[Footnote 14: A famous Chinese poem, by Hak-rak-ten. The heroine of the poem was Yo-ki-hi, to whom we have made reference before. The story is, that after death she became a fairy, and the Emperor sent a magician to find her. The works of the poet Peh-lo-tien, as it is pronounced by modern Chinese, were the only poems in vogue at that time. Hence, perhaps, the reason of its being frequently quoted.] [Footnote 15: There were two divisions of the Imperial guard, right and left.] [Footnote 16: The general name for a species of musical instrument resembling the zither, but longer.] [Footnote 17: In these days Imperial Princes were often created founders of new families, and with some given name, the Gen being one most frequently used. These Princes had no longer a claim to the throne.] [Footnote 18: The ceremony of placing a crown or coronet upon the head of a boy. This was an ancient custom observed by the upper and middle classes both in Japan and China, to mark the transition from boyhood to youth.] [Footnote 19: Before the crown was placed upon the head at the Gembuk, the hair was gathered up in a conical form from all sides of the head, and then fastened securely in that form with a knot of silken cords of which the color was always purple.] [Footnote 20: The color of purple typifies, and is emblematical of, love.] [Footnote 21: A body of men who resembled "Gentlemen-at-arms," and a part of whose duty it was to attend to the falcons.] CHAPTER II THE BROOM-LIKE TREE Hikal Genji--the name is singularly well known, and is the subject of innumerable remarks and censures. Indeed, he had many intrigues in his lifetime, and most of them are vividly preserved in our memories. He had always striven to keep all these intrigues in the utmost secrecy, and had to appear constantly virtuous. This caution was observed to such an extent that he scarcely accomplished anything really romantic, a fact which Katano-no-Shioshio[22] would have ridiculed. Even with such jealous watchfulness, secrets easily transpire from one to another; so loquacious is man! Moreover, he had unfortunately from nature a disposition of not appreciating anything within easy reach, but of directing his thought in undesirable quarters, hence sundry improprieties in his career.