--- title: Opening, part 4 — The grateful elephant · full text with trees description: Opening, part 4, «The grateful elephant» by Eugene Watson Burlingame: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: _The Future Buddha befriends animals and man. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/4/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [The grateful elephant](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/) / Opening, part 4 # Opening, part 4 Opening, part 4 of «The grateful elephant» by Eugene Watson Burlingame: the whole text, 149 sentences and 2614 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/4/page/2/) \_The Future Buddha befriends animals and man.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") Now at that time the Future Buddha was reborn in the kingdom of Kāsi in the household of a Brahman of high station.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") When he reached manhood, he retired from the world and adopted the life of an ascetic, and building a leaf-hut at a certain bend in the river, took up his abode there.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") At midnight, as he was walking up and down, he heard the sound of the profound lamentation of that royal prince.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Thought he: “It is not fitting that that man should die in sight of an ascetic like me, endowed with friendliness and compassion.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") I will pull him out of the water and grant him the boon of life.”[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") He calmed the man’s fears with the words, “Fear not! fear not!”[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Then, cleaving the stream of water, he went and laid hold of that tree-trunk by one end, and pulled it.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Powerful as an elephant, endowed with mighty strength, with a single pull he reached the bank, and lifting the prince in his arms, set him ashore.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") along by the river.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Seeing the snake, the rat, and the parrot, he picked them up also, carried them to his hermitage, and lighted a fire.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") “The animals are weaker,” thought he.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") So first he warmed the bodies of the animals; then afterwards he warmed the body of the royal prince and made him well too.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") When he brought food also, he first gave it to those same animals, and afterwards offered fruits and other edibles to the prince.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") Thought the royal prince: “This false ascetic does not take it into his reckoning that I am a royal prince, but does honor to animals.”[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") And he conceived a grudge against the Future Buddha.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") A few days after that, when all four had recovered their strength and vigor and the river-freshet had ceased, the snake bowed to the ascetic and said: “Reverend Sir, it is a great service you have done me.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") Now I am no pauper.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") In such-and-such a place I have buried forty crores of gold.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") If you have need of money, I can give you all that money.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Come to that place and call me out, saying: ‘Longfellow!’”[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he departed.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Likewise also the rat addressed the ascetic: “Stand in such-and-such a place and call me out, saying: ‘Rat!’”[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he departed.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") But when the parrot bowed to the ascetic, he said: “Reverend Sir, I have no money; but if you have need of ruddy rice,--such-and-such is my place of abode,--go there and call me out, saying: ‘Parrot!’[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") I’ll tell my kinsfolk, have them fetch ruddy rice by the cart-load, and give it to you.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") That’s what I can do!”[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he departed.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") But that other, the man, because it was his custom to betray his friends, said not so much as a word according to custom.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Thought he: “If you come to me, I’ll kill you!”[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") But he said: “Reverend Sir, when I am established in my kingdom, be good enough to come and see me; I’ll furnish you with the Four Requisites.”[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he departed.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") And in no very long time after he had gone, he was established in his kingdom.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") \_Gratefulness of animals.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") Thought the Future Buddha: “I’ll just put them to the test!”[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") First he went to the snake, and standing not far off, called him out, saying, “Longfellow!”[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") At the mere word the snake came out, bowed to the Future Buddha, and said: “Reverend Sir, in this place are forty crores of gold; carry them all out and take them with you!”[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Said the Future Buddha: “Let be as it is; if occasion arises, I’ll think about it.”[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he let the snake go back.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he went to the rat and made a noise.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") The rat also behaved just as had the snake.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") The Future Buddha let him also go back.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he went to the parrot and called him out, saying: “Parrot!”[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") The parrot also, at the mere word, came down from the top of the tree, and bowing to the Future Buddha, asked: “Tell me, Reverend Sir, shall I speak to my kinsfolk and have them fetch you self-sown rice from the region of Himavat?”[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") Said the Future Buddha: “If I have need, I’ll think about it.”[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") So saying, he let the parrot also go back.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") \_Ungratefulness of man.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now,” thought the Future Buddha, “I’ll test the king!”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") He went and passed the night in the king’s garden, and on the following day, having put on beautiful garments, entered the city on his round for alms.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") At that moment that king, that betrayer of friends, seated on the back of his gloriously adorned state elephant, accompanied by a large retinue, was making a rightwise circuit of the city.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") Seeing the Future Buddha even from afar, he thought: “Here’s that false ascetic, come to live with me and eat his fill\![51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") That he may not make known in the midst of this company the service he has rendered me, I’ll straightway have his head cut off!”[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") He looked at his men.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") Said they: “What shall we do, your majesty?”[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") Said the king: “Here’s a false ascetic, come to ask me for something or other, I suppose.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") Without so much as giving that false ascetic, that bird of evil omen, a chance to look at me, take that fellow, bind his arms behind his back, conduct him out of the city, beating him at every cross-roads, cut off his head in the place of execution, and impale his body on a stake!”[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") “Very well,” said the king’s men in assent.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") They bound the Great Being, guiltless as he was, and started to conduct him to the place of execution, beating him at every cross-roads.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") The Future Buddha, wherever they beat him, uttered no lament, “Women! men!” but unperturbed, uttered the following stanza:[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") True is this saying of some men of the world: “Driftwood is worth more than some men!”[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") \[\_Native gloss\_: A stick of wood washed up on dry land is of some use: it will cook food; it will warm those who are shivering with the cold; it will remove dangerous objects.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") But an ingrate is worse than useless.\][62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") Thus, wherever they beat him, did he utter this stanza.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") Hearing this, wise men who stood by said: “But, monk, what is the trouble between you and our king? have you done him some good turn?”[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the Future Buddha told them the whole story, saying: “I alone, by pulling this man out of a mighty flood, have brought suffering upon myself.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") I speak as I do because I keep thinking: ‘Alas\![66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") I have not heeded the words of wise men of old!’”[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") Hearing this, Warriors and Brahmans and others, residents of the city, became enraged.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") Said they: “This king here, this betrayer of friends, has not the slightest conception of the virtues of this embodiment of the virtues, this man who has granted him the boon of his own life\![69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") What have we to gain through him\![70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Capture him!”[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") And rising in all quarters, they slew him, even as he sat on the back of the elephant, by hitting him with arrows and spears and rocks and clubs.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") And laying hold of his feet, they dragged him and threw him back of the moat.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") And conferring the ceremonial sprinkling on the Future Buddha, they established him in the kingdom.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") The Future Buddha ruled righteously.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") Again one day, desiring to test the snake, the rat, and the parrot, he went with a large retinue to the place of abode of the snake and called him out, saying: “Longfellow!”[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") The snake came, bowed to him, and said: “Here’s your money, master; take it.”[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") The king entrusted to his ministers wealth amounting to forty crores of gold.[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he went to the rat and called him out, saying: “Rat!”[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") The rat also came, and with a bow handed over to him wealth amounting to thirty crores.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") The king entrusted that also to his ministers.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he went to the place of abode of the parrot and called him out, saying: “Parrot!”[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") The parrot also came, and reverencing his feet, said: “Master, shall I fetch rice?”[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") Said the king: “When there is need of rice, you may fetch it; come, let’s go.”[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/4/page/2/) - ← previous: [Opening, part 3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/3/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/4/page/2/) - ↑ back to [The grateful elephant](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg74064/)