A Fine Phoenix. Chinese Folklore.
A man of Ch’u was carrying a pheasant in a cage over his shoulder. A traveller on the road said to him, “What kind of bird is that?”
“A phoenix”, replied the man of Ch’u to fool the traveller.
“I’ve heard of such a creature, and today I’m actually seeing one! Are you selling it?”
“Yes.”
The man of Ch’u declined a thousand pieces of silver for the bird, but finally accepted when the offer reached two thousand. The buyer was intending to present the bird to the king of Ch’u, but it died during the night. Although he was not too distressed over the wasted money, he keenly regretted the loss of the king’s gift.
The particulars of this story became known in the state of Ch’u. It was generally assumed that the bird was a real phoenix and therefore priceless. At last the king himself learned of the intended present and was so moved that he summoned the man and rewarded him with ten times the cost of the pheasant.
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Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies. Edited and translated by Moss Roberts.
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