Page:Japanese plays and playfellows (1901).djvu/160

 Thou, cold as water, I, hot as fire ; Till we to earth turn, Trouble is mine.

Mathematicians who revel in romance of the fourth dimension will note with pleasure this little sum in amorous arithmetic:

Longing to meet thee, Longing to see thee, Six and four inches, Passion's a-foot !

The exact translation being—

Longing to meet, six inches, Longing to see, four inches, These, indeed, being added together, Make a shaku. The word shaku has two meanings: (1) a linear foot; (2) a woman's hysterical desire. Ten inches go to a Japanese foot.

The separation of lovers is a fruitful topic. I select three poems which treat of it in divergent but equally piquant manners. The first might be called—

Would that my heart were Cut out and shown thee! Quarrelling leaves me Deeper in love.

The second contains a hint of that fondness for trees and flowers which permeates all classes: