Old Japanese Songs 187 



known far and near, a man of much wealth. His busi 

 ness prospered ; his life was fortunate. One daughter he 

 had, an only child, by name O-Kichi : at sixteen years she 

 was lovely as a flower. Also he had a clerk in his house, 

 by name Seiza, just in the prime of youth, aged twenty- 

 and-two. 



Yanrei ! 



Now the young man Seiza was handsome ; and O-Kichl 

 fell in love with him at sight. And the two were so often 

 together that their secret affection became known ; and the 

 matter came to the ears of the parents of O-Kichi ; and 

 the parents, hearing of it, felt that such a thing could not 

 be suffered to continue. 



Yanrei ! 



So at last, the mother, having called O-Kichi into a private 

 room, thus spoke to her : " O my daughter, I hear that 

 you have formed a secret relation with the young man 

 Seiza, of our shop. Are you willing to end that relation at 

 once, and not to think any more about that man, O-Kichi ? 

 answer me, O my daughter." 



Yanrei ! 



"0 my dear mother," answered O-Kichi, "what is this 

 that you ask me to do ? The closeness of the relation be 

 tween Seiza and me is the closeness of the relation of the 

 ink to the paper that it penetrates. 1 Therefore, whatever 

 may happen, O mother of mine, to separate from Seiza is 

 more than I can bear." 



Yanrei ! 



1 Lit. : "that affinity as-for, ink-and-paper-soaked-like affinity." 



