10.08.2013 Views

A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

A Japanese miscellany - University of Oregon

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

190 <strong>Japanese</strong> Miscellany<br />

answered. ... If any goblin or ghost ask you<br />

for a bucket or other vessel, it is better not to re-<br />

fuse directly ; but you must be careful to knock<br />

the bottom out <strong>of</strong> the vessel asked for before<br />

yielding it up, — otherwise the consequences<br />

might be fatal.<br />

This reminds me <strong>of</strong> a superficial criticism<br />

sometimes made in regard to those European<br />

fairy-tales which recount the wooing <strong>of</strong> beautiful<br />

maidens by frogs or birds, and the intermarriage<br />

<strong>of</strong> diiferent species <strong>of</strong> animals. It has been said<br />

that the monstrous absurdity <strong>of</strong> such stories un-<br />

fits them for the perusal <strong>of</strong> children, and, further-<br />

more, deprives them <strong>of</strong> all* artistic merit. But<br />

most <strong>of</strong> these fairy-tales can be traced back to<br />

Oriental sources ; and to the Oriental mind there<br />

is nothing absurd in the idea <strong>of</strong> marriage be-<br />

tween human and non-human beings, — since it<br />

is believed that many animals can assume human<br />

shapes at will. To Far-Eastern faith all life is<br />

One ; and the forms that enclose it but tempo-<br />

rary conditions. Without some knowledge <strong>of</strong><br />

Far-Eastern beliefs,^ the real charm <strong>of</strong> the old<br />

1 The beliefs are older than Buddhism; but Buddhism<br />

gave them considerable recognition. One <strong>of</strong> the questions

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!