Yukara

I have been living safe and sound. --So told Goddess of Ermine. Two Songs by Shellfish I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Stream Shellfish Our screech shook The surface of a swamp. Suddenly, From the shoreside Came cracking the sound of withered trees. And, there approached The young Okikirimuy accompanied By many dogs. He said As he saw us: "What are these ugly things Screaming for?" Then, He tread upon us And went away to the hillside. When, again We were crying hard, Came cracking the sound of withered trees Far from the shoreside. And, there approached Sammahykur accompanied By many dogs. As he saw us-- "What is this? The God of Stream Shellfish! You are crying like this on the shore . . ." Saying thus, He picked me And placed me in the river. When I got home, Father and mother were sick in bed Because I was missing for long. But, as I returned to them safely, They were at last relieved and got out of bed. Then, as we made rice soup and ate it, We were all revived. We brought famine to the village of Okikirimuy; We sent plentiful of deer and salmon to the village of Sammahykur. --So told a Stream Shellfish. II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Swamp Shellfish A long-lasting drought Dried up Even our swamp! We were now All going to die! "Wish somebody would bring water And would save us! Water, water!" As we were screaming this, There, far from the shoreside, Came a woman with a basket on her back.

Came a woman with a basket on her back. As we were crying, She said, walking by and Looking down at us: "Crazy swamp shellfish! Hateful swamp shellfish! What’s so sad about, To make you cry loud?" So saying, She trampled down-- She kicked us And she smashed us, the shell and all; Then, she went away to the hillside. "Ah, pain! What a pain! Water, water!" As we were screaming, There, far from the shoreside, Came another woman with a basket on her back. "How we wish Somebody would bring water And would save us! Ah, pain, What a pain! Water, water!" As we were crying, This maiden, As beautiful as a goddess, Came and said, looking at us: "What a pity! Under such heat Even the swamp bed was dried up! You are wanting water, aren’t you? What is this? Seems somebody has stamped over you . . ." Saying thus, She picked us all And enclosed in the butterbur leaves And placed in a clear water, In the cold, clear water, We were all revived And gained strength. So, thereafter, We searched for the identities Of the two women who came across: The first one, A hateful, vicious woman, Who smashed us, Was the young sister of Summayunkur; And the young gentle maiden Who pitied and saved us Was the young sister of Okikirimuy. The sister of Summayunkur was so hateful That we blighted all her millet; On the contrary, we took a good care of the millets That belonged to the sister of Okikirimuy. At the harvest season,

At the harvest season, The sister of Okikirimuy Gathered crops in great abundance; As she realized that we had done this, She picked the millet’s ears with the shell Of swamp shellfish, Each year thereafter, Women took it habit to pick the millet’s ears With the shell of swamp shellfish. --So told a Swamp Shellfish. Four Märchen-like Songs I. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Otter One day I went down a stream Swimming and bathing-- Down to where Summayunkur draws water; Then, I saw the Summayunkur’s sister, Beautiful as a goddess, Coming hitherto with a pail in one hand And with a bunch of reed maces in the other. Then, protruding my head From the river-bank, I said: "Have you father? Have you mother?" The maiden was frightened at this And looked around with goggling eyes; But, when she found me, Her face flared up quickly With anger. "What a blockhead! Ugly blockhead! You, fooling of me! Come, growling dogs, come!" As she said, Gigantic dogs Ran to her And clattered their fangs at me. I was startled at them, Dived into the water to the bottom, And, along the river bed, Came further down the stream-- Down to where Okikirimuy draws water; Then, protruding my head From the river-bank, I saw the Okikirimuy’s sister, Beautiful as a goddess, Coming hitherto with a bunch of reed maces in a hand Then, I said to her: "Have you father? Have you mother?" The maiden was frightened at this

The maiden was frightened at this And looked around with goggling eyes; But, when she found me, Her face flared up quickly With anger. "What a blockhead! Ugly blockhead! You, fooling of me! Come, growling dogs, come!" As she said, Gigantic dogs ran to her. Being now amused at the thought of What happened a short while ago, I dived into the river And was about to run away When the dogs, whom I never imagined to do this, Ran after me down to the river bed Clattering their fangs-- Jumped at me-- Dragged me up on the shore Then, bit and crunched all my head And my body into pieces-- Into pieces they chewed . . ., And I don’t know What happened thereafter. When I came to myself, I was sitting between The ears of a big otter. Knowing both Summayunkur And Okikirimuy Had no fathers And no mothers, I poked fun at them; So, by return I was killed by the Okikirimuy’s dogs And died in this foolish way-- Ugly death I died. So, you, otters, Do not ever fool others. --So told an Otter the consequences of his doings. II. Song That Was Sung and Danced by the Son of Okikirimuy One day I went up along a stream And there I met a young demon. Beautiful appearance, beautiful face, He ever had; Clothed in black, and-- Having in his hand a little bow And arrow of walnut tree, He smiled at me and said: "Son of Okikirimuy! Let us play a game! Now, I shall smash fish altogether." Then, Taking his little bow of walnut

Taking his little bow of walnut And pulling a little arrow of walnut across the bow, He turned towards the riverhead and shot! From the water source flowed Muddy water of walnut tree That met salmon swimming upstream. Crying and weeping they turned And went their way back. The young demon Smiled at this. As I got angry at this, I put my little silver arrow Across the silver bow I carried about; When I shot it off towards the riverhead, Silvery water, crystal water flowed Out of the water source, And the weeping salmon were revived With this clear water And swam up again, Whooping up With noise of splashes. The young demon flared up Showing his lost temper upon his face. "Indeed! If you do such a thing against me, I shall then root out the deer!" So he said And put his little arrow of walnut Across his little bow of walnut; As the arrow flew towards the sky, There occurred over the forest on the hill The wind of walnut, the whirlwind That caught up male deer And female deer-- Grouping them separately and Carrying them way up to the deep sky. The demon smiled at this. The anger came up in me And, then, with my little silver arrow And my little bow, I shot towards the deer; There occurred from the sky up above Silvery wind, cool wind That carried down male deer And female deer Grouping them separately Down to the forest. Then, The young demon again flared up Showing his lost temper upon his face.

Showing his lost temper upon his face. "What an impertinence! If you do such a thing, Then let’s compete . . ." So saying, he unclothed. I too got only in a thin undergarment; And we wrestled. We wrestled with each other. Wrestling--holding and Being held by each other-- I was astounded at his strength. However, Gradually I used all my strength In hip and arms And with it, I carried the demon on my shoulders To the rocky mountain, To the top of the rocky mountain Where I threw him down. The sound of bang Echoed for some while-- And followed dead silence. As I came back To the stream, I heard in the stream Jolly voices of salmon Laughing and playing And splashing in their swimming; And in the forest The voices of male deer And female deer laughing And playing spread all over, And hither and thither They were seen eating grass quietly. I was, too, relieved And came back to home. --So told the son of Okikirimuy of his heroic deed. III. Song That Was Sung and Danced by the Son of a Wolf God One day I was roving down the shore As feeling depressed; And there came a little man. Then-- As he walked down stream, There I went and stood in his way; And as he walked up stream. There I went and stood in his way. Repeating thus, We went down six times, And we went up six times When the little man said with anger on his face: "Peet-tzen-tzen, peet-tzen-tzen. This monkey, a rascal! stop it unless

stop it unless You can give me The old name of this point!" So I laughed and answered: "The names, old and new, for this point-- Who doesn’t know them? In the old days, the mountain prospered And this point was called, ‘The Point Where Appears God’; Now, the prosperity declined And it is called ‘The Point Where Is Gohei’." Then, this little man said: "Peet-tzen-tzen, peet-tzen-tzen. This monkey! If you say so, Give me the names, old and new, of this stream!" So I answered: "The names, old and new, for this stream, Who cannot tell? Once upon a time, When this river prospered, It was called ‘The River Innundated’; Now as the water decreased, It is called ‘The River Flowing Slowly’." Then, this little man said: "Peet-tzen-tzen, peet-tzen-tzen. As you say so, Why don’t we guess each other’s birth!" So, hearing this, I said: "Who wouldn’t know your birth? Long time ago when Okikirimuy went to the mountain And built a hunting cot, The fireplace he made of an alder That however was dried up By the heat of the fire: therefore-- As Okikirimuy stood on one edge, The other raised. Okikirimuy got angry at this And threw the wooden frame out Into the river. So, the frame went on floating Along the stream of the river Into the sea--afloating Here and there, and up and down over the waves. Seeing such, the gods thought It was a downright sin to leave it floating And floating like that until it would rot--

And floating like that until it would rot-- They thought such as sin As it was made by Okikirimuy himself; And, therefore, the gods made A little fish out of the wooden frame And named after that ‘fireside’ fish; But, this ‘fireside’ fish Still doesn’t know his own birth And, so roaming about in the shape of man. The very ‘fireside’ fish you are!" Then, the little man listening to this Changed his countenance. "Peet-tzen-tzen, peet-tzen-tzen! You Are the son of a little wolf!" Saying such, the little man jumped Into the sea With a splash. As I looked, A reddish fish With tail and fin wagging Went away far, far off the shore. --So told the son of Wolf God of his heroic deed. IV. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Frog One day I was jumping about in the field, Until suddenly I found a house. As I went up to the door and peeped, There I saw a young man sitting On stool before the beautiful altar And carving upon the sheath of a sword With all his heart and soul. There I sat upon the threshold With a mischievous thought. "Toaro-ro, hanrock, hanrock!" So I sang. Then The young man looked at me smiling, With the sword held up. "Is it your story-song? Or, your drinking-song? Let me hear more of it." As he said thus, I was pleased and sang again: "Toaro-ro, hanrock, hanrock!" And, the young man said: "Is it your story-song? Or, your drinking-song? Let me hear it more closely." So I was pleased and jumped into the house

So I was pleased and jumped into the house And further on to the fireplace and . . . "Toaro-ro, hanrock, hanrock!" So I sang And again the man said: "Is it Your story-song? Or, drinking-song? Let me hear it more closely." I was indeed pleased and jumped across Over the other side of the fireplace and . . . "Toaro-ro, hanrock, hanrock!" As I sang, The young man stood up abruptly, Grabbed a big, half-burned log, And threw it upon me; My arms were all paralysed And I don’t know what came after. When I came to myself, There on a comer of the yard Was a dead frog with the swollen belly; And I was sitting between the ears. As I looked closely, The house that I thought quite ordinary Was the house of Okikirimuy, a strong, god-like man. Not having known that the man was Okikirimuy himself, I made fool of him. Now I died a shameful death, A dreadful death, like this. Fellows, Never you play on men. --Thus saying, the frog with swollen belly died. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Oynakamuy and His Wife I am truly a fair lady Married to a chief-in-true-sense, Eat meals so fine as God’s, Am dressed so beautifully, And have thus lived a life so happy. In a certain year I bore a baby boy. As he was so beautiful as God, We both loved him extremely. My husband in particular Loved him and held him day and night, Kissing and Calling his name in gentle tone. He let me have a hold of the baby Only when I had to feed him from my breast.

Only when I had to feed him from my breast. Such we raised him, And, now, he began to run about And to speak words; And we adored him ever more. One day, My husband was all prepared to go hunting, Putting on his back a quiver with rope Holding in his hand a bow made of cherrytree; And out he ran towards the mountain. Thereafter I put myself in embroidery, Until the sun was near to set, When I heard footsteps of many a man. Then I saw some one entering the house; And lo! they must be the Japanese I never dreamed of facing in actual life Though many rumours of them I heard! All wearing wadded silk garments And tying on their heads things like crow’s bill, They were carrying swords around their waists. They opened their mouths and said in unison: "Look, woman of Ainu! Ainu lady! Listen to us carefully. We are what you folks call ‘Japanese’ And have come here from our Lord’ s province to work. We brought our ship to all over This Ainu land and observed many, Many Ainu folks, Men and wornen, who are so very gentle, Loving and being loved. From what we hear, There upon the hill of Sicilymuka upland of Ainu Live a couple with one child And the beauty of the wife is beyond comparison Among so many beautiful Ainu women. The master of our ship heard of this woman And expreased his wish to meet her. Not only that, He wishes to possess her as his wife. But, as the woman having been a married one

But, as the woman having been a married one And mother to a child, such of his wish could not be Attained; he has been disconsolated and almost Sick with his body weakened. But, today he got refreshed suddenly and said In a great smile, ‘I hear that woman’s husband’s gone hunting In the mountain! Fellows! Go to her And tell her everything. If she consents to become My wife, then tell her I shall send for her husband and child Rice, miso and whatever needed by loads On the Ainu boats, by two and by three. If she refuses, Then abduct her and bring her by force. If only we take her as far as to our Lord’s province She can no longer run away from us. And there shall be nothing For me to fear. Bring that woman by all means! Then, I shall reward you in plenty. I know you want money, don’t you?’ So we rejoiced And landed here. Now, woman, what do you say? You wouldn’t say no? You certainly will be better off to have the shipmaster As husband than an Ainu man . . ." Just when I heard these words, I lost myself in fury, And grabbed the hook hunging over the fire before me And swaying the rope before those Japanese shouted All kinds of abuses. "Abominable men! How disgusting! Go to the devil, you cursed Japanese! I heard so far that those called Japanese And their lords have good souls, But what vicious hearts you have! Even if I had had no husband And no child, Never I wish to have the ship master as my husband.

Never I wish to have the ship master as my husband. We call ourselves Ainu, But, never are we those ordinary Ainu, The kind you can think of. Nay I say: Who wants to go to such a ship master! Get away and better tell him to get away The shore quickly! Or else, All your lives will be out off By this vicious thought of such a man. If my husband hears even the talk of This villianous plot, He won’t leave the matter as it is Even if it occurs in any lord’s province. I would rather You make no more mess. Run away with no fuss Before things get worse!" So saying, I requested these Japanese to go away quickly. But, they only laughed at me And said, "You, woman of Ainu! You dare to say such hard words against us! What’s your husband? Just one of those Ainus! What to be afraid of him? A single stroke of sword will finish him off. Now, any word you may utter Won’t help you. If you still resist, you’ll see what we’ll do!" Then, they, in twos and in threes, grabbed my arms. My little child was then playing alone But, as he heard me arguing with these men, He got scared and rushed to me Crying and calling, "Mother!" Although I wished to hold him on my back, I could do nothing For my arms were caught by the men, in twos and in threes. They tried to drag me towards the door. I resisted standing firmly and bending my body. In a fit of anger I with all my strength struggled Kicking and stamping.

Kicking and stamping. They were now all in a rage And made an attack on me. By this a really hateful man Grabbed my little child, Swang him up And flung him down on the fireside. Poor child! He collapsed there Like a log! You can’t imagine how vexed I was To see it, unable to do anything for him! Now, things before me became blurred In two-fold and in three-fald. And, my head turned round and round. Hateful Japanese Despised me as but any woman And killed my poor dear child Who had known nothing of the sort, In such a cruel manner. They killed The child whom my husband and I loved so dearly . . . "Ah, how I wish my husband would come back quickly!" So thinking in mind. I still kicked and bit Resisting against those hateful men; But, there were many against me And they finally dragged me out And dragging me went to the shore. There was a little boat upon the sea, Onto which I was carried; Thereafter these men took the oars With which they twisted and pushed down the water. The boat sailed fast like a dead leaf upon the water, ‘Til there upon the open sea Was seen a famous "benzaisen" ship, That I had thought small But was like a mountain lying now before me. As we approached the "benzaisen" ship, These villains shouted at the ship. Then, A long ladder was let down from the ship And the villains climbed up carrying me in their arms. Up on the deck. Many more Japanese men walked about.

Many more Japanese men walked about. They took me to the master’s cabin Of this famous "benzaisen" ship. However I might have struggled and wrestled, All the strength of a woman went for naught. "Ah, well! Whatever they say, I won’t answer and will pretend to be ignorant. I shall leave all to the God’s will!" As I said this to myself, I closed my eyes And did but cry out loudly, "My dear child! My heart!" The notorious master of this "benzaisen" ship said: "Poor thing, Woman of the Ainu! How roughly you fellows have treated her! She looks terribly tired. And, what about the child? For she cries like this calling the child’s name!" As he said, The villains gave the detailed account And said, "We killed the child." Then, the master got very angry at them: "How did you ever kill the child. Ainu folks love women and children So dearly and take so good care of them, That, if the chief finds his wife stolen And moreover his child killed by you, He won’t remain quiet. Ainu people are God-possessed. God guards them; so by augury They soon can find the ruffians And must then bring the negotiation to our Lord." I could see him now being apparently Afraid and repentant. "What shall I do? Is she but an ordinary woman of Ainu? How were the things in the house?" As the master asked, They, the villains, told him as they saw That the house, from inside to outside, Was splendidly grand. Since he heard of it,

Since he heard of it, He became ever more anxious. "It is too late now To take this woman baok. I wish you hadn’t killed the child!" When he said this, The men said laughing unanimously, "The master of the ‘benzaisen’ is a coward! Chicken-hearted! Merely an Ainu man! What’s so terrifying about? Being so cowardly, How can you make love? The very moment this Ainu woman opens her eyes And looks at you, She will fall in love with you." As I heard their words and contemptuous laugh I lost my head with rage! "Hateful Japanese! Cursed Japanese! You insult me as a mere woman, An ordinary woman of Ainus; And never you admit your own wrong deeds. If you go on like this, You shall have before too long A good return, I warn you. I don’t care if I should die. I only wish to go to my child. I with only my force can’t avenge you; But, after my soul leaves my body and I Thus become Goddess, I shall come back to you to repay!" Then, I stood up and ran out of the cabin; But, when I was about to jump into the sea, Many men caught me again And tied me on to the big center mast. So, this time, I couldn’t move an inch. "Damnation! Ah me! What wrong have I ever done? So as to suffer like this? What’s my husband doing now? How will he feel When he comes down from the mountain And sees that dreadful sight of our beloved child? How can he find who had done this?" These my thoughts Pushed my sorrow out with an endless flood of tears.

Pushed my sorrow out with an endless flood of tears. And I did but cry and cry. In the meantime, The sound of waves parted by my ears, As this big "benzaisen" ship moved forward; And, now I felt we were already far into the open sea. (Follows the husband’s story.) Although I had come up in the mountain for hunting, Strangely enough All the lairs were empty, Where I would usually find bears. Wherever might they go? Why nothing today? Little foxes, Badgers, squirrels, hares Sciuroids, and even birds . . . None of them had shown up! Since I hadn’t hunted for some time, I really wanted something good and new for dinner. "How my wife And my child Had rejoiced when they saw me off Going to mountain for hunting! How are they now waiting for me! At least I wish to catch even a small hare." When I thought these things, I walked over hills, in two-folds and in three-folds, But met no game at all. In the meantime, I somehow began to feel a flutter inside me And suddenly became anxious about my wife and child. Therefore, I turned around As quickly as fish turns And headed towards home Leaping and running. And, lo, what was the matter? It was about the time When my wife would kindle the fire to prepare supper; But, I saw no smoke coming up from my house! Nor did I smell burning wood! When I finally came home, only the shadow Was there where my wife had been sitting and sewing; The sewing materials scattered here and there,

The sewing materials scattered here and there, And all over. Besides that And to my utmost surprise, There was my child dead like a log by the fireplace; Sad cloud was hunging over his corpse, In two-folds and in three-folds. Just at this scene, My heart turned black with swelling rage Like the burned bottom of a scallop. "Who the devil did this mess in my absence Only to hurt my heart and make me grieve? Why today?" I dashed out of the house And looked around carefully. There were footprints of men jumbled; And I realized This was done not by a few; Many men must have grabbed my wife’s hands And dragged her out; Then, the child clung to her in terror; And, they took him away from his mother and threw him Down on the floor by fireside. It became all so clear. It appeared that my wife had been kidnapped To somewhere in distance. Tracing their footprints, I came down from the hill to the seashore. The footprints disappeared there; This led me to guess that they had taken her in a boat. Now, I was so outraged and all in fury, My fingers cracked; two purple veins And three purple veins stood upon my face; And my eyes set and glared like two little stars. I drew out my sword And stood on one foot drawn far back And on the other stepped forward; I looked firmly over the sword With one eye goggling And the other tight-closed. Then, As I correctly guessed, I saw vaguely a thing like a ship

I saw vaguely a thing like a ship Far upon the sea, That seemed to be moving away. I put my sword back And jumped up towards clouds in the sky; Then transforming into a bird with wings, I flew throughout the clouds in two-layers and in three-layers. I flew the boundary between the foreign sea And my island’s sea where, As I looked down, The big "benzaisen" ship was afloating to and fro, In fear, but running in full speed. The waves ahead crashed and splashed. Now again I became wind and went down, And, lo, what was this! My wife was tied upon the mast! She must have cried as long as an age, As her face was smeared with snivels And her eyes all swollen. It must be that she had fought against men With all her power, As her clothes were torn in pieces hanging about her. And her face looked pale and wearied. Breathing or no Her head fell back for long Being deadly tired. Seeing such state of her My sympathy increased and spilled out; Tears came up on my eyes And blurred the things around. After I turned about the mast, I cut the rope into pieces with sword And took her to embrace. Frightened, she opened her eyes; but, When she caught sight of my face, Her heart’s rejoice was brought upon her face To most extraordinary extent, crying "My husband!" And she held me with all her strength. Then, I said, "Quick! Get back to home first!" She sprang into the sky out of my arms Like a twig,

Like a twig, And headed towards home, Accompanied by thunder, Leaving behind roaring sound. Now, I was relieved And went into the water Where, with my sword, I shaved the bottom of the ship And with a big stone Hammered it. Calling the name of gods Second and third, of our ancestry in mind And praying for gods, I repeatedly shaved and hammered. With all my strength in hip and arms. Finally, on the bottom of the ship was a great big hole. Therefore, I came up on the surface Breathed a long breath of relief And flew up high into air as a wind, looking down the ship. Now it appeared the water flowed into the ship; Men, yelling and screaming, Climbed upon the deck. I saw a mob of Japanese in helter-skelter Being pale as seaweed soaked in water for long. "What is the matter? The sea is peacefully calm, The weather is so beautiful, And we have been sailing fine going through no danger; Yet why? How can the ship Be dilapidated like this?" Everyone complained and shouted. "Hay! The Ainu woman’s gone! Fastened so very tightly, How could she get herself freed? Uah! The rope’s out into this small a piece! There must be somebody taking her away!" So they said to one another. "Master, come and see, quick!" When they said, A man rushed up, A man distinguishingly handsome among them all, Who wore fine silk garments. They said abusing unanimously; "By the ill-willed command of our master, We had kidnapped the Ainu woman.

We had kidnapped the Ainu woman. She had said all sorts of things then, But, we simply thought her an ordinary woman And only laughed her away. But, after all, We shall have to meet our deaths in this shameful way, Ugly way. You’re to get all the blames, Master!" Hearing them shout like this, I, for the first time, realized how my wife Had been taken away. I was being even more infuriated. And finally the words of anger slipped out of my mouth: "You, cursed Japanese! You never know, you bastards, How you would be punished For your ill-deeds. Despising me as a mere Ainu, You have done such a vicious, unforgivable thing. Damnation! Hateful bunch of bastards! I have come just to pay you back! After you all die, you’ll know who I am!" When I finished, The master and all the men Were even more surprised And, looking up towards the sky, Looked at the mist that enclosed me. The master got stiffened with terror, Fell flat on his knees, and-- Rubbing his head against the floor, said: "The young God of Ainu! The young Chief of Ainu! Whatever you said is correct. Indeed, I was the one, the worst of all. Pray save us. I can repay you with whatever you demand." He bowed twenty times, thirty times; repeating the words And praying. But, I simply refused. "No! Never! It is too late! My dearest son was killed. And my wife was treated almost as badly. I cannot bring you back to life!" While I was saying this,

While I was saying this, The ship was being flooded rapidly And finally sank into the sea. The hateful Japanese struggled in the water, For a while, appearing and disappearing upon the surface Of the water; but, soon, all drowned And disappeared into the sea. I felt good at heart And returned to home on divine wind. My wife had, too, just arrived, A moment earlier. In spite of her weary body, She was crying a bitter cry, shrieking, "My beloved son! My heart!" Holding the dead body of my son in my arms, I prayed gods, calling for the names of gods, Second and third, of our ancestry. My voice of prayer sounded clear and far Like a cuckoo singing. In some time, The face of my son gained colour. His toes and eye-lashes wiggled. Then, he opened his eyes wide. "Daddy! Mommy!" Calling us, He rose with his hands against the floor. Together we took him on our laps And cried out the cry of joy Overjoyed by his return. Then I also cried for joy And celebrated my wife’s safe return. My wife told me All the detailed account Of how the hateful Japanese had come in And what they had said and done. I also told her In every detail How I cut a big hole on the ship of those Hateful Japanese and sank them all into the sea. My wife said, "It serves them right! It serves them right!" Thus saying, She danced with joy by the fireside. Free from any fear, We are living as usual Loving our son even more.

Loving our son even more. And watching over the Ainu folks as ever. --Thus told Oynakamuy and his wife their experience. Song That Was Sung and Danced by Young Lord of Matsumae I had father And mother And an elder brother And two sisters, elder and younger. My father served his Lord; Since he not only excelled at reading and writing, He was also expert at abacuses And attained a high skill of swordsmanship; He was favoured by his Lord. He used to say to us, sons, preaching; "Listen, sons. Girls can be good and useful As long as they are acquainted with the skills of Needle and cookery. But, boys are different: They are promised to serve their lords When grown up. So, since their boyhood They must endeavour To achieve a good swordsmanship As well as reading, writing and abacuses." Therefore, we, brothers, Learned and studied hard From early days-- Day after day, Year after year. My brother learned quickly Whatever taught, He not only attained the skills of reading, writing, And abacus; but also could he perform a sword-dance Nimbly as wind. But, woe’s me! I learned nothing of whatever taught! Not of reading and writing, Not of abacuses And not even of sword. Father took it seriously And tried everything he could think of to teach me. However hard he might have tried, I never learned. Finally he lost his temper And hit me with an abacus-- With a sword smote me. Mother and sisters

Mother and sisters Took pity on me And cried for me behind things. Brother too sympathized with me And taught me in various ways, When without father’s supervision. And, I myself tried Whatever the best I could, Endeavouring days and nights. But, did the God forsake me? Never I learned! Then, one day, Father to me said With tears flowing: "Listen, son, Listen to me carefully. You have fine body and countenance, Far superior to others. Yet, I don’t know why you can’t learn things. It is a disgrace to us To have such useless one as you with us Forever . . . and, It is unpardonable a thing before the Lord. Therefore, Under the circumstance, I, as your father, may have to commit ‘harakiri’ For apology to the Lord; or else, You are to leave this house. There’s no other way we can take. You may choose whichever way you like; So, think it over and answer me." When father finished his words, I thought: "What my father said is quite true. Because of my existence, All my family must feel awkward all the time; Above this, I can’t bear to think Of my causing father to commit ‘harakiri’ And of throwing everyone into a great sorrow. Only if I get away from this house, Things will go well for all. Besides, if I work hard At the risk of my life In a faraway country, Even I may learn Something worthwhile." When I answered expressing my thought, Father and mother, Brother and sisters, All cried and wept.

All cried and wept. Weeping so, mother put medicine in a small bag; Father brought a long sword and a short sword, Put both swords upon my waist, And put a little golden hat upon my head. Then-- At parting, We had a little Sake; And mother came to the gate to see me off. Thus I left my home and village; And walking aimlessly and sobbing, I came to the shore of a large unknown river. There by the shore A lad of my age was sitting with his package Whose countenance was as beautiful as the God’s. I wondered where he came from. He also had a long sword And a short sword on him. As he saw me, He bowed at me smilingly As if he had known me already. So I too bowed. Then, he took something out of his front pocket And gave it to me. As I looked, It was a long letter folded. I thought: "I had to leave my home And village because I couldn’t read And now I am on the way to travel. Whoever is this fellow Who’s making a fool of me By showing me this letter to read!" When such thought came up to me, I was enraged. And suddenly pulled out my long sword And gave a fierce thrust to him. Before the tip of my sword reached him At a hard thrust, he jumped as light as zephyr And landed across this wide river like a bird. I too jumped running after him and holding My sword, in such manner as had never occurred to me. And I landed near him as lightly as the wind. He drew his long sword And gaw a fierce thrust of his sword upon me.

And gaw a fierce thrust of his sword upon me. As I would have dared not die in vain, I jumped as light as zephyr And landed across the river, back to this side Just like a bird, Before his sword reached me. After I leapt back, He slashed his sword down in vain As deep as going into six layers of earth. Thereafter he ran again after me, Thrusting his sword. As such We fought with our swords Tens of times. There was no end. So, the lad talked to me smiling: "Say, the young Lord of Matsumae, Wait a moment, And listen to me, please." So saying, he came near me And, taking my hands smilingly, He began to talk: "You are the second son of a retainer to the Lord. Who lives at the center of Matsumae; And I am the last one of another retainer Who lives at the far east of Matsumae. Just as you were, I was no good at fencing, reading and writing, And abacus since my childhood And I never learned these properly. For this reason I was turned out and thus came here. This big river is called Sanpitarrha, And, I met the God of Sanpitarrha Who told me this story: A word came to this God of Sanpitarrha From the God’s domain, That reads: There is in man’s domain A village called Apta. There is a a big lake That is somewhat dangerous. Therefore, A god to guard the lake was to be chosen; But all gods are reluctant to take the duty. So, at last, it was decided to choose one From among men to do this big task.

From among men to do this big task. As the God of Sanpitarrha lived long in men’s domain And must’ve been well informed of the circumstances, The Gods would have appointed him to choose a man. They thus wish him to choose two strong, Honest and wise young men: One to guard at the center and The other, at the upper area of the lake of Apta. So-- The God of Sanpitarrha Looked over the men’s land From one edge to the other, And finally chose you and me. But, If I tell you the truth, The God made us appear by the divine power The good-for-nothing to others’ eyes and so acted Towards us as to be thrown out of our home, Because he was afraid That our parents and family Might have refused to send us away. The reason why we had to fight here Was, to tell you the truth, That the God of Sanpitarrha made us do Because he wanted to see our true skills. Here is the divine Sake for us to drink, In two bottles, Sent from the god’s domain. First of all, read this!" Thus he handed me the letter again. Was his word so true! True or otherwise, I received it half in doubt. Unfolding long And unfolding short, I read: To my astonishment, I could read every single word Which I had never been able to understand; And that was but why I had been despised, scorned And finally been turned out of home! Now I could read easily And the detailed account of the circumstances was Written in it. Then, with that young Lord,

I started up towards the lake of Apta. After we walked For six days And six nights, We came to the lake. And, sitting there, We drank the divine Sake together. Then, Strangely enough, Suddenly we gained the divine power And were able to see everything there In our land And in the Gods’ domain, As I looked toward my village, I could see my parents And all the family clearly. After I had left them, They seemed to be crying all the time. I threw the empty Sake bottle Toward the middle of the lake. Then, There was a little mountain instantly raised. The young Lord who stood by me Also threw his bottle Toward the upper lake. Then, There was a little mountain instantly raised. As I went to my mountain, There was a golden house Shining brilliantly. There were in the house Full of beautiful treasures and above all A beautiful girl, my wife-to-be, Herself dressed in many silk kimonos And, embroidering by the fire, was awaiting me. As I looked at my fellow young man, He was in the same condition as I was. Then, As having married the girl, I let my parents at home know All the circumstances in detail In the form of dream And eased their souls. Then, together with that other young man, I have since been guarding the lake of Apta. --Thus told the young Lord of Matsumae, now a God of the Lake of Apta.