And can it be that e'en a father's word,
Like snow that falling melts, is scarcely heard,
But 'tis unheeded?
Like snow that falling melts, is scarcely heard,
But 'tis unheeded?
Epiphanius Wilson - Japanese Literature
'Twas but yesterday
We planted out each tender shoot again;[153]
And now the autumn breeze sighs o'er the plain,
Where fields of yellow rice confess its sway.
_Anon. _
XII
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 silv'ry haze.
_Chisato. _
XIII
What bark impelled by autumn's fresh'ning gale
Comes speeding t'ward me? --'Tis the wild geese arriv'n
Across the fathomless expanse of Heav'n,
And lifting up their voices for a sail!
_Anon. _
XIV
_Autumn_
The silv'ry dewdrops that in autumn light
Upon the moors, must surely jewels be;
For there they hang all over hill and lea,
Strung on the threads the spiders weave so tight.
_Asayasu. _
XV
_Autumn_
The trees and herbage, as the year doth wane,
For gold and russet leave their former hue--
All but the wave-toss'd flow'rets of the main,
That never yet chill autumn's empire knew.
_Yasuhide. _
XVI
_Autumn_
The dews are all of one pale silv'ry white:--
Then tell me, if thou canst, oh! tell me why
These silv'ry dews so marvellously dye
The autumn leaves a myriad colors bright?
_Toshiyuki. _
XVII
_Autumn_
The warp is hoar-frost and the woof is dew--
Too frail, alas! the warp and woof to be:--
For scarce the woods their damask robes endue,
When, torn and soiled, they flutter o'er the lea.
_Sekiwo. _
XVIII
_Autumn_
E'en when on earth the thund'ring gods held sway
Was such a sight beheld? --Calm Tatsta's flood,
Stain'd, as by Chinese art, with hues of blood,
Rolls o'er Yamato's peaceful fields away.
_Narihira. _
XIX
_Winter_
When falls the snow, lo! ev'ry herb and tree,
That in seclusion through the wintry hours
Long time had been held fast, breaks forth in flow'rs
That ne'er in spring were known upon the lea.
_Tsurayuki. _
XX
_Winter_
When from the skies, that wintry gloom enshrouds,
The blossoms fall and flutter round my head,
Methinks the spring e'en now his light must shed
O'er heavenly lands that lie beyond the clouds.
_Fukayabu. _
XXI
_Congratulations_
A thousand years of happy life be thine!
Live on, my lord, till what are pebbles now,
By age united, to great rocks shall grow,
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line!
_Anon. _
XXII
_Congratulations_[154]
Of all the days and months that hurry by
Nor leave a trace, how long the weary tale!
And yet how few the springs when in the vale
On the dear flow'rets I may feast mine eye!
_Okikaze. _
XXIII
_Congratulations_
If ever mortal in the days of yore
By Heav'n a thousand years of life was lent,
I wot not; but if never seen before,
Be thou the man to make the precedent.
_Sosei. _
XXIV
_Parting_
Mine oft-reiterated pray'rs in vain
The parting guest would stay: Oh, cherry-flow'rs!
Pour down your petals, that from out these bow'rs
He ne'er may find the homeward path again!
_Anon. _
XXV
_Travelling_
With roseate hues that pierce th' autumnal haze
The spreading dawn lights up Akashi's shore;
But the fair ship, alas! is seen no more:--
An island veils it from my loving gaze.
_Attributed to Hitomaro. _
XXVI
_Travelling_
Miyako-bird! if not in vain men give
Thy pleasing name, my question deign to hear:--
And has she pass'd away, my darling dear,
Or doth she still for Narihira live?
_Narihira. _
* * * * *
XXVIII
_Love_
The barest ledge of rock, if but a seed
Alight upon it, lets the pine-tree grow:--
If, then, thy love for me be love indeed,
We'll come together, dear; it must be so!
_Anon. _
XXIX
_Love_
There is on earth a thing more bootless still
Than to write figures on a running stream:--
And that thing is (believe me if you will)
To dream of one who ne'er of you doth dream.
_Anon. _
* * * * *
XXXI
_Love_
Since that first night when, bath'd in hopeless tears,
I sank asleep, and he I love did seem
To visit me, I welcome ev'ry dream,
Sure that they come as heav'n-sent messengers.
_Komachi. _
XXXII
_Love_
Methinks my tenderness the grass must be,
Clothing some mountain desolate and lone;
For though it daily grows luxuriantly,
To ev'ry mortal eye 'tis still unknown.
_Yoshiki. _
XXXIII
_Love_
Upon the causeway through the land of dreams
Surely the dews must plentifully light:--
For when I've wandered up and down all night,
My sleeve's so wet that nought will dry its streams.
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXIV
_Love_
Fast fall the silv'ry dews, albeit not yet
'Tis autumn weather; for each drop's a tear,
Shed till the pillow of my hand is wet,
As I wake from dreaming of my dear.
_Anon. _
XXXV
_Love_
I ask'd my soul where springs th' ill-omened seed
That bears the herb of dull forgetfulness;[155]
And answer straightway came:--Th' accursed weed
Grows in that heart which knows no tenderness.
_Sosei. _
XXXVI
_Elegies_[156]
So frail our life, perchance to-morrow's sun
May never rise for me. Ah! well-a-day!
Till comes the twilight of the sad to-day,
I'll mourn for thee, O thou beloved one!
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXVII
_Elegies_
The perfume is the same, the same the hue
As that which erst my senses did delight:--
But he who planted the fair avenue
Is here no more, alas! to please my sight!
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXVIII
_Elegies_
One thing, alas! more fleeting have I seen
Than wither'd leaves driv'n by the autumn gust:--
Yea, evanescent as the whirling dust
Is man's brief passage o'er this mortal scene!
_Chisato. _
XXXIX
Softly the dews upon my forehead light:--
From off the oars, perchance, as feather'd spray,
They drop, while some fair skiff bends on her way
Across the Heav'nly Stream[157] on starlit night.
_Anon. _
XL
What though the waters of that antique rill
That flows along the heath, no more are cold;
Those who remember what it was of old
Go forth to draw them in their buckets still.
_Anon. _
XLI[158]
Old Age is not a friend I wish to meet;
And if some day to see me he should come,
I'd lock the door as he walk'd up the street,
And cry, "Most honored sir! I'm not at home! "
_Anon_.
XLII[159]
Yes, I am old; but yet with doleful stour
I will not choose to rail 'gainst Fate's decree.
An' I had not grown old, then ne'er for me
Had dawned the day that brings this golden hour.
_Toshiyuki. _
XLIII[160]
The roaring torrent scatters far and near
Its silv'ry drops:--Oh! let me pick them up!
For when of grief I drain some day the cup,
Each will do service as a bitter tear.
_Yukihira. _
XLIV
_Composed on beholding the cascade of Otoha on Mount Hiye_
Long years, methinks, of sorrow and of care
Must have pass'd over the old fountain-head
Of the cascade; for, like a silv'ry thread,
It rolls adown, nor shows one jet-black hair.
_Tadamine. _
XLV
If e'en that grot where thou didst seek release
From worldly strife in lonesome mountain glen
Should find thee sometimes sorrowful, ah! then
Where mayest thou farther flee to search for peace?
_Mitsune. _
XLVI[161]
So close thy friendly roof, so near the spring,
That though not yet dull winter hath gone hence,
The wind that bloweth o'er our parting fence
From thee to me the first gay flow'rs doth bring.
_Fukayabu. _
XLVII
If to this frame of mine in spring's first hour,
When o'er the moor the lightsome mists do curl,
Might but be lent the shape of some fair flower,
Haply thou 'dst deign to pluck me, cruel girl!
_Okikaze. _
XLVIII
"Love me, sweet girl! thy love is all I ask! "
"Love thee? " she laughing cries; "I love thee not! "
"Why, then I'll cease to love thee on the spot,
Since loving thee is such a thankless task! "
_Anon. _
XLIX
A youth once lov'd me, and his love I spurn'd.
But see the vengeance of the pow'rs above
On cold indiff'rence:--now 'tis I that love,
And my fond love, alas! is not returned.
_Anon. _
L
Beneath love's heavy weight my falt'ring soul
Plods, like the packman, o'er life's dusty road.
Oh! that some friendly hand would find a pole
To ease my shoulders of their grievous load!
_Anon. _
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 151: The plum-tree, cherry-tree, etc. , are in Japan
cultivated, not for their fruit, but for their blossoms. Together with
the wistaria, the lotus, the iris, the lespedeza, and a few others,
these take the place which is occupied in the West by the rose, the
lily, the violet, etc. ]
[Footnote 152: The lotus is the Buddhist emblem of purity, and the
lotus growing out of the bud is a frequent metaphor for the heart that
remains unsullied by contact with the world. ]
[Footnote 153: The transplanting of the rice occupies the whole rural
population during the month of June, when men and women may all be
seen working in the fields, knee-deep in water. The crops are gathered
in October. ]
[Footnote 154: This ode was composed on beholding a screen presented
to the Empress by Prince Sadayasu at the festival held in honor of her
fiftieth birthday, whereon was painted a man seated beneath the
falling cherry blossoms and watching them flutter down. ]
[Footnote 155: The "Herb of Forgetfulness" answers in the poetical
diction of the Japanese to the classical waters Lethe. ]
[Footnote 156: It is the young poet Ki-no-Tomonori who is mourned in
this stanza. ]
[Footnote 157: The Milky Way. ]
[Footnote 158: This stanza is remarkable for being (so far as the
present writer is aware) the only instance in Japanese literature of
that direct impersonation of an abstract idea which is so very
strongly marked a characteristic of Western thoughts and modes of
expression. ]
[Footnote 159: Composed on the occasion of a feast at the palace. ]
[Footnote 160: One of a number of stanzas composed by a party of
courtiers who visited the cascade of Nunobiki, near the site of the
modern treaty-port of Kobe. ]
[Footnote 161: This stanza was composed and sent to the owner of the
neighboring house on the last day of winter, when the wind had blown
some snow across from it into the poet's dwelling. ]
* * * * *
THE DRAMA OF JAPAN
[_Selected Plays, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain_]
NAKAMITSU
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MITSUNAKA, Lord of the Horse to the Emperor Murakami.
BIJIYAU, Son of Mitsunaka, and still a boy.
NAKAMITSU, retainer of Mitsunaka.
KAUZHIYU, son of Nakamitsu, and foster-brother of Bijiyau.
WESHIN, Abbot of the great monastery on Mount Hiyei, near Kiyauto
(Miaco).
The Chorus.
Scene. --The Temple of Chiynuzanzhi, and my Lord Mitsunaka's palace in
Kiyauto.
Time. --Early in the Tenth Century.
NAKAMITSU
PART I
Scene I. --Near the Monastery of Chiynuzanzhi
_Enter Nakamitsu. _
NAKAMITSU. --I am Nakamitsu, a man of the Fujihara clan, and retainer
of Mitsunaka, Lord of Tada in the land of Setsushiu. Now you must know
that my lord hath an only son, and him hath he sent to a certain
monastery amid the mountains named Chiynuzanzhi, while I, too, have a
son called Kauzhiyu, who is gone as page to young my lord. But young
my lord doth not condescend to apply his mind unto study, loving
rather nothing so well as to spend from morn to night in quarrelling
and disturbance. Wherefore, thinking doubtless to disinherit young my
lord, my lord already this many a time, hath sent his messengers to
the temple with summons to return home to Kiyauto. Nevertheless, as he
cometh not, me hath he now sent on the same errand.
[_The above words are supposed to be spoken during the journey, and
Nakamitsu now arrives at the monastery[162]. _]
Prithee! is any within?
KAUZHIYU. --Who is it that deigneth to ask admittance?
NAKAMITSU. --What! Is that Kauzhiyu? Tell young my lord that I have
come to fetch him home.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He goes to his master's
apartment. _] How shall I dare address my lord? Nakamitsu is come to
fetch my lord.
BIJIYAU. --Call him hither.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He returns to the outer
hall and addresses his father. _] Condescend to come this way.
[_They go to Bijiyau's apartment. _
NAKAMITSU. --It is long since I was last here.
BIJIYAU. --And what is it that hath now brought thee?
NAKAMITSU. --'Tis that my lord, your father, hath sent me to bid your
lordship follow me home without delay.
BIJIYAU. --Shall I, then, go without saying anything to the priests, my
preceptors?
NAKAMITSU. --Yes; if the priests be told, they will surely wish to see
your lordship on the way, whereas, my lord, your father's commands
were, that I alone was to escort you.
BIJIYAU. --Then we will away.
NAKAMITSU. --Kauzhiyu! thou, too, shalt accompany thy master.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed.
[_They depart from the temple, and arrive at Mitsunaka's palace. _
NAKAMITSU. --How shall I dare address my lord? I have brought hither
his lordship Bijiyau.
MITSUNAKA. --Well, Bijiyau! my only reason for sending thee up to the
monastery was to help thy learning; and I would fain begin, by hearing
thee read aloud from the Scriptures.
And with these words, and bidding him read on,
He lays on ebon desk before his son
The sacred text, in golden letters writ.
BIJIYAU. --But how may he who never bent his wit
To make the pencil trace Asaka's[163] line
Spell out one letter of the book divine?
In vain, in vain his sire's behest he hears:--
Nought may he do but choke with idle tears.
MITSUNAKA. --Ah! surely 'tis that, being my child, he respecteth the
Scriptures too deeply, and chooseth not to read them except for
purposes of devotion. What of verse-making, then?
BIJIYAU. --I cannot make any.
MITSUNAKA. --And music? [_Bijiyau makes no answer. _
MITSUNAKA. --What! no reply? Hast lost thy tongue, young fool?
CHORUS. --Whom, then, to profit wentest thou to school?
And can it be that e'en a father's word,
Like snow that falling melts, is scarcely heard,
But 'tis unheeded? Ah! 'twill drive me wild
To point thee out to strangers as my child!
No sooner said, than out the scabbard flies
His trusty sword, and with fierce flashing eyes
Forward he darts; but rushing in between,
Good Nakamitsu checks the bloody scene--
Firm, though respectful, stays his master's arm,
And saves the lad from perilous alarm.
NAKAMITSU. --Good my lord, deign to be merciful this once!
MITSUNAKA. --Why stayed'st thou my hand? Haste thou now and slay
Bijiyau with this my sword.
NAKAMITSU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He retires into another
apartment. _] What is this horror unutterable? 'Tis no mere passing fit
of anger. What shall I do? --Ah! I have it! I have it! I will take upon
myself to contrive some plan for his escape. Kauzhiyu, Kauzhiyu, art
thou there?
KAUZHIYU. --Behold me at thy service.
NAKAMITSU. --Where is my lord Bijiyau?
KAUZHIYU. --All my prayers have been unavailing to make him leave this
spot.
NAKAMITSU. --But why will he not seek refuge somewhere? Here am I come
from my lord, his father, as a messenger of death! [_Bijiyau shows
himself. _
BIJIYAU. --That I am alive here at this moment is thy doing. But
through the lattice I heard my father's words to thee just now.
Little imports it an' I die or live,
But 'tis for thee I cannot choose but grieve
If thou do vex thy lord: to avert his ire
Strike off my head, and show it to my sire!
NAKAMITSU. --My lord, deign to be calm! I will take upon myself to
contrive some plan for your escape. --What! say you a messenger hath
come? My heart sinks within me. --What! another messenger?
[_These are messengers from Mitsunaka to ask whether his orders be not
yet carried into execution_.
NAKAMITSU. --Alas! each joy, each grief we see unfurl'd
Rewards some action in a former world.
KAUZHIYU. --In ages past thou sinned;
BIJIYAU. --And to-day
CHORUS. --Comes retribution! think not then to say
'Tis others' fault, nor foolishly upbraid
The lot thyself for thine own self hast made.
Say not the world's askew! with idle prate
Of never-ending grief the hour grows late.
Strike off my head! with many a tear he cries,
And might, in sooth, draw tears from any eyes. [164]
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! young my lord, were I but of like age with thee, how
readily would I not redeem thy life at the cost of mine own! Alas!
that so easy a sacrifice should not be possible!
KAUZHIYU. --Father, I would make bold to speak a word unto thee.
NAKAMITSU. --What may it be?
KAUZHIYU. --'Tis, father, that the words thou hast just spoken have
found a lodgment in mine ears. Thy charge, truly, is Mitsunaka; but
Mitsunaka's son is mine. This, if any, is a great occasion, and my
years point to me as of right the chief actor in it. Be quick! be
quick! strike off my head, and show it to Mitsunaka[165] as the head
of my lord Bijiyau!
NAKAMITSU. --Thou'st spoken truly, Nakamitsu cries,
And the long sword from out his scabbard flies,
What time he strides behind his boy.
BIJIYAU. --But no!
The youthful lord on such stupendous woe
May never gaze unmov'd; with bitter wail
The father's sleeve he clasps. Nought may 't avail,
He weeping cries, e'en should the deed be done,
For I will slay myself if falls thy son.
KAUZHIYU. --But 'tis the rule--a rule of good renown--
That for his lord a warrior must lay down
His lesser life.
BIJIYAU. -- But e'en if lesser, yet
He, too, is human; neither shouldst forget
What shame will e'er be mine if I survive
NAKAMITSU. --Alas! alas! and 'tis for death they strive!
KAUZHIYU. --Me deign to hear.
BIJIYAU. --No! mine the truer word!
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! this my child!
KAUZHIYU. --And there behold thy lord!
NAKAMITSU. --Betwixt the two see Nakamitsu stand:--
CHORUS. --His own brave life, an' 'twere his lord's command,
Were freely giv'n; but now, in sore dismay,
E'en his fierce courage fades and droops away.
BIJIYAU. --Why heed a life my sire himself holds cheap?
Nought may thy pity do but sink more deep
My soul in wretchedness.
KAUZHIYU. --Mistake me not!
Think not 'tis pity moves me; but a blot
The martial honor of our house will stain,
If, when I might have bled, my lord be slain.
CHORUS. --On either side 'tis infancy that pleads.
NAKAMITSU. --And yet how well they've learnt where duty leads!
CHORUS. --Dear is thy lord!
NAKAMITSU. --And mine own child how dear!
CHORUS. --But Nakamitsu knows full well that ne'er,
To save the child his craven heart ador'd,
Warrior yet dar'd lay hands upon his lord.
He to the left, the trembling father cries,
Was sure my boy, nor lifts his tear-stain'd eyes:--
A flash, a moment, the fell sabre gleams,
And sends his infant to the land of dreams. [166]
NAKAMITSU. --Oh, horror unutterable! to think that I should have slain
mine own innocent child! But I must go and inform my lord. [_He goes
to Mitsunaka's apartment. _ How shall I dare to address my lord? I
have slain my lord Bijiyau according to your commands.
MITSUNAKA. --So thou hast killed the fellow? I trow his last moments
were those of a coward. Is it not true?
NAKAMITSU. --Not so, my lord. As I stood there aghast, holding in my
hand the sword your lordship gave me, your son called out, "Why doth
Nakamitsu thus delay? " and those were the last words he was pleased to
utter.
MITSUNAKA. --As thou well knowest, Bijiyau was mine only child. Go and
call thy son Kauzhiyu, and I will adopt him as mine heir.
NAKAMITSU. --Kauzhiyu, my lord, in despair at being separated from
young my lord, hath cut off his locks,[167] and vanished none knows
whither.
I, too, thy gracious license would obtain.
Hence to depart, and in some holy fane
To join the priesthood.
MITSUNAKA. --Harsh was my decree,
Yet can I think what thy heart's grief must be
That as its own my recreant child receiv'd,
And now of both its children is bereav'd.
But 'tis a rule of universal sway
That a retainer ever must obey.
CHORUS. --Thus would my lord, with many a suasion fond,
Have rais'd poor Nakamitsu from despond.
Nor eke himself, with heart all stony hard,
Might, as a father, ev'ry pang discard:--
Behold him now, oh! lamentable sight!
O'er his own son perform the fun'ral rite.
PART II
Scene I. --Mitsunaka's Palace
_Some time is supposed to have elapsed, and Weshin, abbot of the
monastery on Mount Hiyei, comes down from that retreat to Mitsunaka's
palace in the capital, bringing with him Bijiyau, who had been
persuaded by Nakamitsu to take refuge with the holy man. _
WESHIN. --I am the priest Weshin, and am hastening on my way to my lord
Mitsunaka's palace, whither certain motives guide me. [_They arrive at
the gate and he cries out_:] I would fain crave admittance.
NAKAMITSU. --Who is it that asks to be admitted? Ah! 'tis his
reverence, Weshin.
WESHIN. --Alas, for poor Kauzhiyu!
Nakamitsu. --Yes; but prithee speak not of this before his lordship.
[_He goes to Mitsunaka's apartment. _] How shall I venture to address
my lord? His reverence, Weshin, hath arrived from Mount Hiyei.
MITSUNAKA. --Call him hither.
Nakamitsu. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He goes to the room where
Weshin is waiting, and says_:] Be pleased to pass this way.
[_They enter Mitsunaka's apartment. _
MITSUNAKA. --What may it be that has brought your reverence here
to-day?
WESHIN. --'Tis this, and this only. I come desiring to speak to your
lordship anent my lord Bijiyau.
MITSUNAKA. --Respecting him I gave orders to Nakamitsu, which orders
have been carried out.
WESHIN. --Ah! my lord, 'tis that, 'tis that I would discourse of. Be
not agitated, but graciously deign to give me thine attention while I
speak. Thou didst indeed command that my lord Bijiyau's head should
be struck off. But never might Nakamitsu prevail upon himself to lay
hands on one to whom, as his lord, he knew himself bound in reverence
through all the changing scenes of the Three Worlds. [168] Wherefore he
slew his own son, Kauzhiyu, to save my lord Bijiyau's life. And now
here I come bringing Bijiyau with me, and would humbly supplicate thee
to forgive one who was so loved that a man hath given his own son in
exchange for him. [169]
MITSUNAKA. --Then he was a coward, as I thought! Wherefore, if Kauzhiyu
was sacrificed, did he, too, not slay himself?
WESHIN. --My lord, put all other thoughts aside, and if it be only as
an act of piety towards Kauzhiyu's soul--curse not thy son!
CHORUS. --As thus the good man speaks,
Tears of entreaty pour adown his cheeks.
The father hears, and e'en his ruthless breast,
Soft'ning at last, admits the fond request,
While Nakamitsu, crowning their delight,
The flow'ry wine brings forth, and cups that might
Have served the fays: but who would choose to set
Their fav'rite's bliss that, home returning, wet
His grandson's grandson's still remoter line,
Beside the joy that doth itself entwine
Round the fond hearts of father and of son,
Parted and now in the same life made one?
WESHIN. --Prithee, Nakamitsu, wilt thou not dance and sing to us
awhile, in honor of this halcyon hour?
[_During the following song Nakamitsu dances. _
NAKAMITSU. --Water-bird, left all alone
Now thy little mate hath flown,
On the billows to and fro
Flutter, flutter, full of woe!
CHORUS. --Full of woe, so full of woe,
Flutter, flutter, full of woe!
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! if my darling were but here to-day
I'd make the two together dance and play
While I beat time, and, gazing on my boy,
Instead of tears of grief, shed tears of joy!
CHORUS. --Behold him weep!
We planted out each tender shoot again;[153]
And now the autumn breeze sighs o'er the plain,
Where fields of yellow rice confess its sway.
_Anon. _
XII
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 silv'ry haze.
_Chisato. _
XIII
What bark impelled by autumn's fresh'ning gale
Comes speeding t'ward me? --'Tis the wild geese arriv'n
Across the fathomless expanse of Heav'n,
And lifting up their voices for a sail!
_Anon. _
XIV
_Autumn_
The silv'ry dewdrops that in autumn light
Upon the moors, must surely jewels be;
For there they hang all over hill and lea,
Strung on the threads the spiders weave so tight.
_Asayasu. _
XV
_Autumn_
The trees and herbage, as the year doth wane,
For gold and russet leave their former hue--
All but the wave-toss'd flow'rets of the main,
That never yet chill autumn's empire knew.
_Yasuhide. _
XVI
_Autumn_
The dews are all of one pale silv'ry white:--
Then tell me, if thou canst, oh! tell me why
These silv'ry dews so marvellously dye
The autumn leaves a myriad colors bright?
_Toshiyuki. _
XVII
_Autumn_
The warp is hoar-frost and the woof is dew--
Too frail, alas! the warp and woof to be:--
For scarce the woods their damask robes endue,
When, torn and soiled, they flutter o'er the lea.
_Sekiwo. _
XVIII
_Autumn_
E'en when on earth the thund'ring gods held sway
Was such a sight beheld? --Calm Tatsta's flood,
Stain'd, as by Chinese art, with hues of blood,
Rolls o'er Yamato's peaceful fields away.
_Narihira. _
XIX
_Winter_
When falls the snow, lo! ev'ry herb and tree,
That in seclusion through the wintry hours
Long time had been held fast, breaks forth in flow'rs
That ne'er in spring were known upon the lea.
_Tsurayuki. _
XX
_Winter_
When from the skies, that wintry gloom enshrouds,
The blossoms fall and flutter round my head,
Methinks the spring e'en now his light must shed
O'er heavenly lands that lie beyond the clouds.
_Fukayabu. _
XXI
_Congratulations_
A thousand years of happy life be thine!
Live on, my lord, till what are pebbles now,
By age united, to great rocks shall grow,
Whose venerable sides the moss doth line!
_Anon. _
XXII
_Congratulations_[154]
Of all the days and months that hurry by
Nor leave a trace, how long the weary tale!
And yet how few the springs when in the vale
On the dear flow'rets I may feast mine eye!
_Okikaze. _
XXIII
_Congratulations_
If ever mortal in the days of yore
By Heav'n a thousand years of life was lent,
I wot not; but if never seen before,
Be thou the man to make the precedent.
_Sosei. _
XXIV
_Parting_
Mine oft-reiterated pray'rs in vain
The parting guest would stay: Oh, cherry-flow'rs!
Pour down your petals, that from out these bow'rs
He ne'er may find the homeward path again!
_Anon. _
XXV
_Travelling_
With roseate hues that pierce th' autumnal haze
The spreading dawn lights up Akashi's shore;
But the fair ship, alas! is seen no more:--
An island veils it from my loving gaze.
_Attributed to Hitomaro. _
XXVI
_Travelling_
Miyako-bird! if not in vain men give
Thy pleasing name, my question deign to hear:--
And has she pass'd away, my darling dear,
Or doth she still for Narihira live?
_Narihira. _
* * * * *
XXVIII
_Love_
The barest ledge of rock, if but a seed
Alight upon it, lets the pine-tree grow:--
If, then, thy love for me be love indeed,
We'll come together, dear; it must be so!
_Anon. _
XXIX
_Love_
There is on earth a thing more bootless still
Than to write figures on a running stream:--
And that thing is (believe me if you will)
To dream of one who ne'er of you doth dream.
_Anon. _
* * * * *
XXXI
_Love_
Since that first night when, bath'd in hopeless tears,
I sank asleep, and he I love did seem
To visit me, I welcome ev'ry dream,
Sure that they come as heav'n-sent messengers.
_Komachi. _
XXXII
_Love_
Methinks my tenderness the grass must be,
Clothing some mountain desolate and lone;
For though it daily grows luxuriantly,
To ev'ry mortal eye 'tis still unknown.
_Yoshiki. _
XXXIII
_Love_
Upon the causeway through the land of dreams
Surely the dews must plentifully light:--
For when I've wandered up and down all night,
My sleeve's so wet that nought will dry its streams.
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXIV
_Love_
Fast fall the silv'ry dews, albeit not yet
'Tis autumn weather; for each drop's a tear,
Shed till the pillow of my hand is wet,
As I wake from dreaming of my dear.
_Anon. _
XXXV
_Love_
I ask'd my soul where springs th' ill-omened seed
That bears the herb of dull forgetfulness;[155]
And answer straightway came:--Th' accursed weed
Grows in that heart which knows no tenderness.
_Sosei. _
XXXVI
_Elegies_[156]
So frail our life, perchance to-morrow's sun
May never rise for me. Ah! well-a-day!
Till comes the twilight of the sad to-day,
I'll mourn for thee, O thou beloved one!
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXVII
_Elegies_
The perfume is the same, the same the hue
As that which erst my senses did delight:--
But he who planted the fair avenue
Is here no more, alas! to please my sight!
_Tsurayuki. _
XXXVIII
_Elegies_
One thing, alas! more fleeting have I seen
Than wither'd leaves driv'n by the autumn gust:--
Yea, evanescent as the whirling dust
Is man's brief passage o'er this mortal scene!
_Chisato. _
XXXIX
Softly the dews upon my forehead light:--
From off the oars, perchance, as feather'd spray,
They drop, while some fair skiff bends on her way
Across the Heav'nly Stream[157] on starlit night.
_Anon. _
XL
What though the waters of that antique rill
That flows along the heath, no more are cold;
Those who remember what it was of old
Go forth to draw them in their buckets still.
_Anon. _
XLI[158]
Old Age is not a friend I wish to meet;
And if some day to see me he should come,
I'd lock the door as he walk'd up the street,
And cry, "Most honored sir! I'm not at home! "
_Anon_.
XLII[159]
Yes, I am old; but yet with doleful stour
I will not choose to rail 'gainst Fate's decree.
An' I had not grown old, then ne'er for me
Had dawned the day that brings this golden hour.
_Toshiyuki. _
XLIII[160]
The roaring torrent scatters far and near
Its silv'ry drops:--Oh! let me pick them up!
For when of grief I drain some day the cup,
Each will do service as a bitter tear.
_Yukihira. _
XLIV
_Composed on beholding the cascade of Otoha on Mount Hiye_
Long years, methinks, of sorrow and of care
Must have pass'd over the old fountain-head
Of the cascade; for, like a silv'ry thread,
It rolls adown, nor shows one jet-black hair.
_Tadamine. _
XLV
If e'en that grot where thou didst seek release
From worldly strife in lonesome mountain glen
Should find thee sometimes sorrowful, ah! then
Where mayest thou farther flee to search for peace?
_Mitsune. _
XLVI[161]
So close thy friendly roof, so near the spring,
That though not yet dull winter hath gone hence,
The wind that bloweth o'er our parting fence
From thee to me the first gay flow'rs doth bring.
_Fukayabu. _
XLVII
If to this frame of mine in spring's first hour,
When o'er the moor the lightsome mists do curl,
Might but be lent the shape of some fair flower,
Haply thou 'dst deign to pluck me, cruel girl!
_Okikaze. _
XLVIII
"Love me, sweet girl! thy love is all I ask! "
"Love thee? " she laughing cries; "I love thee not! "
"Why, then I'll cease to love thee on the spot,
Since loving thee is such a thankless task! "
_Anon. _
XLIX
A youth once lov'd me, and his love I spurn'd.
But see the vengeance of the pow'rs above
On cold indiff'rence:--now 'tis I that love,
And my fond love, alas! is not returned.
_Anon. _
L
Beneath love's heavy weight my falt'ring soul
Plods, like the packman, o'er life's dusty road.
Oh! that some friendly hand would find a pole
To ease my shoulders of their grievous load!
_Anon. _
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 151: The plum-tree, cherry-tree, etc. , are in Japan
cultivated, not for their fruit, but for their blossoms. Together with
the wistaria, the lotus, the iris, the lespedeza, and a few others,
these take the place which is occupied in the West by the rose, the
lily, the violet, etc. ]
[Footnote 152: The lotus is the Buddhist emblem of purity, and the
lotus growing out of the bud is a frequent metaphor for the heart that
remains unsullied by contact with the world. ]
[Footnote 153: The transplanting of the rice occupies the whole rural
population during the month of June, when men and women may all be
seen working in the fields, knee-deep in water. The crops are gathered
in October. ]
[Footnote 154: This ode was composed on beholding a screen presented
to the Empress by Prince Sadayasu at the festival held in honor of her
fiftieth birthday, whereon was painted a man seated beneath the
falling cherry blossoms and watching them flutter down. ]
[Footnote 155: The "Herb of Forgetfulness" answers in the poetical
diction of the Japanese to the classical waters Lethe. ]
[Footnote 156: It is the young poet Ki-no-Tomonori who is mourned in
this stanza. ]
[Footnote 157: The Milky Way. ]
[Footnote 158: This stanza is remarkable for being (so far as the
present writer is aware) the only instance in Japanese literature of
that direct impersonation of an abstract idea which is so very
strongly marked a characteristic of Western thoughts and modes of
expression. ]
[Footnote 159: Composed on the occasion of a feast at the palace. ]
[Footnote 160: One of a number of stanzas composed by a party of
courtiers who visited the cascade of Nunobiki, near the site of the
modern treaty-port of Kobe. ]
[Footnote 161: This stanza was composed and sent to the owner of the
neighboring house on the last day of winter, when the wind had blown
some snow across from it into the poet's dwelling. ]
* * * * *
THE DRAMA OF JAPAN
[_Selected Plays, translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain_]
NAKAMITSU
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
MITSUNAKA, Lord of the Horse to the Emperor Murakami.
BIJIYAU, Son of Mitsunaka, and still a boy.
NAKAMITSU, retainer of Mitsunaka.
KAUZHIYU, son of Nakamitsu, and foster-brother of Bijiyau.
WESHIN, Abbot of the great monastery on Mount Hiyei, near Kiyauto
(Miaco).
The Chorus.
Scene. --The Temple of Chiynuzanzhi, and my Lord Mitsunaka's palace in
Kiyauto.
Time. --Early in the Tenth Century.
NAKAMITSU
PART I
Scene I. --Near the Monastery of Chiynuzanzhi
_Enter Nakamitsu. _
NAKAMITSU. --I am Nakamitsu, a man of the Fujihara clan, and retainer
of Mitsunaka, Lord of Tada in the land of Setsushiu. Now you must know
that my lord hath an only son, and him hath he sent to a certain
monastery amid the mountains named Chiynuzanzhi, while I, too, have a
son called Kauzhiyu, who is gone as page to young my lord. But young
my lord doth not condescend to apply his mind unto study, loving
rather nothing so well as to spend from morn to night in quarrelling
and disturbance. Wherefore, thinking doubtless to disinherit young my
lord, my lord already this many a time, hath sent his messengers to
the temple with summons to return home to Kiyauto. Nevertheless, as he
cometh not, me hath he now sent on the same errand.
[_The above words are supposed to be spoken during the journey, and
Nakamitsu now arrives at the monastery[162]. _]
Prithee! is any within?
KAUZHIYU. --Who is it that deigneth to ask admittance?
NAKAMITSU. --What! Is that Kauzhiyu? Tell young my lord that I have
come to fetch him home.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He goes to his master's
apartment. _] How shall I dare address my lord? Nakamitsu is come to
fetch my lord.
BIJIYAU. --Call him hither.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He returns to the outer
hall and addresses his father. _] Condescend to come this way.
[_They go to Bijiyau's apartment. _
NAKAMITSU. --It is long since I was last here.
BIJIYAU. --And what is it that hath now brought thee?
NAKAMITSU. --'Tis that my lord, your father, hath sent me to bid your
lordship follow me home without delay.
BIJIYAU. --Shall I, then, go without saying anything to the priests, my
preceptors?
NAKAMITSU. --Yes; if the priests be told, they will surely wish to see
your lordship on the way, whereas, my lord, your father's commands
were, that I alone was to escort you.
BIJIYAU. --Then we will away.
NAKAMITSU. --Kauzhiyu! thou, too, shalt accompany thy master.
KAUZHIYU. --Your commands shall be obeyed.
[_They depart from the temple, and arrive at Mitsunaka's palace. _
NAKAMITSU. --How shall I dare address my lord? I have brought hither
his lordship Bijiyau.
MITSUNAKA. --Well, Bijiyau! my only reason for sending thee up to the
monastery was to help thy learning; and I would fain begin, by hearing
thee read aloud from the Scriptures.
And with these words, and bidding him read on,
He lays on ebon desk before his son
The sacred text, in golden letters writ.
BIJIYAU. --But how may he who never bent his wit
To make the pencil trace Asaka's[163] line
Spell out one letter of the book divine?
In vain, in vain his sire's behest he hears:--
Nought may he do but choke with idle tears.
MITSUNAKA. --Ah! surely 'tis that, being my child, he respecteth the
Scriptures too deeply, and chooseth not to read them except for
purposes of devotion. What of verse-making, then?
BIJIYAU. --I cannot make any.
MITSUNAKA. --And music? [_Bijiyau makes no answer. _
MITSUNAKA. --What! no reply? Hast lost thy tongue, young fool?
CHORUS. --Whom, then, to profit wentest thou to school?
And can it be that e'en a father's word,
Like snow that falling melts, is scarcely heard,
But 'tis unheeded? Ah! 'twill drive me wild
To point thee out to strangers as my child!
No sooner said, than out the scabbard flies
His trusty sword, and with fierce flashing eyes
Forward he darts; but rushing in between,
Good Nakamitsu checks the bloody scene--
Firm, though respectful, stays his master's arm,
And saves the lad from perilous alarm.
NAKAMITSU. --Good my lord, deign to be merciful this once!
MITSUNAKA. --Why stayed'st thou my hand? Haste thou now and slay
Bijiyau with this my sword.
NAKAMITSU. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He retires into another
apartment. _] What is this horror unutterable? 'Tis no mere passing fit
of anger. What shall I do? --Ah! I have it! I have it! I will take upon
myself to contrive some plan for his escape. Kauzhiyu, Kauzhiyu, art
thou there?
KAUZHIYU. --Behold me at thy service.
NAKAMITSU. --Where is my lord Bijiyau?
KAUZHIYU. --All my prayers have been unavailing to make him leave this
spot.
NAKAMITSU. --But why will he not seek refuge somewhere? Here am I come
from my lord, his father, as a messenger of death! [_Bijiyau shows
himself. _
BIJIYAU. --That I am alive here at this moment is thy doing. But
through the lattice I heard my father's words to thee just now.
Little imports it an' I die or live,
But 'tis for thee I cannot choose but grieve
If thou do vex thy lord: to avert his ire
Strike off my head, and show it to my sire!
NAKAMITSU. --My lord, deign to be calm! I will take upon myself to
contrive some plan for your escape. --What! say you a messenger hath
come? My heart sinks within me. --What! another messenger?
[_These are messengers from Mitsunaka to ask whether his orders be not
yet carried into execution_.
NAKAMITSU. --Alas! each joy, each grief we see unfurl'd
Rewards some action in a former world.
KAUZHIYU. --In ages past thou sinned;
BIJIYAU. --And to-day
CHORUS. --Comes retribution! think not then to say
'Tis others' fault, nor foolishly upbraid
The lot thyself for thine own self hast made.
Say not the world's askew! with idle prate
Of never-ending grief the hour grows late.
Strike off my head! with many a tear he cries,
And might, in sooth, draw tears from any eyes. [164]
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! young my lord, were I but of like age with thee, how
readily would I not redeem thy life at the cost of mine own! Alas!
that so easy a sacrifice should not be possible!
KAUZHIYU. --Father, I would make bold to speak a word unto thee.
NAKAMITSU. --What may it be?
KAUZHIYU. --'Tis, father, that the words thou hast just spoken have
found a lodgment in mine ears. Thy charge, truly, is Mitsunaka; but
Mitsunaka's son is mine. This, if any, is a great occasion, and my
years point to me as of right the chief actor in it. Be quick! be
quick! strike off my head, and show it to Mitsunaka[165] as the head
of my lord Bijiyau!
NAKAMITSU. --Thou'st spoken truly, Nakamitsu cries,
And the long sword from out his scabbard flies,
What time he strides behind his boy.
BIJIYAU. --But no!
The youthful lord on such stupendous woe
May never gaze unmov'd; with bitter wail
The father's sleeve he clasps. Nought may 't avail,
He weeping cries, e'en should the deed be done,
For I will slay myself if falls thy son.
KAUZHIYU. --But 'tis the rule--a rule of good renown--
That for his lord a warrior must lay down
His lesser life.
BIJIYAU. -- But e'en if lesser, yet
He, too, is human; neither shouldst forget
What shame will e'er be mine if I survive
NAKAMITSU. --Alas! alas! and 'tis for death they strive!
KAUZHIYU. --Me deign to hear.
BIJIYAU. --No! mine the truer word!
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! this my child!
KAUZHIYU. --And there behold thy lord!
NAKAMITSU. --Betwixt the two see Nakamitsu stand:--
CHORUS. --His own brave life, an' 'twere his lord's command,
Were freely giv'n; but now, in sore dismay,
E'en his fierce courage fades and droops away.
BIJIYAU. --Why heed a life my sire himself holds cheap?
Nought may thy pity do but sink more deep
My soul in wretchedness.
KAUZHIYU. --Mistake me not!
Think not 'tis pity moves me; but a blot
The martial honor of our house will stain,
If, when I might have bled, my lord be slain.
CHORUS. --On either side 'tis infancy that pleads.
NAKAMITSU. --And yet how well they've learnt where duty leads!
CHORUS. --Dear is thy lord!
NAKAMITSU. --And mine own child how dear!
CHORUS. --But Nakamitsu knows full well that ne'er,
To save the child his craven heart ador'd,
Warrior yet dar'd lay hands upon his lord.
He to the left, the trembling father cries,
Was sure my boy, nor lifts his tear-stain'd eyes:--
A flash, a moment, the fell sabre gleams,
And sends his infant to the land of dreams. [166]
NAKAMITSU. --Oh, horror unutterable! to think that I should have slain
mine own innocent child! But I must go and inform my lord. [_He goes
to Mitsunaka's apartment. _ How shall I dare to address my lord? I
have slain my lord Bijiyau according to your commands.
MITSUNAKA. --So thou hast killed the fellow? I trow his last moments
were those of a coward. Is it not true?
NAKAMITSU. --Not so, my lord. As I stood there aghast, holding in my
hand the sword your lordship gave me, your son called out, "Why doth
Nakamitsu thus delay? " and those were the last words he was pleased to
utter.
MITSUNAKA. --As thou well knowest, Bijiyau was mine only child. Go and
call thy son Kauzhiyu, and I will adopt him as mine heir.
NAKAMITSU. --Kauzhiyu, my lord, in despair at being separated from
young my lord, hath cut off his locks,[167] and vanished none knows
whither.
I, too, thy gracious license would obtain.
Hence to depart, and in some holy fane
To join the priesthood.
MITSUNAKA. --Harsh was my decree,
Yet can I think what thy heart's grief must be
That as its own my recreant child receiv'd,
And now of both its children is bereav'd.
But 'tis a rule of universal sway
That a retainer ever must obey.
CHORUS. --Thus would my lord, with many a suasion fond,
Have rais'd poor Nakamitsu from despond.
Nor eke himself, with heart all stony hard,
Might, as a father, ev'ry pang discard:--
Behold him now, oh! lamentable sight!
O'er his own son perform the fun'ral rite.
PART II
Scene I. --Mitsunaka's Palace
_Some time is supposed to have elapsed, and Weshin, abbot of the
monastery on Mount Hiyei, comes down from that retreat to Mitsunaka's
palace in the capital, bringing with him Bijiyau, who had been
persuaded by Nakamitsu to take refuge with the holy man. _
WESHIN. --I am the priest Weshin, and am hastening on my way to my lord
Mitsunaka's palace, whither certain motives guide me. [_They arrive at
the gate and he cries out_:] I would fain crave admittance.
NAKAMITSU. --Who is it that asks to be admitted? Ah! 'tis his
reverence, Weshin.
WESHIN. --Alas, for poor Kauzhiyu!
Nakamitsu. --Yes; but prithee speak not of this before his lordship.
[_He goes to Mitsunaka's apartment. _] How shall I venture to address
my lord? His reverence, Weshin, hath arrived from Mount Hiyei.
MITSUNAKA. --Call him hither.
Nakamitsu. --Your commands shall be obeyed. [_He goes to the room where
Weshin is waiting, and says_:] Be pleased to pass this way.
[_They enter Mitsunaka's apartment. _
MITSUNAKA. --What may it be that has brought your reverence here
to-day?
WESHIN. --'Tis this, and this only. I come desiring to speak to your
lordship anent my lord Bijiyau.
MITSUNAKA. --Respecting him I gave orders to Nakamitsu, which orders
have been carried out.
WESHIN. --Ah! my lord, 'tis that, 'tis that I would discourse of. Be
not agitated, but graciously deign to give me thine attention while I
speak. Thou didst indeed command that my lord Bijiyau's head should
be struck off. But never might Nakamitsu prevail upon himself to lay
hands on one to whom, as his lord, he knew himself bound in reverence
through all the changing scenes of the Three Worlds. [168] Wherefore he
slew his own son, Kauzhiyu, to save my lord Bijiyau's life. And now
here I come bringing Bijiyau with me, and would humbly supplicate thee
to forgive one who was so loved that a man hath given his own son in
exchange for him. [169]
MITSUNAKA. --Then he was a coward, as I thought! Wherefore, if Kauzhiyu
was sacrificed, did he, too, not slay himself?
WESHIN. --My lord, put all other thoughts aside, and if it be only as
an act of piety towards Kauzhiyu's soul--curse not thy son!
CHORUS. --As thus the good man speaks,
Tears of entreaty pour adown his cheeks.
The father hears, and e'en his ruthless breast,
Soft'ning at last, admits the fond request,
While Nakamitsu, crowning their delight,
The flow'ry wine brings forth, and cups that might
Have served the fays: but who would choose to set
Their fav'rite's bliss that, home returning, wet
His grandson's grandson's still remoter line,
Beside the joy that doth itself entwine
Round the fond hearts of father and of son,
Parted and now in the same life made one?
WESHIN. --Prithee, Nakamitsu, wilt thou not dance and sing to us
awhile, in honor of this halcyon hour?
[_During the following song Nakamitsu dances. _
NAKAMITSU. --Water-bird, left all alone
Now thy little mate hath flown,
On the billows to and fro
Flutter, flutter, full of woe!
CHORUS. --Full of woe, so full of woe,
Flutter, flutter, full of woe!
NAKAMITSU. --Ah! if my darling were but here to-day
I'd make the two together dance and play
While I beat time, and, gazing on my boy,
Instead of tears of grief, shed tears of joy!
CHORUS. --Behold him weep!
