Poem by Seiji Hakui

On Gojo-Bomon in Kyoto,
There was an old house where
Lived Dainagon Yasumichi
As his late father's heir.

And there lived also, as well as
His servants and family,
A great pack of foxes that had
A dark ability:

Capable to shapeshift and cast
Some kind of magic spell,
Those foxes used their powers to
Trick people and raise hell.

At first, the Dainagon tried to
Disregard their mischief,
But they grew bolder and became
Naughty beyond belief.

Angered, one night the Dainagon
Called his servants, saying,
"Prepare for a fox hunt! Let them
Not produce more offspring.

Bring out the clubs, arrows and bows!
Soon as comes up the sun,
We shall drive out and kill them all,
Even the youngest one!"

Having said so, he retreated
Into his own bedroom,
But before the sunrise, he dreamed
This strange dream in the gloom:

It was the house's west garden;
He was surprised to see
A white-haired old man sitting straight
Under a mikan tree,

Attired in a kariginu
Dyed dark green. He wondered
Awhile and asked him, "Who art thou?"
And the old man answered:

"For many a year I have dwelt
Here as a denizen
With, after two generations,
Children and grandchildren.

And though I made some efforts to
Discipline those rascals,
They kept wreaking havoc, never
Acquiring the morals.

With shame, therefore, I see ourselves
Deserving of thine ire,
And it is most lawful that thou
Desirest we expire.

I overheard thy servants plan
A grim operation
To drive out, capture and kill us
Without an exception.

Knowing thou wert just, I returned
And then watched, as time passed,
Those young ones playing, unaware
Tonight would be their last.

The more I watched them, the dearer
Their poor lives seemed to me.
So, unworthy as I am, here
I bow and make a plea:

I pray, most awful Dainagon,
Forgive my children's crime.
Never the same mistake, if thou
Deign to spare us this time.

Solemnly I vow, if pardoned,
We shall hereafter be
Thy sentinels, and let thee know
When fortune blesseth thee."

He woke up; the day was dawning.
In the brightening air,
He went out into the garden,
And soon as, he saw there

An old, hairless fox cowering
Under the mikan tree,
Where that strange old man in his dream
Had bowed and made the plea.

The old fox looked at him with eyes

Filled with worry profound,

And hied under a pile of planks

Without making a sound.

Reflecting, he returned inside
And bade an armed servant
To go and tell all his men that
He cancelled the fox hunt.

Thenceforth, even if there was no
Lucky star in the sky,
They knew a good fortune was near
When they heard foxes cry.

Notes

The ballad is based on the tale 606 of the Kokon Chomonjū, a collection of folktales, historical anecdotes and gossips compiled by Narisue of Tachibana in the mid 13th century.
Gojo-Bomon: The name of a street. Today's Bukkoji-Dori in Kyoto.
Dainagon Yasumichi: Yasumichi of Fujiwara (1147-1210), a dainagon (high-ranking counselor of the court) from 1199 to 1202.
Sitting straight: I.e. performing seiza, a formal way of sitting on the floor that requires the both knees folded while the back is kept straight.
Mikan: Citrus unshiu. Pronounced as "miccan."
Kariginu: Kah-ree-ghee-nu. Literally means "hunting clothes." A loose robe originally worn for hunting that later became the everyday clothes for noblemen.
Dark green: Dark green clothes were worn by old people.

Seiji Hakui