Like a single eulalia upon the mountain
Thy weeping shall indeed rise
As the mist of the morning shower,
Thine Augustness, my spouse young like young herbs!”
Then the Empress taking a great liquor cup, and drawing anear and offering it to her husband deity, sang as follows:
“Thine Augustness the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand-Spears!
Thou, my Master-of-the Great-Land, being a man,
Mayest have a wife young like young herbs,
On all island headlands that thou seest,
On every beach headland that thou lookest on;
But as for me, alas, being a woman,
I have no man except thee, I have no spouse except thee,
Beneath the fluttering of the ornamented fence,
Beneath the rustling cloth coverlet,
Thine arms white as rope of paper-mulberry bark
Softly patting 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.
Luxuriant liquor, oh, pray, lift up!”
The fact that the ancient Japanese patiently bore any amount of pain for conquering love is illustrated in how His Augustness the Deity-of-Eight-Thousand Spears found his Empress, that is Her Augustness the Forward-Princess, and married her; he was put in a snake-house by her angry father when he discovered their love, and again in a house filled with centipedes when he
