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010 - The Moon Maiden · Shen of the Sea- A Book for Children

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  Speaker 1: Section ten of n of the Sea, A Book for Children.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Chen of the Sea, a Book
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  Speaker 1: for Children by Arthur Bowie Chrisman. The Moonmaiden King Chanko
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  Speaker 1: was more than a monarch. He was one of the
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  Speaker 1: best soothsayers in all the discovered world, having studied under
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  Speaker 1: no less a master than the famous Chai Lang. Even
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  Speaker 1: the most skeptical then will admit that chan Ko, as
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  Speaker 1: a geomancer, must have stood far above the average. Chai
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  Speaker 1: Lang was particular in the selection of his pupils once
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  Speaker 1: each week at its beginning. His Majesty was accustomed to
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  Speaker 1: cast the signs so that he might know what to expect. Thus,
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  Speaker 1: if rain was due on a Wednesday, he was forewarned
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  Speaker 1: and for umbrellaed, And if war was predicted for Friday,
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  Speaker 1: he was forearmed and ready to give two blows for one.
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  Speaker 1: He knew of the third flood a whole week before
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  Speaker 1: it happened, and you may be sure had a palatial
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  Speaker 1: boat provision and ready laden with rice and musical instruments.
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  Speaker 1: A good three days before the waters came rather unexpectedly,
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  Speaker 1: it became imperative for King Chanko to take horse on
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  Speaker 1: an urgent journey. Despite the call for great haste, he
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  Speaker 1: refused to make one step before casting the signs, though
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  Speaker 1: to do so made necessary an hour's labor. On his plain,
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  Speaker 1: chancoscribed the three circles with their bisecting lines. He drew
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  Speaker 1: the sun, moon and stars in their relative places, gazed
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  Speaker 1: for a moment, and groaned, aye, you and hi yah.
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  Speaker 1: Well might he groan? There was no error in the work.
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  Speaker 1: No other reading was possible. Upon the following night, a
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  Speaker 1: dragon would swoop down from the moon and carry off
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  Speaker 1: the Princess yun Chi. That was the reading, and there
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  Speaker 1: could be no doubting its truth. It may be imagined
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  Speaker 1: that gray hairs made quick appearance in the monarch's beard.
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  Speaker 1: His journey was highly necessary. No postponement could be arranged.
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  Speaker 1: Yet the Princess yun Chi, his daughter, was well beloved
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  Speaker 1: and not to be given up, so long as sword
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  Speaker 1: had temper and javelin was sound of shaft. But who
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  Speaker 1: was to wield sword? Who to thrust javelin? Who? Indeed
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  Speaker 1: who if not the fourscore and ten valiant young princes
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  Speaker 1: of the realm, who even then deplored a dearth of
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  Speaker 1: daring deeds to be performed. No sooner the thought than
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  Speaker 1: King Chanko summoned the princes into audience. Briefly, he described
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  Speaker 1: the peril that threatened, told of the dragon's cunning, of
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  Speaker 1: his strength that increased with every blow given or received.
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  Speaker 1: Not a pleasant picture. King Chanko drew at first, but
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  Speaker 1: when in conclusion he stated the reward, every prince in
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  Speaker 1: the chamber drew sword and wished that the dragon might
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  Speaker 1: come forthwith For said Chanko. If all of you together
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  Speaker 1: slay the Long, than if she so pleases, the Princess
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  Speaker 1: may make her choice of you. But if any prince
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  Speaker 1: unaided slays the Long, then I say to you that
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  Speaker 1: such victorious prince and none other shaw wed the prince
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  Speaker 1: sss yun Chi. There was such a clanking of armor
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  Speaker 1: that the magpies clustering the palace roof made off on wing.
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  Speaker 1: There was such a testing of newly strung bows that
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  Speaker 1: the sky reigned arrows for a whole day. Prince King Sun,
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  Speaker 1: as comely warrior youth as ever twirled sharp steel, took
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  Speaker 1: to himself a notion that his sword alone must blood
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  Speaker 1: the dragon. He can hardly be censured. Any One is
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  Speaker 1: likely to be greedy when a royal princess is in
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  Speaker 1: danger and her hand awaits an heroic defender. But Ting Sun,
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  Speaker 1: with his bravery mixed sagacity to himself, he reasoned, thus,
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  Speaker 1: suppose I do succeed in killing the moon dragon, will
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  Speaker 1: his infuriated brothers not come seeking vengeance? Without doubt they will.
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  Speaker 1: My only hope is to slay them all now, and
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  Speaker 1: their ruler with them. Then the danger will be removed forever,
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  Speaker 1: and I can eat rice and comfort without the need
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  Speaker 1: of a sword on the table. I must kill all
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  Speaker 1: of the moon lungs. With such an ambitious plan in mind,
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  Speaker 1: Prince King Sun visited a sowing woman and had her
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  Speaker 1: make him a cloak precisely like that worn by the
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  Speaker 1: princess yun Chi. He shaved his promising beard and put
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  Speaker 1: whiting upon his cheeks, painted his eyebrows, and practiced a
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  Speaker 1: willowy walk. All in all, he made a fairish pretty maiden,
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  Speaker 1: and quite deceiving to the eye. When the Sun had
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  Speaker 1: snuggled down behind the mountains, Prince Kings soon walked in
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  Speaker 1: the palace gardens, taking those paths most favored by the Princess.
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  Speaker 1: He fondled the delicate whosteria. He touched his face to
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  Speaker 1: the wide, expanded roses beneath the purple flowered paulonia. He
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  Speaker 1: paused in rapture. By look and action. He was a
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  Speaker 1: maiden taking her pleasure in the flowers. Out of the
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  Speaker 1: calm evening air came a mighty and horrendous whistling roar.
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  Speaker 1: No need to tell the Prince its cause. In his
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  Speaker 1: early days he had heard silly nurses attempt such a whistling,
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  Speaker 1: trying to frighten him into being a good boy. If
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  Speaker 1: you don't the long, we'll get you. He had laughed
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  Speaker 1: at the affronted nurses. But now his face was crinkled
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  Speaker 1: with grim lines, serious lines that spelled determination. Not a
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  Speaker 1: trace of laughter there. The whistling changed to a hissing.
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  Speaker 1: The air became noxious, with hot breath. Four tremendous padded
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  Speaker 1: talons enfolded prince ching sun. A scream of terror. Ahayging
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  Speaker 1: of wings that lifted, gone vanished. A scream of terror. No,
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  Speaker 1: that is not true. It was a scream of mock terror.
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  Speaker 1: Can you think the prince was frightened. Prince ting sun
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  Speaker 1: He screamed, merely to make his deception doubly sure. The prince,
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  Speaker 1: to casual gaze, was a maiden, and maidens are supposed
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  Speaker 1: to scream when snapped up by a dragon. Small blame
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  Speaker 1: to them for that. Up higher, swifter, up through the uncharted,
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  Speaker 1: the star littered spaces swept Prince ting sun borne by
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  Speaker 1: the dragon. The wind shrieked past him, Higher, still higher,
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  Speaker 1: the little stars twinkled above, higher, the little stars twinkled below.
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  Speaker 1: The air grew thin and cold. Prince Ting grew faint,
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  Speaker 1: for his breathing was of no consequence. There was no
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  Speaker 1: air to breathe. There was nothing but space and stardust.
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  Speaker 1: The lung's mouth went wide in a whinnying whistle from
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  Speaker 1: close by came in answer. The prince opened his eyes.
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  Speaker 1: He saw a tapering streak of flame on earth. He
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  Speaker 1: would have named it comet, but stretching his eyes wider,
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  Speaker 1: he perceived that it was merely another dragon, its fiery
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  Speaker 1: breath trailing far spread. Other lungs appeared tingsun imagined that
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  Speaker 1: he must be approaching their lair. He prayed that his
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  Speaker 1: arm might be strong with another scream, The dragon folded
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  Speaker 1: his wings and dropped lightly upon a silvery plain. The
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  Speaker 1: journey was done, the moon under foot. The dragon King
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  Speaker 1: ruled in a subterranean palace. The entrance was merely a shining,
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  Speaker 1: smooth hole, but the interior was luxury itself, with brocaded
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  Speaker 1: tapestries and jade floorings and translucent moonstone ceilings. In throne room,
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  Speaker 1: knelt King soon before the king, for he still played
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  Speaker 1: the part of a maiden. He knelt as if seeking mercy.
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  Speaker 1: Her beauty is not what I expected, growled the King.
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  Speaker 1: Take her away. Perhaps another day she will seek fairer.
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  Speaker 1: Let her food be sesame and coriander seeds. Ugh, what
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  Speaker 1: a clumsy walk. Prince Tingsun sat on a couch, turning
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  Speaker 1: in his mind a plan by which to vanquish his captors.
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  Speaker 1: The stillness was dissolved by a music of moving silks.
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  Speaker 1: A smiling damsel bowed before his highness. Oh I am
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  Speaker 1: glad to see that you do not weep like the others.
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  Speaker 1: Are you a princess from the earth or from chin
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  Speaker 1: ching venus? From the earth, replied King Sun, But he
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  Speaker 1: forgot to gentle his voice. The moon maiden shrank back.
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  Speaker 1: You are not a princess, she accused. No, I am
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  Speaker 1: not a princess. These garments are a deceit. I was
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  Speaker 1: Prince King Sun when upon the earth. Now I am
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  Speaker 1: chang Pan, your slave. The moonmaiden was quickly reassured and
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  Speaker 1: entered into talk with King Sun, or Humble Chang Pan,
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  Speaker 1: as he then called himself. She told the prince that
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  Speaker 1: she had lived with her parents on the far side
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  Speaker 1: of the moon until the dragons came. Now she had
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  Speaker 1: no parents, and when the feast season of brightest light arrived,
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  Speaker 1: the Dragon King chao Ya his name, would make her
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  Speaker 1: his bride. She knew the number of dragons, twenty eight,
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  Speaker 1: one for each night in the month, and there was
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  Speaker 1: never more than one home at a given time. They
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  Speaker 1: could be slain only with the Dragon King's sword, a
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  Speaker 1: weapon that could slay the king himself. But and the
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  Speaker 1: hopes of Prince King fell as she spoke, the king
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  Speaker 1: always kept the sword fastened at his waist. Yes, the
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  Speaker 1: Long King sometimes slept, but never more than once a day,
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  Speaker 1: and never for more than a few minutes. When just
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  Speaker 1: as the moon went down, so ting soon and his
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  Speaker 1: spotless maiden Garb came upon the king asleep, and snatching
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  Speaker 1: up the monarch's sword, awoke him and slew him. The
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  Speaker 1: blade had not yet done its sweep when it cleft
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  Speaker 1: the skull of a dragon who should have been guarding
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  Speaker 1: his king from harm. The Prince rejoiced at his success,
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  Speaker 1: howbeit rather modestly. His task had but started. There was
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  Speaker 1: many a chance for disaster. Death might lurk in a
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  Speaker 1: faltering blow, a lagging step, a momentary closing of the eyes.
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  Speaker 1: By day, the prince slept. By night, he kept his
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  Speaker 1: post at the palace entrance. As each long came crawling
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  Speaker 1: into his lair, Prince King soon reached its heart with
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  Speaker 1: the dragon King's sword, one thrust for each long, one
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  Speaker 1: thrust each night. Until a month had passed. In such manner,
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  Speaker 1: his valiant Highness destroyed the whole vile brood. His plans
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  Speaker 1: had carried through to triumph. Now he was free to
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  Speaker 1: return home and claim for his own the princess yun Chi,
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  Speaker 1: and a happy day it would be. He was happy now, oh,
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  Speaker 1: extremely happy. Why shouldn't he be happy, the prince argued
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  Speaker 1: stoutly with himself, Yet his argument was not convincing. He
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  Speaker 1: would be compelled to leave the moonmaiden. So his reasoning
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  Speaker 1: was hollow. He was not happy, he was sorrowful. He
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  Speaker 1: had grown fond of the other world princess, but he
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  Speaker 1: must return to his own country. King Chanko had promised
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  Speaker 1: his daughter to whosoever should slay the dragon in taking
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  Speaker 1: up battle. Prince King had given agreement to the terms.
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  Speaker 1: He was betrothed to the princess yun Chi. The moonmaiden
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  Speaker 1: was asleep when Prince King went to say good bye.
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  Speaker 1: He would not wake her. He would go at once
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  Speaker 1: after a last sad look. The sleeping princess stirred in
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  Speaker 1: her sleep and murmured. For another instant. The royal youth paused.
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  Speaker 1: He heard his name, murmured. He heard more, enough to
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  Speaker 1: amaze him, to weaken his will almost to the changing point.
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  Speaker 1: A moment more of listening, and Prince King soon must
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  Speaker 1: inevitably have remained upon the moon, but he would hear
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  Speaker 1: no more. He rushed from the palace, ashamed of his weakness,
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  Speaker 1: yet thrilled with pride. The moon hung low above the
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  Speaker 1: eastern Ocean when King Soon made his fearsome leap. He
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  Speaker 1: descended in the cushioning waters, and so took no hurt.
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  Speaker 1: Fortune was with him in that leap, a vessel manned
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  Speaker 1: by venturesome explorers chanced upon him. Otherwise, the spot where
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  Speaker 1: he fell must have been his grave, for ships are
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  Speaker 1: years apart in that far away region. The sailors drew
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  Speaker 1: him aboard their junk and treated him with every respect.
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  Speaker 1: It was quite clear in their minds that he must
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  Speaker 1: be a god. Certainly, he could be nothing less than
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  Speaker 1: a great magician. When the ship touched at Makaw, Prince
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  Speaker 1: Kingsun was the first to step ashore. He found the
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  Speaker 1: city celebrating, burning much colored paper to the ruler of
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  Speaker 1: married happiness, feasting and making music. Accosting a stranger, he
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  Speaker 1: asked the cause of such jubilation, explaining that he had
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  Speaker 1: only that moment arrived from a far country. The stranger answered,
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  Speaker 1: we celebrate a marriage. Your grace, Prince Yan has taken
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  Speaker 1: the fairest bride in all the world. From what country
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  Speaker 1: do you come? Whom did Prince Yen marry? Asked Tin Soun,
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  Speaker 1: Why the Princess yun Chi? Of course, what country did
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  Speaker 1: you say? Indeed, exclaimed the Prince, and I came from
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  Speaker 1: the moon, leaving the fellow with eyes popped and mouth agape.
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  Speaker 1: He hastened on he was compelled to hasten. His feet
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  Speaker 1: would keep step with his tumultuous heart. So the Princess
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  Speaker 1: yun Chi was married. King Chanko had broken his word.
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  Speaker 1: Far better if Prince King had remained upon the moon.
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  Speaker 1: Upon the moon was one who pausing only for momentary
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  Speaker 1: snatches of sleep. Prince King journeyed the straightest road to
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  Speaker 1: Kwenloon Mountain. On this mountain lived and lives the friendly
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  Speaker 1: mother demon Sea Wang, a magician of great power. To her,
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  Speaker 1: Prince King gave his necessary oath and in exchange received
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  Speaker 1: his desire wings feathered from the pinions of a phoenix.
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  Speaker 1: The way is long, the way is steep, but hearts
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  Speaker 1: must be served with wings unfaltering. Prince King soon cleaves
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  Speaker 1: the sky between the earth and the lighted moon. His
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  Speaker 1: shadow may be seen nearing the silvered Plain and the palace,
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  Speaker 1: and the Princess. Prince King soon returning to his maiden
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  Speaker 1: of the Moon. End of Section ten.