Author's note:

"This little play is frankly acknowledged to be a recreative interpretation of a No play, translated into English by Arthur Waley. It is recreative because it departs from Arthur Waley’s text, and it is an interpretation because it seeks to elucidate references to Japanese beliefs which are unfamiliar to Western audiences, and which make the play difficult or impossible to understand.

A ritualistic treatment is required for the lighting and extinguishing of the candles. In fact, the whole play should be considered as a dance ritual, and — if it is animated with sincerity —  the patterning, rhythm and gesture should form an aesthetic whole, able to carry a spell-bound audience with it to a hushed climax.

K.B.