local old tale

I write about the old story of Kumamoto in other words, a local old tale. In other day, I found a book named the old tale of Kumamoto of course it is written in Japanese. One of stories that written in the book is so funny so I want to translate it. That is it.

Yajardon.

Today is beautiful day, so Yajardon went to a mountain to get plants used for thatching with a bar to catch those plants.
When he got to a mountain stream, there is a crab. He said that “ok. Let’s sting it with this bar!” and he aimed the crab and sting with a cry. But the bar slipped on a shell of the crab and a sickle that fitted on opposite side of the bar hit his neck! So his neck is cut from his body and trundle on the road.
“What? Human’s neck is on the road. Who did fall it? It is so important parts.” he said so and picked it up.
“Oh, this face is looks like me!” he said and he wanted to touch his neck by his hand but he can’t touch and he got to aware that it is him neck and said “Wow, it is my neck!”
So he pushed it into proper place in a fluster.
He said “That’s OK! Let’s go to the mountain!” and started to walk but it is hard to walk for him. So he said “That’s hard to walk. Why? It is out of form.” and soon he see his house in a distance.
“Wow! No kidding! I walk to the mountain but I got back to the home!” he said and he was going to scratch his head and finally he noticed. He placed his neck front side back.
He said “Oh! It is front side back! It is hard to walk to me cause of it. I walked to back!” and he replaced his neck to proper position and started to walk to the mountain.
Yajardon was walking on the mountain path and said “That’s good. There are not anyone near here and anyone see my opposite neck. If I was seen, I feel ashamed so much!”. He muttered to himself so. Though there are someone who see that happening. It is a raccoon dog and fox of the mountain. They talked about it.
“Hey, Yajardon did something strange. His neck is opposite and he walks to back, and replaced his neck. We have passed many years but we can’t do like that so he is great” the raccoon dog said so.
And fox said “Ok. I don’t want to fall behind him. Let’s scare the hell out of him!”
The raccoon dog said “What will you do?”
The fox answered “ok. I take the shape of the greatest horse in Japan at six thirty in tomorrow morning, so you take the shape of Yajardon and lead me to a village headman and sell me to him. The price is about six ryou I think and take equal shares. I will escape from headman in the evening with crying cough cough.”
“Oh I see! That’s ok! Let’s do that!” the raccoon dog said so. They were discussing about it. And Yajardon heard about someone’s voice and listen to it carefully so the dog and fox talk with each other. He clapped his hands and pleased very much.
Next morning Yajardon visited the fox at six and fox was surprised at and said “Wow! You are too early! You transform yourself into Yajardon very well but we decided that we will meet at six thirty, don’t you?”
Yajardon said “Yes we decided so but village headman is early bird so we have to visit him early in the morning. I think so!” and he waited transformation of fox and lead him to headman.
“Good morning headman.” he said.
Headman said “Yajardon, what’s up? It is early in the morning.” and Yajardon answered “You love horses so I want to sell this horse that I bought in Kumamoto to you. In fact I went to Kumamoto and I found this horse. It is good horse!”
Headman said “Mmm. That’s true. This horse is good horse. How much is it?” and Yajardon answered “It is six ryou.” And headman said “Come down to five ryou.” Yajardon answered “No no no! If it is five ryou, I will lose my money. That is so good horse so I must receive six ryou.”
After them talking he gave the horse to headman by six ryou, tie the horse to headman’s stable and got back to his home keeping his countenance.

This story is so funny. For the first time I read this story, I laughed at it very much. There are rest parts of this so I translate it next time.
(807)