Yamanashimogi
This is a children's story in Japan. It's not a very popular one!
|
|
A long time ago there lived a mother and her three children in a land far away. The mother was feeling sick and resting. One day the mother called her children and told them that she wanted a pear from Okuyama Mountain. When the oldest son, Tarou, heard this, he said "Mother, I will go to the mountain and get you a pair!" He then left.
As he traveled for a while, he saw an old woman sitting upon an old, big tree stump at the base of the mountain. When the old woman saw him, she held out a bowl while saying "I'm dying of thirst! Could you fetch some water from the pond". Tarou refused and said "Sorry, I'm very busy."
"Why are you so busy? Where are you off to?", she asked him. He replied that he was off to pick some mountain pairs.
She told him that "Well, you will come to a three-way fork in the road. There will be three bamboo plants near each road. Go the way of the bamboo plant that makes the sound 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa'*."
Tarou left, and eventually came to the fork in the road. Whenever the wind blew, the middle bamboo plant made the sounds 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa', and the others made the sound 'Yukunachya Gasa Gasa'. He had a forgotten what the old woman said, and went right.
Upon doing so, he saw a woodpecker making a nest in a tree. It was hammering the tree, and it made the sound "Yukunachya Ton Ton". He didn't care about it at all, and kept going. He saw a big tree with calabashes swinging from its big branches, making the sound "Yukunakuchya Gara Gara". He didn't care either way, and kept going. He came to a small valley in the mountain and saw a mountain pair tree next to a pond. The tree had a lot of pears on it. "There it is!"
He climbed the tree to pick the pears. A silhouette appeared in the water, and Tarou was discovered by the lord of the pond. Tarou was swallowed whole with a big "GULP!".
The family waited a long time, but Tarou never came back. So, the second oldest son, Jirou, left to get a pear. He walked and walked and walked. When he arrived at the base of the mountain, he saw an old woman on a large, old tree stump. She asked him to fetch her some water. However, he said that he was very busy getting a mountain pear. The old woman gave him the same advice he gave his older brother.
Just like his brother, he arrived at the fork in the road, but had forgotten what she told him. He took the left path. He encountered the same things as his brother: a bird making a nest that made the "Yukunachya Ton Ton" sound, a tree with calabashes... but he didn't worry and kept going. He came to the same valley with a tree full of pears next to a pond. "There it is", he said. When he started climbing the tree to get the pears, a dark silhouette appeared in the water. The master of the pond found Jirou, and he was swallowed up whole in one big "Gulp"!
When the second oldest son never came back, the youngest, third son, Saburou, left to get a pear. After walking a long time, he came to the base of the mountain and found the same old woman sitting on a big, old tree stump. She held out her red bowl and she said "Please fetch some water for me." Saburou said "Sure, please wait here!", and went to get some water from a mountain stream. He brought it back, and gave it to her.
She was pleased and asked him where he was going. He replied that he was going to pick some mountain pears. She gave him the same advice that she gave his brothers. However, she also gave him a sharp sword and the red bowl. He wore them around his waist and kept going.
He came to the fork in the road and remembered the old woman's advice. He took the middle path whose bamboo plant made the 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa' sound. He heard a bird making a nest; it went 'Yukechya Ton Ton', and kept going. He saw the tree with calabashes dangling down. It went 'Yukechya Kara Kara'. He kept going quickly.
He came to the same valley as his brothers and saw lots of pears in a tree near the pond. This time, the mountain pear tree sang "the eastern branch is scary, the western branch is dangerous, the northern branch is makes a silhouette appear, climb the southern branch". Saburou was happy that the tree gave him good information. When he climbed the southern branch, as the tree sang for him, he saw only delicious-looking fruit. He grabbed the fruits from the tree. BUT...
*This sound effects don't really translate, but the proper path's sound effect has "Yukechya" in it, which means "if you go", whereas the improper paths have the sound effect "Yukunachya", which means, to some extent, "Don't go".
As he traveled for a while, he saw an old woman sitting upon an old, big tree stump at the base of the mountain. When the old woman saw him, she held out a bowl while saying "I'm dying of thirst! Could you fetch some water from the pond". Tarou refused and said "Sorry, I'm very busy."
"Why are you so busy? Where are you off to?", she asked him. He replied that he was off to pick some mountain pairs.
She told him that "Well, you will come to a three-way fork in the road. There will be three bamboo plants near each road. Go the way of the bamboo plant that makes the sound 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa'*."
Tarou left, and eventually came to the fork in the road. Whenever the wind blew, the middle bamboo plant made the sounds 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa', and the others made the sound 'Yukunachya Gasa Gasa'. He had a forgotten what the old woman said, and went right.
Upon doing so, he saw a woodpecker making a nest in a tree. It was hammering the tree, and it made the sound "Yukunachya Ton Ton". He didn't care about it at all, and kept going. He saw a big tree with calabashes swinging from its big branches, making the sound "Yukunakuchya Gara Gara". He didn't care either way, and kept going. He came to a small valley in the mountain and saw a mountain pair tree next to a pond. The tree had a lot of pears on it. "There it is!"
He climbed the tree to pick the pears. A silhouette appeared in the water, and Tarou was discovered by the lord of the pond. Tarou was swallowed whole with a big "GULP!".
The family waited a long time, but Tarou never came back. So, the second oldest son, Jirou, left to get a pear. He walked and walked and walked. When he arrived at the base of the mountain, he saw an old woman on a large, old tree stump. She asked him to fetch her some water. However, he said that he was very busy getting a mountain pear. The old woman gave him the same advice he gave his older brother.
Just like his brother, he arrived at the fork in the road, but had forgotten what she told him. He took the left path. He encountered the same things as his brother: a bird making a nest that made the "Yukunachya Ton Ton" sound, a tree with calabashes... but he didn't worry and kept going. He came to the same valley with a tree full of pears next to a pond. "There it is", he said. When he started climbing the tree to get the pears, a dark silhouette appeared in the water. The master of the pond found Jirou, and he was swallowed up whole in one big "Gulp"!
When the second oldest son never came back, the youngest, third son, Saburou, left to get a pear. After walking a long time, he came to the base of the mountain and found the same old woman sitting on a big, old tree stump. She held out her red bowl and she said "Please fetch some water for me." Saburou said "Sure, please wait here!", and went to get some water from a mountain stream. He brought it back, and gave it to her.
She was pleased and asked him where he was going. He replied that he was going to pick some mountain pears. She gave him the same advice that she gave his brothers. However, she also gave him a sharp sword and the red bowl. He wore them around his waist and kept going.
He came to the fork in the road and remembered the old woman's advice. He took the middle path whose bamboo plant made the 'Yukechya Kasa Kasa' sound. He heard a bird making a nest; it went 'Yukechya Ton Ton', and kept going. He saw the tree with calabashes dangling down. It went 'Yukechya Kara Kara'. He kept going quickly.
He came to the same valley as his brothers and saw lots of pears in a tree near the pond. This time, the mountain pear tree sang "the eastern branch is scary, the western branch is dangerous, the northern branch is makes a silhouette appear, climb the southern branch". Saburou was happy that the tree gave him good information. When he climbed the southern branch, as the tree sang for him, he saw only delicious-looking fruit. He grabbed the fruits from the tree. BUT...
*This sound effects don't really translate, but the proper path's sound effect has "Yukechya" in it, which means "if you go", whereas the improper paths have the sound effect "Yukunachya", which means, to some extent, "Don't go".