Fisherman. See her dance the roundelay!
Fairy. This the spot and this the day,
Chorus. To which our Eastern[1] dancers trace
All their frolic art and grace.
I.
Chorus. Now list, ye mortals! while our songs declare
The cause that gave to the blue realms of air
The name of firmament. All things below
From that Great God and that Great Goddess flow,
Who, first descending to this nether earth,
Ordain'd each part and gave each creature birth.
But older still, nor sway'd by their decree,
And firm as adamant eternally,
Stand the wide heav'ns, that nought may change or shake,
And hence the name of firmament did take.[2]
Fairy. And in this firmament a palace stands
Yclept the Moon, built up by magic hands;
Chorus. And o'er this palace thirty monarchs rule,
Whereof fifteen, until the moon be full,
Nightly do enter, clad in robes of white;
But who again, from the full sixteenth night,
One ev'ry night must vanish into space,
And fifteen black-rob'd monarchs take their place,
While, ever circling round each happy king,
Attendant fays celestial music sing.
Fairy. And one of these am I.
- ↑ The word "Eastern" does not refer to the position of Japan in Asia, but to that of the province of Suruga as compared with the then capital, Kyōto.
- ↑ The original Japanese word, whose derivation the Chorus thus quaintly begins by explaining, is not the firmament itself, but hisakata, the "pillow-word" (see p. 376) for the firmament, which lends itself to a similar rough-and-ready etymology. This passage has had to lie paraphrased and somewhat amplified by help of the commentary in order to render it intelligible to English readers,—a remark which likewise applies to the description immediately below of the internal economy of the lunar government. The idea of the latter is taken from Buddhist sources. The Great God and Goddess here mentioned are the Shintō deities Izanagi and Izanami, the creators of Japan and progenitors of gods and men.
