The Taoist Priest of Lao-Shan
Wang goes to Lao-Shan to learn from a Taoist priest who can perform wonders. But his teacher first gives him an axe and sends him to cut firewood. Wang soon longs to go home—until one evening he sees something extraordinary.
阅读提示： This tale contains drinking and a comic injury. Its notes include religious stereotypes.
There lived in our village a Mr. Wang, the seventh son in an old family. This gentleman had a liking for the Taoist religion. Hearing that Lao-shan was home to many Immortals, beings who live for ever,48 he shouldered his knapsack and set off to visit.penchant for the Taoist religion; and hearing that at Lao-shan there were plenty of Immortals, 48 shouldered his knapsack and went off for a tour thither. He climbed a mountain peak and reached a secluded monastery. There he found a priest sitting on a rush mat, with long hair flowing over his neckAscending a peak of the mountain he reached a secluded monastery where he found a priest sitting on a rush mat, with long hair flowing over his neck, and a pleasant expression on his face. Making a low bow, Wang addressed him: “Your teaching is mysterious indeed. Please, Sir, instruct me in it.”him thus:—“Mysterious indeed is the doctrine: I pray you, Sir, instruct me therein.” “Brought up in comfort and lackingDelicately-nurtured and wanting in energy as you are,” replied the priest, “I fear you could not bear the hard worksupport the fatigue.” “Try me,” said Wang. So when the disciples, who were very numerousmany in number, collected together at dusk, Wang joined them in bowingmaking obeisance to the priest, and remained with them in the monastery. Very early next morning the priest summoned Wang, gave him a hatchet andand giving him a hatchet sent him out with the others to cut firewood. Wang respectfully obeyed, continuing to work for over a month until his hands and feet were so swollen and blistered that he secretly thought ofmeditated returning home. One evening when he came back he found two strangers sitting drinking with his master. It was already dark, and no lamp or candles had been brought in. Sobeing already dark, and no lamp or candles having been brought in, the old priest took some scissors and cut out a circular piece of paper like a mirror, and stuck itwhich he proceeded to stick against the wall. Immediately it became a dazzling moon. By its light, you could have seen a single hair or the fine bristles on an earmoon, by the light of which you could have seen a hair or a beard of corn. The disciples all came crowding round to wait upon them, but one of the strangers said, “On a festive occasion like this we ought all to enjoy ourselves together.” Accordingly he took a kettle of wine from the table and offered it to the disciples, inviting each of them to drink his fill. Our friend Wang began to wonder how a single kettle could serve seven or eight of thempresented it to the disciples, bidding them drink each his fill; whereupon our friend Wang began to wonder how seven or eight of them could all be served out of a single kettle. The disciples, too, rushed about in search of cups, each struggling to get the first drink for fear the wine should be exhausted. Nevertheless, none of the disciples could empty the kettle. They were very much astonished. Suddenly,all the candidates failed to empty the kettle, at which they were very much astonished, when suddenly one of the strangers said, “You have given us a fine bright moon; but it’s dull work drinking by ourselves. Why not call Ch‘ang-ngo 49 to join us?” He then seized a chopstickchop-stick and threw it into the moon, and a lovely girl stepped outwhereupon a lovely girl stepped forth from its beams. At first she was only a foot high, but on reaching the ground grew to the ordinary size of a womanlengthened to the ordinary size of women. She had a slender waist and a beautiful neck, and gracefully performed the Red Garment dancewent most gracefully through the Red Garment figure. 50 When this was finished she sang the following words:—
“You fairies! youYe fairies! ye fairies! I’m coming back soon,
Too lonely and cold is my home in the moon.”
Her voice was clear and steady, ringing like the notes of a small flute. When she finished her song, she pirouetted and jumped up on the table. Every eye was fixed on her in astonishment as she once more became a chopstick.well sustained, ringing like the notes of a flageolet, and when she had concluded her song she pirouetted round and jumped up on the table, where, with every eye fixed in astonishment upon her, she once more became a chop-stick.Explanation: A flageolet is a small flute. The comparison to its clear sound is preserved. Separate voice, pirouette and transformation, preserving the flute and all watching eyes. The three friends laughed loudly, and one of them said, “We are very jolly tonightto-night, but I have hardly room for any more wine. Will you drink a parting glass with me in the palace of the moon?” They then picked up the table and walked into the moon. They could be seen drinking so plainly that their eyebrows and beards looked like reflections in a mirror.took up the table and walked into the moon where they could be seen drinking so plainly, that their eyebrows and beards appeared like reflections in a looking-glass. After a whileBy-and-by the moon grew dim. When the disciples brought a lighted candle, they found the priest sitting alone in the darkbecame obscured; and when the disciples brought a lighted candle they found the priest sitting in the dark alone. The dishesviands, however, were still upon the table and the mirror-like piece of paper on the wall. “Have you all had enough to drink?” asked the priest. Theypriest; to which they answered that they had. “In that case,” said he, “you had better get to bed, so as not to fall behindbe behindhand with your wood-cutting in the morning.” So they all went off, and among them Wang, who was delighted at what he had seen, and thought no more of returning home. But after a time he could not stand it any longer. The priest taught him no magical arts, so he decided he could wait no more. Helonger; and as the priest taught him no magical arts he determined not to wait, but went to him and said, “Sir, I travelled many long miles for the benefit of your instruction. If you will not teach me the secret of Immortality, at least teach me some small trick to satisfy my longing to learnlet me at any rate learn some trifling trick, and thus soothe my cravings for a knowledge of your art. I have now been here two or three months, doing nothing but chop firewood, out in the morning and back at night, work to which I was never accustomed in my own home.” “Did I not tell you,” replied the priest, “that you would never bear the hard worksupport the fatigue? TomorrowTo-morrow I will start you on your way home.” “Sir,” said Wang, “I have worked for you a long time. Teach me some small art, so that I will not have come here entirelythat my coming here may not have been wholly in vain.” “What art?” asked the priest. “Well,” answered Wang, “I have noticed that whenever you walk about anywhere, walls and so on are no obstacle to you. Teach me this, and I’ll be satisfied.” The priest laughed and agreed. He taught Wang a formula and told him to recite it. When Wang had done so, the priest told him to walk through the wall. But Wang saw the wall in front of him and was reluctant to walk towardslaughingly assented, and taught Wang a formula which he bade him recite. When he had done so he told him to walk through the wall; but Wang, seeing the wall in front of him, didn’t like to walk at it. When the priest told him to try, Wang walked quietly up to it, but it stopped himAs, however, the priest bade him try, he walked quietly up to it and was there stopped. The priest here called out, “Don’t go so slowly. Put your head down and rush at it.” So Wang stepped back a few paces and rushed at it full speed. The wall yielded as he passed through, andwent at it full speed; and the wall yielding to him as he passed, in a moment he found himself outside. Delighted, he went back in to thank the priest. The priest warned him to be careful how he used his power, or it would no longer work. At the same time, he gave Wang some money for the journey.Delighted at this, he went in to thank the priest, who told him to be careful in the use of his power, or otherwise there would be no response, handing him at the same time some money for his expenses on the way. When Wang got home, he went about bragging of his Taoist friends and his contempt for walls in general. But his wife did not believe his story, so he set out to repeat the performance.general; but as his wife disbelieved his story, he set about going through the performance as before. He stepped back from the wall and rushed at it full speed with his head down. But he struck the hard bricks and endedStepping back from the wall, he rushed at it full speed with his head down; but coming in contact with the hard bricks, finished up in a heap on the floor. His wife picked him up and found a bump on his forehead as big as a large egg. She roared with laughter, but Wang was overwhelmed with rage and shame. Hehe had a bump on his forehead as big as a large egg, at which she roared with laughter; but Wang was overwhelmed with rage and shame, and cursed the old priest for his base ingratitude.
Footnotes
48. The “angels” of Taoism. A life on earth lived according to the teachings of Tao is rewarded with immortality in a happy land. For the word Tao, Mr. Chalmers says,Taoism—immortality in a happy land being the reward held out for a life on earth in accordance with the doctrines of Tao, for which, as Mr. Chalmers says, “three terms suggest themselves—the Way, Reason, and the Word; but they are all liable to objection.” Taoist priests are believed by some to possess an elixir of immortality in the form of a precious liquor; others believe that living a virtuous life is itself the elixiragain hold that the elixir consists solely in a virtuous conduct of life.
49. The beautiful wife of a legendary chieftain, named Hou I, who lived aroundflourished about 2,500 B.C. She is said to have stolen from her husband the elixir of immortality, and to have fled with it to the moon.
50. The name of a celebrated solo dancepas seul of antiquity.