Song of the Spring Moon Waning

by E. E. Ottoman

  "So long?" Li Song pouted before laughing and waving a hand. "I understand; it's really terrible of me to be distracting you."

  "But we will have tea soon, I promise you." Wen Yu bowed again and turned towards the door of the shop.

  He trudged back through the streets, carrying the large, unwieldy cage. Li Song was a good friend to have, he thought, avoiding an ox cart piled high with sacks of rice that was heading towards the Imperial Palace. Li Song was influential and well-placed as well as kind and interesting to speak with. Nevertheless, Wen Yu reminded himself, there was his father's secret to safeguard. Best not to get too close to anyone in the city.

  Pushing open his door with his shoulder, Wen Yu sat the bird in the corner and tried to figure out what he was going to feed it. He wasn't sure what thrushes ate. The thrush in the cage flapped unhappily, scooting around and pecking at the bars. The only thing Wen Yu had that he thought might be at all interesting to a bird was some lychee fruit, so he peeled a small piece. The bird skittered away from him when he pushed the fruit through the bars, puffing up its white and black chest. Wen Yu watched the bird with a pang of concern at the little thing's refusal to eat. Still he supposed it would eat eventually once it was hungry enough. He turned away from the cage and settled at his desk, pulling his stack of notes towards himself.

  Three

  Li Song handed Wen Yu a note when he walked into the paper shop the next day.

  Meet me as the sun sets over the west gate at the bridge of black stone. And bring the thrush with you.

  Wen Yu looked up at Li Song, who shrugged one shoulder.

  The black stone bridge was over on the west side of the city as opposed to the south section where Wen Yu lived. The bridge was closer to the palace then he generally went, arching over one of the emperor's waterways filled with lilies and overhung by trees.

  Wen Yu washed himself carefully and pulled out the one good robe he'd brought with him. The robe was made of dark orange silk with a little gold and red brocade around the cuffs. The robe had wide sleeves, a high collar, and fell to his ankles. Luckily, the length hid the fact that his trousers were made of less expensive cotton and that his boots were not new. Wen Yu combed out his hair, pulled it back from his face, wished briefly and not for the first time that he could grow a distinguished-looking beard, and left for the bridge.

  Wen Yu fidgeted as he stood on the edge of the bridge birdcage beside him. It was just that Liu Yi seemed like such an intelligent, cultured individual. He wanted to make a good impression, not seem like some backwards, slovenly student from the provinces.

  The setting sun cast the world in tones of red and gold that reminded Wen Yu of fire, making long shadows of the trees in the water below the bridge. A figure came towards him through the trees on the other side of the bridge. Wen Yu watched him, feeling a strange sensation of recognition. The figure was wearing long, heavy robes with was a pattern of birds woven into the brocade at the bottom. He was dressed just as the figure in Wen Yu's dream had been.

  He moved onto the bridge, and Wen Yu picked up the birdcage and did the same.

  "Liu Yi." Wen Yu bowed deeply. "I am honored."

  "So you are the honorable student Wen Yu." Liu Yi's voice was high and sweet, not like a child's as the rumors Wen Yu had heard about eunuchs claimed, but like something different altogether. More like that of a female singer. Liu Yi gave him a small bow. He moved with a gracefulness Wen Yu envied, with an attractively round face and his long, dark hair pulled into a neat topknot. He was just a bit taller than Wen Yu but not as broad in the trunk, and beardless too.

  "This thrush chanced to fly into my room shortly after we exchanged letters," Wen Yu said, reaching for the cage. "I suspect it is not your bird, but I thought I would offer it to you as potential compensation for the one you lost."

  Liu Yi bent to peer into the cage and reached out one hand to touch the bamboo bars with the tips of his fingers. "No, it is not my little songbird, but she is a lovely thing nonetheless."

  "If you want, you are welcome to keep her." Wen Yu offered the cage, and Liu Yi bent his head slightly as he accepted it.

  "She is probably wild, and wild birds are hard to keep. I may have to let her go so she does not pine away." He looked down at the cage, expression gentling to become almost pretty.

  Wen Yu fidgeted a little, looking down at the ground, not certain how to ask the next question or if he even should. He wanted to ask Liu Yi about the tortoise in the alley and the strange dream, because Liu Yu's presence there couldn't be without meaning. Dreams were important, yet these dreams seemed so far-fetched. Still, if it had been Liu Yi in the dream … And after all, what harm could asking do?

  "A thousand apologies, honorable sir." Wen Yu summed up his courage and bowed low. "But I had a strange dream last night which I would like recount to you." He hurried to speak before he lost his nerve completely. "I dreamed I was standing near to a pond, and a tortoise on the bank of the pond spoke to me and told me I was to translate the Moon Poems, though I had never heard of them. A thrush flew down from the willow tree beside the pond and spoke to the tortoise, claiming someone was late for a meeting." He took a breath, not daring to look up at Liu Yi. "And then I saw you coming towards the pond. I would not have told you about this dream if I did not believe it somehow involved you."

  "I see."

  Wen Yu finally looked up, but Liu Yi was shielding part of his face with his wide silk sleeve, and Wen Yu could not make out his expression.

  "Perhaps I should leave." Wen Yu dropped his gaze to the ground as his stomach tied itself in knots.

  "Perhaps you should."

  At least Liu Yi didn't sound angry. Wen Yu turned away and headed back across the bridge towards the path and the rest of the city beyond.

  He thought he heard Liu Yi call out to him, but he didn't let himself stop and look back, afraid he'd make himself appear even more foolish.

  Wen Yu berated himself for bringing up the dream all the way back to his rooms. He should have known better; why had he thought it was a good idea? Dreams were important and often foretelling, yes, every educated person knew that, but talking animals? Who believed that any longer?

  Pushing the door open to his little room, Wen Yu sat at his desk and scrubbed his hands across his face, before glancing down at his nice silk robes. He'd gone to such trouble to impress Liu Yi, to make him think Wen Yu was a man of culture and refinement, only to waste it all in the end. He had come off instead looking like a country bumpkin who believed in fairytales. Wen Yu slumped over his desk, feeling sorry for himself for a few minutes, then rallied, reaching for his notes. He might as well get a few hours study in, to make up for the time he'd lost on the meeting with Liu Yi.

  *~*~*

  "Lady not returning your affections?" Zhi Ping leaned over the counter while Wen Yu stared down at his noodles.

  "No." Wen Yu looked up, startled. Had he really looked that dejected?

  "Young man not returning your affections?" Zhi Ping asked with a sympathetic look, and Wen Yu shook his head.

  "No, nothing like that. I just made a fool of myself a few days ago."

  "Be careful." Zhi Ping waggled a gnarled finger at him. "Pride is the greatest plague of the scholar. Make sure it doesn't lead you into trouble."

  "Wise words. I'll try to remember that." Wen Yu inclined his head in a small bow and then brought some noodles to his mouth.

  Was he prideful? He considered this on the walk back to his rooms. It was true that his sense of sadness and shame had lingered ever since his trip to the black stone bridge and his meeting with Liu Yi. Perhaps he needed to let go of his pride.

  Opening the door to his room, he nearly trod upon the note that had been pushed under it. Heart speeding up as soon as he saw it, Wen Yu picked it up and unfolded it.

  I fear I have caused you offense, which was not my intention. I beg your forgiveness and request that you visit me at the third house on the street with the plum trees, as the sun sets
over the west gate tonight. There will be a lantern lit outside it, so you will be able to tell the way.

  Wen Yu stared down at the note in his hands as tension he hadn't realized he'd been feeling evaporated. He couldn't help but notice that Liu Yi was being tad presumptuous in assuming he'd be able to come for a visit at such short notice; he had studying to do, after all. Still, Wen Yu was curious as to what Liu Yi had to say.

  He only had the one nice robe, so he put it back on, smoothing out the wrinkles as best he could. Wen Yu found a rust red sash to fasten around his waist. He combed his hair out and pulled it back from his face, tying it into a long plait at the back of his head but letting it hang down so that it nearly touched his waist. I should really buy myself a hat, he thought, smoothing one hand across his head. If he passed the Examination, he would wear the black cap of a scholar.

  As the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky, Wen Yu left his room and made his way through the city streets. The street with the plum trees was wide, stone-paved, and shaded on both sides. Large houses belonging to what Wen Yu guessed were lords and officials lined the street. A lit paper lantern hung from the eave next to a red door set into a stone wall about as tall as Wen Yu and topped with slanted roof tiles.

  Wen Yu paused in front of the house and then knocked on the door. A stooped, wizened man opened the door and wordlessly stepped back to let Wen Yu in. There was a square courtyard with a small pool in the center and low stone buildings on either side, each topped with a slanted, tiled roof. On the other side of the courtyard from where they were standing was the largest building, rising two stories with brightly painted shutters that were open to reveal paper windows and another red door. The old man led the way across the courtyard and pulled open the door of the house proper, leading Wen Yu down a hall, before turning into another room.

  The room was small but contained a large window, letting in some light through the thin paper that covered it. Liu Yi was kneeling behind a low wooden table with a long sheet of paper laid out in front of him. He looked up as they entered. Wen Yu waited until the old man had bowed to both of them and left, and then he sat on the other side of the table. Liu Yi was painting, he saw. A pool with a tree bent over it, and the moon hanging full above. It was beautiful, and another thing Liu Yi did well.

  "I need to apologize." Liu Yi set his brush aside. "I have handled this whole thing with you badly. I was abrupt in my letters to you regarding my songbird and then rude to you at the bridge. It was not my intention to treat you so." During the little speech, Liu Yi's eyes remained fixed on the tabletop, and he folded his hands into the sleeves of his blue silk robes, pressing both close to his chest. Liu Yi was wearing a little embroidered silk hat over his topknot this time, which made him look much younger than Wen Yu guessed he was.

  "I do not hold you actions against you." Wen Yu gave him a small bow. "There is nothing to forgive."

  Liu Yi watched him through his lashes for a moment, before letting out a long breath. "Good."

  He sounded genuinely relieved. Wen Yu felt a pang of guilt for making Liu Yi worry.

  "I also wanted to speak with you about your dream," Liu Yi said, and Wen Yu tensed up again. "You mentioned in your description of it the Moon Poems."

  That was not what Wen Yu had been expecting, but he nodded anyway. "Yes?"

  Liu Yi slipped his hands out of his sleeves and drummed his fingers on the table for a moment. "I don't suppose you know what those are?"

  "No, I have no idea." Wen Yu hoped the admission didn't reflect poorly on his level of education.

  Liu Yi stood, and Wen Yu scrambled to his feet too. Leading the way back through the house, Liu Yi stepped into the courtyard and looked up at the sky. "The moon will be rising soon. It will be full, which is why I asked you to come tonight."

  "Why?" Wen Yu asked.

  "It makes the poems easier to read."

  "You have them, the poems?" Wen Yu turned to look at Liu Yi, not even trying to make sense of his cryptic statement.

  "I do." Liu Yi folded his hands into this sleeves. "I was lucky enough to be entrusted with them, but I cannot translate them. I was told I would be sent someone who could, and that someone seems to be you." He was watching Wen Yu from under his lashes again, and Wen Yu gathered his courage to ask the next question.

  "You wouldn't happen to have been told this by a tortoise, would you?"

  Liu Yi seemed surprised by that. "A tortoise? Like in your dream? They talk to you too? Interesting."

  "Just the tortoise," Wen Yu said. "I've never been talked to by any other animals."

  "Really?" Liu Yi regarded him with much more interest than he had, and Wen Yu felt himself blush.

  He rubbed one hand across the back of his neck, looking down at the ground. "So, what about you?" he asked.

  "Animals have always talked to me," Liu Yi said. "For as long as I can remember. I've been told some people can hear plants and water talk too, but I've only ever been able to hear animals, especially birds."

  "But I've never heard of that." Wen Yu blinked, and Liu Yi shrugged.

  "I am told it used to be common long ago, but fewer and fewer people are born now with ability to do so. When you described your dream on the bridge, I assumed you were like me, that you'd always been able to hear them."

  Wen Yu shook his head. "I'm sorry."

  Above them, the sky had darkened, the moon rising into the sky. A faint breeze moved through the courtyard, making the water in the pool ripple and wind chimes attached to the eaves of the buildings tinkle.

  "Let me show you the poems." Liu Yi turned back to the house.

  Wen Yu followed him back to the room they'd been in. Liu Yi knelt on the floor next to a brightly colored box. He pulled the lid off and then lifted out a book with a dark blue cover. He handed it over to Wen Yu, who opened the book, unfolding the pages only to find the paper was of good quality but blank.

  "I don't understand." Wen Yu looked up at Liu Yi.

  "We need to take it outside; you can only read it under the light of the moon."

  That made a certain kind of sense for moon poems, Wen Yu thought, refolding the book and picking it up. They headed back out to the courtyard.

  "Here." Liu Yi stepped out onto the fine stone gravel that paved the courtyard, gazing up at the sky before pointing to a spot on the ground. "If you stand here, I think you will be able to read it."

  Wen Yu obediently moved to stand where Liu Yi pointed. The moonlight was not very bright; despite the full moon, it still hung low in the sky. Wen Yu squinted at the page in the semi-dark. At first, it looked the same as it had in the house, but as he watched, characters began to form, rising up as if out of the page itself. Wen Yu stared down at it as more and more characters appeared, filling the page in tight, even lines. The hand that had written them was skilled, each character painted clear and crisp. It was also completely foreign. The characters looked similar enough at first glance, but on a closer inspection, they were not formed in a way Wen Yu had ever seen. When he did try to read them as if they were the familiar characters, the entire thing read as gibberish.

  Wen Yu began to see why Liu Yi and the tortoise had spoken of the poems needing to be translated.

  "I don't understand." He peered closer at the page. "I've never seen this language."

  "Nor have I." Liu Yi moved to stand beside him, peering down at the page.

  "Why do you need it translated?" Wen Yu continued to try to make out what the page said, but it was completely garbled.

  Liu Yi turned away. "You best come inside."

  Refolding the book, Wen Yu followed Liu Yi once more into the house. They settled into the room where Liu Yi had been painting, and Wen Yu put the book down on the edge of the table, folding his hands in his lap.

  "I would not tell you this," Liu Yi said after a moment of silence. "But I was told that you would come and you would translate the poems for me, so I will trust you with my story."

  Wen Yu gave a small bow at th
at, and Liu Yi smiled faintly in return.

  "I told you, I'd always been able to hear the voices of animals, particularly birds," Liu Yi said, and Wen Yu nodded, certain that he would not have believed such a claim if he hadn't so recently had a conversation with a tortoise.

  "My parents were very poor," Liu Yi said. "But they wanted a better life for me, so they gave me to the palace as a eunuch when I was very young. At first it was hard, being away from my family and undergoing the rigorous training and education of a palace eunuch. I was also often sick as a child. The birds were my only consolation. They told me stories and comforted me when I cried.

  "One day when I was sitting in the garden studying, a whole flock of birds came down to me. They were very excited, all talking at once, and they said they had come from the mountains were they had been given a message to pass on to me. They said the message was that I had been given something that was lost, but they didn't seem to know what that meant. I had no idea what they were talking about at the time, so I put it out of my mind.

  "Some years a later, when I had completed my training, I was approached by a very elderly official carrying a box." Liu Yi nodded to the box on the floor. "He said had been observing me work and thought that my skills and learning far surpassed those of all the young scholars who served in the palace. Because of this, he was choosing me to continue with his most beloved intellectual project; translating the Moon Poems. Then he gave me the box, and I never saw him again. When I opened it, of course, I thought it was just blank leaves of paper, but I was studying late one evening and I happened to have the sheaves on my desk. As the moonlight fell across them, I saw the characters, and I remembered what the birds had told me."

  "So you think the poems were lost by someone?" Wen Yu asked.

  "Obviously they do not belong to anyone of this world," Liu Yi pointed out.

  "So who told you about me?"

  "The old scholar was wrong; I am not learned enough or talented enough to translate myself. When this became clear to me, I became despondent. One day I was walking by the carp pool in the largest of the imperial gardens. A carp swam up to the surface and whispered to me that he knew of a scholar who was talented enough to translate the poems, and I should trust the tortoise that would bring him to me." Liu Yi spread one hand out in front of him, palm up, "And here you are."