— Evil winds from the West are blowing over Hōrai; and the magical atmosphere, alas! is shrinking away before them. It lingers now in patches only, and bands, — like those long bright bands of cloud that trail across the landscapes of Japanese painters. Under these shreds of the elfish vapor you still can find Hōrai — but not elsewhere. . . . Remember that Horai is also called Shinkirō, which signifies Mirage, — the Vision of the Intangible. And the Vision is fading, — never again to appear save in pictures and poems and dreams. . . .
178
