鴝鵒

The Story of a Myna

蒲松齡

Pu Songling

王汾濱言：其鄉有養八哥者，教以語言，甚押習，出游必與之俱，相將數年矣。一日，將過絳州，而資斧已罄，其人愁苦無策。鳥云：“何不告我？送我王邸，當得善價，不愁歸路無資也。”其人云：“我安忍。”鳥言：“不妨。主人得價疾行，待我城西二十里大樹下。”其人從之。攜至城，相問答，觀者漸眾。有中貴見之，聞諸王。王召入，欲買之。其人日：“小人相依為命，不愿賣。”王問鳥：“汝愿住否?”言：“愿住。”王喜。鳥又言：“給價十金，勿多予。”王益喜，立界十金。其人故作懊恨狀而去。王與鳥言，應對便捷。呼肉淡之。食已，鳥曰：“臣要浴。”王命金盆貯水，開籠令浴。浴已，飛檐間，梳翎抖羽，尚與王喋喋不休。頃之，羽燥，翩趾而起，操晉聲曰：“臣去呀!”顧盼已失所在。王及內侍，仰面咨磋。急覓其人，則已渺矣。后有往秦中者，見其人攜鳥在西安市上。畢載積先生記。

Wang Fenbin said that in his village there was a man who had a myna. He trained it to speak and they got attached to each other. Wherever he went he took it with him. They had been together for years. When he was arriving at 3iangraou one day, he found that tie had run out of money. He was upset, riot knowing what to do. The myna said, "Why not sell me? Take me to the prefect and you can sell me for a good price and traveling expenses will be no problem." The man said, "I can't bear to sell you." The myna said, "That's nothing. As soon as you get the money, get away from here quickly and wait for me under a big tree about twenty R west of town." The man took its advice. Re went to town with the bird, engaging it in brief conversations. Soon they attracted marry onlookers. The steward of the prefect saw the bird and told the prefect about it. The prefect summoned the man to his house and he wanted to buy the bird. The man said, "We depend on each other for survival. I cannot sell it to you." The prefect asked the bird, "Do you like to stay with me?" The bird answered, "Yes, I do." The prefect was delighted to hear it. Then the bird said again, "Give him ten liang of silver and no more." The prefect was all the more delighted. He gave the man ten hang of silver. The man left, with a feigned look of dejection. The prefect asked the bird questions and the bind answered with great readiness. He ordered to give it meat to eat. The moment it finished the meat, the bird said, "I want to take a bath." The prefect ordered to bring a gold basin, fill it with water, open the cage and let it bathe in it. When the bath was over, the bird flew up to the eave where it shook off the water and trimmed its plumage, in the meantime, chattering away with the prefect. In another moment its plumage was dried and the bird fluttered up, saying in the local accent, "I am going, sir, " When they looked up to gee, the bird was out of sight. The prefect and his servants could do nothing but sigh toward the sky. When servants were sent to look for the birdman he was nowhere to be found. Later someone, traveling to Shaanxi, saw the man with his bird in Xi' an. This story is told by Mr. Bi Zaiji.

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