The Soul of the Great Bell by Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)
The water-clock marks the hour in the Tachung sz’, in the Tower of the Great Bell: now the mallet is lifted to smite the lips of the metal monster—the vast lips inscribed with Buddhist texts from the sacred Fa-hwa-King, from the chapters of the holy Ling-yen-King! Hear the great bell responding!—how mighty her voice, though tongueless! KO-NGAI! All the little dragons on the high-tilted eaves of the green roofs shiver to the tips of their gilded tails under that deep wave of sound; all the porcelain gargoyles tremble on their carven perches; all the hundred little bells of the pagodas quiver with desire to speak. KO-NGAI—all the green-and-gold tiles of the temple are vibrating; the wooden goldfish above them are writhing against the sky; the uplifted finger of Fo shakes high over the heads of the worshippers through the blue fog of incense! KO-NGAI!—What a thunder tone was that! All the lacquered goblins on the palace cornices wriggle their fire-coloured tongues! And after each huge shock, how wondrous the multiple echo and the great golden moan, and, at last, the sudden sibilant sobbing in the ears when the immense tone faints away in broken whispers of silver, as though a woman should whisper, “Hiai!” Even so the great bell hath sounded every day for well-nigh five hundred years—Ko-Ngai: first with stupendous clang, then with immeasurable moan of gold, then with silver murmuring of “Hiai!” And there is not a child in all the many-coloured ways of the old Chinese city who does not know the story of the great bell, who cannot tell you why the great bell says Ko-Ngai and Hiai!
Now this is the story of the great bell in the Tachung sz’, as the same is related in the Pe-Hiao-Tou-Choue, written by the learned Yu-Pao-Tchen, of the City of Kwang-tchau-fu.
Nearly five hundred years ago the Celestially August, the Son of Heaven, Yong-Lo, of the “Illustrious” or Ming dynasty, commanded the worthy official Kouan-Yu that he should have a bell made of such size that the sound thereof might be heard for one hundred li. And he further ordained that the voice of the bell should be strengthened with brass, and deepened with gold, and sweetened with silver; and that the face and the great lips of it should be graven with blessed sayings from the sacred books, and that it should be suspended in the centre of the imperial capital to sound through all the many-coloured ways of the City of Pe-King.
Therefore the worthy mandarin Kouan-Yu assembled the master-moulders and the renowned bellsmiths of the empire, and all men of great repute and cunning in foundry work; and they measured the materials for the alloy, and treated them skilfully, and prepared the moulds, the fires, the instruments, and the monstrous melting-pot for fusing the metal. And they laboured exceedingly, like giants neglecting only rest and sleep and the comforts of life; toiling both night and day in obedience to Kouan-Yu, and striving in all things to do the behest of the Son of Heaven.
But when the metal had been cast, and the earthen mould separated from the glowing casting, it was discovered that, despite their great labour and ceaseless care, the result was void of worth; for the metals had rebelled one against the other—the gold had scorned alliance with the brass, the silver would not mingle with the molten iron. Therefore the moulds had to be once more prepared, and the fires rekindled, and the metal remelted, and all the work tediously and toilsomely repeated. The Son of Heaven heard and was angry, but spake nothing.
A second time the bell was cast, and the result was even worse. Still the metals obstinately refused to blend one with the other; and there was no uniformity in the bell, and the sides of it were cracked and fissured, and the lips of it were slagged and split asunder; so that all the labour had to be repeated even a third time, to the great dismay of Kouan-Yu. And when the Son of Heaven heard these things, he was angrier than before; and sent his messenger to Kouan-Yu with a letter, written upon lemon-coloured silk and sealed with the seal of the dragon, containing these words:
“From the Mighty Young-Lo, the Sublime Tait-Sung, the Celestial and August, whose reign is called ‘Ming,’ to Kouan-Yu the Fuh-yin: Twice thou hast betrayed the trust we have deigned graciously to place in thee; if thou fail a third time in fulfilling our command, thy head shall be severed from thy neck.Tremble, and obey!”
Now, Kouan-Yu had a daughter of dazzling loveliness whose name—Ko-Ngai—was ever in the mouths of poets, and whose heart was even more beautiful than her face. Ko-Ngai loved her father with such love that she had refused a hundred worthy suitors rather than make his home desolate by her absence; and when she had seen the awful yellow missive, sealed with the Dragon-Seal, she fainted away with fear for her father’s sake. And when her senses and her strength returned to her, she could not rest or sleep for thinking of her parent’s danger, until she had secretly sold some of her jewels, and with the money so obtained had hastened to an astrologer, and paid him a great price to advise her by what means her father might be saved from the peril impending over him. So the astrologer made observations of the heavens, and marked the aspect of the Silver Stream (which we call the Milky Way), and examined the signs of the Zodiac—the Hwang-tao, or Yellow Road—and consulted the table of the Five Hin, or Principles of the Universe, and the mystical books of the alchemists. And after a long silence, he made answer to her, saying: “Gold and brass will never meet in wedlock, silver and iron never will embrace, until the flesh of a maiden be melted in the crucible; until the blood of a virgin be mixed with the metals in their fusion.” So Ko-Ngai returned home sorrowful at heart; but she kept secret all that she had heard, and told no one what she had done.
At last came the awful day when the third and last effort to cast the great bell was to be made; and Ko-Ngai, together with her waiting-woman, accompanied her father to the foundry, and they took their places upon a platform overlooking the toiling of the moulders and the lava of liquefied metal. All the workmen wrought at their tasks in silence; there was no sound heard but the muttering of the fires. And the muttering deepened into a roar like the roar of typhoons approaching, and the blood-red lake of metal slowly brightened like the vermilion of a sunrise, and the vermilion was transmuted into a radiant glow of gold, and the gold whitened blindingly, like the silver face of a full moon. Then the workers ceased to feed the raving flame, and all fixed their eyes upon the eyes of Kouan-Yu; and Kouan-Yu prepared to give the signal to cast.
But ere ever he lifted his finger, a cry caused him to turn his head and all heard the voice of Ko-Ngai sounding sharply sweet as a bird’s song above the great thunder of the fires—“For thy sake, O my father!” And even as she cried, she leaped into the white flood of metal; and the lava of the furnace roared to receive her, and spattered monstrous flakes of flame to the roof, and burst over the verge of the earthen crater, and cast up a whirling fountain of many-coloured fires, and subsided quakingly, with lightnings and with thunders and with mutterings.
Then the father of Ko-Ngai, wild with his grief, would have leaped in after her, but that strong men held him back and kept firm grasp upon him until he had fainted away, and they could bear him like one dead to his home. And the serving-woman of Ko-Ngai, dizzy and speechless for pain, stood before the furnace, still holding in her hands a shoe, a tiny, dainty shoe, with embroidery of pearls and flowers—the shoe of her beautiful mistress that was. For she had sought to grasp Ko-Ngai by the foot as she leaped, but had only been able to clutch the shoe, and the pretty shoe came off in her hand; and she continued to stare at it like one gone mad.
But in spite of all these things, the command of the Celestial and August had to be obeyed, and the work of the moulders to be finished, hopeless as the result might be. Yet the glow of the metal seemed purer and whiter than before; and there was no sign of the beautiful body that had been entombed therein. So the ponderous casting was made; and lo! when the metal had become cool, it was found that the bell was beautiful to look upon and perfect in form, and wonderful in colour above all other bells. Nor was there any trace found of the body of Ko-Ngai; for it had been totally absorbed by the precious alloy, and blended with the well-blended brass and gold, with the intermingling of the silver and the iron. And when they sounded the bell, its tones were found to be deeper and mellower and mightier than the tones of any other bell, reaching even beyond the distance of one hundred li, like a pealing of summer thunder; and yet also like some vast voice uttering a name, a woman’s name, the name of Ko-Ngai.
And still, between each mighty stroke there is a long low moaning heard; and ever the moaning ends with a sound of sobbing and of complaining, as though a weeping woman should murmur, “Hiai!” And still, when the people hear that great golden moan they keep silence, but when the sharp, sweet shuddering comes in the air, and the sobbing of “Hiai!” then, indeed, do all the Chinese mothers in all the many-coloured ways of Pe-King whisper to their little ones: “Listen! that is Ko-Ngai crying for her shoe! That is Ko-Ngai calling for her shoe!”

THE TAXI MAN’S ‘STORY
Very good,Madam.Sure,will take you there in plenty good time for your meeting,Madam.This way better,less traffic,less car jams.Half hour should make it,Madam,so not to worry. What is it you say,Madam?Yes,yes,ha,ha,been taximan for twenty years now,Madam.Long time ago,Singapore not like this–so crowded so busy.Last time more peaceful,not so much taximen,or so much cars and buses. Yes,Madam,can make a living.So so.What to do.Must work hard if wants to success in Singapore.People like us,no education,no capital for business,we must sweat to earn money for wife and children. Yes.Madam,quite big family–eight children,six sons,two daughters.Big family!Ha!ha!No good,Madam.In those days,where got Family Planning in Singapore?People born many,many children,every year,one childs.Is no good at all.Today is much better.Two children,three children,enough,stop.Our goverment say stop. Lucky for me,all my children big now.Four of my sons working–one a businessman,two clerks,one a teacher in Primary school,one in National Service,one still schooling,in Secondary Two.My eldest daughter,she is twenty plus,stay at home,help the mother.No,not married yet–very shy,and her health not so good,but a good,obedient girl.My other girl–Oh,Madam!very hard for father when daughter is no good and go against her parents.Very sad,like punishment from God Today,young people not like us when we are young.We obey.Our parents say don’t do this,we never do.Otherwise,the cane.My father cane me,I was big enough to be married,and still,got caning.My father he was very strict,and that is good thing for parents to be strict.If not,young boys and girls become very useless.Do not want to study,but run away,and go to night clubsand take drugs and make love.You agreewith me.Madam?Today,young people they are very trouble to their parents.Madam,you see this young people over there,outside the coffee-house?See what I mean,Madam?They are only schoolboys and schoolgirls,but they act like big shots,spending money,smoking,waering latest fashion,and making love.Ah Madam,I know,I know!As taximan,I know them and their habits.Madam,you are a teacher,you say?You know or not that young schoolgirls,fifteen,sixteen years old,they go to school in the morning in their uniforms and then after school,they don’t go home,they have clothes in their schoolbag,and they go to public lavatory or hotel and change into these clothes,and they put make-up on their face.Their parents never know.They tell their Mum got school meeting,got sports and games,this,that,but they really come out and play the fool.Ah,Madam,I see yuo surprise,but I know,I know all their tricks.I take them about in my taxi.They usual is wait in bowling alley or coffee house or hotel,and they walk up,and friend,friend,the European and American tourists,and this is how they make fun and also extra money.Madam,you believe or not when I tell you how much money they got?I say!Last night,Madam,this young girl,very pretty and made-up,and wear sexy dress,she told me take her to Orchid Mansions–this place famous,Madam,fourth floor flat–and she open her purse to pay me,and I say!all American notes–ten dollar notes all,and she pull one out and say keep change!as she has no time already.Madam,I tell you this,every month,I got more money from these young girls and their American and European boyfriends in my taxi,more than I get from other people who bargain and say don’t want go by meter and wait even for ten cents change.Phui!!Some of them really make me mad.But these young girls and their boyfriends don’t bargain,they just pay,pay,and they make love in taxi so much they don’t know if you go round and round and charge them by meter!I tell you,Madam,some of them don’t care how much they spend on taxi.It is like this:after 1p.m. taxi fare double,and I prefer working this time,because naturally,much more money.I go and wait outside Elroy Hotel or Tung Court or Orchid Mansions,and such enough,Madam,will have plenty business.Last Saturday,Madam,no joking,on one day alone I make nearly one hundred and fifty dollars!Some of it for services.Some of tourists don’t know where,so I tell them and take them there,and that’s extra money.Ah Madam,if I tell you all,no end to the story.But I will tell you this,Madam.If you have young daughter and she say Mummy I got meeting today in school and will not come home,you must not say,Yes,yes,but you must go and ask her where and why and who,and you find out.Today young people not to trust,like young people in many years ago.Oh,Madam,I tell you because I myself have a daughter–oh,Madam,a daughter I love very much,and she is so good and study hard.And I see her report cards and her teacher write’Good work’and ‘Excellent’so on,so on.Oh,Madam,she my favourite child,and I ask her what she want to be after left school,and she says go to University.None of my other children could go to University,but this one,she is very smart and intelligent–no boasting,Madam–her teachers write ‘Good’and ‘Excellent’,and so on,so on,in her report cards.She study at home,and help the mother,but sometimes a little lazy,and she say teacher want her to go back to school to do extra work,extra coaching,in her weak subject,which is maths,Madam.So I let her stay back in school and day after day she come home in evening,then she do her studies and go to sleep.Then one day,oh Madam,it make me so angry even now–one day,I in my taxi driving,driving along and hey!I see a girl looking like my Lay Choo,with other girls and some Europeans outside a coffee-house but I think,it cannot be Lay Choo,how can,Lay Choo is in school,and this girl is all dressed up and make-up,and very bold in her behaviour,and this is not like my daughter at all.Then they go inside the coffee-house,and my heart is very,very–how you describe it,Madam,My heart is very ‘susah hati’and I say to myself,I will watch that Lay Choo and see her monkey tricks.The very next day she is there again I stop my taxi,Madam,and I am so angry.I rush up to this wicked daughter and I catch her by the shoulders and neck,and slap her and she scream,but I don’t care.Then I drag her to my taxi and drive all the way home,and at home I thrash the stupid food and I beat her and slap her till like hell.My wife and some neighbours they pull me away,and I think if they not pull me away,I sure to kill that girl.I lock her up in her room for three days,and I ashamed to tell her teacher,so I just tell the teacher that Lay Choo is sick,so please to excuse her.Oh,Madam,how you feel in my place?Make herself so cheap,when her father drive taxi all day to save money for her University.What is it,Madam?Yes,yes,everything okay now,thank you.She cannot leave the house except to go to school,and I tell her mother always check,check in everything she do,and her friends–what sort of people they are…What,Madam?Oh,so sorry,Madam,cannot wait for you to finish your meeting.Must go off,please to excuse me.In a hurry,Madam.Must go off to Hotel Elroy–there plenty people to pick up.So very sorry,Madam,and thank you very much.