The piteous wailing of a little child. 
  Which following, I found, amidst the flowers,
  A fair young child with crimson-mouthing lips
  And fresh soft cheek—­a veritable gem. 
  I took it as a gift that Buddha sent
  As guerdon of my faith, and brought it up
  As my own child, to be my husband’s joy
  And mine:  and, as I found thee couched
  Amidst white-blooming asters, I named thee
  White Aster in memorial of the day.”

The little maiden adds that her adopted mother made her promise never to marry any one save her so-called brother, and declares she is bound in honor to respect this maternal wish.  The governor, anxious to secure this beautiful bride, meantime sends the agent hurrying back with a chest full of gifts, the acceptance of which will make the bargain binding.  So the clever agent proceeds to exhibit tokens, which so dazzle the old peasant that he greedily accepts them all, while admiring neighbors gape at them in wonder.

Poor little White Aster, perceiving it will be impossible to resist the pressure brought to bear upon her, steals out of the peasant’s house at midnight, and, making her way across damp fields to the river, climbs up on the high bridge, whence she intends to fling herself into the rushing waters.  She pauses, however, to utter a final prayer, and, closing her eyes, is about to spring when a hand grasps her and a glad voice exclaims she is safe!  Turning around, White Aster’s wondering eyes rest upon the recluse, who ever since he escaped from the brigand’s clutches has vainly been seeking her everywhere.  He declares they shall never part again and tenderly leads her home, where she is overjoyed to find her father, who still mourns her absence.

Thankful for the return of his child, the father relates how, having fallen into a ravine,—­where he found water and berries in plenty,—­he vainly tried to scale the rocks, to escape from its depths and return home.  All his efforts having proved vain, he was almost ready to give up in despair, when a band of monkeys appeared at the top of the cliff and by grimaces and sounds showed him how to climb out by means of the hanging vines.  Trusting to these weak supports, the father scaled the rocks, but on arriving at the summit was surprised to discover no trace of the monkeys who had taught him how to escape.  He remembered, however, that while hunting one day he had aimed at a mother monkey and her babe, but had not injured them because the poor mother had made such distressing sounds of despair.  He adds it was probably in reward for this act of mercy that the monkeys saved his life.

              “I spared her life;
  And she, in turn, seeing my sorry plight,
  Cried to me from the rocks, and showed the way
  To flee from certain death.”

Thus, this epic ends with a neat little moral, and with the comforting assurance that White Aster, her father, and husband lived happy ever afterward.