but hase - hime bore every unkindness with patience . she even waited upon her step - mother kindly and obeyed her in every way and never gave any trouble , just as she had been trained by her own good mother , so that the lady terute had no cause for complaint against her . the little princess was very diligent , and her favorite studies were music and poetry . she would spend several hours practicing every day , and her father had the most proficient of masters he could find to teach her the koto ( japanese harp ) , the art of writing letters and verse . when she was twelve years of age she could play so beautifully that she and her step - mother were summoned to the palace to perform before the emperor . thus was the wicked woman punished in losing her own child when she had tried to do away with her step - daughter . instead of blaming herself , she began to hate hase - hime more than ever in the bitterness and wretchedness of her own heart . she eagerly watched for an opportunity to do her harm , which was , however , long in coming . when hase - hime was thirteen years of age , she had already become mentioned as a poetess of some merit . this was an accomplishment very much cultivated by the women of old japan and one held in high esteem . 
she was very diligent .
how had hase-hime become a poetess of some merit ?
how had hase-hime become a poetess of some merit ?