256 



SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



VOL. 12:^ 



threw down the carrying pole and flew up, 

 and there he visited with the daughter of the 

 emperor all day. 



When it became dark he descended and 

 carried back the carrying pole. Ma Tsong Yin 

 then asked him, "How is it that you have 

 been gone all day and could not cut one 

 blade of grass?" He replied, "Because I had 

 no clothes to wear and it was very cold, I 

 lighted a fire to warm myself and did not 

 cut grass." Then Ma Tsong Yin ordered the 

 servants to quickly make some clothes for 

 him to wear. 



Next day he went early to cut grass. He 

 put on his clothes and took his carrying pole, 

 and walked beneath the flowery pavilion. He 

 then played the flute as before. When the 

 princess heard it she again called him up, 

 and he went up and visited with the princess 

 all day. At dusk he came down and took the 

 empty carrying pole back home. Ma Tsong 

 Yin then scolded him saying, "Yesterday you 

 said that you were cold and had no clothing 

 so that you could not cut grass. Today, after 

 you got new clothes to wear, why is it that 

 you still could not cut grass .f'" He replied, 

 "Because lice bit me badly, I took off my 

 clothes to find the lice and could not cut 

 grass." Ma Tsong Yin dien called his house 

 servants, who took boiling water and scalded 

 his clothing. 



The third day, after his clothes had been 

 well scalded, he was again told to go and cut 

 grass. Again he walked under the flowery 

 pavilion and took his flute from his belt and 

 played it. The princess again called him up, 

 and again he visited with the princess all day 

 and carried back the empty carrying pole. 

 Ma Tsong Yin beat him and said, "The first 

 day you had no clothing to wear, so you 

 could not cut grass. The next day you said 

 that the lice bit you badly so you could not 

 cut grass, and your clotliing was scalded. 

 Why is it that today you are again unable 

 ot cut grass.?" And he beat the orphan and 

 drove him away. 



The orphan walked along crying until he 

 came under the flowery pavilion of the prin- 

 cess. Then he took out his flute and played 

 saying, "My ways are as numerous as the 

 bamboo, but my master's ways are more nu- 

 merous than the bamboo. My vv'ays are as 

 numerous as the hairs of the head, but my 

 master's ways are more numerous. Alas, my 

 bitterness is very great." 



When the princess heard this she called him 

 up and said to him, "Quickly go back and 

 ask Ma Tsong Yin to be a matchmaker and 

 try to make an engagement for us through 



the emperor." He then went back and said 

 to Ma Tsong Yin, "The first day it was not 

 because I had no clothing, but die emperor's 

 daughter called me up to visit with her. The 

 second day it was indeed not that the lice ; 

 bit me, but the princess again called me up 

 to visit with her." And he requested Ma 

 Tsong Yin to be a middleman and to ask the 

 emperor to give his daughter to the orphan 

 in marriage. 



Ma Tsong Yin then became more angry 

 and said, "I am a chief Stewart (or manager) 

 of the emperor, and dare not speak to him 

 about an engagement with his daughter. You 

 are a cow herder, and how dare you speak 

 of an engagement with the princess.?" Ma 

 Tsong Yin did not believe the orphan at all 

 so the orphan said, "If you do not believe it, 

 you follow along behind me." Ma Tsong Yin 

 followed him until they arrived under the 

 flowery tower. The cow herder took the flute 

 and played. When the princess saw him she 

 called him, and he flew up to her. 



Ma Tsong Yin then believed him, and went 

 and reported to the emperor and sought to 

 make an engagement for the young people. 

 The emperor became angry and said, "Why 

 is it that a boy who herds cows comes to speak 

 of an engagement to the emperor?" He 

 said that his daughter was not upright, and 

 picked up a sword and went to the tower to 

 kill his daughter. His daughter said, "Father, 

 do not be in a hurry to kill me. That boy 

 who herds cows for Ma Tsong Yin is certainly 

 better looking than the emperor. If you do 

 not believe it, you come here tomorrow and 

 look at hini. If this is not so, then you can 

 kill me." To this her father consented. 



Next morning the emperor came with his 

 daughter to the flowery tower. In time the 

 cow herder in the home of Ma Tsong Yin 

 came under the tower with his carrying pole 

 on his shoulder. Then he played a tune with 

 his flute. The princess told her father to look. 

 He saw that the orphan was more handsome 

 than the emperor himself.-'^ 



When the emperor saw this he was very 

 happy. His daughter called to the orphan 

 to come up, and he flew up into the tower, 

 at which the emperor was even more aston- 

 ished, and called his manager Ma Tsong Yin 

 to come and make the engagement. 



When the wedding took place, because the 

 emperor had no son the groom was taken to 

 the emperor's home, and there they were 

 married. There was a feast of seven days 



^'^ Ordinarily he was not good looking, but 

 when he played the flute he was transformed so 

 that he was very handsome. 



