The Old Bamboo Cutter

Someone who harvests bamboo for an infinity of uses.

"The whole sequence of events was as singular as the story of the old bamboo cutter and the moon princess, and the nun was uneasy lest a moment of inattention give the girl her chance to slip away."

Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji (10th Century).

[Translated by Edward G. Seidensticker.]