A great king named Hai

Long time ago, a boy was born in village name Hoa-vien which now was under Ha tinh province. The boy’ name was Hai his father died when he was a child so he grew up without rules and course his mother couldn’t prevent him. He used to group with his friends in farm to jump and wrestle. His mother had a rampant male buffalo which used to have ill behaviors and break plow.

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One day, Hai came home after few days out.

“You only know to do useless things, waste your time in outside. Can you do some useful things?”, said his mother.

“I will plow tomorrow.”, he said.

The next morning he shouldered the plow and rode the buffalo toward field. He just plowed two lines the buffalo had accustomed to running away with plow. Hai ran after the buffalo and get over. He prevented, grabbed its horns but the buffalo raged and gored him. Hai punched the buffalo few hits then it fell down and died.

Saw the buffalo died Hai didn’t showed any worry he slaughtered the buffalo into four part. Then he asked someone to take two parts to his house gave his mother and he tied two parts to tops of a yoke then shouldered away. When his mother knew how he plowed she was very angry and asked a person to chase and teach him. Hai was on his way saw a person chasing and the person look very rampant as if he wanted to beat him. Hai put down his yoke and broke off a tree then he turned back and said with the person.

“If you want annoyed me, come on and get your gift with this tree.”, said Hai.

The person was frightened so he turned back and went away. Hai followed the north to go and as he felt hungry he cut meat and roasted to eat. as the last piece of meat had gone he had been in Nghe an. He wandered and at last he came to a mandarin’s mansion to pray for a job. Mandarin’s wife noticed he had strength and so she agreed. She gave him a barrel of steamed rice but it took no longer time to be eaten cleanly. Mandarin’s wife tremendously exclaimed:

“You eat too violently. Will you be useful for things you are served.”

Hai didn’t explain he asked:

“What do I have to do now?”

“Take water from river.”, replied the mandarin’s wife.

“Do you have something to contain.”, said Hai.

Mandarin’s wife led him to backyard which set many pitchers, she pointed at them and said.

“These are all things you need, chose two and take water come here.”, said mandarin’s wife.

“Too small, it will waste my strength.”, said Hai.

“I have two pitchers which were bigger than them but I am afraid you can not carry them.”, said mandarin’s wife then she led him go.

“Too small.”, said Hai as he saw the pitchers.

Mandarin’s wife had a little surprise and let him see two bigger pitchers.

“How about them?”, said mandarin’s wife.

“Small”, said Hai, “Could you go to market and buy two pitchers, the largest size, and a biggest size-yoke? Those maybe fit.”

One day, the region had a fair. Hai carried water pass the fair and saw a wrestling match. He stopped to see. A wrestler had won from morning to noon he had fallen down dozen of others and became arrogant. He gave all people a challenge but nobody dared. People noticed Hai had extraordinary power when carry two large pitchers of water so they insisted him to take the challenge. He refused but people insisted him so violently for he could continued refusing. But he made the wrestler sign his name on a paper that showed that they were exempted from crime as of them died in fighting.

The fighting just started few seconds the wrestler had been fallen down then he was hold on his ankles, thrown round and at last was thrown away. When people sprinted to in which he dropped down he had died. About Hai, he clapped on his thighs and had jumped up to a roof to celebrate.

Meanwhile, Lam river was abode of a python. Whenever boats crossed the river it always waved that made boats wreck all people, dropping into water, didn’t escape from its mouth. Therefore, the part of river became wild. Soldiers also couldn’t hurt it. At last, thing king notified anyone who could kill the python would be given award. Hai showed up and required to forge nine knifes. As things he need had made. He and some people came to the riverside. Asked some stay on the riverside and boiled a larg pot of water. He and some rowed to middle river then he used a rope tied around his body, the other side he gave others on the boat to take.

“If you felt the rope was pulled at other side, pulled me up immediately.”, said Hai.

Then he dived into the water. He wasted long time finding the python. At last, he found out it was lying coiling in a cave. Very fast the python felt his appearance. It opened it mouth and planed to swallow him down but he dodged and pricked a knife on his body. The python was angry because it had never been hurt before by someone so it waved his body so madly to make Hai injured but Hai climbed at its back and never let off his hand. People on the boat could see violent waves which made the part of rive be white by foams but they didn’t feel the other side of rope was pulled.

Until noon as Hai had pricked six knifes on python’s body. He pulled the rope then people pulled him up. His body, his clothes, now, was covered by python’s viscous liquid and blood. It smelled very horrible but he asked them to take more knifes. Then he dived one more time. That time the python was so weak because it was injured and he only needed pricked few knifes on it stomach to end its life. The python waved is body weakly then died.

Hai cut off its head then take it up from water. People cheered. He immediately bathed. The pot of water had been boiled he asked people to clean all blood and viscous liquid from his body. But the viscous liquid, a deadly poison, had entered his nostrils and damaged his brain. Short time later, he died.

People who regret for his fate had built a temple to respect him and called him great king Hai.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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