Where the Silver Droplets Fall
translated by Deborah Davidson
from Chiri Yukie's Japanese transcript of the Ainu yukar
"Where the silver droplets fall, where the golden droplets fall..."
I sang my song as I descended on the air current. Passing above a human village, I gazed down and saw that those who had once been poor seemed to have become rich and those who had once been rich seemed to have become poor. I passed over the beach where there were young children playing with small toy bows and small toy arrows.
"Where the silver droplets fall, where the golden droplets fall..." I sang as I passed above the heads of the children. The children ran along the ground below me, calling out to me and to one another. "Beautiful bird! Divine Bird! Come on everybody. Let`s shoot our arrows at it. Whoever hits it first is the bravest among us, a true hero."
As they called out to one another in this way, the children of households which had once been poor but were now rich, fit their metal arrows into their metal bows and released the arrows at me. Many little arrows came flying towards me but I caused them to veer up or down and they all missed.
Among them was one child who carried a bow and arrow made only of wood. I saw what the child was wearing and knew that he was from a poor household. But when I looked into his eyes, I thought he must be either the son or grandson of someone of good standing. He stood out among the others in the way he played.
This child also fit his wooden arrow into his wooden bow and aimed at me. As he did so, the children who had once been poor but were now rich laughed at him and said, "Now that’s really funny! You silly pauper, that’s a divine bird. It will never accept your rotten wooden arrow when it won’t even accept our metal arrows. Not in a million years."
They kicked him with their legs and hit him with their fists. But the poor boy ignored them and carefully aimed his arrow at me. I watched him and was moved.
"Where the silver droplets fall, where the golden droplets fall," I sang as I drew a circle slowly in the sky. The poor boy drew one leg back and set it firmly behind him while setting the other leg firmly in front of him. He bit on his lower lip and steadied his aim. The arrow was released in a whoosh of air.
The tiny arrow flew clean and straight towards me. I stretched out my claw and plucked that little arrow from the air. I sliced through the wind and fluttered to the ground. The children churned up the sand in little storms as they raced one another towards where I had fallen.
I fell to the earth almost at the same moment that the poor boy reached me ahead of the others. He ran to me and grasped me in his hands. But the children who had once been poor and were now rich had caught up with him and endlessly abused him with harsh words and beatings.
"You scoundrel. How dare you beat us to the bird!" And as the children abused him, the poor boy covered my body with his own, pressing me firmly against his belly. He wriggled and squirmed till he had escaped through a gap between the children. Then he leaped away from them and ran as fast as he could.
The children who had once been poor and were now rich threw stones and sticks at the poor boy but he paid them no mind. Churning up sand, he continued to run till he came to a small shack.
The boy passed me through the first window of the shack, the window of honor, as he said something to explain what had transpired. Inside the house an elderly couple approached me, their hands shading their eyes to get a better look. I saw that they were extremely poor. Yet the man had a gentlemanly dignity and the woman a refined femininity. They were both so surprised to see me that their legs buckled and they fell to the floor.
The woman adjusted her clothing and bowed before me saying, "Sacred owl, Divine One, thank you for entering our humble home. We were once considered wealthy, but as you can see we are now penniless and have nothing. We can hardly dare to receive you as our guest. But since it is already late, it cannot be helped that you must stay overnight. Tomorrow we can honor you with little more than an inau before we send you back to where you came." So saying she worshipped me over and over again.
The old woman spread a mat under the first window, the one in the east wall, and placed me there. Then everyone slept, snoring loudly as soon as they fell asleep. I sat between the two ears of my head, but when it was exactly midnight, I arose.
"Where the silver droplets fall, where the golden droplets fall," I sang softly as I flew about, sending beautiful sounds to the left of the room and to the right of the room.
As I moved my wings, beautiful treasures made beautiful sounds as they scattered onto the floor of the room. In moments the tiny house was filled with great and divine treasures.
"Where the silver droplets fall, where the golden droplets fall" I sang, while I rebuilt the tiny shack into an impressive mansion. In an instant I made a storeroom for the treasures and in another instant I made gorgeous robes and furnishings for the house. I furnished the huge house more splendidly than any wealthy man's house. And when I was done, I returned to sit at the place between the two ears of my head.
Then I let the people of the house dream dreams. I let them dream the things I had seen myself. That through unfortunate circumstances, the Ainu Nishipa had become impoverished and was being scorned by those who had once been poor but were now rich. I showed them how, having felt pity, I had entered their house and blessed them, though I was no ordinary god. Shortly after I was done, dawn broke.
The people of the house awoke at the same time. Rubbing the sleep from their eyes they looked around them and were paralyzed with astonishment at what they saw. The old woman wept loudly with joy and the old man shed large drops of tears. At last, the old man rose from his bed and came towards me, bowing numerous times before speaking. Then he spoke of the dream that I had let him dream to tell him of what I had done.
"I thought I was dreaming an ordinary dream in an ordinary sleep, but you have really done these things for me. We were so honored just to have you come to our miserable dwelling and didn’t dare to ask for anything more. But god of the land, great god, you had pity on us for our bad fortune and blessed us even beyond the blessing of your presence among us." He spoke and he wept.
When he had finished speaking, the old man cut a branch of wood from which he carved fine inau which he set beside me.
The old woman attended to her appearance, then had the boy run out for firewood and water as she prepared to make the sacramental wine. In just a short span of time, she had finished making six barrels of wine and had lined them up along the seat of honor. As I watched her work, I conversed with the old woman god, the god of the hearth fire.
After two days had passed, delicious smells filled the house from that which we gods like best, the barrels of wine. Then the old couple purposely dressed the boy in old worn clothing and sent him out to the village. This was to invite to their house those who had once been poor but were now rich.
I followed the boy to watch over him as he entered each house to give his message. But the people who had once been poor and were now rich laughed at him saying, "Wonder of wonders. What kind of wine can you beggar folk make and what kind of feast can you prepare for us that you would dare to invite us?"
"Let's go and see what they have up their sleeves and get us a good laugh," they said to one another as a large group gathered and started toward the boy’s house.
But from still quite far away, they saw the house and were amazed. Some became ashamed and turned to go back. Others stood at the front of the house unable to move. Then the mistress of the house came out and took the hands of all those who had gathered and led them inside. Though they entered and sat, no one could raise his head to look their host in the eye. Then the master of the house sat tall and straight, and in a voice as clear and pretty as the cuckoo, he began to speak, explaining everything that had happened.
"Till now I was poor and unable to mingle freely with you, but the great god took pity on my situation. And because we had no evil thoughts in our hearts, he gave us this great blessing. All of us in the village must get along with one another. We are a family. This is my heart’s desire: that we have fellowship with one another and enjoy one another's company."
When he was finished speaking, the villagers rubbed their hands together over and over and apologized profusely to him. They agreed that they should all be friends. Then they all bowed to me and worshipped me.
When this was all done, the people's hearts were softened and they began a festive banquet. I chatted with the goddess of the hearth fire, the god of the house, and the god of the inau poles. As we talked we watched the humans and enjoyed their dancing.
Two and then three days passed, and the banquet came to an end. I was pleased and relieved to see the humans getting along so well and I said my farewells to the goddess of the hearth fire, the god of the house and the god of the inau poles. When I was done, I flew back to my own land.
Before I had even reached my house, offerings of beautiful inau poles and barrels of delicious wine had arrived there. So I sent a messenger to gods near and far to invite them to a banquet. At the banquet I related in great detail everything that had occurred while I was visiting the human village. The other gods praised me with great praise. And I sent home with each of them two or three of the beautiful inau poles.
When I look towards the Ainu village, I see that the now-peaceful humans are getting along with one another and that the distinguished old man has become their chief. The child is now fully grown, with a wife and children of his own. He takes good care of the old man and old woman as a filial son should. And each time they make wine, at the start of every banquet, they deliver offerings of inau poles and wine to me. I continue to sit in the shadow of the humans, always guarding over the land in which they live.
And so, the owl finished the telling of his tale.
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translator’s notes:
“metal” bows and arrows~ the use of the word “metal” indicates that it is of fine quality/expensive
“nishipa”~ an Ainu man of honor
“the place between the two ears of my head”~ the god is said to “sit between the ears” of the body he has been inhabiting, after the body has died but while the god’s spirit still lingers in the land of the humans. (we are to understand that the owl is dead)
“inau”~ wooden poles (usually willow or birch) that are decorated with wood shavings and thought to be popular with the gods
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the accompanying illustration is the work of Stephanie Gagnepain
