(Translations are as literal as possible while retaining some semblance of their original literary beauty. KLR)

竹取物語TAKETORI MONOGATARI

THE TALE OF THE BAMBOO CUTTER

Once upon a time, there was a man who was a bamboo cutter.

He went into the nearby woods and collected bamboo in order

to craft them into many things. His name was

"Sanuki no Miyatsuko."

One day he found a bamboo whose base radiated light. Puzzled,

he drew near; then he saw that the inside of the bamboo nodule

was shining. When he took a closer look, he saw a really

charming girl about three inches tall. The man said,

"I found you in these woods where I come every day

and every night. It must be that you are meant to be my child."

Placing the child in his hands, he took her home and

put her in the care of his aged wife.

The child was incomparable. Because of her diminutive size,

she slept in a tiny bamboo box just big enough

to be her cradle.

Translation by Mr. Dai Yoshida with editing by Kenneth L. Richard