many , many years ago there lived in nara , the ancient capital of japan , a wise state minister , by name prince toyonari fujiwara . his wife was a noble , good , and beautiful woman called princess murasaki ( violet ) . they had been married by their respective families according to japanese custom when very young , and had lived together happily ever since . they had , however , one cause for great sorrow , for as the years went by no child was born to them . this made them very unhappy , for they both longed to see a child of their own who would grow up to gladden their old age , carry on the family name , and keep up the ancestral rites when they were dead . the prince and his lovely wife , after long consultation and much thought , determined to make a pilgrimage to the temple of hase - no - kwannon ( goddess of mercy at hase ) . they believed , according to the beautiful tradition of their religion , that the mother of mercy , kwannon , comes to answer the prayers of mortals in the form that they need the most . surely after all these years of prayer she would come to them in the form of a beloved child in answer to their special pilgrimage , for that was the greatest need of their two lives . everything else they had that this life could give them , but it was all as nothing because the cry of their hearts was unsatisfied .
sad .
how did the couple feel because they did not have a child ?
how did the couple feel because they did not have a child ?