Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
Whose Strange Stories? P'u Sung-ling (1640 - East Asian History
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Entrusting Emotion to the<br />
<strong>East</strong>-Flowing Water.s<br />
{/{1 W *mt*-seal<br />
caroed by Kao Feng-han<br />
Written charm for<br />
hastening delivery. The<br />
charm is burnt, and the<br />
ashes mingled with wine<br />
are given to the woman in<br />
labour (Dare)<br />
WHOSE STRANGE STORIES?<br />
And a month or two afterwards [she gave<br />
birth to a son. After the birth ] she became very<br />
ill. She [Her condition became more and more<br />
serious. She held Yen-erh by the arm and said: "/<br />
wish you to take care of my child. My child is your<br />
child. " Yen-erh wept, and comfo rted her for a<br />
while. She sent fo r the doctor, but Lien-hsiang ]<br />
refused all medical aid and gradually got worse<br />
and worse, to the great grief of Mr. Sang and his<br />
wife, who stood weeping at her bedside.<br />
Suddenly she opened her eyes, and said, "[Do<br />
not grieve! ] You wish to live; I am wil<strong>ling</strong> to die.<br />
If fate so ordains it, we shall meet again ten years<br />
hence." As she uttered these words, her spirit<br />
passed away, and all that remained was the dead<br />
body of a fox [when they lifted the coverlet to lay<br />
her out, her body had been transfo rmed into the<br />
body of afox J. Sang, however, insisted on burying<br />
it with all the proper ceremonies. [The boy<br />
was given the name Foxy, and Yen-erh looked<br />
after him just as ifhe were her own child. At every<br />
Grave Festival, she would take him to weep at<br />
Lien-hsiang 's grave.]<br />
Two months<br />
rater, LienhSiana<br />
aives<br />
Girth to a son,<br />
ana dies Shortfy<br />
afterwardS. She<br />
asks 'Miss Li/<br />
Yen-erh to take<br />
care of the Goy,<br />
ana sa.'ljs that if<br />
fate a rows, they<br />
wirr meet aaain<br />
after ten years.<br />
s'ana ca[[s the<br />
Goy 'Foxy.<br />
43<br />
Again, Giles covers up his traces with cunning!<br />
According to his story, there has been no<br />
occasion for Lien-hsiang to conceive and<br />
give birth. Therefore, no Foxy! (TM)<br />
When wind and snow fill the sky. and my fire is<br />
cold. my page boy lights the coals again and<br />
heats my wine; I dust my desk and turn up the<br />
wickofmy lamp; when I come across a passage<br />
that catches my fancy. I quickly dash off a few<br />
lines. (Feng)<br />
Only after death does her body really become<br />
a fox. (Tan)
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