A long time ago, when the sun and the moon were young, there were three brothers.

The brothers needed to leave from the village on a long journey to visit their grandfather [it is ambiguous whether this represents the brothers’ biological grandfather or if it is a term of respect for a wise elder] before he died and traveled to the land of the clouds.

They decided to prepare a big meal of domesticated-lizard-eggs and rice-balls and bird-eggs to strengthen [themselves] during the journey. After the brothers cooked the meal, they sat [down] to eat.

An old woman came to the doorway of their home. She said: I am hungry. Can you share generously [your] meal with me, which smells very [good] to me?

The first brother thought: I need this nourishing food for the long journey. He said: This meal is for me. I want to eat [it]. (Note the fronting of the first person pronoun, symbolizing the selfishness of the speaker.)

The second brother thought: I need this nourishing food for the long journey. He said: I am hungry. The domesticated-lizard-eggs and the rice-balls and the bird-eggs [are] for me.

The last brother thought: The old woman [is] hungrier than I. He said: Yes, O honorable old woman, by your kindness and graciousness (= formal "please"), with-permission, I share [my] meal with you. (Note, in contrast to the above, the rearing of the first person pronoun, symbolizing the selflessness of the speaker.)

Then, a young boy came to the doorway of their home. He said: I am hungry. Can you share generously [your] meal with me, which smells very [good] to me?

The first brother thought: I need this nourishing food for the long journey. He said: This meal is for me. I want to eat [it].

The second brother thought: I need this nourishing food for the long journey. He said: I am hungry. The domesticated-lizard-eggs and the rice-balls and the bird-eggs [are] for me.

The last brother thought: The young boy [is] hungrier than I. He said: Yes, O honorable young boy, by your kindness and graciousness (= formal "please"), with-permission, I share [my] meal with you.

Then, the three brothers departed on the long journey. They arrived at a big mountain. The mountain [was] very steep. The first brother [was] heavy because [his] stomach [was] full. He stopped at the bottom and turned back to the village.

The two brothers walked on and arrived at a wide river. The water [was] very fast. The second brother [was] heavy because [his] stomach [was] full. He stopped at the river-bank and turned back to the village.

The last brother completed the journey. He came to the home of the grandfather. He said: O honorable grandfather, my eyes are bright because of your face. May peace and happiness fill you with spirit in the land of the clouds.

That honorable speech pleased the grandfather. He blessed the last brother. The grandfather said: I miss your two brothers because they ate much and their stomachs [were] heavy. You shared your meal with the old woman and the young boy. Therefore [your] stomach [was] light. May the blessings of the highest God fill you with spirit.

The grandfather departed for the land of the clouds and the last brother returned to the village. He lived a blessed life for a long time because of [his] generosity.