Once, there was a woodcutter. He was a poor man, but very nice. He knew that if you tore a branch off a living tree, the tree would drip the sap, or blood. He never tore the branches off the trees because he didn’t want to hurt them.

むかし、とても、やさしい、きこりがいました。

   One day, he heard a voice that said, "Sticky, sticky is my sap, For my tender twigs are snapped." The woodcutter looked and there were three limbs off the pine tree. He mended them saying, "Now these tender twigs I’ll wrap, And in that way stop the sap." He tore a piece of clothing of his own and made a bandage out of it. The tree showered him with gold and silver coins. He was almost covered up with money! He was now a very rich woodcutter.

あるひ、おれたまつの、えだが、まつやにをだしているのを、なおしてやりました。すると、きが、きんとぎんを、きこりに、ふりかけました。　きこりは、かねもちになりました。

    Everyone knows the pine is the sign of wealth, and the grateful tree made the woodcutter rich! Just then, a face of another woodcutter appeared on the window. He was not kind, or nice, and it was him who had broken the branches off the pine. When he saw the money, he asked in awe, "Where did you get this money? Look how nice and bright it is!" The good woodcutter showed the bad one his money. He had five basketfuls! He told the bad woodcutter how he got the money. He also told where he got it.

もうひとりの　きこりが、いました。やさしいきこりに、どうして、きんとぎんを、みつけたのかききました。やさしい　きこりは、はなしました。

    The bad woodcutter had an idea. He went to the pine, and the pine said, "Sticky, sticky is my blood. Touch me, you’ll receive a flood." The bad woodcutter thought, oh, just what I want, a flood of gold and silver! He reached up and broke off a branch. It showered him with not gold and silver, but sticky sap. He called for help, as he was covered in the sap and he couldn’t move. No one could hear him. He was stuck there for three days, one for each branch he broke off. The sap became soft enough to drag himself home, and from that day on, he never broke another branch off a living tree.