Page:Kojiki by Chamberlain.djvu/334

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

248

“Ko-ji-ki,” or Records of Ancient Matters.

[Vol. XXXII.

the port of Naniha, and being charmed with the grace of her appearance, forthwith directed the Prime Minister the Noble Take-uchi, to intercede for him in the great august presence of the Heavenly Sovereign, and make [the latter] grant to him Princess Kami-naga, whom he had sent down for. Then on the Prime Minister the Noble Take-uchi requesting the great commands,^[1] the Heavenly Sovereign forthwith granted Princess Kami-naga to his august child. The way he granted her was this:—the Heavenly Sovereign, on a day when he partook of a copious feast,^[2] gave Princess Kami-naga the great august liquor oak- [leaf^[3]] to present to the Heir Apparent. Then he augustly sang, saying:

“Come on, children! oh! the fragrant flowering orange-tree on my way as I go to pluck the wild garlic,—to pluck the garlic,—has its uppermost branches withered by birds perching on them, and its lowest branches withered through people plucking from them. But the budding fruit on the middle branch, like three chestnuts,—the ruddy maiden, oh! if thou lead her off with thee, it will be good, oh!”^[4]

↑ I.e., the Emperor’s orders.
↑ The native term translated “copious feast” is toyo no akari, variously written with the characters 豊明, 豊樂, 宴樂, etc., etc. It literally signifies “copious brightness,” in allusion to the ruddy glow which wine gives to the faces of the revellers, and henceforward perpetually recurs in this history. In later times it specifically denoted the festival of the tasting of the first rice, but anciently its meaning was not thus limited. Motowori’s note on the subject, in Vol. XXXII, pp. 57–59 of his Commentary, may be consulted with advantage.
↑ I.e., an oak-leaf which was used as a cup to sip out of. Leaf-platters for food have already been mentioned. Motowori says that the word kashiha (properly the name of a deciduous oak, the Quercus dentata) was employed to denote any kind of leaf thus used.
↑ The whole gist of this Song is contained in the last three lines. “The ruddy maiden, oh! if thou lead her off with thee, it will be good,”—i.e. “thou and the maiden will form a fitting couple.” All that goes before is what is technically called a “Preface,” though its bearing is so clear as to admit of translation, and even in English to form an appropriate introduction to the Song:—It is not the

[1] I.e., the Emperor’s orders.

[2] The native term translated “copious feast” is toyo no akari, variously written with the characters 豊明, 豊樂, 宴樂, etc., etc. It literally signifies “copious brightness,” in allusion to the ruddy glow which wine gives to the faces of the revellers, and henceforward perpetually recurs in this history. In later times it specifically denoted the festival of the tasting of the first rice, but anciently its meaning was not thus limited. Motowori’s note on the subject, in Vol. XXXII, pp. 57–59 of his Commentary, may be consulted with advantage.

[3] I.e., an oak-leaf which was used as a cup to sip out of. Leaf-platters for food have already been mentioned. Motowori says that the word kashiha (properly the name of a deciduous oak, the Quercus dentata) was employed to denote any kind of leaf thus used.

[p248-4] The whole gist of this Song is contained in the last three lines. “The ruddy maiden, oh! if thou lead her off with thee, it will be good,”—i.e. “thou and the maiden will form a fitting couple.” All that goes before is what is technically called a “Preface,” though its bearing is so clear as to admit of translation, and even in English to form an appropriate introduction to the Song:—It is not the

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]