书城传记聆听史诗丛书-格萨尔王传:英文
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第17章 Zhaotoin Casts Greedy Eyes ......(5)

Tongtsan Namto Ngapan, a son of Zhaotoin, became impatient and he boasted:

“In our Ling custom, if the distance of the horse race is too short, we’ll be laughed at; and if the scene is not grand, we’ll be humiliated by others.”

So, if we want the horse race to be well-known all over the world, we should settle the starting point at India where Buddhism is thriving; while the end-point should be where the Han people grow their tea.”

Sengta replied ironically:

“Oh, I think the starting point of a world famous horse race should be placed in heaven, while its end-point should be at the bottom of the sea and the sun and the moon should be its stakes with all of the people of the Ling Tribe watching the race in the middle of the air.”

Ha-Ha! The people on the spot were laughing fit to burst. Tongtsan’s face glowered with rage and his veins on his neck were standing out, but he could say nothing.

The meeting finally decided that the starting and end points should be at the Ngayoti Mountain and Gori Mountain respectively. The prayer ceremony would be held on the top of the Loti Mountain. The people could climb up to the top of the Loti Mountain to watch the race. The time was to be in the summer when the weather was warmer and the grass plentiful.

The date and route were determined and everybody in the Ling Tribe knew it. However, who would be the right person to inform Choru and his mother? It was critical to find the right person, otherwise, Choru would never come back.

The Old Chieftain racked his brains to try to think of the right person. Meanwhile, Chatsa and Dainma came to visit. They said only Sengcham Cholmo could ask Choru to return to the Ling tribal area.

The Old Chieftain thought this was a great idea! He told Chatsa to go to visit the Chalho Tribe and try his best to persuade Cholmo to get Choru and his mother to come back.

Chatsa and Dainma went off to visit the Chalho Tribe and met Sengcham Cholmo and her father Chalho Toinpa Gyaincain in their tent.

Cholmo was thinking about what had happened before: “I didn’t even know those terrible visions were actually illusions created by Choru?!” She complained about Choru and blamed herself as well. Cholmo remembered it was her who reported what she had seen to the Old Chieftain after seeing those horrible illusions. As a result, Choru and his mother were exiled. She was still feeling guilty for what she had done. If she hadn’t reported this they would have stayed in the Ling area. Now she asked herself what she could do to remedy her unintentional mistake.

Cholmo prayed silently: “Old Chieftain, please send the right person to invite Choru and his mother back! Unfortunately, I myself have become one of the stakes. If Choru doesn’t return Zhaotoin will certainly win the horse race. He is so wicked I don’t want to marry him.”

The Goddess of Mercy offers blessings to all people at all times and so do her tears. One of her teardrops turned into 21 Taras, including the Green Tara who was herself. The White Tara granted long life to humans. Cholmo, as the incarnation of the White Tara, was bright, beautiful and virtuous. Compared with the other two stakes — the kingship and the Seven Treasures, the men of the Ling Garpo loved Cholmo the best.

Chatsa and Dainma visited Toinpa Gyaincain of the Chalho tribe. Chatsa said sincerely: “For the peace and happiness of the people, right now, we must invite Choru back to fight for the kingship. Choru is a noble and holy man. He can defeat Zhaotoin and win the stakes. Thus, the people living in the Tibetan areas will be able to avoid adversities and Cholmo will ease her conscience. Now, the right person to go and bring Choru and his mother back is you, Cholmo.”

Cholmo looked at Chatsa and said: “Brother Chatsa, since Choru and his mother were exiled, I have been suffering and feel unhappy every day. If I am the right person to bring Choru back I’m willing to go, even at the cost of my life.”

Chatsa and Dainma were surprised that Cholmo accepted the task so quickly and readily. They were touched by what Cholmo said and wished her good luck from the bottom of their hearts.

Cholmo undertook the arduous journey alone and after overcoming many hardships, eventually set foot on Mamei. She met Choru and his mother and told them: “The Ling Tribe will hold a great horse race. The Old Chieftain and Brother Chatsa asked me to invite both of you to return. Choru must participate in the horse race and win.”

Choru had made good preparation because of his aunt’s prophecy, so he said: “I’d like to participate in the horse race but there’s one thing: I need your help.”

“I am willing to do anything for you,” Cholmo replied quickly.

“I know but this is a really hard nut to crack. I cannot participate in the horse race without a horse.”

“That’s easy. My father has 100 fine horses. You can choose any one you like.”

“Which one can rival Zhaotoin’s horse Yocha?”

“Well....” Cholmo didn’t know what to say.

“This horse will play a key role in the whole affair. It is in the wild horse herds now. It is neither an ordinary horse nor a wild one, but a Heavenly horse. Except for you and my mother, nobody can catch it. So, I need your help.” Choru looked at Cholmo expectantly.

“A Wild horse? Can I really catch it?” Cholmo hesitated. She was not afraid of the danger, but feared that her possible failure would ruin Choru’s cause.

“Sure you can! This horse can understand what people say. If you can’t catch it you can shout loudly. My brothers in Heaven will help you with their Sun and Moon cords.”

Cholmo nodded her head, but still felt unsure.

Early next morning Mother Gormo called Cholmo to get up and asked her to catch the Heavenly horse right now. Cholmo said hesitantly:

“Mother Gormo, can we ask Choru for details first? We don’t even know what the horse looks like. We’ll ruin Choru’s future if we make a mistake.”

Gormo agreed with this so they went to Choru and asked: “What does the heavenly horse look like? Can you describe it for us in detail?”

Choru said to himself: “Although Mother can recognize the Heavenly horse, she can’t catch it alone. Only Cholmo can do this for me. This is an act of God so I must tell the truth to allay Cholmo’s fears or it will be impossible for her to catch the horse.” So, Choru told the whole story of the horse to his mother and Cholmo: