AUTUMN AND SPRING

ADAPTED BY FRANK HINDER


A fair maiden lay asleep in a rice field. The sun was at its height,
and she was weary. Now a god looked down upon the rice field. He knew
that the beauty of the maiden came from within, that it mirrored the
beauty of heavenly dreams. He knew that even now, as she smiled, she
held converse with the spirit of the wind or the flowers.

The god descended and asked the dream-maiden to be his bride. She
rejoiced, and they were wed. A wonderful red jewel came of their
happiness.

Long, long afterwards, the stone was found by a farmer, who saw that
it was a very rare jewel. He prized it highly, and always carried it
about with him. Sometimes, as he looked at it in the pale light of
the moon, it seemed to him that he could discern eyes in its depths.
Again, in the stillness of the night, he would awaken and think that a
clear soft voice called him by name.

One day, the farmer had to carry the midday meal to his workers in
the field. The sun was very hot, so he loaded a cow with the bowls of
rice, the millet dumplings, and the beans. Suddenly, Prince Ama-boko
stood in the path. He was angry, for he thought that the farmer was
about to kill the cow. The Prince would hear no word of denial; his