Green Willow : and other Japanese fairy tales by James Grace & Goble Warwick ill

Author:James, Grace & Goble, Warwick, ill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Tales -- Japan, Fairy tales
Publisher: London : Macmillan and Co.
Published: 1910-03-15T16:00:00+00:00

shall wed my daughter, the peerless Maiden of Unai."

Then immediately the two champions drew their bows of white wood and let fly each of them an arrow. Each arrow sped swift ; each arrow struck true. The champion of Chinu struck the water-bird in the head, but the champion of Unai struck her in the tail so that the white feathers were scattered. Then the champions cried, " Enough of this trifling. There is but one way." And again their bright swords leapt from their scabbards.

But the maid stood trembling, holding the gnarled stem of the wistaria in her hands. She trembled and shook the branches so that the frail flowers fell about her. " My lords, my lords," she cried, "oh, brave and beautiful heroes of fame, it is not meet that one of you should die for such as I am. I honour you ; I love you both—therefore farewell." With that, still holding to the wistaria, she swung herself clear of the balcony and dropped into the deep and swift-flowing river. " Weep not," she cried, "for no woman dies to-day. It is but a child that is lost." And so she sank.

Down sprang the champion of Chinu into the flood, and in the same instant down sprang the champion of Unai. Alack, they were heavy with the arms that they bore, and they sank and were entangled in the long water weeds. And so the three of them were drowned.

But at night when the moon shone, the pale dead rose, floating to the surface of the water.

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