A 876,316 HEARN 895.8 4. ja ARTES LIBRARY 1837 VERITAS SCIENTIA OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SAT PLURIBUS UNUM TUEBOR SI-QUÆRIS PENINSULAM AMⱭNAM CIRCUMSPICE JAZAJAJAJAJAJAJA ¡ ་ོ་་་མ་ 895.8 Наада Japanese Lyrics ཅན Translated by Lafcadio Hearn THE NEW POETRY SERIES to TOVI BIEN OV RIEN HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY Boston and New York JAPANESE LYRICS JAPANESE LYRICS TRANSLATED BY LAFCADIO HEARN, BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge 1915 COPYRIGHT, 1894 AND 1895, BY LAFCADIO HEARN COPYRIGHT, 1896, 1897, 1904, AND 1905, BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1915, BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Published April 1915 Seki wa yoi toko, Asahi wo ukete; O-Yama arashiga Soyo-soyoto! SONG OF MIONOSEKI. There, from soyo- [Seki is a goodly place, facing the morning sun. the holy mountains, the winds blow softly, softly, soyoto.] PUBLISHERS' NOTE SCATTERED through the pages of Lafcadio Hearn's writ- ings are many Japanese lyrics. So graceful are these little poems, so characteristic, in their swift, sure impressionism, of Oriental art, that it has seemed worth while to bring them together within the compass of a single volume. It is perhaps unnecessary to analyze here the distinctive features of Japanese poetry. The reader will understand that as the poets relied for their effect largely upon the oppor- tunities for subtle and intricate double meanings afforded by the peculiar structure of the Japanese language, it is scarcely possible to do them justice in an alien tongue. But these translations, though faithful to the original, have the innate feeling for beauty, the instinctive sense of the right word, the perfect phrase, common to everything that came from Hearn's pen. To preserve the volume from the appearance of undue weightiness the interpretive notes with which the poems are accompanied have been reduced to the smallest possible com- pass. Indeed, in many cases the elaborate plays upon words are too involved to be susceptible of explanation. In their limitation of a poem to the presentation of a 279633 [vii] PUBLISHERS' NOTE single impression and in their ability to present that impres- sion with the utmost vividness and with the sternest economy of words, these Japanese poets are strangely akin to the Imagists, the youngest of the modern schools. And for this reason it has seemed peculiarly appropriate that their work should be included in the NEW POETRY SERIES. CONTENTS INSECT POEMS LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE LOVE SONGS AND LYRICS GOBLIN POETRY THE RIVER OF HEAVEN NOTES I II 21 29 55 81 JAPANESE LYRICS INSECT POEMS JAPANESE LYRICS Nugi-kakuru Haori sugata no Kochō kana! Torisashi no Sao no jama suru, Kochō kana! Tsurigané ni Tomarité nemuru Kochō kana! Néru-uchi mo Asobu-yumé wo ya— Kusa no chō! Oki, oki yo! Waga tomo ni sen, Néru-kochō! Kago no tori Chō wo urayamu Metsuki kana! Chō tondé- Kazé naki hi to mo Miëzari ki! [ 2 ] INSECT POEMS Like a woman slipping off her baori¹ — that is the appearance of a butterfly. Ah, the butterfly keeps getting in the way of the bird-catcher's pole ! sleeps: Perched upon the temple-bell, the butterfly Even while sleeping, its dream is of play — ah, the butterfly of the grass! Wake up! wake up! — I will make thee my comrade, thou sleeping butterfly. Ah, the sad expression in the eyes of that caged bird! — envying the butterfly! Even though it did not appear to be a windy day, the fluttering of the butterflies — ! [ 3 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Rakkwa éda ni Kaëru to miréba Kochō kana! Chiru-hana ni Karusa arasoü Kochō kana! Chōchō ya ! Onna no michi no Ato ya saki! Chōchō ya! Hana-nusubito wo Tsukété-yuku! Aki no chō Tomo nakéréba Hito ni tsuku. Owarété mo, Isoganu furi no Chōcho kana! Chō wa mina ya; Jiu-shichi-hachi no Sugata kana! [ 4 ] INSECT POEMS When I saw the fallen flower return to the branch—lo! it was only a butterfly!² How the butterfly strives to compete in light- ness with the falling flowers! See that butterfly on the woman's path,—now fluttering behind her, now before! Ha! the butterfly!—it is following the person who stole the flowers! Poor autumn butterfly! — when left without a comrade, it follows after man! Ah, the butterfly! Even when chased, it never has the air of being in a hurry. As for butterflies, they all have the appear- ance of being about seventeen or eighteen years old.3 > [ 5 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Chō tobu ya Kono yo no urami Naki yō ni! Chō tobu ya, Kono yo ni nozomi Nai yō ni! Nami no hana ni Tomari kanétaru, Kochō kana! Mutsumashi ya! Umaré-kawaraba Nobé no chō. Nadeshiko ni Chōchō shiroshi Taré no kon? Ichi-nichi no Tsuma to miëkéri – Chō futatsu. Kité wa maü, Futari shidzuka no Kochō kana! i [ 6 ] INSECT POEMS How the butterfly sports,—just as if there were no enmity in this world! Ah, the butterfly! —it sports about as if it had nothing more to desire in this present state of existence. Having found it difficult indeed to perch upon the (foam-) blossoms of the waves, alas for the butterfly! If (in our next existence) we be reborn as but- terflies upon the moor, then perchance we may be happy together! On the pink-flower there is a white butterfly: whose spirit, I wonder? The one-day wife has at last appeared — a pair of butterflies! Approaching they dance; but when the two meet at last they are very quiet, the butterflies! [ 7 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Chō wo oü Kokoro-mochitashi Itsumadémo! Yuku é naki: Ari no sumai ya! Go-getsu amé. Hito koe wa. Tsuki ga naitaka Hototogisu! Hototogisu Nakitsuru kata wo Nagamureba, Tada ariake no Tsuki zo nokoreru. Hototogisu Chi ni naku koe wa Ariake no Tsuki yori hokani Kiku hito mo nashi. [ 8 ] INSECT POEMS Would that I might always have the desire of chasing butterflies! Now the poor creature has nowhere to go! . . Alas for the dwellings of the ants in this rain of the fifth month! A solitary voice! Did the Moon cry? 'Twas but the bototogisu.4 When I gaze towards the place where I heard the hototogisu cry, lo! there is naught save the wan morning moon. Save only the morning moon, none heard the heart's-blood cry of the bototogisu. Dor M [ 9 ] Mau LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE JAPANESE LYRICS Nenneko, O-yama no Usagi no ko, Naze mata O-mimi ga Nagai e yara? Okkasan no O-naka ni Oru toku ni, Biwa no ha, Sasa no ha, Tabeta sona; Sore de O-mimi ga Nagai e sona. [ 12 ] LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE Sleep, baby, sleep! Why are the honorable ears of the Child of the Hare of the honorable moun- tain so long? 'Tis because when he dwelt within her honored womb, his mamma ate the leaves of the loquat, the leaves of the bamboo-grass. That is why his honorable ears are so long. [ 13 ] JAPANESE LYRICS 66 Nono-San, or O-Tsuki-San Ikutsu? 'Jiu-san,— Kokonotsu,' Sore wa mada Wakai yo, Wakai ye mo Dōri Akai iro no Obi to, Shiro iro no Obi to Koshi ni shanto Musun de. Uma ni yaru? "Iyaiya!" Ushi ni yaru? "Iyaiya!" [ 14 ] LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE Nono-San, Little Lady Moon, How old are you “Thirteen days, ? Thirteen and nine.” That is still young, And the reason must be For that bright red obi, So nicely tied, And that nice white girdle About your hips. Will you give it to the horse? 66 Oh, no, no!" Will you give it to the cow? "Oh, no, no!" [ 15 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Tobi, tobi, maute mise! Ashita no ba ni Karasu ni kakushite Nezumi yaru. Ato no karasu saki ine, Ware ga iye ga yakeru ken, Hayō inde midzu kake, Midzu ga nakya yarozo, Amattara ko ni yare, Ko ga nakya modose. Hotaru kōe midzu nomashō; Achi no midzu wa nigaizo; Kochi no midzu wa amaizo. Chō-chō, chō-chō, na no ha ni tomare; Na no ha ga iyenara, te ni tomare. Daidaimushi, daidaimushi, tsuno chitto dashare! Ame kaze fuku kara tsuno chitto dashare! [ 16 ] LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE Kite, kite, let me see you dance, and to-mor- row evening, when the crows do not know, I will give you a rat. O tardy crow, hasten forward! Your house is all on fire. Hurry to throw water upon it. If there be no water, I will give you. If you have too much, give it to your child. If you have no child, then give it back to me. Come, firefly, I will give you water to drink. The water of that place is bitter; the water here is sweet. Butterfly, little butterfly, light upon the na leaf. But if thou dost not like the na leaf, light, I pray thee, upon my hand. Snail, snail, put out your horns a little: it rains and the wind is blowing, so put out your horns, just for a little while. [ 17 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Wakakeréba Nichi-yuki shiraji : Mahi wa sému, Shitabé no tsukahi Ohité-tohorasé. [ 18 ] LULLABIES AND CHILDREN'S VERSE As he is so young, he cannot know the way. To the messenger of the Underworld I will give a bribe, and entreat him, saying: "Do thou kindly take the little one upon thy back along the road." [ 19 ] LOVE SONGS AND LYRICS JAPANESE LYRICS Ka-mi-yo ko-no-ka-ta Ka-wa-ra-nu mo-no wa: Mi-dzu no na-ga-ré to Ko-i no mi-chi. Ekō suru toté Hotoké no maé yé Futari mukaité, Konabé daté. Adana é-gao ni Mayowanu mono wa Ki-Butsu, — kana-Butsu,— Ishi-botoké! Asu ari to Omō kokoro no Ada-zakura: Yo wa ni arashi no Fukanu monokawa? Kawaru uki-yo ni Kawaranu mono wa Kawarumai to no Koi no michi. [ 22 ] 22] LOVE SONGS AND LYRICS Things never changed since the Time of the Gods: The flowing of water, the Way of Love. Even while praying together in front of the tablets ancestral, Lovers find chance to murmur prayers never meant for the dead!" He who was never bewitched by the charming smile of a woman, A wooden Buddha is he - a Buddha of bronze or stone! Thinking to-morrow remains, thou heart's frail flower-of-cherry? How knowest whether this night the tempest will not come ? All things change, we are told, in this world of change and sorrow; But love's way never changes of promising never to change. [ 23 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Oya no iken dé Akirameta no wo Mata mo rin-yé dé Omoi-dasu. Kaäi, kaäi to Naku mushi yori mo Nakanu hotaru ga Mi wo kogasu. Nanno ingwa dé Jitsu naki hito ni Shin wo akashité, Aa kuyashi! Wasuraruru Mi naran to omō Kokoro koso Wasuré nu yori mo Omoi nari-keré. Hi kururéba Sasoëshi mono wo Akanuma no Makomo no kuré no Hitori-né zo uki! [24] LOVE SONGS AND LYRICS Father and mother forbade, and so I gave up my lover; Yet still, with the whirl of the Wheel, the thought of him comes and goes. Numberless insects there are that call from dawn to evening, Crying, "I love! I love!" - but the Firefly's silent passion, Making its body burn, is deeper than all their longing. Even such is my love through what ingwa 9 yet I cannot think I opened my heart—alas!—to a being not sincere! To wish to be forgotten by the beloved is a soul-task harder far than trying not to forget. At the coming of twilight I invited him to return with me! Now to sleep alone in the shadow of the rushes of Akanuma ab! what misery unspeakable !" 10 [ 25 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Kōshi ō-son gojin wo ou; Ryokuju namida wo tarété rakin wo hitataru; Komon hitotabi irité fukaki koto umi no gotoshi; Koré yori shorō koré rojin. Tadzunétsuru, Hana ka toté koso, Hi wo kurasé, Akénu ni otoru Akané sasuran? Izuru hi no Honoméku iro wo Waga sodé ni Tsutsumaba asu mo Kimiya tomaran. Omae shindara tera ewa yaranu! Yaete konishite sake de nomu. [ 26 ] LOVE SONGS AND LYRICS Closely, closely the youthful prince now follows after the gem-bright maid; — The tears of the fair one, falling, have mois- tened all her robes. But the august lord, having once become en- amored of her- the depth of his longing is like the depth of the sea. Therefore it is only I that am left forlorn,— only I that am left to wander alone. Being on my way to pay a visit, I found that which I took to be a flower: therefore here I spend the day.. Why, in the time before dawn, the dawn-blush tint should glow — that, indeed, I know not. II If with my sleeve I hide the faint fair color of the dawning sun,— then, perhaps, in the morn- ing my lord will remain. Dear, shouldst thou die, grave shall hold thee never! I thy body's ashes, mixed with wine, will drink. [ 27 ] GOBLIN POETRY JAPANESE LYRICS Hi tomoshité Kitsuné no kwaséshi, Asobimé wa- Izuka no uma no Honé ni ya aruran! Kitsuné-bi no Moyuru ni tsukété, Waga tama no Kiyuru yō nari Kokoro-hoso-michi! Ko-ya, soré to? Ayamé mo wakanu Rikombyō: Izuré wo tsuma to Hiku zo wazuraü ! Futatsu naki Inochi nagara mo Kakégaë no Karada no miyuru Kagé no wazurai! [ 30 ] GOBLIN POETRY Ab the wanton (lighting her lantern)! so a fox-fire¹² is kindled in the time of fox-trans- formation! . Perhaps she is really nothing more than an old horse-bone 13 from somewhere or other.... Because of that Fox-fire burning there, the very soul of me is like to be extinguished in this narrow path. Which one is this? — which one is that? Be- tween the two shapes of the Rikombyō™ it is not possible to distinguish. To find out which is the real wife — that will be an affliction of spirit indeed! Two lives there certainly are not never- theless an extra body is visible, by reason of the Shadow-Sickness. [ 31 ] JAPANESE LYRICS + Naga-tabi no Oto wo shitaïté Mi futatsu ni Naru wa onna no Sāru rikombyō. Miru kagé mo Naki wazurai no Rikombyō, Omoi no hoka ni Futatsu miru kagé! Rikombyō Hito ni kakushité Oku-zashiki, Omoté y dëasanu Kagé no wazurai. Mi wa koko ni; Tama wa otoko ni Soïné suru; Kokoro mo shiraga kaihō. Haha ga [ 32 ] GOBLIN POETRY Yearning after her far-journeying husband, the woman has thus become two bodies, by reason of her ghostly sickness. Though (it was said that), because of her ghostly sickness, there was not even a shadow of her left to be seen,—yet, contrary to expectation, there are two shadows of her to be seen! Afflicted with the Rikombyō, she hides away from people in the back room, and never approaches the front of the house, disease. because of her Shadow- Here her body lies but her soul is far away, asleep in the arms of a man;- and the white-haired mother, little knowing her daughter's heart, is nurs- ing (only the body). [ 33 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Tamakushigé Futatsu no sugata Misénuru wa, Awasé-kagami no Kagé no wazurai. Mé wa kagami, Kuchi wa tarai no Hodo ni aku : Gama mo késhō no Mono to kosō shiré. Hamaguri no Kuchi aku toki ya, Shinkirō! Yo ni shiraré ken Tatsu-no-miya-himé ! Shinkirō Tatsu no miyako no Hinagata wo Shio-hi no oki ni Misuru hamaguri! [ 34 ] GOBLIN POETRY If, when seated before her toilet-stand, she sees two faces reflected in her mirror, that might be caused by the mirror doubling itself under the influence of the Shadow-Sickness.¹5 The eye of it, widely open, like a (round) mirror; the mouth of it opening like a wash-basin by these things you may know that the Toad is a toilet article. 16 lo! When the hamaguri" opens its mouth Shinkirō appears! ... Then all can clearly see the Maiden-Princess of the Dragon-Palace. Lo! in the offing at ebb-tide, the hamaguri makes visible the miniature image of Shinkirō— the Dragon-Capital! [ 35 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Nemidaré no Nagaki kami woba Furi-wakété, Chi hiro ni nobasu Rokuro-Kubi kana! "Atama naki Bakémono nari"-to Rokuro-Kubi, Mité odorokan Onoga karada wo. Tsuka-no-ma ni Hari wo tsutawaru, Rokuro-Kubi Kéta-kéta warau - Kao no kowasa yo! Roku shaku no Byōbu ni nobiru Rokuro-Kubi Mité wa, go shaku no Mi wo chijimi-kéri ! [ 36 ] GOBLIN POETRY Oh!... Shaking loose her long hair disheveled by sleep, the Rokuro-Kubi 18 stretches her neck to the length of a thousand fathoms ! Will not the Rokuro-Kubi, viewing with as- tonishment 19 her own body (left behind) cry out, 66 Oh, what a headless goblin have you become!” " Swiftly gliding along the roof-beam, the Ro- kuro-Kubi laughs with the sound of “kéta-kéta ob! the fearfulness of her face! Beholding the Rokuro-Kubi rise up above the six-foot screen, any five-foot person would have become shortened by fear. [ 37 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Yuki-Onna- Yosō kushi mo Atsu kōri; Sasu-kōgai ya Kōri naruran. Honrai wa Kū naru mono ka, Yuki-Onna? Yoku-yoku mireba Ichi-butsu mo nashi! Yo-akéréba Kiété yuku é wa Shirayuki no Onna to mishi mo Yanagi nari-keri! Yuki-Onna Mité wa yasathiku, Matsu wo ori Nama-daké hishigu Chikara ari-keri! [ 38 ] GOBLIN POETRY 20 As for the Snow-Woman, even her best comb, if I mistake not, is made of thick ice; and her hair-pin, too, is probably made of ice. Was she, then, a delusion from the very first, that Snow-Woman, a thing that vanishes into empty space? When I look carefully all about me, not one trace of her is to be seen! Having vanished at daybreak (that Snow- Woman), none could say whither she had gone. But what had seemed to be a snow-white woman became indeed a willow-tree! Though the Snow-Woman appears to sight slender and gentle, yet, to snap the pine-trees asunder and to crush the live bamboos, she must have had strength. [ 39 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Samukésa ni Zotto wa surédo Yuki-Onna, Yuki oré no naki Yanagi-goshi ka mo! Erimoto yé Mizu kakéraruru Kokochi seri, "Hishaku kasé" chō Funé no kowané ni. Yūrei ni Kasu-hishaku yori Ichi-hayaku Onoré ga koshi mo Nukéru senchō. Yūréï wa Ki naru Izumi no Hito nagara, Aö-umibara ni Nadoté itsuran? [ 40 ] GOBLIN POETRY Though the Snow-Woman makes one shiver ah, the willowy grace of her form by her coldness, charms us in spite of the cold." As if the nape of our necks had been sprin- kled with cold water, - so we felt while listening to the voice of the ship-ghost, saying:-"Lend me a dipper! " 22 The loins of the captain himself were knocked out very much more quickly than the bottom of the dipper that was to be given to the ghost. Since any ghost must be an inhabitant of the Yellow Springs,23 how should a ghost appear on the Blue Sea-Plain? [ 41 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Sono sugata, Ikari wo ōté, Tsuki-matoü Funé no hésaki ya Tomomori no réï! Tsumi fukaki Umi ni shidzumishi, Yūréi no "Ukaman" toté ya! Funé ni sugaréru. Ukaman to Funé wo shitaëru Yūréï wa, Shidzumishi hito no Omoi naruran. Uraméshiki Sugata wa sugoki Yūréï no, Kaji wo jama suru Funé no Tomomori. [ 42 ] GOBLIN POETRY That Shape, carrying the anchor on its back, and following after the ship — now at the bow and now at the stern ab, the ghost of Tomomori.24 "" Crying, “ Now perchance I shall be saved! the ghost that sank into the deep Sea of Sin clings to the passing ship! 25 The ghosts following after our ship in their efforts to rise again (or, “to be saved") might per- haps be the (last vengeful) thoughts 26 of drowned men. With vengeful aspect, the grisly ghost of Tomomori (rises) at the stern of the ship to hinder the play of her rudder. [ 43 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Ochi-irité, Uwo no éjiki to Nari ni ken;- Funa-yūréï mo Nama-kusaki kazé. Shiwo-hi ni wa Séïzoroë shité, Héïkégani Ukiyo no sama wo Yoko ni niramitsu. Saikai ni Shizumi-nurédomo, Héïkégani Kōra no iro mo Yahari aka-hata. Maké-ikusa Munen to muné ni Hasami ken ; Kao mo makka ni Naru Héïkégani. [ 44 ] GOBLIN POETRY Having perished in the sea, (those Héïké) would probably have become food for fishes. (Any- how, whenever) the ship-following ghosts (appear), the wind has a smell of raw fish! Marshaled (on the beach) at the ebb of the tide, the Héiké-crabs 27 obliquely glare at the appa- rition of this miserable world. Though (the Héïké) long ago sank and per- ished in the Western Sea, the Héiké-crabs still dis- play upon their upper shells the color of the Red Standard. Because of the pain of defeat, claws have grown on their breasts, I think; ;- even the faces of the Héiké-crabs have become crimson (with anger and shame). [ 45 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Mikata mina Oshi-tsubusaréshi Héïkégani Ikon wo muné ni Hasami mochikéri. Tokonoma ni Ikéshi tachiki mo Taoré-keri; Yanari ni yama no Ugoku kakémono! Saka-bashira Tatéshi wa tazo ya? Kokoro ni mo Fushi aru hito no Shiwaza naruran. Hidayama wo Kiri-kité tatéshi Saka-bashira — Nanno takumi no Shiwaza naruran? [ 46 ] GOBLIN POETRY All the (Heike) party having been utterly crushed, claws have grown upon the breasts of the Heike-crabs because of the resentment in their hearts. Even the live tree set in the alcove has fallen down; and the mountains in the hanging picture tremble to the quaking made by the Yanari! 28 Who set the house-pillar upside-down? Surely that must have been the work of a man with a knot in his heart.29 That house-pillar hewn in the mountains of Hida, and thence brought here and erected upside- what carpenter's work can it be? 3° down [ 47 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Uë shita wo Chigaëté tatéshi Hashira ni wa Sakasama-goto no Uréï aranan. Kabé ni mimi Arité, kiké to ka? Sakashima ni Tatéshi hashira ni Yanari suru oto! Uri-iyé no Aruji wo toëba, Oto arité : Waré mé ga kuchi wo Aku saka-bashira. Omoïkiya! Sakasa-bashira no Hashira-kaké Kakinishit uta mo Yamai ari to wa! [ 48 ] GOBLIN POETRY As for that house-pillar mistakenly planted upside-down, it will certainly cause adversity and sorrow.31 O Ears that be in the wall! 3² listen, will ye to the groaning and the creaking of the house-post that was planted upside-down! When I inquired for the master of the house that was for sale, there came to me only a strange sound by way of reply,—the sound of the upside- down house-post opening its eyes and mouth! (i.e. its knots and cracks.) Who could have thought it! even the poem inscribed upon the pillar-tablet, attached to the pil- lar which was planted upside-down, has taken the same (ghostly) sickness.33 [ 49 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Nanigé naki Ishi no Jizō no Sugata saë, Yo wa osoroshiki Mikagé to zo naki. Ita hitoë Shita wa Jigoku ni, Sumizomé no Bōzu no umi ni Déru mo ayashina ! Hégasan to Rokuji-no-fuda wo, Yuréï mo Nam'mai dā to Kazoëté zo miru. Tada ichi no Kami no o-fuda wa Sasuga ni mo Noriké naku to mo Hégashi kanékéri. [ 50 ] GOBLIN POETRY Though the stone fizo looks as if nothing were the matter with it, they say that at night it assumes an awful aspect.34 Since there is but the thickness of a single plank (between the voyager and the sea), and un- derneath is Hell, 't is indeed a weird thing that a black-robed priest should rise from the sea!35 Even the ghost that would remove the charms 36 written with six characters actually tries to count them, repeating: "How many sheets are there?" 37 Of the august written - charms of the god (which were pasted upon the walls of the house), not even one could by any effort be pulled off, though the rice-paste with which they had been fastened was all gone. [ 5 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Yo-arashi ni Chishiho itadaku Furu tsubaki, Hota-hota ochiru Hana no nama-kubi. Kusa mo ki mo Némuréru koro no Sayo kazé ni, Méhana no ugoku Furu-tsubaki kana! Tomoshibi no Kagé ayashigé ni Miyénuru wa Abura shiborishi Furu-tsubaki ka-mo? [ 52 ] GOBLIN POETRY When by the night-storm is shaken the blood- crowned and ancient tsubaki-tree,38 then one by one fall the gory heads of the flowers, (with the sound of) bota-hota! When even the grass and the trees are sleep- ing under the faint wind of the night,—then do the eyes and the noses (or "the buds and the flowers") of the old tsubaki-tree move! As for (the reason why) the light of that lamp appears to be a Weirdness,—perhaps the oil was expressed from (the nuts of) the ancient tsubaki ?39 [53] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN JAPANESE LYRICS The following group of poems are all from the Manyōshū, or "Gathering of a Myriad Leaves," a vast collection of poems composed before the middle of the eighth century. They represent the old classic poetry at its purest, free from alien influence; and they offer us many suggestions as to the condition of Japanese life and thought twelve hundred years ago. The legend to which they refer is as follows:- The great god of the firmament had a lovely daughter, Tanabata-tsumé, who passed her days in weaving garments for her august parent. She rejoiced in her work, and thought that there was no greater pleasure than the pleasure of weav- ing. But one day, as she sat before her loom at the door of her heavenly dwelling, she saw a handsome peasant lad pass by, leading an ox, and she fell in love with him. Her august father, divining her secret wish, gave her the youth for a husband. But the wedded lovers became too fond of each other, and neglected their duty to the god of the firma- ment; the sound of the shuttle was no longer heard, and the ox wandered, unheeded, over the plains of heaven. There- fore the great god was displeased, and he separated the pair. They were sentenced to live thereafter apart, with the Celestial River 40 between them; but it was permitted them to see each other once a year, on the seventh night of the seventh moon. On that night-providing the skies be clear the birds of heaven make, with their bodies and wings, a bridge over the stream; and by means of that bridge the lovers can meet. But if there be rain, the River of Heaven rises, and becomes so wide that the bridge cannot be formed. So the husband and wife cannot always meet, even on the seventh night of [ 56 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN the seventh month; it may happen, by reason of bad weather, that they cannot meet for three or four years at a time. But their love remains immortally young and eternally patient; and they continue to fulfil their respective duties each day without fault, happy in their hope of being able to meet on the seventh night of the next seventh month. JAPANESE LYRICS Amanogawa Ai-muki tachité, Waga koishi Kimi kimasu nari Himo-toki makéna! Hisakata no Ama no kawasé ni, Funé ukété, Koyoï ka kimi ga Agari kimasan? Kazé kumo wa Futatsu no kishi ni Kayoëdomo, Waga toho-tsuma no Koto zo kayowanu! Tsubuté ni mo Nagé koshitsu-béki, Amanogawa Hédatéréba ka mo, Amata subé-naki! [ 58 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN He is coming, my long-desired lord, whom I have been waiting to meet here, on the banks of the The moment of loosening River of Heaven. my girdle is nigh!41 Over the Rapids of the Everlasting Heaven, floating in his boat, my lord will doubtless deign to come to me this very night. Though winds and clouds to either bank may freely come or go, between myself and my far-away spouse no message whatever may pass. To the opposite bank one might easily fling a pebble; yet, being separated from him by the River of Heaven, alas! to hope for a meeting (except in autumn) is utterly useless. [ 59 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Aki-kazé no Fukinishi hi yori "Itsushika" to —; Waga machi koïshi Kimi zo kimaséru. Amanogawa Ito kawa-nami wa Tatanédomo, Samorai gatashi — Chikaki kono sé wo. Sodé furaba Mi mo kawashitsu-béku Chika-kerédo, Wataru subé nashi, Aki nishi aranéba. Kagéroï no Honoka ni miété Wakarénaba; — Motonaya koïn Aü-toki madé wa! [60] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN From the day that the autumn wind began to blow (I kept saying to myself), "Ah! when shall but now my beloved, for whom I we meet ? waited and longed, has come indeed! • Though the waters of the River of Heaven have not greatly risen, (yet to cross) this near stream and to wait upon (my lord and lover) re- mains impossible. Though she is so near that the waving of her (long) sleeves can be distinctly seen, yet there is no way to cross the stream before the season of autumn. When we were separated, I had seen her for a moment only, and dimly as one sees a flying midge; now I must vainly long for her as before, until time of our next meeting! [61] JAPANESE LYRICS Hikoboshi no Tsuma mukaë-buné Kogizurashi,- Ama-no-Kawara ni Kiri no tatéru wa. Kasumi tatsu Ama-no-Kawara ni, Kimi matsu to, Ikayō hodo ni Mono-suso nurenu. Amanogawa, Mi-tsu no nami oto Sawagu-nari: Waga matsu-kimi no Funadé-surashi mo. Tanabata no Sodé maku yoï no Akatoki wa, Kawasé no tazu wa Nakazu to mo yoshi. [ 62 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN Methinks that Hikoboshi must be rowing his boat to meet his wife, -for a mist (as of oar- spray) is rising over the course of the Heavenly Stream. While awaiting my lord on the misty shore of the River of Heaven, the skirts of my robe have somehow become wet. On the River of Heaven, at the place of the august ferry, the sound of the water has become loud: perhaps my long-awaited lord will soon be coming in his boat. As Tanabata (slumbers) with her long sleeves rolled up, until the reddening of the dawn, do not, O storks of the river-shallows, awaken her by your cries. WorM [63] JAPANESE LYRICS Amanogawa Kiri-tachi-wataru: Kyō, kyō, to— Waga matsu-koïshi Funadé-surashi! Amanogawa, Yasu no watari ni, Funé ukété ; Waga tachi-matsu to Imo ni tsugé koso. Ō-sora yo Kayō waré sura, Na ga yué ni, Amanokawa-ji no Nazumité zo koshi. Yachihoko no Kami no mi-yo yori Tomoshi-zuma;- Hito-shiri ni keri Tsugitéshi omoëba. [64] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN (She sees that) a mist is spreading across the "To-day, to-day," she River of Heaven. thinks, "my long-awaited lord will probably come over in his boat." By the ferry of Yasu, on the River of Hea- ven, the boat is floating: I pray you tell my be- loved that I stand here and wait. Though I (being a Star-god) can pass freely to and fro, through the great sky,—yet to cross over the River of Heaven, for your sake, was weary work indeed! From the august Age of the God-of-Eight- Thousand-Spears, she had been my spouse in secret only; yet now, because of my constant longing for ber, our relation has become known to men. [65] JAPANESE LYRICS Amé tsuchi to Wakaréshi toki yo Onoga tsuma; Shika zo té ni aru Aki matsu aré wa. Waga kōru Niho no omo wa Koyoï mo ka Ama-no-kawara ni Ishi-makura makan. Amanogawa. Mikomori-gusa no Aki-kazé ni Nabikafu miréba, Toki kitarurashi. Waga séko ni Ura-koi oréba, Amanogawa Yo-funé kogi-toyomu Kaji no 'to kikoyu. [66] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN From the time when heaven and earth were parted, she has been my own wife ;-yet, to be with her, I must always wait till autumn. With my beloved, of the ruddy-tinted cheeks, this night indeed will I descend into the bed of the River of Heaven, to sleep on a pillow of stone. When I see the water-grasses of the River of Heaven bend in the autumn wind (I think to my- self): "The time (for our meeting) seems to have come.' "" When I feel in my heart a sudden longing for my husband, then on the River of Heaven the sound of the rowing of the night-boat is heard, and the plash of the oar resounds. [67] JAPANESE LYRICS } Tō-zuma to Tamakura kawashi > · Nétaru yo wa, Tori-gané na naki Akéba aku to mo! Yorozu-yo ni Tazusawari ité Ai mi-domo, Omoi-sugu-béki Koi naranaku ni. Waga tamé to, Tanabata-tsumé no, Sono yado ni, Oréru shirotai Nuït ken kamo? Shirakumo no I-ho é kakurité Tō-kédomo, Yoï-sarazu min Imo ga atari wa. [68] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN In the night when I am reposing with my (now) far-away spouse, having exchanged jewel- pillows 42 with her, let not the cock crow, even though the day should dawn. Though for a myriad ages we should remain hand-in-hand and face to face, our exceeding love could never come to an end. (Why then should Hea- ven deem it necessary to part us?) The white cloth which Tanabata has woven for my sake, in that dwelling of hers, is now, I think, being made into a robe for me. Though she be far-away, and hidden from me by five hundred layers of white cloud, still shall I turn my gaze each night toward the dwelling-place of my younger sister (wife). [ 69 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Aki saréba Kawagiri tatéru Amanogawa, Kawa ni muki-ité Kru yo zo ōki! Hito-tosé ni Nanuka no yo nomi Aü-hito no- Koï mo tsuki-néba Sayo zo aké ni keru! Toshi no koï Koyoi tsukushité, Asu yori wa, Tsuné no gotoku ya Waga koï oran. Hikoboshi to Tanabata-tsumé to Koyoï aü ; — Ama-no-Kawa to ni Nami tatsu-na yumé! [ 70 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN When autumn comes, and the river-mists spread over the Heavenly Stream, I turn toward the river (and long); and the nights of my longing are many! But once in the whole year, and only upon the seventh night (of the seventh month), to meet the beloved person- and lo! The day has dawned be- fore our mutual love could express (or "satisfy") itself! The love-longing of one whole year having ended to-night, every day from to-morrow I must again pine for him as before! Hikoboshi and Tanabata-tsumé are to meet each other to-night; —ye waves of the River of Heaven, take heed that ye do not rise! [ 71 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Aki-kazé no Fuki tadayowasu Shirakumo wa, Tanabata-tsumé no Amatsu hiré kamo? Shiba-shiba mo Ai minu kimi wo, Amanogawa Funa-dé haya séyo Yo no fukénu ma ni. Amanogawa Kiri tachi-watari Hikoboshi no Kaji no 'to kikoyu Yo no fuké-yukéba. Amanogawa Kawa 'to sayakéshi: Hikoboshi no Haya kogu funé no Nami no sawagi ka? [72] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN Oh! that white cloud driven by the autumn- wind can it be the heavenly hiré 43 of Tanabata- tsumé ? Because he is my not-often-to-be-met beloved, hasten to row the boat across the River of Heaven ere the night be advanced. Late in the night, a mist spreads over the River of Heaven; and the sound of the oar of Hi- koboshi is heard. On the River of Heaven a sound of plashing can be distinctly heard: is it the sound of the rip- pling made by Hikoboshi quickly rowing his boat? [ 73 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Kono yūbé, Furikuru amé wa, Hikoboshi no Haya kogu funé no Kaï no chiri ka mo. Waga tama-doko wo Asu yori wa Uchi haraï, Kimi to inézuté Hitori ka mo nen! Kazé fukité, Kawa-nami tachinu; - Hiki-funé ni Watari mo kimasé Yo no fukénu ma ni. Amanogawa Nami wa tatsutomo Waga funé wa Iza kogi iden Yo no fukénu ma ni. [ 74 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN + Perhaps this evening shower is but the spray (flung down) from the oar of Hikoboshi, rowing his boat in haste. From to-morrow, alas! after having put my jewel-bed in order, no longer reposing with my lord, I must sleep alone! The wind having risen, the waves of the river have become high; — this night cross over in a tow- boat, I pray thee, before the hour be late! Even though the waves of the River of Hea- ven run high, I must row over quickly, before it becomes late in the night. [ 75 ] JAPANESE LYRICS Inishié ni Oritéshi hata wo; Kono yūbé Koromo ni nuïté- Kimi matsu aré wo! Amanogawa Sé wo hayami ka mo? Nubatama no Yo wa fuké ni tsutsu, Awanu Hikoboshi ! Watashi-mori, Funé haya watasé ; Hito-tosé ni Futatabi kayō Kimi naranaku ni! Aki kazé no Fukinishi hi yori, Amanogawa Kawasé ni dédachi; Matsu to tsugé koso! [ 76 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN Long ago I finished weaving the material; and, this evening, having finished sewing the gar- ment for him — (why must) I still wait for my lord? Is it that the current of the River of Heaven (has become too) rapid? The jet-black night ad- and Hikoboshi has not come ! vances Oh, ferryman, make speed across the stream! my lord is not one who can come and go twice in a year! On the very day that the autumn-wind began to blow, I set out for the shallows of the River of Heaven; I pray you, tell my lord that I am waiting here still ! [ 77 ] 77] JAPANESE LYRICS Tanabata no Funanori surashi, Maso-kagami, Kiyoki tsuki-yo ni Kumo tachi-wataru. [ 78 ] THE RIVER OF HEAVEN Methinks Tanabata must be coming in her boat; for a cloud is even now passing across the clear face of the moon. [79] JAPANESE LYRICS Perhaps the legend of Tanabata, as it was understood by those old poets, can make but a faint appeal to West- ern minds. Nevertheless, in the silence of transparent nights, before the rising of the moon, the charm of the an- cient tales sometimes descends upon me, out of the scintil- lant sky,— to make me forget the monstrous facts of science, and the stupendous horror of Space. Then I no longer be- hold the Milky Way as that awful Ring of the Cosmos, whose hundred million suns are powerless to lighten the Abyss, but as the very Amanogawa itself, - the River Celestial. I see the thrill of its shining stream, and the mists that hover along its verge, and the water-grasses that bend in the winds of autumn. White Oribimé I see at her starry loom, and the Ox that grazes on the farther shore; — and I know that the falling dew is the spray from the Herdsman's oar. And the heaven seems very near and warm and human; and the silence about me is filled with the dream of a love unchanging, immortal, —forever yearning and forever young, and forever left unsatisfied by the paternal wisdom of the gods. THE END NOTES NOTES 1. A cloak, lined usually with brightly colored silk. 2. Alluding to the Buddhist proverb: "The fallen flower returns not to the branch; the broken mirror never again reflects." 3. That is to say, the grace of their motion makes one think of the grace of young girls. 4. A creature of which weird things are told; for it is said to be a night wanderer from the Land of Darkness. It cries as though in pain the syllables "ho-to-to-gi-su.” 5. Because an obi or girdle of very bright color can be worn only by children. 6. Written more than eleven hundred years ago on the death of the poet's little son. 7. Literally: "Repeat prayers saying, dead-of-presence-in twain facing, small-pan cooking!" Konabé-daté is an idiomatic ex- pression signifying a lovers' tête-à-tête, the idea suggested being that of the pleasure experienced by an amorous couple in eating out of the same dish. 8. The Wheel of Karma, the passage from birth to birth. 9. Deeds in a former existence. 10. A double meaning in the third line of the original may be ren- dered by reading for of Akanuma — after the time of that happy relation. 11. The meaning intended may be expressed thus: "Being on my way to pay a visit, I met with a being lovely as a flower; and [83] NOTES for the sake of that lovely person, I am passing the day here. Fair one, wherefore that dawn-like blush before the hour of dawn? — c can it mean that you love me?" 12. The Will-o'-the-Wisp is called fox-fire because the goblin-fox was supposed to create it. 13. The goblin-fox deceived men by transforming an old horse-bone into the form of a courtesan. 14. One afflicted with ghost-sickness. It was formerly supposed that the intense grief or longing of a lover caused the suffering spirit to create a double, one body going to join the beloved while the other remained at home. 15. This suggests the ghostly sympathy said to exist between a mirror and the soul of its possessor. 16. A typical play upon words. The toad was credited with super- natural powers and the phrase késhō-no-mono may signify goblin- thing as well as toilet article. 17. A mollusk credited with the power of creating a mirage by ex- haling a vapor that to deluded mortals takes the form of Shin- kirō, the Elf-land of Far Eastern fable. 18. A person whose neck lengthens prodigiously during sleep, so that the head can wander around seeking what it may devour. Often the head is completely detachable. 19. A woman may become a Rokuro-Kubi without knowing it. 20. A beautiful phantom whose embrace is death. 21. The original is capable of another reading suggesting that the grace of her form is like that of willow branches weighed down by snow. 22. The spirits of the drowned are said to follow after ships calling for a dipper. This should be given, but first, without the [ 84 ] NOTES knowledge of the spirits, the bottom must be knocked out, other- wise they will use it to fill and sink the ship. 23. The Underworld of the Dead. 24. A famous chieftain of the Héïké clan lost in a great sea-fight. His ghost was addicted to making off with the anchors of ships moored in his domain. 25. Spirits of the drowned must remain in the water until they can lure the living to destruction. So his exclamation really means, "now perchance I shall be able to achieve salvation by drown- ing somebody." 26. Or “the avenging ghost." 27. A species bearing on their upper shells wrinklings resembling the outlines of an angry face. They are said to be the transformed spirits of the defeated Héïké warriors. also 28. A goblin who makes a practice of shaking houses. It may mean the sound of the shaking of a house during an earthquake. 29. A house-post must be set with the same end up as when it was growing. An "upside-down post" would groan in the night, open its cracks like mouths and its knots like eyes, and make itself generally a nuisance until the mistake was corrected. 30. Or, "for what evil design can this deed have been done"? Takumi may signify either a carpenter or an intrigue. 31. Literally, " upside-down-matter-sorrow," contrariety. 32. Alluding to the proverb, "There are ears in the wall," sug- gesting the necessity for care even in private conversation. 33. That is, is upside-down—all wrong. 34. Some statues of Jizō, the Buddhist savior of children's ghosts. are said to walk at night in various disguises. [ 85 ] NOTES 35. The bald body and staring eyes of the cuttlefish, bearing a dis- torted resemblance to the shaven head of a priest, suggested to the Japanese the name Priest of the Sea. 36. Japanese houses are protected against the entrance of evil spir- its by charms written on rice paper and pasted on the door. 37. Or, repeating," Hail to thee, O Buddha Amitâbha!" The idea of counting is also suggested in this alternate reading by the fact that the invocation to Amitâbha is usually accompanied by the numbering of beads on a rosary. 38. This tree, which in its old age is supposed to be a favorite haunt of goblins, bears a heavy crimson flower that drops with an audible thud often compared with the sound of a human head falling under the sword. 39. The oil used in Japanese lamps was obtained from the nuts of the tsubaki. 40. The Milky Way. 41. Lovers, ere parting, were wont to tie each other's inner girdle (himo) and pledge themselves to leave the knot untouched until the time of their next meeting. 42. A poetical phrase signifying the use of each other's arms as pillows. 43. Scarf. MAY 28 1915 The Riverside Press CAMBRIDGE. MASSACHUSETTS U.S. A UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN JAN 14 198 LIGNANY 3 9015 03069 4502 i