The Tale of Rabbit#4
The Dragon King, whose illness had grown worse so that he could scarcely move, saw the rabbit and at once regained some spirit. Throwing open the window, he commanded in a loud voice,
“By the order of Heaven, I have guarded the southern seas, sent rain to humankind, and bestowed grace upon the creatures of the waters. Then, by chance, I fell ill, and it was said that only by eating a rabbit’s liver could I recover. Therefore my loyal palace official captured you and brought you here. If I remove your liver and eat it, and my illness is cured, I shall never forget your merit. I will have your portrait painted and remembered for ages, build a memorial hall in your honor, and inscribe my name so that your grace may be passed down to my descendants for ten thousand generations. If by sacrificing your one life you save mine, will that not be a worthy deed? So do not grieve in the slightest—simply bare your belly and accept the knife.”
The rabbit did not answer. Instead, he lifted his head, looked at the Dragon King, and let tears fall. Seeing this, the Dragon King felt pity, thinking that the creature seemed to be dying innocently because of him. Yet since death was unavoidable, he sought at least to comfort him with gentle words.
“Do you weep because you are sorrowful?”
“Not at all. I do not weep because death is sorrowful. I weep because I cannot die.”
The Dragon King, puzzled by this absurd answer, asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“I shall explain. A miserable little life like mine is of no account in the human world. At any time I might become an eagle’s meal, or a hunter’s side dish. If I were to die that way, who would ever know that I had lived in this world? But if my liver were taken out and used to cure Your Majesty’s illness, then my name would be remembered for ages. And if, in addition, Your Majesty would have my portrait painted and build a memorial hall for me, what greater honor could there be? But this foolish creature came here without bringing his liver, and that is why I weep with such bitterness.”
The Dragon King burst into laughter. “What a fool you are. Even a lie should at least be plausible if you wish someone to believe it. Your body is here—how can you claim that the liver inside your belly did not come with you?”
Instead of answering, the rabbit merely looked upward and smiled. Seeing this, the Dragon King asked again, “Do you smile because your deceit has been exposed and you have nothing left to say?” Only then did the rabbit reply. “I have plenty to say. But seeing one as exalted as Your Majesty so ignorant, I cannot help but laugh. Your Majesty commands transformations at will, rises into the heavens, summons clouds, sends rain, and knows the principles of heaven and earth in every detail. Yet do you not know that rabbits can remove and replace their livers as they please? Even children gathering firewood know this. How can one such as Your Majesty be so ignorant? The moon waxes until the full moon, then wanes again after it has passed. That is why people have long linked rabbits with the changing moon. The tides of the sea too advance and retreat, swelling at one time and diminishing at another. Our rabbit livers are like the moon and like the tides. Before the full moon we keep them inside our bellies; after the full moon we take them out and set them aside, so that their energy may fill and empty, advance and withdraw in constant rhythm. That is why our livers make such fine medicine. If they remained always inside us like the livers of other beasts, why would anyone specifically say that rabbit liver is precious? On the fifteenth day of this month there was a gathering of mountain beasts. Before going there, I removed my liver, wrapped it in a banana leaf, and hung it high on the branch of a pine tree atop the mountain. To put it back into my belly, I must wait until the first day of next month. But since I met the special palace official at the gathering and came here directly with him, how could I possibly have brought my liver?”
Hearing this, the Dragon King found the reasoning almost convincing. If only he had asked the immortal more carefully about the matter of rabbit liver when the medicine was first prescribed. But regret was of no use now. Still wishing to confirm it, he questioned the rabbit once more.
“How can you, having no hands, take a liver in and out of your belly?”
“A rabbit has a separate opening through which the liver comes out. If we merely tense our belly, the liver slips out through that opening, and if we swallow it through the mouth, it goes back in.”
“Do you truly mean to say that there is a separate opening from which the liver comes out?”
“There are three openings in my backside. Through one I pass stool, through another I pass urine, and through the third I pass my liver.”
The Dragon King ordered his attendants to examine the rabbit’s rear. When they looked, there did indeed appear to be three openings. Only then did the Dragon King believe the rabbit’s words and ask, “If your liver is not here, how then am I to cure my illness?”
“If Your Majesty will trust me, then send me back to land. Once I return to the mountains, I shall bring not only my own liver, but many others belonging to the rabbits who have hung theirs up alongside mine.”
The turtle was left speechless, and the rabbit’s life was spared.
Lying there beside them and listening to the exchange between the Dragon King and the rabbit, the turtle felt as though his heart were collapsing. He had suffered beyond words to bring that creature this far. Worse still, though he had never even met the rabbit’s wife, how could he possibly go and find her? No matter how he thought about it, he could not believe this talk of a rabbit traveling without its liver. Even if he had to return to land and capture another rabbit, it seemed better first to cut open this one’s belly and see for himself. So he addressed the Dragon King:
“There is no record in history that a rabbit can remove and replace its liver, nor does such a claim accord with reason. Cut open this creature’s belly, and if there is truly no liver inside, then I myself shall go out again and bring back another rabbit. But first, Your Majesty, cut open this one and see.”
The rabbit realized that if the Dragon King accepted the turtle’s words, he was certain to die. Somehow, he had to silence the turtle. Turning toward him, the rabbit rebuked him sharply.
“I had refrained from reporting all that you have done to the Dragon King, bearing it only because of the affection born of the long journey we suffered together across ten thousand li of sea. But you become more unruly by the moment. When you first met me in the mountains, it happened to be the full moon, the very day when hundreds of my kin remove their livers all at once. If you had revealed your true purpose then, I would have chosen several among those hundreds whose medicinal power was strongest. But instead, you concealed your heart and deceived me, saying that I was to enter office in the underwater palace. That was your first wrongdoing. And now you would commit another? The Dragon King’s illness is grave, and either you or I must go out and fetch the liver if he is to be cured. Yet instead of thinking how to obtain it, you scheme only to kill me. And if you cut open my belly and there is no liver there, then what will you do? Even if you return to the mountains, word will already have spread that I went to the underwater palace to enter service. Which rabbit would so much as glance at you then? In that case, not only will you fail to get a rabbit—you may not even save your own life. And how then will the Dragon King’s illness be cured? You speak without any thought for what comes before or after, uttering only nonsense. And you call yourself a loyal subject? No—not a loyal subject, but a disgrace that would ruin the kingdom. As for me, even if I die here, I shall have no grievance. Go on, then—cut open my belly. Yes, cut it open!”
The rabbit thrust out his belly boldly again and again, while the turtle, having no answer, merely crouched there blinking his eyes. From above, the Dragon King saw that the rabbit’s words fit the situation all too well.
The Dragon King looked around at the ministers of the court and asked, “What should be done about this matter?”
The Minister of Justice, the Gray Mullet, stepped forward and said, “When guilt is difficult to determine, it is said that punishment should be made light, and when sentence is passed, the accused should be pitied. We cannot know for certain whether this rabbit truly has its liver or not. If we rashly cut open its belly and there is no liver, then we will have failed in mercy toward the accused. Therefore, Your Majesty, do not cut open his belly.”
The Minister of War, the Trout, also came forward and added, “It is said that if one uses fine bait, there will always be fish that bite. Since we have already decided not to kill him, let us soothe the rabbit’s heart and win him over.”
The Dragon King resolved to follow this advice. Changing his expression and forcing a smile, he scolded the special palace official and greatly honored the rabbit.
“Master Rabbit’s words are entirely correct. It was my own foolishness not to speak plainly from the beginning. Had I explained the matter in full, it would have ended well for both sides. I shall not dwell on what has already passed. Attend to Master Rabbit and escort him to a place of honor.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than the palace attendants rushed down and helped the rabbit up. Full of swagger, the rabbit lifted his forepaws like a monkey and trotted forward on his hind feet. When he came up beside the Dragon King, a special seat had already been prepared for him. The Dragon King then addressed him once more with renewed courtesy.
“Though water and land are different realms, your great reputation has long been known. I had wished to pay you a visit myself, yet instead I have caused you to come all the way to this underwater palace. I am truly ashamed.”
The rabbit replied with a show of dignity.
“Reputation? It is hardly worth mentioning. Still, it astonishes me that some immortal should have spoken my name.”
“How many days will it take you to return to land, fetch your liver, and come back?”
“If the water route is eight thousand li, then with the special palace official carrying me day and night without rest, it will take four days. And once we reach land, if I carry him to the mountain day and night, it will take three more. Seven days to go, seven days to return—allowing generously, I shall be back within fifteen days.”
The rabbit is feasted and freely toys with the ministers of the underwater palace.
The Dragon King, overjoyed, held a great feast in honor of the rabbit. Splendid folding screens were set up, and beautiful music filled the hall. Lovely maidens danced gracefully holding little bells, and young singers sang in clear voices. Cheerful music played without pause, while wine and food overflowed in abundance. Though arranged in haste, the feast was no less grand than the celebration held when the palace was first completed.
The frivolous rabbit drank his fill, and as the wine rose to his head, he began dancing with the heavenly maidens, speaking impudently.
“Leave aside my liver—even a mere kiss from me would let you live three or four hundred years without trouble.”
The maidens, intrigued, all came running one after another to kiss the rabbit.
After all manner of mischief, the rabbit lifted his head and looked toward the wind-wall of the palace hall, where the ridge-beam inscription was hanging. Seeing it, he affected the air of a connoisseur.
“In the opening phrase of that inscription, it says, ‘The dragon’s bones were hung to serve as the beam.’ But since this is the Dragon King’s palace, the words ‘dragon’s bones’ do not seem appropriate.”
The Dragon King was startled and at once replied, “Indeed, you are quite right. Master Rabbit, please amend it with better characters.”
“It would be best to replace the character for dragon with the character for whale. But since bringing back the liver is urgent, I shall attend to that after I return.”
At last the feast came to an end, and as the rabbit took leave of the Dragon King, the king, seeking to flatter him, turned to the ministers and asked, “Master Rabbit’s merit is beyond measure. Once he returns with the liver, what office should be granted him, and what reward would suffice to repay his grace?”
The Minister of Personnel, the Perch, answered, “Master Rabbit’s talent is extraordinary. Grant him a noble title, appoint him to high office, and place him among the greatest advisers of the court.”
The Minister of Revenue, the Puffer Fish, quickly added, “Titles and offices alone will not be enough to repay Master Rabbit’s great merit. You should grant him rich land as well—broad fields by a great lake, with all the grass and fruit they produce.”
But the rabbit, deliberately feigning humility, said, “If only Your Majesty eats my liver and your illness is cured, then nothing else matters to me. I shall be satisfied with that alone.”
Having finished his farewells, he passed out through the gates of the Dragon Palace together with the special palace official, and at last felt a great weight lift from his heart: now, surely, he would live.
“Hurrying here, we passed by without even knowing what place was what. But today, do not do that. Tell me in detail whatever I ask along the way, and in return I shall give you a piece of fine liver so that you too may live long.”
Again the rabbit rode on the turtle’s back and came out onto land.
The turtle thought to himself that his life now depended on the rabbit. It would be best to obey him meekly. So he agreed, and the rabbit, delighted, began asking about everything he saw, while the turtle answered with all that he knew.
“What is that place we just passed over there?”
“That is a famous terrace celebrated in old poems.”
“And what is that over there?”
“That is another place beloved by poets, where people speak of mist, distance, and sorrow.”
“And that over there?”
“Those are rivers long associated with parting and lament.”
“And what about that?”
“That is a splendid pavilion praised for its sunset and river view.”
So the two went on, asking and answering about everything they saw, perfectly in step with one another. One asked, the other replied, and while they exchanged words back and forth, they crossed the wide sea and at last reached land. Once ashore, the rabbit went ahead and the turtle crawled along behind him.
The turtle was returning to the Dragon Palace, and the rabbit was returning to the mountains.
The rabbit burned with resentment and longed to demand a full accounting of the turtle’s crime. Yet if he made a mistake and those hard jaws clamped onto his leg, dragging him back into the water, that too would be disastrous. So he suppressed his anger and simply walked on in silence. After they had gone a long way, until the sea could no longer be seen, the rabbit suddenly leapt up onto a rock and shouted at the turtle.
“You wretched turtle! If I were to reckon up your crime, even killing you would not satisfy my anger. If the Dragon King had not been as gullible as he was, or if I had not possessed such quick wit, my precious life would surely have become the spirit of one wronged beneath the waves. They say that fish and beasts of the land are about equally foolish, but from what I have seen, scaled creatures are far more foolish than those with fur. How could a liver attached inside the belly be taken in and out at will? When I think of what you did, I ought to drag you into the mountains, gather all my companions, boil you alive, dip you in vinegar pepper paste, and make you the main dish at a great feast with white liquor. Still, when I consider it carefully, I cannot say that the blame is yours alone. What you did, you did for your king, so I will not rebuke you too harshly. And besides, I rode on your back across that vast sea, so in memory of the hardships we shared together in danger, I shall spare your life. Know that, and be on your way.”
As though bestowing some great favor, he went on speaking at length, then added,
“I promised to send your Dragon King a good medicine, and how could a gentleman such as I break his word? It is said that my droppings are effective in reducing fever, so people gather them and give them to sick children. Judging by your king’s complexion, the heat had risen to his face and dimmed his eyes. If he eats my droppings, his illness will be cured. Take them back and feed them to him.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he produced a great many pellet-like droppings. Wrapping them carefully in leaves, he loaded them onto the turtle’s back and tied them there with vine, and so the turtle carried them back to the underwater palace.
Having entered the very place of death and barely escaped with his life, then returned once more to the place where he had lived—how joyful the rabbit was. Hopping along, he began boasting to himself.
“Many famous heroes of old chased glory far from home, only to die before they could ever return. But I, thanks to my marvelous talent, deceived the Dragon King with nothing but my tongue at the very brink of danger, and crossed the waters back again. How wonderful, how wonderful—how dear is my homeland! The blue mountains and clear waters remain unchanged, just as I remember them. That green peak wrapped in white clouds is where I used to sit and play, and those fruit trees covered in vines are where I used to gather fruit. Uncle Raccoon Dog, have you been well? Brother Badger, are you keeping well? Never think of seeking office, and never think of moving away. When one enters office, the body is endangered; when one leaves home, one’s fate turns harsh. Let us remain here among these familiar blue mountains and moonlit winds, among our old companions, and enjoy ourselves together day and night.”
Meanwhile, the turtle returned to the underwater palace carrying the rabbit’s droppings. Just as the rabbit had said, the Dragon King ate them and recovered from his illness. Thus the turtle came to be honored as a loyal subject, while the rabbit, it is said, followed the immortal up to the palace on the moon and has been preparing medicine there ever since.
Though the rabbit and the turtle are nothing but insignificant creatures, their loyalty and remarkable wisdom are said to be no less than that of human beings, and many songs were made about them and spread throughout the world. If a person, bearing the name of man, proves inferior to a rabbit or a turtle, would that not be shameful? Take heed, all of you.