"Buying Some Gloves"
a children's story writen by "Niimi nankichi(新美南吉)"
http://www.nankichi.gr.jp/

The story is the following...

洞穴に親子の狐が住んでいた。
A mother and son fox lived in a cave.

初めて雪を見た坊やはその冷たさにびっくりする。
The boy who was seeing snow for the first time was surprised at it's coldness

その小さな手がしもやけになっては可哀想だと思ったお母さんは、
His paw became frostbitten, and the mother took pity on him.

夜になると坊やを連れて町に向かう。
As day turned to night, she led her son towards the city.

町の光が見えるところまで来ると、
They came to where they could see the city lights, and

お母さんは昔、人間にひどい目にあわされた事を思い出し、
the mother thought about how, in the olden days, the humans had gotten together to give her a hard time,

どうしても町に近づけない。
and about why she cannot approach the city

坊やがせかすので仕方なくお母さんは坊やを一人で町に行かせる事にした。
The boy urged her on, and so she necessarily made him go alone into the city.


お母さんは坊やの片手を人間の手にかえて言った。
The mother said she would transform one of the boy's hands into a human's hand.

「トントンと戸を叩いて、今晩はって言うんだよ。
With a tap-tap on the door, they said goodbye.

中から人間が、すこうし戸をあけるからね、
Among the humans, a little door opened, and

その戸の隙間から、人間の手をさし入れてね、
from the gap in the doorway, a human hand extruded.

この手にちょうどいい手袋頂戴って言うんだよ」
"In my hand is a bag, containing the perfect hand" a voice said.


よちよち歩きで帽子屋にたどりついた坊やは
The boy struggled onwards towards a hat shop.

お母さんに言われたとおり、戸をノックした。
The boy did not know what street he was in to tell his mother, so he knocked at a door

少し開いた隙間からこぼれる電燈の灯りにびっくりした坊やは間違って、
The boy was amazed at the light spilling through the gap in the doorway, and

人間の手の方でなく、本当の狐の方の手を出してしまう。
mistook an extended fox's hand for a human's hand.

「このお手々にちょうどいい手袋下さい」
I would like the perfect mitten for this hand, please.

帽子屋はおやおやと思ったが、
"Oh dear" the boy thought, but

坊やの持ってきたお金が葉っぱでない本物だと確かめると、
the boy's money was genuine,

その狐の手に暖かい手袋をつけてやった。
and the his hand warmed when the mitten was put on.

町の見える場所から坊やの帰りをふるえながら待っていたお母さんは、
The mother waited, shivering, where she could see the city for the boy to return.

無事坊やが戻ると涙が出るほど喜んだ。
With tears in her eyes, she was delighted at the boy's safe return.

お母さんは坊やから人間は思ったよりも怖くなかった事を聞くとあきれたが、
The mother was amazed to hear that the humans were less scary than expected.

「ほんとうに人間はいいものかしら。ほんとうに人間はいいものかしら」とつぶやいた。
"I wonder if humans are truly a good thing, I really do" she muttered.