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The Kojiki, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, [1919], at sacred-texts.com

p. 349

[SECT. CXXV.—EMPEROR NIN-TOKU (PART VIII.—HE LOVES YATA-NO-WAKI-IRATSUME).]

The Heavenly Sovereign, loving Yata-no-waki-iratsume, deigned to send her an august Song. That Song said:

"Will the one sedge-stem of Yata, having no children, wither as it stands? Poor sedge-moor! Sedge-moor indeed is what I may say—poor pure girl!" 1

Then Yata-no-waki-iratsume replied in a Song, saying:

"Even though the one sedge stem of Yata be alone, if the Great Lord say it is right even though it be alone [it is right.]" 2

So the Yata Tribe 3 was established as the august proxy of Yata-no-waki-iratsume.

Footnotes

349:1 In this Song the Emperor condoles with his mistress on her childlessness: "Will the single sedge on the moor of Yata die without leaving any offspring? Sedge, indeed! Yes, sedge is the term I use for my metaphor, but what is in my thoughts is the girl I love."—There is in the original a jeu-de-mots, not capable of translation into English, between suge or suga, "sedge, and sugashi pure."

349:2 The girl replies: "Even though I be childless. I care not if my lord cares not."

349:3 Yata-be.

Next: Section CXXVI.—Emperor Nin-toku (Part VIII.—Death of King Hayabusa-Wake and Queen Medori)