汾州狐

汾州判官朱公，官署多狐。朱公夜坐，有个女子在灯下往来，起初以为是家眷之妇，没来得及看顾，等举目一看，竟不认识，而容光艳绝。心里知道是狐，而喜爱她，急忙喊她来。女停步笑着说："厉声加人，谁是你的婢媪吗？"朱公笑着起身，拉她坐下谢过。就与密好，久了如夫妻之好。忽然对朱公说："君官秩当迁，别有日了。"问："什么时候？"回答："就在眼前。但贺者在门，吊者就在巷中，不能任职。"三天后迁报果然到，次日就得到太夫人的讣音。朱公解任，想与她同归。狐不可，送他到河上，强让他登舟。女说："君自己不知，狐不能过河。"朱公不忍别，恋恋河畔。女忽然出去，说将去拜一个故旧。过了一阵回来，就有客来答拜。女在别室与语。客去才来，说："请即登舟，妾送君渡。"朱公说："向来说不能渡，今天怎么渡？"说："刚才所拜的不是别人，是河神。妾因君的缘故特请了他。他限我十天往还，所以可暂相依。"就同渡。到十天，果然别去。

Judge Zhu of Fenzhou, whose yamen was full of foxes, was sitting by lamplight one night when a woman passed to and fro in the light. He took her at first for a servant's wife and paid no attention; but when he looked up he found he did not know her, and her beauty was dazzling. Knowing in his heart she was a fox, yet loving her, he called her to him. The woman stopped and laughed. "To call out so sternly," she said, "pray, am I your slave-girl?" Zhu rose laughing, drew her to a seat, and begged her pardon. So they grew intimate, and in time were as husband and wife. Suddenly she said to him, "You are due for promotion, and we must part soon." "When?" asked Zhu. "Presently," she said. "But while the congratulators are at your gate, the mourners are already at the lane's end; you will not hold office." Three days later the notice of his promotion came, and the next day news of his mother's death. He resigned his post and would have taken her home with him. But the fox would not, and saw him to the river, urging him aboard. "You do not know," she said, "that a fox cannot cross a river." Zhu could not bear to part from her and lingered on the bank. The fox went out, saying she would visit an old friend. After a while she came back, and then a visitor arrived to return a call, with whom she talked in another room. When the guest had gone she returned. "Pray get on board," she said; "I will see you across." "But you said you could not cross," said Zhu; "how is it now?" "It was no other than the River God I went to visit," she said. "For your sake I asked his leave. He grants me ten days to go and return, so I may be with you for a while." So they crossed together, and at the end of ten days she went away as she had said.