Story﹕The two sword-smiths
【明報專訊】There lived in the capital an accomplished goldsmith (金匠) who made practical items like kitchen utensils for the king. But he wasn't happy with that. He spent many years perfecting his craft of sword making and finally became a proficient sword-smith. Later the country was in war with its neighbour and desperately needed weapons.
The sword-smith sold himself (自薦) and his swords to the palace. He was also pragmatic about making weapons. He crafted an ugly blade and yelled, "Oh I made it!" He couldn't wait to present it as a tribute to the king.
"Your highness, please forgive my presumptuousness (放肆). But I assure that this thing will make our army invincible," the sword-smith claimed.
Instead of weapons for warfare, the king only looked for treasures like fancy swords studded with diamonds. He immediately felt offended, "How dare you present such a piece of scrap metal?" He ordered the smith be heavily beaten.
The smith couldn't make it and died less than a week. Having seen his father's body riddled with wounds, his son was brimming with a desire for vengeance.
A eunuch (太監) gave him his father's last piece of work— the ugly sabre. Feeling bored, he wielded the sword against a rock nearby. Amazingly it halved the rock like a knife through butter.
He came up with an idea!
Years passed and he built up his reputation as a sword-smith like his dad. He requested to see the king. The king heard his name and agreed upon his request. The young sword-smith made a gorgeously looking sword out of some second-class materials and inlaid it with sapphires, crystals and all sorts of fanciful gems. He also brought with him the secret weapon — the piercing sword made by his dad.
The security was heavy but the young smith wasn't scared off. He asked the king, "Which sword do you want?" The king laughed, "Are you dumb? Of course the shimmering one!" The young smith then gave him the magnificent sword. The king felt excited and demanded a fencing match with the young guy.
"I'm honoured! Would you mind if I use this ugly sword?" The young smith accepted without hesitation.
"So unsightly (不悅目的)! Use whatever you like!" The king murmured and asked his guards to leave.
He started crossing swords with the king. After several rounds, the good-looking sword held by the king was cracked. He bawled at the king, thrust the sword into his chest and halved him. The guards noticed that and executed the young smith.
The young smith was praised for avenging his father's death. But it's regrettable that the world lost a skilful sword-smith.
A reimagination of the tale of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye (干將莫邪)
■Food for thought
Should the young smith revenge his father's death? Is his act meaningless? What would you do if you were him?
■Glossary
invincible (adj) 無敵的
riddle (v) 佈滿
vengeance (n) 報仇
halve (v) 一分……為二
[Smarties' Power English 第230期]
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