Appreciation of Foreign Fairy Tale "[Japanese] Ogawa Mimei Red Candle and Mermaid Girl"

Appreciation of the foreign fairy tale "[Japan] Ogawa Mimei Red Candle and Mermaid Girl"

[Japan] Ogawa Mimei

A Mermaid not only lived in the southern sea, but also lived in the northern sea.

the sea in the north is blue. Once, a mermaid climbed from the sea to a reef and rested while enjoying the surrounding scenery.

Moonlight leaking from the clouds is coldly sprinkled on the waves. Looking around, the waves are rolling and boundless.

The mermaid thought, What a bleak sight it is! My appearance is similar to that of human beings, and I am closer to human beings in mind and appearance than those fish and all kinds of wild animals living in the deep sea. But I still have to associate with fish and animals and live in the cold, dark and dreary sea. Why is this?

Mermaids don't even have a partner to talk to for years, and always spend every day looking forward to a clear sea life. The thought of this made her feel unbearable. So she often rises to the surface of the sea and climbs to rest on the rocks on a clear moonlit night, and her mind is full of all kinds of fantasies.

Mermaid thought: I heard that the towns where people live are very beautiful. Humans are more kind-hearted and compassionate than those fish and wild animals. Although we live among fish and wild animals, we are not very different from humans, so we will certainly be able to live with them.

This is a female mermaid, and she is pregnant with a little mermaid. She thought: We adults have lived in the blue sea in the desolate and unaccompanied north for a long time, and it is impossible to live in a bright and lively place, but we must never let the soon-to-be-born children suffer such loneliness and pain again!

it's very painful to leave your children and live alone in the sea. But no matter where the child goes, as long as she can live happily, it is my greatest joy.

I heard that human beings are the kindest race in the world. They will never bully or abuse those poor helpless weak people. I also heard that once they take you in, they will never abandon you again. Moreover, the mermaid's head and face resemble human beings, and the body above the waist is exactly the same as human beings. In this way, mermaid can live in the human world. Besides, we can all live among wild animals! She thinks that as long as humans are willing to adopt the little mermaid, they will never abandon her mercilessly ... < P > This is a worry of the mermaid.

with the desire to at least let her children grow up in a lively, bright and beautiful city, she is bent on giving birth to children on land. She knows that in this way, although she may never see her children again, they can live a happy life with human beings.

There is a hill on the distant seashore, and there is a shrine on the top of it. From the gap between waves, you can vaguely see the lights flashing in the shrine. One night, in order to give birth to a little mermaid, the mother mermaid braved the wind and waves, crossed the dark and cold sea and swam to land.

Second

There is a small town by the sea. There are all kinds of shops in the city. There is a poor shop selling candles under the hill where the shrine is located.

There lived an old couple in the shop. Grandpa makes candles in the back room and grandma sells them in front. When people in the town and passing fishermen go to visit the shrine, they always buy candles in the shop and then go up the mountain.

there is a pine forest on the mountain. The shrine is located in the middle of this pine forest. The sea breeze is blowing against the pine forest, and the whistling sound is around the clock. The shrine lights candles every night, and the mermaid has seen this flickering light from the sea.

One night, grandma said to grandpa,

"The life we are living now is all blessed by the gods. If there is no shrine on this mountain, our candles can't be sold. So let's thank the gods for their kindness. Now, I'll go up the mountain to worship the gods! " So the old man replied:

"That's right! I am also grateful for the merits of the gods in my heart every day! However, I was too busy to visit the shrine often. It's still thoughtful of you, just show my mind in front of the gods! " Grandma trudged out of the house. That night, the moonlight was like washing, and the earth was as bright as day. When grandma walked down the hill after worshipping the gods, she heard a baby crying under the steps.

poor thing, an abandoned baby. What kind of person leaves a child in a place like this! But as luck would have it, this child was seen by me on my way back from worshipping the immortals. Maybe there is some fate! If I ignore it, God will blame me. It must be that the gods know that we have no children and daughters, so they gave us a child. I'll take her back to discuss with the old man and keep her at home! With this in mind, she picked up the baby from the ground and walked back, saying,

"Oh! Look, what a poor child! "

While grandpa was waiting for grandma to come back at home, grandma came into the house with the baby in her arms. She told the story of finding the baby in detail. Grandpa said after listening:

"This is the child that the fairy gave us. We should feed her carefully, or the fairy will blame her."

In this way, the old couple took their children in and carefully fed them. The baby is a girl, and it is different from the human body from the waist down. It is in the shape of a fish, so both grandpa and grandma decided that she must be a legendary mermaid.

"This child doesn't look like a descendant of human beings ..."

Grandpa looked at the baby suspiciously and said. Grandma went on to say,

"I think so, too. But although she is not a descendant of human beings, you can see what a gentle and lovely little girl she is! "

Grandpa said:

"Well, no matter whose offspring it is, since it is a child given by the gods, let's raise it wholeheartedly! She must be a clever and obedient girl when she grows up. "

Since then, the old couple have been feeding the little girl like treasures. With the growth of age, the little girl's eyes become dark, her hair is very beautiful, her skin color is white and red, and she is delicate and smart.

Third

Girl has grown up, but she is shy because of her abnormal body and never wants to show up in front of people. However, the girl's appearance is very beautiful, and everyone who has seen her once is amazed. Some people come to the shop to buy candles in order to see the girl again. Grandpa and grandma said to them:

"My girl is quiet and shy, and she doesn't want to come out to meet people."

Grandpa stepped up his candle making in the back room of the shop. The girl thought: If you draw beautiful patterns on candles at will, people will buy them happily. She told her grandfather what she thought. Grandpa replied, then try it, and draw whatever you like!

The girl has never learned painting. For the first time in her life, she used bright red colors to draw beautiful patterns such as fish, shellfish and aquatic plants on snow-white candles. Grandpa was surprised when he saw the girl's painting. That painting is full of strange power, with an indescribable beauty.

Grandpa said to grandma with great sigh:

"It is natural that she paints so well. She is a mermaid! It does not belong to human beings. "

"buy flowers and candles!" From morning till night, people, whether adults or children, come to the shop to buy candles in an endless stream. Candles painted with colored pictures are welcomed by everyone.

just then, another magical story came out. People light red wax in the shrine on the hill, and then take the burnt wax oil with them. When they go fishing, no matter how severe the storm is, they will not be drowned by the boat. I don't know when this matter will spread among people. The people in the town said,

"That shrine is for Poseidon! Light a beautiful candle for the fairy, and the fairy will naturally be happy! "

The old man in the small shop tried his best to make candles from morning till night because they sold well. The girl was beside the grandfather, enduring the pain in her hand and drawing colorful pictures on the candle.

The kindness of the old couple moved the girl very much, and sometimes her big black eyes filled with tears. She thought to herself: Although she doesn't belong to human beings, she is so carefully raised and loved by two old people, and this kindness can never be forgotten!

even the distant villages and towns know about it. Sailors from far away, as well as fishermen, have traveled thousands of miles here to get the wax oil left over from the colored wax used for worship. They bought candles, went climbing to worship the gods, gave the lighted candles to the immortals, waited for the candles to burn out, and returned home with the remaining wax oil. Therefore, no matter night or day, the shrine on the mountain has never broken its lights. Especially at night, the light of the lamp is more beautiful and can be seen from the distant sea.

"I can't thank you enough for this immortal!" The fame of Poseidon soon spread, and the hill suddenly became famous.

The immortal's incense is so strong, but no one thought of the girl who painted colorful pictures on the candle wholeheartedly, so there was no one who sympathized with and pitied the girl. When a girl is tired, she often sticks her head out of the window on a beautiful moonlit night with tears in her eyes and looks at the blue sea far away in the north with nostalgia.

Fourth

Once, a Jianghu businessman came from a southern country. He wants to buy some rare and precious things from the northern countries and bring them to the south to earn a lot of money.

I don't know where this Jianghu businessman got it from, or when he met the girl's face. He knew that the girl was not human, but a rare mermaid in the world. One day, he sneaked up to the old couple, carrying the girl behind his back, and said,

"I'll pay a big price, so you can sell me the mermaid!" "

At first, the old couple refused, thinking that the girl was given by the gods and could not be sold. If it is sold, the gods will blame it. Jianghu merchants have repeatedly run into difficulties, but they still don't give up. One day, he came to the old couple again and said solemnly,

"This mermaid is an unlucky thing since ancient times. Sell it as soon as possible, or you will suffer!"

when the old couple heard what the businessman said, they believed it and heard that they could make a lot of money, so they were possessed by ghosts and agreed to sell the girl to him.

Jianghu merchants promised to pick up the girl in a few days, and then they went back happily.

When the girl knew that she had been sold, she was very surprised. A kind girl with few words was afraid to leave this house and go to that hot and strange southern country thousands of miles away. She cried and begged the old couple to say,

"I can do anything. Please don't sell me to that strange place. "

But the old couple, who have become heartless, never agreed to the girl's request.

As always, the girl kept indoors and devoted herself to drawing colorful pictures on the candles. When the old couple saw this scene, they were indifferent. They felt neither cute nor pitiful.

On a bright moonlight night, the girl listened to the roar of the waves alone and thought about her future, so she didn't feel sad. She listened and felt that someone was calling her in the distance. So she looked out of the window. There is only an endless blue sea reflecting the moonlight outside.

The girl sat down again and continued to draw candles. At this time, the front of the shop suddenly became noisy. It turned out that the Jianghu businessman was scheduled to pick up the girl tonight. The merchant's car was carrying a large wooden box with barbed wire. This wooden box once carried animals such as tigers, lions and leopards.

Jianghu merchants say that a kind mermaid is also an animal in the sea, so she should be treated like a tiger and a lion. The girl will be scared out of her wits when she sees the wooden box later.

The girl is still in the dark, and continues to bow down and draw. Just then, grandpa and grandma came into the room to get the girl. They said,

"Hey! You should go! "

Because they urged her very hard, the girl didn't have time to draw a color picture on the candle in her hand, but only painted the whole candle red.

The girl left two or three red candles as a souvenir of this bitter history, and then left home.

Friday

It was a very quiet night. Grandpa and grandma have gone to bed behind closed doors.

knock, knock, knock! At midnight, someone knocked at the door. The elderly people are very sleepy. When they hear the knocking at the door, the old couple are puzzled. Grandma asked:

"Who is it?"

but there is no answer. Knock, knock, knock! Keep knocking.

grandma got up, gently opened the door leaf, and looked out through the gap. A very white woman was standing at the door.

women are here to buy candles. Grandma is a greedy person, even if she earns a penny and a half, she is happy.

The old woman brought the candle box to the woman. Then she was surprised. The woman's long black hair was covered with water droplets, reflecting the moonlight and glittering. The woman took the red candle out of the box, stared at it for a while, paid the money and took it away.

Grandma looked at the coin carefully under the lamp. It turned out to be a shell instead of real money. She thought she had been taken in, so she angrily chased her out. But that woman has disappeared.

that night, the sky changed suddenly and a rare storm set off at sea. It was just as Jianghu merchants were boating in the sea, carrying wooden cages filled with mermaid girls, and on their way to a country in the south.

Grandpa and grandma said trembling at home:

"I'm afraid that boat will capsize in such a big storm!" "

after dawn, the sea is still a dark and horrible scene. Countless ships were killed that night.

Strangely, after that, as long as the shrine on the mountain lights red candles, no matter how good the weather is, it will turn into a violent storm at night. The red candle turned into an ominous thing. The old couple in the candle shop said that this was a god's punishment, and they never sold candles again.

However, since then, I don't know who used to light red candles at the shrine. In the past, as long as anyone got the wax oil left in this shrine, he would eliminate disasters at sea; Now, as long as you look at the red candle, this man will be in great trouble and drown in the sea.

after the news spread among people quickly, no one went to visit the shrine on the mountain anymore. In the past, the holy and efficacious immortal has now become an evil one. And no one said with resentment: if only there were no such shrine in this town.

As long as the crew looks at the hill where the shrine is located from the sea, they are afraid. At night, the sea in this area is a terrible sight: the stormy waves are endless; Every time that huge wave breaks on the rock, it stirs up white droplets; It was really creepy that the moonlight shone on the waves through the clouds.

On a rainy night when the sky was dark and there was no starlight, someone saw the waves floating.