Ghost Story Review: "The Story of Ming-Y" by Lafcadio Hearn

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This little morality tale is set in during the Ming Dynasty (ruled 1368-1644). Ming-Y’s father was appointed Inspector of Public Instruction at the city of Tchin-tou. Miny-Y, though only 18, was already noted for his scholarship, his grace and his polite accomplishments. Thus when the wealthy Lord Tchang went looking for a worthy tutor for his children, he engaged Ming-Y. Because Lord Tchang’s house was several miles away, Ming-Y was set to live there. Yet during the time on the second moon of spring and “The Birthday of a Hundred Flowers” arrive, Ming-Y wished to see his parents. Lord Tchang not only gave permission, but gave him silver, thinking he would like to buy his parents a present for the festival. As he made his way home, he happened to catch a glimpse of a woman’s face from a house he didn’t recall being on that particular spot. “Though he looked for a moment only, Ming-Y could not avoid discerning the loveliness of her face, the golden purity of her complexion, and the brightness of her long eyes, that sparkled under a pair of brows as daintily curved as the wings of the silkworm butterfly outspread. Ming-Y at once turned his gaze away…” Of course the two meet and spend long night drinking and reading poetry of the masters. The woman seems to have copies of poets long dead. Ming-Y now does something he has never done before. He lies. He tells his employed he’s walking home to his parents’ house every night, but he’s spending time with this lovely lady. The story may be a little heavy-handed with finger-wagging and the tsk-tsking, but the writing itself is dreamy and beautiful, as are other things by the same author. “Do you ask me who she was,—the beautiful Sië-Thao? For a thousand years and more the tress have been whispering above her bed of stone. And the syllables of her name come to the listener with the lisping of the leaves; with the quivering of the many-fingered boughs; with the fluttering of lights and shadows; with the breath, sweet as a woman’s presence, of numberless savage flowers,—Sië-Thao.” I enjoyed this tale. _____ Title: “The Story of Ming-Y” Author: Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) First published: Some Chinese Ghosts 1887 ______ This story is available from Project Gutenberg, link below