Song Without End

               " Song without End"

                All the season shall be the same

                Because you do not smile with me

                 With your forgiveness;

-          The person doesn’t feel excitement and joy for him, seasons do not differ unless his love gives forgiveness.

      Every day shall be the same

                Because you do not come to sit

                Beside me on my bench

-          It would make his days better with just a small act such as that person sits beside him.

With just things can make you happy.

                All the tales that I shall hear

                Shall be the same because you lips are silent

                And until I see you smile,

                Feel your nearness, and hear your voice –

-          Every story is mundane because it does not come from the person he loves.

                Storms will rage against my world;

                The day shall stretch unendingly

                Like my pain,

                No music shall reach my ear

                Sweeter than your voice;

                Which I have lost.

-          Until the person is with his lover again, he will continue being troubled and pained. His lover will never be replaced in the his heart.

Moral Values:

          Appreciate more things.

Submitted by:                  

Ma. Joezel Dawn Subaldo   

       

The Mad Man on the Roof

                                                     
               " The Mad Man on the Roof "

Summary:
               A father named Gisuke was concerned about his 24 year old son, Yoshitaro who climbs on the roof to watch the sunset. One day, Gisuke tried to meke his son to climb down off the roof. But, no matter how hard Gisuke tried, his son won't still climb down. So, he ordered, Kichiji, their servant to get Yoshitaro on the roof. Kichiji went outside to get a ladder.Tosaku, their neighbor, entered the house and noticed what is happening in the house. And recognized that it was Yoshitaro again on the roof. Then Tosaku recommended a Holy woman that could cure Yoshitaro. The Holy Woman came to the house and she said that Yoshitaro was possessed by an evil spirit. As they was on the healing procedure of Yoshitaro, Suejiro entered and rescued his brother Yoshitaro. Suejiro defended and reasoned out his brother's condition with their parents. Telling them that Yoshitaro was not possessed by an evil spirit rather have a serious condition.Then, their parents understand and accepted the truth about their elder son, Yoshitaro. In the end, Brotherly love prevails and made the family unite and compromise.

Moral Values:

The moral lesson in the story is "Don't be ashamed of your own kind,especially if it doesn't harm any of your neighbors" Be thankful of what you have and the people who are there to love you, don't mind others. Be yourself

Submitted by:              

Nica Marie Tajonera.        

Thousand Cranes

"Thousand Cranes"

Summary:

              Kikuji Mitani is on his way to a tea ceremony that will be performed at the inner cottage of Engakuji Temple in Kamakura, Japan. When Kikuji received an invitation to this ceremony from Kurimoto Chikako, his deceased father’s former mistress, he initially thought it was being conducted in memory of his deceased father, but a postscript mentioned that she wanted him to meet Yuriko Inamura, her student. As he again reads the note, Kikuji remembers that, when he was taken by his father to visit Chikako, he accidentally viewed the large birthmark that covers half of her left breast. Kikuji has been haunted by this image since then.

              After Kikuji enters the temple’s grounds, he spots two young women, one of whom is carrying a bundle wrapped with a kerchief with a beautiful thousand-crane pattern. When Kikuji arrives at the cottage, he notices that the girl with the kerchief is there as well. Chikako tells Kikuji that the girl’s father was a friend of his father. She then takes him aside and apologetically informs him that Mrs. Ota, his father’s last mistress, is also attending the ceremony, along with her daughter Fumiko. Kikuji is puzzled because he knows that Chikako hates Mrs. Ota. In order to show Yuriko off to Kikuji, Chikako has her perform the tea ceremony using a bowl that originally belonged to Mrs. Ota’s husband and that was later given to Kikuji’s father.

              After the ceremony is completed, Kikuji leaves. He runs into Mrs. Ota, who tells him that the ring that Fumiko is wearing was given to her by his father as a reward for helping him in an air raid during the war. Kikuji begins to feel that Mrs. Ota is treating him as if he were his father. They have dinner and spend the night together. He talks to her about Chikako’s birthmark, and she is disgusted. Two weeks later, Fumiko visits Kikuji and apologizes for her mother’s behavior. He tells her that her mother is a good person.

            Chikako calls Kikuji at his office, telling him that she has cleaned his tea cottage and will cook for him. She also says that she will invite Yuriko for dinner.

Moral Values:
        Cheating is wrong.s.  Think before you act,think about who will suffer from your actions.Do not believe that you can get away with it forever, because eventually the law of the universe will catch up to you. 

^{Submitted by:}       

^{Lorenz Ian Lambatin}     

The Wonderful Pear Tree

"The Wonderful Pear Tree"

SUMMARY:

            Once upon a time, there was country man who came into the town during market day and brought a load of very special pears with him to sell. He knew that he can sold extra fine pears. While carrying up his fruits there was a poor, old, ragged priest stopped just in front of the barrow and humbly begged to give him one of the pears. But the country man refused.

The priest said that the country man have lots of pears. He never knew that he lost one.

            On the market one man said that the country man should give only one rotten pear to make the priest happy. But still the country still refused to it. Then people began to shout.

The old priest took the pear with a low bow and said that he had no home, no parents, no children ,no food because he gave up everything when he became priest. The priest have perfectly exquisite pears and let the country man accept it. The man told the priest to eat the pears but he wanted to grow it first.

He ate but he took a pick and then dug a deep hole in the ground at his feet and planted the pip. He told the people who can fetch him or gave him some hot water to water what he planted. Then there is one who made it. He watered it, then it grow, pushing their head above the ground, one leaf uncurled first with tiny green sprout, while the shoots kept growing taller and taller then it bear fruits.

            The priest distributed the fruits to the people and then he hacked it with a final bow he walked away. The countryman got shocked because his barrow and saw was empty. Every single pear had gone. That was the time he realized that the pears being distributed by the priest was him……He try to look for the priest but he was gone. All the people in the market were simply splitting their sides with laughter, but as for the priest no one saw him anymore.

Moral Values: 
    Don't judge a book by its cover.

Submitted by:     

Antonette Reyes

  

Spiders Thread

"Spiders Thread"

Summary:

             Shakyamuni is meandering around Paradise one morning, when he stops at a lotus-filled pond. Between the lilies, he can see, through the crystal-clear waters, the depths of Hell. His eyes come to rest on one sinner in particular, by the name of Kandata. Kandata was a cold-hearted criminal, but had one good deed to his name: while walking through the forest one day, he decided not to kill a spider he was about to crush with his foot. Moved by this single act of compassion, the Buddha takes the silvery thread of a spider in Paradise and lowers it down into Hell.

Down in Hell, the myriad sinners are struggling in the Pool of Blood, in total darkness save for the light glinting off the Mountain of Spikes, and in total silence save for the sighs of the damned. Kandata, looking up by chance at the sky above the pool, sees the spider's thread descending towards him and grabs hold with all the might of a seasoned criminal. The climb from Hell to Paradise is not a short one, however, and Kandata quickly tires. Dangling from the middle of the rope, he glances downward, and sees how far he has come. Realizing that he may actually escape from Hell, he is overcome by joy and laughs giddily. His elation is short-lived, however, as he realizes that others have started climbing the thread behind him, stretching down into the murky depths below. Fearing that the thread will break from the weight of the others, he shouts that the spider's thread is his and his alone. It is at this moment that the thread breaks, and he and all the other sinners are cast back down into the Pool of Blood.

Shakyamuni witnesses this, knowing all but still with a slightly sad air. In the end, Kandata condemned himself by being concerned only with his own salvation and not that of others. But Paradise continues on as it has, and it is nearly noontime there. Thus the Buddha continues his meanderings.

Moral Values :

            We should not be envious or selfish with others and not think only of yourself.

Submitted  by:             

Carl Justin Montiague      

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First Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

"First Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor"

 Summary :

                The Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor contains the stories of seven voyages. All the stories, except the first and the last one, begin with Sindbad getting bored with life in Baghdad and deciding to go on a voyage. In all the stories but the last one, Sindbad makes his way to the south and the east from Basra, i.e. towards India, by trading goods. In all of the stories, something disastrous happens to end the voyage: either the ship is sunk or Sindbad is marooned on an island for some reason. In all the stories, the men he meets in adversity are kind to him and help him. In contrast, the half-men, giants and phantoms he encounters, such as the Old Man of the Sea, always seek to kill or enslave him. Most important of all for the continuation of the book, all the stories end happily with Sindbad returning to Basra and Baghdad a rich man and able to help the poor like any good Muslim. Each time he vows never to set foot on a ship again.

Moral Values :                                             

    Some things are better than others. The day of death is better than the day birth; a live  is better than a dead lion; and the grave is better than want. 

Submitted by:             

Elijah Lorenz Mahinay      

A Little Incident

"A LITTLE INCIDENT"

Summary:

            There was once a man, who was successful to the point that he only thinks and cares about himself. One day, he needed to wake up early so he can earn a living. He hires a rickshaw and told the puller to take him to the South Gate. As they approached the South Gate, an old woman ran in front of them. The rickshaw hit the old woman that she even knelt on all fours. The successful man didn’t think that the old woman was hurt and that she was just faking it. Contrary to what the successful man thought, the puller ask the old woman if she was alright. The old woman said that she wasn’t. The puller decided to bring the old woman to the police station.  For he saw that she was badly hurt. As the successful man saw what the puller did, something inside him aroused. At that moment, he realized that if he was waking up early every day to make a living, the puller was more eager than him to the point that he’s just abusing his body. Without thinking, the successful man gave the officer that went to him, a fistful of coppers telling him to give it to the puller.

            Time passed, the successful man couldn’t forget that experience of him for it taught him things he never imagined he can learn.

Moral Values:

            Never Underestimate the Power of Small Things. Also, In order not to be disrespectful, you must be humble, to accept people how they are. Not to judge a person without knowing their story. We are all human. We are all different. We are not perfect, by any means.  But we most certainly, all deserve respect.

Submitted by:      

Ireanne N. Omega