Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Foreign language >Classical stories of the world

イラスト　myi　　　ブログ　sorairoiro

Snake Legs

Translation　Laurence Hunter

Japanese　←→　Japanese ＆ English　←→　English

　Once upon a time, some villagers had gathered together and cleaned the local temple.

　After the cleaning was finished, the Buddhist priest brought out a pot of rice wine.

"You must all be tired.

　Its not much, but please help yourself."

"Thank you"

　Everybody thanked the priest and received the rice wine.

　But even though the villagers are five people, drink does not contain only one person in the pot.

　To drink with everyone, it is not very enough.

　Thereupon one man made a suggestion.

"How about doing it like this?

　why don’t we have a competition to draw a snake on the floor.

　The person who can draw the snake the fastest can get to drink all the rice wine."

"That’s a good idea.

　Right , lets decide then"

"Ok, lets do it. Ready...Go! "

　Everybody then started to draw their pictures of snakes.

　Thereupon, one of the men quickly finished drawing a snake and was the first.

"I’m finished! I am the first!

　Ha ha . I know its a little unfair, but I think I will drink that rice wine then"

　After saying so, the man stretched out his hand to reach for the rice wine bowl, but then realized something,

"Oh! I forgot! I made a mistake.

　I forgot to put legs on the snake."

　He then hurriedly started to draw legs on his snake picture.

　But just before that ,another man had just finished drawing his own snake.

"I finished. The alcohol is mine."

　After saying so, the second man then drank up all the rice wine.

　The first man looked disappointedly across to the second man who spoke out while laughing.

"How foolish you are.

　Think! Does a snake have legs?

　Because you added more than was necessary, you couldn’t get to drink this rice wine."



　From then on, the saying "Snake Legs" came to refer to putting excessive things on the unneeded.

The end

One point of advice: Don’t change what should be left as it is.

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