The Vanity of the Rat

 

   A long time ago, there lived a rat couple who had 1 daughter. Since they had no other children, they gave her everything. When it became time for their daughter to marry, they wanted only the best husband for her. They thought about all of the rats that they knew, but none of them were good enough for their daughter.

    One day, Mr Rat said to his wife "I know who will make the perfect husband for our daughter, the Sun." "The Sun?" asked Mrs. Rat. "Why do you think the Sun would make a good husband." "Because there is none more powerful in the world than the Sun" said the husband. "Yes, Yes. Yes. The Sun is the most powerful. He's bright as well. Let's ask him at once" said Mrs. Rat.

    The two rats went out into their garden where the Sun was shining. "Oh, Mr. Sun!" they called, trying to keep their eyes open as they looked up into the sky. "Yes, what can I do for you?" replied the Sun. "Should you accept, my wife and I would like to offer you our daughter's hand in marriage," said Mr. Rat proudly. "I'm honored" said Mr. Sun, But why do you want me to marry your daughter?" "Because you are so powerful and magnificent!" said Mr. Rat, while Mrs. Rat nodded her head in agreement.

    "Well, I'm pleased that you think so highly of me" said Mr. Sun. "But there is one that is more powerful than me." "Who might that be? asked Mr. Rat. "Why Mr. Cloud, of course! I am powerless when he covers me." "Yes, so true" said Mr. Rat, nodding over and over."Come on dear,” he said, taking his wife by the hand. "Let's go see Mr. Cloud."

    They climbed up a nearby mountain, over which a big cloud hung in the sky. They called to Mr. Cloud and telling him what Mr. Sun had said, offered their daughter's hand in marriage. Again, the couple received a much different answer that what they were expecting. Mr. Cloud said "What the Sun says is true. However, I am powerless when I meet Mr. Wind. Wherever he blows, I must go." "Yes. Yes. Of course, of course" said Mr. and Mrs. Rat. They then set out to find Mr. Wind.

    Coming down the mountain, they found Mr. Wind in a grove of trees. "I am strong" he told them on hearing their story. "I can make a big tree fall over or blow down a house. I can shake up an ocean. But try as I may, I can't move a stone buddha." "Then, we'll just have to ask a stone buddha" said Mr. Rat. So, Mr. and Mrs. Rat hurried down the mountain to the stone buddha standing near their village.

    "Well, I'm flattered that you want me to marry your daughter" said Mr. Stone Buddha. "But I don't think I'm right for her either. I am indeed strong and Mr. Wind can't move me, but I am no means the strongest of them all. There is one that can make me fall over easily. The very thought of it is making me shake already." "Please Mr. Stone Buddha" said Mr. Rat. "Please tell us who." "None other than you and your cousins the moles" said Mr. Stone Buddha. "You and your cousins are very strong. Why if you burrow under my feet, I'll fall over and land on my head. I'm no match for you" said Mr. Stone Buddha. "Thank you" said Mr. Rat, "You've been very helpful.”

    After the long search for a suitable suitor, the rat's daughter married a rat.

-THE END-

    Mr. Rat and Mrs. Rat, Mr. Sun, Mr. Cloud, Mr. Wind, and Mr. Wall are the main characters in the story. The story's plot revolved around Mr. and Mrs. Rat's desire for their daughter to marry someone who hailed from a reputable household. Many guys were introduced to its daughter, but they have all turned them down. Until then, a person of the same sort as them is very fond of their daughter. After that, they acknowledged their marriage on the spot.     The narrative tells the story of how arranged marriage was depicted in the past and until now. As an example of how this applies to everyday events in humanity, affluent members of the family are expected to marry wealthy family. As a result, persons from different socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to be destined owing to their opposing parents. It is an attitude that should be eliminated, in my own opinion. If I ever become a parent, I want to give my children the freedom to select whoever they loved.

Source:

• http://hayzkul.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-vanity-of-rat-korean-folk-tale.html

The Zen Monks and the Governor

 

   In South Korea there is a famous mountain called Ji Ri Sahn Mountain, and on this mountain there is an ancient Zen temple, called Chon Un Sah Temple. It has been there for many hundreds of years, and was built even before Zen was a great movement in Korea. For centuries, the temple was supported by the devoted lay Buddhist people in the area, and also by the region's governor, who was a devout Buddhist himself.

    One year, a new governor was appointed to that region. He was a Confucian, so he didn't like Buddhism at all. Buddhism had been a national religion in Korea for many centuries when Confucians took power during the Chosun Dynasty (1492-1910), and Buddhism was often repressed by different kings and local officials. Buddhist monks in particular had a very difficult situation.

    So in those times it was quite usual for the new governor to make trouble for the people who had anything to do with the temples in his district. One day, he summoned the temple's abbot. When the monk arrived at the regional office, the governor didn't say a word, and simply hit him on the top of his head very hard. "Why did you hit me?" the abbot asked.

    "You're very bad," the governor replied. "Your students don't do any work. They only sit in that meditation room all day, doing nothing for hours on end. I see all these hardworking people give them food, and the monks only eat, lie down, and sleep. I don't like that! They're all a bunch of rice thieves! Everyone in this world has to work, but not these monks of yours. So now you must pay higher taxes to the government." Then he hit the abbot a few more times.

    "OK, we will of course pay these new taxes," the abbot said, even though his temple was small and very poor, and had never had to pay taxes before. He left the governor's office and went back to the temple. When he arrived, the kitchen master saw the abbot's face. He saw that he was very sad.

    "What happened with the governor?" he asked, and the abbot told him everything that had befallen him at the governor's office. When the abbot had finished, the monks fell into a long silence together.

    After a few minutes, the kitchen master's face suddenly brightened up. "Waah, I have a good idea! We'll invite the governor over. Tell him how poor we are, and that we have no money --- but tell him that we have all of these valuable antiques and ancient works of art. Tell him that if he likes any, he can take one." The kitchen master knew that the governor was very, very corrupt, and that these things were better than money for him.

    "That's a wonderful plan. But there is only one problem," the abbot said. "We don't have any antiques. We don't have any priceless works of art. How are we supposed to give him such things if we don't even have them ourselves? Are you crazy?" He looked very confused.

    "Don't worry, don't worry," the kitchen master said. "You just get him to come over. I'll take care of the rest."

    "OK," the abbot said, squinting narrowly at his crafty kitchen master. He had known this young monk since he had entered the temple. The kitchen master practiced meditation very hard, so maybe he had some special plan . . .

    The kitchen master prepared lots of good food and drink. He sent several monks to the garden to collect the freshest vegetables. Special rice cakes were rolled out, sliced, and dusted with pine-nut powder. They baked and fried the most delicious temple delicacies, things eaten only on special days, like Buddha's Birthday. Everyone was very excited! They were also very curious about the kitchen master's plan.

    After a short while, the abbot returned, with the governor right behind him. The governor rubbed his hands, and his eyes glanced nervously from side to side. The monks put all of the delicious food out for him, and invited him to eat.

    

    But the governor did not seem to be interested in food at all. He was only interested in seeing where the beautiful antiques were, and what he could choose for himself. As the monks tried to make him comfortable, he grew impatient. "Abbot, I want to see those antiques! Where are they?"

    The abbot called out, "Kitchen Master!"

    "Yes, sir?"

    "It's time to bring out the antiques!"

    "Yes, sir! Coming right out!" the kitchen master yelled back, and went into the kitchen for a minute. All that was heard was the sound of various objects being tossed hither and thither, an empty jar falling down, a glass bottle breaking. Everybody was very nervous!

    When he finally came out, he was carrying only a broom!

    Bowing deeply at the waist, with a grand gesture he offered it up to the governor.

    The governor got very angry. "You stupid monk! Who do you think I am? That's just a broom! That can't be more than a month old!"

    The kitchen master looked genuinely surprised. "But that's not true, Your Excellency! This is a very valuable and powerful treasure."

    The governor exploded into rage. "Do you take me for a fool? I am governor of this whole area! Who do you think you're talking to?"

    All the other monks trembled in fear, because this man was very, very powerful. But the kitchen master wasn't afraid at all. With his eyes closed and chin out slightly, he had a broad, confident smile on his face. "This broom is very, very old. It was made many thousands of years ago. If you ride this broom even once, you can fly through the sky!"

    "Fly?" The governor looked at him. "Is that true?"

    "Yes, Your Excellency. That's true."

    "OK," the governor said. "Then you try it first."

    "No problem, I'll go first. But you must not think anything about what you see. Don't think good and bad. Only keep a clear mind!"

    "OK," the governor replied.

    So the kitchen master put the broom between his legs and --- ppssheewww!! --- flew off into the sky! He circled the temple once and landed in front of the governor. The governor couldn't believe his eyes --- the monk had really flown through the air! The governor rubbed his hands together and said, "Ahhhh. I must have this broom!"

    But the kitchen master only looked at him, "Your Excellency!"

    "Yes?" he replied, very afraid now of this monk.

    "It's your turn. Try it once."

    "Is it possible?"

    "If your mind is good, then riding this broom is possible. If your mind is bad, then it will be impossible to move even one inch."

    "But my mind is not bad!" the governor said.

    "We know that, we know that," the kitchen master said, smiling. "But this broom understands your mind. So try for yourself."

    The governor put the broom between his legs, squeezed his eyes tight, and jumped. And jumped. And jumped. But he didn't go anywhere!

    "You're no good, Your Excellency," the kitchen master said. "You're always doing many bad actions, so you cannot fly anywhere on the broom. Everybody else can fly except for you. I am only the kitchen master at this temple, and even I can fly it. The abbot flies on it all the time." The governor was speechless, completely stuck.

    Then the kitchen master pointed in the direction of the main meditation hall. "There are many monks over there, and they have special energy. They can just point at you, and --- boom! --- they can give you an electric shock! All they do all day is meditate. Anytime you do some bad action, no matter how small, they can perceive it. Sometimes they wake up if they sense you doing something wrong, and they can send electricity over to shock you. So you must keep a clear mind. Do you want to see inside the meditation hall?"

    "Yes, sir. Yes, sir," the governor said.

    "Then come on over. We can't open the door. But just wet your finger and push it through the rice-paper window, like this, and look inside." When they peered into the room, they saw the monks sitting in many different positions. Some sat slumped forward, their chins resting against their chests; some sat with their heads tilted way back and to the side; while another sat slumped over to the left. They sat all different kinds of ways. The governor asked, "Those people sitting slumped forward --- what kind of meditation is this?"

    "That's perceive-the-ground meditation," the kitchen master replied.

    "And what kind of meditation is this, the ones with their heads falling backward with their mouths wide open?"

    "That's perceive-the-ceiling meditation."

      "And that guy slumped over to the left?"

    "That's dancing meditation."

   "Oh." the governor said, "How wonderful! There really are many kinds of meditation!"

    "Of course!" the kitchen master replied. "These great monks use any kind of meditation only to help this world. When they finish one kind of meditation, they go on to an-other kind. My style is only broom-riding meditation. I don't use anything to do this: the body disappears and becomes smoke, and can come and go anywhere with no hindrance. When you return home, if you do some bad action, these meditation monks' bodies can also change, become smoke, and go into your room and kill you."

    "OK! OK!" the governor shouted. "No taxes for this temple! Before, I didn't understand these people, but now I'll only support you! I'll do anything I can; anything at all." So the governor left and went back to his palace. He never bothered the meditating monks of Chon Un Sah Temple ever again.

-THE END-

    The morality of the narrative is discussed. A newly appointed governor orders the monks to pay taxes because of his corruption, even though they are in a sacred place of worship. Everyone was concerned, since the temple had nothing and was impoverished. However, although it is not precisely translated, this knowledgeable cooking master taught him the necessity of being a nice person. They are now exempt from paying the tax because of hearing what the Kitchen Master had say to him.      This literary piece comes at an opportune moment, given that Election Day is rapidly coming. The narrative shows how corrupt politicians may be, albeit not all of them are. The governor is a liar, but he was misled by someone else. I would not characterize the Kitchen Master as bad since he only functions to teach the governor a valuable lesson. Sometimes we must lie for a justifiable reason, which is referred to as white lies and there will be an instrument to be used in order to teach them.     I discovered we should strive to live a life that is filled with virtue. Earthly things in this world will fade away, but your record in this world, which God recorded, will be preserved for all eternity.

Source:

• https://www.krabarchive.com/ralphmag/IF/zen-story.html

 

The Spider's Thread

    It was a normal day in Heaven. It was morning, and Buddha was standing beside a pool. In the pool there were many flowers. The flowers sat on the top of the water, and they were very beautiful. Buddha began to walk. He walked around the pool and looked at the flowers. The flowers had a beautiful smell. The smell grew inside the flowers and moved into the air. All the air around Buddha smelled amazing.

    Buddha stopped walking, and looked hard at the pool. Between the flowers there was water, and under the water, there was Hell.

    The water was like a piece of glass. Above, there was Heaven, beautiful and lovely. Below, there was Hell, ugly and horrible. The water stood between the two places.

    Through the water, Buddha could see all the horrible things in Hell.

    First, there was the Sanzu river. It was a river full of dragons, and it had a bridge going over it. Only good people could walk across the bridge. There were demons standing in the water, and if a bad person walked across the bridge, the demons would take them and throw them into the water, so that they would be eaten by the dragons.

    Then, there was the Mountain of Needles. It was a huge mountain made of sharp needles. When a truly bad person came to Hell, they had to climb the Mountain of Needles.

    There was also the Lake of Blood. The Lake was made of very, very hot water, and it smelled horrible. Bad people in Hell had to swim in the boiling water, and their blood filled the Lake. And of course, there were many other horrible things in Hell, but Buddha did not like to look at them.

    Among the groups of bad people in Hell, there was one man called Kandata. Kandata had been a very evil man. He had killed people, stolen from people, and even burned houses with people in them. He was truly an enemy of all good people. But once in his life, he had done something good, and Buddha remembered this.

    One time, Kandata was walking through a thick forest. He was going to steal from a man who lived in the forest. As he was walking, he saw a spider beside him. Kandata raised his foot, and was about to stand on the spider and kill it, but then he stopped.

    ‘No, no. Even something this small has a reason to live. It would be truly evil to take its life away.’

    So he let the spider live, and went to steal from the man.

    As Buddha looked down into Hell, he thought of how Kandata had saved the spider. He decided that Kandata was actually not that evil. Because he had saved the spider, Buddha thought he should give Kandata a chance to leave Hell.

    Luckily, next to the pool of beautiful flowers, a spider was walking. It was a spider of Heaven. It was an amazing green colour, and it was making a beautiful gold thread. Usually, spiders only made weak, white threads, but this spider’s golden thread was strong and made of shining gold. So Buddha took the spider’s golden thread and dropped it into Hell deep below him.

    At the bottom of Hell, Kandata was swimming in the Lake of Blood, along with many other bad people. Occasionally, he saw something bright, and he thought it was something that could save him. But when he looked harder, he saw that it was just the needles on the Mountain of Needles, shining in the light. All around him, people cried in pain and sadness. Kandata had stopped crying, because he was too tired. He felt truly awful, because he knew he would never leave Hell. He swam in the Lake of Blood, quiet and sad.

    Kandata saw something shine, but he knew it was only a needle, so he did not look up. But it kept shining, so eventually he raised his head. Above him, in the darkness of Hell’s sky, there was something bright and gold. It was a long thread that was slowly coming down into Hell.

    Kandata couldn’t believe his eyes. His chance to leave Hell was coming down to him like a present. He would climb onto the thread, and climb out of Hell! If he was lucky, he might even be able to climb into Heaven. He no longer had to swim in the Lake of Blood, and climb the Mountain of Needles. He would be free!

    So Kandata climbed out of the Lake and ran to the golden thread. He took it in his hands. The thread was thin, and easy to hold onto. Kandata climbed up and up and up. Because he used to steal so much, he was very good at climbing, so it was no problem to climb up the golden thread. However, between Heaven and Hell were thousands and thousands of miles, so even for a great climber like Kandata, it was a difficult journey.

    After climbing for a long time, Kandata was tired, so he decided to take a break. He looked below him to see how far he had climbed. He saw that the Lake of Blood was far, far away, and that he had climbed many miles. Even the Mountain of Needles was far below him. If he kept climbing, he would leave Hell. He felt a great happiness inside of him.

    ‘I’ve done it! I’ve done it!’ he shouted, and laughed.

    But then he felt something below him on the thread. He looked down, and saw that lots of other bad people in Hell had seen the thread. They were now following him, climbing up and up and up.

    Kandata saw this, and he was surprised, and sad. He hung there, looking down at the other evil people. The thread was not thick, so he was surprised that it could take so many people without breaking. But if too many people climbed onto the thread, it might break, and they would all fall back down into Hell. More and more people climbed out of the Lake of Blood, and started climbing up the thread.

    Kandata shouted at the people below, ‘Hey, you terrible people! You awful people down there! This spider’s thread is mine. It belongs to me, and only me! Who told you you could all climb up? Get off, get off!’

    Then, suddenly, the spider’s thread broke. It made a SNAP, and Kandata fell. He fell down and down and down. Finally, he landed in the Lake of Blood with a SPLASH, along with all the other bad people. The spider’s thread hung in the air, shining bright like the needles on the Mountain of Needles, while all the bad people sat below.

    Buddha stood by the side of the pool in Heaven, and watched all of this happen. He had a sad expression on his face. He started to walk around the pool again. He had given Kandata a chance to get out of Hell, but Kandata showed that he was a truly bad person, and so Buddha had to send him right back to Hell. He seemed very sad at this.

    Meanwhile, the flowers in the pool continued to smell lovely. They continued to make their beautiful smell all throughout Heaven, and they did not think of Kandata. The green spider continued to make its golden thread, and it did not think of Kandata. It was a normal day in Heaven, and soon it would be noon.

THE END

    The Spider's Thread was about how Buddha saw a little goodness in Kandata. Kandata was posed as a villain, yet he was able to spare the life of a spider. The main characters in the narrative are Kandata, Buddha, and the spider. The story takes place in both hell and paradise. Buddha thought he might rescue Kandata by sending help through the spider's thread. When others follow him, he shows evilness, notably selfishness that made the Buddha very sad.

    The plot of the narrative revolves around the concepts of evil and kindness, as well as redemption. In my own interpretation, the story conveys that no matter how terrible someone is, there is still goodness visible to them. Without realizing it, we often generalize about someone, and that should not be praticed.

    There will be always a Superior Being looking down on us from above. It also shows that Buddha always forgives, loved, and cared for us no matter how sinful we are.

Source:

• https://easystoriesinenglish.com/spider/

The Picture Wife by Keigo Seki

    

    Once upon a time there was a man whose name was Gombei. He was poor and rather weak in the head. He lived in a hut all by himself. No one would marry hi, because he was so simple minded. 

    Then one evening, a young woman came to his door and asked if she could spend the night in his hut. Such a beautiful woman Gombei had never seen before and he was only too glad to let her in. that night after supper, the young woman said, “It seems that you live here alone. I am alone too. Would you like mo for your wife? “   

    Gombei could not believe his good fortune! And so they were married. 

    Gombei’s marriage made him very happy, but it also made it very difficult for him to get his work done. He was so fond of his young wife that he could not bear to turn his eyes away from her, not even for a moment. When he made straw sandals, they often became six feet long before he noticed, for he kept his eyes on his wife and not on his work. When he made straw raincoats, they were sometimes ten or twenty feet long, for he watched to see what his wife was doing instead of paying attention to what he was doing himself. No one could wear his sandals or his raincoats. 

    Then he went into the fields to work. Every few minutes, he came running home, shouting “Are youy there, dear wife?” So he did not accomplish much in a day. 

    “Simply won’t do!” said his wife. So she went to the town and asked an artist to paint her portrait. She took it home and told Gombei, “ Here is my picture . hang it on the nearest mulberry tree. If you can see it while you are working in the fields, you won’t miss me so much”. 

    Gombei did as he was told. Every few minutes, he stopped work to look at his wife’s portrait, but he no longer ran so often. One day, however, a sudden gust of wind caught the picture and blew in into the sky. Gombei tried to catch it, but soon it was out of sight. Crying bitterly, Gombei ran home to tell his wife. “Never mind, dear husband,” she confronted him. “I will go to town and have another picture painted for you.”     

    In the meantime the first picture had gone on floating along in the air until finally came fluttering down in the garden of a castle. When the lord of the castle saw it, he immediately fell in love with the woman in the picture. “If there is a portrait, there must be a person,” he thought, and he ordered his men to find the woman and bring her to him without delay. 

    The men went from village to village with the picture, asking if anyone knew the woman. At last they came to the village where Gombei lived. “Do you know this woman?” they asked the villagers, showing them the picture. 

    Sure enough, when the men went to Gombei;s hut, there they found a beautiful woman who looked exactly like the one in the portrait. 

    “We’ll take her to our lord,” they said and they tried to carry out her off. 

    “Please don’t take here away,” begged gombei, but all his begging was in vain. He cried so much that his tears made a pool a foot across. 

    “Don’t cry so, Gombei,” said his wife. “We can do nothing now, but listen carefully. You must come to the castle on New Year’s Eve. Bring pine trees for the New Year gate decorations when you come. Then we’ll be able to see each other again and all will be well,” 

    Before she could say anything more. she was taken away to the castle. Everyday, Gombei wondered if it was time to go yet. At last someone told him that it was New Year’s Eve. He started for the castle with a huge bundle of pine trees on his back. Hew would soon see his clear wife again! 

    When he reached the castle gates, he shouted, “Pine trees, pine trees! Fine pine trees for the New Year!” 

    Inside the castle, his wife heard him and smiled. It was the first time she had smiled since she was brought into the castle. The Lord was so pleased to see her cheerful that he ordered his servants to call the pine seller in. 

    When Gombei appeared, his wife looked even more cheerful. She beamed at him with much delight that the lord thought to himself, If a pine-seller can please her so much, I will become one myself.” 

    He ordered Gombei to change clothes with him. Dressed shabbily as a pine-seller, he walked up down in the garden shouting, “Pine trees, pine trees! Fine pine trees for the New Year!” 

    This made Gombei’s wife even more pleased. She clapped her little hands and laughed heartily. The lord was so delighted to see her laugh that he danced about in the garden with the pine trees on his back. , “Pine trees, pine trees! Fine pine trees” he shouted again and again. Round and round the garden he danced, and out of the castle gates he went without even noticing. 

    As soon as he was outside, Gombei’s wife told the servants to shut the gates of the castle. After a while, the Lord realized that he was no longer in the garden. He went up to the castle gates and to his astonishment, he found them closed. “Let me in, let me in!” he shouted, but no one answered. 

    Within the castle gates, Gombei and his clever wife now had everything they could wish for and lived happily ever after. 

THE END

    The Picture Wife was a story about a guy who met a young girl who stayed in his home for a short period but ended up staying for good since they got married. As he realize it, the husband had become the luckiest person on the planet. He marries a gorgeous young girl who becomes a source of constant diversion at work. To avoid this, his wife got him a picture of herself so that he may gaze at the painting whenever he wanted. The image, on the other hand, was carried away by the wind. When the master of the castle caught wind of it, he immediately ordered his men to find the girl. Gombei was upset because his woman had been abducted. However, his wife informed him that he would be bringing pine trees inside the castle on New Year's Eve, and that was the beginning of their scheme to fool the castle's ruler.

    There are three main characters: Gombei, his wife, and the Lord of the Castle. The theme was cleverness, loyalty, trust, change, and love, among other things.  The plot of the story is on how Japanese culture has been depicted.

    The narrative is a little humorous because of how preoccupied the husband is and how he acknowledge the attractiveness of his wife. It turns out that he was over heels in love with her and was delighted to have her. It prompted me to ponder, Is there a guy in this world who is the same as Gombei being faithful to his wife? I really hope it has. 

    The story is also about how Japanese culture has been depicted. Nowadays, a poor and nasty guy cannot marry a lovely lady because of his circumstances. It is a narrative that will only come true in fiction and only in fantasy. In this century, a beautiful lady fantasizes about marrying a wealthy, gorgeous, and clever individual. She will use her appearance to her advantage to achieve her goals. Perhaps just one lady in a million nowadays has a romantic interest in a poor, ugly, and unintelligent guy. Of course, no woman wants to go through difficult times in life; thus, she must try to find and marry a guy who will be her rock and provide her with a comfortable lifestyle. If you have money and power, you are in a better position than everyone else. You will not have a difficult time finding the person you want but let us not make generalizations.

    In the narrative, I discovered no one could separate two people who are in love with one other. It also needs patients to finally meet someone who is destined for us.

Source: 

• http://dianpol.blogspot.com/2011/07/picture-wife.html

My Native Village by Sei Ito

THE END

    Throughout the poem, the main character expresses how much he/she miss their motherland. It also mentions how much she appreciates it and how it speaks of its journey back to its homeland. The theme of the poem was love and longing. It was told from the first-person perspective.

    There is such a significant difference in the manner our motherland has provided us with such cherished memories. It is the place where we learn our first stroll, read, and do a variety of other activities. When I go to other cities and remain there for an extended period, I find myself missing my hometown. I missed most the views of many trees, the fresh air, the cuisine we usually ate with my family, and the calmness and sense of community that each neighboring home provided.

    OFWs will relate to this poetry on a deep level. Their longingness can't compare to others. I discovered that appreciating our motherland is like how we value ourselves, since it plays an essential part in defining who we are today and how we identify ourselves.

The Madman on the Roof by Kikuchi Kan

 

THE MADMAN ON THE ROOF

[Okujo no Kyojin, 1916]
by Kikuchi Kan (1888-1948)



Characters
KATSUSHIMA YOSHITARO, the madman, twenty-four years of age
KATSUSHIMA SUEJIRO, his brother, a seventeen-year old high school student
KATSUSHIMA GISUKE, their father
KATSUSHIMA OYOSHI, their mother
TOSAKU, a neighbour
KICHIJI, a manservant, twenty years of age
A PRIESTESS, about fifty years of age

PLACE: A small island in the Inland Sea
TIME: 1900


The stage setting represents the backyard of the Katsushima, who are the richest family on the island. A bamboo fence prevents one from seeing more of the house than the high roof, which stands out sharply against the rich greenish sky of the southern island summer. At the left of the stage once can catch a glimpse of the sea shinning in the sunlight.
Yoshitaro, the elder son of the family, is sitting astride the ridge of the roof, and is looking out over the sea.


GISUKE (speaking from within the house) : Yoshi is sitting on the roof again. He’ll get a sunstroke---the sun’s so terribly hot. (Coming out.) Kichiji! --- Where is Kichiji?
KICHIII (appearing from the right) : Yes! What do you want?
GISUKE: Bring Yoshitaro down. He has no hat on, up there in the hot sun. He’ll get a sunstroke. How did he get up there, anyway? From the barn? Didn’t you put wires around the barn roof as I told you to the other day?
KICHIJI: Yes, I did exactly as you told me.
GISUKE (coming through the gate to the center of the stage, and looking up to the roof) : I don’t see how he can stand it, sitting on that hot slate roof. (He calls.) Yoshitaro! You’d better come down. If you stay up there you’ll get a sunstroke and maybe die.
KICHIJI: Young master! Come on down. You’ll get sick if you stay there.
GISUKE: Yoshi! Come down quick! What are you doing up there, anyway? Come down, I say! (He calls loudly.) Yoshi!
YOSHITARO (indifferently) : Wha-a-at?
GISUKE: No “whats”! come down right away. If you don’t come down, I’ll get after you with a stick.
YOSHITARO (protesting like a spoiled child) : No, I don’t want to. There’s something wonderful. The pries of the god Kompira is dancing in the clouds. Dancing with an angel in pink robes. They’re calling to me to come. (Crying out ecstatically.) Wait! I’m coming!
GISUKE: If you talk like that you’ll fall, just as you did once before. You’re already crippled and insane---what will you do next to worry your parents? Come down, you fool!
KICHIJI: Master, don’t get so angry. The young master will not obey you. You should get some fried bean cake; when he sees it he will come down, because he likes it.
GISUKE: No, you had better get the stick after him. Don’t be afraid to give him a good shaking-up.
KICHIJI: That’s too cruel. The young master doesn’t understand anything. He’s under the influence of evil spirits.
GISUKE: We may have to put bamboo guards on the roof to keep him down from there.
KICHIJI: Whatever you do wont keep him down. Why, he climbed the roof of the Honzen Temple without even a ladder; a low roof like this one is the easiest thing in the world for him. I tell you, it’s the evil spirits that make him climb. Nothing can stop him.
GISUKE: You may be right, he worries me to death. If we could only keep him in the house it wouldn’t be so bad, even though he is crazy; but he’s always climbing up to high places. Suejiro says that everybody as far as Takamatsu knows about Yoshitaro the Madman.
KICHIJI: People on the island all say he’s under the influence of a fox-spirit, but I don’t believe that. I never heard of a fox climbing trees.
GISUKE: You’re right. I think I know the real reason. About the time Yoshitaro was born, I bought a very expensive imported rifle, and I shot every monkey on the island. I believe a monkey-spirit is now working in him.
KICHIJI: That’s just what I think. Otherwise, how could he climb trees so well? He can climb anything without a ladder. Even Saku, who’s a professional climber, admits that he’s no match for Yoshitaro.
GISUKE (with a bitter laugh) : Don’t joke about it! It’s no laughing matter, having a son who is always climbing on the roof. (Calling again.) Yoshitaro, come down! Yoshitaro! ---When he’s up there on the roof, he doesn’t hear me at all---he’s so engrossed. I cut down all the trees around the house so he couldn’t climb them, but there’s nothing I can do about the roof.
KICHIJI: When I was a boy I remember there was a ginko tree in front of the gate.
GISUKE: Yes, that was one of the biggest trees on the island. One day Yoshitaro climbed clear to the top. He sat out on a branch, at least ninety feet above the ground, dreaming away as usual. My wife and I never expected him to get down alive, but after a while, down he slid. We were all too astonished to speak.
KICHIJI: That was certainly a miracle.
GISUKE: That’s why I say it’s a monkey-spirit that’s working him. (He calls again.) Yoshi! Come down! (Dropping his voice.) Kichiji, you’d better go up and fetch him.
KICHIJI: But when anyone else climbs up there, the young master gets angry.
GISUKE: Never mind his getting angry. Pull him down.
KICHIJI: Yes master.
(Kichiji goes out after the ladder. Tosaku, the neighbour, enters.)
TOSAKU: Good day, sir.
GISUKE: Good day. Fine weather. Catch anything with the nets you put out yesterday?
TOSAKU: No, not much. The season’s over.
GISUKE: Maybe it is too late now.
TOSAKU (looking up at Yoshitaro) : Your son’s on the roof again.
GISUKE: Yes, as usual. I don’t like it, but when I keep him locked in a room he’s like a fish out of water. Then, when I take pity on him ad let him out, back he goes on the roof.
TOSAKU: But after all, he doesn’t bother anybody.
GISUKE: He bothers us. We feel so ashamed when he climbs up there and shouts.
TOSAKU: But your younger son Suejiro, has a fine record at school. That must be some consolation for you.
GISUKE: Yes, he’s a good student, and that is a consolation for me. If both of them were crazy, I don’t know how I could go on living.
TOSAKU: By the way, a Priestess has just come to the island. How would you like to have her pray for your son? ---That’s really what I came to see you about.
GISUKE: We’ve tried prayers before, but it’s never done any good.
TOSAKU: This Priestess believes in the god Kompira. She works all kinds of miracles. People say the god inspires her, that’s why her prayers have more effect than those of ordinary priests. Why don’t you try her once?
GISUKE: Well, we might. How much does she charge?
TOSAKU: She won’t take your money unless the patient is cured. If he is cured, you can pay her whatever you feel like.
GISUKE: Suejiro says he doesn’t believe in prayers…. But there’s no harm in letting her try.
(Kichiji enters carrying the ladder and disappears behind the fence.)
TOSAKU: I’ll go and fetch her here. In the meantime you get your son down off the roof.
GISUKE: Thanks for your trouble. (After seeing that Tosaku has gone, he calls again.) Yoshi! Be a good boy and come down.
KICHIJI (who is up on the roof by this time) : Now then, young master, come down with me. If you stay up here any longer you’ll have a fever tonight.
YOSHITARO (drawing away from Kichiji as a Buddhist might from a heathen) : Don’t touch me! The angels are beckoning to me. You’re not supposed to come here. What do you want?
KICHIJI: Don’t talk nonsense! Please come down.
YOSHITARO: If you touch me the demons will tear you apart.
(Kichiji hurriedly catches Yoshitaro by the shoulder and pulls him to the ladder. Yoshitaro suddenly becomes submissive.)
KICHIJI: Don’t make any trouble now. If you do you’ll fall and hurt yourself.
GISUKE: Be careful!
(Yoshitaro comes down to the center of the stage, followed by Kichiji. Yoshitaro is lame in his right leg.)
GISUKE (calling) : Oyoshi! Come out here a minute.
OYOSHI (from within) : What is it?
GISUKE: I’ve sent for a Priestess.
OYOSHI (coming out) : That may help. You never can tell what will.
GISUKE: Yoshitaro says he talks with the god Kompira. Well, this Priestess is a follower of Kompira, so she ought to be able to help him.
YOSHITARO (looking uneasy): Father! Why did you bring me down? There was a beautiful cloud of five colours rolling down to fetch me.
GISUKE: Idiot! Once before you said there was a five-coloured cloud, and you jumped off the roof. That’s the way you became a cripple. A Priestess of the god Kompira is coming here today to drive the evil spirit out of you, so don’t you go back up on the roof.
(Tosaku enters, leading the Priestess. She has a crafty face.)
TOSAKU: This is the Priestess I spoke to you about.
GISUKE: Ah, good afternoon. I’m glad you’re come---this boy is really a disgrace to the whole family.
PRIESTESS (casually) : You needn’t worry any more about him. I’ll cure him at once with the god’s help. (Looking at Yoshitaro.) This is the one?
GISUKE: Yes. He’s twenty-four years old, and the only thing he can do is climb up to high places.
PRIESTESS: How long has he been this way?
GISUKE: Ever since he was born. Even when he was a baby, he wanted to be climbing. When he was four or five years old, he climbed onto the low shrine, then onto the high shrine of Buddha, and finally onto a very high shelf. When he was seven he had began climbing trees. At fifteen he climbed to the tops of mountains and stayed there all day long. He says he talks with demons and with the gods. What do you think is the matter with him?
PRIESTESS: There’s no doubt but it’s a fox-spirit. I will pray for him. (Looking at Yoshitaro.) Listen now! I am the messenger of the god Kompira. All that I say comes from the god.
YOSHITARO (uneasily) : You say the god Kompira? Have you ever seen him?
PRIESTESS (staring at him) : Don’t say such sacrilegious things! The god cannot be seen.
YOSHITARO (exultantly) : I have seen him many times! He’s an old man with white robes and a golden crown. He’s my best friend.
PRIESTESS (taken aback at this assertion, speaking to Gisuke) : This is a fox-spirit, all right, and a very extreme case. I will address the god.
(She chants a prayer in a weird manner. Yoshitaro, held fast by Kichiji, watches the Priestess blankly. She works herself into a frenzy, and falls to the ground in a faint. Presently she rises to her feet and looks about her strangely.)
PRIESTESS (in a changed voice) : I am the god Kompira!
(All except Yoshitaro fall to their knees with exclamation of reverence.)
PRIESTESS (with affected dignity): The elder son of this family is under the influence of a fox-spirit. Hang him up on the branch of a tree and purify him with the smoke of green pine needles. If you fail to do what I say, you will all be punished!
(She faints again. There are more exclamation of astonishment.)
PRIESTESS (rising and looking about her as though unconscious of what has taken place): What has happened? Did the god speak?
GISUKE: It was a miracle.
PRIESTESS: You must do at once whatever the god told you, or you’ll be punished. I warn you for your own sake.
GISUKE (hesitating somewhat) : Kichiji, go and get some green pine needles.
OYOSHI: No! It’s too cruel, even if it is the god’s command.
PRIESTESS: He will not suffer, only the fox-spirit within him. The boy himself will not suffer at all. Hurry! (Looking fixedly at Yoshitaro.) Did you hear the god’s command? He told the spirit to leave your body before it hurt.
YOSHITARO: That was not Kompira’s voice. He wouldn’t talk to a priestess like you.
PRIESTESS (insulted) : I’ll get even with you. Just wait! Don’t talk back to the god like that, you horrid fox!
(Kichiji enters with an armful of green pine boughs. Oyoshi is frightened.)
PRIESTESS: Respect the god or be punished!
(Gisuke and Kichiji reluctantly set fire to the pine needles, then bring Yoshitaro to the fire. He struggles against being held in the smoke.)
YOSHITARO: Father! What are you doing to me? I don’t like it! I don’t like it!
PRIESTESS: That’s not his own voice speaking. It’s the fox within him. Only the fox is suffering.
OYOSHI: But it’s cruel!
(Gisuke and Kichiji attempt to press Yoshitaro’s face into the smoke. Suddenly Suejiro’s voice is heard calling within the house, and presently he appears. He stands amazed at the scene before him.)
SUEJIRO: What’s happening here? What’s the smoke for?
YOSHITARO (coughing from the smoke, and looking at his brother as a saviour) : Father and Kichiji are putting me in the smoke.
SUEJIRO (angrily) : Father! What foolish thing are you doing now? Haven’t I told you time and time again about this sort of business?
GISUKE: But the god inspired the miraculous Priestess…
SUEJIRO (interrupting) : What nonsense is that? You do these insane things merely because he is so helpless.
(With a contemptuous look at the Priestess he stamps the fire out)
PRIESTESS: Wait! That fire was made at the command of the god!
(Suejiro sneeringly puts out the last spark.)
GISUKE (more courageously) : Suejiro, I have no education, and you have, so I am always willing to listen to you. But this fire was made at the god’s command, and you shouldn’t have stamped on it.
SUEJIRO: Smoke won’t cure him. People will laugh at you if they hear you’ve been trying to drive out a fox. All the gods in the country together couldn’t even cure a cold. This Priestess is a fraud. All she wants is the money.
GISUKE: But the doctors can’t cure him.
SUEJIRO: If the doctors can’t, nobody can. I’ve told you before that he doesn’t suffer. If he did, we’d have to do something for him. But as long as he can climb up on the roof, he is happy. Nobody in the whole country is as happy as he is---perhaps nobody in the world. Besides if you cure him now, what can he do? He’s twenty-four years old and he knows nothing, not even the alphabet. He’s had no practical experience. If he were cured, he would be conscious of being crippled, and he’d be the most miserable man alive. Is that what you want to see? It’s all because you want to make him normal. But wouldn’t it be foolish to become normal merely to suffer? (Looking sidewise at the Priestess.) Tosaku, if you brought her here, you had better take her away.
PRIESTESS (angry and insulted) : You disbelieve the oracle of the god. You will be punished! (She starts her chant as before. She faints, rises, and speaks in a changed voice.) I am the great god Kompira! What the brother of the patient springs from his own selfishness. He knows if his sick brother is cured, he’ll get the family estate. Doubt not this oracle!
SUEJIRO (excitedly knocking the Priestess down) : That’s a damned lie, you old fool.
(He kicks her.)
PRIESTESS (getting to her feet and resuming her ordinary voice) : You’ve hurt me! You savage!
SUEJIRO: You fraud! You swindler!
TOSAKU (coming between them) : Wait, young man! Don’t get in such a frenzy.
SUEJIRO (still excited) : You liar! A woman like you can’t understand brotherly love!
TOSAKU: We’ll leave now. It was my mistake to have brought her.
GISUKE (giving Tosaku some money) : I hope you’ll excuse him. He’s young and has such a temper.
PRIESTESS: You kicked me when I was inspired by the god. You’ll be lucky to survive until tonight.
SUEJIRO: Liar!
OYOSHI (soothing Suejiro) : Be still now. (To the Priestess) : I’m sorry this has happened.
PRIESTESS (leaving with Tosaku) : The foot you kicked me with will rot off!
(The priestess and Tosaku go out.)
GISUKE (to Suejiro) : Aren’t you afraid of being punished for what you’ve done?
SUEJIRO: A god never inspires a woman like that old swindler. She lies about everything.
OYOSHI: I suspected her from the very first. She wouldn’t do such cruel things if a real god inspired her.
GISUKE (without any insistence) : Maybe so. But, Suejiro, your brother will be a burden to you all your life.
SUEJIRO: It will be no burden at all. When I become successful, I’ll build a tower for him on top of a mountain.
GISUKE (suddenly) : But where’s Yoshitaro gone?
KICHIJI (pointing at the roof) : He’s up there.
GISUKE (having to smile): As usual.
(During the preceding excitement, Yoshitaro has slipped away and climbed back up on the roof. The four person below look at each other and smile.)
SUEJIRO: A normal person would be angry with you for having put him in the smoke, but you see, he’s forgotten everything. (He calls.) Yoshitaro!
YOSHITARO (for all his madness there is affection for his brother) : Suejiro! I asked Kompira and he says he doesn’t know her!
SUEJIRO (smiling) : You’re right. The god will inspire you, not a priestess like her.
(Through a rift in the clouds, the golden light of the sunset strikes the roof.)
SUEJIRO (exclaiming) : What a beautiful sunset!
YOSHITARO (his face lighted by the sun’s reflection) : Suejiro, look! Can’t you see a golden palace in that cloud over there? There! Can’t you see? Just look! How beautiful!
SUEJIRO (as he feels the sorrow of sanity) : Yes, I see. I see it, too. Wonderful.
YOSHITARO (filled with joy) : There! I hear music coming from the palace. Flutes, what I love best of all. Isn’t it beautiful?
(The parents have gone into the house. The mad brother on the roof and the same brother on the ground remain looking at the golden sunset.)

-THE END-

    The drama was written by Kikuchi Khan also called as Kikuchi Hiroshi. The characters are Katsushima Yoshitaro, Katsushima Suejiro, Katsushima Gisuke, Katsushim Oyoshi, Tosaku, Kichij, and a priestess.

    Yoshitaro, a 24-year-old son of Gisuke, was worried about his father, who was concerned about his son climbing on the roof to watch the sunset. Gisuke attempted unsuccessfully to persuade his son to descend from the roof one day. However, no matter how hard Gisuke tries, his kid cannot climb down the ladder. As a result, he instructed Kichiji, their servant, to transport Yoshitaro to the top. Kichiji walked outdoors to acquire a ladder for himself. Tosaku, their next-door neighbor, came inside the home and realized what was going on inside. Afterward, Tosaku advised a holy lady who might treat Yoshitaro's condition. Yoshitaro was possessed by an evil spirit, according to the Holy Woman, who came to the home and told the family. Suejiro came in and saved his brother Yoshitaro as they were in the middle of the mending operation for Yoshitaro. While talking to their parents, Suejiro justified and rationalized his brother's situation. He was informing them that Yoshitaro had not been possessed by an evil spirit but instead was suffering from a terrible illness. The reality about their oldest son, Yoshitaro, is then revealed to their parents, who come to terms with it. In the end, brotherly love triumphed, bringing the family together and allowing them to compromise.

    It is the moral of the tale that "don't be embarrassed about your kind, particularly if it doesn't do any harm to your neighbors." Consider yourself fortunate and grateful for the individuals who are there to adore you; don't be concerned about others. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

    It teaches me a valuable lesson: I should accept my flaws for others to embrace me as well. It all starts with ourselves. Today, people are judged more on conformity to society's standards, but we should not allow them to govern us. We must be true to ourselves since it is this that distinguishes us.

Source: 

• https://frain.livejournal.com/50467.html