Page:Eminent Authors of Contemporary Japan, volume 2.pdf/34

22 * against his.
 * Okuni.—Well, then, will you not die bravely for my sake, and to help me?
 * Gohei.—Ikeda, again I ask you, you must prepare yourself, for I can see that you hate us both. I may be a bad man to take your life now, but as I have said it, you must prepare to die!
 * Tomo.—What use is it to kill me? I shall never interfere with your love.
 * Okuni.—You know well, Ikeda, that should I fail in carrying out my revenge for my husband’s death, I can never return home again. I wish to marry publicly, and could never do so if I spared your life.
 * Tomo.—If you have any pity, Okuni, you will think a little deeply. If you take my life, you know well that you will never forget the past, and the memory of your cruel revenge on a weak man will always haunt you. If you spare me, I shall be content to pass the rest of my life as a komuso-priest. I will wander from place to place making my shakuhachi-flute my means of livelihood. You need never return to your home. It is far better that you live a happy life without worrying about what is going on in the world around you. Why not settle down in some strange town and find a home there where you will be free and happy? I do not know the ways and duties of a samurai, but I am sure that is what all people should do.
 * Okuni.—No, no, I would never be happy then; I wish