The Three Principle Texts of Daoism translated by ... - Bad Request

He told the story to people he met as he went along; andone of those who heard it, following the indicationsgiven, went and found the deer. On reaching home withhis booty, this man made the following statement to hiswife: “Once on a time," he said, “a wood-cutter dreamtthat he had got a deer, but couldn't remember the placewhere he had put it. Now I have found the deer, so itappears that his dream was a true dream."“On the contrary." said his wife, “it is you who musthave dreamt that you met a wood-cutter who had caughta deer. Here you have a deer, true enough. But where isthe wood-cutter? It is evidently your dream that hascome true."“I have certainly got a deer," replied her husband; “sowhat does it matter to us whether it was his dream ormine?"Meanwhile, the wood-cutter had gone home, not at alldisgusted at having lost the deer, for he thought thewhole thing must have been a dream.But the same night, he saw in a dream the place where hehad really hidden it, and he also dreamt of the man whohad taken it. So, the next morning, in accordance withhis dream, he went to seek him out in order to recoverthe deer. A quarrel ensued, and the matter was finallybrought before the magistrate, who gave judgement inthese terms: “You," he said to the wood-cutter, “beganby really killing a deer, but wrongly thought it was adream. Then you really dreamt that you had got the