Lion Makers India

Literature

The Lion Makers

Rose_literature princess Rose_literature princess

9 years ago

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(A tale from Panchatantra in India)

In a certain town were four Brahmans who lived in friendship. Three of them had reached the far shore
of all scholarship, but lacked sense. The other found scholarship distasteful; he had nothing but sense.

One day they met for consultation. “What is the use of attainments,” said they, “If one does not travel,
win the favor of kings, and acquire money? Whatever we do, let us all travel.”

But when they had gone a little way, the eldest of them said: “One of us, the fourth, is a dullard, having
nothing but sense. Now nobody gains the favorable attention of kings by simple sense without
scholarship. Therefore we will not share our earnings with him. Let him turn back and go home.”

Then the second said: “My intelligent friend, you lack scholarship. Please go home.” But the third said:
“No, no. This is no way to behave. For we have played together since we were little boys. Come along,
my noble friend. You shall have a share of the money we earn.’

With this agreement they continued their journey, and in a forest they found the bones of a dead lion.
Thereupon one of them said: “A good opportunity to test the ripeness of our scholarship. Here lies some
kind of creature, dead. Let us bring it to life by means of the scholarship we have honestly won.”
Then the first said: “I know how to assemble the skeleton.” The second said: “I can supply skin, flesh, and
blood.” The third said: “I can give it life.” So the first assembled the skeleton, the second provided skin,
flesh, and blood. But while the third was intent on giving the breath of life, the man of sense advised
against it, remarking: “This is a lion. If you bring him to life, he will kill every one of us.”

“You simpleton!” said the other, “it is not I who will reduce scholarship to a nullity.” “In that case,” came
the reply, “wait a moment, while I climb this convenient tree.”

When this had been done, the lion was brought to life, rose up, and killed all three. But the man of
sense, after the lion had gone elsewhere, climbed down and went home.

And that is why I say:

“Scholarship is less than sense;

Therefore seek intelligence:

Senseless scholars in their pride

Made a lion; then they died.”

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American Literature

The Aged Mother

by Matsuo Basho

Also known as The Story of the Aged Mother, this Japanese folktale tells the story of an unkind ruler who
issues cruel orders, including one demand that all old folks are to be abandoned and left to die. Basho
tells a poignant story about a mother and her son and their love for one another.

An illustration for the story The Aged Mother by the author Matsuo Basho

Long, long ago there lived at the foot of the mountain a poor farmer and his aged, widowed mother.
They owned a bit of land which supplied them with food, and they were humble, peaceful, and happy.
Shining was governed by a despotic leader who though a warrior, had a great and cowardly shrinking
from anything suggestive of failing health and strength. This caused him to send out a cruel
proclamation. The entire province was given strict orders to immediately put to death all aged people.
Those were barbarous days, and the custom of abandoning old people to die was not uncommon. The
poor farmer loved his aged mother with tender reverence, and the order filled his heart with sorrow. But
no one ever thought twice about obeying the mandate of the governor, so with many deep and hopeless
sighs, the youth prepared for what at that time was considered the kindest mode of death.

Just at sundown, when his day’s work was ended, he took a quantity of unwhitened rice which was the
principal food for the poor, and he cooked, dried it, and tied it in a square cloth, which he swung in a
bundle around his neck along with a gourd filled with cool, sweet water. Then he lifted his helpless old
mother to his back and started on his painful journey up the mountain. The road was long and steep; the
narrow road was crossed and re-crossed by many paths made by the hunters and woodcutters. In some
place, they lost and confues, but he gave no heed. One path or another, it mattered not. On he went,
climbing blindly upward -- ever upward towards the high bare summit of what is known as Obatsuyama,
the mountain of the “abandoning of the aged.”

The eyes of the old mother were not so dim but that they noted the reckless hastening from one path to
another, and her loving heart grew anxious. Her son did not know the mountain’s many paths and his
return might be one of danger, so she stretched forth her hand and snapping the twigs from brushes as
they passed, she quietly dropped a handful every few steps of the way so that as they climbed, the
narrow path behind them was dotted at frequent intervals with tiny piles of twigs. At last the summit
was reached. Weary and heart sick, the youth gently released his burden and silently prepared a place of
comfort as his last duty to the loved one. Gathering fallen pine needles, he made a soft cushion and
tenderly lifted his old mother onto it. Hew rapped her padded coat more closely about the stooping
shoulders and with tearful eyes and an aching heart he said farewell.

The trembling mother’s voice was full of unselfish love as she gave her last injunction. “Let not thine
eyes be blinded, my son.” She said. “The mountain road is full of dangers. LOOK carefully and follow the
path which holds the piles of twigs. They will guide you to the familiar path farther down”. The son’s
surprised eyes looked back over the path, then at the poor old, shriveled hands all scratched and soiled
by their work of love. His heart broke within and bowing to the ground, he cried aloud: “oh, Honorable
mother, your kindness breaks my heart! I will not leave you. Together we will follow the path of twigs,
and together we will die!”
Once more he shouldered his burden (how light it seemed now) and hastened down the path, through
the shadows and the moonlight, to the little hut in the valley. Beneath the kitchen floor was a walled
closet for food, which was covered and hidden from view. There the son hid his mother, supplying her
with everything she needed, continually watching and fearing she would be discovered. Time passed,
and he was beginning to feel safe when again the governor sent forth heralds bearing an unreasonable
order, seemingly as a boast of his power. His demand was that his subjects should present him with a
rope of ashes.

The entire province trembled with dread. The order must be obeyed yet who in all Shining could make a
rope of ashes? One night, in great distress, the son whispered the news to his hidden mother. “Wait!”
she said. “I will think. I will think” On the second day she told him what to do. “Make rope of twisted
straw,” she said. “Then stretch it upon a row of flat stones and burn it on a windless night.” He called the
people together and did as she said and when the blaze died down, there upon the stones, with every
twist and fiber showing perfectly, lay a rope of ashes.

The governor was pleased at the wit of the youth and praised greatly, but he demanded to know where
he had obtained his wisdom. “Alas! Alas!” cried the farmer, “the truth must be told!” and with deep
bows he related his story. The governor listened and then meditated in silence. Finally he lifted his head.
“Shining needs more than strength of youth,” he said gravely. “Ah, that I should have forgotten the well-
known saying, “with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom!” That very hour the cruel law was
abolished, and custom drifted into as far a past that only legends remain.

The Aged Mother was featured as The Short Story of the Day on Sat, May 11, 2019

Note Well: some of the arcane words that were used in the original English translation were replaced
with their modern-day equivalents.

This story is featured in our collection of Short Short Stories to read when you have five minutes to spare
and Short Stories for Middle School II

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
8.9

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Anton Chekhov

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Susan Glaspell

Mark Twain

Edgar Allan Poe

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

Herman Melville

Stephen Leacock

Kate Chopin

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson

The Trial of the Stone is a humorous folk tale in which a stone is accused of a crime and the villagers at
the trial must learn to take the judicial system seriously.
A young boy named Matt is off to visit his grandfather in a faraway village. He has been on the road all
day, and when dusk falls, Matt finds a place to sleep near a big rock. He hides the few pennies he has for
the next day's breakfast safely under a stone. A scoundrel in a red shirt watches Matt settle in and sees
him hide his money. When the boy is fast asleep, the man tiptoes over, steals the few pennies and runs
away.

In the morning, the boy wakes to find his breakfast money gone. He looks everywhere - but no pennies.
In his distress, he raises such a ruckus that the people from a nearby village come running. The constable
takes charge and inquires what is wrong. Matt tells his sad story. The village chief then orders the
constable to carry the stone to the village to stand trial for theft. The villagers trail along to see what will
happen

In the trial, the stone is accused of stealing Matt's money. The rock remains silent, but the crowd giggles.
They are warned to keep quiet, as this is a serious matter. The rock refuses to answer any further
questions and is finally charged with contempt of court. This causes the crowd to laugh out loud. As their
laughter continues and they further annoy the court, they all end up being charged one penny for the
disturbance. The chief awards the pennies to the boy. And it is the man in the red shirt who is ordered to
carry the disobedient rock back where it belongs. With his new money, Matt buys his breakfast and goes
happily on his way.

The Trial of the Stone is based on an old folk tale that appears in various forms throughout Africa, Asia
and South America. Less

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Average rating3.72 · 43 ratings · 3 reviews

Ch_wesley Miller

Ch_wesley Miller rated it liked it

about 10 years ago

This humorous folktale found in various forms throughout Asia and South America is about a young boy
traveling on a long journey to see his grandfather. He decides to rest along the way and hides his small
change under a nearby rock. When he awakens the money is missing. ...more

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