years."
"Yes, yes! I'll do whatever you say, no matter how difficult." Gonsuke could hardly hold in his excitement as he waited for the doctor's wife to speak.
"Climb up that tree, then."
The doctor's wife new nothing about becoming a sage, of course, so she had to give Gonsuke some impossible task he could never accomplish. And when he failed, she would have an unpaid servant for 2O more years. But as soon as she spoke, Gonsuke ran into the garden and began to climb the pine tree.
"Higher! Climb right to the top!" The Old Fox leaned on the railing watching Gonsuke up in the tree. Soon she could see the crested coat he wore, right at the very top of the tree.
"Now release your right hand!"
Hugging the tree trunk tightly with his left arm, Gonsuke slowly let go with his right hand.
"Good! Now release the left hand!"
"No! Wait!" The doctor came out to the railing with a worried look. "If he lets go with his left hand, the yokel will fall. And if he falls down onto the rocks, he's sure to die!"
"This is none of your business. Let me take care of it. Now, release the left hand!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Gonsuke let go with his left hand. Of course when one climbs to the top of a tree and lets go with both hands, there is nothing to do but fall. Before the doctor could even gasp, the formal coat with crests Gonsuke was wearing was gone from the top of the pine tree. But strangely enough he was not falling; he hung there on the midday sunlight like a puppet on strings.
"I am very grateful!" Gonsuke called down politely. "Thanks to you I can become a sage!" And peacefully treading the air, he climbed up and up into the clouds.
No one knows what happened to the doctor and his wife. The pine tree in the doctor's garden, though, remained for many years. I have heard that Yodoya Tatsugoro went to the trouble of moving this huge pine to his own garden so he could view it in the snow.
**********************************************************
Carmen
It may have been before the revolution, or maybe after the revolution... no, it wasn't before the revolution. I know it wasn't before the revolution because because I remember a quip of Danchenko's that I happened to hear.
One warm and rainy night I was standing on the balcony of the Imperial Theatre with T, the theatrical director. T was talking to Danchenko, who was holding a soft drink in one hand. I am referring to the flaxen-haired, blind poet Danchenko.
"This is another sign of the times, isn't it? -- that the Grand Opera would come all the way to Tokyo, Japan."
"That's because the Bolsheviks go for tragedy."
This exchange took place on the fifth night from the opening-- the night Carmen was staged. I had lost my head over Yena Bruskaya , who was scheduled to play Carmen. She was a woman with large eyes and a wide nose-- a very sensual presence. I was looking forward, of course, to seeing Yena as Carmen, but when the curtain went up on the first act, it was not Yena taking Carmen's role. It was a somewhat plain actress with blue eyes and a Roman nose. Sitting in a box beside T, both in our tuxedos, I could not help feeling disappointed.
"Carmen isn't our Yena."
"They say Yena is off tonight. The reason is exceedingly romantic."
"What happened?"
"I hear some marquis from the Tsarist days had come following after Yena. But in the meantime Yena had ingratiated herself to an American businessman. When he saw the American, the marquis was crushed. Last night he hanged himself in his hotel room, and died, they say."
A scene came to my mind as I listened. In a hotel room late at night, Yena was playing with cards, surrounded by a number of men and women. She was wearing a red and black gown, and looked like a gypsy fortune teller. Smiling at T, she said, "Tonight I will look into your fate." (Or so I am told. I, who know no Russian beyond "da," had to depend on the translation of T, who is conversant with the languages of twelve countries.) Then she turned up a card and said, "You are luckier than him. You can marry the one you love." This "him" was a Russian talking to someone at Yena's side. Unfortunately I do not remember his face or clothes. I only remember a pink stuck in his lapel. Wasn't the one who hanged himself when he lost Yena's love the "him" of that evening?
"In that case she could hardly appear tonight."
"Should we give it up and step out for a drink?" T was also a Yena fan.
"Let's watch this act first."
It was probably during that intermission that we talked to Dachenko.
We found the next act boring as well. But before we'd been in our seats five minutes, half a dozen foreigners entered the box directly across from us. And standing right in the middle of them was, without question, Yena Bruskaya. Yena sat at the very front of the box, cooling herself with a fan of peacock feathers, and gazed calmly at the stage. Moreover, the men and women with her (one of whom was surely her American boyfriend) were laughing and chatting happily.
"That's Yena."
"Yes, that's Yena."
We didn't leave our box until the final curtain-- until Don Jose had wailed "Carmen! Carmen!" as he embraced her dead body. That is because we were watching Yena Bruskaya rather than the stage. It is because we were watching this Russian Carmen who seemed to give no thought to killing that man.
Two or three evenings later I sat across the table from T in a corner of some restaurant.
"Have you noticed that since that evening, Yena has had a bandage on the ring finger of her right hand?"
"There is a bandage, now that you mention it."
"When Yena returned to the hotel that night..."
"Stop-- don't drink that!" I warned T. In the dim light I saw a gold bug squirming on its back in his glass. T poured his white wine on the floor, made a strange face, and went on.
"She broke a dish against the wall, and used pieces of it as castanets. Even when the blood began to run from her finger..."
"She danced like Carmen?"
At that point a white-haired waiter, with a look completely unsuited to our level of excitement, quietly brought over a plate of salmon.
**********************************************************
The Monkey-Crab War
Once a crab was walking along sideways when she found a riceball someone had dropped. Riceballs were her favorite food. She picked up her find with her large pincer to take home to her family. As she did, a monkey who was picking lice in the top of a high persimmon tree noticed the crab down below. The monkey ate the lice, of course, but mostly he enjoyed popping them, just in case it caused the lice pain. For the same reason, when he saw the happy crab, he wanted her riceball even though he had already filled up on persimmons. "Kani, Kani!" he called, "Do you want to trade your riceball for a persimmon?" "Okay," the crab replied. That surprised the monkey. "I'm almost out of persimmons," he said. "Will you take a persimmon seed instead?" "Okay," the crab replied. Thinking that the crab was too stupid to be any fun, the monkey slid down the tree and picked off a persimmon seed that was stuck in the hair of his cheek. He dropped it in front of the crab, stuffed her riceball in his mouth, then ran to sit on a rock and play with the lice some more. "Thank you, Saru-don," the crab called to him. She took the seed back to her hole and planted it out in front. The crab dunged it about with dung, and every day she watered and weeded the spot. Before long a sprout popped up, and it grew taller and stronger every week. One spring after the sprout had become a tree, it was covered with blossoms, and a bee friend of the crab' s pollinated them on an afternoon when he wasn't busy. When the blossoms fell they left behind the start of fruit that grew into shiny green balls, and by late fall many of them had become delicious orange persimmons. It was time to start picking, and the crab realized she had a problem-- the fruit was far beyond the reach of her pincers. Fortunately the monkey came by just them. "Saru-don, Saru-don! Do you remember the seed you traded for a riceball? It's grown now, and the fruit is ripe. Will you pick some for me?" The monkey quickly scampered up the tree, and stuffed a juicy red persimmon in his mouth. "Almost ready," he called down, and stuffed in two or three more. "These aren't bad," he said as he moved up to the next branch-- "Delicious, in fact." He said everything except "thank you," but it was hard to hear his words through the mush of persimmons. As the monkey moved over to the left side of the tree, the crab called up to him, "Saru-don, please save me one!" "Don't nag so much," the monkey growled back. He reached up for a hard, shiny, green persimmon, and threw it down so straight and fast that it cracked the poor crab's carapace. The bee found her there at the foot of the persimmon tree. He helped her back to her home, then flew off to find the mortar. "Usu-don, Usu-don, the monkey has injured the crab!" The mortar, who had been cut from a tree stump years before, rolled out of the kitchen, and they hurried back to the crab's home, but on the way they met the chestnut. "Kuri-don, Kuri-don, the monkey has injured the crab!" After the three friends had fed the children and put them to bed and had changed the crab's dressing, the crab recovered enough energy to tell them the whole story. The mortar advised her not to get too excited, and brought another cool cloth to help her get to sleep. The friends talked as they watched over the crab, and they became angrier and angrier. "This monkey is a real menace, Usu-don," the chestnut said. "Someone has to do something." "There is no one to do it but us, Kuri-don," the mortar replied. "He runs fast, and is clever in a way," the bee said. "That's right, Hachi-don. We will have to find him when he is not expecting anything." The bee flew off a little before dawn, leaving the others to watch over the crab. He returned late in the morning and reported that the monkey had awakened and left his house. The three left the crab in the care of her three sons, and hurried to the monkey's home. "I'll wait here in the back of the firepit," the chestnut said. "Perhaps you could wait in the water barrel, Hachi-don." The mortar nodded his approval, and silently climbed up into the eaves. Finally, late in the afternoon, the monkey returned. He picked up the fire tube and puffed on the coals until they began to glow. The chestnut found himself growing hotter and hotter as he thought about the monkey's coarseness, and finally he burst with rage and flew out of the firepit, striking the monkey in the eye with great force and great heat. Howling with pain, the monkey leaped to the water barrel to cool his burn. As soon as he removed the lid, the bee buzzed out and stung his nose. The monkey, clever as he was, figured out that something unusual was happening, and rushed to the door to escape. Just then, the heavy mortar dropped from the eaves and pinned the monkey to the dirt floor of the entryway. They remained there while the chestnut explained, calmly but at great length, how angry everyone was about the monkey's wild deeds. In the end, the monkey went with the others back to the crab's home. They stopped by the persimmon tree and the monkey, accompanied by the bee, climbed up and selected four shiny, ripe, orange persimmons. Once inside, the monkey pushed the fruit forward as he bowed and apologized. "Kani-san, Kani-san. I'm sorry for the inconvenience I have caused you, and I will make certain that nothing of the kind happens again." After that, the monkey visited several times each fall to pick persimmons for the crab and her family. The rest of the year he stayed far away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Good Faith of Wei Sheng
Wei Sheng lingered under the bridge. He had been waiting awhile for the woman to come.
Looking up, he saw that vines had creeped halfway along the high stone bridge railing. The hems of the white garb of occasional passers-by would flash brightly into view through the railing, flapping gently in the breeze. But the woman still did not come.
Whistling softly, Wei Sheng light-heartedly looked across the sandbar beneath the bridge. The yellow mud of the sandbar extended only about four yards; beyond that was water. Between the reeds at the water's edge were a number of round holes that must have been dwellings for crabs. A faint gurgling sound could be heard whenever a wave washed over them. But the woman stilll did not come.
Wei Sheng moved to the water's edge, as though he was beginning to notice the passage of time, and gazed out at the quiet course of the river, where no boats were passing.
The course of the river was thickly lined with green reeds. In addition to those reeds, here and there round river willows grew luxuriently. For that reason, the surface of the river that could be seen snaking along between them did not look as wide as it actually was. The belt of clear water, however, meandered silently through the reeds, gilded with the mica-like reflection of clouds. But the woman still did not come.
Wei Sheng walked around at the edge of the water, going here and there on the sandbar, which was no longer as wide. Twilight advanced slowly, and he listened to the stillness around him.
There had been no sign of travelers up on the bridge for a little while. He hadn't heard any sound of boots, or any sound of hooves, or any sound of wheels from up there. He did hear the sound of the breeze, the sound of the reeds, the sound of water, and from somewhere there came the piercing cry of a heron. So thinking, he stopped where he was, and realized that the tide was coming in. The water that washed the yellow mud sparkled nearer than it had a little earlier. But the woman still didn't come.
Arching his eybrows sharply, Wei Sheng hurriedly started walking back up the dimly lit sandbar under the bridge. Inch by inch, foot by foot, the water of the river rose up the sandbar. At the same time the smells of duckweed and water rising from the river flowed cold across his skin. When he looked up, the gaudy rays of the setting sun had disappeared from the bridge. The stone bridge railing showed black against the barely blue evening sky. But the woman still didn't come.
Finally Wei Sheng stood fixed in his place.
Soaking his boots, the water of the river spread below the bridge and shown colder than steel. His knees, his belly, and before long his chest surely would be hidden by the brutal tide soon. In fact, the water continued to rise and his shins were submerged already. But the woman still didn't come.
As he stood in the water, Wei Sheng repeatedly turned his eyes to the sky over the bridge as his sole remaining hope.
Surrounded by mists of shadowy darkness rising from the water that immersed his knees, he heard a lonely rustle of reeds and willows through the mists. Wei Sheng's nose was grazed by a fish, perhaps a sea bass, that flashed its white belly at him. Stars, if only a few, could be seen in the sky through which the fish leapt, and the shape of the bridge railing and its vines blended with the darkness of the night. But the woman still didn't come . . .
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Late at night when the light of the moon bathed the reeds and willows and the water of the river exchanged quiet murmers with a slight breeze, Wei Sheng's dead body was carried softly to sea from beneath the bridge. Wei Sheng's spirit, perhaps yearning for the light of the moon high in the lonely sky, slipped out of the body and tranquilly ascended toward the faintly glowing sky, just as the smell of water and duckweed rises silently from the river. . .
With the passage of several thousands of years from that time, this spirit had experienced countless transmigrations and had to give life to a human form again. This is the spirit that dwells in me. Therefore, even though I was born in the present time, I am unable to do any meaningful work. I spend my life in desultory dreaming, day and night, waiting for an indescribable something that is bound to come. Just as Wei Sheng stood under the bridge at the end of the day, waiting forever for a lover who would never come.
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