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Page 37
[Footnote 73: A scarcely translatable honorific title compounded of
the word _him�_ (princess) and _kimi_ (sovereign, master or mistress,
lord or lady, etc.).]
For the moment It[=o] did not know how to reply. If the old woman had
spoken the truth, an extraordinary chance was being offered to him.
Only a great passion could impel the daughter of a noble house to
seek, of her own will, the affection of an obscure and masterless
samurai, possessing neither wealth nor any sort of prospects. On the
other hand, it was not in the honorable nature of the man to further
his own interests by taking advantage of a feminine weakness.
Moreover, the circumstances were disquietingly mysterious. Yet how to
decline the proposal, so unexpectedly made, troubled him not a little.
After a short silence, he replied:--
"There would be no obstacle, as I have no wife, and no betrothed, and
no relation with any woman. Until now I have lived with my parents;
and the matter of my marriage was never discussed by them. You must
know that I am a poor samurai, without any patron among persons of
rank; and I did not wish to marry until I could find some chance to
improve my condition. As to the proposal which you have done me
the very great honor to make, I can only say that I know myself yet
unworthy of the notice of any noble maiden."
The old woman smiled as if pleased by these words, and responded:--
"Until you have seen our Him�gimi-Sama, it were better that you make
no decision. Perhaps you will feel no hesitation after you have seen
her. Deign now to come with me, that I may present you to her."
She conducted him to another larger guest-room, where preparations for
a feast had been made, and having shown him the place of honor, left
him for a moment alone. She returned accompanied by the Him�gimi-Sama;
and, at the first sight of the young mistress, It[=o] felt again
the strange thrill of wonder and delight that had come to him in
the garden, as he listened to the music of the _koto_. Never had he
dreamed of so beautiful a being. Light seemed to radiate from her
presence, and to shine through her garments, as the light of the moon
through flossy clouds; her loosely flowing hair swayed about her
as she moved, like the boughs of the drooping willow bestirred by
the breezes of spring; her lips were like flowers of the peach
besprinkled with morning dew. It[=o] was bewildered by the vision.
He asked himself whether he was not looking upon the person of
Amano-kawara-no-Ori-Him� herself,--the Weaving-Maiden who dwells by
the shining River of Heaven.
Smiling, the aged woman turned to the fair one, who remained
speechless, with downcast eyes and flushing cheeks, and said to her:--
"See, my child!--at the moment when we could least have hoped for such
a thing, the very person whom you wished to meet has come of his own
accord. So fortunate a happening could have been brought about only by
the will of the high gods. To think of it makes me weep for joy." And
she sobbed aloud. "But now," she continued, wiping away her tears
with her sleeve, "it only remains for you both--unless either prove
unwilling, which I doubt--to pledge yourselves to each other, and to
partake of your wedding feast."
* * * * *
It[=o] answered by no word: the incomparable vision before him had
numbed his will and tied his tongue. Maid-servants entered, bearing
dishes and wine: the wedding feast was spread before the pair; and the
pledges were given. It[=o] nevertheless remained as in a trance: the
marvel of the adventure, and the wonder of the beauty of the bride,
still bewildered him. A gladness, beyond aught that he had ever known
before, filled his heart--like a great silence. But gradually he
recovered his wonted calm; and thereafter he found himself able to
converse without embarrassment. Of the wine he partook freely; and
he ventured to speak, in a self-depreciating but merry way, about the
doubts and fears that had oppressed him. Meanwhile the bride remained
still as moonlight, never lifting her eyes, and replying only by a
blush or a smile when he addressed her.
It[=o] said to the aged attendant:--
"Many times, in my solitary walks, I have passed through this village
without knowing of the existence of this honorable dwelling. And ever
since entering here, I have been wondering why this noble household
should have chosen so lonesome a place of sojourn.... Now that your
Him�gimi-Sama and I have become pledged to each other, it seems to me
a strange thing that I do not yet know the name of her august family."
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