Middle Counselor Ishikawa no Maro spoke to his household servants, “When swallows begin building their nests, inform me.” The servants asked, “What does the master intend to do?” He replied, “I want to obtain the swallows’ egg-shell bead.”
The servants said, “We have seen people kill many swallows, but we’ve never found such a thing in their bellies. Perhaps, it appears when swallows lay eggs. However, how can it be obtained? Swallows flee at the sight of humans.”
Another person suggested, “In the palace’s large kitchen, many swallows build nests in the holes of the cooking area’s beams. We could construct a platform there and have several strong men climb up to peer into the nests. There are many swallows there, and perhaps one or two might be laying eggs. We could then kill them and seize the egg-shell beads.”
Middle Counselor Ishikawa was very pleased with this suggestion and said, “That’s a good idea, I hadn’t thought of that. Your suggestion makes sense.” He then chose twenty loyal male servants, constructed a platform, and had them climb up. He continually sent people to ask, “How is it going? Have you got the egg-shell bead?” But the swallows, frightened by the many people climbing up, dared not come near. This was reported back to Ishikawa, who became despondent, unsure of what to do next.
At this time, an old steward in the kitchen, named Maro, came forward and said to Ishikawa’s family, “Your lord wishes to obtain the egg-shell bead, and I have an idea.” The family relayed this to Ishikawa, who summoned the old man for a cordial discussion. Maro said, “The method you’re using won’t work; you won’t be able to obtain it that way. Firstly, having twenty or so people climb up will only frighten the swallows; they won’t come near. You should dismantle the platform and ask everyone to come down. Then select a competent man to sit in a large basket. Tie a rope to the basket and hang it from a pulley on the beam. When a swallow approaches, quickly pull the rope to raise the basket. This man can then reach out and take the egg-shell bead. This way, you’re guaranteed to succeed.”
Ishikawa said, “That is indeed a good strategy.” He dismantled the platform and called the men down. He asked Maro, “But how will we know when the swallows are laying eggs to pull the man up?”
Maro answered, “When a swallow is about to lay eggs, it tilts its tail upwards, flicking it seven times. On the seventh flick, pull the basket up, and you’ll be able to get the egg-shell bead.”
Ishikawa, overjoyed by this advice, secretly entered the large kitchen and squeezed among the crowd, supervising the operation day and night. He greatly praised Maro for this method, saying, “Though you are not one of my household, you truly understand my desires.” Before even obtaining the egg-shell bead, he was so delighted that he took off his own clothes and rewarded Maro, saying, “You must come back to the kitchen tonight to help again,” and dismissed Maro for the time being.
As evening approached, Ishikawa returned to the kitchen. Sure enough, the swallows were building nests and, just as Maro had described, their tails were flicking. He hurriedly had someone enter the basket, pulled it up, and instructed the man to reach into the nest. After feeling around, the man reported, “There’s nothing here!”
Ishikawa became angry and said, “It’s because you don’t know how to search.” He thought about choosing another person but finally declared, “Let me go up and feel for it myself.” He sat in the basket, which was slowly raised. Peering into the nest, he saw a swallow flicking its tail. He quickly reached in and felt a flat object, and exclaimed, “Ah, got it! Got it! Lower me down, Maro! I have it, I have it!” People gathered around and pulled the rope to lower him, but they pulled too hard, snapping the rope. Ishikawa in the basket fell and landed squarely in a large pot.
People were shocked and rushed over to lift him out. Finding him with eyes rolled back and breath halted, they hurriedly poured water into his mouth. After a while, he revived. They massaged his arms and legs, then lifted him out of the pot and asked, “How do you feel now?” Ishikawa gasped, “A bit better. I can’t move my waist, but I’ve firmly held onto the egg-shell bead. The goal is achieved. Forget everything else; quickly bring a
candle, let me see this treasure.”
He raised his head and opened his hand to look, only to find that what he was clutching was an old piece of swallow dung! Ishikawa exclaimed, “Alas! No bead!”
From then on, any ineffective endeavor was termed as “no bead.”
Ishikawa, realizing it was not the egg-shell bead, was greatly disheartened. Not only was he unable to present it to Princess Kaguya, but he also had fractured his spine. The foolish act had compromised his health, and he dreaded the thought of being ridiculed by society. The more he dwelt on this humiliation, the weaker he felt. Failing to obtain the bead was one thing, but the ridicule from others was a true disgrace, more embarrassing than dying from a common illness.
Princess Kaguya, upon hearing the news, composed a poem to console him:
“For years without a word, surely no bead was found.”
When the family recited this poem to Ishikawa, he lifted his head amidst his melancholy, requested paper and pen, and wrote a response:
“Though the bead was not found, poetry was; to save my life, just one glance at you.”
After writing the poem, he passed away. Princess Kaguya, learning of his death, felt deeply regretful.