The Moon Maiden (Old Japanese Folktale)

Welcome,

I'm Joanne and this is Drift Off,

A soft place for you to land at the end of the day.

I'd like to offer you a calming bedtime story tonight,

Softly told,

With a nice,

Soft,

Gentle voice that I hope will help you feel nurtured,

Safe,

And at ease so you can drift off.

So are you ready for a bedtime story?

Well then,

Get comfy and cozy in your bed and snuggle up tight and let me be your guide now.

Sweet dreams my friend,

And good night.

Hi,

This is Joanne welcoming you to this restful journey that I hope will help bring you peaceful sleep.

Winding down now as we move into this quiet space where our thoughts and concerns and busyness from the day begin to fade away into that timeless realm of restful sleep.

Before I begin with tonight's bedtime story,

I will be guiding you through a full body relaxation and then we'll journey together into the world of imagination as I read to you an old Japanese folktale called The Moon Maiden.

This is an adapted version from the original story where I use my own imagination in creating this soothing tale that I hope will help lull you to sleep.

Now if you prefer to listen to the story without the guided relaxation,

Then please feel free to navigate the time stamps or the chapters in the description below to move ahead directly to the story and I wish you sweet dreams.

So let's begin by settling into your sleep space.

Letting your body ease into a comfortable position that feels just right for you,

Where you feel safe and supported.

As your body begins to let go and soften,

You can focus on your breathing.

Breathing in relaxation and as you exhale,

Letting go of tension.

If you like,

You can place your hand gently over your belly as this can bring a feeling of comfort and noticing the soothing warmth from your hand as it rests on your belly.

Feeling the rise and fall with each breath as you breathe in and as you breathe out.

Breathing in the calmness of the night that surrounds you with your next breath and breathing out all that no longer serves you,

Giving way to that wonderful feeling of letting go.

And imagining now a large window in front of your bed with the view of the beautiful velvety night sky and with the full moon and the stars framed by soft white sheer curtains lightly swaying and flowing in the night breeze.

Notice now a beautiful white beam of moonlight radiating into your room and shining over you from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Feeling soothing comfort to your entire being,

Every inch of your body bathed in this healing light and letting this comforting soft glow relax you.

Relaxing with your toes and feet,

Warm soothing relaxation softening the tension and relaxing your toes and feet,

Relaxing your ankles and calves,

Softening your knees and thighs,

Allowing your legs to melt deeper down into your bed.

Feeling calm and relaxed,

Deeper and deeper,

Calm and relaxed.

And now this soothing comfort flows upwards,

Softening and opening the hips,

Softening the belly and the chest.

Breathing in,

Feel the chest and belly rise,

And breathing out,

Feel them descend and deflate.

Your back sinks deeper and deeper down into your soft bed.

Feeling peaceful and calm,

Deeper and deeper,

Peaceful and calm.

Warm soothing relaxation softening any tension in your fingers and in your hands and in your arms,

Softening and releasing.

Arms feel heavy and loose,

Sinking deeper down.

Feeling relaxed and at ease,

Deeper and deeper,

Relaxed and at ease.

Feel your shoulders ease back and down,

All burdens and heaviness lifting off of your shoulders so you can feel light and free,

Softer and softer,

Light and free.

And now softening any lines of tension in the face,

Smoothing out the forehead,

Softening the eyes,

Letting them rest comfortably in the soft darkness behind the eyelids,

Releasing the jaw and softening the cheeks.

Your whole body calm and relaxed,

Deeper and deeper,

Calm and relaxed.

See the soft curtains fluttering in the gentle night breeze,

And feel the breeze flowing towards you and lightly caressing your skin.

The sweet night air feels soothing and gentle,

And just rest here,

Surrounded by the softness of your sheets and blankets,

Secure and safe in your little cocoon of comfort where you can let go and just be.

And here in this peaceful state of being,

Relaxation continues to wrap around you,

Wrapping around from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Every inch of your being surrounded with peace and calm,

Helping you drift off into a deep,

Peaceful sleep with the moon and the stars watching over you as they continue to soothe and comfort you.

And as you rest here,

Feeling safe and secure,

Slowly drifting off,

I will tell you the story of the moon maiden who was sent down from the heavens to fulfill her destiny,

And after carrying out her purpose,

Returning back to her rightful home,

The moon,

Reminding us that love is never ending.

Long,

Long ago,

In old Japan,

There lived an old bamboo woodcutter and his lovely wife.

They lived a quiet,

Peaceful life in a cozy cottage at the base of a large mountain.

Even though they were happy and content,

They had no children and grew sad and lonely in their old age.

Every morning he went into the hills where the bamboo grew plentiful in tall green plumes reaching up high towards the blue sky.

He would cut down the beautiful green shoots,

Splitting them lengthwise.

Then he would carry the bamboo wood home and make various items that he and his wife would sell in the village and thus would gain their humble living.

One morning as usual,

He had gone out to his work and having found a nice clump of bamboos,

Had set to work to cut some of them down.

Suddenly the green grove of bamboos was flooded with a bright soft light as if the full moon had risen over the spot.

Looking around in astonishment,

He saw that the brilliance was streaming from one bamboo.

The old man,

Very curious,

Dropped his axe and went towards the light.

As he came closer,

He saw that this soft moonlight came from a hollow in one of the bamboo stems and to his amazement,

Standing in the midst of the soft beams of light stood a tiny maiden only three inches in height,

So radiant,

Sweet and lovely.

You are a gift sent to be our child,

Said the old man with a wide smile.

After taking the little maiden in his hand,

He brought her home to his wife to love and nurture.

The maiden was so tiny that the wife put her into a basket to protect her from harm.

The bamboo woodcutter and his lovely wife were now very happy.

With beaming joy,

They gave all the love within their heart to the little child who had come to them in such a magical way.

Not only did the bamboo woodcutter and his wife now have a child to love,

But the little moon maiden had also brought them good fortune.

The bamboo woodcutter often found gold in the notches of the bamboos when he hewed them down and cut them up.

Sometimes he would also find precious stones,

And day by day he became rich.

He built himself a fine house and was no longer known as the poor bamboo woodcutter,

But as a happy,

Wealthy man.

Three months passed quickly away and in that time the little bamboo child had become a full grown girl.

Her foster parents did up her hair and dressed her in beautiful kimonos.

She was of such wondrous beauty and seemed as though she were made of light.

The house radiated a soft shining so that even in the dark of night the house was surrounded by an ethereal glow.

Her presence seemed to offer comfort to those there.

Whether the old man or his wife felt sad,

They had only to look upon her sweet radiance and their sorrow vanished and they became happy and peaceful again.

Finally the day came for the naming of their new found child,

So the old couple called in a celebrated name giver.

He thought the moon maiden may have been a daughter of the moon god because she always emanated beams of soft bright light and decided to give her the name Princess Moonlight.

For three days the festival continued with song and dance and music.

All the friends and family of the old couple were present and everyone enjoyed the festivities and the naming of Princess Moonlight.

Everyone who saw her declared that her loveliness was absolutely enchanting and they announced that she may be the most beautiful maiden across the land.

Throughout the years Princess Moonlight brought such happiness and comfort to both her parents.

She was always eager to help her father with his hard work and she would help her mother with the chores and tend the garden.

She was always polite and kind hearted with all of the villagers who over the years had become quite fond of the lovely maiden.

The fame of the maiden's kind heart and beauty spread and there were many suitors who desired to win her hand or at the very least to lay their eyes upon her.

Villagers from far and wide posted themselves outside the house and made little holes in the fence in the hope of catching a glimpse of Princess Moonlight as she went from one room to the other along the veranda.

There they stayed day and night sacrificing even their sleep for a chance of seeing her.

So great was their desire to see the Princess,

But she would have none of them for she claimed that her heart only belonged to her beloved foster parents whom she loved so dearly and promised only to love them and to be their daughter.

At last,

Most of the men,

Seeing how hopeless their quest was,

Lost heart and hope of ever seeing the Princess and returned to their homes.

All except one knight whose ardor and determination only grew greater with obstacles.

He would go without food and would take snatches of whatever he could get his hands on so that he might always stand outside the dwelling.

Here he stood in all weathers,

In sunshine and in rain.

Sometimes he wrote letters to the Princess Moonlight,

But the letters failed to draw any reply.

He would write poems telling her of the hopeless love which kept him from sleep,

From food,

From rest,

And even from his own home.

Still,

No reply came from the lovely moon maiden.

In this hopeless state,

The winter passed.

The snow and frost and the cold winds gradually gave place to the gentle warmth of spring.

Then summer came and still this faithful knight kept watch and waited.

At long last,

He called out to the old bamboo woodcutter and begged him to have mercy upon him and to show him the Princess.

But the old man answered that since he was not her real father,

He could not insist on her obeying him against her wishes.

On receiving this stern answer,

He sadly returned to his home and began to ponder over the best means of winning Princess Moonlight's heart.

He took his rosary in his hand and knelt before his household shrine and burned precious incense,

Praying to Buddha to give him his heart's desire.

Several days had passed,

And by and by,

The knight became so restless that he set out for the bamboo woodcutter's house once more.

The old man,

Seeing the knight approach the house,

Came out to greet him.

The knight implored the bamboo woodcutter to speak to the Princess and to tell her of the greatness of his love and how long he had waited through the cold of winter and the heat of the summer,

Sleepless and roofless through all weathers,

Without food and without rest,

In the ardent hope of winning her.

And he was willing to consider this long vigil as pleasure if she would give him but one chance to lay his eyes upon her.

The old man listened carefully to the tale of love,

For he felt sorry for this faithful suitor and would have liked very much to see his lovely foster daughter marry him.

So he went to Princess Moonlight and said reverently,

Although you have always seemed to me to be a heavenly being,

I have loved and raised you as my own child.

Will you refuse to do as I wish?

Then Princess Moonlight replied that there was nothing she would not do for him,

And even though he was her foster father,

That she honored and loved him as her own father,

And furthermore,

She could not even remember the time before she came to Earth.

The old man listened with great joy as she spoke these words.

Then he told her how anxious he was to see her safely and happily married before he died.

I am an old man,

Over seventy years of age,

And my end may come any time now.

It is necessary and right that you should marry this fine suitor.

But why must I do this?

I have no wish to marry now,

Cried the Princess in distress.

I found you,

Answered the old man.

Many years ago,

When you were a little maiden only three inches high in the midst of a great white light,

The light streamed from the bamboo in which you were hid and led me to you,

So I have always known that you are ethereal and much more than a mortal woman.

While I am alive it is fine for you to remain as you are if you wish to do so.

But someday I shall cease to be and who will take care of you then?

Therefore I pray you marry this brave and honorable knight.

Even though her father reassured her that the brave knight was honorable and worthy,

Princess Moonlight was still uncertain and did not feel it was wise to see him.

My dear sweet daughter,

What kind of man will you consent to see?

He asked.

I do not call this man who has waited on you for months light-hearted.

He has stood outside this house through winter and summer,

Often denying himself food and sleep so that he may win you.

What more do you need to feel more certain?

Princess Moonlight was deeply saddened to see her foster father so heavy-hearted and with eyes wide with worry.

Because of her great love for her father,

And after some further reflection,

She at last gave her consent to grant the knight's request to see her.

That same evening,

The handsome young knight arrived and began to play his flute and to sing songs he himself had composed,

Telling her of his great and tireless love.

The bamboo woodcutter went to him to offer his sympathy for all that he had endured and to thank him for all the patience that he had shown in his desire to win his foster daughter.

Then with a wide smile,

He finally gave him the message that she had finally consented to grant his wish to see her.

In the meantime,

Her foster mother did up her hair and helped her dress in the most beautiful kimono and it was now time for Princess Moonlight to finally meet the honorable handsome knight.

Standing gracefully in the doorway of the chamber,

Surrounded by a heavenly glow of moonlight,

She was at last ready to make her entrance into the room,

Her soft glowing light beaming brightly illuminating the handsome knight who was eagerly awaiting her presence.

Never had he seen anyone so wonderfully beautiful and he could not but look at her,

For she was more lovely than any human being shimmering in her own soft radiance.

And Princess Moonlight too was mesmerized by the presence of this handsome young man who had the kindest eyes she'd ever seen.

Her soft light beaming towards him and illuminating his entire being revealed to her the pureness of his heart and all her previous misgivings were in that moment swept away.

Sweetest Moonlight,

My soul salutes you.

I bow before you,

Said the knight,

And getting down on one knee,

The handsome young man continued,

Princess Moonlight,

You are my one true love.

Will you marry me?

In that moment,

Princess Moonlight fell deeply in love with her knight,

Trembling,

Breathless,

Her face radiant with a smile so bright,

Taking small,

Delicate steps towards him,

Longing more than anything to accept his hand in marriage.

Just then,

His strong,

Large figure casting a shadow over her,

She suddenly began to lose her form.

The knight,

Horrified to see his love slowly fading away right before his eyes,

Swiftly moved away from her so that she would resume her former shape,

And thankfully she did.

But in that moment,

Princess Moonlight had a flash of memory.

Years ago she began in a soft voice.

My mother,

The Moon Lady,

Sent me to Earth to help soothe and comfort my foster parents,

Who were very sad and lonely in their old age.

Because this happened so long ago,

I had forgotten.

Gazing earnestly into his eyes,

She continued,

My love,

I am not meant to live here forever,

And I cannot marry you.

For some day,

Very soon,

The Moon Lady will swiftly come to bear me back home.

She then lowered her head,

And as tears welled from deep inside,

She began to weep bitterly,

Torn between her commitment to her Moon Mother and her desire to live upon the Earth as a daughter and a wife.

Devastated and confused by the turn of events,

The knight bade her goodbye and left the house with a heavy heart.

Princess Moonlight was the love of his life,

And he thought of her night and day.

He now spent his days writing poems,

Telling her of his love and devotion,

And sent them to her.

His love letters and poems drew replies from the lovely maiden with many verses of her own composing,

Filling his heart with great joy,

Knowing that she still loved him.

Her foster parents noticed that night after night,

Princess Moonlight would sit on her balcony and gaze for hours at the Moon with the deepest sadness,

Ending always in a burst of tears.

One night,

The old man found her thus weeping as if her heart were broken,

And he besought her to tell him the reason of her sorrow.

With many tears,

She told him that he had guessed rightly when he supposed her not to belong to this world,

That she had in truth come from the Moon,

And that her Moon Mother,

Who had felt sorry for them,

Had granted them their wish for a child.

Princess Moonlight had stayed with them until she was a maiden grown,

And now that their wish had been fulfilled,

The time had come for her to return back in the sky.

Over the next several days,

Princess Moonlight said her goodbyes to all the people she would be leaving behind once she returned back to the sky.

Even the young handsome knight came to bid farewell,

And as he sadly looked into her eyes he said,

My love for you is eternal,

My sweet Moonlight.

Your memory will be forever locked within my heart.

Princess Moonlight and her earthly parents stood embraced in the garden,

And together they watched the full moon rise into the night sky.

Swiftly,

A shimmering silver bridge arched down from the moon all the way to the ground.

They all stared in awe at the radiant Moon Lady as she walked gracefully down the bridge with her long silvery hair glistening in the moonlight.

The Moon Lady slowly approached the young girl.

She pulled her close by wrapping around her a glittery silver shawl.

Then she embraced her lovingly and gently led her back to the night sky.

Princess Moonlight was happy to return back home,

Yet she was sad to leave those she loved behind,

But lo and behold,

As she wept,

The large silver droplets took wing,

Carrying the spirit of comfort and love to her beloved knight and to her earthly father and mother.

And to this day,

Princess Moonlight's silver tears are seen as fireflies flitting around the forests and wetlands of Japan,

Bringing love and comfort to the earth.