Читать книгу The Legend of the White Serpent - A. Fullarton Prior - Страница 7

The Legend of the White Serpent

A young schoolboy bought the snake; he thought it was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

This is a story of China, long ago and far away. If you had wanted to talk to all the people in China then, you would have had to know five hundred languages. The people worked hard and long, and so patient were they that it was not thought strange for a man to spend his whole life in carving a single piece of beautiful ivory. And there was little money even for so much toil, so that many had to do strange things indeed to earn their rice.

Now, in those days there once lived an old man who did the strangest work of all. He caught snakes for a living—big snakes, black snakes, tiny snakes, yellow, white, and green snakes. Many were beautiful, but some were so poisonous they could kill you with one bite of their yellow fangs.

The work was dangerous, but the old man was so poor that he had to do it or go hungry. He had many customers, for Chinese believe that snakes have magic powers when used as medicine.

One day the old man caught a tiny, white snake, thin as an ivory chopstick and the color of milk, with a pale-red mouth and eyes of sapphire blue.

A young schoolboy came and bought the snake from the old man, thinking it was the most beautiful snake he had ever seen. He carried the snake away in a round basket made of bamboo.

The boy's name was Soo-sen, but everybody called him Handsome because he was such a fine-looking boy. The Chinese often give each other such nicknames.

Soo-sen had bought the white snake because he was lonely and wanted to have something for his very own. He was an orphan, you see, and lived with his elder sister and her husband. He knew they would never allow him to keep the snake in their house, so he kept it in his desk at school, and fed it with his own food. Soon the snake grew to love him much.

But one day Soo-sen's old-teacher saw the snake. He was horrified. "Take it away—kill it—burn it!" he croaked, his thin hands trembling and flapping. "Ugh! The dirty thing must go."

But Soo-sen could never, never have killed his snake. So, with tears running down his cheeks, he took it out and set it free, in a green field by a little stream.

As Soo-sen hurried away, the snake raised its white head, swaying like a willow in the wind, and watched him. Then, with a long hiss that sounded like a lover's sigh, the white snake slipped away into the long grass.

He took the snake out and set it free, in a green field by a little stream.

2

The white snake was very afraid at first, with the grass above her head like a green forest and men's legs striding by like great pillars. Once she was lost and nearly died of thirst, and only the dew falling in the morning saved her life.

Slowly she learned the wild ways: how to lie on white rocks and so become invisible; how to stay still as death when men were close; and how to move like quicksilver to escape from the sharp-eyed eagles. But she never forgot Soo-sen and loved him always with her quiet, silent heart.

In this way sixteen years passed slowly by.

Then, late one afternoon, when the sun lay like an orange flower on the sky's edge, she saw a strange new plant in her path. She knew at once that it was a magic plant, because it glowed like a lantern and had a perfume like incense, and somehow she knew she was meant to eat it.

It was a magic plant, glowing like a lantern and with a perfume like incense.

Hardly had she taken a mouthful than she started to change, change, change . . .

Her scales melted away and in their place came soft skin like brown water. Hair like black silk came flowing down her neck. And she found she had legs, long, strong, and slender.

The white serpent had turned into a beautiful maiden.

Then, from out of nowhere, came clothes that wove themselves about her body, with white threads, golden threads, black threads, red and silver threads, until she was dressed in beautiful robes from head to toe, and she had two crossed swords upon her back to protect herself.

The white serpent had turned into a beautiful maiden, with two crossed swords upon her back.

A voice like thunder spoke from heaven: "Little white one, the gods are pleased in your ways and have rewarded you with human shape and magic power. Go now and call yourself Pei Su-ching, but marry no man, for this is forbidden."

This name the gods had given her meant White Modest Beauty. As she stood there, wondering and happy, she thought of Soo-sen, and in that moment her cool, still heart seemed to burst into warm flame for love of him. She decided that, come what may, she must find him. For now she was a snake no longer, but a woman, with a woman's feelings.

She searched far and near, through town and country and village, but no one could tell her any news of Soo-sen. She grew more and more sad, more and more lonely. But soon she was to gain a friend.

For at the same moment, far off in the mountains, a tiny tree-snake, green as an emerald, lifted up her sparkling head and sighed: "How tired I am of having only the trees for my home and only the breeze for a companion!"

Then a voice like a hundred winds came rushing through the forest, bending the branches and tearing at the leaves. "Little green one," said the voice, "so shall it be. For the gods are pleased with your ways. You shall become human and call yourself Ching-ching."

This name meant Greeneyes, and in a minute she too had become a lovely girl, with shining clothes and a sword on her back. She looked into a rock pool and cried out in joy: "Why, I am beautiful! I am so beautiful!"

Indeed she was beautiful. But for a few days her skin stayed pale green, like moonlight falling upon grass, and one day as she was gazing at herself in the water she saw reflected there the face of another who was even more beautiful than she, and much fairer. It was White Modest Beauty, looking into the pool over Greeneyes' shoulder.

Greeneyes suddenly felt a terrible jealousy. "Draw your sword, pale maiden," she hissed, "for the world is too small for two such as we. Only I am the gods' true choice."

No sooner were these words out of her mouth than she regretted them, for she was a gentle person at heart. But jealousy is a fearful thing.

She looked into a rock pool and cried out in joy: "Why, I am beautiful!"

"I see you still have a serpent's tongue, green maiden," hissed back White Modest Beauty, her eyes flashing blue fire. "Let's see if your sword is as sharp."

Drawing their swords, they rushed together.

Long the two snake-maidens fought, on the ground like warriors and in the air like great birds, using all their magic powers. And while they fought, the skies flashed and thundered so that people around hid in their houses and whispered: "Surely the gods are angry."

All at once Greeneyes gave a great cry and fell to the ground, down, down, like a shooting star, and knelt before White Modest Beauty.

Long the two snake-maidens fought, on the ground like warriors and in the air like great birds.

"My life is yours to take," she whispered. "But I am truly sorry for my sharp tongue."

But White Modest Beauty could never have killed her, and at these words she burst into tears. "No, no!" she cried, embracing Greeneyes, "let us be friends, little sister. I have been so lonely these past months."

So White Modest Beauty and Greeneyes swore to be friends forever and then set out together to find Soo-sen.

3

The two new friends wandered many, many miles, over soils that were black and soils that were red, over lands cold and hot, among people that were tall and short and dark and fair, but still no one could tell them anything of Soo-sen.

One day they reached the banks of the great Yangtze River, one of the largest rivers in all the world.

They reached the banks of the great Yangtze River, one of the largest rivers in all the world.

As they stood looking at the river, a great storm arose. They knew it was no ordinary storm but a magic one, because there was no wind, and yet the waves rose high as trees and crashed back like great temples falling.

Little Greeneyes cried: "Look! Look!"

Slowly from the water there rose a huge black fish, tall as a man and with a great ugly face, and he carried a three-pronged spear. It was the Lord of the Waters, more than one thousand years old, who had decided at last that he must see the land world for himself. He was very wise and had great magic power.

As the two girls stood watching and the waves roared and crashed about the great fish, suddenly he turned into a handsome young man.

The waves roared and crashed, and suddenly the great fish turned into a handsome young man.

The young man leapt to the shore, and immediately the river fell back to its bed with a sound, like ten thousand drums, shaking the earth.

Seeing the two girls standing there, the Lord of the Waters at once decided the gods must have sent them to him as gifts to be his wives. In those days men could have as many wives as they wished.

He drew himself to his full height. "Ho, there!" he called confidently. "Ho, there, my fortunate first and second wives! Greetings! Now be quick and choose which of you shall be my chief wife; I want no jealousy in my new land-family."

The girls stood astonished. They could hardly believe their ears.

"Well!" cried White Modest Beauty. "Indeed! What conceit! What presumption! I assure you that if you want either of us, you'll have to fight first." And with that she drew her shining sword.

"And now" he said, "be quick and choose which of you shall be my chief wife."

The young man just laughed, and suddenly a sword appeared in his hand. "Watch, O Great Gods!" he called, "while I teach this young person a lesson."

Then they ran together like lions and the sparks flew like lightning.