The moon is very beautiful with its round and clear face that shines with soft light on the whole world. But there was a time when he wasn’t as beautiful as he is now. Six thousand years ago, the face of the moon changed overnight. Before that, his face was so dark and gloomy that no one liked to look at him and that’s why he was always very sad.
One day he complained to the flowers and the stars – because those were the only things that ever looked at him.
He said, “I don’t like being the moon. I wish I was a star or a flower. If I were a star, even the smallest, at least someone would look at me; but unfortunately! I am only the moon and no one likes me. If only I could be a flower and grow in a garden where the beautiful women of the earth come, they would place me in their hair and praise my fragrance and beauty. Or, if I could even grow in the wilderness where no one could see, surely the birds would come and sing sweet songs to me. But I am only the moon and no one worships me.”
The stars answered and said, “We cannot help you. We were born here and we can’t leave our place. We never had anyone to help us either. We do our duty, we work all day and twinkle in the dark night to make the sky more beautiful. But that’s all we can do,” they added, smiling coldly at the sad Moon.
Then the flowers smiled sweetly and said, “We don’t know how we can help you. We always live in one place: in a garden near the most beautiful girl in the world. Since she is kind to everyone in need, we will tell her more about you. We love her very much and she loves us. Her name is Tseh-N’io.”
The moon was still very sad. So one evening he went to the beautiful Tseh-N’io. And when he saw her, he immediately loved her. He said: “Your face is very beautiful. I wish you would come to me, and my face be like your face. Your movements are soft and graceful. Come with me and we will be one together. I know that even the worst people in the world just need to look at you and love you. Tell me, how did you become so beautiful?”
“I have always lived with people who were gentle and happy and I believe that is the cause of beauty and goodness,” replied Tseh-N’io.
And so the moon went every night to see the girl. He knocked on her window and she came. And when he saw how gentle and beautiful she was, his love grew stronger and he wanted to be with her more and more.
One day Tseh-N’io said to her mother, “I would like to go to the moon and live with him forever. Will you allow me to go?”
Her mother thought so little of the question that she did not answer, and Tseh-N’io told her friends that she would become the bride of the moon.
She was gone in a few days. Her mother searched everywhere but could not find her. And one of Tseh-N’io’s friends said, “She went with the moon, because he often asked her.”
Year after year passed and Tseh-N’io, the kind and beautiful Earth girl, did not return. Then the people said, “She is gone forever. She is with the moon.”
The face of the moon is now very beautiful. It is cheerful and bright and gives a soft light to the whole world. And there are those who say that the moon now resembles Tseh-N’io, who was once the most beautiful of all earthly maidens.
