Education English | Narrative Text : Visu the Woodsman and The Old Priest | Many years ago, there lived a woodsman by the name of Visu. He lived in a hut with his wife and children. One day, Visu received a visit from and old priest, who said to him :"Honorable woodsman, I am afraid you never pray." Visu replied, " If you had a wife and a large family to keep , you would never have time to pray". This remark made the prest angry and the old man gave the woodcutter a vivid description of the horor of being reborn as a toad, or a mouse or an insect for millions of years. Such lurid details were not to Visu's liking and he accordinlgy promised the priest that in future he would pray.
"Work and pray" said the priest as he took his departure.
Unfortunately, Visu did nothing but pray. He prayed all day long and refused to do any work so his rice crops withered and his wife and family starved. Visu's wife who had never said a harsh or bitter word to her husband, now became extremely angry. She pointed to the poor thin bodies of her children and exclaimed : " Rise, Visu, take up your ax and do something more helful to us all thatn the mere mumbling of prayers.!"
Visu was so utterly amazed at what his wife had said. He was so angry that his words came hot and strong to the ears of his poor, much wronged wife.
"Woman, " said he , " the Gods come first. You are an impertinent creature to speak to me so, and I will have nothing more to do with you!" Visu snatched up his ax and without looking back to say farewell he left the hut, He strode out of the woods and climbed up Fujiyama, where a mist hid him from sight.
When Visu had seated himself upon the mountain, he heard a soft rustling sound an immediately afterward saw a fox dart into a thicket. Now, Visu deemed it extremely lucky to see a fox, and forgetting his prayers he sprang up and ran hither and thither in the hope of finding this sharp nosed little creature.
He was about to give up the chase when coming to an open space in a woods he saw two ladies sitting down by a brook playing go. The woodsman was so completely fascinated that he could do nothing but sit down and watch them. There was no sound except the soft click of pieces on the board and the song of the running brook. The ladies took no notice of Visu, for they seemed to be playing a strange game that entirely abosrbed their attention. Visu could not keep his eyes off these fair women. He watched their long black hair and the little quick hands that shot out now and again from their big silk sleeves in order to move the pieces.
After sitting there for three hundred years though to him it was but a summer's afternoon, he noticed that one of the players had made a false move "wrong most lovely lady! he exclaimed excitedly. In a moment, these women turned into foxes and ran away.
When Visu attempted to pursue them, he found to his horror that his limbs were terribly stiff, that his hari was very long and that his beard touched the ground. He discovered moreover that the handle of his ax, though made of the hardest wood had crumbled away into a little heap of dust.
After many painful efforts, Visu was able to stand on his feet and proceed very slowly toward his little home. When he reached the spot, he was surprise to see no hut, and perceiving a very old woman he said : "Good lady, I am amazed to find that my little home has disappeared I went away this afternoon and now in the evening it has vanished.!"
The old woman, who believed that a madman was addressing her , inquired his name. When she was told, she exclaimed :"Bah!you must indeed be mad! Visu lived three hundred years ago! He went away one day and he never came back again"
"Three hundreds years"! murmued Visu. "It cannot be possible. Where are my dear wife and children?"
"Buried" hissed the old woman " and if what you say is true, your children's children too. The Gods have prolonged your miserable life in punishment for having neglected your wife and little children.
Big tears ran down Visu's withered cheeks as he said in a husky voice ;" I have lost my once strong hands. Old woman remember my lost words :"If you pray, work too!"
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