[Sect. LXX.—Emperor Sui-nin (Part II.—Conspiracy of King Saho-biko and the Empress Saho-bime).]
When this Heavenly Sovereign made Sabo-bime his Empress, Her, Augustness Sabo-bime’s elder brother, King Saho-biko, asked his younger sister, saying: “Which is dearer [to thee], thine elder brother or thy husband?” She replied, saying: “Mine elder brother is dearer.” Then King Saho-biko conspired, saying: “If I be truly the dearer to thee, let me and thee rule the empire,” and forthwith he made an eight times tempered stiletto,[1] and handed it to his younger sister, saying: “Slay the Heavenly Sovereign in his sleep with this small knife.” So the Heavenly Sovereign, not knowing of this conspiracy, was augustly sleeping, with the Empress’s august knees as his pillow. Then the Empress tried to cut his august throat with the stiletto; but though she lifted it thrice, she could not cut the throat for an irrepressible feeling of sadness, and she wept tears, which fell overflowing[2] onto [the Heavenly Sovereign’s] august face. Straightway the Heavenly Sovereign started up, and asked the Empress, saying: “I have had a strange dream: a violent shower came from the direction of Saho and suddenly wetted my face; again a small damask-coloured snake coiled itself round my neck. Of what may such a dream be the omen?” Then the Empress, thinking it improper to dispute,[3] forthwith informed the Heavenly Sovereign, saying: “Mine elder brother King Saho-biko asked me,[4] saying, ‘Which is dearer [to thee], thy husband or thine elder brother?’ So, as I was embarrassed by [this] direct question, I replied, saying, ‘Oh! mine elder brother is the dearer.’ Then he
- ↑ For stiletto see above, Sect. XXXVI, Note 8. The curious word ya-shiho-wori (八塩折) in the text seems to have the sense of “eight times tempered,” i.e., tempered over and over again, which Motowori assigns to it. The same expression is used in Sect. XVIII (Note 16) to denote the refining of rice-liquor.
- ↑ This word “overflowing” is more appropriately placed in the version of the story given in the “Chronicles,” where the author makes her tears first fill her sleeve (a common Japanese figure of speech), and thence “overflow” on to the sleeping Monarch’s face.
- ↑ I.e., seeing that it would be vain to deny the truth.
- ↑ The First Personal Pronoun is written with the self-depreciatory character 妾, “concubine.”
