Page:Tales from old Japanese dramas (1915).djvu/112

62 frightened, and the Emperor was filled with terror. The Emperor therefore sent for two famous priests of Mount Hiyei and ordered them to pray, so that the goblin might be subdued. So that same day they began to offer up earnest prayers. The goblin immediately appeared before them in the shape of a woman, and said angrily:

"Alas! ye foolish priests; no matter how fervently ye may pray, my hatred will never be pacified." With these words, the phantom vanished, and suddenly lurid lightning flashed, and deafening peals of thunder rolled around.

The priests, however, were undaunted, and continued their earnest prayers, holding their rosaries in their hands. The ghostly woman appeared again, and they asked her reproachfully: "Woman, whose spirit are you, and what is the cause of your hatred? Why can you not resort to some other method of showing your resentment? How do you dare to cause annoyance to his Imperial Majesty?"

The spectre sobbed bitterly and said, "I am the spirit of U-noha, who was cruelly murdered by Kuronushi. He is not only a heinous scoundrel.