44 Shadowings 



But this assurance sufficed to shape within his 

 mind the image of a very charming person ; and 

 he soon found himself in love with the unknown. 

 Then his first resolve was to seek out the writer 

 of the verses, and, if possible, make her his wife. 

 . . . Yet how was he to find her ? Who was 

 she ? Where did she live ? Certainly he could 

 hope to find her only through the favor of the 

 Gods. 



But presently it occurred to him that the 

 Gods might be very willing to lend their aid. 

 The tan^aku had come to him while he was 

 standing in front of the temple of Benten-Sama ; 

 and it was to this divinity in particular that lovers 

 were wont to pray for happy union. This reflec- 

 tion impelled him to beseech the Goddess for 

 assistance. He went at once to the temple of 

 Benten -of -the -Birth -Water ( Tanjo-sui -no -Ben- 

 ten} in the grounds of the Amadera ; and there, 

 with all the fervor of his heart, he made his 

 petition : " O Goddess, pity me ! help me 

 to find where the young person lives who wrote 

 the tan^aku / vouchsafe me but one chance to 

 meet her, even if only for a moment ! " And 

 after having made this prayer, he began to per- 

 form a seven days' religious service (nanuka 



