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FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS
OF NORTH AMERICA

 i
ii Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America
FORAGING WILD EDIBLE PLANTS
OF NORTH AMERICA
More Than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature’s
Edibles

Second Edition

Christopher Nyerges

 iii
 GUIDES ®
FALCONGUIDES
An imprint of Globe Pequot, the trade division of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200
Lanham, MD 20706
www​.rowman​.com

Falcon and FalconGuides are registered trademarks and Make Adventure Your Story is a trademark of The
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright © 2023 by Christopher Nyerges

Photos by Christopher Nyerges except where indicated

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing-­in-­Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-­in-­Publication Data

Names: Nyerges, Christopher, author.

Title: Foraging wild edible plants of North America : more than 150 delicious recipes using nature’s
edibles / Christopher Nyerges.
Other titles: Falcon guide.
Description: Second edition. | Essex, Connecticut : FalconGuides, [2023] | Series: A Falcon guide | Includes
bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “A full-color field and feast guide with images of the
most common edible wild plants, complete with recipes and folklore”— Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022039801 (print) | LCCN 2022039802 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493064472 (paperback)
| ISBN 9781493064489 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Wild plants, Edible—North America. | Wild foods—North America. | Cooking (Wild
foods). | Field guides. | Illustrated works. | Cookbooks.
Classification: LCC TX369 .N94 2023 (print) | LCC TX369 (ebook) | DDC 641.3/02—dc23/
eng/20220831
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022039801
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022039802

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
To all those who provide sustenance
instead of merely making meals
this book is dedicated.
The author and The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., assume no liabil-
ity for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the
activities described in this book.

This book is a work of reference. Readers should always consult an expert

before using any foraged item. The author, editors, and publisher of this work
have checked with sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to confirm the
accuracy and completeness of the information presented herein and that the
information is in accordance with the standard practices accepted at the time of
publication. However, neither the author, editors, and publisher, nor any other
party involved in the creation and publication of this work warrant that the infor-
mation is in every respect accurate and complete, and they are not responsible for
errors or omissions or for any consequences from the application of the informa-
tion in this book. In light of ongoing research and changes in clinical experience
and in governmental regulations, readers are encouraged to confirm the informa-
tion contained herein with additional sources. This book does not purport to be
a complete presentation of all plants, and the genera, species, and cultivars dis-
cussed or pictured herein are but a small fraction of the plants found in the wild,
in an urban or suburban landscape, or in a home. Given the global movement of
plants, we would expect continual introduction of species having toxic proper-
ties to the regions discussed in this book. We have made every attempt to be
botanically accurate, but regional variations in plant names, growing conditions,
and availability may affect the accuracy of the information provided. A positive
identification of an individual plant is most likely when a freshly collected part of
the plant containing leaves and flowers or fruits is presented to a knowledgeable
botanist or horticulturist. Poison Control Centers generally have relationships with
the botanical community should the need for plant identification arise. We have
attempted to provide accurate descriptions of plants, but there is no substitute
for direct interaction with a trained botanist or horticulturist for plant identifi-
cation. In cases of exposure or ingestion, contact a Poison Control Center
(1.800.222.1222), a medical toxicologist, another appropriate heathcare pro-
vider, or an appropriate reference resource.
 CONTENTS
Why This Book? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
An Introduction to Wild Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About the Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What to Carry When Hiking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Why Wild Foods? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

BERRIES
Strawberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Wild Cherries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Blackberries/Raspberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

GREENS
Amaranth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Asparagus, Wild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Bracken . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Burdock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Cattail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chickweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chicory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Dandelion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Dock, Curly Dock, Yellow Dock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Epazote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Fennel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Filaree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Glasswort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Lamb’s-­quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Mallow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Milkweed, Common . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Miner’s Lettuce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Mustard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Nasturtium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Nettle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
New Zealand Spinach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Oxalis, Sour Grass, Shamrock, Wood Sorrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Plantain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
 Prickly Pear Cactus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Purslane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Russian Thistle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Shepherd’s Purse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Sow Thistle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Violet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Watercress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Wild Lettuce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Wild Onion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Wild Radish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

NUTS (AND SEEDS)

Amaranth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Lamb’s-­quarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Walnuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Acorns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Remembering Euell Gibbons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Nutritional Composition of Wild Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Recipe Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

x Contents
 WHY THIS BOOK?
Most of the plants included in this book are widely distributed and can be found
in most parts of North America, especially the United States. There are a few
exceptions to this, and we’ll tell you about them when you read the properties of
each plant. A few are natives of the West or the East, but most are imports from
Europe and elsewhere. The common weeds are the ubiquitous inhabitants of
vacant lots, plowed fields, edges of farmland, and backyards.
Greens are not sufficient to keep you alive by themselves, but they provide
the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Greens liven up soups, salads,
and MRE dishes, and anything made from dehydrated or stored foods. Greens
are the staff of life, and they can be included in any recipe that calls for spinach,
watercress, or lettuce. Yes, some have distinct flavors and textures, and yes, some
may require some getting used to.
For this new edition we’ve also included those fruits, nuts, and seeds that are
the most widespread in North America.
The plants that we profile here, and the recipes we provide, are an easy way
to get started with regularly using wild foods and introducing them into your
family’s diet.

 xi
xii Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America
 AN INTRODUCTION TO WILD PLANTS
Before agriculture and the tilling of the soil, we hunted and foraged for wild
plants. Collecting wild plants for our meals was second nature; it was just as
“normal” as modern people opening the refrigerator door.
As specific plants became locally favored, we began to centralize, manipulate,
and domesticate these wild plants near our living areas. It has been speculated
that agriculture began unintentionally when early man observed that certain
plants grew in and around the community’s manure piles. The hardy survivor
plants were those whose seeds passed through the human body and still sprouted
and grew.
In any event, it was certainly more convenient to have these hardier food
plants growing near the community where they could be easily harvested. The
gradual selection and domestication of a certain few groups of plants eventually
allowed civilizations to flourish and flower.
And while mankind was able to devote more time to crafts and arts, the
“wild ones” were increasingly ignored.
But they were not forgotten! The knowledge, use, and lore of wild plants
have been kept alive not just by Indian historians and botanists but by all the
peoples everywhere who have suffered hard times. During such hard times, those
who have retained the knowledge of the old ways know that whenever their
society failed them, they could turn to the earth to provide simple, and usually
adequate, sustenance.
North American Indians collected and used wild plants as a regular, day-­to-­
day activity. It was a part of life. Until relatively recent centuries, the Indians fully
utilized the gifts of nature. They freely shared their hard-­earned knowledge with
the European colonists, and many colonists owed their very survival to these
indigenous people. (And how was the favor repaid?)
The manner in which the indigenous California people practiced “agricul-
ture” with wild plants has been well documented in the book Tending the Wild
by M. Kat Anderson. Many of these techniques were practiced widely, not just in
California, such as the use of fire, digging sticks, and pruning, so that wild plants
produced reliably. It was an intensive, complex combination of ways of dealing
with the land on a large scale that was the rival of modern agriculture.
Wild foods have been used during wartime when normal food production is
curtailed or focused on military needs. During a war or an economic depression,
when diet may be dictated by food lines and ration coupons, wild foods are a
welcome supplement.
I’ve spoken with many people whose survival during World War II was
partially dependent on their ability to gather local wild foods. As one German

 1
woman told me, “Yes, we were as thin as sticks. There was no food! But the cat-
tail, nettles, and other wild plants kept us alive. That’s all there was!”
When food is abundant, we tend to forget the harsh realities that visit us
periodically and predictably. In our myopia during these times of plenty, we
pave over the food-­producing areas, cut down the food-­producing trees in favor
of pointless ornamentals, and vigorously poison our lawns and gardens to kill off
the last dandelion and chickweed in the name of order and beauty. How sad that
so many of us have chosen to ignore our roots!
Hoboes have romanticized the lifestyle of the traveling man, free from
the restrictions of the dominant society. The hobo, although usually seen as a
bum, loafer, freeloader, alcoholic, and generally a burden on society, was also
romantically seen as a member of the loose brotherhood of wandering nomads.
The life of the hobo, whether chosen or a matter of circumstance, was hard but
generally self-­reliant. The hobo found his food in an orchard, in a breadline, in
a trashcan, as barter for work, and of course, from all the freely growing weeds,
shrubs, and trees from coast to coast, from border to border and beyond. To
survive, the hobo utilized all the “free” resources available to him. (And yes, I
am well aware that such vagabonds are not generally liked by most members
of society.)
And don’t forget the contribution that unemployment and poverty have
made to keeping the knowledge of wild food plants alive. When that check stops
coming in, wild foods can be used to fill the gap.
One morning I sat with a friend on the front steps of his home. He had
been laid off from his job a few weeks earlier and, barely able to pay the rent, he
just didn’t have any money to buy food. He was hungry, he told me, and hadn’t
eaten much in three days. I asked him if he was using the food from his yard. His
response was great laughter, not as ridicule, but as he put it, because he needed
“real food.”
“Let’s look around,” I suggested. We walked around his yard gathering edi-
ble plants. It was spring and the yard was abundant with young weeds, since
he never bothered to mow the lawn and pull weeds. We collected enough wild
foods to make a large salad and several cooked vegetables. We even picked fresh
guava fruits from the backyard ornamental tree that my friend didn’t know was
there. The salad was simple but alive. The greens and vegetables, steamed and
buttered, were vibrant and delicious. The fruits were sweet, like manna from
heaven.
My friend was surprised that all this was in his small urban backyard. Now
he saw that the weeds in his yard were valuable resources. They were not just
bothersome growths that had to be pulled up and thrown away. Instead of token
substitutes for “real food,” my friend saw that these plants of the earth were,
indeed, real food.

2 Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America

Other documents randomly have
different content
 THE SOUL OF THE SAMURAI
Far upon a Western headland the pine trees waved their arms to
the sea and the sea god loved them and dashed his high foaming
spray to send them greeting. Giant torii[13] rose heavenward, that the
Golden Crow, the strange and mystic Hobo Bird, might rest there, in
his swift flight toward the sun god.
The sea flowed restless and proud at the foot of the cliffs and the
beach was soft and treacherous, and the sea god yearly claimed a
victim, when the air was heavy with the sweet scent of the wild
pittosporum.
O Nitta San was a great warrior. He fought for Go-Daigo the
emperor and was his faithful general. Many a battle he fought and
won, though the men of the Hojo Clan were many and strong and
fought well. But when he reached the headland of the pines, the soul
of O Nitta San was heavy within him.
“The men of the Hojo guard the sea with ships, they watch the hills
with archers,” he said to his head man. “They are as many as the
waves of the sea. Our fate is in the hands of the gods!”
“The favor of the gods must be won, O Nitta San,” said the head
man. “I am of small account, but let me throw myself into the sea,
and perchance the sea god may accept the sacrifice and smile upon
you, my master.”
“Not so,” replied O Nitta San. “I myself will appease the god of the
sea, that he may grant us a passage to conquer the city, for the glory
of my master the emperor.”
“Honorably the emperor will reward you,” said the head man
bowing low, but O Nitta San shook his head.
“I desire no reward,” he said. “Do you hear the chirp of that bird?
In a land where even the wild songsters of the forest cry ‘Chiu,’[14]
do not think a Samurai needs a reward.”
O Nitta San turned him to the cliffs, and he raised his hands to the
sea god and prayed long and earnestly. Then he drew from its
scabbard his sword, and lovingly he gazed upon its keen and shining
blade. He raised it toward the clouds and it gleamed in the moonlight
like a shimmering serpent.
“Beloved comrade, Soul of the Samurai,”[15] he cried. “Well have
you served me in many a fierce battle. You are a friend as well as a
servant. Now serve me once again and appease the wrath of the sea
god!” For a moment he lovingly laid the sword against his breast,
then “God of the Sea,” he cried aloud, “accept my sacrifice and care
for the Soul of the Samurai.” And so saying he cast far from him the
sword.
“he laid his sword against his breast”
 It screamed through the air and smote the water, and a myriad
sparkling crystals rose into the air. They leaped to encircle the
sword, as if lovingly encrusting it with diamonds. It rose upon a
wave, it fell, the pearl-like foam covered it, and O Nitta San saw it no
more.
But from the sea came a dull murmuring sound, and the waters
rolled back from the cliffs and a passageway appeared.
“Kompira has accepted my sacrifice,” cried O Nitta San. “We may
pass over in safety to conquest and glory.”
Then the army passed over at the edge of the cliff, and they fought
a mighty battle with the Hojo and took the city.
Go-Daigo was glad, and he greatly rewarded O Nitta San who was
proud and of a good heart fighting for the emperor.
He offered much rice and millet to Kompira, god of the sea, but
never, so long as he lived, did he smile when the sun-crested waves
sparkled and broke into diamonds before him, for he murmured to
himself, “Oh, Kompira, God of the Sea, deal gently with my offering,
be kind to the Soul of the Samurai.”
 Footnotes
[13] An archway placed before certain shrines in Japan;
originally a perch for sacred fowl heralding the approach of day.
[14] Loyalty.
[15] In Japan, a title given to the sword.
 THE DREAM OF THE GOLDEN BOX
Hojo Tokimasa had two daughters. Musako, the elder, was as
beautiful as the eight beauties of Omi. Her hair was as black as
polished ebony, her eyes were deep and dark and full of fire, her skin
was smooth as ivory. She was clever, too, as well as beautiful. But
her sister Ume was the favorite of her father.
Ume was sweet and gentle and her father thought to marry her
well, though she had not her sister’s beauty.
One night, Ume dreamed a good-luck dream, that a bird brought
her a golden box, and she told her sister, while she arranged the
elder’s ebon locks in the early morning.
“That is a dream of good omen,” said Musako. “Give it to me and I
will give you in return my golden mirror, into which I have so often
gazed.”
Now little Ume did not wish to part with her good-luck dream at all;
but, more than anything in the world, she desired to share her
sister’s beauty. So she said, as she thrust a superb jade hairpin into
place, “I will give you the dream, fair sister, and may it bring you
good fortune; and so may I, gazing into your mirror, gain some of
your radiant beauty, for to you the gods have been kind.”
Musako smiled at the flattery, and thought much all day upon the
happy dream.
Late in the twilight, when the moon shone through the flowering
plum tree and the fragrance of the plum blossoms stole over the
garden, and the nightingale sang of love in the branches, there came
a bold knock at the castle gate.
When the gate was opened and the stranger bidden welcome in
the name of the god of hospitality, he spoke simply, “I am Yoritomo.
The men of the Taira pursue me, and Kiyomori, their chief, has slain
my father and many of my father’s house. You are my father’s friend.
Of you I ask shelter.”
“You are welcome,” said Hojo. “Abide with us until safety awaits
you without.”
 Then Yoritomo thanked him and did remain. Ere long he sent his
retainer into Hojo’s presence to act as go-between, and ask him for
the hand of his daughter Ume. He had seen her. She was gentle and
discreet. She was the favorite of the old man, her father. Why should
he not be adopted into the family for her sake?
But his retainer desired ever the best for his beloved master. He
had seen the radiant beauty of Musako as she had walked in the
arbor of wistaria, herself a fairer flower, even, than the long purple
racemes swaying in the breeze. He decided in his own mind that the
elder sister was the one for his master.
“she arranged her sister’s ebon locks”
 “The falcon may not mate with the dove,” he said to himself. “O
Musako San is far more beautiful than her sister and more clever.
She will be a better mate for my glorious master than the gentle dove
her sister. I shall request her hand of Hojo San.”
So he demanded O Musako San from her father, and that good
man was much distressed.
“Truly I should like to give my daughter to your master,” he said.
“But she is promised to a lord of the Taira Clan and I dare not break
my word to him.”
Then the retainer returned to Yoritomo very sad. He bore such
glowing accounts of the beauty and cleverness of O Musako San
that Yoritomo’s curiosity was fired, and by night he stole beneath the
window where she sat peering into the garden and wondering when
the good-luck bird would fly to her.
How fair she was! And when she saw the handsome youth who
gazed so ardently upon her, how kindly her eyes looked upon him!
Yoritomo determined that she and no other should be his wife. He
stole her upon her very wedding day, not, perhaps, without her
father’s knowledge, and through all the troubles of his career, she
was his faithful wife.
But gazing into Musako’s mirror, the little sister grew fairer every
day, and she wedded a great lord and bore him many sons.
 THE PRINCESS OF THE SEA
A beautiful princess lived in the depths of the sea. She was fairer
than any mortal maiden, and sweet as she was fair. Her voice was
as gentle as the sea waves lapping the strand, her sigh was as soft
as the sound of the wind through the reeds of the shore, and her
laugh was musical as the tinkle of water through the coral branches.
Her mother was no more, but her father, the old Sea King, adored
her and gave her all the treasures of the deep. Her necklace was of
coral, her girdle was of pearls, her hairpins were of curiously carved
tortoise shell, her kimono was embroidered with feathery seaweed,
and her floating obi with delicate traceries of kelp, encircled her
slender waist.
The princess lived in a magnificent palace built of mother-of-pearl.
All the creatures of the sea had given to its adornment. Pearls
gleamed from its walls, amber pillars, like shafts of light, supported
its roof, while a million lights gleamed from branching corals. The
walls were tinted in exquisite colors and decorated with sprays of
seaweed floating in cool green waves in which the fish seemed really
swimming, so natural did they appear.
The princess did not always stay in this home, beautiful as it was.
She loved the fresh breath of the open sea. It brought the color into
her cheeks and made her happy. When she went forth she rode
upon a dolphin, who plunged through the sea foam and rode over
the crested waves with careless grace.
One day the princess mounted his back for a long ride. The next
day and the next she went again and always in the same direction.
Then her father noticed that she seemed sad, and he said to her,
“Where do you go each day, my daughter? Why is it that you do not
stay at home?”
“It is lonely here, my father,” she answered. “I like to ride upon the
top of the waves, for there I can watch the strange beings who live
upon the land. You talk to me of marrying. Find me a sea-prince like
one of those mortals whom I have seen and I will marry him.”
 “Whom have you seen?” demanded her father, much astonished,
for he did not know that she had ever seen a mortal.
“I know not his name,” said the maiden. “But I have seen him upon
the shore. He fishes there and I have heard many of the fishes say
how kind he is and how gentle. He is handsome, too. He fishes only
for such sea food as he must eat and he puts back into the water all
those fish which are not good for him to eat. Oh, my father! I love this
youth! He is so great and strong! Bring him to me!” and the little
princess clasped her hands together as she looked at her father.
But the Sea King was angry. “It is not fitting that you should think
such thoughts,” he said in high displeasure. “A sea princess should
not marry a mere mortal. Tarry at home henceforth! No more shall
you go to ride upon the dolphin!”
So the poor little princess stayed at home and pined. She missed
the fresh air of the upper sea and the sight of the blue sky, but above
all she missed the young fisherman. At last she grew weak and ill
and her father could endure it no longer.
“Are you pining still for that young mortal?” he asked one day; and
she replied,
“Oh, my father, unless I speak with him my heart will break!”
“Go to the shore where he fishes,” said the Sea King. “Change
yourself into a sea turtle and allow him to catch you in his net. You
say he is of such a wonderful kindness—well, Mortals do not eat
such turtles; and so if he throws you down upon the sands to die, I
will rescue you, but if he places you again in the water, I give my
consent to your bringing him here to my palace.”
This the wily old king said, thinking the fisherman would surely
throw the turtle aside; but the princess smiled happily, for she knew
he would prove kind.
Now Urashima, for that was the fisherman’s name, knew nothing
at all of all this. When therefore next day he found in his net a huge
turtle, he said to himself, “Well, my fine fellow, what a pity it is that
you are not eatable! You would make a good meal for my honorable
parents were you as good as you are big. But since you are not, run
along home to your friends,” and he dropped the turtle back into the
waves.
 What was his surprise to see rise from the sea and come toward
him across the crested waves, a huge dolphin, carrying on its back a
sea nymph fair as the dawn. She cast upon him a sun-bright glance
and said,
“Come with me, oh Mortal! Come to the depths of my sea-girt
home and see my palace of emerald and pearl. I was that turtle
which you cast into the sea, for I took that form to see if you were of
as great kindness of heart as the fishes said.”
Urashima stood spellbound and stared at the vision of loveliness
before him.
“Come with me,” said the princess, again. “The coral caves await
you,—will you not come?”
“a dolphin carrying on its back a sea nymph”
 “Not for all the wealth of the ocean would I leave my beloved
home, but to be with you, loveliest of sea nymphs,” cried Urashima,
bewitched by her beauty and loveliness.
He went with her to the depths of the ocean and there memory fell
from him, and he forgot his home. He thought only of the princess
and basked in the sunshine of her smile.
So they were married and lived happily, and even the old Sea King
grew to like Urashima and blessed him before he died.
Urashima had lived in the Dragon Palace of the Princess of the
Sea what seemed to him but a short time when memory came to him
again. He thought of his father and mother and of his little brothers
and sisters, and he grew sad. The princess watched him and her
heart sank.
“He will go from me and not return,” she sighed. “Alas! alas! for
mortal love!”
Urashima at last said to the princess, “Beloved princess, I have
spent these months of our life together in happiness so great that I
would that it could last forever. I remember, however, my old home
and the dear ones I left there. Give me leave, therefore, to return to
earth for but a day, that I may see them once more. They know not
where I am. They know nothing of my happiness. Let me go, and
quickly I will return.”
“Alas, my beloved, you will never return,” she said. “Never more
will your deep sea home see you again,—that my poor heart tells
me. But if the yearning for home has seized you, I may not keep you
here. Go, but take this with you,” and she handed him a casket made
of a single pearl and set with a picture of the princess. “So long as
you keep this unopened you may return; but open it, and you will
never see me again. Farewell.”
So Urashima returned to earth bearing with him the little casket.
His home seemed strange to him. The village street was not what
it used to be; his father’s house no longer stood beneath the tall
bamboo; he saw no familiar faces. At last, puzzled and distressed,
he asked a passer-by if he knew aught of the people of Urashima.
“Urashima!” he answered in amazement. “He was drowned in the
sea, many, many years ago. His people all lie buried on the hill. Their
very tombs are lichen-grown with age.”
 “Am I dreaming,” cried Urashima. “My Sea Princess, what have
you done to me?”
Then seizing the casket he gazed upon the face of the nymph and
as he did so a strange desire came over him to see what was within.
He opened it just a crack and a thin, gray smoke rose toward
heaven, and in the curling clouds he seemed to see the lovely form
of the princess, and her eyes gazed sadly at him. Then he looked
down at himself in wonder. From a stalwart youth he had become a
white-haired old man; and, weeping bitterly, he stretched forth his
hands to the sea.
“Ah, my princess, farewell forever. Without thee I faint and die. Thy
love alone gave life,” and he sank down upon the sands and was no
more.
He had been gone from earth a thousand years.
 THE FIREFLY OF MATSUI
Shizoku of Matsui loved a maiden called Kennei-Botaru, for she
was bright and sparkling. Late one snowy night he was returning
from a wedding party when amidst the tiny snowflakes which were
beginning to fall, he saw a strange light flicker and flash before him.

“Kagaribo mo
Hotaru mo hikaru
Genji kama!”[16]

he exclaimed, wondering that the O-botaru (great firefly) should be

flitting about in winter snows.
As he gazed upon it, the creature flashed and darted toward him
and so annoyed him that he thrust at it with the stick he carried.
Hither and yon it flashed, like a will-o’-the-wisp until at last it darted
away into the garden of the house wherein dwelt his betrothed.
The next day he saw his beloved, and she said to him shyly, “Last
night I had a strange dream. I thought I had wings and could fly and
that I was flying through the night. It was cold and there was snow in
the air and I said to myself, ‘Where is my beloved that I may fly to his
breast and be warm?’ Then I saw you coming swiftly toward the
bridge with your lantern, though the moon shone bright in the
heavens. Then I flew to you, but you were not overjoyed to receive
me. You struck at me and drove me from you, and I fled in terror into
the garden where I hid myself in the heart of a plum blossom, and
the snow fell upon me and I was cold. Then I awoke and I was
afraid, and something whispered to me ‘His heart is cold to you as
was the heart of the plum blossom when the snow fell upon it!’ What
means my dream?”
“Indeed, I can not tell,” he made answer. “But I know well you read
its meaning wrong. Were I to drive you from me and you to seek
another, then would your heart’s resting place be cold as was the
plum blossom of your dream. But trouble not yourself, beloved, for
never shall I drive you away,” and he smiled upon her and the heart
of O Botaru San was comforted.
“he thrust at it with the stick”
 Footnotes
[16]

“Is that the glimmer of far festal fires,

Or the shimmering of the firefly?
Ah, it is the Genji!”
 THE MOUNTAIN ROSE
Ota Dakwan was a noble daimio.[17] His castle was filled with
retainers who waited upon him, at his least word flying to obey his
commands. Men vied with each other to do him honor, bowing low
before him as he passed and saying “Behold Ota Dakwan, the
Daimio!”
Young maidens blushed at his name and when the moon shone
through the lattice, sighed to the nightingale to sing the praises of
this splendid warrior.
Honors crowded thick upon him, but of it all he wearied and often
sought the forest, there to hunt in solitude. Where the great trees
spread their branches and the bamboos and the pines talked
together he spent many hours, returning to his castle at night, weary,
but with his game bag full.
Often people said to him, “What do you find so wonderful in the
forests of the hill country?”
“Sunlight and shade,” he answered, “everglade and waterfall,
game to hunt and no one to say me nay; above all, the mighty
mountain, cool and aloof as is the spirit of the great;” and at his
answer men wondered.
One day Ota Dakwan hunted long upon the mountain-side, so
long that he wandered far from home and a great storm of rain came
upon him, from which there was no shelter. He was glad, therefore,
when in a lonely spot he saw a tiny cottage beside a grove of great
bamboos, and he ran to it for shelter.
Within was a young maiden who smiled upon him, but spoke not.
She was beautiful as a dream though poorly clad, and he said to her,
“Will you lend me a straw rain coat? for every tree in the forest sends
down her showers and I shall be drenched before I can reach my
home.”
The maiden blushed deeply and without a word hastily left the
room. In a moment she returned, her delicate cheeks flushed pink,