A Fantasy of Far Japan; Or, Summer Dream Dialogues

LE SAMURAI C'était un homme à deux sabres. D'un doigt distrait frôlant la sonore bîva, A travers les bambous tressés en fine latte, Elle a vu, par la plage éblouissante et plate, S'avancer le vainqueur que son amour rêva. C'est lui. Sabres au flanc, l'éventail haut, il va. La cordelière rouge et le gland écarlate Coupent l'armure sombre, et, sur l'épaule, éclate Le blason de Hizen et de Tokugawa. Ce beau guerrier vêtu de lames et de plaques Sous le bronze, la soie et les brillantes laques Semble un crustacé noir, gigantesque et vermeil. Il l'a vue. Il sourit dans la barbe du masque, Et son pas plus hâtif fait reluire au soleil Les deux antennes d'or qui tremblent à son casque. JOSÉ-MARIA DE HEREDIA.

In the following pages I have depicted certain Japanese ideals and notions, as well as some historical facts which seemed likely to interest those of the sympathetic Western public who may be inclined to study the mental side of Japan.
The dialogues are founded upon actual conversations, not indeed always in exactly the same phraseology, nor under exactly the same circumstances, but something very like. The questions put into the mouths of the characters in the book are the kind of questions which are being constantly put to me, and my answers are always on the same lines; so that my readers may regard the book as a serious treatise so far as the materials are concerned. This is the reason why I have written this book in a light, conversational style, and not in the form of an ordinary critical or expository treatise. Besides, I thought that more lucidity of exposition and more penetration into the inner views could be achieved by writing in the way I have done.
The period to which these conversations relate is chiefly the summer of the present year, 1905, and the greater part of this book was written before peace was concluded, and therefore there may be occasionally some dicta which sound somewhat polemic. On that point I can request my readers to show leniency.