then it was whispered in court circles that the princess hase, the daughter of prince toyonari fujiwara, second minister at court, was the most gifted poetess of the day, though still so young, and her masters confirmed the report. long ago, a beautiful and gifted maiden-poetess had moved heaven by praying in verse, had brought down rain upon a land famished with drought so said the ancient biographers of the poetess ono-no-komachi. if the princess hase were to write a poem and offer it in prayer, might it not stop the noise of the rushing river and remove the cause of the imperial illness? what the court said at last reached the ears of the emperor himself, and he sent an order to the minister prince toyonari to this effect.