Rustling bamboo and rocks are reflected in the pond
where koi glide,
Emerald grass, quiet living room, the door is silent.
Buddhist way or Taoist way all pacify the world,
Only meditation frees one from the Six Realms.
The thousand year-old Tang and Song tea bowls, and scrolls,
Idly we are, with full teapots, and full tea bowls.
Wives provide fine foods with great kindness,
In the constant awakenings,
let’s have 49 more birthday celebrations.
Written by Mrs. Xiang YeYoung
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
When the oyster opened up the egret quickly placed his beak inside. The oyster closed its shell capturing the egret’s beak. The egret says to the oyster “its not going to rain today or tomorrow so you will be dead.” The oyster says, “I will not let you go today or tomorrow and you will be dead.” Both the egret and the oyster fail to compromise, and a fisherman ends up catching them both.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
One day a tiger caught a fox with the intention of eating him. The Fox said, “No one would dare eat me. I’m at the top of the food chain. Everyone bows to me. If you don’t believe me let us walk into a crowd and see how they respond.” The tiger agreed and followed the fox into a crowd. Of course, seeing the Tiger everyone ran away, but the Tiger thinks the Fox was right and decides not to eat him.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
A man was walking by an abandoned house when he came upon a wonderful large bronze bell that he decided to steal. He knew he would have to take the bell in pieces in order to move it because it was so heavy. This was going to be too noisy a job to do without getting caught, so he thought he should use earplugs. The thief covered his ears thinking that if he could not hear the bell, no one else could either.
From Lu’s Annuals (475-221 BC)
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
There was a man who loved dragons so much that he drew them all over his house. He had dragons drawn on his walls, curtains, and carved onto the columns in his house. One day a dragon heard about this man and decided to visit him to let him see a real dragon. The dragon finds the man’s house and sticks his head into the man’s living room. The man is so terrified he darts out of the house. The dragon lover does not really love dragons, but rather he loves the idea of dragons.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
One day while a farmer was working in the field he suddenly saw a rabbit run too fast into a nearby tree and it broke its neck and died. The farmer thought himself incredibly lucky and decided to put down his tools and wait by the tree for more suicidal rabbits. The farmer didn’t get any more rabbits, but he did become the joke of the town.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
After offering their ancestors wine, a group of people were deciding who would get the honor of drinking the wine. It was too much wine for one person, but not enough for the group. A contest was suggested; whomever finished drawing a snake first would get to drink the wine. One of them finished his snake first and took the wine in his hand, thinking he had finished so quickly he had time to embellish his snake with feet. While he was drawing feet with one hand and holding the wine with the other, another man finished his snake and declared himself winner, and took the wine and drank it.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon
Painting by Xiang YeYoung
One day a young man’s horse ran away across the border, and his father said to him, “This might not be such a bad thing.” After a couple of months the young man’s horse returned with another very valuable horse. Everyone was celebrating this good fortune, but the father said, “Maybe this is not such a good thing.” The young man decided to ride the new horse, but ended up falling off and breaking his hipbone. Everyone felt awful about this, but again his father’s remark was contrary, saying that this may not be a misfortune. The next year a war started and all the young men were recruited to fight, except the young man, because of his hip. The father was too old to fight and the son was disabled, consequently they were safe from the perils of war. In the end we learn that only time will tell which situations are bad or good.
Translation by Xiang YeYoung and Li Evon