Heard Your Lady Friend Flew the Nest Again
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
A Fairy Tale from Japan
of Aarne-Thompson-Uther blazon 480
selected and edited past
D. L. Ashliman
© 2008-2015
Contents
"The Natural language-Cut Sparrow," as translated or retold past:- William Elliot Griffis (1880).
- A. B. Mitford (1890).
- Yei Theodora Ozaki (1903).
- Teresa Peirce Williston (1904).
- Lafcadio Hearn (1918).
- David Brauns (1885). External link to Der Sperling mit der durchschnittenen Zunge, a German translation of this tale.
- Links to related sites.
Return to D. L. Ashliman's folktexts , a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology.
The Natural language-Cut Sparrow
Japan, William Elliot Griffis
In that location was one time an one-time human who had a wife with a very bad temper. She had never borne him any children, and would non accept the problem to adopt a son. So for a little pet he kept a tiny sparrow, and fed information technology with nifty care. The former dame, non satisfied with scolding her husband, hated the sparrow.Now the old woman's temper was especially bad on wash days, when her one-time back and knees were well strained over the low tub, which rested on the ground. It happened once that she had made some starch, and set it in a red wooden bowl to cool. While her back was turned, the sparrow hopped down on the edge of the bowl, and pecked at some of the starch. In a rage the old hag seized a pair of pair of scissors and cut the sparrow's tongue out. Flinging the bird in the air she cried out, "Now be off." So the poor sparrow, all bleeding, flew away.
When the one-time human came back and found his pet gone, he made a great ado. He asked his married woman, and she told him what she had done and why. The sorrowful old man grieved sorely for his pet, and afterward looking in every place and calling it by name, gave it up as lost.
Long after this, old man while wandering on the mountains met his old friend the sparrow. They both cried "Ohio!" (practiced morning) to each other, and bowing low offered many mutual congratulations and inquiries as to wellness, etc. So the sparrow begged the erstwhile human to visit his humble dwelling, promising to innovate his wife and two daughters.
The quondam human being went in and plant a overnice little house with a bamboo garden, tiny waterfall, stepping stone, and everything consummate. Then Mrs. Sparrow brought in slices of carbohydrate-jelly, rock-candy, sweet potato custard, and a bowl of hot starch sprinkled with carbohydrate, and a pair of chopsticks on a tray. Miss Suzumi, the elder daughter brought the tea caddy and teapot, and in a snap of the fingers had a adept cup of tea ready, which she offered on a tray, kneeling.
"Please accept upwards and help yourself. The refreshments are very poor, but I hope you will alibi our plainness," said Mother Sparrow. The delighted onetime human, wondering in himself at such a polite family of sparrows, ate heartily, and drank several cups of tea. Finally, on being pressed he remained all dark.
For several days the old man enjoyed himself at the sparrow's home. He looked at the landscapes and the moonlight, feasted to his heart's content, and played become (the game of 360 checkers) with Ko-Suzumi the little girl. In the evening Mrs. Sparrow would bring out the refreshments and the wine, and seat the old man on a silken cushion, while she played the guitar. Mr. Sparrow and his two daughters danced, sung, and made merry. The delighted one-time man leaning on the velvet armrest forgot his cares, his old limbs, and his married woman'southward tongue, and felt similar a youth once more.
On the 5th twenty-four hours the old man said he must go dwelling. Then the sparrow brought out two baskets made of plaited rattan, such as are used in traveling and carried on men'due south shoulders. Placing them before their guest, the sparrow said, "Delight accept a parting gift."
Now one basket was very heavy, and the other very lite. The one-time man, non being greedy, said he would accept the lighter i. And then with many thanks and bows and good-byes, he set up off homewards.
He reached his hut safely, simply instead of a kind welcome the one-time hag began to scold him for being abroad so long. He begged her to be tranquility, and telling of his visit to the sparrows, opened the handbasket, while the scowling old woman held her tongue, out of sheer curiosity.
Oh, what a splendid sight! There were aureate and silver money, and gems, and coral, and crystal, and amber, and the never-failing purse of money, and the invisible coat and lid, and rolls of books, and all mode of precious things.
At the sight of and then much wealth, the old hag'southward scowl changed to a smile of greedy joy. "I'll go correct off and get a present from the sparrows," said she.
So binding on her straw sandals, and tucking up her skirts, and adjusting her girdle, tying the bow in front, she seized her staff and set off on the road. Arriving at the sparrow's house she began to flatter Mr. Sparrow by soft speeches. Of course the polite sparrow invited her into his house, simply nil just a loving cup of tea was offered her, and wife and daughters kept away. Seeing she was not going to get whatsoever good-good day gift, the brazen hussy asked for one. The sparrow then brought out and set before her two baskets, i heavy and the other light. Taking the heavier one without so much as maxim "thank yous," she carried it back with her. And so she opened it, expecting all kinds of riches.
She took off the lid, when a horrible cuttlefish rushed at her, and a horned oni snapped his tusks at her, a skeleton poked his bony fingers in her face, and finally a long, hairy snake, with a big head and lolling natural language, sprang out and coiled around her, cracking her bones, and squeezing out her breath, till she died.
After the good old man had cached his wife, he adopted a son to comfort his erstwhile age, and with his treasures lived at ease all his days.
- Source: William Elliot Griffis, Japanese Fairy Globe: Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Nihon (Schenectady: James H. Barhyte, 1880), no. 4, pp. 30-36.
- Return to the table of contents.
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Japan, A. B. Mitford
In one case upon a time at that place lived an old homo and an erstwhile woman. The old man, who had a kind center, kept a young sparrow, which he tenderly nurtured. But the dame was a cross-grained onetime thing; and one twenty-four hours, when the sparrow had pecked at some paste with which she was going to starch her linen, she flew into a great rage, and cut the sparrow's tongue and allow information technology loose. When the former man came home from the hills and constitute that the bird had flown, he asked what had go of information technology; so the erstwhile woman answered that she had cut its natural language and let it become, because it had stolen her starching paste.Now the old man, hearing this cruel tale, was sorely grieved, and thought to himself, "Alas! Where can my bird be gone? Poor thing! Poor footling tongue-cut sparrow! Where is your habitation at present?" and he wandered far and wide, seeking for his pet, and crying, "Mr. Sparrow! Mr. Sparrow! Where are you living?"
One day, at the human foot of a sure mountain, the one-time man fell in with the lost bird; and when they had congratulated 1 another on their mutual safety, the sparrow led the old man to his habitation, and, having introduced him to his married woman and chicks, prepare before him all sorts of dainties, and entertained him hospitably.
"Please partake of our humble fare," said the sparrow."Poor as it is, you are very welcome."
"What a polite sparrow!" answered the quondam man, who remained for a long time every bit the sparrow'due south guest, and was daily feasted right royally. At final the old homo said that he must take his leave and return abode; and the bird, offering him him two wicker baskets, begged him to bear them with him as a parting present. One of the baskets was heavy, and the other was low-cal; and so the one-time human being, proverb that as he was feeble and stricken in years he would only accept the light one, shouldered it, and trudged off dwelling house, leaving the sparrow family disconsolate at parting from him.
When the old homo got domicile, the dame grew very angry, and began to scold him, maxim, "Well, and pray where have yous been this many a day? A pretty affair, indeed, to be gadding about at your time of life!"
"Oh!" replied he, "I have been on a visit to the sparrows; and when I came away, they gave me this wicker basket as a parting gift."
And so they opened the basket to run into what was within, and, lo and behold! it was total of gold and silvery and precious things. When the one-time adult female, who was as greedy equally she was cantankerous, saw all the riches displayed earlier her, she changed her scolding strain, and could not contain herself for joy.
"I'll go and phone call upon the sparrows, too," said she, "and get a pretty nowadays." So she asked the old man the mode to the sparrows' house, and set forth on her journey. Following his directions, she at terminal met the tongue-cut sparrow, and exclaimed, "Well met! well met! Mr. Sparrow. I accept been looking forrad to the pleasure of seeing you." And then she tried to natter and cajole the sparrow by soft speeches.
The bird could not but invite the dame to its home; but it took no pains to banquet her, and said nothing near a departing souvenir. She, however, was not to be put off; and then she asked for something to behave away with her in remembrance of her visit. The sparrow accordingly produced two baskets, equally before, and the greedy old woman, choosing the heavier of the two, carried information technology off with her. But when she opened the basket to see what was inside, all sorts of hobgoblins and elves sprang out of it, and began to torment her.
But the onetime homo adopted a son, and his family unit grew rich and prosperous. What a happy old man!
- Source: A. B. Mitford, Tales of Sometime Japan (London: Macmillan and Company, 1890), pp. 173-74.
- Render to the table of contents.
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Japan, Yei Theodora Ozaki
Long, long ago in Nihon there lived an quondam man and his married woman. The former human being was a good, kindhearted, hardworking old fellow, simply his wife was a regular crosspatch, who spoilt the happiness of her dwelling house past her scolding natural language. She was e'er grumbling about something from morning to night. The old human had for a long time ceased to take any discover of her crossness. He was out most of the day at work in the fields, and as he had no child, for his amusement when he came home, he kept a tame sparrow. He loved the little bird only as much as if she had been his child.When he came back at nighttime later on his hard day's work in the open air information technology was his only pleasance to pet the sparrow, to talk to her and to teach her little tricks, which she learned very quickly. The old man would open her cage and let her fly well-nigh the room, and they would play together. Then when suppertime came, he always saved some tit-bits from his meal with which to feed his footling bird.
Now one twenty-four hour period the old human being went out to chop forest in the woods, and the one-time woman stopped at home to wash clothes. The day before, she had made some starch, and now when she came to wait for it, information technology was all gone; the basin which she had filled total yesterday was quite empty.
While she was wondering who could have used or stolen the starch, down flew the pet sparrow, and bowing her little feathered caput -- a play a trick on which she had been taught by her master -- the pretty bird chirped and said, "It is I who have taken the starch. I thought it was some food put out for me in that basin, and I ate information technology all. If I take made a mistake I beg you to forgive me! Tweet, tweet, tweet!"
Y'all encounter from this that the sparrow was a truthful bird, and the onetime woman ought to have been willing to forgive her at once when she asked her pardon and then nicely. But not so. The sometime woman had never loved the sparrow, and had often quarreled with her husband for keeping what she chosen a muddied bird nearly the house, saying that it simply made extra work for her. Now she was merely besides delighted to have some crusade of complaint confronting the pet. She scolded and even cursed the poor piddling bird for her bad beliefs, and not content with using these harsh, unfeeling words, in a fit of rage she seized the sparrow -- who all this time had spread out her wings and bowed her caput earlier the old woman, to prove how sad she was -- and fetched the scissors and cutting off the poor fiddling bird'south tongue.
"I suppose you took my starch with that tongue! At present you may see what information technology is like to go without information technology!" And with these dreadful words she drove the bird away, not caring in the least what might happen to information technology and without the smallest pity for its suffering, and then unkind was she!
The onetime woman, afterward she had driven the sparrow away, made some more rice paste, grumbling all the fourth dimension at the problem, and after starching all her clothes, spread the things on boards to dry out in the dominicus, instead of ironing them as they exercise in England.
In the evening the old man came home. Equally usual, on the way back he looked forward to the time when he should accomplish his gate and see his pet come up flying and chirping to meet him, ruffling out her feathers to evidence her joy, and at last coming to rest on his shoulder. But this night the former man was very disappointed, for not even the shadow of his dear sparrow was to be seen.
He quickened his steps, hastily drew off his straw sandals, and stepped on to the verandah. Notwithstanding no sparrow was to be seen. He now felt sure that his wife, in ane of her cross tempers, had close the sparrow up in its muzzle. And so he called her and said anxiously, "Where is Suzume San (Miss Sparrow) today?"
The old woman pretended non to know at first, and answered, "Your sparrow? I am sure I don't know. At present I come to remember of it, I haven't seen her all the afternoon. I shouldn't wonder if the ungrateful bird had flown away and left yous after all your petting!"
But at final, when the old man gave her no peace, just asked her again and once again, insisting that she must know what had happened to his pet, she confessed all. She told him crossly how the sparrow had eaten the rice paste she had especially made for starching her clothes, and how when the sparrow had confessed to what she had done, in great anger she had taken her scissors and cutting out her natural language, and how finally she had driven the bird away and forbidden her to render to the house once more.
Then the quondam woman showed her hubby the sparrow's tongue, saying, "Hither is the tongue I cutting off! Horrid little bird, why did information technology eat all my starch? "
"How could you be so cruel? Oh! how could you be so savage?" was all that the old man could answer. He was also kind-hearted to punish his shrew of a married woman, just he was terribly distressed at what had happened to his poor little sparrow.
"What a dreadful misfortune for my poor Suzume San to lose her tongue!" he said to himself. "She won't exist able to chirp any more than, and surely the pain of the cutting of it out in that rough way must have fabricated her ill! Is there zippo to be washed?"
The old man shed many tears after his cross wife had gone to sleep. While he wiped abroad the tears with the sleeve of his cotton robe, a bright thought comforted him: he would become and expect for the sparrow on the morrow. Having decided this he was able to go to sleep at last.
The next morning time he rose early, as presently equally ever the twenty-four hours broke, and snatching a jerky breakfast, started out over the hills and through the woods, stopping at every clump of bamboos to weep, "Where, oh where does my tongue-cutting sparrow stay? Where, oh where, does my tongue-cut sparrow stay?"
He never stopped to rest for his noonday meal, and it was far on in the afternoon when he found himself near a large bamboo wood. Bamboo groves are the favorite haunts of sparrows, and at that place sure enough at the edge of the woods he saw his ain dear sparrow waiting to welcome him. He could hardly believe his eyes for joy, and ran frontwards quickly to greet her. She bowed her little caput and went through a number of the tricks her master had taught her, to show her pleasure at seeing her old friend once again, and, wonderful to relate, she could talk as of old.
The old man told her how sorry he was for all that had happened, and inquired subsequently her natural language, wondering how she could speak and then well without information technology. Then the sparrow opened her nib and showed him that a new natural language had grown in identify of the one-time one, and begged him not to remember whatever more nearly the by, for she was quite well now.
Then the old man knew that his sparrow was a fairy, and no common bird. It would exist difficult to exaggerate the old man's rejoicing at present. He forgot all his troubles, he forgot even how tired he was, for he had institute his lost sparrow, and instead of being ill and without a tongue every bit he had feared and expected to discover her, she was well and happy and with a new natural language, and without a sign of the ill treatment she had received from his wife. And above all she was a fairy.
The sparrow asked him to follow her, and flight before him she led him to a beautiful house in the middle of the bamboo grove. The onetime man was utterly astonished when he entered the firm to detect what a beautiful place it was. It was built of the whitest wood, the soft foam-colored mats which took the place of carpets were the finest he had e'er seen, and the cushions that the sparrow brought out for him to sit on were fabricated of the finest silk and crape. Beautiful vases and lacquer boxes adorned the tokonoma [alcove] of every room.
The sparrow led the old man to the place of honour, and then, taking her place at a humble distance, she thanked him with many polite bows for all the kindness he had shown her for many long years.
So the Lady Sparrow, as we volition now phone call her, introduced all her family to the erstwhile man. This done, her daughters, robed in overnice crape gowns, brought in on beautiful old-fashioned trays a feast of all kinds of delicious foods, till the sometime man began to think he must be dreaming. In the centre of the dinner some of the sparrow's daughters performed a wonderful dance, chosen the suzume-odori or the "sparrow's dance," to amuse the guest.
Never had the old human being enjoyed himself so much. The hours flew by too quickly in this lovely spot, with all these fairy sparrows to look upon him and to feast him and to dance earlier him.
Just the dark came on and the darkness reminded him that he had a long manner to become and must recall nearly taking his get out and return abode. He thanked his kind hostess for her excellent amusement, and begged her for his sake to forget all she had suffered at the hands of his cantankerous old wife. He told the Lady Sparrow that it was a great comfort and happiness to him to find her in such a cute habitation and to know that she wanted for aught. Information technology was his anxiety to know how she fared and what had actually happened to her that had led him to seek her. At present he knew that all was well he could return dwelling house with a low-cal center. If ever she wanted him for annihilation she had simply to ship for him and he would come up at one time.
The Lady Sparrow begged him to stay and rest several days and enjoy the change, but the old homo said that he must return to his old wife -- who would probably be cross at his not coming abode at the usual fourth dimension -- and to his work, and therefore, much as he wished to exercise and then, he could not have her kind invitation. Merely now that he knew where the Lady Sparrow lived he would come up to see her whenever he had the fourth dimension.
When the Lady Sparrow saw that she could not persuade the old man to stay longer, she gave an order to some of her servants, and they at once brought in ii boxes, one large and the other pocket-size. These were placed before the former man, and the Lady Sparrow asked him to choose whichever he liked for a present, which she wished to give him.
The old man could non refuse this kind proposal, and he chose the smaller box, proverb, "I am now too sometime and feeble to carry the big and heavy box. Every bit y'all are and then kind as to say that I may take whichever I like, I will choose the small one, which volition be easier for me to carry."
Then the sparrows all helped him put information technology on his dorsum and went to the gate to run into him off, bidding him good-bye with many bows and entreating him to come up again whenever he had the time. Thus the old man and his pet sparrow separated quite happily, the sparrow showing not the to the lowest degree ill-will for all the unkindness she had suffered at the hands of the quondam wife. Indeed, she only felt sorrow for the old human being who had to put up with it all his life.
When the old homo reached home he found his wife even crosser than usual, for information technology was late on in the night and she had been waiting up for him for a long fourth dimension. "Where have y'all been all this time?" she asked in a big voice. "Why do yous come up back so late?"
The erstwhile human being tried to pacify her by showing her the box of presents he had brought dorsum with him, then he told her of all that had happened to him, and how wonderfully he had been entertained at the sparrow's house.
"At present let us run across what is in the box," said the old man, not giving her time to grumble once again. "Yous must assist me open it." And they both sat downwardly before the box and opened it.
To their utter astonishment they found the box filled to the brim with gold and silver coins and many other precious things. The mats of their piddling cottage fairly glittered every bit they took out the things 1 past one and put them downward and handled them over and over once more. The old human being was overjoyed at the sight of the riches that were now his. Beyond his brightest expectations was the sparrow's gift, which would enable him to give up work and live in ease and comfort the rest of his days.
He said, "Thanks to my good little sparrow! Thanks to my practiced piddling sparrow!" many times.
But the old woman, after the first moments of surprise and satisfaction at the sight of the gold and silvery were over, could non suppress the greed of her wicked nature. She at present began to reproach the old man for non having brought habitation the big box of presents, for in the innocence of his centre he had told her how he had refused the large box of presents which the sparrows had offered him, preferring the smaller one because information technology was low-cal and like shooting fish in a barrel to carry home.
"You silly one-time man," said she, "why did you non bring the large box? But think what we have lost. We might accept had twice every bit much silver and golden as this. You are certainly an old fool!" she screamed, so went to bed as angry equally she could be.
The old human now wished that he had said cypher almost the big box, but it was besides late; the greedy erstwhile woman, not contented with the good luck which had then unexpectedly befallen them and which she and so little deserved, made up her heed, if possible, to get more than.
Early the side by side morning she got upward a made the old man depict the style to the sparrow'southward firm. When he saw what was in her mind he tried to keep her from going, merely it was useless. She would not listen to one word he said. It is strange that the old adult female did not feel ashamed of going to see the sparrow after the roughshod manner she had treated her in cutting off her natural language in a fit of rage. But her greed to become the big box made her forget everything else. Information technology did not even enter her thoughts that the sparrows might exist angry with her -- as, indeed, they were -- and might punish her for what she had done.
E'er since the Lady Sparrow had returned home in the sad plight in which they had first found her, weeping and haemorrhage from the mouth, her whole family and relations had done little else but speak of the cruelty of the onetime woman. "How could she," they asked each other, "inflict such a heavy penalization for such a trifling offence every bit that of eating some rice paste by mistake?" They all loved the old homo who was so kind and good and patient under all his troubles, but the old woman they hated, and they determined, if ever they had the chance, to punish her as she deserved. They had non long to wait.
After walking for some hours the old woman had at last found the bamboo grove which she had made her husband carefully describe, and now she stood before it crying out, "Where is the tongue-cut sparrow'south house? Where is the natural language-cut sparrow'south house?"
At last she saw the eaves of the house peeping out from amongst the bamboo foliage. She hastened to the door and knocked loudly.
When the servants told the Lady Sparrow that her old mistress was at the door asking to come across her, she was somewhat surprised at the unexpected visit, after all that had taken place, and she wondered non a petty at the disrespect of the old woman in venturing to come to the house. The Lady Sparrow, however, was a polite bird, and so she went out to greet the old woman, remembering that she had once been her mistress.
The old woman intended, however, to waste material no time in words, she went right to the signal, without the least shame, and said, "You need not trouble to entertain me as yous did my one-time man. I have come myself to become the box which he so stupidly left behind. I shall soon have my leave if you will requite me the large box. That is all I want!"
The Lady Sparrow at in one case consented, and told her servants to bring out the big box. The old woman eagerly seized information technology and hoisted it on her dorsum, and without fifty-fifty stopping to thank the Lady Sparrow began to hurry homewards.
The box was then heavy that she could non walk fast, much less run, as she would have liked to do, so anxious was she to get dwelling house and come across what was inside the box, simply she had often to sit down and rest herself by the way. While she was staggering along under the heavy load, her desire to open the box became also great to be resisted. She could wait no longer, for she supposed this big box to be total of gilded and silver and precious jewels like the small ane her husband had received.
At final this greedy and selfish one-time woman put downward the box past the wayside and opened it carefully, expecting to gloat her eyes on a mine of wealth. What she saw, however, so terrified her that she almost lost her senses. As soon as she lifted the lid, a number of horrible and frightful looking demons bounced out of the box and surrounded her equally if they intended to kill her. Not fifty-fifty in nightmares had she ever seen such horrible creatures as her much-coveted box contained. A demon with i huge eye correct in the middle of its brow came and glared at her, monsters with gaping mouths looked every bit if they would devour her, a huge ophidian coiled and hissed about her, and a big frog hopped and croaked towards her.
The old woman had never been so frightened in her life, and ran from the spot as fast as her quaking legs would acquit her, glad to escape alive. When she reached dwelling she fell to the floor and told her husband with tears all that had happened to her, and how she had been nearly killed by the demons in the box.
Then she began to blame the sparrow, only the old homo stopped her at once, maxim, "Don't arraign the sparrow, it is your wickedness which has at last met with its reward. I only hope this may be a lesson to you in the future!"
The old adult female said nothing more, and from that day she repented of her cross, unkind means, and past degrees became a proficient old woman, so that her married man hardly knew her to be the same person, and they spent their last days together happily, complimentary from want or care, spending advisedly the treasure the one-time man had received from his pet, the tongue-cut sparrow.
- Source: Yei Theodora Ozaki, The Japanese Fairy Book (Westminster: Archibald Lawman and Visitor, 1903), pp. 12-25.
- Return to the table of contents.
The Tongue-Cutting Sparrow
Nippon, Teresa Peirce Williston
In a piffling onetime house in a piffling old village in Japan lived a petty old homo and his fiddling old wife.One morn when the old woman slid open the screens which form the sides of all Japanese houses, she saw, on the doorstep, a poor little sparrow. She took him up gently and fed him. So she held him in the bright morning time sunshine until the cold dew was dried from his wings. Afterward she let him get, and then that he might fly home to his nest, only he stayed to thank her with his songs.
Each morning, when the pink on the mount tops told that the dominicus was near, the sparrow perched on the roof of the house and sang out his joy. The one-time man and woman thanked the sparrow for this, for they liked to be up early and at work. But most them there lived a cross onetime adult female who did not like to be awakened so early on. At last she became and so angry that she caught the sparrow and cut his tongue. Then the poor little sparrow flew away to his home, but he could never sing once more.
When the kind adult female knew what had happened to her pet she was very distressing. She said to her husband, "Let the states go and notice our poor little sparrow." So they started together, and asked of each bird by the wayside, "Do you know where the tongue-cutting sparrow lives? Practice you lot know where the tongue-cut sparrow went?"
In this way they followed until they came to a bridge. They did not know which fashion to turn, and at showtime could see no one to ask. At last they saw a bat hanging head downward, taking his daytime nap. "Oh, friend bat, do you know where the tongue-cut sparrow went?" they asked.
"Aye. Over the span and upwardly the mount," said the bat. So he blinked sleepy eyes and was fast asleep over again.
They went over the bridge and up the mountain, but over again they found two roads and did non know which one to accept. A trivial field mouse peeped through the leaves and grass, so they asked him, "Do yous know where the tongue-cutting sparrow went?"
"Yes. Down the mount and through the woods," said the field mouse.
Downwards the mount and through the forest they went, and at last came to the habitation of their trivial friend.
When he saw them coming the poor little sparrow was very happy indeed. He and his wife and children all came and bowed their heads downwards to the ground to prove their respect. Then the sparrow rose and led the old man and the old woman into his firm, while his wife and children hastened to bring them boiled rice, fish, cress, and saké.
After they had feasted, the sparrow wished to delight them all the same more, so he danced for them what is called the "sparrow dance."
When the sunday began to sink, the old man and woman started for abode. The sparrow brought out two baskets. "I would like to give yous i of these," he said. "Which will you take?" 1 basket was large and looked very total, while the other one seemed very small and light.
The sometime people so thought they would non take the large basket, for that might have all the sparrow's treasure in it, so they said, "The style is long and nosotros are very old, so delight let us accept the smaller one."
They took it and walked home over the mountain and across the bridge, happy and contented. When they reached their ain home they decided to open the handbasket and see what the sparrow had given them. Inside the basket they found many rolls of silk and piles of gold, enough to make them rich, so they were more grateful than ever to the sparrow.
The cross old adult female who had cut the sparrow'due south tongue was peering in through the screen when they opened their handbasket. She saw the rolls of silk and the piles of golden, and planned how she might go some for herself.
The next forenoon she went to the kind woman and said, "I am so sorry that I cutting the natural language of your sparrow. Please tell me the way to his habitation so that I may go to him and tell him I am sorry."
The kind woman told her the way and she fix out. She went across the bridge, over the mountain, and through the wood. At last she came to the home of the footling sparrow. He was not and then glad to see this old woman, yet he was very kind to her and did everything to make her experience welcome. They fabricated a feast for her, and when she started home the sparrow brought out two baskets every bit before. Of course the woman chose the large basket, for she thought that would have even more than wealth than the other one.
It was very heavy, and caught on the trees as she was going through the wood. She could hardly pull it up the mountain with her, and she was all out of breath when she reached the top. She did non go to the bridge until it was dark. Then she was so afraid of dropping the basket into the river that she scarcely dared to step. When at final she reached dwelling house she was then tired that she was half expressionless, but she pulled the screens shut shut, and so that no 1 could look in, and opened her treasure.
Treasure indeed! A whole swarm of horrible creatures burst from the basket the moment she opened information technology. They stung her and bit her, they pushed her and pulled her, they scratched her and laughed at her screams. At terminal she crawled to the edge of the room and slid aside the screen to get away from the pests. The moment the door was opened they swooped down upon her, picked her up, and flew away with her. Since then nothing has ever been heard of the one-time woman.
- Source: Teresa Peirce Williston, Japanese Fairy Tales (Chicago, New York, and London: Rand McNally and Company, 1904), pp. 56-64.
- Render to the table of contents.
The Tongue-Cut Sparrow
Japan, Lafcadio
'Tis said that in one case upon a time a cantankerous old adult female laid some starch in a basin intending to put it in the apparel in her washtub; only a sparrow that a adult female, her neighbor, kept as a pet ate it up. Seeing this, the cross erstwhile adult female seized the sparrow and, saying, "Y'all hateful thing!" cut its tongue and let it go.When the neighbour woman heard that her pet sparrow had got its tongue cutting for its offense, she was profoundly grieved, and set out with her married man over mountains and plains to find where it had gone, crying, "Where does the tongue-cut sparrow stay? Where does the tongue-cut sparrow stay?"
At concluding they found its dwelling house. When the sparrow saw that its old master and mistress had come to see information technology, it rejoiced and brought them into its firm and thanked them for their kindness in onetime times and spread a table for them, and loaded it with saké and fish till in that location was no more room, and made its wife and children and grandchildren all serve the table. At last, throwing abroad its drinking cup, information technology danced a jig chosen the "sparrow'south dance." Thus they spent the 24-hour interval.
When it began to grow dark, and they began to talk of going home, the sparrow brought out two wicker baskets and said, "Will you take the heavy one, or shall I requite y'all the light i?"
The former people replied, "Nosotros are old, so give us the light ane. It will exist easier to acquit it."
The sparrow then gave them the calorie-free basket and they returned with it to their home. "Let us open and run across what is in information technology," they said. And when they had opened it and looked they constitute gold and silver and jewels and rolls of silk. They never expected annihilation like this. The more than they took out the more than they constitute within. The supply was inexhaustible. So that house at once became rich and prosperous.
When the cross old woman who had cut the sparrow'due south tongue out saw this, she was filled with green-eyed, and went and asked her neighbor where the sparrow lived, and all most the style.
"I will become as well," she said, and at one time ready out on her search.
Again the sparrow brought out two wicker baskets and asked every bit before, "Will you take the heavy i, or shall I give you the light one?"
Thinking the treasure would be great in proportion to the weight of the basket, the old adult female replied, "Allow me have the heavy 1."
Receiving this, she started home with it on her back; the sparrows laughing at her as she went. It was equally heavy as a stone and hard to deport; just at terminal she got back with it to her firm.
And so when she took off the lid and looked in, a whole troop of frightful devils came bouncing out from the within and at once tore the onetime woman to pieces.
- Source: Lafcadio Hearn, Japanese Fairy Tales (New York: Boni and Liveright, 1918), pp. 77-79.
- Return to the table of contents.
Links to related sites.
- Folklore, Folktales, and Fairy Tales from Nihon. A digital library.
- Japanese Folktales. A pick.
- Japanese Legends near Supernatural Sweethearts.
- The Kind and the Unkind Girls. Folktales of Type 480.
Render to D. L. Ashliman'due south folktexts , a library of folktales, sociology, fairy tales, and mythology.
Revised April 5, 2015.
Source: https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/sparrow.html
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