Episode 22

(*A story about love, poems, and coming back together*)

A man and a woman used to be close.  
But one day, they stopped seeing each other because of something small.  

Still, the woman couldn’t forget him.  
So she sent him a poem:

憂きながら人をばえしも忘れねば
　　かつ恨みつゝなほぞ恋しき
> Even though it was painful, I haven’t forgotten you.  
> I feel hurt, but I still love you.

The man read the poem and smiled.  
He said, “See? I knew she still cared.”  
And he sent back a poem:

あひ見ては心ひとつをかは島の
　　　水の流れて絶えじとぞ思ふ
> We saw each other again and shared our hearts,  
> like the river around Kawashima,  
> that keeps flowing and never stops.

That night, he happily went to see her.  
They talked about the past and their hopes for the future.  
Then he shared another poem:

秋の夜の千夜を一夜になずらへて
　　　八千夜し寝ばや飽く時のあらむ
> One long autumn night feels like a thousand nights.  
> I wish we could sleep together for eight thousand nights.  
> Even then, I wouldn’t get tired of being with you.

The woman smiled and answered with her own poem:

秋の夜の千夜を一夜になせりとも
　　　ことば残りて鳥や鳴きなむ
> Even if a thousand nights became one,  
> we’d still have more to say.  
> The rooster would crow before we finished talking.

After that, the man began to visit her again and again.  
He loved her even more than before.

---

## 🏝️ What is “Kawashima”?

**Kawashima** means “a small island in the middle of a river.”  
Water splits and flows around the island, but the two streams meet again.  

In the poem, **Kawashima** is used as a symbol.  
It means:  
➡️ Even if two people are apart, like the river splits,  
➡️ they can come back together again, like the water does.

It also sounds like the word for “sharing” or “exchanging” hearts.  
So it’s a perfect word to show **love returning**.

---

Episode 23 

(*Childhood friends, true love, and choosing the heart over riches*)

A long time ago, a boy and a girl lived in the countryside.  

They were childhood friends.  

They liked to play near the well together.

 

As they grew older, they started to feel shy.  

But deep down, the boy wished she would be his wife.  

And the girl also hoped he would be her husband.

 

Even when their parents tried to match them with other people,  

they refused.  

They only wanted each other.

 

One day, the boy sent her a poem:

 

筒井つの井筒にかけしまろがたけ

 過ぎにけらしな妹見ざる間に

> I used to check my height by the well.  

> Now I’ve grown taller.  

> I’ve passed the top since I last saw you.

 

The girl wrote back:

 

くらべこしふりわけ髪も肩過ぎぬ

 君ならずして誰かあぐべき

> My hair has also grown past my shoulders.  

> I used to compare it with yours.  

> For whom else in this world would I tie up my hair, if not for you?

 

They shared their feelings through poems.  

Soon, they got married and lived a happy life.

 

But later, the girl’s parents passed away.  

They lost their money and became poor.  

 

The man began to feel troubled.  

He thought, “Can we really live like this forever?”

 

Then, he started visiting another woman.  

The woman was rich and lived in Takayasu, in Kawachi Province.  

She welcomed him kindly, and he began spending time with her.

 

His wife knew he was going to see another woman.
Still, she let him go without a word.
Not once did she ask him to stay.

The man thought that the reason his wife was able to remain so calm was because she had feelings for another man.

 

One day, he pretended to go away and then hid close to the house.  

He watched his wife closely.  

She dressed nicely and put on some makeup.  

Looking out the window with a sad expression, she softly whispered a poem:

 

 風吹けば沖つ白浪龍田山しらなみたつたやま  

 夜半にや君がひとり越ゆらむ  

> When the wind blows, waves rise in the sea.  

> Will you really cross Mount Tatsuta alone tonight?

 

When the man heard her recite this poem, he thought her very lovely and eventually stopped going to Kawachi.

Sometimes the man would come to Taka-yasu and see that the woman had at first put on a modest front, but now she had completely opened up and was even using her own hands to ladle rice into her own bowl.

The man was completely disillusioned and stopped going. 

 

So the woman of Taka-mori looked towards Yamato, where the man lived. She watched the clouds and said a poem:

 

君があたり見つゝを居らむ生駒山

雲な隠しそ雨は降るとも

Mount Ikoma, let me keep looking his way.

 Even if it rains, do not let the clouds hide him.

 

Later, the man said he would visit her. She waited with hope.

But each night, he did not come. Finally, she wrote one last poem:

 

君来むと言ひし夜毎に過ぎぬれば

頼まぬものゝ恋ひつゝぞ経る

>You said you would come, but many nights have passed.

> I do not believe you anymore.

> I still miss you.

 

The man never returned.

---

What does this story mean?

The boy and girl grew up together and got married.

They were happy even though they had no money.

The man felt confused and wanted an easier life. He became close to a wealthy woman. Soon, he realized that she was crude and careless.

His wife, although poor, was gentle, kind, and kind.

He learned that love and kindness are more important than money. He chose to be with his kind wife, who showed him heartfelt love.

Episode 24

A long time ago, a man lived in a small country area. 

He went to work at the palace. He left his home. His wife said goodbye. 

He did not return for three years. 
(* There was a rule. If a husband left and they had no child, the wife could remarry after three years. If they had a child, she could remarry after five years.*)

The woman grew very tired of waiting. 

That very night, another man who cared for her said, "Let's get married tonight!" 
Just then, the first man came back. 

The first man knocked at the door and said, "Please open the door." 

But the woman did not open it. Instead, she read a Waka poem.

あらたまの年の三年を待ちわびて
たゞ今宵こそ新枕すれ
I have waited for three years for a new start.
Tonight, I will take a new pillow with my new husband.

Then he returned a waka poem:

梓弓ま弓つき弓年を経て　　　　
　　　わがせしがごとうるはしみよせ
After many months have passed,
please take good care of your new husband.

And just as he turned to leave, the woman read an another waka poem,

 

梓弓引けど引かねど昔より
　　　心は君に寄りにしものを

I do not mind if the bow is drawn or not.
My heart has long been with you."

After this, the man left. The woman felt very sad. 

She ran after him but could not catch up. 

She fell down near a spring where clear water came out. On a rock, she used her finger and some blood to write:

あひ思はで離れぬる人をとゞめかね
わが身は今ぞ消え果てぬめる
I cannot stop you from leaving me.
I feel as if my life is about to end.

Right there, she died.

------
Explanation

Can you imagine how shocked she was?

Her ex-husband, who had gone away for a job and never returned,

suddenly returned on the very day that she was getting married to a new man.

 

She didn't really hate her first husband.

 

However, since her husband had disappeared,

she had no reason to turn down the new man, so

she agreed to marry him.

 

Now, imagine how at a loss she must have been.

What should she have done after that?

 

She must have felt completely lost.

-----

All the illustrations are from illustAC. I have a paid membership and follow their rules, so there are no copyright problems.
The writing is my own English translation of a Japanese story from the 10th century.
Please do not copy or use it.