Popular Readings of Classical Chinese Literature Masterpieces - Warning Tales of the World

Author: Feng Menglong (Ming) / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Bo Ya is a charming and talented scholar, and the beauty of the land perfectly suits his heart. Sailing on a single sail, he rides over thousands of layers of green waves, gazing at the endless rolling green mountains and the clear distant waters. In no time, he arrives at the Hanyang River mouth. It was the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. By chance, the wind blew fiercely, the waves surged, and the rain poured like a waterfall, making the boats unable to advance. They anchored under the cliffs. After a short while, the wind calmed, the waves subsided, the rain stopped, and the clouds parted, revealing a bright moon. The moon after the rain was even more radiant. Bo Ya, sitting alone in the cabin, felt bored. He ordered the boy to light the incense burner, "Let me play the qin to vent my emotions." The boy lit the incense and placed the qin case on the table. Bo Ya opened the case, tuned the strings, and played a piece. Before the piece was finished, a sharp sound of "kua la" came from his fingers, and a string broke. Bo Ya was greatly startled. He called the boy to ask the boat captain, "Where is this place where we are anchored?" The boat captain replied, "We stopped here because of the wind and rain. Although there are some grass and trees, there are no houses." Bo Ya was astonished. He thought, "It's a desolate mountain. If it were a city or village, there might be wise and studious people who secretly listened to my qin, which is why the sound of the qin suddenly changed and a string broke. Who would listen to the qin in this desolate mountain? Oh, I know. It must be an assassin sent by an enemy, or perhaps thieves waiting for the deeper night to board the boat and rob me of my belongings." He ordered his attendants, "Search the cliffs for me. If they are not hidden deep in the shade of the willows, they must be in the reeds." The attendants took orders, gathered everyone, and were about to climb the cliffs when someone on the shore called out, "Lord in the boat, please do not suspect me. I am not a thief or a rogue. I am a woodcutter. I came back late from gathering firewood and encountered a sudden storm. My rain gear could not protect me, so I hid by the rocks. I heard your refined playing and stayed to listen." Bo Ya laughed and said, "A woodcutter in the mountains dares to call himself a qin listener! I don't know if this is true or not, but I won't make a fuss about it. Attendants, let him go." The man did not leave and shouted loudly from the cliff, "Lord, your words are mistaken! Have you not heard that even in a small town of ten households, there must be loyal and trustworthy people? 'A gentleman within the door will attract another gentleman outside the door.' If you think there are no qin listeners in the wilderness, then at this late hour on a desolate cliff, there should not be a qin player either." Bo Ya, seeing that his words were refined, wondered if he might truly be a qin listener. He stopped the attendants from making a fuss and approached the cabin door, smiling and asking, "The gentleman on the cliff, since you are a qin listener, have you been standing there for a while? Do you know what piece I just played?" The man replied, "If I didn't know, I wouldn't have come to listen to the qin. The piece you played just now is the lament of Confucius over Yan Hui, composed into the sound of the qin. The lyrics are: 'Alas, Yan Hui's life was cut short too early, making people think of his hair turning white with sorrow.' P2