About Stonework

Stonework is published by Houghton College, a Christian liberal arts college located in New York’s rural Genesee Valley. Stonework seeks a diverse mix of mature and emerging voices in fellowship with the evangelical tradition. Published twice a year, the journal reflects the arts community at Houghton College where excellence in music, writing, and the visual arts has long been a distinctive.

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  • Issue 6
    Poetry by Paul Willis and Thom Satterlee. Fiction and interview with Lori Huth. Essay by James Wardwell, and student poets from Christian campuses.
  • Issue 5
    Poetry by Susanna Childress and Debra Rienstra. Fiction excerpt by Emilie Griffin. Art from Houghton's 2007 presidential inauguration and a forum on women writing.
  • Issue 4
    Matthew Roth--new poems. Diane Glancy--from One of Us and an interview. John Tatter-on gardens and poetry. The Landscapes of John Rhett. Stephen Woolsey--on the poetry of Jack Clemo. James Wardwell--on Herrick.
  • Issue 3
    Poetry by Julia Kasdorf, Robert Siegel and Sandra Duguid. Fiction by Tom Noyes. The portraits of Alieen Ortlip Shea. An anthology of Australian Poets
  • Issue 2
    Thom Satterlee - Poems from Burning Wycliff with an appreciation by David Perkins. Alison Gresik - new fiction and an interview. James Zoller - Poems from Living on the Floodplain.
  • Issue 1
    Luci Shaw — new poems with an appreciation by Eugene H. Peterson & Hugh Cook — new fiction and an interview

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Jackal, Hyena, and Lion

Long ago the hyena and the lion had their cattle. Then the cow of the hyena was a female; as for the cow of the lion, it was an ox. The hyena and the lion took turns taking care of the two animals. One day the lion would herd them and the next day the hyena would herd them. Eventually the cow of the hyena became pregnant and one day gives birth on the day that the lion was herding the cattle. After the cow gave birth, the lion took the calf of the cow of the hyena and placed it with his ox. Then he caught a baby tiang (hartebeest) and came and put it with the cow of the hyena.
When the lion brought the cattle to the homestead, he came and told the hyena, “This one is the calf to which your cow gave birth. This other one is the one to which my ox gave birth.”
The hyena says to the lion, “No way. Since when do male cows give birth? This one is the calf of my cow.”
The hyena and the lion quarreled on and on until eventually they went and collected arbitrators. These arbitrators talked on and on, but there was no one who could make a judgment. Finally, the arbitrators said, “Let us send a message to Jackal to come and see about this matter.”
When Jackal received the message, he said, “Good. I will go.” Then Jackal dug many holes until when he neared the place of the court he came out and smeared his body with red gum so that he was completely red. When he suddenly appeared to the people of the court in the late afternoon, the lion says to him, “Jackal, what were you doing? Why have we been waiting for you for a long time?”
Jackal replies, “I came earlier, and on the path I found dry mud fighting. I have been separating them until this time. Look at the blood which they smeared on me until I became completely red.”
The lion says, “Since when have we found mud that fights?”
Jackal replies, “And you, since when have we found a male which gives birth?”
All the animals say to each other, “It is judged. It is judged. Jackal is right. The cow of the hyena wins the calf.”

~~~~~

Reprinted with permission of the translator, Jonathan E. Arensen from Mice Are Men (International Museum of Cultures, 1992) copyright by The summer Insstitute of Linguistics, Inc., 1992

~~~~~

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