The Goose-Down Coat – The Legend of the Supernatural Cross-bow
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LAN BACH LE THAI 1
More than 2,000 years ago, when Viet-Nam was still called Au-Lac, pirates from the North used to invade our lad, destroy the rice-fields, set fire to the people’s huts, take away booty, kill men and cattle and carry off beautiful women.
The King of Au-Lac of the time, AN-DUONG-VUONG2, wanted to protect his realm against the pirates, and commanded a mighty wall to be built at the Northern End of his Capital. But as soon as the wall was finished, a violent storm came in the night, and the rain poured down in torrents. A strong wind hurled, howled and roared until it swept away the wall which fell in a deafening crash.
AN-DUONG-VUONG built the wall over and over again, but as soon as it was achieved it was destroyed in the same way.
At last, a council of ministers was summoned, and one minister, cleverer than the others, arose and bowed.
«Will the Son of Heaven be pleased to hear my humbler opinion?» he said. «Since the wall was destroyed so many times in the same way it must be that the gods are against us. Let us then try to appease them by setting up an altar, making sacrifices of cows and buffaloes to ask them to grant us advice and help.»
There was a general murmur of approval, and an altar was set up at once, and sacrifices made accordingly. The King himself fasted for three days and three nights and pistrated himself for hours in front of the altar, asking for her.
Finally, a geni appeared to the King in a dream under the shape of a Golden Turtle.
« Son of Heaven, ruler of the Realm,» he said in a human voice, «your prayers are heard by the gods who are good erugh to send me down here to help you. » Then the Turtle piently taught him the way to build the wall.
When he ask the next morning, the King remembered all this, and fcowing strictly the Turtle’s advice, he managed to build a olid wall in the end, having the shape of a sea-shell and called it Co-Loa3.
Then the Golden Turtle appeared to him again In a dam and said : «This country is’ full of deep rivers and nighty mountains, where spirits like to dwell. These spirits a: sometimes mischievous and like to play tricks on human brings to show their power. To prevent them from doing this lame offer you one of my claws, which when you use it as aumbler of a cross-bow, will drive evil spirits away, and will moreover kill a whole army in a battle.»
Oh! how happy and grateful the King was when he aoke and found the Turtle’s claw in his hand! He ordered a precious cross-bow to be made with the holy claw as i tumbler, and a beautiful crystal case to be done to contair this cross bow.
And now, his heart was at rest, because he could enjoy peace and order without any fear.
At that time, China was under the rule of the most powerful Emperor TAN-THUY-HOANG, the builder of the famous «Great Wall». This Emperor sent a river of men and horses, streaming down from Southern China to conquer the Au- Lac kingdom. This powerful army was completely destroyed in no time by the holy cross-bow, before it got to Co-Loa.
A few years later, the Emperor sent another army of 500,000 strong under the leadership of the well-known General TRIEU-DA. Winding down the valleys they came, in three wings, on horse, on foot, by boat, with flags floating in the air, forests of weapons clashing together and fierce-looking officers riding forward on their foaming horses.
King AN-DUONG-VUONG watched calmly from his window as the three wings met and poured in like a powerful swarm of ants, near Co-Loa. Then he took the miraculous cross-bow, aimed his shot at the multitude of soldiers. Twang! and thousands of them lay dead on the ground instantly. The Kit twanged his bow twice again and many, many more felliead. The rest of the army ran away in a mad rush, and so arrified the horses that thousands more of them were traipled to pieces.
TRIEU-DA was too ashamed and too afraid to go back to giv the Emperor the account of this defeat. He, stayed on, ancpretended to make peace with the King of Au-Lac. To sho’ his so-called good-will and trust he even sent his son TRONG-THUY to AN-DUONG-VUONG’s Court as a hostage. The King admitted all this with good faith and was generous enogh to extend his friendship to the young man, and gave hin his daughter Princess MY-CHAU in marriage. For a time, the newly-wed couple lived in perfect happiness. The young Pricess was charm itself, and TRONG-THUY simply adored her. Yet, at the bottom of his heart he never forgot his fater’s defeat and secretly vowed to himself to help his fater conquer Au-Lac one day.
He, coaxed and cajoled his innocent wife and beseeched her to let him see the miraculous cross-bow, until she yielded in he end and showed it to him. He then stole the claw awy and secretely replaced it by a false one.
One day, he obtained AN-DUONG-VUONG’s permission to go tome to pay his parents a visit.
Princess MY-CHAU flung herself on the ground before him, sobbed and clung to his feet.
« Please, do not go away, my Lord,» she implored him. « Is this unhappy person to be alone for months, perhaps for years ? There are so many lofty mountains and deep valleys which separate our two countries and who knows what would happen to my Lord in such a long and dangerous journey ? How can this one restrain her tears at the prospect of such a long separation ? Alas, the Cowherd and the Spinning Maid in Heaven could meet across the Milky Way once a year, but shall we ever meet again ? ». And the Princess wept more bitterly than ever.
« Does this weeping suit the Most Worshipful Daughter of the Dragon ? » TRONG-THUY tried to soothe her. « Of course, your unworthy servant will come back to you and then we shall live together as happily as before ».
But the Princess would not stop weeping for she had a foreboding of some great misfortune. She said between her sobs,
« Would my Lord please remember that it had pleased him to give me a winter coat stuffed with goose-down ? If ever a war occurs between our countries when my Lord is away, I will scatter the goose-down at the cross-roads to show you the way to find me. »
The separation was heart-rending, and after many bitter tears and repeated vows of love and devotion, he left with an unbearable pain in his heart, for he loved the Princess and had to betray her ignominously for his father’s and country’s sake.
When TRIEU-DA got the holy claw, he was overjoyed and at once led a strong army across the land to Au-Lac. Sunlight glittered over the lances and spurs of the Chinese soldiers. Their multicoloured flags waved in the mountain wind. The army wound its way out of the land of Tan like a gigantic snake. The war drum beatings came from the distance like a remote thunder. As AN-DUONG-VUONG and his daughter were playing chess together, the watchman from the tower came and flung himself at their feet in terror.
«Son of Heaven and Daughter of the Dragon, the enemy is coming.»
«Let them come! » said the King who roared with laughter at the thought of these bold and foolish men who went to meet with a certain death. « Have no fear, my beloved daughter, the holy cross-bow will once more work miracles.»
But although many shots were fired, the enemy still came flowing in like a devastating flood. As the thunder of the enemy troop sounded nearer and nearer, the King took fright, rode on a horse with his daughter at the back, and stole away to the South.
Past many fields and marshes and woods they rode, and whenever the King slowed down his horse’s steps, he heard the gallop of the enemy behind him, and rode forward as quickly as he could. It was of course the noise of the horse’s hooves of TRONG-THUY who tried to follow the Princess’ goose-down trail.
On went the horse, carrying them farther and farther away, until at last they came to a great sea. Not a boat was to be seen. How were they to go on ? The King lifted his face to the sky and cried in despair :
« Oh, gods, have you forsaken me ? And you, Golden Turtle, where are you ? Please come to my help.»
Then, out from the deep blue sea, came the Golden Turtle who said:
« Beware of the treacherous enemy who is behind you. »
The King looked back and saw the Princess who shivered like a leaf in a storm, with big tears rolling down her pale cheeks.
The King drew his sword while the Princess was looking imploringly at him, and stabbed her to the heart, cut off her head which rolled and stayed among the numberless stones washed by the waves. Then following the Golden Turtle, he walked into the deep.
When TRONG-THUY came and found the corpse of the Princess, he shed many bitter tears and took her body to bury in the Capital. Then he could no longer bear his great misery, and threw himself into a well, so that his soul might go to another world with her whom he had loved dearly.
The blood which came from the Princess’ body was washed away by the rolling sea and drunk by the numerous sea-shells, which, from that time, have produced many beautiful pearls. Legend would have it that these pearls would become much, more brilliant if they were dipped into the water of the well where TRONG-THUY had drowned himself.
Nowadays, we can see a small temple4 erected near the place where Princess MY-CHAU died. And after more than 2,000 years, people still worship the memory of King AN- DUONG-VUONG at Co-Loa, in the North of Viet-Nam.
SEE ALSO:
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo): Chiếc áo lông ngỗng – Truyện tích về cái nỏ siêu nhiên.
◊ Vietnamese version (Vi-VersiGoo): DO QUYEN – Cau chuyen ve tinh ban.
◊ The BICH-CAU Predestined Meeting – Section 1.
◊ The BICH-CAU Predestined Meeting – Section 2.
NOTES:
1 : R.W. PARKES’ Foreword introduces LE THAI BACH LAN and her short-stories books: “Mrs. Bach Lan has assembled an interesting selection of Vietnamese legends for which I am glad to write a brief foreword. These tales, well and simply translated by the author, have considerable charm, derived in no small part from the sense they convey of familiar human situations clothed in exotic dress. Here, in tropical settings, we have faithful lovers, jealous wives, unkind stepmothers, the stuff of which so many Western folk stories are made. One story indeed is Cinderella over again. I trust that this little book will find many readers and stimulate friendly interest in a country whose present-day problems are regrettably better known than her past culture. Saigon, 26th February 1958.”
2 : … Updating …
NOTES:
◊ Contents and images – Source: Vietnamese Legends – Mrs. LT. BACH LAN. Kim Lai An Quan Publishers, Saigon 1958.
◊ Featured sepiaized images has been set by Ban Tu Thu – thanhdiavietnamhoc.com.
BAN TU THU
06 /2020