Thou deign’st to say that I am from the city,
And by the custom, must not use thy boat.[59]
But o’er great Sumida thy ferry passes,
And so thy words do scarce become thee well.
FERRYMAN [Words]
It is true; thou art a person from the distant City Royal,
And thy gentle nurture tallies with its reputation here.
THE MOTHER [Words]
Ah! That word![60] I do remember. It was here that Narihira
That the famous Narihira[61] wrote beside this very ferry:
[Song]
Bird of the Royal City—come!
I ask of you a boon, if true,
The name that they have given you:
Is she alive—the one I love—
Is she? Or is she not?
Pray, O Boatman, over yonder is a white bird that we know not
In the capital. By what name do you call it in this part?
FERRYMAN [Words]