Joy flowered upon the faces
of all the men of that town. But it is said that many of the women
wept in secret.
_Adapted from Hsing shih heng yen
(1627), 39th Tale._
A COMPLICATED MARRIAGE
Marriages have from all time been arranged beforehand by Heaven. If
such is the will of destiny, the most distantly separated persons
come together, and the nearest neighbors never see each other. All is
settled before birth, and every effort of mortals does but accomplish
the decree of Fate. This is proved by the following story.
During the Ching-yu period of the Sung dynasty, there lived at
Hang-chow a doctor named Liu. His wife had given him a son and a
daughter. The son, who was but sixteen years old, had been called
Virgin Diamond, and was betrothed to young Pearl, of the family of
Sun. He was brilliant in his studies, and gave every promise that
he would one day attain to the highest literary standard, and to the
greatest honor. The daughter was named Prudence. She was fifteen years
old, and had just received marriage gifts from her betrothed, the son
of P'ei, a neighboring druggist. Her eyebrows were like the feelers
of a butterfly, and her eyes had the grace of those of a phoenix.
Her hips, flexible as willow branches swayed by the wind, wakened the
liveliest feeling. Her face was that of a flower; and the nimbleness
of her light body brought to mind the flight of swallows.
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