Then the Daughter of the Deep Sea arose, and she took the fisherman in her arms, and sank with him, down, down, to her cold sea cave. She laid him upon a sandy bed, and long did she look upon him. She cast her sea spell upon him, and sang her sea songs to him and held his eyes with hers.
He said, “Who are you, lady?”
She told him, “The Daughter of the Deep Sea.”
“Let me go home,” he said; “my little children wait and are tired.”
“Nay, rather stay with me,” she said:
“Urashima,
Thou Fisherman of the Inland Sea,
Thou art beautiful;
Thy long hair is twisted round my heart;
Go not from me,
Only forget thy home.”
“Ah, now,” said the fisherman, “let be, for the dear gods’ sake.... I would go to mine own.”
But she said again:
“Urashima,
Thou Fisherman of the Inland Sea,
I’ll set thy couch with pearl;
I’ll spread thy couch with seaweed and sea flowers;
Thou shalt be King of the Deep Sea,
And we will reign together.”
“Let me go home,” said Urashima; “my little children wait and are tired.”