The Cloak of Dreams 2 ODDLY MODERN FAIRY TALES Jack Zipes, Series Editor Kurt Schwitters | Lucky Hans and Other Merz Faiy Tales Béla Balázs | The Cloak of Dreams: Chinese Fairy Tales 3 The Cloak of Dreams CHINESE FAIRY TALES Béla Balázs Translated and Introduced by Jack Zipes Illustrated by Mariette Lydis 4 A portion of this book was first published in German under the title Der Mantel der Träume by Bischoff in 1922. Illustrations are reproduced from Béla Balázs, Il libro delle meraviglie, edited and translated by Marinella D’Alessandro. Rome: Edizione e/o, 1994. Copyright © 2010 by Princeton University Press Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW press.princeton.edu All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Balázs, Béla, 1884–1949. [Mantel der Träume. English.] The cloak of dreams: Chinese fairy tales / Béla Balázs, translated and introduced by Jack Zipes, illustrated by Mariette Lydis. p. cm. (Oddly modern fairy tales) “A portion of this book was first published in German under the title Der Mantel der Träume by Bischoff in 1922.” 5 Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-691-14711-6 (hardcover: alk. paper) 1. Tales—China. 2. Fairy tales—China. I. Zipes, Jack, 1937–II. Title. GR335.B355 2010 398.20951—dc22 2009047839 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Adobe Jenson with Myriad and Elli display. Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 For Carol, who’s taught me that the inspired man is the discerning man 7 Contents Acknowledgments Béla Balázs, the Homeless Wanderer, or, The Man Who Sought to Become One with the World A Note on the Mysterious Illustrator Mariette Lydis THE CLOAK OF DREAMS 1 The Cloak of Dreams Der Mantel der Träume 2 Li-Tai-Pe and the Thief Li-Tai-Pe und der Dieb 3 The Parasols Die Sonnenschirme 4 The Clumsy God Der ungeschickte Gott 5 The Opium Smokers Die Opiumraucher 6 The flea Der Floh 8 7 The Old Child Das alte Kind 8 The robbers of Divine Power Die Gottesräuber 9 Li-Tai-Pe and Springtime Li-Tai-Pe und der Frühling 10 The Ancestors Die Ahnen 11 The Moon fish Der Mondfisch 12 The friends Die Freunde 13 The revenge of the Chestnut Tree Die Rache des Kastanienbaumes 14 Tearful Gaze Tränenblick 15 The Clay Child Das Lehmkind 16 The Victor Der Sieger Appendix A | A Beautiful Book by Thomas Mann Appendix B | The Book of Wan Hu-Chen by Béla Balázs 9 Bibliography 10