Long, long ago, a very mysterious wisteria tree(紫藤树) w in the garden of a shrine(神殿,圣地) known as Wisteria Shrine in the northwestern area of Kyoto(京都<曾是日本的古都>) called Tamba. Normally, the purple wisteria flowers bloomed in mid-spring, but this particular wisteria tree would magically flower during the coldest part of winter, flowers that were the purest white color imaginable.

One winter, the priest at the shrine realized that this strange wisteria could only be a sign of at fortune, and he decided to give a branch of the tree as an offering(贡品,祭品). He carefully placed the branch in a beautiful gold lacquer(涂漆的) box and handed it over to the Emperor as a New Year's gift. Upon receiving it, the Emperor was overjoyed(狂喜的), and sang a song of gratitude(感激,感谢) for such a wonderful gift.

Then one year, many years later, when the yearly wisteria gift to the Emperor had ome a custom, the priest's young servant refused to deliver the flower and returned home. At a loss(不知所措), the priest found a new young boy to deliver the New Year's gift to the Emperor. The boy was not told what was in the box. In fact, he had been strictly warned not to open the box under any circumstances(在任何情况下,无论如何). But as he walked toward his destination, his curiosity(好奇心) began to get the better of (打败,战胜)him. High up in the mountains, still on his way to the palace, he could no longer resist. There he stopped - and slowly opened up the secret box.

Suddenly out of the box flew a beautiful white heron(苍鹭) that soon disappeared into the sky. The young boy couldn't really understand what was so special about this gift, or why the priest had been so secretive(神秘的) about it. So instead of delivering the box, he simply returned to the shrine, telling the priest that he had successfully completed his mission.

Since then, that Tamba wisteria tree never again bloomed in winter, nor did its flowers appear in that beautiful white color any longer. Instead its wisteria flowers bloomed in purple, at its scheduled time in spring - just like all the others.