_She passes through the soft blue curtains, but unless you are willing to follow her, turn back now. There are only play-things here._ THE LADY OF THE WEEPING WILLOW TREE A PLAY IN THREE ACTS CHARACTERS O-SODE-SAN, an old woman O-KATSU-SAN OBAA-SAN THE GAKI OF KOKORU, an eater of unrest RIKI, a poet AOYAGI WEEPING WILLOW TREE ACT I [_Before the House of Obaa-San. At the right back is a weeping willow tree, at the left the simple little house of Obaa-San._ [_O-Sode-San and O-Katsu-San enter._ O-SODE-SAN Oi!... Oi!... Obaa-San! O-KATSU-SAN Obaa-San!... Grandmother! O-SODE-SAN She is not there. O-KATSU-SAN Poor Obaa-San. O-SODE-SAN Why do you always pity Obaa-San? Are her clothes not whole? Has she not her full store of rice? O-KATSU-SAN Ay! O-SODE-SAN Then what more can one want--a full hand, a full belly, and a warm body! O-KATSU-SAN A full heart, perhaps. O-SODE-SAN What does Obaa-San know of a heart, silly O-Katsu? She has had no husband to die and leave her alone. She has had no child to die and leave her arms empty. O-KATSU-SAN Hai! Hai! She does not know. O-SODE-SAN She has had no lover to smile upon her and then--pass on. O-KATSU-SAN But Obaa-San is not happy. O-SODE-SAN Pss-s! O-KATSU-SAN She may be lonely because she has never had any one to love or to love her. O-SODE-SAN How could one love Obaa-San? She is too hideous for love. She would frighten the children away--and even a drunken lover would laugh in her ugly face. Obaa-San! The grandmother! O-KATSU-SAN O-Sode, might we not be too cruel to her? O-SODE-SAN If we could not laugh at Obaa-San, how then could we laugh? She has been sent from the dome of the sky for our mirth. O-KATSU-SAN I do not know! I do not know! Sometimes I think I hear tears in her laugh! O-SODE-SAN Pss-s! That is no laugh. Obaa-San cackles like an old hen. O-KATSU-SAN I think she is unhappy now and then--always, perhaps. O-SODE-SAN Has she not her weeping willow tree--the grandmother? O-KATSU-SAN Ay. She loves the tree. O-SODE-SAN The grandmother of the weeping willow tree! It's well for the misshapen, and the childless, and the loveless to have a tree to love. O-KATSU-SAN But, O-Sode, the weeping willow tree can not love her. Perhaps even old Obaa-San longs for love. O-SODE-SAN Do we not come daily to her to talk to her? And to ask her all about her weeping willow tree? O-KATSU-SAN Oi! Obaa-San. [_A sigh is heard._ O-SODE-SAN What was that, O-Katsu? O-KATSU-SAN Someone sighed--a deep, hard sigh. O-SODE-SAN Oi! Obaa-San! Grandmother! [_The sigh is almost a moan._ O-KATSU-SAN It seemed to come from the weeping willow tree. O-SODE-SAN O-Katsu! Perhaps some evil spirit haunts the tree. O-KATSU-SAN