The Faithful Gander by Pu Songling
A sportsman in Tientsin snares a wild goose, and its distressed mate follows him home and returns the next day. When the gander disgorges gold, the sportsman takes it as ransom and releases the goose; the narrator reflects on the sorrow of separation in humans and animals.
By Pu Songling · Genre: Animal Tale, Short Story, Moral Tale · 200 words
First lines
Note on the title: See No. XXXV., note 3.
Genres
- Animal Tale — A gander follows the captor of its mate and provides gold that obtains her release.
- Short Story — A brief prose narrative follows a capture, the gander's intervention, and the birds' reunion.
- Moral Tale — The narrator concludes the rescue with a reflection on animals sharing the sorrow humans feel when separated from loved ones.
Tags
wild geese · animal devotion · hunting · ransom · separation · reunion
What this Textopian page supports
The Faithful Gander is listed on Textopian as a short story by Pu Songling, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Pu Songling
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Animal Tale, Short Story, Moral Tale
- Length: 200 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Faithful Gander by Pu Songling
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