2013 A Droplet from a Tale
The Blue Bird
“Never forget that I am speaking to you in every spreading moonbeam, in every twinkling star, in every dawn that rises, in every lamp that is lit, in every good and bright thought of your soul....”
――Maurice Maeterlinck, The Blue Bird
Aranea
“The water for the ceremonial first bath was formed from droplets of gold, wrung over the course of one-hundred nights, two handfuls on each occasion. The gold is said to have seeped into the princess’s body, giving her a natural sheen and fragrance, even as a newborn.”
――Ango Sakaguchi, “Yonaga Hime to Mimio”
Princess September
“The bird spread open his wings and flew straight into the blue sky. The little Princess, on the other hand, began crying miserably as it is very difficult for one to put the happiness of someone you love before your own and with her little bird no longer in sight, she felt lonely.”
-- Somerset Maugham, “Princess September and the Nightingale”
Lapis lazuli / Sphatikam
“The old woman put on the glasses to get a good look at the face of the beautiful young girl who crossed repeatedly in front of her home. However, she was met by a surprise. It was not a young girl at all, but a lovely butterfly.”
-- Mimei Ogawa, “The Moonlight and the Glasses”