The Willow

1
The Willow Pattern Story
2
The Willow Pattern Poem
Two little birdies flying higha little vessel
passing bya weeping willow hanging o'era bridge
with three men, if not four.a Chinese castle
there it standsas if the Lord of many lands,a
tree with many apples on,and a fence at the
bottom to end my song.
3
The Story
4
Once upon a time, there was a rich Mandarin who
had a beautiful daughter called Knoon-she. They
lived in a big house where there worked a
secretary called Chang. Knoon-she and Chang fell
in love but kept their relationship secret as her
father would never allow it.
5
Then one day her father introduced her to the man
whom he had arranged for her to marry. She
obviously objected and told her father about her
love for Chang. You will not marry a
secretary! He shouted. I will! She yelled
back. She stormed out and met Chang. They planned
to run away so they could be together for real.
6
Her father, being a horribly cruel man, locked
her away in a tower and threw away the key. She
stayed in the tower for days waiting for someone
to rescue her. Then, when she wasnt expecting it
Chang climbed through the window and they escaped.
7
They ran away but they didnt get the quiet
escape they had hoped for. As they were running
her father followed them with a whip while she
carried a pearl encrusted jewellery box. They ran
until they eventually lost their father. They
caught a boat and sailed over to a small, unknown
island where they found a house and they settled
down.
8
What they didnt know was that the father had
ordered his guard to follow them. The guard did
just that and while they were sleeping he set
fire to the house. Knoon-shee and Change perished
in the ashes. As the house burnt down, two doves
rose from the ashes of the lovers.
9
The End