Kojiki 160

Section CLX. Emperor Yū-riyaku (Part XI.—The Leaf in the Cup)

Again when the Heavenly Sovereign made a copious feast under a hundred-branching tsuki-tree at Hatsuse, a female attendant from Mihe in the land of Ise lifted up the great august cup, and presented it to him. Then from the hundred-branching tsuki-tree there fell a leaf and floated in the great august cup. The female attendant, not knowing that the fallen leaf was floating in the cup, did not desist from presenting the great august liquor to the Heavenly Sovereign, who, perceiving the leaf floating in the cup, knocked the female attendant down, put his sword to her neck, and was about to cut off her head, when the female attendant spoke to the Heavenly Sovereign, saying: “Slay me not! There is something that I must say to thee;” and forthwith she sang, saying:

“The palace of Hishiro at Makimuku is a palace where shines the morning sun, a palace whore glistens the evening sun, a palace plentifully rooted as the roots of the bamboo, a palace with spreading roots like the roots of the trees, a palace pestled with oh! eight hundred [loads of] earth. As for the branches of the hundred-fold flourishing tsuki-tree growing by the house of new licking at the august gate [made of] chamæcyparis [wood], the uppermost branch has the sky above it, the middle branch has the east above it, the lowest branch has the country above it. A leaf from the tip of the uppermost branch falls against the middle branch; a leaf from the tip of the middle branch falls against the lowest branch; a leaf from the tip of the lowest branch, falling into the oil floating in the fresh jewelled goblet which the maid of Mihe is lifting up, all [goes] curdle-curdle. Ah! this is very awful, August Child of the High-Shining Sun! The tradition of the thing, too this!”

So on her presenting this Song, her crime was pardoned. Then the Empress sang. Her Song said: “Present the luxuriant august liquor to the august child of the high-shining sun, who is broad like the leaves, who is brilliant like the blossoms of the broad-foliaged five hundred [-fold branching] true camellia-tree that stands growing by the house of new licking in this high metropolis of Yamato, on the high-timbered mound of the metropolis. The tradition of the thing, too, this!”

Forthwith the Heavenly Sovereign sang, saying: “The people of the great palace, having put on scarfs like the quail-birds, having put their tails together like wagtails, and congregated together like the yard-sparrows, may perhaps to-day be truly steeped in liquor,—the people of the palace of the high-shining sun. The tradition of the thing, too, this.”

These three Songs are Songs of Heavenly Words. So at this copious feast this female attendant from Mihe was praised and plentifully endowed.