ENG
Fortune or misfortune, hard to foresee,
Blaming heaven and earth, yet still bound to be.
Better to find joy in simple ways,
Ride the waves, and await brighter days.
Long ago, there stood a camphor tree that had grown for a thousand years, its branches lush and verdant. One day, a natural disaster uprooted it, casting it into a river.
Due to its immense size and weight, the narrow river could not bear the camphor tree, leaving it stranded. A few days later, the villagers planned to drag it away for lumber. Unexpectedly, the camphor tree began to stir, transforming into a colossal four-legged wooden beast that lurked in the water.
From that time on, any craftsman with ill intentions who approached would be hurled into the water by the beast, striking fear into their hearts. However, when children came to play in the river, it never frightened them. Instead, it would occasionally use its wooden branches to rescue those in danger of drowning. Over time, the villagers grew accustomed to its presence and named it the "Water-Wood Beast."
One year, a wandering Daoist passed through the area and heard about the Water-Wood Beast. He called out from the riverbank, "Are you not weary of being confined here? There are many of your kind elsewhere. You should consider leaving."
The Water-Wood Beast remained unmoved, and two more years passed. Then, during a season of relentless heavy rain, the river's water level rose ever higher. The Water-Wood Beast repeatedly battered against the riverbank, causing the villagers to flee to a neighboring village in fear. That night, the upstream riverbank gave way, flooding the downstream village. When the floodwaters finally receded, the villagers returned to find that the Water-Wood Beast had vanished from the riverbend.
A thousand-year-old camphor tree was torn up by a natural disaster and dumped into a narrow river. Because it was so large and heavy it got stuck and couldn't float away. The nearby villagers decided to drag it out later to cut it for lumber.
While they were preparing to take it, the stranded tree came to life and turned into a huge four-legged wooden creature that stayed in the water. When craftsmen or others with bad intentions came near, the beast threw them into the river and scared them off. Children who played at the river were never frightened; the creature sometimes used its wooden branches to help rescue people from drowning. The villagers grew used to this behavior and called it the "Water-Wood Beast."
The main human characters are the villagers (who want the tree for lumber and later rely on it as a presence in the river), craftsmen with ill intent (who are repelled), and the children (who are protected). A wandering Daoist also appears; he urges the beast to leave, saying there are many others like it elsewhere. The beast, however, chooses to stay and does not respond to the Daoist.
After the Daoist's visit, two years pass. Then a long season of heavy rain raises the river. The Water-Wood Beast pounds the riverbank repeatedly, which frightens the villagers into fleeing to a neighboring village. That night the upstream bank collapses, sending floodwater downstream and inundating the village. When the waters go down and the villagers return, the Water-Wood Beast is gone from the riverbend.
The story ends with the beast vanished and leaves its fate unknown. The opening poem explains the story’s lesson: events of good or bad luck are hard to predict, so blaming fate is pointless; it’s better to find simple joys, accept uncertainty, and wait for better times. Practically, the villagers lose their unusual guardian and must face change and the unpredictable consequences of natural forces.