Notes. You can read more about cumulative tales like this at Wikipedia. At the end of the story, you will see that the frog croaking is an omen of rain.
Summary: A gardener wants to find out why her flower is not blooming; the flower blames the cow; the cow blames the cowherd, and so on it goes.
Read the story below:
A FLOWER-MAIDEN AND A FLOWER-PLANT
Once upon a time there was a female gardener, a "flower-maiden," and she planted a flower-plant with great care. Though she used to look after it with great care yet it would not flower.
She therefore asked it one day: “Plant, Plant, why do you not flower?”
The Plant replied "If I am to flower, why then does the Cow eat my forepart?”
The gardener thereupon approached the Cow and asked “Cow, Cow, why is it that you eat the forepart of the plant?”
Cow: "Why doesn’t the Cowherd look after me and why should not I then eat?”
Gardener: "Cowherd, Cowherd, why don’t you mind the cow!"
Cowherd: "The Cook does not give me rice; why should I then mind her?"
Gardener: "Cook, Cook, why do you not give rice?"
Cook: "Why does not the Faggot-seller give faggots? How else could I give rice?"
Gardener: "Faggot-seller, Faggot-seller, why don’t you give faggots?"
Faggot-seller: "The Blacksmith does not give me an axe; how could I then give?"
Gardener: "Blacksmith, Blacksmith, why do you not give an axe?"
Blacksmith: "The Cinders-seller does not give me any cinders; how could I give an axe?"
Gardener: "Cinders-seller, Cinders-seller, why do you not give cinders?"
Cinders-seller: "If I am to give cinders, why does the Cloud shower rain?"
Gardener: "Cloud, Cloud, why don't you shower rain?"
Cloud: "Why does then the Frog croak?"
Gardener: "Frog, Frog, why do you croak?"
Frog: "Why should I give up the practice of my ancestors?"
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