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The cave was covered by a waterfall so blue,
That no one could see past it, some couldn’t get through.
But one was so brave, to go through the water,
He shouted “I am Sir Yang, the most valiant martyr.”
Through the water he went where his enemy stood waiting,
A giant with a black face and red hair that was blazing.
Some time did pass once the fighting commenced,
The giant took flight, he knew he was losing, he was not dense.
Up in the air, the giant turned into a sparrow,
Now light and agile, the bird could dodge any arrow.
Quick behind him came the transformed Sir Yang,
So fast the birds flew to escape death’s fangs.
With Sir Yang too near, the giant made a wish,
Hitting the water with a splash, the once giant turned into a scaly fish.
The bird was no longer in sight and Sir Yang cursed,
“Damn this creature! This couldn’t be worse!”
As soon as he said it, his luck turned around,
There was movement in the water, the giant was found.
“A fish! A fish! That is what I need to be.”
So Sir Yang was to change so he could swim deep in the sea.
The fish saw then that Sir Yang had found him,
“What now?” he asked, fins flapping to swim.
Right before the change took place,
The fish (once giant) turned into a snake.
Knowing that the sparrow was too small,
Sir Yang changed instead to an eagle with enormous claws.
Quick Sir Yang was to keep on the snake’s trail,
He was soon upon him again, and the snake let out a loud wail.
But once more the snake changed just before he was seized,
At this point to Sir Yang, it all seemed like a tease.
On the edge of a cliff, Sir Yang found the old snake,
But now again he was a bird in idle wait.
Sir Yang grew tired of these games and took out his arrow,
And with the skill of an archer he hit the small little sparrow.
Off of the side of the cliff the sparrow tumbled with ease,
Down to the base of it with the help of a soft breeze.
Looking down from the edge Sir Yang stood disgraced,
For the giant tried to trick him into the chapel from which the giant was shaped.
“Nice try, you giant, but you will not trick me!”
“For I will break your windows and doors, just you see!”
When the giant heard Sir Yang’s threats he was chilled to the bone,
For he knew that his threats were not idle ones, they were written in stone.
As fast as a tiger the giant changed one more time,
But first he went to a place he thought Sir Yang would never find.
The giant was right, Sir Yang could not find a trace,
So he went to the Gods to find the giant’s hiding place.
The Gods laughed at the giant’s cleverness and said “Do you see?”
When he did he was astonished saying, “The giant pretends to be me?”
Right under Sir Yang’s nose did the giant hide,
In his own shape, his own throne, drinking his own wine!
In anger, he hastened back to his own home,
To the place where the giant sat, enjoying the life that was his own.
In his own shape, his own throne, drinking his own wine!
In anger, he hastened back to his own home,
To the place where the giant sat, enjoying the life that was his own.
Confused as they were as to why two kings appeared,
The giant laughed and resumed his form and all of Sir Yang’s subjects ran in fear.
The fighting resumed but not long after,
Sir Yang came up with a plan for the giant’s capture.
The giant laughed and resumed his form and all of Sir Yang’s subjects ran in fear.
The fighting resumed but not long after,
Sir Yang came up with a plan for the giant’s capture.
Catching the giant’s leg with a rope,
The giant tripped and fell just as Sir Yang hoped.
Sir Yang’s followers soon realized they had an advantage,
And started tying him down as well as they could manage.
Sir Yang secured the final strap,
And gave himself a pat on the back.
This is the end of the giant’s mean life,
For Sir Yang’s sword killed him with one clean swipe.
The giant tripped and fell just as Sir Yang hoped.
Sir Yang’s followers soon realized they had an advantage,
And started tying him down as well as they could manage.
Sir Yang secured the final strap,
And gave himself a pat on the back.
This is the end of the giant’s mean life,
For Sir Yang’s sword killed him with one clean swipe.
Author's Note:
There were a few scenes that stood out to me in this story. One of those being the scene where Yang Oerlang was sent to capture Sun Wu Kung and bring him to Heaven to pay for his crimes. They change into many forms while fighting each other so I thought that kind of repetitive nature of the story would go well in the form of a poem. In the end, Yang brings Sun to Heaven and they try to kill him there in the oven but it doesn’t work. So, for the sake of ending the story without a cliff hanger, I just had Yang kill him. This wouldn’t have worked in the original story because Sun was immortal. I had fun writing this story and I hope you enjoyed it!
Bibliography: "The Ape Sun Wu Kung" in The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).
Annie this is a very entertaining story. I loved how you were able to keep the rhyming and also change the story to your own. I have never read this story before, but your author's note helped explain your changes from the original. You had great description through the character's changing form. Overall this story was very good, and had a continuous flow that made it easy to follow.
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ReplyDeleteI liked your story. I had to re read it though, it was a little difficult to follow with everyone transforming. I had to make sure I new which one you were talking about. I like how you changed the ending. Once I understood what was happening I really enjoyed your story. Also well as the format of the story! Keep up the good work!
This was an incredibly written story. I am impressed by your writing skills. To be able to write a poem and make it flow in the way you did is a feat in itself. Your story kept my attention the entire time I looked forward to what the characters were going to transform into every time. I also LOVED the ending stanza. It summed up the end of the story in an short crisp way. I noticed in your authors note that in the original story the giant wasn’t defeated, I personally enjoyed that Sir Yang defeated the giant because I found myself rooting for him the entire time. A victory for Sir Yang was a victory for the reader. Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt was very unique to see the story written almost entirely in poetic prose. I don't think I could write a few lines of poetry, much less tell a story with it, so well done! All the shape-shifting definitely kept the characters on their toes. However, you did a great job keeping the two separate for the reader. Great story!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great story, I really enjoyed the way to kept the prose throughout. How long did it take you to write it? I tried to do a story like this once and it was much too difficult for me. As I was reading the story, I found myself routing for Sir Yang and was on the edge of my seat the whole time as I read through the transformation and battle. I really enjoyed this story.
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