No one had sharper ears than the Minister of the Treasury. He truly could have heard the fall of a mosquito’s eyelash.
The mountain dove is a very pure-hearted and touching bird—they say it can be comforted by showing it a mirror when it’s longing for its mate. It’s heart-breaking to imagine how they feel when separated for the night by a ravine.
It’s beautiful the way the water drops hang so thick and dripping on the garden plants after a night of rain in the ninth month, when the morning sun shines fresh and dazzling on them…. I also find it fascinating that things like this can utterly fail to delight others.
— Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book, translated by Meredith McKinney
