1. The Grateful Crane

    Long, long ago, there was a good and honest man, whose name was Yohyo.  He lived in a small village and worked as a woodcutter.

    One cold day in winter, when deep snow lay on the ground, Yohyo was returning home from his work in the forest.  Over his shoulder he carried a sack of wood, and as it was near evening and it was getting very cold, he hurried on across the snow-covered fields.  Suddenly he saw something black lying in the snow-- something that moved and cried.  He stopped, and putting down his sack, he went to see what it was.  As he got near, the object in the snow cried again, and he could see that it was a crane-- a large and beautiful bird with long legs.

    When the crane saw Yohyo coming closer, it struggled to rise and he could see that one of its wings was hurt.

    "You poor thing!" he cried.  "Come, let me help you.  If you stay out here in snow, you will die."

    The crane stopped struggling and let Yohyo pick it up.  Gently and carefully, he stroked the crane's feathers, and carrying it under one arm.  He set off for home again.

    Yohyo was a kind man with a gentle heart and he felt sorry for the beautiful crane.  He looked after it until it was well again, and then he set it free to fly off into the sky.

    One night, a few days later, Yohyo heard someone knocking at his door.  When he opened the door, he found a woman standing in the snow.  By the light of his lamp, Yohyo could see that she was young and beautiful, and shaking with the cold.  Yohyo stared at her in surprise.

    "I have lost my way in the snow," she said, in a sweet and gentle voice.  "May I come into your house and stay for the night?"

    "Yes, yes, of course!  Come in at once, out of the snow," cried Yohyo.

    He built up the fire again with fresh wood, and brought the young woman rice and hot soup.  Her name was Otsu and she was as kind and gentle as Yohyo himself.

    The next day there was a storm and so Otsu stayed on at the house and Yohyo grew to love her.  Otsu, also, loved him for his gentle heart, and soon they were married.

    Yohyo and Otsu were happy together, although Yohyo earned only a little money and they were very poor.  One night, just before New Year's Eve, they were sitting together as usual, when Otsu noticed that her husband was worrying about something.

    "My dear husband," she said, "what are you worrying about?  Please tell me."

    "Well.." sighed Yohyo.  "It is nearly New Year's Eve, but I cannot make any preparations for a feast because I have no money.  I have not even enough money to buy rice cakes.  How I wish I had some money.."

    Otsu listened to him silently.

    "Yohyo, I will weave for you," she said.  "You can take the cloth that I weave and sell it at the market to earn some money."

    "But, please do not look into the other room, while I am working.  Promise me that you will not look in?"

    Yohyo promised, and Otsu went into the other room and began to weave some cloth.  She was working for hours and Yohyo got tired of waiting, but he was patient.  At last Otsu came out with a piece of beautiful cloth in her hands.  It was the most beautiful cloth that Yohyo had ever seen.

    The next morning he set off to the market in the town, and sold the piece of cloth for a lot of money.  Yohyo had never had so much money in his life.  He was very excited and he bought many things with it.  Soon, in his excitement, he had spent all the money, so he went home and asked Otsu to weave him another piece of cloth.  So greedy did he become, that he did not notice that the more she worked, the thinner Otsu became.  However, as she loved Yohyo very much, she wove new cloth for him every time he asked for it.

    One day Yohyo asked for some cloth once again, and Otsu said, as usual, "I will weave for you but remember your promise-- don't look into the other room while I am working."

    Yohyo promised and sat down to wait but he soon got tired of waiting for her.  He could hear the sound of weaving, and he began to ask himself why he could not look in at Otsu, while she was working.  Once he began to have doubts he could not stop himself from looking in.

    He thought, "Otsu won't be angry with me if I look in only for a moment."

    Finally, he could wait no longer.  He crept to the entrance of the other room and looked in.  Otsu was not there at all!  Instead, he saw a very thin crane which was pulling off its feathers and weaving them into the cloth.  Yohyo recognized it was the very same crane whose life he had saved so many months ago.

    He crept away again and sat thinking quietly.  He felt very anxious-- what would Otsu do, now that he knew her secret?

    At last the sound of weaving stopped, and Otsu came out of the room with two pieces of cloth in her hands.

    "Yohyo," she said sadly, "you have broken your promise to me.  Now that you know that I am a crane, I cannot stay here any longer."

    "Take these two pieces of cloth, sell one, and keep the other.  Perhaps it will remind you of me."

    "Please Otsu, don't leave me," cried Yohyo.  "How can I manage to live without you?  I love you!"

    But Otsu only smiled gently and shook her head.

    "No, Yohyo," she said.  "I came here to repay you for your kindness to me, and I stayed for love of your gentle heart.  But since I have been weaving for you, you have changed and become greedy and hard."

    "I must go, goodbye."

    "Don't go, please, Otsu!" cried poor Yohyo.  "Don't leave me alone!  I won't tell your secret. I won't ask you for any more cloth.  Don't go!"

    Otsu just smiled sadly again and, waving good- bye, she stepped out of the door.  At once she changed into a crane and opening her beautiful wings, she flew up into the sky.  As Yohyo watched in despair, she rose higher and higher into the sky, until she could be seen no more.

    Then there was only the sound of Yohyo's voice calling, "Otsu!  Otsu!..."        

1. 報恩的鶴

    很久很久以前，有一個很好心又很誠實的人，他的名字叫友友。他住在一個很小的村子裡，是一位樵夫。

    有一年冬天，天氣非常冷，地面上都積滿了很深的雪。友友在森林裡砍完柴，正準備回家。那時候已經接近夜晚了，而且天氣非常地冷。他的肩上扛著一袋木柴，很急促地穿越深厚的雪地。突然，他看見一個黑色的東西躺在雪地上。那個黑色的東西蠕動著，而且在哭叫。友友就停下腳步，把肩上的木柴也放下來，走過去看看是什麼東西。當他一靠近，這個東西又開始哭叫起來。友友於是看清楚了，原來是一隻鶴。是一隻很大、很漂亮的鶴，而且有長長的腿。

    那隻鶴一看到友友靠近牠，就掙扎地振動翅膀，想要站起來。這時候，友友看見鶴的一隻翅膀已經受了傷。

    友友就說：「妳真可憐！讓我來幫妳。如果還待在這裡，妳一定會死掉的。」

    那隻鶴停止了掙扎，讓友友把牠抱起來。友友很溫柔、很小心地撫摸鶴的羽毛，然後把牠摟在手臂裡，開始啟程再次走向回家的路。

    友友是一個心地善良的人，他有一顆仁慈的心。看到那隻受傷的鶴，他心裡很難過。他用心地照顧鶴，直到把牠的傷醫好，然後才讓牠再度在天空上飛翔。

    幾天後的某一個晚上，友友聽到有人在敲門。他打開門，發現有一個女人站在雪地裡。透過手中的燈火，友友發現這個女人很年輕，而且長得很美。她站在那裡，冷得一直發抖，友友很驚訝地凝視著這個女人。

    那個女人用很甜美、溫柔的聲音對友友說：「我在雪地裡迷路了！今天晚上我可不可以到你家裡過夜？」友友就大聲地說：「可以！可以！當然可以！快進來，別待在雪中。」

    友友往火爐裡再加上一些柴火，讓爐火燒得更旺些，然後為那個女人準備了米飯和熱湯。女人的名字叫阿姿。她跟友友一樣，也是心地善良、仁慈的人。

    隔天，刮起了一場大風雪。於是，阿姿就繼續留在友友的家裡。逐漸地，友友愛上了阿姿，而阿姿覺得友友心地很善良，也愛上了友友。不久，他們就結婚了。

    雖然友友只能夠賺到很少的錢，日子過得很清苦；但是友友和阿姿，生活過得很快樂。在除夕夜前的一個晚上，他們跟往常一樣坐在一起。但是阿姿注意到她的丈夫似乎在為某件事煩惱。她就問友友：「告訴我，你有什麼心事？」

    友友就嘆氣說：「嗯••除夕夜都快到了，但是都還沒有準備年貨，因為我身上連可以辦年貨，甚至買年糕的錢都不夠。真希望我有點錢••。」

    阿姿靜靜聽他說完，就對友友說：「我可以織一些布，你就拿這些布到市場去賣，這樣我們就可以賺一點錢。」「但是當我在房間裡織布的時候，你不可以進來。你可以保證嗎？絕對不可以看我織布。」

    友友保證不會看她織布，阿姿就走進房間開始織布了。她在房間裡織布織得好久，友友也在外頭等了好累，但是他還是很有耐心地繼續等著。最後，阿姿終於走出房間，手裡拿著一匹非常漂亮的布，這是他所見過最漂亮的布匹。

    第二天，友友就到城裡的市場，把布匹賣了一個很好的價錢。他一輩子也沒有見過這麼多的錢。他很興奮，就用這些錢買了好多的東西。不到一會兒工夫，他就把所有的錢都花光了。於是，他就回家要求阿姿再織一些布。友友變得很貪心，他都沒有注意到阿姿工作太累，現在已經變得很瘦了。但是阿姿太愛友友，每當他要求阿姿織布，她都不會拒絕。

    有一天，友友再度要求阿姿去織布。阿姿像往常一樣告訴友友：「我會為你織布的。但是要記住你對我的保證，絕對不能偷看我在房間裡織布喔！」

    友友向她保證了，然後坐在房間外面等著。但過了不久，他就有點不耐煩了。他可以聽到房內的織布聲，心中就想著：「為什麼阿姿在織布的時候，我不能看呢？」因此，他開始有點衝動，想進去看阿姿織布。他想：「我只是進去看一下，阿姿應該不會生氣的。」

    最後，他再也無法等了。他靜悄悄地走進房裡，但是阿姿卻不在房間裡！他只看到一隻很瘦的鶴正在用鳥喙從身上拔出一根又一根的羽毛，再將羽毛編織成布。友友認得牠就是在幾個月前被他救過的那一隻鶴。

    他靜靜地走出房間，坐著發呆。他感到很耽心，現在他知道了阿姿的秘密，她會不會對自己怎麼樣呢？

    織布聲停止了。阿姿手裡拿著兩塊布匹，走出了房間。

    她很難過地對友友說：「你沒有遵守對我的承諾，現在你知道我是一隻鶴了，我也就不能再待在這裡了。」「你把一塊布拿去賣，另一塊留起來，也許它能讓你想起我。」

    友友哭著說：「阿姿，妳不要離開我！沒有妳，我怎麼活下去？我愛妳！」

    阿姿只是溫柔地對他微笑著搖搖頭。她說：「友友，很抱歉！我不能繼續留下來。我當初來這裡是為了向你報答救命之恩；後來會留下來，是因為你的善良而愛上你。但是自從我為你織布以後，你就變了。變得很貪婪，很無情。再見了！我必須離開了！」

    這時候，友友很可憐地哭著說：「拜託妳不要走！阿姿！拜託妳不要走！不要留下我一個人。我不會把妳的秘密告訴別人的！我不會再要妳替我織布了！拜託！不要走！」

    阿姿還是很難過地對他淺淺地微笑，向他揮一揮手說再見，然後就踏出大門了。阿姿即刻變成了一隻鶴，張開漂亮的翅膀飛向天空。友友失望地望著阿姿，看她越飛越高，高到無法再看見了。

    這時候只剩下友友的聲音在空氣中迴盪：「阿姿••阿姿••」