Page:A History of Japanese Literature (Aston).djvu/89

Rh no longer any fear of pirates. The 1st day of the second month they made little way, and on the 2nd we have the following entry: "The rain and wind ceased not; a whole day and a whole night we prayed to the Kami and Hotoke." On the next day the weather was equally bad, and on the 4th the captain would not put to sea, from a fear of bad weather which proved quite groundless. There were a great many beautiful shells on the beach at this place, and Tsurayuki composed these lines in allusion to a shell which is called in Japanese the wasure-gai or "shell of forgetfulness:" "I would descend from my ship to gather the shell of forgetfulness of one for whom I am filled with sorrowful longing. Do ye, oh ye advancing surges, drive it forward to the strand." He afterwards says that the true wish of his heart was not to forget her whom he had lost, but only to give such respite to his sorrow that it might afterwards gain greater strength.

The following is part of the entry for the 5th, the day before they arrived in the Osaka river. They were now opposite Sumiyoshi.

"Meanwhile a sudden gale sprung up, and in spite of all our efforts we fell gradually to leeward, and were in great danger of being sent to the bottom. 'This god of Sumiyoshi,' said the captain, 'is like other gods. What he desires is not any of the fashionable articles of the day. Give him nusa as an offering.' The captain's advice was taken, and nusa were offered; but as the wind, instead of ceasing, only blew harder and harder, and the danger from the storm and sea became more and more imminent, the captain again said, 'Because the august heart of the god is not moved for nusa, neither does the august ship move; offer to him something in which he