Tibetan Folk Tales, A. L. Shelton [early reader books txt] 📗

off the girl from the bank. The father uttered a cry and fell down almost dead with terror and grief. His wife, in the meantime, finding out what had happened, jumped into the river also.

“What an unfortunate creature I am.” Tearing out the hair of his head, behold, it had turned white. He thought it would be better for him to die too, so he sprang into the water. He could not sink, but, strange to say, seemed to be lying on the ground, and as he looked up, behold he was back at his own house door. He went in and heard his wife singing, and then he told her what had happened to him and she said, “Are you demented or bewitched? Something has happened to you; I have just finished washing the bowls.”

He went outside and, sure enough, there was the yarn in its place just as he had had it, and looking at his wife she was no older in appearance nor was the baby any bigger, and looking at himself in the mirror, his hair was as black as before. As nothing was changed he understood that the juggler had played a trick on him.

Moral: The affairs of this world are like the delusions of the juggler.

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FORTY-EIGHT

Like unto Solomon. From Jaschke

Women have 6 faults—1st, when her legs are long she will fall down; 2nd, when they are short she will stand up; 3rd, when she is fat she will run; 4th, when her face is red she will cry; 5th, when her face is black she will get angry; 6th, when her mouth is big she will laugh.

Tibetan Proverb.

ONCE upon a time two women were quarreling over one boy, trying to decide to which one he belonged. They could not settle the case, so they took it before the king of the land, who, being wise and of great understanding, thus ordered: “One of you take hold of the right hand of the boy and the other of the left hand and pull, the one who gets him may carry him off.”

When he had so spoken, she, who was not the boy’s mother, because she had no love for him, and not caring whether she hurt him or not, pulled with all the force she had. She, who in truth was the boy’s mother, because she loved him, and fearing she might hurt him, though she was the stronger of the two, did not pull very hard. Then the king said to her who had pulled very hard, “He is not your son, but belongs to the other woman,” to whom he gave the boy, who at once happily carried him away.

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FORTY-NINE Tibetan Song

TRANSLATED FROM TIBETAN BY A. L. SHELTON, M.D.

1.

In the middle of the sea is a high mountain.

The sun is shining on the mountain, on a great plain

The flowers are blooming.

When the sun is shining on the yellow flowers

All men are pleased.

On the mountain are grass and water.

The cows are resting in the grass, water and sun.

On this mountain the evergreens grow always.

The cuckoos are resting in the trees.

The trees are blue, cuckoos are blue, all men are happy.

2.

The snows are everlasting.

There are small and large black tents.

All the lions are tied.

Milk is as the waters of the sea.

The tents are like cliffs.

All the eagles are tied.

Milk is like the sea.

On the plain are the tents great and small.

The deer are all tied.

Their milk is as the sea.

3.

At the head of this great plain

Are ninety-nine hundred fine horses.

Their saddles are all of gold.

The name of this is beautiful. (All immortals live here.)

In the middle of this plain

Are many herds of cattle.

They all eat from golden stalls.

They are immortal.

At the lower end of this plain, the sheep are herded.

They are all happy and immortal.