🧚 Opening, part 5

Of course, the fame of so lovely a Princess spread far and wide, and many were the suitors who sought to win her hand.1 Not only from that country, but from foreign lands did they come, and the house was constantly surrounded by those who hoped to catch even a glimpse of her through the windows, or as she walked in the garden.2 But to none of them would the old man grant permission to address his adopted daughter, and at last all but five of them lost hope, and departed to their homes.3

These five were very determined knights, whose ardor became the greater as their quest became the more difficult.4 They stood outside the garden walls in sunshine and rain, eating only such food as was brought to them.5 They wrote letters and verses to the Princess, telling her of the great love for her which prevented them from returning to their own homes, and even from taking rest and sleep.6 But no word did they receive from the Princess.7

Winter and Spring passed, and Summer came, and still the knights watched and waited.8 They besought the old man to intercede for them, but he answered that he was not her real father, and that he could not order her to obey him, and also that he would not ask her to do anything she did not wish to do.9

At length the five knights returned to their homes, where they tried to forget Princess Moonlight, but this they could not do, so they again came to the bamboo-cutter’s house.10 This time they asked the old man to tell them if the Princess was determined to never see any men.11 They begged him to say that their love for her was boundless, and ask for an opportunity to plead their cause.12

Now, the old man would gladly have seen his lovely foster-daughter married to one of these suitors, and he felt sorry for them, so he said to the Princess:13

“Dear one, you know that I love you quite as much as though you were my real child, and that there is nothing I would not do to make you happy.14 I cannot live many more years, for I am already old, and it would be a great satisfaction for me to know that you are happily married before the time comes for me to die.15 Will you not consent to see these five brave knights, one at a time, and make up your mind which of them you will marry?”16

The Princess replied that she could not love her own father any more than she loved him, and that her greatest wish was to please him.17 Still, she did not feel that she could see the five knights, even though assured that they were worthy, but would make one more trial of their love, and if they were successful in this, then would she grant their request.18 Each of them was to prove his love by bringing to her from a distant country something that she wished to possess.19

The bamboo-cutter then went out to the five knights, and told them what the Princess had said, and all of them were satisfied, because the test given to each one would prevent jealousy between them.20

So the next day Princess Moonlight sent word to the first knight that she wished him to bring her the stone bowl which had belonged to Buddha in India.21

The second knight was to go to the Mountain of Horai, in the Eastern Sea, and to bring her a branch of the wonderful jewel-tree that grew on its topmost height.22

The third knight was to search through China for the fire-rat, and to bring her its skin.23

The fourth knight was to find the dragon whose right eye was a many-colored stone, and to bring the eye to her.24

The fifth knight was to find the swallow which carried a shell in its stomach, and which lived in the Aegean Sea, and to bring her the shell.25

These tasks seemed to the old man to be so impossible of accomplishment that he didn’t like to take the messages, but the Princess refused to make any change in them, so he gave them to the knights word for word.26

The knights were so disheartened by the tests given them, that they returned to their homes, resolved to forget the beautiful Princess, but each found himself unable to do this, so before long they had all sent word that they were starting out on their respective quests.27

Now travel in those days was not easy, but full of danger and difficulty, and the first knight lacked the courage to go to India.28 So he went to a temple in one of the large cities of Japan, and bribed the head priest to let him take away a stone bowl which was on the altar there.29 He wrapped this up very carefully, and after waiting for two years, took it to the old bamboo-cutter.30

The Princess received the package, and unwrapped it, but saw at once that it was a sham, and not the bowl of Buddha, because it did not shine as the true one would have done.31 So she returned it to the knight, and refused to see him.32

The second knight, with twelve skilled jewelers, went to an island he knew of, and there they designed a gold and silver branch which he was sure would satisfy the Princess.33 To hold this branch he had his goldsmiths make a beautiful box, and when sufficient time had elapsed he took it to the bamboo-cutter, asking him to tell the Princess that here was the branch of the wonderful jewel-tree that grew on the topmost height of Mount Horai.34

Princess Moonlight opened the box and took out the jeweled branch, but she saw at once that it was not what the knight stated it to be.35 And even as she was looking at it, the old man was summoned to the door by the twelve jewelers who had designed and made the beautiful thing, but who had not been paid for their work.36 The Princess overheard their conversation with her foster-father, and then directed that they be well paid for what they had done.37 They then went away, after thanking the Princess for her kindness.38 But the knight returned to his home, a sadly disappointed man.39

The task of the third knight was to get the skin of the fire-rat, whose virtue was that no fire could harm it.40 Now he had a friend who lived in China, and to him he wrote, offering him a very large sum of money if he would procure that which he desired.41

This friend was very willing to accept the knight’s money, but wished to earn it without putting himself to any more trouble than was necessary, so he waited for quite a while, and then sent him the skin of an ordinary rat, also a message which told him of the hardships he had undergone in order to procure it.42

This skin the third knight took to the bamboo-cutter, saying that he would wait outside the gate for the Princess’s answer.43

The Princess took the package from the old man, and said she would test the skin by putting it in the fire before consenting to see the knight.44 This she did, and of course the skin just crackled and burned up at once, so she knew it was a fraud.45

Thus the third knight failed to see her.46