Hvaležni kralj mravelj

Besedilo

Hvaležni kralj mravelj

Dong Zhaozhi of Fuyang County in Wu was once crossing the Qiantang River by boat when, in midstream, he saw an ant clinging to a short piece of reed. It ran to one end, then turned and ran to the other, in great alarm. “It is afraid of dying,” Zhaozhi said, and he wanted to bring it aboard. The others in the boat angrily objected: “These creatures sting and are poisonous. They must not be allowed to thrive. We ought to stamp it to death.” But Zhaozhi felt great pity for the ant, so he tied a cord around the reed and fastened it to the boat. When the boat reached shore, the ant was able to escape. That night he dreamed that a man dressed in black came to him with a hundred or so followers and thanked him, saying, “I am the king of the ants. Through my own carelessness, I fell into the river, and I owe you my life. If ever you are in danger or distress, let me know.” More than ten years passed. Robberies were rife in the region, and Zhaozhi was falsely accused of being a bandit chief and imprisoned in Yuhang. Suddenly he remembered the dream of the ant king, who had told him to send word in an emergency—but where could he send word now? While he was turning this over in his mind, a fellow prisoner asked what was troubling him. Zhaozhi told him the whole story. The man said, “Just catch two or three ants, put them in your palm, and tell them.” Zhaozhi did as he suggested. That night, sure enough, he dreamed of the man in black, who said, “Make haste and take refuge in the mountains of Yuhang. The realm is in turmoil, and an amnesty will be proclaimed before long.” Zhaozhi awoke to find that the ants had gnawed through all his fetters. He was thus able to escape from prison, cross the river, and take refuge in the mountains of Yuhang. Soon afterward an amnesty was proclaimed, and he was pardoned.