of Seimei. Thereafter the Princess became sorely troubled. She sat
alone for hours, and tears sprang to her eyes when Yaschima asked her
the cause of her sorrow. One day she took his hand and said, "Our life
here has been very beautiful. I have given you a son to be with you
always. The god Inari now tells me that I must leave you. He will
guard you as you guarded me from the hunters at the door of the great
temple. I am none other than the snow-white fox whose life you saved."
Once more she looked into his eyes, and then, without a word, she was
gone.
Yaschima and Seimei lived long in the Province of the Gods. They were
greatly beloved, but the snow-white fox was seen no more.
Nedzumi
[Illustration: _Nedzumi_]
In the Central Land of Reed-Plains dwelt two rats. Their home was in a
lonely farmstead surrounded by rice fields. Here they lived happily
for so many years that the other rats in the district, who had
constantly to change their quarters, believed that their neighbours
were under the special protection of Fukoruku Jin, one of the Seven
Gods of Happiness, and the Patron of Long Life.
These rats had a large family of children. Every summer day they led
the little ones into the rice fields, where, under shelter of the
waving stalks, the young rats learned the history and cunning of their
people. When work was done, they would scamper away and play with
their friends until it was time to return home.
The most beautiful of these children was Nedzumi, the pride of her
parents' heart. She was truly a lovely little creature, with sleek
silvery skin, bright intelligent eyes, tiny upstanding ears, and
pearly white teeth. It seemed to the fond father and mother that no
one was great enough to marry their daughter, but, after much
pondering, they decided that the most powerful being in the whole
universe should be their son-in-law.
The parents discussed the weighty question with a trusted neighbour,
who said, "If you would wed your daughter to the most powerful being
in the universe, you must ask the sun to marry her, for his empire
knows no bounds."
How they mounted through the skies, no rat can tell. The sun gave
them audience and listened graciously as they said, "We would give you
our daughter to wife." He smiled and rejoined, "Your daughter is
indeed beautiful, and I thank you for coming so far to offer her to
me. But, tell me, why have you chosen me out of all the world?" The
rats made answer, "We would marry our Nedzumi to the mightiest being,
and you alone wield world-wide sway." Then the sun replied, "Truly my
kingdom is vast, but oftentimes, when I would illumine the world, a
cloud floats by and covers me. I cannot pierce the cloud; therefore
you must go to him if your wish is to be attained."
In no way discouraged, the rats left the sun and came to a cloud as he
rested after a flight through the air. The cloud received them less
cordially than the sun, and replied to their offer, with a look of
mischief in his dusky eyes, "You are mistaken if you think that I am
the most powerful being. It is true that I sometimes hide the sun, but
I cannot withstand the force of the wind. When he begins to blow I am
driven away, and torn in pieces. My strength is not equal to the power
of the wind."
A little saddened, the rats, intent on their daughter's future
prosperity, waylaid the wind as he swept through a pine forest. He was
about to awaken the plain beyond, to stir the grass and the flowers
into motion. The two anxious parents made known their mission. This
was the whispered reply of the wind: "It is true that I have strength
to drive away the clouds, but I am powerless against the wall which
men build to keep me back. You must go to him if you would have the
mightiest being in the world for your son-in-law. Indeed I am not so
mighty as the wall."
The rats, still persistent in their quest, came to the wall and told
their story. The wall answered, "True, I can withstand the wind, but
the rat undermines me and makes holes through my very heart. To him
you must go if you would wed your daughter to the most powerful being
in the world. I cannot overcome the rat."
And now the parent rats returned to their home in the farmstead.
Nedzumi, their beautiful daughter with the silken coat and sparkling
eyes, rejoiced when she heard that she was to marry one of her own
people, for her heart had already been given to a playfellow of the
rice fields. They were married, and lived for many years as king and
queen of the rat world.
Koma and Gon
[Illustration: _Koma and Gon_]
Many moons ago, a teacher of music lived not far from Kyōto. A
faithful serving-woman and a beautiful cat were his sole companions.
Gon was a handsome fellow, with sleek coat, bushy tail, and
grass-green eyes that glowed in the darkness. His master loved him,
and would say as the cat purred by his side in the evening, "Nothing
shall part us, old friend."
O-Ume was a happy maiden whose home lay in the midst of the plum
groves. Her chief pet was a little cat. Koma had very winning ways;
her mistress delighted to watch her. She blinked so prettily, she ate
so daintily, she licked her rose-red nose so carefully with her tiny
tongue, that O-Ume would catch her up, and say fondly, "Koma, Koma,
you are a good cat. I am sure your ancestors shed tears when our Lord
Buddha died. You shall never leave me."
It happened that Gon and Koma met, and fell deeply in love with one
another. Gon was so handsome that any of the cats in the district
would gladly have been his mate, but he did not deign to notice one of
them. When he saw the little maid Koma, his heart beat quickly.
The cats were in great distress, for neither the music-master nor
O-Ume would hear of parting with their pet. Gon's master would
willingly have taken Koma to live with him, but O-Ume would not hear
of this; nor were Koma's entreaties more successful.
It was the seventh night of the seventh moon, the night sacred to
lovers in the Land of Great Peace, when Kingen crosses the Silver
River of Heaven and Shakujo joyfully embraces him. Gon and Koma left
their homes and fled together. It was a moonbright night, and the cats
were light of heart as they scampered through the fields of rice and
across the great open plains. When day broke, they were near a palace
which stood in a large park, full of stately old trees and ponds
covered with sweet lotus-blooms. Koma said, "If only we could live in
that palace, how glorious it would be!" As she spoke, a fierce dog
caught sight of the cats, and bounded towards them angrily. Koma gave
a cry of terror, and sprang up a cherry tree. Gon did not stir. "Dear
Koma shall see that I am a hero, and would rather lose my life than
run away." But the dog was powerful, and would have killed Gon. He was
almost upon the brave cat, when a serving-man drove him off, and
carried Gon into the palace. Poor little Koma was left alone to lament
her loss.
The Princess who lived in the palace was overjoyed when Gon was
brought to her. Many days passed before he was allowed out of her
sight. Then he hunted far and near for his fair lover, but all in
vain. "My Koma is lost to me for ever," he sighed.
Now the Princess lived in splendour and happiness. She had but one
trouble; a great snake loved her. At all hours of the day and night
the animal would creep up and try to come near her. A constant guard
was kept, but still the serpent, at times, succeeded in gaining the
door of her chamber. One afternoon, the Princess was playing softly to
herself on the _koto_, when the snake crept unobserved past the guards
and entered her room. In a moment, Gon sprang upon its neck and bit it
so furiously that the hideous creature soon lay dead. The Princess
heard the noise and looked round. When she saw that Gon had risked his
life for her, she was deeply moved; she stroked him and whispered kind
words into his ear. He was praised by the whole household, and fed
upon the daintiest morsels in the palace. But there was a cloud upon
his happiness: the loss of Koma.
On a summer day he lay sunning himself before the door of the palace.
Half asleep, he looked out upon the world and dreamed of the moonlight
night when he and Koma escaped from their former homes. In the park a
big cat was ill-treating a little one, too fragile to take care of
herself. Gon jumped up and flew to her aid. He soon drove the cruel
cat away; then he turned towards the little one to ask if she were
hurt. Koma, his long-lost love, stood before him! Not the sleek,
beautiful Koma of other days, for she was thin and sad, but her eyes
sparkled when she saw that Gon was her deliverer.
The two cats went to the Princess. They told her the story of their
love, their flight, their separation, and their reunion. She entered
whole-heartedly into their new-found joy.
On the seventh night of the seventh moon Gon and Koma were married.
The Princess watched over them, and they were happy. Many years
passed. One day she found them curled up together. The two faithful
hearts had ceased to beat.
_Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co._
_Edinburgh and London_
Transcriber's Note
Variant spelling is preserved as printed.
Minor punctuation errors have been corrected.
Hyphenation and accent usage have been made consistent.
Illustrations have been moved where necessary so that they are not in
the middle of a paragraph.