The Aged Mother

Matsuo Basho
Adapted by Actively Learn staff

Once upon a time there lived, at the bottom of a mountain, a poor farmer and his elderly, widowed mother. They owned a
little bit of land that supplied them with food. The man and his mother were peaceful, humble, and happy.
The nearby town of Shining was ruled by a hateful ruler. He was a powerful warrior, but he had one great fear. He was
terrified of growing old and losing his strength. He didn’t even want to be reminded of getting old by seeing the elderly. As a result, he
sent out a terrible order. The whole area was told to put all the old people to death.
This order led to terrible times. Many people simply abandoned their old people to die. The poor farmer who lived at the
bottom of the mountain was very upset. He dearly loved his mother and the order caused him great pain. But no one had ever dared to
disobey the order of the wicked ruler. So, he tried to find the kindest way to put his mother to death.
At the end of the day, with his work completed, the farmer took some unwhitened rice. This was the main food for people
like him and his mother. He cooked it, dried it, and tied it up in a square cloth. He then swung it in a bundle over his shoulder, along
with a pitcher filled with cool water. Next, he lifted his mother onto his back and began to climb the mountain.
The trail up the mountain was long and steep. It was crossed and re-crossed by many paths made by hunters and woodcutters.
At some points, they got lost and confused, but the farmer didn’t care. He just kept climbing upwards toward the top of the mountain.
This area was known as Obatsuyama, which means “abandoning of the aged.”
The man’s mother, traveling on her son’s back, noticed that he was unsure where he was going. He was wandering from one
path to another. She was worried that he would get into trouble on his way back down. So, as they travelled, she reached out her hand
and snapped branch twigs. She dropped a handful every few steps to show the way back.
Finally, they got to the top of the mountain. The man was tired but he was also heartbroken at the thought of abandoning his
mother. He put down the rice and water and prepared a comfortable place for his mother. He made a soft bed out of fallen pine needles
and gently placed his mother upon it. The man wrapped his mother’s padded coat around her shoulders. Then, with tears in his eyes
and pain in his heart, he said goodbye.
The old mother gave a last piece of advice to her son. Her voice was trembling with unselfish love. She said, “My son, do not
let your eyes be blinded. The mountain road is full of dangers. Look carefully and follow the path with piles of twigs on it. They will
guide you back to the path you know lower down the mountain.”
The son looked back over the path and was surprised to see the piles of twigs. Then he looked down at the poor, old shriveled hands of
his mother. They were scratched and dirty because of the loving work she had done for him. He bowed down to give her honor and,
with his heart breaking said, “Oh, dear mother, your kindness breaks my heart! I will not leave you. Together we will follow the path
of twigs, and together we will die!”
Once again, he put his mother on his back and set off down the mountain. The weight seemed light to him now and he was
able to make it through the shadows and the moonlight down to their little hut. Under the kitchen floor was a hidden basement where
food was stored. The son hid his mother in there. He made sure she had all the food that she needed. But he was always worried that
she would be discovered.
Time passed and the son began to feel safe again. But then the ruler sent out another order. This one was extremely
unreasonable. He wanted his people to give him a gift of a rope made of ashes.
Everyone was in fear. The order had to be obeyed, yet no one in all of Shining knew how to make a rope of ashes. Then, one
night, the son told his mother about the new order from the ruler. Then his mother spoke up.
“Wait!” she said. “I will think! I will think!”
After two days of thinking, she told him what to do.
“Make a rope of twisted straw,” she said. “Then stretch it upon a row of flat stones and burn it on a windless night.”
The son called the people together. They worked together to do just as his mother had said. When the fire died down, lying
upon the stones was a perfectly shaped rope of ashes.
When the ruler came down, he was very pleased at the cleverness of the farmer and gave him lots of praise. But he also demanded to
know where the man’s wisdom had come from. The farmer cried out, “I cannot lie!” Then he went on to tell the ruler his story.
The ruler listened carefully then thought for a long time. Finally, he lifted his head and said, “Shining needs more than
strength and youth. I forgot the old saying, ‘With the crown of snow, there comes wisdom!’”
Immediately, the terrible law was abolished, and the custom drifted far to the past. Now, only the legend remains.

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