I must admit that I generally don’t really like fairy tales in which tigers are presented as evil due to their specific reverent attitude towards felines. Especially tigers, which I don’t just love, but just adore and adore! For me, tigers are one of those phenomena outside world, which I can admire endlessly. Their gait, grace, gaze... and the fact that they are predators cannot in any way be an argument for me to consider them evil.
By the way, it is precisely because of my love for tigers that I have never been to Thailand before. I am far from attracted by photographs of friends bottle-feeding tiger cubs since I saw WHAT they do with these tigers and cubs so that they are so obedient and eat like that...
But let's get back to the book.
Traugott simply could not resist the illustrations. As is the case with Lion and dog(showed a book)
Well, what tigers are here! Let it be like a beautiful artistic “tiger” album. Moreover, the fairy tale itself is short, there are literally 2-5 lines of text per spread, the font is bold and large enough.
And of course about the plot: well stupid tiger! Truly, “curiosity killed the cat.” After all, the elders said - don’t meddle with a person! In general, we are all here discussing the degree of reasonable human intervention in nature, but here, on the other hand, “nature” itself has reached out to man. Well, he got what he deserved, accordingly. I asked for it, you might say. Because:
"...it is not the one who is stronger who wins, but the one who is smarter"
The only thing that seems to me is that the Traugott illustrations still look better on thick offset than on chalk. Offset conveys the characteristic Traugot strokes better.
The whole book is below the cut.
Stupid tiger. Tibetan folk tale
In Ozone
In Read.ru
In one forest there lived an old, smart tiger. When the time came for him to die, he called his son and asked:
Tell me, who has the biggest fangs in the world?
The tiger,” the son answered.
Right. Who has the sharpest claws on their paws?
Also the tiger.
And that's true. Who runs the fastest and jumps the highest?
“Tiger,” the son repeated without thinking.
Then answer me last question: who is the strongest on earth?
The strongest is the one who has the largest fangs, the sharpest claws, who runs the fastest and jumps the highest. I am the strongest of all - the tiger!
The dying father sighed:
I once thought that the tiger was the most powerful animal on earth. But now I know that man is the strongest. Listen to my words: fear a person, hide from him, never seek a meeting with him and do not enter into a fight with him. Man is stronger than the tiger!
He said so and died.
The young tiger thought about his father’s words: “Oh, and a man’s fangs are terrible if he is stronger than a tiger! And his claws are truly enormous! It would be nice to look at a person at least from afar. You just need to find out where it is found.”
The tiger thought so and went to look for the man. I walked and walked and met a yak in the mountains.
“That’s right, this is a man,” thought the tiger. - Only he has no claws at all and no fangs are visible. Just in case, I’ll find out if it’s a person.”
Tell me,” the tiger shouted from afar, “are you not a man?”
Yak was surprised:
What kind of person am I? I'm an ordinary yak.
Of course, I saw it more than once!
Is it true that humans have bigger fangs and claws than me?
What are you, what are you! Humans have no fangs or claws.
Why not? - the tiger was surprised. “That means he has very strong paws if the tiger can’t handle him!”
His paws are very weak. A man cannot kill even a wolf with a blow of his paw.
“You’re lying,” said the tiger angrily. - My father said that man is stronger than all animals. I'll go ask someone else about the person.
And again the tiger went to look for the man. I walked and walked and met a camel.
“Wow, what a big beast,” thought the tiger. This is probably the person.”
And, just in case, hiding in dense thickets, the tiger shouted to the camel:
Tell me, are you not human?
What are you, what are you! - the camel was surprised, - I don’t look like a human at all.
Have you ever seen a person?
Should I not see a person! - exclaimed the camel. - He has been riding on my hump for ten years, and I serve him day and night in all weathers!
So the person is even bigger than you? - the tiger was surprised.
No! - The camel shook his head. - The man is very small. To put him on his back, I have to kneel down.
Well then, he probably has a very thick skin if he is not afraid of the fangs and claws of a tiger?
I can tell you that of all animals, humans have the most delicate skin. You won't believe it, even from a mosquito bite it itches!
"How so? - thought the tiger. - So my late father told me a lie. That's right, he had never seen a person. It turns out that man is not a terrible beast at all.”
And the tiger decided to find the man at all costs and eat him.
He wandered for a long time through the forests and mountains in search of a person, until one day he heard some knocking at the edge of the forest. It was a woodcutter cutting down an oak tree.
In one leap the tiger was at the edge of the forest.
“What a funny animal,” thought the tiger. “He has no fangs, no claws, he doesn’t even have skin.”
Having made another jump, the tiger found itself next to the man.
“Listen,” said the tiger, “I have never seen such animals before.” It's amazing that you haven't been eaten by wolves or bears in the forest yet.
“But I’m not an animal, that’s why they didn’t eat me,” said the man.
Who are you if not a beast? - asked the tiger.
Do not you see? I am human!
Human?! - the tiger was surprised. - That’s who you are, it turns out! And my stupid father was afraid of you.
“Your father was a smart tiger if he was afraid of man,” said the woodcutter.
Now we will find out who is smarter - me or my father. Before the sun has time to go behind the mountain, I will eat you.
“Ah, Mr. Tiger,” said the woodcutter, “before I die, I want to show you what I can do.” Look what a lair I've built for myself.
Show me, quickly! - the tiger barked. - I'm very hungry! Go ahead, I'll follow you.
The woodcutter quickly walked towards his dwelling, and the tiger trailed behind him and grumbled:
My father was a coward! I was scared of such a booger - a man!
The woodcutter approached his dwelling made of stone slabs.
What is it? - asked the tiger.
This is my lair,” said the woodcutter. - It’s very comfortable to live in: I don’t get wet by rain, I’m not afraid of heat or snow.
Ah, that's how it is! - the tiger was happy, - This is your lair! When I eat you, I will live in it myself!
But you don’t know how to open and close the door in it,” said the man. - Let me show you.
The woodcutter entered the house, closed the door behind him and shouted through the crack to the tiger:
Try to get me now!
The tiger poked the door with his paw, but the door was strong and did not give in.
“You see,” said the woodcutter, “what kind of home I have.” In it I am not afraid of anyone, not even you.
Having said this, the man opened the door and left the house.
And the tiger thought: “Man is a very stupid animal. After all, he could have escaped from me in his house, but he had no idea.”
Don't you want to see how nice it is in my lair? - asked the woodcutter.
“I want it,” said the tiger and entered the house.
And as soon as he was inside the house, the woodcutter slammed the door, propped it up with a thick stake and slowly went to the edge of the forest to cut down trees.
Hey! - the tiger shouted. - Let me out now! The sun is already hiding behind the mountain, and I still haven’t eaten you!
“And you won’t eat it,” said the woodcutter. - Because the one who is smarter wins, not the one who is stronger. Goodbye stupid tiger. Your father was smarter than you!
No matter how hard the tiger fought, he was unable to break down the doors of the house. The man made them very strong and well.
And in the evening the woodcutter came to his house with a gun, shot the tiger and made a stuffed animal out of its skin.
Current page: 4 (book has 11 pages total) [available reading passage: 8 pages]
Hundred thousand arrows
This tale was told to my grandfather by a hundred-year-old warrior. The warrior heard it in childhood from his great-grandfather. So count how long ago all this happened.
And our fairy tale is about how a peasant saved his country from foreigners.
Enemies attacked China. They approached great river Yangtze, stopped on the shore and began to prepare for the crossing. The Chinese emperor became alarmed, hastily gathered his soldiers and led them to the other side of the Yangtze.
Night fell, and the Chinese emperor sent clever scouts to the foreigners’ camp. Before dawn the spies returned and said:
There are more of them than grains of rice in the field. There are more of them than stars in the black sky summer night. And every foreigner has a full quiver of arrows.
The emperor was frightened and asked:
– What else have your eyes seen and your ears heard?
“And the enemies also said to each other: “In four days we will cross the Yangtze, kill all the Chinese, and drown the emperor in the river.”
The ruler of the Chinese was even more frightened. And his advisers consulted for a long time and said this:
– The gods do not want good luck for the Chinese! Since the enemies have so many arrows, we must retreat.
The old peasant heard these words and came to the ruler’s tent.
- What do you want, ragamuffin? - asks the guard.
“I want to tell the emperor not to listen to his advisers.”
– Who should the emperor listen to if not his learned advisers?
“Me,” said the peasant.
- Heh! You're just crazy! – the guards shouted. - Get out while you're alive!
The emperor heard the noise and came out of the tent, followed by his advisors.
The peasant bowed low:
- Great and wise! Is it true that our army will retreat without a fight?
“True,” the emperor answers. – The Chinese soldiers do not have enough arrows for the battle.
- Order, O son of heaven, to make arrows. Are there any shortage of skilled craftsmen in China?
The emperor got angry and exclaimed:
- What are you saying, you lop-eared dog! No one can make one hundred thousand arrows in three days.
- This means that you need to defeat the enemy with intelligence, cunning and courage. Are there any shortage of smart, cunning and brave warriors in China?
The Emperor turned away from the courtiers and said:
“My smart and cunning advisers didn’t come up with anything.”
Then the peasant looked at the sky, at the river, at the tree branches that were slightly swaying from the coastal wind, and said:
“In three days I will lay a hundred thousand arrows at your feet.”
- Oh, you turtle egg! - the emperor cried. “Okay, remember: if in three days I don’t have the promised arrows, I will order you to be buried alive in the ground.”
“So be it,” the peasant said humbly. “In the meantime, order to give me twenty boats, fifty soldiers and all the straw that is nearby.”
The court advisers laughed:
“Aren’t you thinking of making us happy with straw arrows?!”
“My arrows will be no better and no worse than the enemy’s arrows,” answered the peasant.
The emperor thought and thought and agreed. They gave the peasant twenty boats, fifty soldiers and fifteen carts of straw. The peasant ordered the soldiers to take the boats to a quiet creek, hidden from the eyes of enemies by tall, dense reeds.
The day has passed. The emperor was impatient to find out how many arrows the peasant had already prepared, and he sent his general to him. He returned and reported:
“The peasant drank, ate and sang songs all day. And none of his soldiers made any arrows.
- This is a scammer! He dared to deceive me!
And the court advisers bowed to the ground and hastened to assure:
- Of course, this is an unheard-of deceiver! Can a simple peasant come up with something that the emperor himself and his best advisers did not come up with?
The second day passed, and again they reported to the emperor:
“The peasant spent the whole morning fishing in the reeds, and the soldiers lay idle on the shore.
The emperor could not stand it and went to the backwater himself.
- Show me the arrows! - he shouted menacingly to the peasant.
- I promised to prepare arrows, O son of heaven, after three days, but only two have passed. Come to me the day after tomorrow morning - and you will receive what you promised.
The lord did not believe the peasant. Where can he get a hundred thousand arrows in a day?
And before entering his tent, the emperor ordered to dig a hole nearby:
“The day after tomorrow morning the executioner will bury the shameless deceiver in her!”
And at this time they were no longer dozing in the creek. By order of the peasant, the soldiers lined the boats with a thick layer of straw. Small straw huts were built for the rowers on the boats.
Night fell, and a thick fog suddenly rose from the lower reaches of the river. When the fog covered the entire river, the peasant ordered to set sail. The soldiers sat down in huts, waved their oars, and the boats silently sailed towards the enemy shore.
Soon the Chinese reached the middle of the river and heard the voices of strangers. The rowers froze, afraid to utter a single sound. Suddenly the peasant laughed loudly and ordered everyone to shout and beat copper basins and drums. The boats approached the enemy with such a noise, as if a herd of buffalo were swimming along the river.
The strangers could not see anything thick fog. They only heard a great many voices.
And when the boats approached the shore, the enemies showered the rowers with clouds of arrows. The arrows buzzed like bumblebees and pierced the straw huts of the rowers with a snake's thorn. And the Chinese made noise and beat the gongs harder and harder. When there was very little left to the enemy shore, the peasant ordered the boats to be turned stern towards the strangers and not to row.
The boats stopped, but the Chinese were still making so much noise that sometimes they even drowned out the whistle of the arrows. And there were so many arrows that the sides of the boats shook from their blows.
Several minutes passed, and the arrows no longer struck the boats so often. Finally their buzzing became very weak. Then the peasant turned his face to the enemies and shouted:
- Thank you!
And immediately the Chinese began to row with all their might towards their shore. The boats reached the creek as the bright morning rays of the sun cut through the night fog. Everyone who was on the shore saw with amazement that twenty huge porcupines were swimming along the backwater. But it turned out not to be porcupines, but boats, completely covered with arrows. The stern, bow, sides and huts - everything was showered with thousands of enemy arrows.
As soon as the sun dried the dew, the emperor and his advisers arrived at the creek.
The Emperor emerged from the stretcher and saw the soldiers tirelessly pulling arrows out of the straw, counting them and tying them up by the thousands. And although there were already more than a hundred of these bundles, there were still many arrows sticking out in the boats.
The emperor understood everything and exclaimed in amazement:
- How did you know that on the third night there would be fog on the river?
To this the peasant replied:
– If a warrior does not know the laws of heaven and earth and does not understand his language native nature, then let him sit in the fanza and babysit the children.
Then one learned adviser to the emperor stepped forward and proudly said:
“I also knew that there would be fog tonight.”
The peasant grinned and said:
“However, your knowledge has not brought anyone any benefit.” This means that no one needs them.
At the same hour the arrows were distributed Chinese soldiers. The warriors crossed the river and attacked their opponents. And now the strangers did not have even a thousand arrows. They fled in fear, but not many managed to escape the disastrous blows of the brave Chinese soldiers.
About the stupid tiger
(Tibetan fairy tale)
In one forest there lived an old, smart tiger. When the time came for him to die, he called his son and asked:
- Tell me, who has the biggest fangs in the world?
“Of course, from the tiger,” answered the son.
- Right. Who has the sharpest claws on their paws?
- Also from the tiger.
- And that's true. Well, who runs the fastest and jumps the highest?
“Tiger,” the son repeated without thinking.
- Well done! Now answer my last question. Who is the strongest on earth?
The young tiger laughed:
“The strongest is the one who has the biggest fangs, the sharpest claws, who runs the fastest and jumps the highest.” I am the strongest of all - the tiger!
The dying father sighed:
“I once thought that the tiger was the most powerful animal on earth.” But now I know that man is stronger than all animals. Listen to my words: beware of man, hide from him, never seek a meeting with him and do not enter into a fight with him. Man is stronger than the tiger.
He said so and died.
The young tiger thought about his father’s words: “Oh, a man must have terrible fangs if he is stronger than a tiger!” And his claws are truly enormous! It would be nice to look at a person at least from afar. You just need to find out where it is found.”
The tiger thought so and went to look for the man. I walked and walked and once met a yak in the mountains.
“That’s right, this is a man,” thought the tiger. - Only he has no claws at all. And the fangs are not visible. Just in case, we need to make sure.”
“Tell me,” the tiger shouted from afar, “are you not a man?”
Yak was surprised:
– What kind of person am I?
I'm an ordinary yak.
-Have you ever seen a person? - asked the tiger, approaching the yak.
- Of course, and more than once!
“Is it true that humans have bigger fangs and claws than me?” – asked the striped ignoramus.
- What are you, what are you! Humans have no fangs or claws.
- Really? – the tiger was surprised. “That means he has very strong paws if the tiger can’t handle him.”
- His paws are very weak. A man cannot even kill a wolf with a blow of his paw.
“You’re confusing something,” said the tiger. “My father said that man is stronger than all animals.” I'll go ask someone else about the person.
And again the tiger went to wander in search of a man. One day he met a camel: “Wow, what a big beast,” thought the tiger. “This is probably a person.” And, just in case, hiding in the dense thickets, he shouted:
- Tell me, are you not human?
“What are you, what are you,” the camel was surprised. “I don’t look like a human at all.”
-Have you ever seen him? - asked the tiger.
- Shouldn’t I see a person! - the camel exclaimed. - He has been riding on my hump for ten years, I serve him day and night in all weathers!
- So the person is even bigger than you? – the tiger was surprised.
- No! – the camel shook his head. - The man is very small. To put him on his back, I have to go down on my front knees.
- Well, then he probably has a very thick skin if he is not afraid of the fangs and claws of a tiger?
“I can tell you that of all animals, humans have the most delicate skin.” You won’t believe it: it itches even from a mosquito bite!
“How can this be,” thought the tiger. “So my late father told me a lie.” Perhaps he had never seen the person. It turns out that man is not a scary beast at all.”
And the tiger decided to find the man at all costs and eat him.
He wandered for a long time through the forests and mountains in search of a person, until one day he heard some knocking at the edge of the forest. It was a woodcutter cutting down a tree.
In one leap the tiger was at the edge of the forest. “What a funny animal,” he thought. – Has neither fangs nor claws. Not even a warm skin!” And having made one more jump, he found himself next to the man.
“Listen,” said the tiger, “I have never seen such animals before.” It's amazing that you haven't been eaten by wolves or bears in the forest yet.
“But I’m not an animal,” answered the woodcutter, “that’s why they didn’t eat me.”
-Who are you? - asked the tiger.
-Can't you see that I'm human?
- Human?! That's who you are, it turns out! And your late father was afraid of you. What a weirdo!
“It means your father was a wise tiger if he was afraid of man,” responded the woodcutter.
“But now we’ll find out who’s smarter, me or my father.” Before the sun has time to go behind the mountain, I will eat you.
“Ah, Mr. Tiger,” said the woodcutter, “before I die, I want to show you what I can do.” Look what a lair I've built for myself.
“Show me, and quickly,” the tiger barked. - I'm very hungry! Go ahead, I'll follow you.
The woodcutter quickly walked towards his dwelling, and the tiger trailed behind him and grumbled:
- My father was a coward! I was scared of such a booger - a man!
The woodcutter approached the dwelling made of logs.
- What is it? – asked the tiger.
“My lair,” answered the woodcutter. – It’s very comfortable to live in: I don’t get wet from the rain, I’m not afraid of heat or snow.
- That's how it is! - exclaimed the tiger. - When I eat you, I will settle in your lair myself. Just think, such an insignificant beast owns such a beautiful lair!
“But you don’t know how to use it, how to open and close the door,” said the man. - Let me show.
The woodcutter entered the house, closed the door behind him and shouted through the crack:
- Try to get me now!
The tiger poked the door with its paw, but it did not budge.
“You see,” said the woodcutter, “what a good lair I’ve built for myself.” No one is afraid of me in it, not even you.
The man said so, opened the door and left the house.
And the tiger thought: “Man is a very stupid animal. After all, he could have escaped from me in his lair, but he didn’t guess.”
“Would you like to see how nice it is in my lair?” - asked the woodcutter.
- Interesting to see! – the tiger agreed and entered the house.
And as soon as he was inside, the woodcutter slammed the door, propped it with a thick stake and slowly went to the edge of the forest to cut down trees.
- Hey! - the tiger growled. - Let me out now! The sun is already hiding behind the mountain, and I still haven’t eaten you!
“And you won’t eat it,” answered the woodcutter. – Because the one who is smarter wins, not the one who is stronger. Goodbye stupid tiger. Your father was smarter than you!
He said so and left.
No matter how hard the tiger fought, he could not break down the doors. Their man did a very good job.
And in the evening the woodcutter returned with a gun, shot the tiger and made a stuffed animal out of its skin.
River Dragon Wedding
In ancient times, the inhabitants of the banks of the Yellow River revered and feared the river dragon more than anything else. What they did not do, wanting to appease him and beg for a good rice harvest! The poor came to churches, prayed, and gave their last chokhas to the ministers. 8
Chokh is a small coin with a hole in the middle. Usually these coins were carried in bundles.
Trying to appease the river monster.
Once, in a dry year, when a hungry crowd had gathered on the shore, the servants of the gods - monks - came out of the temple and solemnly announced: the river dragon commands that a fifteen-year-old girl be given to him every year as his wife. If the inhabitants of the banks of the Yellow River do not fulfill this desire of the ruler, they will suffer famine, flood and pestilence.
The unfortunate people groaned and cried. But no one dared to break the will of the river dragon.
From that day on, every spring after sowing rice, the temple servants threw a fifteen-year-old girl to the bottom of the Yellow River.
But it always turned out that the daughter of poor parents was sacrificed, and girls from rich families lived without any fear. The rich people presented the monks with silver, gold and pearls, and when the time came to choose a bride for the river dragon, the monks always chose the daughters of the poor.
There lived in that area a simple peasant named Zhao Bai-yan. It was brave and clever man. At the hour of Zhao Bai-yan's birth, a fox came running to the fanza of his parents and said human voice:
– Your son was born at a happy hour: once in his life he will be able to take on the appearance of any person.
It happened one day that on the day of the sacrifice to the river dragon, the main servant of the temple did not return from a long trip. Zhao Bai-yan found out about this and immediately took on his appearance. He dressed in festive clothes and, together with other ministers, solemnly went to the river. A lot of people had already gathered there. On a gilded stretcher sat the dragon's bride in her wedding attire. Closing her beautiful eyes, she meekly awaited death. Her poor parents stood there, shedding tears.
When the temple servants approached the stretcher, the sounds of gongs and drumming were heard. Everyone was waiting for a sign from the main servant of the temple. As soon as he lifted up thumb- and another unfortunate girl would have died in the abyss of the Yellow River. The crowd's eyes turned to Zhao Bai-yan.
But instead of giving a thumbs up, Zhao Bai-yan said:
- Do not hurry! Today I want to accompany the bride to our lord myself. And therefore everything should be solemn and dignified.
Zhao Bai-yan interrupted his speech, looked at the nearest temple servant and said:
“Go to the river dragon palace and tell the lord of the Yellow River to come out to meet us.”
The monk turned pale and began to back away from the river. But Zhao Bai-yan ordered the guards to seize the rebellious man and throw him into the water. In front of the entire crowd, the guards threw the monk into the river. Half an hour passed.
“This man doesn’t know how to do anything,” said Zhao Bai-yan, “otherwise he would have returned long ago!”
And, placing his hand on the shoulder of the fattest servant of the temple, he said:
- Go, venerable one, to the dragon and carry out my orders.
The fat man pretended to be deaf. But Zhao Bai-yan gave a sign to the guards - and the pretender ended up in the river. Another half hour passed. Then Zhao Bai-yan shouted:
- Worthless! Lazy slackers! They keep me waiting!
Then he looked at the third monk and said:
- Go to the dragon and see what my careless envoys are doing there.
The servant fell to his knees and began humiliatingly begging for mercy. And after him all the other servants rushed to their knees. They swore that they would never again offer human sacrifices to the dragon.
Then Zhao Bai-yan ordered everyone to go home and helped the bride get off the stretcher. The happy girl fell into the arms of her parents.
Thus the river dragon weddings ceased forever.
Wonderful shell
Once upon a time, there lived a peasant named Zhang Gang. His parents died when he was still just a boy. Zhang Gang loved to work. He got up at dawn and worked in the field all day. I returned home only after sunset. No one in the village knew how to cultivate the land so well. Although the young man was tired at work, when he came home, he cooked, wrote, and mended his clothes. And he was always cheerful.
One day Zhang Gang went to the river on the water. On the shore he saw a large shell. The young man admired its dazzling shine. She shone in the sun like a diamond. Zhang Gang took the find home and put it in a clay vat.
The next day, when the young man returned from the field, he saw dinner someone had prepared on the table. Fanza could not even be recognized: everything was washed and tidied up. The pleasant smell of boiled rice came from the cauldron. “Who could try that? – Zhang Gang thought. “I remember very well that I locked the door.”
After dinner, the young man washed the dishes and went to bed, but could not sleep. I kept thinking about what happened.
Early in the morning, Zhang Gang wanted to start preparing breakfast, but it was already ready! Having eaten hastily, the surprised owner left the dishes unwashed, the bed untidy, the floor unswept and went to the field.
Zhang Gang returned home later than usual. Entering the fanza, he saw dinner on the table. And again the floor was swept, the bed was tidied. Moreover! The young man found that his shoes were washed, his dirty clothes were cleaned, and his socks were mended. “Maybe the kind old lady who lives nearby did all this?” – Zhang Gang thought and went to ask her.
- Good grandmother, did you prepare dinner for me, tidy up the fanza, clean my clothes, wash my shoes, mend my socks?
“What are you doing, dear, what are you saying, I don’t even have time to do my work.”
All night a young man sat with a lighted lamp and kept thinking: “Who cares so much about me?”
And he decided to come home early tomorrow.
So I did. Zhang Gang quietly approached the door of his fanza and looked through the crack. And I saw a charming girl in white clothes! She moved easily from the hearth to the table, preparing dinner. In surprise, the young man grabbed the door handle. Hearing the rustling, the beauty quickly approached the clay vessel and disappeared.
And Zhang Gang went to kind old lady for advice.
“If the girl appears again,” said the old woman, “bury the shell in which she is hiding.”
The next day the young man woke up very early, but did not go into the field, but, going out the door, hid and waited. Zhang Gang waited for a long time. The sun has already set high mountains, and the stars lit up in the sky. But the girl never appeared.
On the second day, Zhang Gang again did not go into the field, but stood outside the door. Evening has come. The sun went down behind the mountains, the stars sparkled in the sky, but the girl never appeared.
So the young man waited for six days and six nights. And I had already lost all hope.
And on the seventh day, saddened, Zhang Gang took a hoe and headed into the field. He walked and thought: “She will probably never appear again.”
The young man saw that a lot of weeds had grown in the field in a week, and he regretted that he had let it go like that. “You can’t forget the land that feeds you because of a girl,” Zhang Gang lamented. And he began to carefully pull out the weeds. I returned home late, when it was already completely dark.
The young man crossed the threshold of his fanza and couldn’t believe his eyes: dinner was waiting for him on the table. And what a one! Boiled fish, fried meat, white rice.
The next day, when Zhang Gang came to the field, he worked poorly, and sat more and more in the forest and thought about the girl. And when I returned home, I found a very meager dinner on the table - only rice water that had no taste.
In the morning the young man did not go to work. He sat at the door of the fanza and waited, hoping to see the mysterious beauty. During the day I was tired, hungry, thirsty, but still waited. Without waiting, he went again to the kind old woman for advice.
“Just think,” she said, “what girl would want to become the wife of a lazy man?”
From then on, Zhang Gang rose at dawn and went to bed late at night. And his field was again the best in the village.
One day before dawn the young man heard some rustling. Having dressed quickly, he went out quietly, but left the door ajar. The moon was shining through the Fanza window. And then Zhang Gang saw a clam crawl out of the shell and turn into beautiful girl. So beautiful that you couldn’t take your eyes off her. The beauty lit the stove and began to prepare breakfast. Then Zhang Gang remembered the old lady’s advice, quietly crept into the fanza, took the shell from the clay jug and hid it in his pocket. Seeing the young man, the girl rushed to the vessel, but there was no shell there. The stranger became sad and began to ask Zhang Gang to give her the shell. But nothing worked out for her. Then she said:
- Ask whatever you want, I will do it. Just return the sink.
- Be my wife!
Here the girl became embarrassed and could not raise her eyes for a long time. But the beauty’s eyelashes trembled.
“I agree,” she said quietly.
Since then, they worked together, rested together and lived happily.
One day, when it was already evening, two peasants were sitting in a reed hut and talking among themselves. One peasant asks another:
Aren't you afraid to live alone in such a remote place?
And he answers:
I’m not afraid of anyone, not a tiger, not the devil, I’m only afraid that drips will drip from the roof.
About that time, a tiger was hiding nearby. He heard these words and quietly said to himself: “He’s not afraid of the tiger, not the devil, he’s only afraid of the drip-drip. It turns out that this drip-drip is scarier and more menacing than me? I’d better get out of here and say hello.” The tiger said this to himself and ran away from the hut. He ran and ran and did not notice how he came running to one village. There lived in that village about two dozen, well, maybe two and a half families.
And it so happened that just at that time a thief entered the village. A thief came to the gate tall house, and in his hands a big, big paper lantern is dangling. The tiger saw him, stopped in fear and thought: “This is the same drip-drip.” He thought so, shrank and decided to quietly walk around that house. He walked around, found a reed hut, and lay down to sleep in it.
Soon the thief ran there - the people scared him away. The thief lay down next to the tiger and fell asleep. And the tiger lies there, trembling with fear, thinking: this is the drip-drip sleeping next to him. He's afraid to raise his head. And the thief mistook the tiger for a cow and rejoices: “Now happiness has arrived! What luck! You ran all night in vain - people scared you away, and suddenly there was a cow on top of you. I’ll take her with me.” But the tiger doesn’t remember himself from fear, he’s shaking, thinking: “Let him take him out of the hut, let him take him with him - I still won’t raise my head.”
Meanwhile, it was already getting light. The thief decided to take a better look at the cow - is it big? He looked and felt that his heart and gall bladder were about to burst. The thief rushed out of the hut and climbed to the very top of the tree. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a monkey appeared. I saw that the tiger was in trouble, and let’s laugh:
Why are you so scared, brother tiger?
Don’t you even know it, sister monkey? Last night I met a dude. He led me on his lead until the dew. Trouble, and that’s all!
What is this drip-drip?
Just look at it yourself, otherwise I’m afraid. There he is, sitting on a tree.
Did you imagine it, or what? You will also say: drip-drip! After all, this is a man sitting on a tree. If you don’t believe me, I’ll tear out the vine now, tie it with one end to your paw, and the other to mine. I’ll throw it down quickly, and you can enjoy it to your heart’s content. And when it drips, I shake my head. Then run and drag me with you away from trouble. Well, do you agree?
I agree, I agree! You can't imagine anything better!
A monkey climbed a tree. I just got to the middle, and the thief dropped his pants in fear. It dripped onto the monkey: drip-drip. The monkey shook its head and began to shake itself off. The tiger saw it, started running as fast as he could, and dragged the monkey after him. The poor fellow was killed to death.
The tiger ran for more than thirty years in one breath, became out of breath, saw a high hill, and sat down to rest. It would be nice, he thinks, to dine on deer. He had heard that there were deer in the mountains, but he had never seen them in his life. Suddenly he looks - some animal has appeared in the distance. Runs straight at him. And this was just a deer. The deer saw the tiger, trembled with fear, and stopped, neither alive nor dead. And the tiger smiled and very politely said to the deer:
Be kind, my friend! Tell me your precious surname and glorious name!
The deer heard this, immediately realized that he was a stupid tiger, became brave and answered:
I have no last name, only an insignificant nickname. And I am called the Venerable Tiger.
The tiger marveled at this nickname and said:
Brother Venerable Tiger! What useless chatter! Tell me better, have you ever met a deer?
Why do you need him?
I'm hungry. I want to eat venison.
And I - tiger meat. So first tell me if you have seen a tiger.
I didn’t see it, I didn’t see it!
What's under your belly?
Teapot for wine.
Do you carry it with you?
But of course! I'll eat some reindeer meat and then drink some wine!
What's that on your head?
Bamboo cart.
Do you carry it with you?
Well, yes! If you come across a tiger, you won’t eat it right away! So I put the leftovers on the cart - convenient and beautiful.
The tiger was dumbfounded here, he senses that the soul and body are about to part. And he wet himself out of fear. The deer saw this and screamed:
Drip-drip has arrived!
The tiger heard and ran away, but the deer was just waiting for this, turned and ran away.
The new product from Rech is no longer new, but only now, after a couple of years, has it reached our shelf. Judging by the blurry watercolor cover, it is still unclear what kind of emotional experience awaits the reader ahead. But one cannot expect pop plots from Tibetan fairy tales.
I'm not a fan of the artists G.A.V. Traugott (not quite “mine”), but still did not remain indifferent. Even Furthermore- she spluttered like a girl. Such Tibetan tales, and even flavored with such subtle, sensual illustrations, anyone will be “torn apart like a hamster” and a little sentimental baby will be taken out. Who feels sorry for the pussy, and it’s clear that it’s her own fault.
Stupid Tiger is a fiercely heartfelt story. There is a young tiger, and there is his wise father. The old tiger tells the young one a big secret, born life experience: The most terrible creature in the world is man. You should beware of him, you can't trust him...
But the young tiger would not be a tiger or young if he took his word for it. From time to time he tried to find that same terrible and creepy person. Are his claws tenacious or his teeth sharp?
But no, man has neither claws nor fangs. It is not famous for its heroic strength or feline agility. And he’s not as tall as a mountain or as tall as a tree. And the little man’s skin is soft and pliable... just right for a tiger. So why is man so terrible? Was the father deceived?
The tiger finally found a man and was about to eat the poor fellow, but the victim easily outwitted him. The father, the wise old tiger, was right. You cannot defeat the cunning and smart by force. The tiger song ended in tears - he was locked in the house and shot with a gun. Sad. But honestly. I feel sorry for the tiger. He is stupid, young and ambitious. Unafraid badass. But he should listen to the elder and wiser and not trust his strength so much - there is always someone smarter.
The tale is short and simple, it does not contain the twist of Russian folk tales (“a needle in an egg, an egg in a duck”). This a parable that is instructive and thought-provoking.
