E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Bill Hershey, and Project Gutenberg
Distributed Proofreaders
by
1922
_Utsutsu wo mo
Utsutsu to sara ni
Omowaneba,
Yume wo mo yume to
Nani ka omowamu?
Since I am convinced
That Reality is in no way
Real,
How am I to admit
That dreams are dreams?_
The verses and translation above are taken from A. Waley's "JAPANESEPOETRY: THE UTA" (Clarendon Press), as are many of the classicalpoems placed at the head of the chapters.
Shibukaro ka
Shiranedo kaki no
Hatsu-chigiri.
Whether the fruit be bitter
Or whether it be sweet,
The first bite tells.
The marriage of Captain the Honourable Geoffrey Barrington and MissAsako Fujinami was an outstanding event in the season of 1913. Itwas bizarre, it was picturesque, it was charming, it was sociallyand politically important, it was everything that could appeal tothe taste of London society, which, as the season advances, is apt tobecome jaded by the monotonous process of Hymen in High Life and bythe continued demand for costly wedding presents.
Once again Society paid for its seat at St. George's and for itsglass of champagne and crumb of cake with gifts of gold and silver andprecious stones enough to smother the tiny bride; but for once in away it paid with a good heart, not merely in obedience to convention,but for the sake of participating in a unique and delightful scene, atouching ceremony, the plighting of East and West.
Would the Japanese heiress be married in a kimono with flowers andfans fixed in an elaborate coiffure? Thus the ladies were wonderingas they craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the bride'sprocession up the aisle; but, though some even stood on hassocks andpew seats, few were able to distinguish for certain. She was so verytiny. At any rate, her six tall bridesmaids were arrayed in Japanesedress, lovely white creations embroidered with birds and f