In autumn the deer are lured within reach of the hunters by the
sounds of the flute, which resemble the sounds of the voices of
their mates, and so are killed.
Almost in like manner, one of the five most beautiful girls in
Yedo, whose comely faces charmed all the capital even as the
spring-blossoming of cherry-trees, cast away her life in the
moment of blindness caused by love.
When, having done a foolish thing, she was brought before the
mayor of the city of Yedo, that high official questioned the
young criminal, asking: "Are you not O-Shichi, the daughter of
the yaoya? And being so young, how came you to commit such a
dreadful crime as incendiarism?"
Then O-Shichi, weeping and wringing her hands, made this answer:
"Indeed, that is the only crime I ever committed; and I had no
extraordinary reason for it but this:--
"Once before, when there had been a great fire,--so great a fire
that nearly all Yedo was consumed,--our house also was burned
down. And we three,--my parents and I,--knowing no otherwhere to
go, took shelter in a Buddhist temple, to remain there until our
house could be rebuilt.
"Surely the destiny that draws two young persons to each other is
hard to understand!... In that temple there was a young acolyte,
and love grew up between us.
"In secret we met together, and promised never to forsake each
other; and we pledged ourselves to each other by sucking blood
from small cuts we made in our little fingers, and by exchanging
written vows that we should love each other forever.
"Before our pillows had yet become fixed(2), our new house in Hongo was
built and made ready for us.
"But from that day when I bade a sad farewell to Kichiza-Sama, to
whom I had pledged myself for the time of two existences, never
was my heart consoled by even one letter from the acolyte.
"Alone in my bed at night, I used to think and think, and at last
in a dream there came to me the dreadful idea of setting fire to
the house, as the only means of again being able to meet my
beautiful lover.
"Then, one evening, I got a bundle of dry rushes, and placed
inside it some pieces of live charcoal, and I secretly put the
bundle into a shed at the back of the house.
"A fire broke out, and there was a great tumult, and I was
arrested and brought here--oh! how dreadful it was!
"I will never, never commit such a fault again. But whatever
happen, oh, pray save me, my Bugyo(3)! Oh, pray take pity on me!"
Ah! the simple apology!... But what was her age? Not twelve? not
thirteen? not fourteen? Fifteen comes after fourteen. Alas! she
was fifteen, and could not be saved!
Therefore O-Shichi was sentenced according to the law. But first
she was bound with strong cords, and was for seven days exposed
to public view on the bridge called Nihonbashi. Ah! what a
piteous sight it was!
Her aunts and cousins, even Bekurai and Kakusuke, the house
servants, had often to wring their sleeves, so wet were their
sleeves with tears.
But, because the crime could not be forgiven, O-Shichi was bound
to four posts, and fuel was kindled, and the fire rose up!... And
poor O-Shichi in the midst of that fire!
_Even so the insects of summer fly to the flame_.
(1) Yaoya, a seller of vegetables.
(2) This curious expression has its origin in the Japanese saying
that lovers "exchange pillows." In the dark, the little Japanese
wooden pillows might easily be exchanged by mistake. "While the
pillows, were yet not definite or fixed" would mean, therefore,
while the two lovers were still in the habit of seeking each
other secretly at night.
(3) Governor or local chief. The Bugyo of old days often acted as
judge.