o much satisfied with your own
person. That is why you let yourself be blown thus lightly about by
every wind;--that is why you never remain still,--always, always
thinking, 'In the whole world there is no one so fortunate as I.'

"But now try to think a little about your own personal history. It is
worth recalling; for there is a vulgar side to it. How a vulgar side?
Well, for a considerable time after you were born, you had no such
reason for rejoicing in your form. You were then a mere cabbage-insect,
a hairy worm; and you were so poor that you could not afford even one
robe to cover your nakedness; and your appearance was altogether
disgusting. Everybody in those days hated the sight of you. Indeed you
had good reason to be ashamed of yourself; and so ashamed you were that
you collected old twigs and rubbish to hide in, and you made a
hiding-nest, and hung it to a branch,--and then everybody cried out to
you, 'Raincoat Insect!' (Mino-mushi.) [14] And during that period of
your life, your sins were grievous. Among the tender green leaves of
beautiful cherry-trees you and your fellows assembled, and there made
ugliness extraordinary; and the expectant eyes of the people, who came
from far away to admire the beauty of those cherry-trees, were hurt by
the sight of you. And of things even more hateful than this you were
guilty. You knew that poor, poor men and women had been cultivating
daikon (2) in their fields,--toiling under the hot sun till their
hearts were filled with bitterness by reason of having to care for that
daikon; and you persuaded your companions to go with you, and to gather
upon the leaves of that daikon, and on the leaves of other vegetables
planted by those poor people. Out of your greediness you ravaged those
leaves, and gnawed them into all shapes of ugliness,--caring nothing
for the trouble of those poor folk... Yes, such a creature you were,
and such were your doings.

"And now that you have a comely form, you despise your old comrades,
the insects; and, whenever you happen to meet any of them, you pretend
not to know them [literally, 'You make an I-don't-know face']. Now you
want to have none but wealthy and exalted people for friends... Ah! You
have forgotten the old times, have you?

"It is true that many people have forgotten your past, and are charmed
by the sight of your present graceful shape and white wings, and write
Chinese verses and Japanese verses about you. The high-born damsel,