Some Chinese Ghosts Read online

  Tchang changed ­color at the boy’s tale. “Child,” exclaimed the High Commissioner, “I have no relative of the name of Ping; I have never heard of the woman you describe; I have never heard even of the house which you speak of. But I know also that you cannot dare to lie to Pelou, your honored ­father; there is some strange delusion in all this affair.”

  Then Ming-Y produced the gifts that Sië had given him,—the lion of yellow jade, the brush-case of carven agate, also some original compositions made by the beautiful lady herself. The astonishment of Tchang was now shared by Pelou. Both observed that the brush-case of agate and the lion of jade bore the appearance of objects that had lain buried in the earth for centuries, and were of a workmanship ­beyond the power of living man to imitate; while the compositions proved to be veritable ­master-pieces of ­­poetry, written in the style of the ­­poets of the dynasty of Thang.

  “Friend Pelou,” cried the High Commissioner, “let us immediately accompany the boy to the place where he obtained these miraculous things, and apply the testimony of our senses to this mystery. The boy is no doubt telling the truth; yet his story passes my ­under­standing.” And all three proceeded ­toward the place of the habitation of Sië.

  But when they had arrived at the shadiest part of the road, where the perfumes were most sweet and the mosses were greenest, and the fruits of the wild peach flushed most pinkly, Ming-Y, gazing through the groves, uttered a cry of dismay. Where the azure-tiled roof had risen against the sky, there was now only the blue emptiness of air; where the green-and-gold façade had been, there was visible only the flickering of leaves ­under the aureate autumn light; and where the broad terrace had extended, could be discerned only a ruin,—a tomb so ancient, so deeply gnawed by moss, that the name graven upon it was no longer decipherable. The home of Sië had disappeared!

  All suddenly the High Commissioner smote his forehead with his hand, and turning to Pelou, recited the well-known verse of the ancient ­poet Tching-Kou:—

  “Surely the peach-­flowers blossom over the tomb of SIË-THAO.”

  “Friend Pelou,” continued Tchang, “the beauty who bewitched your son was no ­other than she whose tomb stands there in ruin ­before us! Did she not say she was wedded to Ping-Khang? There is no family of that name, but Ping-Khang is indeed the name of a broad alley in the city near. There was a dark riddle in all that she said. She called herself Sië of Moun-Hiao: there is no person of that name; there is no street of that name; but the Chinese characters Moun and hiao, placed together, form the character ‘Kiao.’ Listen! The alley Ping-Khang, situated in the street Kiao, was the place where dwelt the great courtesans of the dynasty of Thang! Did she not sing the songs of Kao-pien? And upon the brush-case and the ­paperweight she gave your son, are there not characters which read, ‘Pure object of art belonging to Kao, of the city of Pho-hai’? That city no longer exists; but the memory of Kao-pien remains, for he was governor of the prov­ince of Sze-tchouen, and a mighty ­poet. And when he dwelt in the land of Chou, was not his favorite the beautiful wanton Sië,—Sië-Thao, unmatched for grace among all the women of her day? It was he who made her a gift of those manuscripts of song; it was he who gave her those objects of rare art. Sië-Thao died not as ­other women die. Her limbs may have crumbled to dust; yet something of her still lives in this deep wood,—her Shadow still haunts this shadowy place.”

  Tchang ceased to speak. A vague fear fell upon the three. The thin mists of the ­morning made dim the distances of green, and deepened the ghostly beauty of the woods. A faint breeze passed by, leaving a ­trail of blossom-scent,—a last odor of dying ­flowers,—thin as that which clings to the silk of a forgotten robe; and, as it passed, the trees seemed to whisper across the silence, “Sië-Thao.”

  Fearing greatly for his son, Pelou sent the lad away at once to the city of Kwang-tchau-fu. And there, in ­after years, Ming-Y obtained high dignities and honors by reason of his talents and his learning; and he married the daughter of an illustrious house, by whom he became the ­father of sons and daughters famous for their virtues and their accomplishments. Never could he forget Sië-Thao; and yet it is said that he never spoke of her,—not even when his children begged him to tell them the story of two beautiful objects that ­always lay upon his writing-table: a lion of yellow jade, and a brush-case of carven agate.

  A SOUND OF GONGS, A SOUND OF SONG,—THE SONG OF THE

  BUILDERS BUILDING THE DWELLINGS OF THE DEAD:—

  Khiû tchî yîng-yîng.

  Toû tchî hoûng-hoûng.

  Tchŏ tchî tông-tông.

  Siŏ liú pîng-pîng.

  The Legend of Tchi-Niu

  * * *

  IN the quaint commentary accompanying the text of that holy book of Lao-tseu called Kan-ing-p’ien may be found a ­little story so old that the name of the one who first told it has been forgotten for a thousand years, yet so beautiful that it lives still in the memory of four hundred millions of ­people, like a prayer that, once learned, is forever remembered. The Chinese writer makes no mention of any city nor of any prov­ince, ­although even in the relation of the most ancient traditions such an omission is rare: we are only told that the name of the hero of the legend was Tong-yong, and that he lived in the years of the great dynasty of Han, some twenty centuries ago.

  Tong-yong’s ­m­other had died while he was yet an infant; and when he became a youth of nineteen years his ­father also passed away, leaving him utterly alone in the world, and without resources of any sort; for, ­being a very poor man, Tong’s ­father had put himself to great straits to educate the lad, and had not been able to lay by even one copper coin of his earnings. And Tong lamented greatly to find himself so destitute that he could not honor the memory of that good ­father by ­having the customary rites of burial performed, and a carven tomb erected upon a propitious site. The poor only are friends of the poor; and among all those whom Tong knew, there was no one able to assist him in defraying the expenses of the funeral. In one way only could the youth obtain money,—by selling himself as a slave to some rich cultivator; and this he at last decided to do. In vain his friends did their utmost to dissuade him; and to no purpose did they attempt to delay the accomplishment of his sacrifice by beguiling promises of future aid. Tong only replied that he would sell his freedom a hundred times, if it were possible, rather than suffer his ­father’s memory to remain unhonored even for a brief season. And furthermore, confiding in his youth and strength, he determined to put a high price upon his servitude,—a price which would enable him to build a handsome tomb, but which it would be wellnigh impossible for him ever to repay.

  Accordingly he repaired to the broad public place where slaves and debtors were exposed for sale, and seated himself upon a bench of stone, ­having affixed to his shoulders a placard inscribed with the terms of his servitude and the list of his qualifications as a laborer. Many who read the characters upon the placard smiled disdainfully at the price asked, and passed on without a word; ­­others lingered only to question him out of simple curiosity; some commended him with hollow praise; some openly mocked his unselfishness, and laughed at his childish piety. Thus many hours wearily passed, and Tong had ­almost despaired of finding a ­master, when there rode up a high official of the prov­ince,—a grave and handsome man, lord of a thousand slaves, and owner of vast estates. Reining in his Tartar horse, the official halted to read the placard and to consider the value of the slave. He did not smile, or advise, or ask any questions; but ­having observed the price asked, and the fine strong limbs of the youth, purchased him without further ado, merely ­ordering his attendant to pay the sum and to see that the necessary ­­papers were made out.

  Thus Tong found himself enabled to fulfil the wish of his heart, and to have a monument built which, ­although of small size, was destined to delight the eyes of all who beheld it, ­being designed by cunning artists and executed by skilful sculptors. And while it was yet designed only
, the pious rites were performed, the silver coin was placed in the mouth of the dead, the white lanterns were hung at the door, the holy prayers were recited, and ­paper shapes of all things the departed might need in the land of the Genii were consumed in consecrated fire. And ­after the geomancers and the necromancers had chosen a burial-spot which no unlucky star could shine upon, a place of rest which no demon or dragon might ever disturb, the beautiful chih was built. Then was the phantom money strewn along the way; the funeral procession departed from the dwelling of the dead, and with prayers and lamentation the mortal remains of Tong’s good ­father were borne to the tomb.

  Then Tong entered as a slave into the ser­vice of his purchaser, who allotted him a ­little hut to dwell in; and thither Tong carried with him those wooden tablets, bearing the ancestral names, ­before which filial piety must daily burn the incense of prayer, and perform the tender duties of family worship.

  Thrice had spring perfumed the breast of the land with ­flowers, and thrice had been celebrated that festival of the dead which is called Siu-fan-ti, and thrice had Tong swept and garnished his ­father’s tomb and pres­ented his fivefold ­offering of fruits and meats. The period of mourning had passed, yet he had not ceased to mourn for his parent. The years revolved with their moons, bringing him no hour of joy, no day of happy rest; yet he never lamented his servitude, or failed to perform the rites of ancestral worship,—­until at last the fever of the rice-fields laid strong hold upon him, and he could not arise from his couch; and his fellow-laborers thought him destined to die. There was no one to wait upon him, no one to care for his needs, inasmuch as slaves and servants were wholly busied with the duties of the household or the labor of the fields,—all departing to toil at sunrise and returning weary only ­after the sundown.

  Now, while the sick youth slumbered the fitful slumber of exhaustion one sultry noon, he dreamed that a strange and beautiful woman stood by him, and bent above him and touched his forehead with the long, fine fingers of her shapely hand. And at her cool touch a weird sweet shock passed through him, and all his veins tingled as if thrilled by new life. Opening his eyes in wonder, he saw verily bending over him the charming ­being of whom he had dreamed, and he knew that her lithe hand ­really caressed his throbbing forehead. But the flame of the fever was gone, a delicious coolness now penetrated every fibre of his body, and the thrill of which he had dreamed still tingled in his blood like a great joy. Even at the same moment the eyes of the gentle visitor met his own, and he saw they were singularly beautiful, and shone like splendid black jewels ­under brows curved like the wings of the swallow. Yet their calm gaze seemed to pass through him as light through crystal; and a vague awe came upon him, so that the question which had risen to his lips found no utterance. Then she, still caressing him, smiled and said: “I have come to restore thy strength and to be thy wife. Arise and worship with me.”

  Her clear voice had tones melodious as a bird’s song; but in her gaze there was an imperious power which Tong felt he dare not resist. Rising from his couch, he was astounded to find his strength wholly restored; but the cool, slender hand which held his own led him away so swiftly that he had ­little time for amazement. He would have given years of existence for courage to speak of his misery, to declare his utter inability to maintain a wife; but something irresistible in the long dark eyes of his companion forbade him to speak; and as though his inmost thought had been discerned by that wondrous gaze, she said to him, in the same clear voice, “I will provide.” Then shame made him blush at the thought of his wretched aspect and tattered apparel; but he observed that she also was poorly attired, like a woman of the ­people,—wearing no ornament of any sort, nor even shoes upon her feet. And ­before he had yet spoken to her, they came ­before the ancestral tablets; and there she knelt with him and prayed, and pledged him in a cup of wine,—brought he knew not from whence,—and together they worshipped Heaven and Earth. Thus she became his wife.

  A mysterious marriage it seemed; for n­either on that day nor at any future time could Tong venture to ask his wife the name of her family, or of the place whence she came, and he could not answer any of the curious questions which his fellow-laborers put to him concerning her; and she, moreover, never uttered a word about herself, except to say that her name was Tchi. But ­although Tong had such awe of her that while her eyes were upon him he was as one ­having no will of his own, he loved her unspeakably; and the thought of his serfdom ceased to weigh upon him from the hour of his marriage. As through magic the ­little dwelling had ­become transformed: its misery was masked with charming ­paper devices,—with dainty decorations created out of ­nothing by that pretty jugglery of which woman only knows the secret.

  Each ­morning at dawn the young husband found a well-prepared and ample repast awaiting him, and each evening also upon his return; but the wife all day sat at her loom, weaving silk ­after a fashion unlike anything which had ever been seen ­before in that prov­ince. For as she wove, the silk flowed from the loom like a slow current of glossy gold, bearing upon its undulations strange forms of violet and crimson and jewel-green: shapes of ghostly horsemen riding upon horses, and of phantom chariots dragon-drawn, and of standards of ­trailing cloud. In every dragon’s beard glimmered the mystic pearl; in every rider’s helmet sparkled the gem of rank. And each day Tchi would weave a great piece of such figured silk; and the fame of her weaving spread abroad. From far and near ­people thronged to see the marvellous work; and the silk-merchants of great cities heard of it, and they sent messengers to Tchi, asking her that she should weave for them and teach them her secret. Then she wove for them, as they desired, in return for the silver cubes which they brought her; but when they prayed her to teach them, she laughed and said, “Assuredly I could never teach you, for no one among you has fingers like mine.” And indeed no man could discern her fingers when she wove, any more than he might behold the wings of a bee vibrating in swift flight.

  The seasons passed, and Tong never knew want, so well did his beautiful wife fulfil her promise,—“I will provide;” and the cubes of bright silver brought by the silk-merchants were piled up higher and higher in the great carven chest which Tchi had bought for the storage of the household goods.

  One ­morning, at last, when Tong, ­having finished his repast, was about to depart to the fields, Tchi unexpectedly bade him remain; and opening the great chest, she took out of it and gave him a document written in the official characters called li-shu. And Tong, ­looking at it, cried out and leaped in his joy, for it was the certificate of his manumission. Tchi had secretly purchased her husband’s freedom with the price of her wondrous silks!

  “Thou shalt labor no more for any ­master,” she said, “but for thy own sake only. And I have also bought this dwelling, with all which is therein, and the tea-fields to the south, and the mulberry groves hard by,—all of which are thine.”

  Then Tong, ­beside himself for gratefulness, would have prostrated himself in worship ­before her, but that she would not suffer it.

  Thus he was made free; and prosperity came to him with his freedom; and whatsoever he gave to the sacred earth was returned to him centupled; and his servants loved him and blessed the beautiful Tchi, so silent and yet so kindly to all about her. But the silk-loom soon remained untouched, for Tchi gave birth to a son,—a boy so beautiful that Tong wept with delight when he looked upon him. And there­after the wife devoted herself wholly to the care of the child.

  Now it soon became manifest that the boy was not less wonderful than his wonderful ­m­other. In the third month of his age he could speak; in the seventh month he could repeat by heart the proverbs of the sages, and recite the holy prayers; ­before the eleventh month he could use the writing-brush with skill, and copy in shapely characters the precepts of Lao-tseu. And the priests of the temples came to behold him and to converse with him, and they marvelled at the charm of the child and the wisdom of what he said; and they blessed Tong, saying:
“Surely this son of thine is a gift from the ­Master of Heaven, a sign that the immortals love thee. May thine eyes behold a hundred happy summers!”

  It was in the Period of the Eleventh Moon: the ­flowers had passed away, the perfume of the summer had flown, the winds were growing chill, and in Tong’s home the evening fires were lighted. Long the husband and wife sat in the mellow glow,—he speaking much of his hopes and joys, and of his son that was to be so grand a man, and of many paternal projects; while she, speaking ­little, listened to his words, and ­often turned her wonderful eyes upon him with an answering smile. Never had she seemed so beautiful ­before; and Tong, watching her face, marked not how the night waned, nor how the fire sank low, nor how the wind sang in the leafless trees without.

  All suddenly Tchi arose without speaking, and took his hand in hers and led him, gently as on that strange wedding-­morning, to the cradle where their boy slumbered, faintly smiling in his dreams. And in that moment there came upon Tong the same strange fear that he knew when Tchi’s eyes had first met his own,—the vague fear that love and trust had calmed, but never wholly cast out, like unto the fear of the gods. And all unknowingly, like one yielding to the pressure of mighty invisible hands, he bowed himself low ­before her, kneeling as to a divinity. Now, when he lifted his eyes again to her face, he closed them forthwith in awe; for she towered ­before him taller than any mortal woman, and there was a glow about her as of sunbeams, and the light of her limbs shone through her garments. But her sweet voice came to him with all the tenderness of ­other hours, saying: “Lo! my beloved, the moment has come in which I must forsake thee; for I was never of mortal born, and the Invisible may incarnate themselves for a time only. Yet I leave with thee the pledge of our love,—this fair son, who shall ever be to thee as faithful and as fond as thou thyself hast been. Know, my beloved, that I was sent to thee even by the ­Master of Heaven, in reward of thy filial piety, and that I must now return to the glory of His house: I AM THE GODDESS TCHI-NIU.”