Would that I could hope for the luck of that Chinese scholar known to
Japanese literature as "Rosan"! For he was beloved by two spirit-maidens,
celestial sisters, who every ten days came to visit him and to tell him
stories about butterflies. Now there are marvelous Chinese stories about
butterflies -- ghostly stories; and I want to know them. But never shall I
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
caged butterflies, se free among them, would fly to the fairest; and then,
upon that fairest the Imperial favor was bestowed. But after Genso Kotei
had seen Yokihi (whom the Chinese call Yang-Kwei-Fei), he would not suffer
the butterflies to choose for him,-- which was unlucky, as Yokihi got him
into serious trouble... Again, I should like to know more about the
experience of that Chinese scholar, celebrated in Japan under the name
Soshu, who dreamed that he was a butterfly, and had all the sensations of a
butterfly in that dream. For his spirit had really been wandering about in
the shape of a butterfly; and, when he awoke, the memories and the feelings
of butterfly existence remained so vivid in his mind that he could not act
like a human being... Finally I should like to know the text of a certain