B2 Reading: The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Upper-Intermediate English)
- Alex
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 2
B2 Upper-Intermediate English Texts for Reading and Listening Practice
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B2 Upper-Intermediate English Reading Practice: The Tale of Princess Kaguya | Summary and Analysis
Pronunciation note: Kaguya-hime is pronounced KA-goo-ya-HEE-mei.
Kaguya-hime, or The Tale of Princess Kaguya, is one of Japan's most enduring folktales. It has been told and retold countless times over the centuries, and it continues to captivate the imaginations of audiences today. But what has given this strange story its long-lasting appeal?
Like most classic tales, Kaguya-hime places common people in extraordinary situations in order to explore timeless human concerns. The tale begins with wonder, as an old bamboo cutter chops down a glowing bamboo stalk. Inside the bamboo, he finds a baby girl the size of his thumb. As if that were not remarkable enough, the man brings the child home to his wife, and it takes the girl—whom they name Kaguya—just three months to grow to the size of an adult. Once the mysterious girl matures, the real story begins.
Tales of Kaguya's grace and beauty spread throughout the land. Eventually, she is courted by countless suitors but has no interest in their romantic advances. She refuses every man's proposal until only five high-ranking nobles remain. Due to their persistence, Kaguya is forced to devise a plan to get rid of the five men. She does this by challenging each one to a unique task. If one of the men can complete their task, Kaguya will agree to marry them. However, Kaguya assigns each man an impossible errand. For instance, one much find the jewel from a dragon's neck while another must find the begging bowl of the Buddha.
In the end, none of the men are able to complete their task, though most of them try to fool Kaguya into thinking that they did. For instance, the noble who is tasked with finding the begging bowl of the Buddha buys a very nice bowl and lies about its origins. Kaguya discovers the lie when she sees that the bowl does not shine like the Buddha's bowl is supposed to. These five failures give the story its moral centre: Money, status, and deceit cannot buy what truly matters in life.
The only man who comes close to winning Kaguya's heart is the emperor of Japan. He and Kaguya exchange many letters, and eventually the emperor asks for Kaguya's hand in marriage. However, Kaguya says she cannot marry him because she is not from his country; in fact, she is from the moon and her people are coming soon to take her back. Refusing to accept this, the emperor sends two thousand guards to protect Kaguya and keep her on Earth. But not even two thousand men can stop the supernatural visitors from the moon.
Before she returns to her lunar home, Kaguya hands a bottle and a letter to one of the guards. She tells him to give both items to the emperor. When the the emperor reads the letter, he is heartbroken, for Kaguya gave him the elixir of immortality and told him to drink it so he may rule forever on Earth. Stricken with grief, the emperor cannot imagine eternity without Kaguya, so he commands a group of soldiers to burn the letter and the elixir at the closest point to Heaven. This is the Great Mountain—today, we know it as Mount Fuji—and it is said that the elixir and the letter still burn atop the mountain today.
We can take many lessons from Kaguya-hime. Above all, we must accept our mortality. Kaguya is only on earth for a short time, but she does her best to live life to the fullest. The emperor also chooses a mortal life over an eternity of suffering. In short, it is the brevity of life that makes it beautiful, and it is the quality of our hearts, deeds, and relationships that define our existence.
Comprehension Questions
In paragraph one, the word enduring means _______________.
a) lasting
b) powerful
c) popular
In classic tales, what kind of situations are common people placed in?
a) plain
b) remarkable
c) exciting
Kaguya gives impossible tasks to five _______________ men.
a) honorable
b) persistent
c) careful
Most of the suitors try to _______________ Kaguya.
a) impress
b) trick
c) bother
Lying, _______________, and _______________ cannot buy what matters in life.
a) beauty / riches
b) rank / pride
c) wealth / position
The emperor does not drink the elixir because he is _______________.
a) old
b) honorable
c) heartbroken
Life is beautiful because it is _______________.
a) temporary
b) small
c) emotional
Answers
a
b
b
b
c
c
a
References
English Reading Practice
Note: This text was written by Alex, a human. It was not generated by AI.
