A Bamboo Lady

[Jun Inoue <junjapan@yahoo.com>]

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Long, long ago there lived an old man and his wife in
a village, who were earning money by cutting bamboo
and making the baskets or plates of it. 

One day he went to the bamboo forest as usual, when he
found one bamboo shining. He cut it, to his surprise,
found a girl-baby in it. The old man and his wife,
having no children, named her "Kaguya Hime(Bamboo
Princess)" and decided to raise her like their own
child. 

Whenever he went cutting the bamboo after that, he
found money in it. Soon they became rich.. This young
girl grew and grew, day by day, to be a very beautiful
lady. 

Hearing of her beauty, many young men from many places
visited her house one after another to propose her.
But she never showed her interest in them. She seemed
to have something on her mind, looking up at the sky.

As her father couldn't ignore their proposal, he told
them that the man who brought the imaginary treasure
in the world could have the right to marry her. Even
though some of them really brought the treasure, she
at once found it false. 

Soon she began to weep every night whenever she saw
the moon. "What makes you so sad? What's the matter?"
asked the father. 

"I'm all right. Listen to me. To tell the truth, I was
born on the moon. I must return to the moon on the
night of 15th,November, when they will come to meet
me." 

"That's nonsense." said the father, very embarrassed
and angry. The very day was tomorrow. The father hired
many strong and armed soldiers to guard her from the
visitors. He never hoped she would return to the moon.

On the very day, the moon was appearing over the
mountain, when the gold light flashed on them. Many
soldiers in vain shot many arrows toward the moon.
With the flash they lost their power and fell into
sleep. 

An angel was coming down over the house among from the
light of the moon. Kaguya Princess couldn't help
following it.

She slowly flew up to the sky in hands with the angel.
Nothing could stop them. The old man and his wife were
doing nothing but watch her departure. 




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