Apparently, this is the original story for the reason people attach much importance to irises on the occasion of Boys festival on Mary 5^th:  A strange old man said he would obtain immortality by eating irises.  But right after he said that he disappeared into thin air.  Stories from ancient China about mountain hermits with psychic powers are very interesting.  Now I remember that decades ago my teacher wrote a passage as a model for me to practice from an ancient Chinese poem that features an old man with green hair.  At that time, I instantly thought I would write the whole poem.  But a long, long time has passed since then without my performance.

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菖蒲は縁起がいいとして端午の節句で重宝される風習の元のお話だとか：おじいさんが菖蒲を食して不老長寿になるとか、でもそのことを言うと即、露のように消えてしまったとか。仙人が出てくる中国の古いお話はとても面白いです。何十年も前のこと、先生が緑色の髪の翁が出てくる詩の一節をお手本に書いてくださいました。そのときすぐ、全文を書こうと思い立ち、それから、実現しないまま随分と年月が経ちました。

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