NO. I 



CH UAN MIAO SONGS AND STORIES — GRAHAM 



95 



sky? What level thing is on the shore of the 

 creek? What level thing follows after the 

 cow? What level thing is in front of women? 

 Answers. — The moon is the horizontal 

 thing on the edge of the sky. The boat is the 

 level thing on the shore of the creek. The 

 plow is the level thing that follows the cow. 

 The hemp threads (to be made into string) 

 are the level things in front of women. 



5. What curved thing is on the edge of the 

 sky? What curved thing is on the edge of 

 the river? What curved thing follows the 

 cow? What curved thing is in the front of 

 the women? 



Answers. — The curve of the moon is on the 

 edge of the sky. The curve of the boatman's 

 hook (on the end of the bamboo pole) is on 

 the edge of the creek. The curve of the 

 yoke follows the cow. The curve of the sole 

 of her foot is in front of the woman. 



6. What wobbling thing is on the edge of 

 the sky? What wobbling thing is spread out 

 on the edge of the creek? What wobbling 

 thing follows the cow? What wobbling thing 

 is in front of the women? 



Answers. — The lightning of the thunder 

 god wobbles back and forth at the edge of 

 the sky. The boatman's pulling rope wobbles 

 back and forth on the shore of the creek. The 

 tugs are die wobbling things that follow the 

 cow. The hemp strings they are braiding 

 wobble back and fordi in front of the women. 



7. What turns around on the edge of the 

 sky? What turns around on the shore of the 

 creek? What turns as it follows the cow? 

 What circles around in front of women? 



Answers. — The lightning circles and flashes 

 on the edge of the sky. The pulling rope of 

 the boat circles around on the shore of the 

 creek. The plow circles around as it follows 

 the cow. The unbraided hemp circles around 

 in front of the women. 



8. What comes from the east? What 

 crosses the creek without taking off its shoes? 

 What carries a peach-colored board on its 

 back? What grows moss on its back? 



Answers. — The sun comes from the east. 

 The yellow cow crosses the creek without 

 taking off its shoes. The pigeon has a col- 

 ored board on its back (colored feathers). 

 The snail grows moss on its back. 



9. What eats grass but not the roots? What 

 sleeps without turning over? What has teeth 

 in its stomach? What has eyes on its back? 



Answers. — The sickle eats grass but not 

 the roots. The stones sleep without turning 

 over. The grinder has teeth in its stomach. 

 The mussel (shell) has eyes on its back (it 

 looks that way to tlie Ch'uan Miao). 



10. What leaps on the cliffs? What is it 

 that weaves something below the cliff? What 

 beats the drum three strokes at a time? What 

 sings songs at midnight? 



Answers. — The oriole leaps on the cliffs. 

 The spider weaves things below the cliff. The 

 frog beats the drum three times (his croaking 

 sounds like three strokes of the drum). The 

 rooster sings (crows) at midnight. 



11. What is it that cries out once at a time 

 on the cliffs? What is it that grows one stalk 

 at a time below the cliffs, and when it grows 

 one stalk more it is one pair, and one less and 

 it is a single stalk? 



Answers. — The oriole cries out once at a 

 time on the cliff. The bamboo grows one 

 stalk at a time below the cliff. If it grows one 

 stalk more it is a pair, and one less than that 

 is a single stalk. 



12. What is sharp on both ends? What is 

 deficient on one side? What has three edges? 

 What has a round stomach? 



Answers. — A rice grain is sharp on both 

 ends. Wheat is deficient on one side. Buck- 

 wheat seed has three edges. Peas have round 

 stomachs. 



13. What is sharp on both ends? What has 

 its foot toward the sky? What are called 

 diree sisters? What runs on the edge? 



Answers. — The beam of the scales is sharp 

 on both ends. The hook of the scales has its 

 foot toward the sky. The ropes on top of 

 the scales (three, by which the scales are 

 lifted up with the things weighed) are three 

 sisters. The weight on the scales runs to the 

 edge (of the scales when weighing heavy 

 things) . 



14. When a song is sung high, it is heard 

 high (in a high tone). How many lumps 

 are there on a mountain? How much rain 

 has one god of diunder? How much hair 

 has one cat? 



Answers. — If a song is sung low, it can- 

 not be heard in a high tone. There can be 

 only the top of the mountain, and the lumps 

 cannot be counted. As to the god of thunder, 

 the rain cannot be measured. You can dis- 

 cuss the cat, but the hairs on her back are 

 innumerable. 



15. We sing that the sky is round, and we 

 see that the sky is round. In what year was 

 Chengtu burned by fire? Where did the fire 

 start first? Where did smoke first emerge? 

 What thing, when burnt, explodes even to 

 the sky? What thing when burnt runs paral- 

 lel to the wall? What thing is it whose tail 

 curls when burnt? What is it that opens its 

 mouth wide when burnt? 



