The four dragons’ love for mankind is not a story… Inspired from a Chinese story-poem, this poem recounts a beautiful legend of kindness and compassion.
The first was long, the second yellow, the third black and the fourth quite pearly
Long long time ago when the mother earth was born
There lived four dragons with beautiful horns
They lived together in the sea gay and happy
The first was long, the second yellow, the third black and the fourth quite pearly,
Between the earth and heaven they played
They sored, yelled, jumped and friends they made
From the five sacred mountains ‘wu yue’ they often would dive
And into the sea they would thrive
From the five sacred mountains ‘wu yue’ they often would dive (The red inscription reads “Wu yue zhi zun”, meaning “the most glorious one among the five mountains”. Pic courtesy: Rolfmueller under Creative Commons 3.0)
One day they discovered men a worried lot
There was no rain for months, no food, water and the climate too hot
They were praying for mercy to Jade almighty
Lord Jade had no time, he was haughty.
The four dragons kind and concerned
Flew to the heaven to consult
They all had a brilliant idea to help the people on earth
To make people happy and light their hearth.
Can you guess what the dragons did?
I’m sure you don’t, you are still a kid!
They scooped the water out of the sea
They laughed and cried out of glee
They sprayed it into the sky
Down came the rain from the sky high
The people on the earth felt happy and gay
“The Lord is kind” that is what they still say!
None knew about the four kind dragons, praises were heaped on the Emperor Jade
Lord Jade learnt about the dragon’s deed
The God of the Sea sowed the seed
Of Jealousy and anger
The four kind dragons now would face the danger!
Lord Jade learnt about the dragon’s deed (Chinese Jade Carving Pic courtesy: arts.cultural-china.com/
They were banished and punished for their kind gesture
Lord Jade gave them a thorough lecture
He asked the Mountain God to lend him four mountains
Mountains flew and along came the fountains
The Jade Emperor ordered his heavenly guards to act
The four dragons were brave and that is a fact
The four mountains were on them laid
This is how the rivers of China were made.
Under the weight of the mountains, the dragons had no regrets
They did not complain nor fret, their determination all set!
That is the story of the four rivers that flow in China
Not a story of animals like tiger or hyena.
The Huang he (Yellow dragon), the Heilong jian (Black dragon)
The Yangtze (Long dragon) and the Zhu jiang (Pearl dragon) flow till this day
The place where the four dragons lay
The four dragons’ love for mankind is not a story
The Chinese still sing their glory!
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A scholar of International Relations based in Singapore, Parama has been studying Mandarin for the last 5 years. She is very keen to share her skill and introduce the language to the Indian audience including the tiny tots. An avid traveler, Parama also likes sharing her experiences in different parts of the world and enjoys creative writing.
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