The Japanese Fairy BookTwenty-two Japanese legends and fairy tales about peasants and kings, good and bad forces, princesses, animals, the sea, and the sky. |
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Common terms and phrases
Amaterasu answered asked badger bamboo beautiful began bird bowed brave brother called carried centipede child crab's crocodiles cuttlefish Daimio dance daughter death deer demons Dragon King Eiko Emperor Emperor Keiko Empress face father fear fishing hook gate gave grew Hako happened Happy Hunter hare Hase-Hime heard heart Hidesato hook island Japan jelly fish Jewel Jofuku Jokwa katsura trees kill kind Kintaro knew Kokai Kotei Kumaso Lady Sparrow land lived looked mirror Momotaro monkey mortar mother mountain never night ogre old woman once Ototachibana persimmons pheasant poor Princess Moonlight rabbit Rashomon round Ryn Jin Sea King's Palace sent Sentaro servants Shikuyu Shiro Skilful Fisher soon step-mother stood story strange sure sword tell thought told took tortoise tree trouble Urashima Taro waiting warrior Watanabe wicked wife wish wonderful Yamato Take
Popular passages
Page 244 - MOMOTARO, OR THE STORY OF THE SON OF A PEACH. LONG, long ago there lived an old man and an old woman; they were peasants, and had to work hard to earn their daily rice. The old man used to go and cut grass for the farmers around, and while he was gone the old woman, his wife, did the work of the house and worked in their own little rice field. One day the old man went to the hills as usual to cut grass and the old woman took some clothes to the river to wash. It was nearly summer, and the country...
Page 196 - Please don't go so fast, or I am sure I shall fall off," said the monkey. Thus they went along, the jelly fish skimming through the waves with the monkey sitting on his back. When they were about half-way, the jelly fish, who knew very little of anatomy, began to wonder if the monkey had his liver with him or notl "Mr.
Page 200 - He quaked all over as he told his story. How he had brought the monkey halfway over the sea, and then had stupidly let out the secret of his commission ; how the monkey had deceived him by making him believe that he had left his liver behind him. The Dragon King's wrath was great, and he at once gave orders that the jelly fish was to be severely punished. The punishment was a horrible one. All the bones were to be drawn out from his living body, and he was to be beaten with sticks. The poor jelly...
Page 197 - Mr. Monkey, tell me, have you such a thing as a liver with you?" The monkey was very much surprised at this queer question, and asked what the jelly fish wanted with a liver. "That is the most important thing of all...
Page 12 - Sparrow. Long, long ago in Japan there lived an old man and his wife. The old man was a good, kind-hearted, hard-working old fellow, but his wife was a regular cross-patch, who spoiled the happiness of her home by her scolding tongue. She was always grumbling about something from morning to night. The old man had for a long time ceased to take any notice 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...
Page 245 - How delicious that peach must be!" she said to herself. "I must certainly get it and take it home to my old man." She stretched out her arm to try and get it, but it was quite out of her reach. She looked about for a stick, but there was not one to be seen, and if she went to look for one she would lose the peach.
Page 301 - Non-receipt of overdue notices does not exempt the borrower from overdue fines. Harvard College Widener Library Cambridge, MA 02138 617-495-2413 WIDENER Please handle with care. Thank you for helping to preserve library collections at Harvard.
Page 199 - that is soon remedied. I am really sorry to think of all your trouble ; but if you will only take me back to the place where you found me, I shall soon be able to get my liver." The jelly fish did not at all like the idea of going all the way back to the island again ; but the monkey assured him that if he would be so kind as to take him back he would get his very best liver, and bring it with him the next time. Thus persuaded, the jelly fish turned his course towards the Monkey Island once more....
Page 199 - No sooner had the jelly fish reached the shore than the sly monkey landed, and getting up into the pine-tree where the jelly fish had first seen him, he cut several capers amongst the branches with joy at being safe home again, and then looking down at the jelly fish said : " So many thanks for all the trouble you have taken ! Please present my compliments to the Dragon King on your return ! " The jelly fish wondered at this speech and the mocking tone in which it was uttered.