Hukumusume fairy tale collection > Foreign language (English) > Aesop’s Fables

イラスト　myi　　　ブログ　sorairoiro

The only son and the Lion that was painted

(Aesop’s Fables)

Translation　ちいさな翻訳屋さん

おりがみをつくろう ( おりがみくらぶ より) らいおんのかお

Japanese ・ English ・ Chinese

Japanese & English ・Japanese & Chinese

　A timid old father had an only son.

　The son was very much brave and loved hunting.



　One day, the father dreamed of his son killed by tearing off with a lion’s nails.

“It must be horrible if this was a prophetic dream and came true.”

　The concerned father made a nice room at high place, and imprisoned his son.

　There are some paintings of various animals on the walls of the room, and one of them was of a lion.

　That was a painting the father had a painter do to please his son, but he was not

　on the contrary, he was just getting frustrated.



　One day, the son shouted at the painting of a lion,

“You, bloody beast!

　I’m locked away in this prison, and this is because of all you and the strange dream my father had.

　Look, I’ll give hell to you.”

　As he was saying this, he tried to hit out at the wall to put out the lion’s eyes.

　Unfortunately, there was a peg sticking out there and he got his hand injured,

　and eventually he died from the injury.

　Though, it was in fact a lion that was painted,

　it was still a lion that killed the son.



　Against your fate, you must stand up to it by yourself.

　unlike shutting yourself up in the room,

　This story tells that you should act courageously head-on.

The end

(Click here to return)