■ あらすじ　
　 昔々、山に樵<きこり>の老夫婦が住んでいた。ある日木を切って
いると、爺は山奥で泉を見つけ、喉が渇いていたのでその水を飲んだ。
すると水面に若者の顔が映った。それは確かに爺自身だったが髪は
黒く、皺は伸び、身体には力が漲<みなぎ>っていた。若返った爺は
嬉々として家に帰り、初めは信じなかった婆を納得させて飲むよう
勧めた。爺を残し一人で泉へ行った婆がなかなか戻らないので、爺が探しに行くと、泉の傍に婆の着物と赤ん坊を見つけた。婆は水を飲み
すぎて、幼子に戻っていたのである。爺は赤ん坊になった婆を抱え、
肩を落として家に帰っていった。

■ Outline of this story
　Once upon a time, there lived an old woodcutter and his wife in the forest. One day, when he was out chopping wood deep in the forest, the man found a spring and drank from it to quench his thirst. After taking a drink, he saw the face of a young man reflected on the surface of the water. It was definitely his face, but without gray hair or wrinkles. Moreover, he felt strong and vigorous. He went back to the cottage and gleefully told his wife about the spring. Although she did not believe him at first, he finally persuaded her to go and take a drink from it herself. Since she did not return, he went in search of her, and came upon a pile of old woman's clothes and a baby beside the spring. His wife had drunk too deeply of the water and reverted to infancy. The old man held the baby in his arms and went back to the cottage, crestfallen.

Note
　In many versions of this story, which was transmitted mainly in western Japan, the wife is the first to drink from the spring and be rejuvenated. It probably originated from "wakamizu" (lit, "young water"), the first water drawn on the New Year's Day to ward off evil spirits. In this translation by Lafcadio Hearn, the story is straightforward and unfolds smoothly.