Page:Nihongi by Aston.djvu/135

peeped in secretly, when behold, she had become changed into a great sea-monster of eight fathoms. Now she was aware that the Heavenly Grandchild had looked in upon her privacy, and was deeply ashamed and resentful. When the child was born, the Heavenly Grandchild approached and made inquiry, saying:—'By what name ought the child to be called?' She answered and said:—'Let him be called Hiko-nagisa-take-u-gaya-fuki-ahezu no Mikoto.'^[1] Having said so, she took her departure straight across the sea. Then Hiko-hoho-demi no Mikoto made a song, saying:—

Whatever befals me,
Ne'er shall I forget my love
With whom I slept
In the island of wild-ducks—
The birds of the offing."^[2]

(II. 45.) Another account says:—"Hiko-ho-ho-demi no Mikoto took other women and made them wet-nurses, bathing-women, boiled-rice-chewers, and washerwomen.^[3] All these various Be were provided for the respectful nurture of the infant. The provision at this time, by means of other women, of milk for the nurture of the august child was the origin of the present practice of engaging temporarily wet-nurses to bring up infants.

After this, when Toyo-tama-hime heard what a fine boy her child was, her heart was greatly moved with affection, and she wished to come back and bring him up herself. But she could not rightly do so, and therefore she sent her younger sister Tama-yori-hime to nurture him. Now when Toyo-tama-hime sent Tama-yori-hime, she offered (to Hoho-demi no Mikoto) the following verse in answer:—

Some may boast
Of the splendour
Of red jewels,

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1. See above, p. 95.
2. The order of the lines in the original is exactly the reverse of the above. Metre, regular tanka.

   The word for "my love" is imo, which in ancient Japanese is used indifferently for wife and younger sister. See above, p. 22.

3. Evidently the narrator is here describing the staff of the Imperial nursery of the day.