October 23, 2025 • 11 mins
Listen Ad Free https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The fireflies lovers on the southern and sunny side of
the castle moats of the Fukui Castle in Echizen, The
water had long ago become shallow, so that lotus lilies
grew luxuriantly. Deep In the heart of one of the
great flowers, whose petals were as pink as the lining
of a seashell, lived the king of the fireflies, he O,
(00:24):
whose only daughter was the lovely Princess Hotaru. While still
a child, the princess had been carefully kept at home
within the pink petals of the lily, never going even
to the edges except to see her father fly off
on his journey. Dutifully, she waited until of age, when
(00:45):
the fire glowed in her own body and shone beautifully,
illuminating the lotus until its light gleamed like a lamp
within a globe of coral. Every night, her light grew
brighter and brighter, until at last it was as mellow
as gold. Then her father said, my daughter is now
(01:05):
of age. She may fly abroad with me sometimes, and
when the proper suitor comes, she may marry whom she will.
So Hattaroo flew forth in and out among the lotus lilies,
of the moat, then into rich rice fields, and at
last far off to the indigo meadows. Wherever she went,
(01:26):
a crowd of suitors followed her, for she had the
singular power of attracting all the night flying insects to herself.
But she cared for none of their attentions, and though
she spoke politely to them, all, she gave encouragement to none.
Yet some of the sheeny winged gallants called her a coquette.
(01:47):
One night, she said to her mother, the Queen, I
have met many admirers, but I do not wish a
husband from any of them. To night, I shall stay
at home, and if any of them love me truly,
they will come and pay me court here. Then I
shall lay an impossible duty on them. If they are wise,
they will not try to perform it. But if they
(02:10):
love their lives more than they love me, I do
not want any of them. Whoever succeeds, may have me
for his bride, as you will, my child, said the
queen mother, who arrayed her daughter in her most resplendent
robes and set her on the throne in the heart
of the lotus. Then she gave orders to her body
(02:31):
guard to keep all suitors at a respectful distance, lest
some stupid gallant, a horn bug or a cockchafer, dazzled
by the light, should approach too near and hurt the
princess or shake her throne. No sooner had twilight faded away.
Then forth came the golden beetle, who stood on a
stamen and making abaisins. Said, I am lord greold. I
(02:56):
offer my house, my fortune, and my love to Princess Hotie.
Go and bring me fire, and I will be your bride,
said Hattarou, with a bow of the head. The beetle
opened his wings and departed with a stately whir. Next
came a shining bug with wings and body as blank
as lamp smoke, who solemnly professed his passion. He received
(03:20):
the same answer, bring me fire, and you may have
me for your wife. Off flew the bug with a buzz.
Pretty soon came the scarlet dragonfly, expecting so to dazzle
the princess by his gorgeous colors that she would accept
him at once. I decline your offer, said the princess,
(03:42):
unless you bring me a flash of fire. Swift was
the flight of the dragonfly on his errand and in
came the beetle with a tremendous buzz and ardently pleaded
his suit I will say yes if you bring me fire,
said the glittering princess. Tuterar after suitor appeared to woo
(04:02):
the daughter of the King of the fireflies, until every
petal was dotted with them, one after another, in a
long troop. They appeared, each in his own way, proudly, humbly, boldly, mildly,
with flattery, with boasting, even with tears preferred his love,
told his rank, or expatiated on his fortune, or vowed
(04:26):
his constancy, sang his tune, or played his music to
every one of her lovers. The princess, in modest voice,
returned the same answer, bring me fire, and I'll be
your bride. So, without telling his rivals, each one, thinking
he had the secret, alone, sped away after fire, but
(04:48):
none ever came back to wed the princess Alas for
the poor suitors, the beetle whizzed off to a house
near by, through the paper windows of which like glimmer,
so full was he of his passion, that, thinking nothing
of wood or iron, he dashed his head against the
nail and fell dead on the ground. The black bug
(05:11):
flew into a room where a poor student was reading.
His lamp was only a dish of earthenware full of
rape seed oil, with a wick made of pith. Knowing
nothing of oil, the lovelorn bug crawled into the dish
to reach the flame, and in a few seconds was
drowned as in a sea. What's that, said the thrifty housewife,
(05:34):
sitting with needle in hand, as her lamp flared up
for a moment, smoking the chimney and then cracking it.
While picking out the scorched bits, she found a roasted
dragon fly, whose scarlet wings were all burned off. Mad
with love, the brilliant hawk moth, afraid of the flame,
yet determined to win the fire for the princess, hovered
(05:57):
round and round the candle flame, coming nearer and nearer
each time, now or never the princess or death. He
buzzed as he darted forward to snatch a flash of flame,
but singing his wings, he fell helplessly down and died
in agony. What a fool he was, to be sure,
(06:19):
said the ugly clothes moth, coming on the spot. I'll
get the fire. I'll crawl up inside the candle. So
he climbed up the hollow paper wick and was nearly
to the top and closed to the blue part of
the flame when the men snuffing the wick crushed him
to death. Sad indeed was the fate of the lovers
(06:41):
of Ho's daughter. Some hovered around the beacons on the headland.
Some fluttered about the great wax candles, which stood eight
feet high in their brass sockets in the temples of Buddha.
Some burned their noses at the top of incense sticks,
or were nearly choked by the smoke. Some danced all
night round the lanterns in the shrines. Some sought the
(07:04):
sepulchral lamps in the graveyards. One visited the cremation furnace,
another in the kitchen where a feast was going on.
Another chased the sparks flew out of the chimney, but
none brought fire to the princess or won the lover's prize.
Many lost their feelers, had their shining bodies scorched, or
(07:25):
their wings singed, but most of them alas lay dead,
black and cold. Next morning, as the priests trimmed the
lamps in the shrines and the servant made the lanterns.
Each said alike, the Princess Hotaru must have had many
lovers last night, alas poor suitors. Some tried to snatch
(07:49):
a streak of green fire from the cat's eyes and
were snapped up for their pains. One attempted to get
a mouthful of bird's breath, but was swallowed alove a
carrion beetle. The ugly lover crawled off to the seashore
and found some fish scales that emitted light. The stag
(08:09):
beetle climbed the mountain and in a rotten tree stump
found some bits of glowing wood like fire. But the
distance was so great that long before they reached the
castle moat it was daylight and the fire had gone out,
so they threw their fish scales in old wood away.
The next day was one of great mourning, and there
(08:31):
were so many funerals going on that Hi Morro, the
prince of the fireflies, on the north side of the
castle moat, inquired of his servants to cause. Then he
learned for the first time of the glittering princess. Upon this,
the prince, who had just succeeded his father upon the
throne fell in love with the princess and resolved to
(08:53):
marry her. He sent his chamberlain to ask of her
father his daughter in marriage. According to true etiquette, the
father agreed to the prince's proposal, with the condition that
the Prince should obey her behesting one thing, which was
to come in person, bringing her fire. Then the Prince,
at the head of his glittering battalions, came in person
(09:15):
and filled the Lotus palace with a flood of golden light.
But Hataru was so beautiful that her charms paled, not
their fire, even in the blaze of the Prince's glory.
The visit ended in wooing, and the wooing in wedding.
On the night appointed in a palantin made of the
white Lotus petals, amid the blazing torches of the Prince's
(09:39):
battalions of warriors, Hotaru was born to the Prince's palace,
and there the prince and princess were joined in wedlock.
Many generations have passed since Himro and Hotaru were married,
and still it is the whim of all firefly princesses
that their base born lovers must bring fire as their
(09:59):
love offering, or lose their prize, else would the glittering
fair ones be wearied unto death by the importunity of
their lovers. Great indeed is the loss, for in this
quest of fire, many thousand insects, attracted by the firefly
are burned to death in the vain hope of winning
(10:20):
the fire that shall gain the cruel but beautiful one
that fascinates them. It is for this cause that each
night insects hover around the lamp flame, and every morning
a crowd of victims drowned in the oil or scorched
in the flame, must be cleaned from the lamp. This
is the reason why young ladies catch and imprison the fireflies,
(10:43):
to watch the war of insect love, in the hope
that they may have human lovers who will dare as
much through fire and flood as they end of the
Firefli's Lovers by William Elliot Griffiths
The fireflies lovers on the southern and sunny side of
the castle moats of the Fukui Castle in Echizen, The
water had long ago become shallow, so that lotus lilies
grew luxuriantly. Deep In the heart of one of the
great flowers, whose petals were as pink as the lining
of a seashell, lived the king of the fireflies, he O,
(00:24):
whose only daughter was the lovely Princess Hotaru. While still
a child, the princess had been carefully kept at home
within the pink petals of the lily, never going even
to the edges except to see her father fly off
on his journey. Dutifully, she waited until of age, when
(00:45):
the fire glowed in her own body and shone beautifully,
illuminating the lotus until its light gleamed like a lamp
within a globe of coral. Every night, her light grew
brighter and brighter, until at last it was as mellow
as gold. Then her father said, my daughter is now
(01:05):
of age. She may fly abroad with me sometimes, and
when the proper suitor comes, she may marry whom she will.
So Hattaroo flew forth in and out among the lotus lilies,
of the moat, then into rich rice fields, and at
last far off to the indigo meadows. Wherever she went,
(01:26):
a crowd of suitors followed her, for she had the
singular power of attracting all the night flying insects to herself.
But she cared for none of their attentions, and though
she spoke politely to them, all, she gave encouragement to none.
Yet some of the sheeny winged gallants called her a coquette.
(01:47):
One night, she said to her mother, the Queen, I
have met many admirers, but I do not wish a
husband from any of them. To night, I shall stay
at home, and if any of them love me truly,
they will come and pay me court here. Then I
shall lay an impossible duty on them. If they are wise,
they will not try to perform it. But if they
(02:10):
love their lives more than they love me, I do
not want any of them. Whoever succeeds, may have me
for his bride, as you will, my child, said the
queen mother, who arrayed her daughter in her most resplendent
robes and set her on the throne in the heart
of the lotus. Then she gave orders to her body
(02:31):
guard to keep all suitors at a respectful distance, lest
some stupid gallant, a horn bug or a cockchafer, dazzled
by the light, should approach too near and hurt the
princess or shake her throne. No sooner had twilight faded away.
Then forth came the golden beetle, who stood on a
stamen and making abaisins. Said, I am lord greold. I
(02:56):
offer my house, my fortune, and my love to Princess Hotie.
Go and bring me fire, and I will be your bride,
said Hattarou, with a bow of the head. The beetle
opened his wings and departed with a stately whir. Next
came a shining bug with wings and body as blank
as lamp smoke, who solemnly professed his passion. He received
(03:20):
the same answer, bring me fire, and you may have
me for your wife. Off flew the bug with a buzz.
Pretty soon came the scarlet dragonfly, expecting so to dazzle
the princess by his gorgeous colors that she would accept
him at once. I decline your offer, said the princess,
(03:42):
unless you bring me a flash of fire. Swift was
the flight of the dragonfly on his errand and in
came the beetle with a tremendous buzz and ardently pleaded
his suit I will say yes if you bring me fire,
said the glittering princess. Tuterar after suitor appeared to woo
(04:02):
the daughter of the King of the fireflies, until every
petal was dotted with them, one after another, in a
long troop. They appeared, each in his own way, proudly, humbly, boldly, mildly,
with flattery, with boasting, even with tears preferred his love,
told his rank, or expatiated on his fortune, or vowed
(04:26):
his constancy, sang his tune, or played his music to
every one of her lovers. The princess, in modest voice,
returned the same answer, bring me fire, and I'll be
your bride. So, without telling his rivals, each one, thinking
he had the secret, alone, sped away after fire, but
(04:48):
none ever came back to wed the princess Alas for
the poor suitors, the beetle whizzed off to a house
near by, through the paper windows of which like glimmer,
so full was he of his passion, that, thinking nothing
of wood or iron, he dashed his head against the
nail and fell dead on the ground. The black bug
(05:11):
flew into a room where a poor student was reading.
His lamp was only a dish of earthenware full of
rape seed oil, with a wick made of pith. Knowing
nothing of oil, the lovelorn bug crawled into the dish
to reach the flame, and in a few seconds was
drowned as in a sea. What's that, said the thrifty housewife,
(05:34):
sitting with needle in hand, as her lamp flared up
for a moment, smoking the chimney and then cracking it.
While picking out the scorched bits, she found a roasted
dragon fly, whose scarlet wings were all burned off. Mad
with love, the brilliant hawk moth, afraid of the flame,
yet determined to win the fire for the princess, hovered
(05:57):
round and round the candle flame, coming nearer and nearer
each time, now or never the princess or death. He
buzzed as he darted forward to snatch a flash of flame,
but singing his wings, he fell helplessly down and died
in agony. What a fool he was, to be sure,
(06:19):
said the ugly clothes moth, coming on the spot. I'll
get the fire. I'll crawl up inside the candle. So
he climbed up the hollow paper wick and was nearly
to the top and closed to the blue part of
the flame when the men snuffing the wick crushed him
to death. Sad indeed was the fate of the lovers
(06:41):
of Ho's daughter. Some hovered around the beacons on the headland.
Some fluttered about the great wax candles, which stood eight
feet high in their brass sockets in the temples of Buddha.
Some burned their noses at the top of incense sticks,
or were nearly choked by the smoke. Some danced all
night round the lanterns in the shrines. Some sought the
(07:04):
sepulchral lamps in the graveyards. One visited the cremation furnace,
another in the kitchen where a feast was going on.
Another chased the sparks flew out of the chimney, but
none brought fire to the princess or won the lover's prize.
Many lost their feelers, had their shining bodies scorched, or
(07:25):
their wings singed, but most of them alas lay dead,
black and cold. Next morning, as the priests trimmed the
lamps in the shrines and the servant made the lanterns.
Each said alike, the Princess Hotaru must have had many
lovers last night, alas poor suitors. Some tried to snatch
(07:49):
a streak of green fire from the cat's eyes and
were snapped up for their pains. One attempted to get
a mouthful of bird's breath, but was swallowed alove a
carrion beetle. The ugly lover crawled off to the seashore
and found some fish scales that emitted light. The stag
(08:09):
beetle climbed the mountain and in a rotten tree stump
found some bits of glowing wood like fire. But the
distance was so great that long before they reached the
castle moat it was daylight and the fire had gone out,
so they threw their fish scales in old wood away.
The next day was one of great mourning, and there
(08:31):
were so many funerals going on that Hi Morro, the
prince of the fireflies, on the north side of the
castle moat, inquired of his servants to cause. Then he
learned for the first time of the glittering princess. Upon this,
the prince, who had just succeeded his father upon the
throne fell in love with the princess and resolved to
(08:53):
marry her. He sent his chamberlain to ask of her
father his daughter in marriage. According to true etiquette, the
father agreed to the prince's proposal, with the condition that
the Prince should obey her behesting one thing, which was
to come in person, bringing her fire. Then the Prince,
at the head of his glittering battalions, came in person
(09:15):
and filled the Lotus palace with a flood of golden light.
But Hataru was so beautiful that her charms paled, not
their fire, even in the blaze of the Prince's glory.
The visit ended in wooing, and the wooing in wedding.
On the night appointed in a palantin made of the
white Lotus petals, amid the blazing torches of the Prince's
(09:39):
battalions of warriors, Hotaru was born to the Prince's palace,
and there the prince and princess were joined in wedlock.
Many generations have passed since Himro and Hotaru were married,
and still it is the whim of all firefly princesses
that their base born lovers must bring fire as their
(09:59):
love offering, or lose their prize, else would the glittering
fair ones be wearied unto death by the importunity of
their lovers. Great indeed is the loss, for in this
quest of fire, many thousand insects, attracted by the firefly
are burned to death in the vain hope of winning
(10:20):
the fire that shall gain the cruel but beautiful one
that fascinates them. It is for this cause that each
night insects hover around the lamp flame, and every morning
a crowd of victims drowned in the oil or scorched
in the flame, must be cleaned from the lamp. This
is the reason why young ladies catch and imprison the fireflies,
(10:43):
to watch the war of insect love, in the hope
that they may have human lovers who will dare as
much through fire and flood as they end of the
Firefli's Lovers by William Elliot Griffiths
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!