The Horsehead Fiddle
故事全文
On the grasslands of Mongolia, the weather was fine. Su He was singing while herding his cattle. Suddenly, he heard a strange sound coming from a clump of grass. He brushed aside the grass and found a white, newborn foal. It was crying and whimpering. Feeling sorry for it, Su He decided to take the foal home to raise. They lived together every day, and their bond became stronger over time.
After a few years, the white foal grew up to become a fine steed. Not only was it handsome, it could also run like the wind. One day, the prince of the grasslands held a horse race. Whoever won the race could have his daughter’s hand in marriage. Su He decided to ride the white horse in the race. During the race, the white horse galloped as fast as a bolt of lightning, and crossed the finish line first.
However, the prince was displeased when he saw that Su He was a poor young man. He said to Su He, “Here are three gold ingots for your horse, what do you say? ”Su He replied furiously, “Sell my horse? No way! Don’t even think about it! ” The prince felt really embarrassed by this rejection, and he ordered his men to snatch the white horse, and chase Su He away. Having obtained the white horse, the prince wanted to try riding it. But, before he could sit in the saddle, the white horse leapt up and threw the prince to the ground. It then ran away as fast as it could, to return to Su He. “Catch it! If you can’t catch it, shoot it! ”shouted the prince as he struggled up from the ground. Since the prince’s men could not catch the white horse, they shot arrows at it.
Though the white horse was shot full of arrows and in great pain, it did not stop running until it reached home. It took its last breath after seeing Su He one last time. Su He was heartbroken and hugged it. When he thought of all the happy times they spent together, he could not help but cry loudly. While crying, he used the white horse’s bones to make a fiddle, and carved the shape of its head on the fiddle. This way, whenever Su He played his fiddle, it seemed as if the white horse was singing along with him.
