Section XLII. The Parturition-House of Cormorants’ Feathers
Hereupon the Sea-Deity’s daughter Her Augustness Luxuriant-Jewel-Princess herself waited on [His Augustness Fire-Subside], and said: “I am already with child, and the time for my delivery now approaches. But methought that the august child of an Heavenly Deity ought not to be born in the Sea-Plain. So I have waited on thee here.” Then forthwith on the limit of the waves upon the sea-shore she built a parturition-hall, using cormorants’ feathers for thatch. Hereupon, before the thatch was completed, she was unable to restrain the urgency of her august womb. So she entered the parturition-hall. Then, when she was about to be delivered, she spoke to her husband [,saying]: “Whenever a foreigner is about to be delivered, she takes the shape of her native land to be delivered. So I now will take my native shape to be delivered. Pray look not upon me!” Hereupon [His Augustness Fire-Subside], thinking these words strange, stealthily peeped at the very moment of delivery, when she turned into a crocodile eight fathoms [long], and crawled and writhed about; and he forthwith, terrified at the sight, fled away. Then Her Augustness Luxuriant-Jewel-Princess knew that he had peeped; and she felt ashamed, and, straightway leaving the august child which she had borne, she said: “I had wished always to come and go across the sea-path. But thy having peeped at my [real] shape [makes me] very shame-faced,”—and she forthwith closed the sea-boundary, and went down again. Therefore the name by which the august child whom she had borne was called was His Augustness Heaven’s-Sun-Height-Prince-Wave-limit-Brave-Cormorant-Thatch-Meeting-Incompletely. Nevertheless afterwards, although angry at his having wished to peep, she could not restrain her loving heart, and she entrusted to her younger sister Jewel-Good-Princess, on the occasion of her nursing the august child, a Song to be presented [to His Augustness Fire-Subside]. The Song said: