Thine arms white as rope of paper-mulberry bark,
Shall softly pat my breast soft as melting snow;
Patting each other interlaced,
Stretching out, pillowing us on each other’s arms, on true jewel-arms,
With outstretched legs, oh, will we sleep.
So speak not too lovingly,
Thine Augustness the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears!”
The Chief Empress, Her Augustness the Forward-Princess, got very jealous; His Augustness the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand Spears was greatly distressed when he was about to go from Izumo to the Land of Yamato; as he stood attired, with one hand on the saddle of his horse and one foot in his stirrup, he sang, saying:
“I take and carefully attire myself
In my garments black as the jewels of the moor;
Like the birds of the offing I look at my breast,
I find these are not good,
And cast them off on the waves of the beach.
I take and carefully attire myself
In my garments green as a kingfisher;
Like the birds of the offing, I look at my breast,
I find these too are not good,
And cast them off on the waves of the beach.
I take and carefully attire myself
In my raiment dyed in the sap of the dye-tree,
The pounded madder sought in the mountain fields;
Like the birds of the offing, I look at my breast,
I find they are good.
My dear Younger sister, Thine Augustness!
Though thou say thou wilt not weep,
If, like the flocking birds, I flock and depart,
If, like the led birds, I am led away and depart,
Thou wilt hang down thy head
