Page:Kojiki by Chamberlain.djvu/163

] creature.” The Wa-Kun Shiwori says that “it is a bird much larger than a pigeon, and having a loud and mournful cry.” It is likewise said to come out at nighttime and retire during the day, for which reason doubtless Mabuchi likens it to the owl. A very ancient and curious Chinese book entitled the “Mountain and Sea Classic”, the modern editions of which contain extremely droll illustrations of fabulous creatures, tells us of a bird called the “white nuye , which is like a pheasant, with markings on its head, white wings, and yellow feet, and whose flesh is a certain cure for the hiccough.” The characters and , with which, as well as with , the word nuye is variously written, seem to be unauthorized.—The line here (following Motowori and Moribe’s view) rendered “Would that I could beat them till they were sick!” will also bear the interpretation formerly proposed by Keichiyu, “Would that I could beat them till they left off!”—The last five lines, here rendered “Oh! swiftly-flying heaven-racing messenger,” etc., are extremely obscure. It is possible that ishi tafu ya (rendered “Oh! swiftly flying,” in deference to Motowori’s and Moribe’s view) may be but a meaningless refrain. “Heaven-racing messenger” is tolerably certain. Of the rest it is not easy to make sense. Motowori proposes to credit the five lines in question with the following general meaning: “May this song, like a messenger, run down to future ages, preserving for them the tradition of this event!” Moribe, in his Critique of Motowori’s Commentary, supposes the lines in question to be an addition made by the official singers, who in later times sang these songs as an accompaniment to dances. Whatever their origin and proper signification, it is plain that they had come to be used as a refrain, from which the first two lines were sometimes omitted, as we see in some of the songs further on. Then the Princess of Nuna-kaha, without yet opening the door, sang from the inside saying:—