Kudayu monologue (Act 7) — Chushingura; Or, The Treasury of Loyal Retainers

Ha, ha, ha! Why, Master Goemon, these flowers gladden men’s eyes only for a while, and then are scattered by the wind. Your words are like them. To give others pleasure, you pay in a way unworthy of a samurai compliments, from which the gilt comes off as readily as from the New Year’s wishes. Ask me why I say so. Our lord, whose duty it was to entertain the guests, wounded one who is the head of the government and caused a great uproar in the Palace; the penalty for his offence is at the lightest banishment and at the heaviest _seppuku_. It was, in fact, a great mistake of our lord to make an enemy of Lord Moronao.