There was a rich man in a village. His house stood near a highway and there was a large mulberry growing in front of the gate.
One day, a poor man appeared near the house and sat down on the grass to rest. The rich man came to him in fury.
'You-hoo! Don't sit here, go away! Look alive!'
'Why? How so? But I want to sit here for a while!' answered the poor man.
'This tree is mine. I watered it so it grew so large and umbrageous!' cried the rich man.
'Then sell me the shadow. I'll pay you, though I don't have much money!' replied the poor man.
The rich man heard the words "I'll pay you" and agreed with pleasure.
'That is quite another matter! I can sell you the shadow!'
By chance, there were witnesses close at hand and the bargain was made.
Since then, the poor man came there every day and enjoyed the shade of the tree. If the tree cast a shadow on the yard, he rested in the yard; if the tree cast the shadow on the kitchen, he sat in the kitchen; if the shade fell on the garden-house for guests, he spent time there. Sometimes he came alone and sometimes he brought his friends with him. Sometimes even donkeys and other cattle which belonged to the poor man's friends rested in the shade.
One day, the rich man got angry.
'You there, why do you sit in the yard and in the garden-house? Don't you dare come here!'
'Haven't I bought the shadow of you tree?' objected the poor man. 'So wherever the shade falls, I have the right to sit in it.'
The rich man was enraged but there was nothing to be done.
One day guests came to the rich man. The rich man received them in the garden- house. The poor man entered the garden house without paying attention to them and sat down in the mulberry shade. The guests looked bewildered. But when they knew what it was all about, they began to laugh. The poor man also laughed with them.
After that, everyone made merry over the rich man so that he had to move to another village.
And the poor man settled down in his house and tied up his donkey where the former owner had used to tie up his horse. Everyone could rest in the shade of the mulberry and the new master did not turn anybody away.