The Grateful Crane
A mysterious girl comes to the old couple who rescued a wounded crane and weaves them beautiful cloth.
Tap a word to see it in Turkish · Long press to translate the whole sentence.
One snowy winter's day, an old woodcutter was coming home from the forest when he heard a sound. In the snow a white crane was flapping its wings; its foot was caught in a trap. The woodcutter carefully opened the trap and stroked the crane's foot: "Off you go now, and don't get caught again." The crane circled three times above his head and then flew away.
That evening there was a knock at the door. A young girl stood there in the snow. "I've lost my way. May I stay with you tonight?" The old couple sat her by the warm stove and shared their soup with her. The next day the girl did not leave; she helped with the housework and sang songs to them. The old couple loved her like a daughter.
One day the girl said: "I'd like to weave some cloth for you. But I have one condition: while I'm weaving, you must never look into the room." For three days and three nights the sound of the loom could be heard. On the fourth morning the girl came out with a snow-white cloth that shone like silk. The cloth was so beautiful that it fetched a great deal of money at the market. That winter the old couple were never cold and never hungry.
The girl wanted to weave again. But this time, each time she came out of the room, she looked paler and more tired. The old woman grew worried and sad. "Why is she getting so tired?" she wondered, and she peeped through the gap in the door.
Inside was not a girl but a white crane. The crane was pulling out its own feathers one by one and weaving them into the loom. When the crane saw the old woman, it bowed its head: "I am the crane you saved in the forest. I wanted to repay your kindness. But now my secret is known, and I must go."
The old couple wept: "Don't go. You are our daughter." The crane looked at them one last time, circled the house three times, and flew away into the snowy sky. Every winter the old couple looked up at the sky, and whenever they saw cranes, they waved.
This tale tells us: kindness is never forgotten; one day it always comes back. And keeping a promise to those we love is very precious.
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
The Grateful Crane is a children's tale from Japanese folk tale, suitable for ages 5-10 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Animal Tales category.
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