Who should I be?

SARA BUBBER brings us a story based on the famous Japanese tale “The Stonecutter,” followed by a fun coloring activity from the story.

Once upon a time in Japan, a poor stonecutter was hard at work. He used his inefficient tools and a lot of breath to cut part of the mountain to sell and earn his bread. He was happy and content with a life that had no unfulfilled desires.

One day, he saw a rich man enjoying the cool shade of a silk umbrella held by servants. At work, while hammering away, sweat beads formed on his head. He said aloud, “I wish I was that rich man who had shade over his head.” The spirit of the mountain heard him and granted his wish. He had many servants around him to take care of his needs. He said, “Now I will be truly happy!”

A few days later, as the stonecutter was walking in the market, a procession made its way with the king sitting on the back of an elephant. The stonecutter was now a rich man, but he remarked, “I wish I were king. I could move around on an elephant instead of my feet and everyone would have to make way for me.”

The spirit of the mountain heard him again and granted his wish. The stonecutter was a king with a palace, and never had to set foot on the ground. He was carried in palanquins, on horses and elephants, and in golden and silver carriages. “Now I will be truly happy. I have everything I could hope for.”

But alas, his happiness was short-lived when one day in the heat his head began to hurt and his eyes began to close. He wished aloud, “The sun is so powerful. I wish I were the sun.” Once again, his wish was granted by the spirit of the mountain.

Now the stonecutter had become the sun, he thought, “Now I will be truly happy.” He shone down so hard on all the poor people, but he forgot that after intense heat comes joyful rain. The water began to heat and evaporate, forming fierce gray clouds which covered the sun. “I wish I were a cloud that has dared to cover me. The cloud is more powerful!” The spirit of the mountains fulfilled his wish. As the cloud burst and poured, he felt happy. People ran to take shelter and the cloud moved along dropping its rain. “Now I will be truly happy.”

“Bang.” Try as he might, the cloud could not move past a mighty mountain. He looked at how grand the mountain was and thought he wanted to be the mountain, stoic, unaffected and great. The spirit of the mountain heard his wish and the stonecutter was now a mountain. He stood still for many days, not affected by the sun, rain, or cold, until one day something pricked him again and again. He looked down and saw a tiny stonecutter.

“A stonecutter? Inflicting so much pain? Surely, there is no one more powerful that a stonecutter.” The spirit of the mountain granted his heart’s desire and he once more became a stonecutter. To this day, the stonecutter can be seen around different mountains of Japan, whistling tunes of his journey as a king, the sun, the cloud and the mountains.

Activity

Do you remember how many forms the stone cutter took in the story? Can you color every form the stonecutter took in the image below?

“You are you. Now, isn’t that pleasant?”
—Dr. Seuss

AI generated illustrations