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      Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Story Top  > Classical stories of the world 
        
      A Gift From The Crocodile 
           
          (Old stories of Philippines) 
         
        Translation ちいさな翻訳屋さん 
      
       
      
      
 
         
        Japanese ←→ Japanese & English ←→ English 
       Once upon a time, there lived a kindhearted old  woman who sang lullabies very well in a village. 
 
 One day, the old woman went to the river and a crocodile  spoke to her. 
 
“Hi there. I have a favor to ask. My baby cries all  the time so can you sing my boy to sleep?”  
 
“Consider it done,” said the old woman. 
 
 She rode on the crocodile’s back and crossed the  river. 
 
 As the crocodile said, a baby crocodile was in a  blubber in a bush. 
 
 The old woman made her way in the grass and  approached the baby crocodile. 
 
“Oh, what a cute boy. It’s OK. Everything is going  to be all right,” said the old woman. 
 
 Before long, she stroked the baby crocodile’s head  and started singing a lullaby. 
 
 Bayu-bye.  Bayu-bye. 
 
 A  little crocodile. 
       
       Go  night-night. 
 
 A  little sweet crocodile. 
 
 On hearing the old woman sing, the baby crocodile  stopped crying.  
 
 Then, 
 
“Uuua,” 
 
the baby crocodile yawned and got to sleep breathing  lovely and softly.  
 
 But the old woman kept singing. 
 
 After a while, she made sure he was asleep and  stood up. 
 
“Well, I should get going.” 
 
 The the parent crocodile brought a basket full of  fish and said, 
 
“Thank you, madam. I’d like to give you this small  gift.” 
       
      “Oh, thank you. You know, I like fish very much.” 
       
       The old lady was so happy and crossed the river to  go home riding on the crocodile’s back. 
 
 When the old lady got home, an old lady next door  visited her. 
 
“Well, these fish look good. Where on earth did you  get them?” 
 
“I got them from a crocodile at the river.” 
 
 The old lady told the old lady next door all about  what happened. 
 
“I see. Then I’ll go there too.” 
 
 The old lady next door went to the river and said  to the crocodile. 
       
      “Hey, I’m here to sing your boy to sleep.” 
 
“No, thank you. My baby is sound asleep.” 
 
“Huh! He’ll wake up soon. So, get me on your back  and take me to him!” 
 
 After she forced the crocodile to cross the river,  she looked at the baby crocodile and frowns. 
 
“Yipes! What a dirty and smelly boy you are!” 
 
 She kicked the sleeping baby crocodile. 
 
 The baby crocodile woke up startled and then  started crying. 
 
“See, he’s now crying as I guessed,” 
 
she said to the worried parent crocodile watching  her. 
 
“What’s taking so long? Go get some fish. Then I’ll  sing the baby to sleep.” 
 
 The old lady started to sing.  
       
       Bayu-bye.  Bayu-bye. 
       
       Go  sleep, a dirty boy. 
 
 Go  night-night, a smelly boy. 
 
 The baby crocodile didn’t go to sleep but was in a  blubber. 
 
 The parent crocodile got angry and offered a basket  to the old lady. 
 
“I’ll give you this so please go home,” said the  parent crocodile. 
 
 The old lady got the basket with a happy grin and  said, 
 
“Great. Then give me a ride across the river.” 
 
 Then she rode on the crocodile’s back and went  home. 
 
 When the old lady got home, she closed all the  windows and doors in her house. 
 
 She didn’t want anyone to see the precious gift  that she got. 
 
 But when she opened the basket, 
 
“Yeow!”  
       
       She screamed and passed out. 
       
       What was in the basket was a big snake and it  winded itself around her body.  
      The end 
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