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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn: be able to read Chinese, nor even Japanese; and the little Japanese poetry
that I manage, with exceeding difficulty, to translate, contains so many
allusions to Chinese stories of butterflies that I am tormented with the
torment of Tantalus... And, of course, no spirit-maidens will even deign to
visit so skeptical a person as myself.
I want to know, for example, the whole story of that Chinese maiden whom
the butterflies took to be a flower, and followed in multitude,-- so
fragrant and so fair was she. Also I should like to know something more
concerning the butterflies of the Emperor Genso, or Ming Hwang, who made
them choose his loves for him... He used to hold wine-parties in his
amazing garden; and ladies of exceeding beauty were in attendance; and
Kwaidan |
