The Quarrel of the Monkey and the Crab

Folktale from Japan

Long ago on a sunny autumn day, a yellow crab and a snow monkey were playing with one another along the riverbank. In their unfettered joy, the crab ran across a rice dumpling, while the monkey came upon a persimmon seed.

The crab picked up the dumpling while showing it to the monkey, he said, “Look what I found!”

The monkey held up his persimmon seed and proclaimed, “I also found something!”

The monkey loved persimmons and had no reason to keep the unedible seed. He looked at it as if it were a stone. This also made him jealous of the crab’s discovery. Thinking he was clever, he offered to exchange his seed with the crab’s rice dumpling. The crab declined as he found no reason why he should give away his edible dumpling for a stone-like seed.

The monkey would not be deterred. He began trying to pursuade the crab by saying things like, “You are unwise as you are …