Page:Nihongi by Aston volume 2.djvu/277

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270

Nihongi.

It was reported from the province of Shinano:—"A swarm of flies has flown in a westerly direction, crossing the Ohosaka hill. It was ten fathoms in thickness, and in height reached the azure sky." Some people gathered that this portended the defeat of the army of relief. There was a popular song which said:—

The little rice-field
Cultivated by my wife
The wild geese devour—
The wild geese of Mitowada—
The woman's rice-field
The wild geese devour:
My eldest son and I make a noise
(But still) the woman's rice-field
The wild geese devour.^[1]

A.D. 661. (XXVI. 24.) 7th year, Spring, 1st month, 6th day. The Imperial ship first put to sea for the expedition against the West.

8th day. The Imperial ship arrived at the sea of Ohoku.^[2] At this time the Imperial Princess Ohota-hime^[3] gave birth to a daughter, to whom accordingly the name was given of the Imperial Princess Ohoku.

14th day. The Imperial ship came to an anchor at the temporary Palace of Nigitatsu no Ishiyu in the province of Iyo.

3rd month, 25th day. The Imperial ship returned to Una no Ohotsu, where the Empress occupied the temporary Palace of Ihase, the name of which the Empress altered to Nagatsu.

↑ The text of this poem is extremely corrupt and obscure, and the above interpretation is highly conjectural. I have followed pretty closely the "Shiki" version, the writer of which had before him a somewhat different text from that now given in editions of the "Nihongi." To arrive at the meaning he transposes a number of syllables, which may appear a rather violent proceeding, his idea apparently being that the original author of the poems had purposely transposed these syllables so as to render his composition unintelligible to those who had not the clue. The wild geese are the Chinese and Silla men, who, in spite of the protests of Japan, continue to lay waste the Land of Pèkché, whose weakness is alluded to by the words wife and woman. Dr. Florenz gives a detailed critical examination of the various versions of this poem.
↑ In Bizen.
↑ Daughter of Tenchi Tennō, and consort of Temmu Tennō.

[1] The text of this poem is extremely corrupt and obscure, and the above interpretation is highly conjectural. I have followed pretty closely the "Shiki" version, the writer of which had before him a somewhat different text from that now given in editions of the "Nihongi." To arrive at the meaning he transposes a number of syllables, which may appear a rather violent proceeding, his idea apparently being that the original author of the poems had purposely transposed these syllables so as to render his composition unintelligible to those who had not the clue. The wild geese are the Chinese and Silla men, who, in spite of the protests of Japan, continue to lay waste the Land of Pèkché, whose weakness is alluded to by the words wife and woman. Dr. Florenz gives a detailed critical examination of the various versions of this poem.

[2] In Bizen.

[3] Daughter of Tenchi Tennō, and consort of Temmu Tennō.

[1]

[2]

[3]