A Chinese Literature. * summary

1. The Soul of the
Great Bell

2. Nearly 500 years ago, China was Ruled by an Emperor
named Yung-Lo. He was a good leader; he wanted
everything in his kingdom to be at peace. But he was
impatient. What he wants, he wants to get immediately.

3. Have Kouan-Yu summoned. I am in
need of his service. Quickly!
Your highness, you
called for me?

4. Ahh, Kouan-Yu, I
have a request for
you.
What can I do for you,
your majesty?

5. I want you to make a
bell of such size that
the sound thereof might
be heard for a hundred
li. The voice of the bell
should be strengthened
with brass, deepened
with gold and sweetened
with silver;
That the face and the
lips of it should be
engraved with the
blessed sayings from
the sacred books. It
should be suspended in
the center of the
Imperial Capitol, to
sound through all the
many colored streets of
the City of Peking.

6. Your majesty, I’ll see what I
can do, but I can’t promise
you a bell of such quality.
Are you denying my
request, Kouan-Yu?

7. No, your
highness.
Very well, I want you
to finish this bell as
soon as possible, or
else, great
consequences will
follow.

8. But emperor, with due
respect, making that
kind of bell in a small
amount of time is
impossible.
I don’t care! Make
this happen! Don’t
disappoint me
Kouan-Yu!

9. Of course, your
highness.

10. With the emperor’s command, Kouan-Yu assembled the
master molders, the famous bell smith of the empire and
all the men who were experts in foundry work. They
worked day and night in preparing the bell. When the
bell was finished……

11. Master! Master! We have something
to tell you! The gold, the silver, the
brass and the iron would not blend
with one another. This is impossible!
Try it again!
Maybe this time,
the metals will
blend. Light the
fire! Prepare the
moulds!

12. For the second time, the bell was cast, but the
result was even worse. The metals refused to
blend with one another. The sides were cracked
and fissured; the lips of the bell were split.

13. What should I do? the emperor
will be surely mad with me.

14. The emperor heard that Kouan-Yu had failed
to do his request for the second time. So, he
sent his messenger to Kouan-Yu.

15. I brought a letter, a
letter from the
emperor.
Kouan-Yu, I am greatly
disappointed for still not
accomplishing the task I
gave you.
For this, if you failed
the third time, you will
be sentenced to death!
Your head will be cut
off from your neck!

16. Kouan-Yu had a daughter of dazzling loveliness
whose name was Ko-Ngai; whose heart was even
more beautiful than her face. She loved her father
very much. One day, she accidentally read the letter
of the emperor for his father.

17. Oh no! what fate my
father would suffer if
this bell was not made.
I’ve got to help him!

18. Ko-Ngai sold some of her jewels secretly so
that she can have the money to pay the
astrologer who could tell her what to do.

19. Are you the
astrologer? I
need your help.
Indeed, I am the one
you are searching for. I
can help you, but can
you pay the price?

20. Yes, here’s the
money. Now, please
tell me, how can I
help my father?
How can the bell be
made?

21. Gold and brass will never unite,
silver and iron will never mix,
until the flesh of a maiden be
melted with the crucible.
Until the blood of a
virgin be mixed with
the metals in their
fusion.
The Blood of a
virgin? That’s
outrageous!!
But that is the
only way!

22. Ko-Ngai returned home sorrowful at
heart, she kept what she heard a
secret.

23. The day came when the third attempt in
making the great bell was made. Everyone was
silent, only the roar of the fire was heard in
the foundry, and Ko-Ngai was there with her
waiting woman, watching her father work.

24. At your command
Master Kouan-Yu.Pour out the
metals into
the cast!

25. A cry caused Kouan-Yu to turn his head. It
was a sharp sweet voice like that of a bird’s
song.

26. For the sake of my father!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

27. Ko-Ngai!
NOOOOO!!!!

28. Let me go! My
daughter!!

29. Kouan-Yu tried to jump into the cast but the
strong men stopped him.

30. No Master It’s too
late!Let me go! I’ve got
to save Ko-Ngai!

31. After struggling so much, Kouan-Yu passed out.
Everyone was shocked because of what happened.
Kouan-Yu woke up after several hours and Ko-
Ngai’s waiting woman gave something to him.

32. I did my best to stop her,
but this shoe is all that I
have saved. I’m very sorry.
Why did she have to
do this? I would
rather have my head
cut off than see my
daughter die for
this worthless bell…

33. Master, the Emperor still needs
to be obeyed. He will be mad if
there is another delay.
Yes, I understand.
Pour out the
metals!

34. Hopeless as it may seem, they still continue.
But this time, the metals’ glow seemed to be
purer and whiter than before. There was no
sign of a beautiful body entombed therein.

35. Alas! The bell is
finished. It is
beautiful to look
upon, perfect in
form and
wonderful in color
above all bells.

36. The emperor saw the bell and
was pleased.

37. A great sacrifice
was made for that
bell your highness.
You never fail to
impress me Kouan-
Yu. Splendid work!

38. No price could
ever match the
worth of that bell,
your majesty.
Don’t worry Kouan-
Yu, I’ll pay you even
more than you
deserve.

39. When they sounded the bell, its tones were
found to be deeper and mellower and mightier
than the tones of any other bell, reaching
even beyond the distance of one hundred li,
like a pealing of summer thunder; and yet also
like some vast voice uttering a name, a
woman’s name, the name of Ko-Ngai.

40. And still, between each mighty stroke there is
a long low moaning heard; and ever the moaning
ends with a sound of sobbing and of
complaining, as though a weeping woman should
murmur, “Hiai!”

41. When the people hear that great golden moan
they keep silence, but when the sharp, sweet
shuddering comes in the air, and the sobbing
of “Hiai!” then, indeed, do all the Chinese
mothers in all the many-coloured ways of Pe-
King whisper to their little ones: “Listen! that
is Ko-Ngai crying for her shoe! That is Ko-Ngai
calling for her shoe!”

42. THE END