The woman who is too indifferent and too
forgiving
is also
inconsiderate.
inconsiderate.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v14 - Ibn to Juv
8160 (#360) ###########################################
8160
JAPANESE LITERATURE
ELEGY
[Written by a poet named Nibi, of whom nothing is known. ]
THE
HE gulls that twitter on the rush-grown shore
When fall the shades of night,
That o'er the waves in loving pairs do soar
When shines the morning light,-
'Tis said e'en these poor birds delight
To nestle each beneath his darling's wing
That, gently fluttering,
Through the dark hours wards off the hoar-frost's might.
Like to the stream that finds
The downward path it never may retrace,
Like to the shapeless winds,
Poor mortals pass away without a trace:
So she I love has left her place,
And in a corner of my widowed couch,
Wrapped in the robe she wove me, I must crouch
Far from her fond embrace.
TO A FRIEND
(Written by Hitomaru, probably without a peer among Japan's ancient
poets. Hitomaru was not of high rank among nobles, though of imperial
descent. He became a provincial officer, and died in the year 737. ]
JAPA
APAN is not a land where men need pray,
For 'tis itself divine:
Yet do I lift my voice in prayer, and say,
“May every joy be thine!
"And may I too, if thou those joys attain,
Live on to see thee blest! »
Such the fond prayer that, like the restless main,
Will rise within my breast.
ODE TO FUJI-YAMA
[The name of the writer of this ode is not known. ]
T"
HERE on the border, where the land of Kai
Doth touch the frontier of Suruga's land,
A beauteous province stretched on either hand,
See Fuji-yama rear his head on high!
## p. 8161 (#361) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8161
The clouds of heaven in reverent wonder pause;
Nor may the birds those giddy heights essay
Where melt thy snows amid thy fires away,
Or thy fierce fires lie quenched beneath thy snows.
What name might fitly tell, what accents sing,
Thine awful, godlike grandeur ? 'Tis thy breast
That holdeth Narusawa's flood at rest,
Thy side whence Fujikawa's waters spring.
Great Fuji-yama, towering to the sky!
A treasure art thou given to mortal man,
A god-protector watching o'er Japan;
On thee forever let me feast mine eye!
SPRING
[These verses and the three following stanzas are taken from the (Kokin-
shū,' B. H. Chamberlain's translation. The Kokinshū (Collection of Songs
Ancient and Modern) was compiled 905–922, by Kino Tsurayuki and others.
Sosei, the writer of these verses on Spring, was a Buddhist abbot living in
the latter part of the ninth century. ]
MID the branches of the silvery bowers
The nightingale doth sing: perchance he knows
That spring hath come, and takes the later snows
For the white petals of the plum's sweet flowers.
A"
SUMMER
[Written by Henjo, who was a Buddhist bishop and one of the leading
men of his time, 830–890. Prior to his taking the vows of religion Henjo was
prominent in court circles, and was married. The poet Sosei was his son. ]
O
LOTOS-LEAF! I dreamt that the wide earth
[true:
Held naught more pure than thee,— held naught more
Why then, when on thee rolls a drop of dew,
Pretend that 'tis a gem of priceless worth ?
XIV-511
## p. 8162 (#362) ###########################################
8162
JAPANESE LITERATURE
AUTUMN
[By Chisato, Vice-governor of Iyo, etc. ; a prolific writer, - 850-900. ]
A
THOUSAND thoughts of tender vague regret
Crowd on my soul, what time I stand and gaze
On the soft-shining autumn moon; and yet
Not to me only speaks her silvery haze.
WINTER
[Tsurayuki, the writer of these lines, was probably the leading poet of his
day, - 880–950. He compiled the Kokinshū. ? He was also the first master of
Japanese written prose. His preface to the Kokinshū,' and his diary the
«Tosa Nikki, marked the beginning of a new age in Japanese literature. ]
HEN falls the snow, lo! every herb and tree,
That in seclusion through the wintry hours
Long time had been held fast, breaks forth in flowers
That ne'er in spring were known upon the lea.
W"
AGE OF THE PROSE CLASSICS
900-1200 A. D.
THE MAID OF UNAI
[From the "Yamato Monogatari,' 900-1000, translated by B. H. Chamber-
lain. Author of these (Stories of Yamato) (Japan) unknown, but said to have
been, in part at least, the retired Emperor Kwanzan, 983-985. The stories
contain nearly three hundred poems. ]
I
N DAYS of old there dwelt a maiden in the land of Settsu, whose
hand was sought in marriage by two lovers. One, Mubara
by name, was a native of the same country-side; the other,
called Chinu, was a native of the land of Idzumi. The two were
alike in years, alike in face, in figure, and in stature; and whereas
the maiden thought to accept the wooing of him that should the
more dearly love her, lo! it fell out that they both loved her
with the same love. No sooner faded the light of day than both
came to do their courting, and when they sent her gifts the gifts
were quite alike. Of neither could it be said that he excelled
the other, and the girl meanwhile felt sick at heart. Had they
been men of lukewarm devotion, neither would ever have obtained
## p. 8163 (#363) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8163
the maiden's hand; but it was because both of them, day after
day and month after month, stood before the cottage gate and
made evident their affection in ten thousand different ways, that
the maiden pined with a divided love. Neither lover's gifts were
accepted, and yet both would come and stand, bearing in their
hands gifts. The maiden had a father and a mother, and they
said to her: « Sad is it for us to have to bear the burden of
thine unseemly conduct in thus carelessly, from month to month
and from year to year, causing others to sorrow. If thou wilt
accept the one, after a little time the other's love will cease. ”
The maiden made answer, That likewise was my thought. But
the sameness of the love of both has made me altogether sick at
heart. Alas! what shall I do? ”
Now in olden days the people dwelt in houses raised on plat-
forms built out into the river Ikuta. So the girl's father and
mother, summoning to their presence the two lovers, spake thus:
“Our child is pining with a love divided by the equal ardor of
your worships. But to-day we intend, by whatever means, to fix
her choice. One of you showeth his devotion by coming hither
from a distant home; the other is our neighbor, but his love is
boundless. This one and that are alike worthy of our pitying
regard. ”
Both the lovers heard these words with respectful joy;
and the father and mother continued:- “What we have further in
our minds to say is this: Floating on our river is a water-bird.
Draw your bows at it; and to him that shall strike it will we
have the honor to present our daughter. ” “Well thought! ”
replied the lovers twain; and drawing their bows at the same
instant, one struck the bird in the head and the other in the
tail, so that neither could claim to be the better marksman. Sick
with love, the maiden cried out:
"Enough, enough! Yon swiftly-flowing wave
Shall free my soul from her long anxious strife;
Men call fair Settsu's stream the stream of life,
But in that stream shall be the maiden's grave! ”
and with these words, let herself fall down into the river from
the platform that overlooked it.
While the father and mother, frantic with grief, were raving
and shouting, the two lovers plunged together into the stream.
One caught hold of the maiden's foot and the other of her hand,
and the three sank together and perished in the flood. Terrible
## p. 8164 (#364) ###########################################
8164
JAPANESE LITERATURE
was the grief of the girl's father and mother, as, amid tears and
lamentations, they lifted her body out of the water and prepared
to give it burial. The parents of the two lovers likewise came
to the spot, and dug for their sons graves beside the grave of
the maiden. But the father and mother of him that dwelt in the
same country-side raised an outcry, saying, “That he who belongs
to the same land should be buried in the same place, is just.
But how shall it be lawful for an alien to desecrate our soil ? »
So the parents of him that dwelt in Idzumi laded a junk with
Idzumi earth, in which, having brought it to the spot, they laid
their son. And to this day the maiden's grave stands there in
the middle, and the graves of her lovers on either side.
HOW THE SEA WAS CALMED
[From the «Tosa Nikki); W. G. Aston's translation. Tsurayuki traced his
descent to one of the Mikados. He held office his life throughout. This diary
was written in 935, on the return journey from Tosa, a province he had been
governing, to Kyoto the capital. ]
M
EANWHILE a sudden gale sprung up, and in spite of all our
efforts we fell gradually to leeward, and were in great
danger of being sent to the bottom. “This god of Sumi-
yoshi,” said the captain, “is like other gods. What he desires is
not any of the fashionable articles of the day. Give him nusa*
as an offering. ” The captain's advice was taken, and nusa were
offered; but as the wind, instead of ceasing, only blew harder
and harder, and the danger from the storm and sea became
,
more and more imminent, the captain again said, “Because the
august heart of the god is not moved for nusa, neither does the
august ship move: offer to him something in which he will take
greater pleasure. ” In compliance with this advice I thought
what it would be best to offer. “Of eyes I have a pair; then
let me give to the god my mirror, of which I have only one. ”
The mirror was accordingly flung into the sea, to my very great
regret. But no sooner had I done so than the sea itself became
as smooth as a mirror.
* Pieces of silk carried by worshipers as temple offerings.
## p. 8165 (#365) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8165
DISCOVERY OF THE ISLE OF IMMORTAL YOUTH, MT. HORAI
[From the “Taketori Monogatari, 850-950; translated by F. Victor Dick-
ins. Authorship unknown, but ascribed to one Minamoto Jun. Materials of
the story taken from Chinese and Indian sources. This extract is part of a
description of the wanderings of a
the wanderings of a Japanese Ulysses. ”]
T***
>>
C
our
HEN the Ancient fell to busying himself with putting the
chamber in order, and after a while went out and accosted
the Prince again, saying, “Your servant would fain know
what manner of place it may be where grows this tree,- how
wonderful a thing it is, and lovely and pleasant to see! ” And
the Prince answered: «The year before yester-year, on the tenth
: «
-
of the second month, we took boat at Naniwa and sculled out
into the ocean, not knowing what track to follow: but I thought
to myself, what would be the profit of continuing life if I might
not attain the desire of my heart; so pressed we onwards, blown
where the wind listed. If we perished even, what mattered it ?
While we lived we would make what way we could over the sea-
plain, and perchance thus might we somehow reach the mountain
men do call Horai. So resolved, we sculled further and further
over the heaving waters, until far behind us lay the shores of
own land.
And as
we wandered thus, now, deep in the
trough of the sea we saw its very bottom; now, blown by the
gale we came to strange lands, where creatures like demons fell
upon us and were like to have slain us. Now, knowing neither
whence we had come nor whither we tended, we were almost
swallowed up by the sea; now, failing of food we were driven to
live upon roots; now again, indescribably terrible beings came
forth and would have devoured us; or we had to sustain our
bodies by eating of the spoil of the sea. Beneath strange skies
were we, and no human creature was there to give us succor; to
many diseases fell we prey as we drifted along, knowing not
whitherwards; and so tossed we over the sea-plain, letting our
boat follow the wind for five hundred days. Then about the
hour of the dragon, four hours ere noon, we a high hill
looming faintly over the watery waste. Long we gazed at it,
and marveled at the majesty of the mountain rising out of the
Lofty it was and fair of form; and doubting not it was the
mountain we were seeking, our hearts were filled with awe. We
plied the oar and coasted it for two days or three, and then we
saw a woman arrayed like an angel come forth out of the hills,
saw
sea.
## p. 8166 (#366) ###########################################
8166
JAPANESE LITERATURE
bearing a silver vessel which she filled with water. So we landed
and accosted her, saying, “How call men this mountain ? ' and
she said, ''Tis Mount Horai;' whereat our hearts were filled
with joy. ”
COURT FESTIVALS IN THE ELEVENTH CENTURY
[From the Makura no Sōshi, 1000-1050; W. G. Aston's translation. The
author, Sei Shōnagon, was a direct descendant from a Mikado, and was for
some time chief lady-in-waiting to the Empress. With the death of her mis-
tress in the year 1000 she left the court, entered a convent, and there com-
posed this Pillow Book,' a masterpiece in Japanese prose. ]
W"
HAT delightful anniversaries festivals are! Each one brings
its special pleasures, but none to my mind is so enjoyable
as New Year's Day. It is early springtime then, when
the weather is settled, and the morning breaks serenely. A quiet
haze is spread over hill and dale, which the sun disperses when
he rises, and shows the dewdrops sparkling in his rosy beams.
The world seems glad and happy; and in the shining faces of the
neighbors, glowing from the frosty air of morning, content and
peace is plainly written. How pleasant it is to watch them as
they pass, in holiday attire, intent on making their congratula-
tions to their master, and ignorant the while that their very
lightness of heart is an unconscious compliment to themselves.
It is the 7th day of the month when people, tempted by the
fineness of the weather, go out in company to pick the wakana
(wild pot-herbs). The snow is off the ground, and great is the
excitement amongst the ladies of the court, who have so seldom
the opportunity of a country trip. What fun to watch the farm-
ers' wives and daughters, arrayed in all their hoarded finery, and
riding in their wagons (made clean for the occasion), as they
come to see the races in the court-yard of the palace. It is
most diverting to observe their faces from our grated windows.
How prim and proper they appear, all unconscious of the shock
their dignity will get when the wagon jolts across the huge beam
at the bottom of the gate, and knocks their pretty heads together,
disarranging their hair, and worse still, mayhap breaking their
combs. But that is after all a trifle when compared to their alarm
if a horse so much as neighs. On this account the gallants of the
court amuse themselves by slyly goading the horses with spear
and arrow-point, to make them rear and plunge and frighten the
?
## p. 8167 (#367) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8167
wenches home in fear and trembling. How silly too the men-
at-arms look, their foolish faces painted with dabs of white here
and there upon their swarthy cheeks, like patches of snow left
on a hillside from a thaw!
Then there is the 15th of the first month, when appointments
for the next four years are made. How eagerly candidates for
office rush here and there through falling snow and sleet, with
their memorials in their hands! Some have the jaunty air and
confidence of youth; but others, more experienced, are weary
and dejected-looking. How the old white-headed suitors crave an
audience of the ladies of the palace, and babble to them of their
fitness for the places they seek! Ah! little do they suspect when
they have turned their backs what mirth they have occasioned!
How the ladies mimic them — whining and drawling!
ON THE CHARACTERS OF WOMEN
[From the (Genji Monogatari,' 1004, translated by Kencho Suyematsu.
This romance of Prince Genji was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady of
noble birth and a member of the great family of the Fujiwara, who were at
the time practically rulers of Japan. It is said that not only does the classic
literature of Japan find consummate illustration in this story, but that the
history of the time, especially in its social characteristics, is here most vividly
set forth. ]
“H
ow varied are the characters and the dispositions of women!
Some who are youthful and favored by nature strive al-
most selfishly to keep themselves with the utmost reserve.
If they write harmlessly and innocently, yet at the same time
they are choice in their expressions, which have delicate touches
of bewitching sentiment, this might possibly make us entertain a
suddenly conceived fancy for them; yet they would give us but
slight encouragement.
Among characters differing from the above, some are too
full of sentimental sweetness; whenever occasion offers them
romance they become spoilt. Such would be decidedly better if
they had less sentiment and more sense.
“Others again are singularly earnest — too earnest, indeed -
in the performance of their domestic duty; and such, with their
hair pushed back, devote themselves like household drudges to
household affairs. Man, whose duties generally call him from
home all the day, naturally hears and sees the social movements
## p. 8168 (#368) ###########################################
8168
JAPANESE LITERATURE
C
both of public and private life, and notices different things, both
good and bad. Of such things he would not like to talk freely
with strangers, but only with some one closely allied to him.
Indeed, a man may have many things in his mind which cause
him to smile or to grieve. Occasionally something of a political
nature may irritate him beyond endurance. These matters he
would like to talk over with his fair companion, that she might
soothe him and sympathize with him. But a woman as above
described is often unable to understand him, or does not endeavor
to do so; and this only makes him more miserable. At another
time he may brood over his hopes and aspirations; but he has
no hope of solace. She is not only incapable of sharing these
with him, but might carelessly remark, What ails you? ' How
severely would this try the temper of a man!
"If then we clearly see all these, the only suggestion I can
make is that the best thing to do is to choose one who is gentle
and modest, and strive to guide and educate her according to the
best ideal we may think of. This is the best plan; and why
should we not do so ? Our efforts would surely not be all in
vain. But no! A girl whom we thus educate, and who proves
!
to be competent to bear us company, often disappoints us when
she is left alone. She may then show her incapability, and her
occasional actions may be done in such an unbecoming manner
that both good and bad are equally displeasing. Are not all
these against us men ? Remember however that there are some
who may not be very agreeable at ordinary times, yet who flash
occasionally upon us with a potent and almost irresistible charm. ”
Thus Sama-no-Kami, though eloquent, not having come to
one point or another, remained thoughtful for some minutes, and
again resumed.
“After all, as I have once observed, I can only make this sug-
gestion: That we should not too much consider either birth or
beauty, but select one who is gentle and tranquil, and consider
her to be best suited for our last haven of rest. If in addition
she is of fair position, and is blessed with sweetness of temper,
we should be delighted with her, and not trouble ourselves to
search out or notice any trifling deficiency. And the more so
as, if her conscience is clear and pure, calmness and serenity of
features can naturally be looked for.
« There are women who are too diffident and too reserved, and
carry their generosity to such an extent as to pretend not to be
## p. 8169 (#369) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8169
aware even of such annoyances as afford them just grounds for
of complaint. A time arrives when their sorrows and anxieties
become greater than they can bear. Even then, however, they
cannot resort to plain speaking and complain; but instead thereof
they will fly away to some remote retreat among the mountain
hamlets, or to some secluded spot by the seaside, leaving behind
them some painful letter or despairing verses, and making them-
selves mere sad memories of the past.
«Worse than this, the woman-led astray perhaps by ill advice
«
-
- may even be beguiled into more serious errors. In the depth of
her despairing melancholy she will become a nun. Her conscience
when she takes the fatal vow may be pure and unsullied, and
nothing may seem able to call her back again to the world which
she forsook. But as time rolls on, some household servant or
aged nurse brings her tidings of the lover who has been unable
to cast her out of his heart, and whose tears drop silently when
he hears aught about her. Then when she hears of his affections
still living, and his heart still yearning, and thinks of the use-
lessness of the sacrifice she has made voluntarily, she touches the
hair on her forehead, and she becomes regretful. She may indeed
do her best to persevere in her resolve, but if one single tear
bedews her cheek she is no longer strong in the sanctity of her
Vow. Weakness of this kind would be in the eyes of Buddha
more sinful than those offenses which are committed by those
who never leave the lay circle at all, and she would eventually
wander about in the wrong passage. '
“But there are also women who are too self-confident and
obtrusive. These, if they discover some slight inconsistency in
men, fiercely betray their indignation and behave with arrogance.
A man may show a little inconsistency occasionally, but yet his
affection may remain; then matters will in time become right
again, and they will pass their lives happily together. If there-
fore the woman cannot show a tolerable amount of patience, this
will but add to her unhappiness. She should, above all things,
strive not to give way to excitement; and when she experiences
any unpleasantness, she should speak of it frankly but with
moderation. And if there should be anything worse than unpleas-
antness, she should even then complain of it in such a way as
not to irritate the man. If she guides her conduct on principles
such as these, even her very words, her very demeanor, may in
all probability increase his sympathy and consideration for her.
)
(
## p. 8170 (#370) ###########################################
8170
JAPANESE LITERATURE
((
One's self-denial, and the restraint which one imposes upon one's
self, often depend on the way in which another behaves to us.
The woman who is too indifferent and too forgiving is also
inconsiderate. Remember, “The unmoored boat floats about. Is
it not so ? ”
To-no-Chiūjio quickly nodded assent, as he said:-"Quite true!
A woman who has no strength of emotion, no passion of sorrow
or of joy, can never be a holder of us. Nay, even jealousy, if
not carried to the extent of undue suspicion, is not undesirable.
If we ourselves are not in fault, and leave the matter alone,
such jealousy may easily be kept within due bounds.
But stop,"
added he suddenly: “some women have to bear, and do bear,
every grief that they may encounter, with unmurmuring and suf-
fering patience. ”
So said Tö-no-Chiūjio, who implied by this allusion that his
sister was a woman so circumstanced. But Genji was still doz-
ing, and no remark came from his lips.
MEDIÆVAL LITERATURE
(1200-1600 A. D. )
MEDITATIONS OF A HERMIT
[From the Hōjōki,' 1212; translated by J. M. Dixon. The writer, Kamo
no Chomei, the son of a priest, disappointed with life, sought seclusion from
the world in a ten-feet-square hut (höjo), on Mt. Ohara. There he made a
record of his thoughts, this “Höjõki, now valued as a literary treasure. )
T"
He water incessantly changes as the stream glides calmly on;
the spray that hangs over a cataract appears for a moment
only to vanish away. Such is the fate of mankind on this
earth and of the houses in which they dwell. If we gaze at a
mighty town we behold a succession of walls, surmounted by tiled
roofs which vie with one another in loftiness, These have been
from generation to generation the abodes of the rich and of
the poor, and yet none resist the destructive influence of time.
Some are allowed to fall into decay; others are replaced by
new structures. Their fate is shared by their inmates. If after
the lapse of a long period we return to a familiar locality, we
scarcely recognize one in ten of the faces we were accustomed to
## p. 8171 (#371) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8171
meet long ago.
In the morning we behold the light, and next
evening we depart for our long home. Our destiny resembles
the foam on the water. Whence came we, and whither are we
tending? What things vex us, what things delight us, in this
world of unreality? It is impossible truly to say. A house and
A
its occupant, changing perpetually, may well be compared to a
morning-glory flecked with dew. Sometimes it happens that the
dew evaporates and leaves the flower to die in the first glare of
day; sometimes the dew survives the flower, but only for a few
hours; before sunset the dew also has disappeared.
VAGRANT REVERIES
[From (Tsure-zure Gusa, 1345; translated by C. S. Eby. Yoshida Kenko,
the writer of these (Weeds of Idleness,' was a court official, who upon the
death of the Mikado entered the priesthood and became a monk. He was
poet as well as prose writer; was also a profound student of philosophy and
of the Chinese classics. ]
I
F MAN did not disappear like the dew of the field, or vanish
like the mists of Toribe hills, and continued his stay upon
earth, then tenderness of heart, sympathy, pity, would perish.
The unsettled changeableness of the present sublunary life is
vastly to be preferred.
never
a
OF ALL living creatures man is the most long-lived. The
ephemeral gnat comes into existence in the morning, and van-
ishes ere evening falls. The summer cicada knows
spring or autumn. One year of a man's life in comparison with
these things must be considered laborious and long. A life of a
thousand years, if passed in discontent and clung to, would seem
to fly away as a dream of the night. What profit is there in
clinging to a life which results in deformity, and cannot after all
continue forever? Longevity produces shame and disgrace. It is
better to die before forty years are passed, and thus escape the
shame of decrepitude.
A QUIET talk with one perfectly of your own turn of mind is
a very pleasant thing. It would give one great delight to speak
freely with such a friend about things that are pleasant, and
about the instability of earthly joys. But no such friendship is
possible.
## p. 8172 (#372) ###########################################
8172
JAPANESE LITERATURE
The changes of the seasons are full of things which arouse
our souls to deep emotion.
To sit opposite to and converse with a man like oneself in
every respect would be as good as sitting by oneself. Two
persons in many respects alike could sometimes raise a dispute.
And that would be very useful in dissipating the gloomy thoughts
of solitude.
To SPREAD open your books under the light of your lamp,
and hold communion with men of bygone ages, is surpassingly
comfortable.
JAPANESE poetry is especially charming. Even the toil of an
awkward peasant or of a woodman, expressed in poetic form,
delights the mind. The name of the terrible wild boar also,
when styled "fusui no toko,” sounds elegant.
(
Every one says that the autumn is the most affecting season
of the year.
Perhaps so. But the springtime transformations
of nature are more delightful, giving buoyancy to the heart.
The warbling of cheery songsters gives signal for the full out-
burst of spring-tide glory. The wild grass sprouts under the
hedge in answer to the mild rays of the kindly sun. The spring
advances and the mists melt into translucent air. The flowers
seem ready to burst into bloom. But rain and wind still make
their reckless attacks, and flowers are shattered to our dismay.
The changefulness of the days before the leaves are all green
cause us much distress. The past is brought back to our loving
memories more by the fragrance of the plum than by the hana
tachibana,* which is noted in this respect. The pure appearance
of the yamabukit and the uncertain condition of the fuji | cannot
be missed without pain.
The heart of man has been compared to flowers; but unlike
them, it does not wait for the blowing of the wind to be scattered
abroad. It is so fleeting and changeful.
* A small orange flower.
| A kind of yellow wild rose.
| Wistaria
## p. 8173 (#373) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8173
THE DANCE OF THE MOON FAIRY
[This beautiful translation by B. H. Chamberlain, of the second and third
parts of the lyric drama (Hagoromo) (Robe of Feathers), is an excellent
illustration of the mediæval No no Utai. These dramas bear a striking
resemblance to the drama of ancient Greece. In this, Hagoromo, a fisher-
man, finds on a tree on Mio beach a feather robe. The robe is claimed by a
lovely maiden, a moon fairy, who regains possession of her treasure by show-
ing to the fisherman one of the dances of the immortals. ]
C"
HORUS - Where'er we gaze the circling mists are twining:
Perchance e'en now the moon her tendrils fair
Celestial blossoms bear.
Those flowerets tell us that the spring is shining –
Those fresh-blown flowerets in the maiden's hair.
Fairy-
Blest hour beyond compare!
Chorus — Heaven hath its joys, but there is beauty here.
Blow, blow, ye winds! that the white cloud-belts driven
Around my path may bar my homeward way:
Not yet would I return to heaven,
But here on Mio's pine-clad shore I'd stray,
Or where the moon in bright unclouded glory
Shines on Kiyomi's lea,
And where on Fujiyama's summit hoary
The snows look on the sea,
While breaks the morning merrily!
But of these three, beyond compare
The wave-washed shore of Mio is most fair,
When through the pines the breath of spring is playing.
What barrier rises 'twixt the heaven and earth ?
Here too on earth the immortal gods came straying,
And gave our monarchs birth,
Fairy – Who in this empire of the rising sun,
While myriad ages run,
Shall ever rule their bright dominions,
Chorus
E'en when the feathery shock
Of fairies Aitting past with silvery pinions
Shall wear away the granite rock!
Oh magic strains that fill our ravished ears!
The fairy sings, and from the cloudy spheres
Chiming in unison, the angels' lutes,
Tabrets and cymbals and sweet silvery flutes,
Ring through the heaven that glows with purple hues,
As when Soméiro's western slope endues
## p. 8174 (#374) ###########################################
8174
JAPANESE LITERATURE
The tints of sunset, while the azure wave
From isle to isle the pine-clad shores doth lave,
From Ukishima's slope - a beauteous storm -
Whirl down the flowers; and still that magic form,
Those snowy pinions, fluttering in the light,
Ravish our souls with wonder and delight.
Fairy — Hail to the kings that o'er the moon hold sway!
Heaven is their home, and Buddhas too are they.
Chorus — The fairy robes the maiden's limbs endue
Fairy — Are, like the very heavens, of tenderest blue;
Chorus — Or, like the mists of spring, all silvery white,
Fairy — Fragrant and fair — too fair for mortal sight!
Chorus — Dance on, sweet maiden, through the happy hours!
Dance on, sweet maiden, while the magic flowers
Crowning thy tresses flutter in the wind
Raised by thy waving pinions intertwined!
Dance on! for ne'er to mortal dance 'tis given
To vie with that sweet dance thou bring'st from heaven:
And when, cloud-soaring, thou shalt all too soon
Homeward return to the full-shining moon,
Then hear our prayers, and from thy bounteous hand
Pour sevenfold treasures on our happy land;
Bless every coast, refresh each panting field,
That earth may still her proper increase yield !
But ah! the hour, the hour of parting rings!
Caught by the breeze, the fairy's magic wings
Heavenward do bear her from the pine-clad shore,
Past Ukishima's widely stretching moor,
Past Ashidaka's heights, and where are spread
The eternal snows on Fujiyama's head, -
Higher and higher to the azure skies,
Till wandering vapors hide her from our eyes!
## p. 8175 (#375) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8175
THE TRUE SAMURAI
[This illustration of the spirit of the true samurai is taken from a mediæval
drama entitled Dwarf Trees, translated by «Shinebi. ” The drama tells of
the award made to a poverty-stricken knight by the de facto ruler of Japan,
1190, for great kindness shown to the latter when once abroad in the garb of
a mendicant priest. The samurai had sacrificed even his dwarf trees to warm
his mean-looking guest. ]
Ting towards Kamakura ? *
Hail, traveler! Is it true that the troops are gather-
ing towards Kamakura ? * Why do such immense numbers
now advance to the capital ? [Following in the train. ] Why,
here are all the barons and knights of the eight provinces of
Adzuma in splendid equipment, all aiming for Kamakura! Their
weapons are brilliantly flashing, their armor resplendent with
silver and gold, mounted on well-fattened horses, with numerous
steeds for relief in the train. Amid them all this poor Tsuneyo
cuts a sorry figure, with horse and weapons and all so
this rough road. Doubtless they will laugh at me, though my
soul is by no means inferior. Still this lean, slow horse renders
the heart's courage abortive.
mean on
Chorus — Though he hastens, hastens, as a quivering willow twig
he is so weak, so very weak. Though he twist and pull,
the horse is ill-fed; though he beat him and whack his
flanks, yet he can scarcely make him budge. There is no
better conveyance for him; but he eventually comes in last
of all with weary weakly feet.
Saimiõji [in state in Kamakura] - Is my attendant there?
Attendant - At your service, my lord.
Saimiõji —— Have the troops arrived from all the provinces ?
Attendant - All have safely come. .
Saimioji — Among the troops is a single retainer in ragged
armor, with rusty spear, and leading himself a starved steed. Go
find him and order him into my presence.
Attendant — Your orders shall be executed. [Goes out. ] Any
one there?
Servant - At your service, sir.
Attendant - My lord's orders are that we go out immediately,
and find among the troops a samurai in battered armor, with a
* The seat of the Shogunate from 1192 to 1455.
## p. 8176 (#376) ###########################################
8176
JAPANESE LITERATURE
rusty spear, leading a lean horse, and bring him at once into his
august presence.
Servant -- I will attend to the matter. [Goes out and hails
Tsuneyo. ] Hail! Art thou my man ?
Tsune yo — Why am I called ?
Servant Haste there; come into the presence of our Lord
Saimiõji.
Tsuneyo — And am I called to appear in his august presence ?
Servant - Most assuredly.
Tsune yo — Alack, but this is unexpected! You must have mis-
taken your man.
Servant — Not at all: you are the man intended. The way
of it is this: my lord has ordered into his presence the worst-
looking samurai of all the assembled arinies; I have looked well
over the hosts, and am sure that there is none that can compare
with you for hideous appearance. So it is settled. Come, haste
to the palace.
Tsuneyo — What do you say? He wants the worst-looking
samurai in the army!
Servant — Most positively; those are the orders.
Tsune yo — Then I must be the man. Go; say I'm coming.
Servant — Very well.
Tsuneyo [approaching the palace] — Verily, this is incompre-
hensible. Some enemy has accused me of treason, and this
being ordered into my lord's presence is but the prelude of hav-
ing my head taken off. Well, well, I can do nothing to help it.
I will go in at any risk; please show me the way.
Chorus — Then in an instant, suddenly ushered into the midst
of assembled soldiers ranged like blazing stars, rank on
rank of samurai of the armies, besides many other notables.
Their eyes are drawn to him, and many point the scornful
finger.
Tsuneyo — What is well sewed may yet be ripped.
Chorus — His old armor and rusty spear are not useless to him,
nor cares he for the ridiculous figure he cuts.
[He appears before Saimioji. ]
Saimioji — Ha! That is the man. [To Tsuneyo. ] Art thou
Genzaemon Tsuneyo of Sano, and hast thou forgotten the wan-
dering priest who sought shelter of thee yon snowy night?
## p. 8177 (#377) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8177
Thou declaredst then that should trouble arise at Kamakura thou
wouldst don thy battered armor, seize thy rusty spear, mount
thy shadowy steed, and speed thee first of all to Kamakura.
Now thou hast valiantly kept thy word; for this I admire thee.
[To the assembly. ) The object of this gathering of vassals in
]
the capital was for no other cause than to test the truth or
falsehood of Tsuneyo's words. However, if there is any per-
son here with a grievance to state, let him now plead his cause,
and judgment shall be given according to justice and law. But
first of all I give judgment in the case of Tsuneyo. His for-
mer inheritance in Sano, over thirty counties, must be forthwith
returned to him. Moreover, besides this, for that in the cold
snow-storm he willingly cut down his precious ornamental trees
to warm the stranger guest, in hope of reward in some other
world, I now in return for the ume [plum], sakura [cherry),
matsu (pine] trees, bestow upon him Ume-da in Kaga, Sakura-i
in Etchu, and Matsu-eda in Ködzuke, three portions as a per-
petual inheritance for himself and his heirs to all generations;
in testimony whereof, I now give official documents signed and
sealed.
Chorus — With gladness of heart he accepts the benefactions of
his lord.
Tsuneyo — Tsuneyo accepts the gifts.
Chorus — He accepts, and three times makes humble obeisance,
O ye who erst laughed him to scorn, look now upon him
excelling in honor. The warriors all return to their
homes, and among them Tsuneyo, his face all bright with
new-found joy. Now riding bravely on a gorgeous steed,
away he speeds to his home in Sano of Kamitsuke with
joyous heart.
XJV-512
## p. 8178 (#378) ###########################################
8178
JAPANESE LITERATURE
THE DOMINANT NOTE OF THE LAW
[This is one of the Buddhist (Wasan,' or hymns, from the latter part of
the sixteenth (? ) century, written by a priest, Kwaihan; translation by Clay
MacCauley. The translation follows the Japanese metre of the naga uła,
each line containing two series of alternating five and seven syllable measures. ]
I
N SPENDING my days chasing things that are trifles,
In sowing the seed of the sixfold migration,
I pass through the world with my life-purpose baffled.
Since gaining a birth among those that are human,
Just now I have learned that I may become godlike;
So now I seek Buddha's help, trusting the promise.
This world, after all,— it is only a dream-world;
And we, after all, are vain selves with dust mingled.
Our jealousies, angers, and scoffing reproaches,
All evils we do, though disguised by our cunning,
At last become massed like the bulk of a mountain,
And we are cast down to “The River of Three Paths ;*
A fitting reward for our self-prompted actions,
Whose ills each must bear, never blaming another.
Live I a long life,-'tis like flashing of lightning.
Live I but one life, lo! 'tis lived in a dream-world.
Grow I into one life with wife and with children,
The love of such one life abides but a moment.
Think, how to the depths has my heart been affected!
Engrossed by my bonds to a world that is fleeting,
Naught led me to pray,—“Namu Amida Buddha;” +
As wind to a horse-ear were things of the future;
Reminded of death's blast, I answered, “When comes it? »
The preacher I trusted not; thought he spoke falsely:
And so has my time sped to this very moment.
Desire I thought was for good that would follow;-
Oh! how I lament as I think of what has been.
But yet in this troubled life comes consolation:
Adorable Buddha enlightens the dark way;
Has pity on all those who live in these last days;
To all gives compassion and blessed redemption,
Whose depth or whose height passes ocean or mountain.
To Buddha's salvation so bountiful, boundless,
*A river in the underworld over which the souls of the dead must go.
Three paths there lead to the realms of “Demons,» «Brutes, and the “Hur-
gry Ones.
8160
JAPANESE LITERATURE
ELEGY
[Written by a poet named Nibi, of whom nothing is known. ]
THE
HE gulls that twitter on the rush-grown shore
When fall the shades of night,
That o'er the waves in loving pairs do soar
When shines the morning light,-
'Tis said e'en these poor birds delight
To nestle each beneath his darling's wing
That, gently fluttering,
Through the dark hours wards off the hoar-frost's might.
Like to the stream that finds
The downward path it never may retrace,
Like to the shapeless winds,
Poor mortals pass away without a trace:
So she I love has left her place,
And in a corner of my widowed couch,
Wrapped in the robe she wove me, I must crouch
Far from her fond embrace.
TO A FRIEND
(Written by Hitomaru, probably without a peer among Japan's ancient
poets. Hitomaru was not of high rank among nobles, though of imperial
descent. He became a provincial officer, and died in the year 737. ]
JAPA
APAN is not a land where men need pray,
For 'tis itself divine:
Yet do I lift my voice in prayer, and say,
“May every joy be thine!
"And may I too, if thou those joys attain,
Live on to see thee blest! »
Such the fond prayer that, like the restless main,
Will rise within my breast.
ODE TO FUJI-YAMA
[The name of the writer of this ode is not known. ]
T"
HERE on the border, where the land of Kai
Doth touch the frontier of Suruga's land,
A beauteous province stretched on either hand,
See Fuji-yama rear his head on high!
## p. 8161 (#361) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8161
The clouds of heaven in reverent wonder pause;
Nor may the birds those giddy heights essay
Where melt thy snows amid thy fires away,
Or thy fierce fires lie quenched beneath thy snows.
What name might fitly tell, what accents sing,
Thine awful, godlike grandeur ? 'Tis thy breast
That holdeth Narusawa's flood at rest,
Thy side whence Fujikawa's waters spring.
Great Fuji-yama, towering to the sky!
A treasure art thou given to mortal man,
A god-protector watching o'er Japan;
On thee forever let me feast mine eye!
SPRING
[These verses and the three following stanzas are taken from the (Kokin-
shū,' B. H. Chamberlain's translation. The Kokinshū (Collection of Songs
Ancient and Modern) was compiled 905–922, by Kino Tsurayuki and others.
Sosei, the writer of these verses on Spring, was a Buddhist abbot living in
the latter part of the ninth century. ]
MID the branches of the silvery bowers
The nightingale doth sing: perchance he knows
That spring hath come, and takes the later snows
For the white petals of the plum's sweet flowers.
A"
SUMMER
[Written by Henjo, who was a Buddhist bishop and one of the leading
men of his time, 830–890. Prior to his taking the vows of religion Henjo was
prominent in court circles, and was married. The poet Sosei was his son. ]
O
LOTOS-LEAF! I dreamt that the wide earth
[true:
Held naught more pure than thee,— held naught more
Why then, when on thee rolls a drop of dew,
Pretend that 'tis a gem of priceless worth ?
XIV-511
## p. 8162 (#362) ###########################################
8162
JAPANESE LITERATURE
AUTUMN
[By Chisato, Vice-governor of Iyo, etc. ; a prolific writer, - 850-900. ]
A
THOUSAND thoughts of tender vague regret
Crowd on my soul, what time I stand and gaze
On the soft-shining autumn moon; and yet
Not to me only speaks her silvery haze.
WINTER
[Tsurayuki, the writer of these lines, was probably the leading poet of his
day, - 880–950. He compiled the Kokinshū. ? He was also the first master of
Japanese written prose. His preface to the Kokinshū,' and his diary the
«Tosa Nikki, marked the beginning of a new age in Japanese literature. ]
HEN falls the snow, lo! every herb and tree,
That in seclusion through the wintry hours
Long time had been held fast, breaks forth in flowers
That ne'er in spring were known upon the lea.
W"
AGE OF THE PROSE CLASSICS
900-1200 A. D.
THE MAID OF UNAI
[From the "Yamato Monogatari,' 900-1000, translated by B. H. Chamber-
lain. Author of these (Stories of Yamato) (Japan) unknown, but said to have
been, in part at least, the retired Emperor Kwanzan, 983-985. The stories
contain nearly three hundred poems. ]
I
N DAYS of old there dwelt a maiden in the land of Settsu, whose
hand was sought in marriage by two lovers. One, Mubara
by name, was a native of the same country-side; the other,
called Chinu, was a native of the land of Idzumi. The two were
alike in years, alike in face, in figure, and in stature; and whereas
the maiden thought to accept the wooing of him that should the
more dearly love her, lo! it fell out that they both loved her
with the same love. No sooner faded the light of day than both
came to do their courting, and when they sent her gifts the gifts
were quite alike. Of neither could it be said that he excelled
the other, and the girl meanwhile felt sick at heart. Had they
been men of lukewarm devotion, neither would ever have obtained
## p. 8163 (#363) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8163
the maiden's hand; but it was because both of them, day after
day and month after month, stood before the cottage gate and
made evident their affection in ten thousand different ways, that
the maiden pined with a divided love. Neither lover's gifts were
accepted, and yet both would come and stand, bearing in their
hands gifts. The maiden had a father and a mother, and they
said to her: « Sad is it for us to have to bear the burden of
thine unseemly conduct in thus carelessly, from month to month
and from year to year, causing others to sorrow. If thou wilt
accept the one, after a little time the other's love will cease. ”
The maiden made answer, That likewise was my thought. But
the sameness of the love of both has made me altogether sick at
heart. Alas! what shall I do? ”
Now in olden days the people dwelt in houses raised on plat-
forms built out into the river Ikuta. So the girl's father and
mother, summoning to their presence the two lovers, spake thus:
“Our child is pining with a love divided by the equal ardor of
your worships. But to-day we intend, by whatever means, to fix
her choice. One of you showeth his devotion by coming hither
from a distant home; the other is our neighbor, but his love is
boundless. This one and that are alike worthy of our pitying
regard. ”
Both the lovers heard these words with respectful joy;
and the father and mother continued:- “What we have further in
our minds to say is this: Floating on our river is a water-bird.
Draw your bows at it; and to him that shall strike it will we
have the honor to present our daughter. ” “Well thought! ”
replied the lovers twain; and drawing their bows at the same
instant, one struck the bird in the head and the other in the
tail, so that neither could claim to be the better marksman. Sick
with love, the maiden cried out:
"Enough, enough! Yon swiftly-flowing wave
Shall free my soul from her long anxious strife;
Men call fair Settsu's stream the stream of life,
But in that stream shall be the maiden's grave! ”
and with these words, let herself fall down into the river from
the platform that overlooked it.
While the father and mother, frantic with grief, were raving
and shouting, the two lovers plunged together into the stream.
One caught hold of the maiden's foot and the other of her hand,
and the three sank together and perished in the flood. Terrible
## p. 8164 (#364) ###########################################
8164
JAPANESE LITERATURE
was the grief of the girl's father and mother, as, amid tears and
lamentations, they lifted her body out of the water and prepared
to give it burial. The parents of the two lovers likewise came
to the spot, and dug for their sons graves beside the grave of
the maiden. But the father and mother of him that dwelt in the
same country-side raised an outcry, saying, “That he who belongs
to the same land should be buried in the same place, is just.
But how shall it be lawful for an alien to desecrate our soil ? »
So the parents of him that dwelt in Idzumi laded a junk with
Idzumi earth, in which, having brought it to the spot, they laid
their son. And to this day the maiden's grave stands there in
the middle, and the graves of her lovers on either side.
HOW THE SEA WAS CALMED
[From the «Tosa Nikki); W. G. Aston's translation. Tsurayuki traced his
descent to one of the Mikados. He held office his life throughout. This diary
was written in 935, on the return journey from Tosa, a province he had been
governing, to Kyoto the capital. ]
M
EANWHILE a sudden gale sprung up, and in spite of all our
efforts we fell gradually to leeward, and were in great
danger of being sent to the bottom. “This god of Sumi-
yoshi,” said the captain, “is like other gods. What he desires is
not any of the fashionable articles of the day. Give him nusa*
as an offering. ” The captain's advice was taken, and nusa were
offered; but as the wind, instead of ceasing, only blew harder
and harder, and the danger from the storm and sea became
,
more and more imminent, the captain again said, “Because the
august heart of the god is not moved for nusa, neither does the
august ship move: offer to him something in which he will take
greater pleasure. ” In compliance with this advice I thought
what it would be best to offer. “Of eyes I have a pair; then
let me give to the god my mirror, of which I have only one. ”
The mirror was accordingly flung into the sea, to my very great
regret. But no sooner had I done so than the sea itself became
as smooth as a mirror.
* Pieces of silk carried by worshipers as temple offerings.
## p. 8165 (#365) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8165
DISCOVERY OF THE ISLE OF IMMORTAL YOUTH, MT. HORAI
[From the “Taketori Monogatari, 850-950; translated by F. Victor Dick-
ins. Authorship unknown, but ascribed to one Minamoto Jun. Materials of
the story taken from Chinese and Indian sources. This extract is part of a
description of the wanderings of a
the wanderings of a Japanese Ulysses. ”]
T***
>>
C
our
HEN the Ancient fell to busying himself with putting the
chamber in order, and after a while went out and accosted
the Prince again, saying, “Your servant would fain know
what manner of place it may be where grows this tree,- how
wonderful a thing it is, and lovely and pleasant to see! ” And
the Prince answered: «The year before yester-year, on the tenth
: «
-
of the second month, we took boat at Naniwa and sculled out
into the ocean, not knowing what track to follow: but I thought
to myself, what would be the profit of continuing life if I might
not attain the desire of my heart; so pressed we onwards, blown
where the wind listed. If we perished even, what mattered it ?
While we lived we would make what way we could over the sea-
plain, and perchance thus might we somehow reach the mountain
men do call Horai. So resolved, we sculled further and further
over the heaving waters, until far behind us lay the shores of
own land.
And as
we wandered thus, now, deep in the
trough of the sea we saw its very bottom; now, blown by the
gale we came to strange lands, where creatures like demons fell
upon us and were like to have slain us. Now, knowing neither
whence we had come nor whither we tended, we were almost
swallowed up by the sea; now, failing of food we were driven to
live upon roots; now again, indescribably terrible beings came
forth and would have devoured us; or we had to sustain our
bodies by eating of the spoil of the sea. Beneath strange skies
were we, and no human creature was there to give us succor; to
many diseases fell we prey as we drifted along, knowing not
whitherwards; and so tossed we over the sea-plain, letting our
boat follow the wind for five hundred days. Then about the
hour of the dragon, four hours ere noon, we a high hill
looming faintly over the watery waste. Long we gazed at it,
and marveled at the majesty of the mountain rising out of the
Lofty it was and fair of form; and doubting not it was the
mountain we were seeking, our hearts were filled with awe. We
plied the oar and coasted it for two days or three, and then we
saw a woman arrayed like an angel come forth out of the hills,
saw
sea.
## p. 8166 (#366) ###########################################
8166
JAPANESE LITERATURE
bearing a silver vessel which she filled with water. So we landed
and accosted her, saying, “How call men this mountain ? ' and
she said, ''Tis Mount Horai;' whereat our hearts were filled
with joy. ”
COURT FESTIVALS IN THE ELEVENTH CENTURY
[From the Makura no Sōshi, 1000-1050; W. G. Aston's translation. The
author, Sei Shōnagon, was a direct descendant from a Mikado, and was for
some time chief lady-in-waiting to the Empress. With the death of her mis-
tress in the year 1000 she left the court, entered a convent, and there com-
posed this Pillow Book,' a masterpiece in Japanese prose. ]
W"
HAT delightful anniversaries festivals are! Each one brings
its special pleasures, but none to my mind is so enjoyable
as New Year's Day. It is early springtime then, when
the weather is settled, and the morning breaks serenely. A quiet
haze is spread over hill and dale, which the sun disperses when
he rises, and shows the dewdrops sparkling in his rosy beams.
The world seems glad and happy; and in the shining faces of the
neighbors, glowing from the frosty air of morning, content and
peace is plainly written. How pleasant it is to watch them as
they pass, in holiday attire, intent on making their congratula-
tions to their master, and ignorant the while that their very
lightness of heart is an unconscious compliment to themselves.
It is the 7th day of the month when people, tempted by the
fineness of the weather, go out in company to pick the wakana
(wild pot-herbs). The snow is off the ground, and great is the
excitement amongst the ladies of the court, who have so seldom
the opportunity of a country trip. What fun to watch the farm-
ers' wives and daughters, arrayed in all their hoarded finery, and
riding in their wagons (made clean for the occasion), as they
come to see the races in the court-yard of the palace. It is
most diverting to observe their faces from our grated windows.
How prim and proper they appear, all unconscious of the shock
their dignity will get when the wagon jolts across the huge beam
at the bottom of the gate, and knocks their pretty heads together,
disarranging their hair, and worse still, mayhap breaking their
combs. But that is after all a trifle when compared to their alarm
if a horse so much as neighs. On this account the gallants of the
court amuse themselves by slyly goading the horses with spear
and arrow-point, to make them rear and plunge and frighten the
?
## p. 8167 (#367) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8167
wenches home in fear and trembling. How silly too the men-
at-arms look, their foolish faces painted with dabs of white here
and there upon their swarthy cheeks, like patches of snow left
on a hillside from a thaw!
Then there is the 15th of the first month, when appointments
for the next four years are made. How eagerly candidates for
office rush here and there through falling snow and sleet, with
their memorials in their hands! Some have the jaunty air and
confidence of youth; but others, more experienced, are weary
and dejected-looking. How the old white-headed suitors crave an
audience of the ladies of the palace, and babble to them of their
fitness for the places they seek! Ah! little do they suspect when
they have turned their backs what mirth they have occasioned!
How the ladies mimic them — whining and drawling!
ON THE CHARACTERS OF WOMEN
[From the (Genji Monogatari,' 1004, translated by Kencho Suyematsu.
This romance of Prince Genji was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady of
noble birth and a member of the great family of the Fujiwara, who were at
the time practically rulers of Japan. It is said that not only does the classic
literature of Japan find consummate illustration in this story, but that the
history of the time, especially in its social characteristics, is here most vividly
set forth. ]
“H
ow varied are the characters and the dispositions of women!
Some who are youthful and favored by nature strive al-
most selfishly to keep themselves with the utmost reserve.
If they write harmlessly and innocently, yet at the same time
they are choice in their expressions, which have delicate touches
of bewitching sentiment, this might possibly make us entertain a
suddenly conceived fancy for them; yet they would give us but
slight encouragement.
Among characters differing from the above, some are too
full of sentimental sweetness; whenever occasion offers them
romance they become spoilt. Such would be decidedly better if
they had less sentiment and more sense.
“Others again are singularly earnest — too earnest, indeed -
in the performance of their domestic duty; and such, with their
hair pushed back, devote themselves like household drudges to
household affairs. Man, whose duties generally call him from
home all the day, naturally hears and sees the social movements
## p. 8168 (#368) ###########################################
8168
JAPANESE LITERATURE
C
both of public and private life, and notices different things, both
good and bad. Of such things he would not like to talk freely
with strangers, but only with some one closely allied to him.
Indeed, a man may have many things in his mind which cause
him to smile or to grieve. Occasionally something of a political
nature may irritate him beyond endurance. These matters he
would like to talk over with his fair companion, that she might
soothe him and sympathize with him. But a woman as above
described is often unable to understand him, or does not endeavor
to do so; and this only makes him more miserable. At another
time he may brood over his hopes and aspirations; but he has
no hope of solace. She is not only incapable of sharing these
with him, but might carelessly remark, What ails you? ' How
severely would this try the temper of a man!
"If then we clearly see all these, the only suggestion I can
make is that the best thing to do is to choose one who is gentle
and modest, and strive to guide and educate her according to the
best ideal we may think of. This is the best plan; and why
should we not do so ? Our efforts would surely not be all in
vain. But no! A girl whom we thus educate, and who proves
!
to be competent to bear us company, often disappoints us when
she is left alone. She may then show her incapability, and her
occasional actions may be done in such an unbecoming manner
that both good and bad are equally displeasing. Are not all
these against us men ? Remember however that there are some
who may not be very agreeable at ordinary times, yet who flash
occasionally upon us with a potent and almost irresistible charm. ”
Thus Sama-no-Kami, though eloquent, not having come to
one point or another, remained thoughtful for some minutes, and
again resumed.
“After all, as I have once observed, I can only make this sug-
gestion: That we should not too much consider either birth or
beauty, but select one who is gentle and tranquil, and consider
her to be best suited for our last haven of rest. If in addition
she is of fair position, and is blessed with sweetness of temper,
we should be delighted with her, and not trouble ourselves to
search out or notice any trifling deficiency. And the more so
as, if her conscience is clear and pure, calmness and serenity of
features can naturally be looked for.
« There are women who are too diffident and too reserved, and
carry their generosity to such an extent as to pretend not to be
## p. 8169 (#369) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8169
aware even of such annoyances as afford them just grounds for
of complaint. A time arrives when their sorrows and anxieties
become greater than they can bear. Even then, however, they
cannot resort to plain speaking and complain; but instead thereof
they will fly away to some remote retreat among the mountain
hamlets, or to some secluded spot by the seaside, leaving behind
them some painful letter or despairing verses, and making them-
selves mere sad memories of the past.
«Worse than this, the woman-led astray perhaps by ill advice
«
-
- may even be beguiled into more serious errors. In the depth of
her despairing melancholy she will become a nun. Her conscience
when she takes the fatal vow may be pure and unsullied, and
nothing may seem able to call her back again to the world which
she forsook. But as time rolls on, some household servant or
aged nurse brings her tidings of the lover who has been unable
to cast her out of his heart, and whose tears drop silently when
he hears aught about her. Then when she hears of his affections
still living, and his heart still yearning, and thinks of the use-
lessness of the sacrifice she has made voluntarily, she touches the
hair on her forehead, and she becomes regretful. She may indeed
do her best to persevere in her resolve, but if one single tear
bedews her cheek she is no longer strong in the sanctity of her
Vow. Weakness of this kind would be in the eyes of Buddha
more sinful than those offenses which are committed by those
who never leave the lay circle at all, and she would eventually
wander about in the wrong passage. '
“But there are also women who are too self-confident and
obtrusive. These, if they discover some slight inconsistency in
men, fiercely betray their indignation and behave with arrogance.
A man may show a little inconsistency occasionally, but yet his
affection may remain; then matters will in time become right
again, and they will pass their lives happily together. If there-
fore the woman cannot show a tolerable amount of patience, this
will but add to her unhappiness. She should, above all things,
strive not to give way to excitement; and when she experiences
any unpleasantness, she should speak of it frankly but with
moderation. And if there should be anything worse than unpleas-
antness, she should even then complain of it in such a way as
not to irritate the man. If she guides her conduct on principles
such as these, even her very words, her very demeanor, may in
all probability increase his sympathy and consideration for her.
)
(
## p. 8170 (#370) ###########################################
8170
JAPANESE LITERATURE
((
One's self-denial, and the restraint which one imposes upon one's
self, often depend on the way in which another behaves to us.
The woman who is too indifferent and too forgiving is also
inconsiderate. Remember, “The unmoored boat floats about. Is
it not so ? ”
To-no-Chiūjio quickly nodded assent, as he said:-"Quite true!
A woman who has no strength of emotion, no passion of sorrow
or of joy, can never be a holder of us. Nay, even jealousy, if
not carried to the extent of undue suspicion, is not undesirable.
If we ourselves are not in fault, and leave the matter alone,
such jealousy may easily be kept within due bounds.
But stop,"
added he suddenly: “some women have to bear, and do bear,
every grief that they may encounter, with unmurmuring and suf-
fering patience. ”
So said Tö-no-Chiūjio, who implied by this allusion that his
sister was a woman so circumstanced. But Genji was still doz-
ing, and no remark came from his lips.
MEDIÆVAL LITERATURE
(1200-1600 A. D. )
MEDITATIONS OF A HERMIT
[From the Hōjōki,' 1212; translated by J. M. Dixon. The writer, Kamo
no Chomei, the son of a priest, disappointed with life, sought seclusion from
the world in a ten-feet-square hut (höjo), on Mt. Ohara. There he made a
record of his thoughts, this “Höjõki, now valued as a literary treasure. )
T"
He water incessantly changes as the stream glides calmly on;
the spray that hangs over a cataract appears for a moment
only to vanish away. Such is the fate of mankind on this
earth and of the houses in which they dwell. If we gaze at a
mighty town we behold a succession of walls, surmounted by tiled
roofs which vie with one another in loftiness, These have been
from generation to generation the abodes of the rich and of
the poor, and yet none resist the destructive influence of time.
Some are allowed to fall into decay; others are replaced by
new structures. Their fate is shared by their inmates. If after
the lapse of a long period we return to a familiar locality, we
scarcely recognize one in ten of the faces we were accustomed to
## p. 8171 (#371) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8171
meet long ago.
In the morning we behold the light, and next
evening we depart for our long home. Our destiny resembles
the foam on the water. Whence came we, and whither are we
tending? What things vex us, what things delight us, in this
world of unreality? It is impossible truly to say. A house and
A
its occupant, changing perpetually, may well be compared to a
morning-glory flecked with dew. Sometimes it happens that the
dew evaporates and leaves the flower to die in the first glare of
day; sometimes the dew survives the flower, but only for a few
hours; before sunset the dew also has disappeared.
VAGRANT REVERIES
[From (Tsure-zure Gusa, 1345; translated by C. S. Eby. Yoshida Kenko,
the writer of these (Weeds of Idleness,' was a court official, who upon the
death of the Mikado entered the priesthood and became a monk. He was
poet as well as prose writer; was also a profound student of philosophy and
of the Chinese classics. ]
I
F MAN did not disappear like the dew of the field, or vanish
like the mists of Toribe hills, and continued his stay upon
earth, then tenderness of heart, sympathy, pity, would perish.
The unsettled changeableness of the present sublunary life is
vastly to be preferred.
never
a
OF ALL living creatures man is the most long-lived. The
ephemeral gnat comes into existence in the morning, and van-
ishes ere evening falls. The summer cicada knows
spring or autumn. One year of a man's life in comparison with
these things must be considered laborious and long. A life of a
thousand years, if passed in discontent and clung to, would seem
to fly away as a dream of the night. What profit is there in
clinging to a life which results in deformity, and cannot after all
continue forever? Longevity produces shame and disgrace. It is
better to die before forty years are passed, and thus escape the
shame of decrepitude.
A QUIET talk with one perfectly of your own turn of mind is
a very pleasant thing. It would give one great delight to speak
freely with such a friend about things that are pleasant, and
about the instability of earthly joys. But no such friendship is
possible.
## p. 8172 (#372) ###########################################
8172
JAPANESE LITERATURE
The changes of the seasons are full of things which arouse
our souls to deep emotion.
To sit opposite to and converse with a man like oneself in
every respect would be as good as sitting by oneself. Two
persons in many respects alike could sometimes raise a dispute.
And that would be very useful in dissipating the gloomy thoughts
of solitude.
To SPREAD open your books under the light of your lamp,
and hold communion with men of bygone ages, is surpassingly
comfortable.
JAPANESE poetry is especially charming. Even the toil of an
awkward peasant or of a woodman, expressed in poetic form,
delights the mind. The name of the terrible wild boar also,
when styled "fusui no toko,” sounds elegant.
(
Every one says that the autumn is the most affecting season
of the year.
Perhaps so. But the springtime transformations
of nature are more delightful, giving buoyancy to the heart.
The warbling of cheery songsters gives signal for the full out-
burst of spring-tide glory. The wild grass sprouts under the
hedge in answer to the mild rays of the kindly sun. The spring
advances and the mists melt into translucent air. The flowers
seem ready to burst into bloom. But rain and wind still make
their reckless attacks, and flowers are shattered to our dismay.
The changefulness of the days before the leaves are all green
cause us much distress. The past is brought back to our loving
memories more by the fragrance of the plum than by the hana
tachibana,* which is noted in this respect. The pure appearance
of the yamabukit and the uncertain condition of the fuji | cannot
be missed without pain.
The heart of man has been compared to flowers; but unlike
them, it does not wait for the blowing of the wind to be scattered
abroad. It is so fleeting and changeful.
* A small orange flower.
| A kind of yellow wild rose.
| Wistaria
## p. 8173 (#373) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8173
THE DANCE OF THE MOON FAIRY
[This beautiful translation by B. H. Chamberlain, of the second and third
parts of the lyric drama (Hagoromo) (Robe of Feathers), is an excellent
illustration of the mediæval No no Utai. These dramas bear a striking
resemblance to the drama of ancient Greece. In this, Hagoromo, a fisher-
man, finds on a tree on Mio beach a feather robe. The robe is claimed by a
lovely maiden, a moon fairy, who regains possession of her treasure by show-
ing to the fisherman one of the dances of the immortals. ]
C"
HORUS - Where'er we gaze the circling mists are twining:
Perchance e'en now the moon her tendrils fair
Celestial blossoms bear.
Those flowerets tell us that the spring is shining –
Those fresh-blown flowerets in the maiden's hair.
Fairy-
Blest hour beyond compare!
Chorus — Heaven hath its joys, but there is beauty here.
Blow, blow, ye winds! that the white cloud-belts driven
Around my path may bar my homeward way:
Not yet would I return to heaven,
But here on Mio's pine-clad shore I'd stray,
Or where the moon in bright unclouded glory
Shines on Kiyomi's lea,
And where on Fujiyama's summit hoary
The snows look on the sea,
While breaks the morning merrily!
But of these three, beyond compare
The wave-washed shore of Mio is most fair,
When through the pines the breath of spring is playing.
What barrier rises 'twixt the heaven and earth ?
Here too on earth the immortal gods came straying,
And gave our monarchs birth,
Fairy – Who in this empire of the rising sun,
While myriad ages run,
Shall ever rule their bright dominions,
Chorus
E'en when the feathery shock
Of fairies Aitting past with silvery pinions
Shall wear away the granite rock!
Oh magic strains that fill our ravished ears!
The fairy sings, and from the cloudy spheres
Chiming in unison, the angels' lutes,
Tabrets and cymbals and sweet silvery flutes,
Ring through the heaven that glows with purple hues,
As when Soméiro's western slope endues
## p. 8174 (#374) ###########################################
8174
JAPANESE LITERATURE
The tints of sunset, while the azure wave
From isle to isle the pine-clad shores doth lave,
From Ukishima's slope - a beauteous storm -
Whirl down the flowers; and still that magic form,
Those snowy pinions, fluttering in the light,
Ravish our souls with wonder and delight.
Fairy — Hail to the kings that o'er the moon hold sway!
Heaven is their home, and Buddhas too are they.
Chorus — The fairy robes the maiden's limbs endue
Fairy — Are, like the very heavens, of tenderest blue;
Chorus — Or, like the mists of spring, all silvery white,
Fairy — Fragrant and fair — too fair for mortal sight!
Chorus — Dance on, sweet maiden, through the happy hours!
Dance on, sweet maiden, while the magic flowers
Crowning thy tresses flutter in the wind
Raised by thy waving pinions intertwined!
Dance on! for ne'er to mortal dance 'tis given
To vie with that sweet dance thou bring'st from heaven:
And when, cloud-soaring, thou shalt all too soon
Homeward return to the full-shining moon,
Then hear our prayers, and from thy bounteous hand
Pour sevenfold treasures on our happy land;
Bless every coast, refresh each panting field,
That earth may still her proper increase yield !
But ah! the hour, the hour of parting rings!
Caught by the breeze, the fairy's magic wings
Heavenward do bear her from the pine-clad shore,
Past Ukishima's widely stretching moor,
Past Ashidaka's heights, and where are spread
The eternal snows on Fujiyama's head, -
Higher and higher to the azure skies,
Till wandering vapors hide her from our eyes!
## p. 8175 (#375) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8175
THE TRUE SAMURAI
[This illustration of the spirit of the true samurai is taken from a mediæval
drama entitled Dwarf Trees, translated by «Shinebi. ” The drama tells of
the award made to a poverty-stricken knight by the de facto ruler of Japan,
1190, for great kindness shown to the latter when once abroad in the garb of
a mendicant priest. The samurai had sacrificed even his dwarf trees to warm
his mean-looking guest. ]
Ting towards Kamakura ? *
Hail, traveler! Is it true that the troops are gather-
ing towards Kamakura ? * Why do such immense numbers
now advance to the capital ? [Following in the train. ] Why,
here are all the barons and knights of the eight provinces of
Adzuma in splendid equipment, all aiming for Kamakura! Their
weapons are brilliantly flashing, their armor resplendent with
silver and gold, mounted on well-fattened horses, with numerous
steeds for relief in the train. Amid them all this poor Tsuneyo
cuts a sorry figure, with horse and weapons and all so
this rough road. Doubtless they will laugh at me, though my
soul is by no means inferior. Still this lean, slow horse renders
the heart's courage abortive.
mean on
Chorus — Though he hastens, hastens, as a quivering willow twig
he is so weak, so very weak. Though he twist and pull,
the horse is ill-fed; though he beat him and whack his
flanks, yet he can scarcely make him budge. There is no
better conveyance for him; but he eventually comes in last
of all with weary weakly feet.
Saimiõji [in state in Kamakura] - Is my attendant there?
Attendant - At your service, my lord.
Saimiõji —— Have the troops arrived from all the provinces ?
Attendant - All have safely come. .
Saimioji — Among the troops is a single retainer in ragged
armor, with rusty spear, and leading himself a starved steed. Go
find him and order him into my presence.
Attendant — Your orders shall be executed. [Goes out. ] Any
one there?
Servant - At your service, sir.
Attendant - My lord's orders are that we go out immediately,
and find among the troops a samurai in battered armor, with a
* The seat of the Shogunate from 1192 to 1455.
## p. 8176 (#376) ###########################################
8176
JAPANESE LITERATURE
rusty spear, leading a lean horse, and bring him at once into his
august presence.
Servant -- I will attend to the matter. [Goes out and hails
Tsuneyo. ] Hail! Art thou my man ?
Tsune yo — Why am I called ?
Servant Haste there; come into the presence of our Lord
Saimiõji.
Tsuneyo — And am I called to appear in his august presence ?
Servant - Most assuredly.
Tsune yo — Alack, but this is unexpected! You must have mis-
taken your man.
Servant — Not at all: you are the man intended. The way
of it is this: my lord has ordered into his presence the worst-
looking samurai of all the assembled arinies; I have looked well
over the hosts, and am sure that there is none that can compare
with you for hideous appearance. So it is settled. Come, haste
to the palace.
Tsuneyo — What do you say? He wants the worst-looking
samurai in the army!
Servant — Most positively; those are the orders.
Tsune yo — Then I must be the man. Go; say I'm coming.
Servant — Very well.
Tsuneyo [approaching the palace] — Verily, this is incompre-
hensible. Some enemy has accused me of treason, and this
being ordered into my lord's presence is but the prelude of hav-
ing my head taken off. Well, well, I can do nothing to help it.
I will go in at any risk; please show me the way.
Chorus — Then in an instant, suddenly ushered into the midst
of assembled soldiers ranged like blazing stars, rank on
rank of samurai of the armies, besides many other notables.
Their eyes are drawn to him, and many point the scornful
finger.
Tsuneyo — What is well sewed may yet be ripped.
Chorus — His old armor and rusty spear are not useless to him,
nor cares he for the ridiculous figure he cuts.
[He appears before Saimioji. ]
Saimioji — Ha! That is the man. [To Tsuneyo. ] Art thou
Genzaemon Tsuneyo of Sano, and hast thou forgotten the wan-
dering priest who sought shelter of thee yon snowy night?
## p. 8177 (#377) ###########################################
JAPANESE LITERATURE
8177
Thou declaredst then that should trouble arise at Kamakura thou
wouldst don thy battered armor, seize thy rusty spear, mount
thy shadowy steed, and speed thee first of all to Kamakura.
Now thou hast valiantly kept thy word; for this I admire thee.
[To the assembly. ) The object of this gathering of vassals in
]
the capital was for no other cause than to test the truth or
falsehood of Tsuneyo's words. However, if there is any per-
son here with a grievance to state, let him now plead his cause,
and judgment shall be given according to justice and law. But
first of all I give judgment in the case of Tsuneyo. His for-
mer inheritance in Sano, over thirty counties, must be forthwith
returned to him. Moreover, besides this, for that in the cold
snow-storm he willingly cut down his precious ornamental trees
to warm the stranger guest, in hope of reward in some other
world, I now in return for the ume [plum], sakura [cherry),
matsu (pine] trees, bestow upon him Ume-da in Kaga, Sakura-i
in Etchu, and Matsu-eda in Ködzuke, three portions as a per-
petual inheritance for himself and his heirs to all generations;
in testimony whereof, I now give official documents signed and
sealed.
Chorus — With gladness of heart he accepts the benefactions of
his lord.
Tsuneyo — Tsuneyo accepts the gifts.
Chorus — He accepts, and three times makes humble obeisance,
O ye who erst laughed him to scorn, look now upon him
excelling in honor. The warriors all return to their
homes, and among them Tsuneyo, his face all bright with
new-found joy. Now riding bravely on a gorgeous steed,
away he speeds to his home in Sano of Kamitsuke with
joyous heart.
XJV-512
## p. 8178 (#378) ###########################################
8178
JAPANESE LITERATURE
THE DOMINANT NOTE OF THE LAW
[This is one of the Buddhist (Wasan,' or hymns, from the latter part of
the sixteenth (? ) century, written by a priest, Kwaihan; translation by Clay
MacCauley. The translation follows the Japanese metre of the naga uła,
each line containing two series of alternating five and seven syllable measures. ]
I
N SPENDING my days chasing things that are trifles,
In sowing the seed of the sixfold migration,
I pass through the world with my life-purpose baffled.
Since gaining a birth among those that are human,
Just now I have learned that I may become godlike;
So now I seek Buddha's help, trusting the promise.
This world, after all,— it is only a dream-world;
And we, after all, are vain selves with dust mingled.
Our jealousies, angers, and scoffing reproaches,
All evils we do, though disguised by our cunning,
At last become massed like the bulk of a mountain,
And we are cast down to “The River of Three Paths ;*
A fitting reward for our self-prompted actions,
Whose ills each must bear, never blaming another.
Live I a long life,-'tis like flashing of lightning.
Live I but one life, lo! 'tis lived in a dream-world.
Grow I into one life with wife and with children,
The love of such one life abides but a moment.
Think, how to the depths has my heart been affected!
Engrossed by my bonds to a world that is fleeting,
Naught led me to pray,—“Namu Amida Buddha;” +
As wind to a horse-ear were things of the future;
Reminded of death's blast, I answered, “When comes it? »
The preacher I trusted not; thought he spoke falsely:
And so has my time sped to this very moment.
Desire I thought was for good that would follow;-
Oh! how I lament as I think of what has been.
But yet in this troubled life comes consolation:
Adorable Buddha enlightens the dark way;
Has pity on all those who live in these last days;
To all gives compassion and blessed redemption,
Whose depth or whose height passes ocean or mountain.
To Buddha's salvation so bountiful, boundless,
*A river in the underworld over which the souls of the dead must go.
Three paths there lead to the realms of “Demons,» «Brutes, and the “Hur-
gry Ones.
