Page:Anthology of Japanese Literature.pdf/219

Rh dry. When several months had elapsed, she inspected them, thinking that by this time they would be about ready. The gourds had indeed turned out very well, but when she took one of them down, she was surprised to find how heavy it was. She cut open the gourd all the same, only to discover that it was stuffed with something. She poured it out to see what it might be—the gourd was full of white rice! Amazed at this prodigy, she emptied the gourd into a big container, but when she had finished it was full again, just as when she began. Astonished and overjoyed, she said, “This is most unusual. The sparrow must be back of this.” She put the rice into containers and stored it away. When she examined the other gourds, she found that they were full of rice too. No matter how much she poured out or used, there was still more left than she knew what to do with, and she thus became a very wealthy person indeed. The other villagers were amazed and envious at her good fortune.

Now the children of the old woman who lived next door said to their mother, “Other people, though they’re no different from you, manage to become rich, but you can’t even do the simplest thing.” As the result of such complaints, the old woman from next door went to visit the first old woman. “Now then, what’s all this about? I’ve heard some rumors about a sparrow, but I really know nothing about it. Please tell me the whole story from the beginning, just as it happened.”

“It all came about from planting a gourd seed that a sparrow dropped,” replied the first old woman, and would not give any further details. But the second old woman kept pressing her. “I insist! Do tell me all about it!” And so, thinking that it would be wrong to be petty and keep the matter a secret, she said, “I took care of a sparrow that had a broken back, and nursed it back to health. It must have felt so grateful that it brought me a gourd seed which I planted, and this is what happened.”

“Please give me just one of the seeds,” said the second old woman, but she refused. “I will give you some of the rice that was inside the gourds, but I can’t give you any seeds. Those I most certainly cannot give away.”

Having been thus unsuccessful in getting a seed, the second old