The evening world., 1920-12-20
The Worlds
Oldest
LOUe Stories
By MdIlbeTt st. Georges
Copyright. 1870. by The Prcus Publshins 90.
Clhs New York Evening Wofld)
NYo AND THE PRIEST OF
RunDHA

~ WI III u DuuuulbN teIlplC bhSAo
was a priest, whom this ia
nous Japanese legend does not
name, celebrated for his piety. One
day as he returned from visiting a
holy shrine he saw in a tea house a
maid like the fragrance of the ilies
when the wind sweeps 1t down from
the heights upon the weary traveller"
Now the rules of the Buddhist
priests command that they shall not
enter any tea house lest they should
forget their vows and fall into the
sinful ways Of the flesh. The priest
watched the beautiful girl. whose
name was Kiyo, and was sorely
tempted to enter and speak to her,
but remembering his spirituality, no
passed on and entered his temple.
That night however, sleep refused to
visit him. He tried to pray. 1t was
useless. In the midst of some holy
prayer a vision of Kiyo would spring
up beckoning him to come to her.
Finally the burning love that had
sprung up in him stified his religious
feelings and he entered the tea house
where Kiyo worked. Here the near
ness Of the woman he loved complete
ly overpowered his senses and he fell
entirely under her spell. She in her
turn returned his affection with pas
sion that knew no bound. For q
while 1t seemed to them that they had
found a perfect happiness, more perZ
feet even than the Nirvana we all seek
to reach.
After a while, though. remorse be-
gan to stir in the priest, and con-
science bade him give up his love. 4
long while he resisted. but flnaEy
good vanquished his passion after 4
terrific struggle.
Having stamped out his carnal love,
the priest nevertheless. decided to
deal gently with kiyo and not to in
crease her sorrow with a sudden de-
parture. Kiyo, howeyer, as soon as
she saw 'him realized what had hap
pened- At first she redoubled her
wiles, seeking to win him back. The
priest was determined, however, and
resisted all her feminine arts. Upon
the failure of her Establishments
Kiyo's thoughts turned TO vengeance.
She became possessed with the one
desire. to be revenged upon the false
lover and set out to fulfil her desire.
First, she went 10 the BhI me OK
Fudo, the god Of IRE and wisdom,
and prayed TO be shown how to kill
the priest. From there, having seem
ingly obtained the desired Inspira-
uun, She went to the shrine OF Kom-
p.ra, the brother OF the sun godoess
ana the creator Of mischief. Here
she prayed vehemently. At last 4
sprite, a servant of Kompira, ap-
iJeATeu aud taught Klyo the mysteries
| Of magic and SorcCry. He showed
| this gIrl, once so sweet and loving,
now to nge herself into a dragon
| serpent order that sh might be
| auIe TO funtil her revenge.
The next time the priest visited
Kiyo he told her that 1t was TO be for
the last time. On the contrary, far
from being a lover, he came as a
| priest to seek to persuade her to re-
noupce her love. She on her part
wept and pleaded, but to no avail.
Seeing he/was not to be persuaded,
| kiyO decided on her plan. She puT-
sued the priest right into the temple;
/ tnen before his terrified eyes turned
| herself into a huge serpent. With
shrieks Of fear he ted, while she pur-
sued, determined to have her venge-
! ance; but in her love for him, de-
| termined also to die with him.
AT last the priest took refuge under
the temple belL a bell weighing sew
eral tons, and so placed himself that
the serpent could not pursue him
there. The monster. however wound
itself about the bell and began to
exert its dreadful strength. All in
| vain were the prayers OF the captive
or of his fellow brethren: The priest
| had sinned and Buddha did not an
swer. Slowly the bell was crushed,
until finally it broke from it's support,
carrying TO their death the priest
and the serpent that had once been
| the sweet, beautiful Kiyo.
| That is all, except that by the inhaRi-
tants on the shores OF the River ca
daka, where this is said to have taken
place, the lovers now united in Mir
vana, are sometimes seen and heard,
/ happy now in the love that brought
them so much. sorrow.