The lady hesitated a moment,
though somewhat inclined to read it, holding it in her hand for some
little time, undecided.
though somewhat inclined to read it, holding it in her hand for some
little time, undecided.
Epiphanius Wilson - Japanese Literature
"
Thus thinking, she resolved to return no answer. She might, indeed,
have admired the person of Genji, and probably did so, yet, whenever
such feelings came into her mind, the next thought that suggested
itself was, "What is the use of such idle admiration? "
Meanwhile, Genji was often thinking of paying a visit to the house
where she was staying, but he did not consider it becoming to do so,
without some reasonable pretext, more especially as he would have been
sorry, and for her sake more than his own, to draw a suspicion upon
her.
It happened, however, after a prolonged residence at the Court, that
another occasion of closing the Palace in the certain celestial line
of direction arrived. Catching at this opportunity he left the Palace,
and suddenly turning out of his road, went straight to Ki-no-Kami's
residence, with the excuse that he had just discovered the above fact
on his way. Ki-no-Kami surprised at this unexpected visit, had only to
bow before him, and acknowledge the honor of his presence. The boy,
Kokimi, was already there before him, having been secretly informed of
his intention beforehand, and he attended on him as usual in his
apartment on his arrival.
The lady, who had been told by her brother that the Prince earnestly
desired to see her, knew well how dangerous it was to approach an
inviting flower growing on the edge of a precipice. She was not, of
course, insensible to his coming in such a manner, with an excuse for
the sake of seeing her, but she did not wish to increase her dreamlike
inquietude by seeing him. And again, if he ventured to visit her
apartment, as he did before, it might be a serious compromise for her.
For these reasons she retired while her brother was with Genji, to a
private chamber of Chiujio, her companion, in the rear of the main
building, under the pretence that her own room was too near that of
the Prince, besides she was indisposed and required "Tataki,"[49]
which she desired to have done in a retired part of the house.
Genji sent his attendants very early to their own quarters, and then,
through Kokimi, requested an interview with the lady. Kokimi at first
was unable to find her, till after searching everywhere, he, at last,
came to the apartment of Chiujio, and with great earnestness
endeavored to persuade her to see Genji, in an anxious and half
trembling voice, while she replied in a tone slightly angry, "What
makes you so busy? Why do you trouble yourself? Boys carrying such
messages are highly blamable. "
After thus daunting him, she added, more mildly, "Tell the Prince I am
somewhat indisposed, and also that some friends are with me, and I
cannot well leave them now. " And she again cautioned the boy not to be
too officious, and sent him away from her at once.
Yet, at the bottom of her heart, different feelings might have been
struggling from those which her words seemed to express, and some such
thoughts as these shaped themselves to her mind: "Were I still a
maiden in the home of my beloved parents, and occasionally received
his visits there, how happy might I not be? How trying to act as if no
romantic sentiment belonged to my heart! "
Genji, who was anxiously waiting to know how the boy would succeed in
persuading his sister, was soon told that all his efforts were in
vain. Upon hearing this he remained for some moments silent, and then
relieved his feelings with a long-drawn sigh, and hummed:--
"The Hahaki-gi[50] distant tree
Spreads broom-like o'er the silent waste;
Approach, how changed its shape we see,
In vain we try its shade to taste. "
The lady was unable to sleep, and her thoughts also took the following
poetic shape:--
Too like the Hahaki-gi tree,
Lonely and humble, I must dwell,
Nor dare to give a thought to thee,
But only sigh a long farewell.
All the other inmates of the house were now in a sound slumber, but
sleep came not to Genji's eyes. He did, indeed, admire her immovable
and chaste nature, but this only drew his heart more towards her. He
was agitated. At one moment he cried, "Well, then! " at another,
"However! " "Still! " At last, turning to the boy, he passionately
exclaimed, "Lead me to her at once! "
Kokimi calmly replied, "It is impossible, too many eyes are around
us! "
Genji with a sigh then threw himself back on the cushion, saying to
Kokimi, "You, at least, will be my friend, and shall share my
apartment! "
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 22: A hero of an older fiction, who is represented as the
perfect ideal of a gallant. ]
[Footnote 23: A fast observed when some remarkable or supernatural
event took place, or on the anniversary of days of domestic
misfortune. ]
[Footnote 24: A general of the Imperial Guards. ]
[Footnote 25: Love letters generally are not signed or are signed with
a fancy name. ]
[Footnote 26: Left Master of the Horse. ]
[Footnote 27: Secretary to the Master of Ceremonies. ]
[Footnote 28: Deputy-governors of provinces. In those days these
functionaries were greatly looked down upon by the Court nobles, and
this became one of the causes of the feudal system. ]
[Footnote 29: The naoshi is an outer attire. It formed part of a loose
and unceremonious Court dress. ]
[Footnote 30: This alludes to a common habit of women, who push back
their hair before commencing any task. ]
[Footnote 31: Some kinds of nuns did not shave their heads, and this
remark seems to allude to the common practice of women who often
involuntarily smooth their hair before they see people, which practice
comes, no doubt, from the idea that the beauty of women often depends
on the tidiness of their hair. ]
[Footnote 32: This means that her soul, which was sinful, would not go
at once to its final resting-place, but wander about in unknown
paths. ]
[Footnote 33: A mountain spoken of in Chinese literature. It was said
to be in the Eastern Ocean, and people of extraordinary long lives,
called Sennin, were supposed to dwell there. ]
[Footnote 34: In China and Japan handwriting is considered no less an
art than painting. ]
[Footnote 35: An ideal woman patroness of the art of dyeing. ]
[Footnote 36: The weaver, or star Vega. In the Chinese legend she is
personified as a woman always engaged in weaving. ]
[Footnote 37: In the same legend, it is said that this weaver, who
dwells on one side of the Milky Way in the heavens, meets her
lover--another star called Hikoboshi, or the bull-driver--once every
year, on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month. He dwelt
on the other side of the Milky Way, and their meeting took place on a
bridge, made by birds (jays), by the intertwining of their wings. It
was this which gave rise to the popular festival, which takes place on
this day, both in China and Japan. ]
[Footnote 38: Little darlings--a kind of pink. ]
[Footnote 39: The Tokonatz (everlasting summer) is another name for
the pink, and it is poetically applied to the lady whom we love. ]
[Footnote 40: A female divinity in Indian mythology. ]
[Footnote 41: From the Chinese poet Hak-rak-ten, who was mentioned
before. He says in one of his poems: "Once upon a time a certain host
invited to his abode a clever match-maker. When the guests were
assembled he poured forth wine into a beautiful jar, and said to all
present, 'drink not for a moment, but hear what I say about the two
choices, daughters of the rich get married soon, but snub their
husbands, daughters of the poor get married with difficulty but dearly
love their mothers-in-law. '"]
[Footnote 42: A soft style of Japanese writing commonly used by
ladies. ]
[Footnote 43: A stiff and formal style of Japanese writing. ]
[Footnote 44: The fifth of May is one of the five important national
festivals. A solemn celebration of this fete used to be performed at
Court. It is sometimes called the festival of the "Sweet
Flags,"--_calami aromatici_--because it was held at the season when
those beautiful water-plants were in the height of perfection. ]
[Footnote 45: Another of the five above-mentioned. It was held on the
ninth of September, and it was customary on the occasion for rhymes to
be given out to those present, wherewith to compose Chinese poems. It
was sometimes called the "Chrysanthemum Festival," for the same reason
that the celebration of the fifth of May was termed the "Sweet Flag
Festival. "]
[Footnote 46: This is an astrological superstition. It is said that
when this God is in any part of the compass, at the time being, it is
most unlucky to proceed towards it, and to remain in the same line of
its direction. ]
[Footnote 47: The deputy governor of the province Iyo; he is supposed
to be in the province at this time, leaving his young wife and family
behind. ]
[Footnote 48: The father of Kokimi seems to have been holding the
office Yemon-no-Kami as well as Chiunagon. ]
[Footnote 49: Tataki, or Amma, a sort of shampooing, a very common
medical treatment in Japan. ]
[Footnote 50: Hahaki-gi, the broom-like tree, is said to have been a
certain tree growing in the plain of Sonohara, so called from its
shape, which, at a distance, looked like a spreading broom, but when
one comes near, its appearance was totally changed. ]
CHAPTER III
BEAUTIFUL CICADA
Genji was still sleepless! "Never have I been so badly treated. I have
now discovered what the disappointment of the world means," he
murmured, while the boy Kokimi lay down beside him fast asleep. The
smallness of his stature, and the graceful waving of his short hair,
could not but recall to Genji the beautiful tresses of his sister, and
bring her image vividly before him; and, long before the daylight
appeared, he rose up, and returned to his residence with all speed.
For some time after this no communication took place between the lady
and himself. He could not, however, banish her from his thoughts, and
he said to Kokimi that "he felt his former experience too painful, and
that he strove to drive away his care; yet in vain; his thoughts would
not obey his wish, and he begged him, therefore, to seek some
favorable opportunity for him to see her. " Kokimi, though he did not
quite like the task, felt proud of being made his confidant, and
thenceforward looked incessantly, with keen boyish eyes, for a chance
of obliging him.
Now, it happened that Ki-no-Kami went down to his official residence
in his province, and only the female members of his family were left
at home. "This is the time," said Kokimi to himself, and went to
Genji, and persuaded him to come with him. "What can the boy do? "
thought Genji; "I fear not very much, but I must not expect too much";
and they started at once, in Kokimi's carriage, so as to arrive in
good time.
The evening was darkening round them, and they drew up on one side of
the house, where few persons were likely to observe them. As it
happened to be Kokimi who had come, no fuss was made about his
arrival, nor any notice taken of it. He entered the house; and,
leaving the Prince in the Eastern Hall, proceeded first into the inner
room. The casement was closed.
"How is it the casement is closed? " he demanded of the servants. They
told him "That the Lady of the West (Ki-no-Kami's sister, so called by
the domestics from her living to the westward of the house) was there
on a visit since noon, and was playing Go with his sister. " The door
by which the boy had entered the room was not entirely closed. Genji
softly came up to it, and the whole interior of the apartment was
visible. He stood facing the west. On one side of the room was a
folding screen, one end of which was pushed back, and there was
nothing besides to obstruct his view. His first glance fell on the
fair figure of her of whom he had so fondly dreamt, sitting by a lamp
near a central pillar. She wore a dress of dark purple, and a kind of
scarf thrown over her shoulders; her figure was slight and delicate,
and her face was partly turned aside, as if she did not like to expose
it even to her companions. Her hands were prettily shaped and tiny,
and she used them with a gentle reserve, half covering them. Another
lady, younger than herself, sat facing the east--that is, just
opposite Genji--and was, therefore, entirely visible to him. She was
dressed in a thin white silk, with a Ko-uchiki (outer vestment),
worked with red and blue flowers, thrown loosely over it, and a
crimson sash round her waist. Her bosom was partly revealed; her
complexion very fair; her figure rather stout and tall; the head and
neck in good proportions, and the lips and eyelids lovely. The hair
was not very long, but reached in wavy lines to her shoulders.
"If a man had such a daughter, he might be satisfied," thought Genji.
"But perhaps she may be a little deficient in quietness. No matter how
this may be, she has sufficient attractions. "
The game was drawing to a close, and they paid very little attention
to Kokimi on his entrance. The principal interest in it was over; they
were hurrying to finish it. One was looking quietly at the board, and
said, "Let me see, that point must be Ji. Let me play the Koh[51] of
this spot. " The other saying, "I am beaten; let me calculate," began
to count on her fingers the number of spaces at each corner, at the
same time saying "Ten! twenty! thirty! forty! " When Genji came in this
way to see them together, he perceived that his idol, in the matter of
personal beauty, was somewhat inferior to her friend. He was not,
indeed, able to behold the full face of the former; yet, when he
shifted his position, and fixed his gaze steadfastly upon her, the
profile became distinct. He observed that her eyelids were a little
swollen, and the line of the nose was not very delicate. He still
admired her, and said to himself, "But perhaps she is more
sweet-tempered than the others"; but when he again turned his eyes to
the younger one, strange to say the calm and cheerful smile which
occasionally beamed in her face touched the heart of Genji; moreover,
his usual interviews with ladies generally took place in full
ceremony. He had never seen them in so familiar an attitude before,
without restraint or reserve, as on the present occasion, which made
him quite enjoy the scene. Kokimi now came out, and Genji retired
stealthily to one side of the door along the corridor. The former, who
saw him there, and supposed he had remained waiting in the place he
had left him all the while, apologized for keeping him so long, and
said: "A certain young lady is now staying here; I am sorry, but I did
not dare mention your visit. "
"Do you mean to send me away again disappointed? How inglorious it
is," replied Genji.
"No; why so? The lady may leave shortly. I will then announce you. "
Genji said no more. The ladies had by this time concluded their game,
and the servants, who were about to retire to their own apartments,
cried out, "Where is our young master? we must close this door. "
"Now is the time; pray take me there; don't be too late. Go and ask,"
said Genji.
Kokimi knew very well how hard was his task to persuade his sister to
see the Prince, and was meditating taking him into her room, without
her permission, when she was alone. So he said, hesitatingly, "Please
wait a little longer, till the other lady, Ki-no-Kami's sister, goes
away. "
"Is Ki-no's sister here? So much the better. Please introduce me to
her before she leaves," said Genji.
"But! "
"But what? Do you mean that she is not worth seeing? " retorted Genji;
and would fain have told the boy that he had already seen her, but
thought it better not to do so, and continued: "Were we to wait for
her to retire, it would become too late; we should have no chance. "
Hereupon Kokimi determined to risk a little, and went back to his
sister's room, rolling up a curtain which hung in his way. "It is too
warm--let the air in! " he cried, as he passed through. After a few
minutes he returned, and led Genji to the apartment on his own
responsibility. The lady with the scarf (his sister), who had been for
some time fondly supposing that Genji had given up thinking about her,
appeared startled and embarrassed when she saw him; but, as a matter
of course, the usual courtesies were paid. The younger lady, however
(who was free from all such thoughts), was rather pleased at his
appearance. It happened that, when the eyes of the younger were turned
in another direction, Genji ventured to touch slightly the shoulder of
his favorite, who, startled at the action rose suddenly and left the
room, on pretence of seeking something she required, dropping her
scarf in her haste, as a cicada casts off its tender wingy shell, and
leaving her friend to converse with the Prince. He was chagrined, but
did not betray his vexation either by words or looks, and now began to
carry on a conversation with the lady who remained, whom he had
already admired. Here his usual bold flirtation followed. The young
lady, who was at first disturbed at his assurance, betrayed her
youthful inexperience in such matters; yet for an innocent maiden, she
was rather coquettish, and he went on flirting with her.
"Chance meetings like this," said he, "often arise from deeper causes
than those which take place in the usual routine of things, so at
least say the ancients. If I say I love you, you might not believe me;
and yet, indeed, it is so. Do think of me! True, we are not yet quite
free, and perhaps I might not be able to see you so often as I wish;
but I hope you will wait with patience, and not forget me. "
"Truly, I also fear what people might suspect; and, therefore, I may
not be able to communicate with you at all," said she, innocently.
"Perhaps it might not be desirable to employ any other hand," he
rejoined. "If you only send your message, say through Kokimi, there
would not be any harm. "
Genji now rose to depart, and slyly possessed himself of the scarf
which had been dropped by the other lady. Kokimi, who had been dozing
all the time, started up suddenly when Genji roused him. He then led
the latter to the door. At this moment, the tremulous voice of an
aged female domestic, who appeared quite unexpectedly, exclaimed--
"Who is there? "
To which Kokimi immediately replied, "It is I! "
"What brings you here so late? " asked the old woman, in a querulous
tone.
"How inquisitive! I am now going out. What harm? " retorted the boy,
rather scornfully; and, stepping up to the threshold, gave Genji a
push over it, when all at once the shadow of his tall figure was
projected on the moonlit floor.
"Who's that? " cried the old woman sharply, and in alarm; but the next
moment, without waiting for any reply, mumbled on: "Ah, ah! 'tis Miss
Mimb, no wonder so tall. "
This remark seemed to allude to one of her fellow-servants, who must
have been a stalwart maiden, and the subject of remarks among her
companions. The old woman, quite satisfied in thinking that it was she
who was with Kokimi, added: "You, my young master, will soon be as
tall as she is; I will come out this way, too," and approached the
door. Genji could do nothing but stand silent and motionless. When she
came nearer she said, addressing the supposed Mimb, "Have you been
waiting on the young mistress this evening? I have been ill since the
day before yesterday, and kept myself to my room, but was sent for
this evening because my services were required. I cannot stand it. " So
saying, and without waiting for any reply, she passed on, muttering as
she went, "Oh! my pain! my pain! " Genji and the boy now went forth,
and they drove back to the mansion in Nijio. Talking over the events
of the evening, Genji ironically said to his companion, "Ah! you are a
nice boy! " and snapped his fingers with chagrin at the escape of his
favorite and her indifference. Kokimi said nothing. Genji then
murmured, "I was clearly slighted. Oh wretched me! I cannot rival the
happy Iyo! " Shortly after, he retired to rest, taking with him, almost
unconsciously, the scarf he had carried off, and again making Kokimi
share his apartment, for company's sake. He had still some hope that
the latter might be useful to him; and, with the intention of stirring
up his energies, observed, "You are a nice boy; but I am afraid the
coldness shown to me by your sister may at last weaken the friendship
between you and me. "
Kokimi still made no reply. Genji closed his eyes but could not
sleep, so he started up and, taking writing materials, began to write,
apparently without any fixed purpose, and indited the following
distich:--
"Where the cicada casts her shell
In the shadows of the tree,
There is one whom I love well,
Though her heart is cold to me. "
Casting away the piece of paper on which these words were
written--purposely or not, who knows? --he again leaned his head on his
hand. Kokimi slyly stretching out his hand, picked up the paper from
the floor, and hid it quickly in his dress. Genji soon fell into
profound slumber, in which he was speedily joined by Kokimi.
Some days passed away and Kokimi returned to his sister, who, on
seeing him, chided him severely, saying:--
"Though I managed with some difficulty, we must not forget what people
might say of us, _your_ officiousness is most unpardonable. Do you
know what the Prince himself will think of your childish trick? "
Thus was poor Kokimi, on the one hand, reproached by Genji for not
doing enough, and on the other by his sister for being too officious!
was he not in a very happy position! Yet, notwithstanding her words,
he ventured to draw from his dress the paper he had picked up in
Genji's apartment, and offered it to her.
The lady hesitated a moment,
though somewhat inclined to read it, holding it in her hand for some
little time, undecided. At length she ventured to throw her eyes over
its contents. At once the loss of her scarf floated upon her mind as
she read, and, taking up her pen, wrote on part of the paper where
Genji had written his verses, the words of a song:--
"Amidst dark shadows of the tree,
Cicada's wing with dew is wet,
So in mine eyes unknown to thee,
Spring sweet tears of fond regret. "
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 51: Ji and Koh are the names of certain positions in the
game of "Go. "]
CHAPTER IV
EVENING GLORY
It happened that when Genji was driving about in the Rokjio quarter,
he was informed that his old nurse, Daini, was ill, and had become a
nun. Her residence was in Gojio. He wished to visit her, and drove to
the house. The main gate was closed, so that his carriage could not
drive up; therefore, he sent in a servant to call out Koremitz, a son
of the nurse.
Meantime, while awaiting him, he looked round on the deserted terrace.
He noticed close by a small and rather dilapidated dwelling, with a
wooden fence round a newly-made enclosure. The upper part, for eight
or ten yards in length, was surrounded by a trellis-work, over which
some white reed blinds--rude, but new--were thrown. Through these
blinds the indistinct outline of some fair heads were faintly
delineated, and the owners were evidently peeping down the roadway
from their retreat. "Ah," thought Genji, "they can never be so tall as
to look over the blind. They must be standing on something within. But
whose residence is it? What sort of people are they? " His equipage was
strictly private and unostentatious. There were, of course, no
outriders; hence he had no fear of being recognized by them. And so he
still watched the house. The gate was also constructed of something
like trellis-work, and stood half open, revealing the loneliness of
the interior. The line: "Where do we seek our home? " came first into
his mind, and he then thought that "even this must be as comfortable
as golden palaces to its inmates. "
A long wooden rail, covered with luxuriant creepers, which, fresh and
green, climbed over it in full vigor, arrested his eye; their white
blossoms, one after another disclosing their smiling lips in
unconscious beauty. Genji began humming to himself: "Ah! stranger
crossing there. " When his attendant informed him that these lovely
white flowers were called "Yugao" (evening-glory), adding, and at the
same time pointing to the flowers, "See the flowers _only_,
flourishing in that glorious state. "
"What beautiful flowers they are," exclaimed Genji. "Go and beg a
bunch. "
The attendant thereupon entered the half-opened gate and asked for
some of them, on which a young girl, dressed in a long tunic, came
out, taking an old fan in her hand, and saying, "Let us put them on
this, those with strong stems," plucked off a few stalks and laid them
on the fan.
These were given to the attendant, who walked slowly back. Just as he
came near to Genji, the gate of Koremitz's courtyard opened and
Koremitz himself appeared, who took the flowers from him and handed
them to Genji, at the same moment saying, "I am very sorry I could not
find the gate key, and that I made you wait so long in the public
road, though there is no one hereabouts to stare at, or recognize you,
I sincerely beg your pardon. "
The carriage was now driven in, and Genji alighted. The Ajari,[52]
elder brother of Koremitz; Mikawa-no-Kami, his brother-in-law; and the
daughter of Daini, all assembled and greeted him. The nun also rose
from her couch to welcome him.
"How pleased I am to see you," she said, "but you see I have quite
altered, I have become a nun. I have given up the world. I had no
reluctance in doing this. If I had any uneasiness, it was on your
account alone. My health, however, is beginning to improve; evidently
the divine blessing on this sacrifice. "
"I was so sorry," replied Genji, "to hear you were ill, and now still
more so to find you have given up the world. I hope that you may live
to witness my success and prosperity. It grieves me to think you were
compelled to make such a change; yet, I believe, this will secure your
enjoyment of happiness hereafter. It is said that when one leaves this
world without a single regret, one passes straight to Paradise. " As he
said these words his eyes became moistened.
Now, it is common for nurses to regard their foster children with
blind affection, whatever may be their faults, thinking, so to speak,
that what is crooked is straight. So in Genji's case, who, in Daini's
eyes, was next door to perfection, this blindness was still more
strongly apparent, and she always regarded her office as his nurse, as
an honor, and while Genji was discoursing in the above manner, a tear
began to trickle from her eyes.
"You know," he continued, "at what an early age I was deprived of my
dearest ties; there were, indeed, several who looked after me, but you
were the one to whom I was most attached. In due course, after I grew
up, I ceased to see you regularly. I could not visit you as often as I
thought of you, yet, when I did not see you for a long time, I often
felt very lonely. Ah! if there were no such things as partings in the
world! "
He then enjoined them earnestly to persevere in prayer for their
mother's health, and said, "Good-by. "
At the moment of quitting the house he remembered that something was
written on the fan that held the flowers. It was already twilight, and
he asked Koremitz to bring a taper, that he might see to read it. It
seemed to him as if the fragrance of some fair hand that had used it
still remained, and on it was written the following couplets:--
"The crystal dew at Evening's hour
Sleeps on the Yugao's beauteous flower,
Will this please him, whose glances bright,
Gave to the flowers a dearer light? "
With apparent carelessness, without any indication to show who the
writer was, it bore, however, the marks of a certain excellence. Genji
thought, "this is singular, coming from whence it does," and turning
to Koremitz, he asked, "Who lives in this house to your right? " "Ah,"
exclaimed Koremitz mentally, "as usual, I see," but replied with
indifference, "Truly I have been here some days, but I have been so
busy in attending my mother that I neither know nor have asked about
the neighbors. " "You may probably be surprised at my inquisitiveness,"
said Genji, "but I have reasons for asking this on account of this
fan. I request you to call on them, and make inquiries what sort of
people they are. "
Koremitz thereupon proceeded to the house, and, calling out a servant,
sought from him the information he wanted, when he was told that,
"This is the house of Mr. Yomei-no-Ske. He is at present in the
country; his lady is still young; her brothers are in the Court
service, and often come here to see her. The whole history of the
family I am not acquainted with. " With this answer Koremitz returned,
and repeated it to Genji, who thought, "Ah! the sending of this verse
may be a trick of these conceited Court fellows! " but he could not
entirely free his mind from the idea of its having been sent
especially to himself. This was consistent with the characteristic
vanity of his disposition. He, therefore, took out a paper, and
disguising his handwriting (lest it should be identified), indited the
following:--
"Were I the flower to see more near,
Which once at dusky eve I saw,
It might have charms for me more dear,
And look more beauteous than before. "
And this he sent to the house by his servant, and set off on his way.
He saw a faint light through the chinks of the blinds of the house,
like the glimmer of the firefly. It gave him, as he passed, a silent
sort of longing. The mansion in Rokjio, to which he was proceeding
this evening, was a handsome building, standing amidst fine woods of
rare growth and beauty, and all was of comfortable appearance. Its
mistress was altogether in good circumstances, and here Genji spent
the hours in full ease and comfort.
On his way home next morning he again passed the front of the house,
where grew the Yugao flowers, and the recollection of flowers which he
had received the previous evening, made him anxious to ascertain who
the people were who lived there.
After the lapse of some time Koremitz came to pay him a visit,
excusing himself for not having come before, on account of his
mother's health being more unsatisfactory. He said, "In obedience to
your commands to make further inquiries, I called on some people who
know about my neighbors, but could not get much information. I was
told, however, that there is a lady who has been living there since
last May, but who she is even the people in the house do not know.
Sometimes I looked over the hedges between our gardens, and saw the
youthful figure of a lady, and a maiden attending her, in a style of
dress which betrayed a good origin. Yesterday evening, after sunset, I
saw the lady writing a letter, her face was very calm in expression,
but full of thought, and her attendant was often sobbing secretly, as
she waited on her. These things I saw distinctly. "
Genji smiled. He seemed more anxious than before to know something
about them, and Koremitz continued: "Hoping to get some fuller
information, I took an opportunity which presented itself of sending a
communication to the house. To this a speedy answer was returned,
written by a skilful hand. I concluded from this and other
circumstances that there was something worth seeing and knowing
enclosed within those walls. " Genji immediately exclaimed, "Do! do!
try again; not to be able to find out is too provoking," and he
thought to himself, "If in lowly life, which is often left unnoticed,
we find something attractive and fair, as Sama-no-Kami said, how
delightful it will be, and I think, perhaps, this may be such a one. "
In the meantime his thoughts were occasionally reverting to Cicada.
His nature was not, perhaps, so perverted as to think about persons of
such condition and position in life as Cicada; but since he had heard
the discussion about women, and their several classifications, he had
somehow become speculative in his sentiments, and ambitious of testing
all those different varieties by his own experience. While matters
were in this state Iyo-no-Kami returned to the capital, and came in
haste to pay his respects to Genji. He was a swarthy, repulsive
looking man, bearing the traces of a long journey in his appearance,
and of advanced age. Still there was nothing unpleasant in his natural
character and manners. Genji was about to converse with him freely,
but somehow or another an awkward feeling arose in his mind, and threw
a restraint upon his cordiality. "Iyo is such an honest old man," he
reflected, "it is too bad to take advantage of him. What Sama-no-Kami
said is true, 'that to strive to carry out wrong desires is man's evil
failing! ' Her hardheartedness to me is unpleasant, but from the other
side this deserves praise! "
It was announced after this that Iyo-no-Kami would return to his
province, and take his wife with him, and that his daughter would be
left behind to be soon married.
This intelligence was far from pleasing to Genji, and he longed once
more, only once more to behold the lady of the scarf, and he concerted
with Kokimi how to arrange a plan for obtaining an interview. The
lady, however, was quite deaf to such proposals, and the only
concession she vouchsafed was that she occasionally received a letter,
and sometimes answered it.
Autumn had now come; Genji was still thoughtful. Lady Aoi saw him but
seldom, and was constantly disquieted by his protracted absence from
her. There was, as we have before hinted, at Rokjio, another person
whom he had won with great difficulty, and it would have been a little
inconsistent if he became too easily tired of her. He indeed had not
become cool towards her, but the violence of his passion had somewhat
abated. The cause of this seems to have been that this lady was rather
too zealous, or, we may say, jealous; besides, her age exceeded that
of Genji by some years. The following incident will illustrate the
state of matters between them:--
One morning early Genji was about to take his departure, with sleepy
eyes, listless and weary, from her mansion at Rokjio. A slight mist
spread over the scene. A maiden attendant of the mistress opened the
door for his departure, and led him forth. The shrubbery of flowering
trees struck refreshingly on the sight, with interlacing branches in
rich confusion, among which was some Asagao in full blossom. Genji was
tempted to dally, and looked contemplatively over them. The maiden
still accompanied him. She wore a thin silk tunic of light green
colors, showing off her graceful waist and figure, which it covered.
Her appearance was attractive. Genji looked at her tenderly, and led
her to a seat in the garden, and sat down by her side. Her countenance
was modest and quiet; her wavy hair was neatly and prettily arranged.
Genji began humming in a low tone:--
"The heart that roams from flower to flower,
Would fain its wanderings not betray,
Yet 'Asagao,' in morning's hour,
Impels my tender wish to stray. "
So saying, he gently took her hand; she, however, without appearing to
understand his real meaning, answered thus:--
"You stay not till the mist be o'er,
But hurry to depart,
Say can the flower you leave, no more
Detain your changeful heart? "
At this juncture a young attendant in Sasinuki[53] entered the garden,
brushing away the dewy mist from the flowers, and began to gather some
bunches of Asagao. The scene was one which we might desire to paint,
so full of quiet beauty, and Genji rose from his seat, and slowly
passed homeward. In those days Genji was becoming more and more an
object of popular admiration in society, and we might even attribute
the eccentricity of some of his adventures to the favor he enjoyed,
combined with his great personal attractions. Where beautiful flowers
expand their blossoms even the rugged mountaineer loves to rest under
their shade, so wherever Genji showed himself people sought his
notice.
Now with regard to the fair one about whom Koremitz was making
inquiries. After some still further investigations, he came to Genji
and told him that "there is some one who often visits there. Who he
was I could not at first find out, for he comes with the utmost
privacy. I made up my mind to discover him; so one evening I concealed
myself outside the house, and waited. Presently the sound of an
approaching carriage was heard, and the inmates of the house began to
peep out. The lady I mentioned before was also to be seen; I could not
see her very plainly, but I can tell you so much: she looked charming.
The carriage itself was now seen approaching, and it apparently
belonged to some one of rank. A little girl who was peeping out
exclaimed, "Ukon, look here, quick, Chiujio is coming. " Then one older
came forward rubbing her hands and saying to the child, 'Don't be so
foolish, don't be excited. ' How could they tell, I wondered, that the
carriage was a Chiujio's. I stole forth cautiously and reconnoitred.
Near the house there is a small stream, over which a plank had been
thrown by way of a bridge. The visitor was rapidly approaching this
bridge when an amusing incident occurred: The elder girl came out in
haste to meet him, and was passing the bridge, when the skirt of her
dress caught in something, and she well-nigh fell into the water.
'Confound that bridge, what a bad Katzragi,'[54] she cried, and
suddenly turned pale. How amusing it was, you may imagine. The visitor
was dressed in plain style, he was followed by his page, whom I
recognized as belonging to To-no-Chiujio. "
"I should like to see that same carriage," interrupted Genji eagerly,
as he thought to himself, "that house may be the home of the very girl
whom he (To-no-Chiujio) spoke about, perhaps he has discovered her
hiding-place. "
"I have also made an acquaintance," Koremitz continued, "with a
certain person in this house, and it was through these means that I
made closer observations. The girl who nearly fell over the bridge is,
no doubt, the lady's attendant, but they pretend to be all on an
equality. Even when the little child said anything to betray them by
its remarks, they immediately turned it off. " Koremitz laughed as he
told this, adding, "this was an amusing trick indeed. "
"Oh," exclaimed Genji, "I must have a look at them when I go to visit
your mother; you must manage this," and with the words the picture of
the "Evening-Glory" rose pleasantly before his eyes.
Now Koremitz not only was always prompt in attending to the wishes of
Prince Genji, but also was by his own temperament fond of carrying on
such intrigues. He tried every means to favor his designs, and to
ingratiate himself with the lady, and at last succeeded in bringing
her and Genji together. The details of the plans by which all this was
brought about are too long to be given here. Genji visited her often,
but it was with the greatest caution and privacy; he never asked her
when they met any particulars about her past life, nor did he reveal
his own to her. He would not drive to her in his own carriage, and
Koremitz often lent him his own horse to ride. He took no attendant
with him except the one who had asked for the "Evening-Glory. " He
would not even call on the nurse, lest it might lead to discoveries.
The lady was puzzled at his reticence. She would sometimes send her
servant to ascertain, if possible, what road he took, and where he
went. But somehow, by chance or design, he always became lost to her
watchful eye. His dress, also, was of the most ordinary description,
and his visits were always paid late in the evening. To her all this
seemed like the mysteries of old legends. True, she conjectured from
his demeanor and ways that he was a person of rank, but she never
ascertained exactly who he was. She sometimes reproached Koremitz for
bringing her into such strange circumstances. But he cunningly kept
himself aloof from such taunts.
Be this as it may, Genji still frequently visited her, though at the
same time he was not unmindful that this kind of adventure was
scarcely consistent with his position. The girl was simple and modest
in nature, not certainly manoeuvring, neither was she stately or
dignified in mien, but everything about her had a peculiar charm and
interest, impossible to describe, and in the full charm of youth not
altogether void of experience.
"But by what charm in her," thought Genji, "am I so strongly affected;
no matter, I am so," and thus his passion continued.
Her residence was only temporary, and this Genji soon became aware of.
"If she leaves this place," thought he, "and I lose sight of her--for
when this may happen is uncertain--what shall I do? " He at last
decided to carry her off secretly to his own mansion in Nijio. True,
if this became known it would be an awkward business; but such are
love affairs; always some dangers to be risked! He therefore fondly
entreated her to accompany him to some place where they could be
freer.
Her answer, however, was "That such a proposal on his part only
alarmed her. " Genji was amused at her girlish mode of expression, and
earnestly said, "Which of us is a fox? [55] I don't know, but anyhow be
persuaded by me. " And after repeated conversations of the same nature,
she at last half-consented. He had much doubt of the propriety of
inducing her to take this step, nevertheless her final compliance
flattered his vanity. He recollected very well the Tokonatz (Pinks)
which To-no-Chiujio spoke of, but never betrayed that he had any
knowledge of that circumstance.
It was on the evening of the 15th of August when they were together.
The moonlight streamed through the crevices of the broken wall. To
Genji such a scene was novel and peculiar. The dawn at length began to
break, and from the surrounding houses the voices of the farmers might
be heard talking.
One remarked, "How cool it is. " Another, "There is not much hope for
our crops this year. " "My carrying business I do not expect to
answer," responded the first speaker. "But are our neighbors
listening! " Conversing in this way they proceeded to their work.
Had the lady been one to whom surrounding appearances were important,
she might have felt disturbed, but she was far from being so, and
seemed as if no outward circumstances could trouble her equanimity,
which appeared to him an admirable trait. The noise of the threshing
of the corn came indistinctly to their ears like distant thunder. The
beating of the bleacher's hammer was also heard faintly from afar off.
They were in the front of the house. They opened the window and looked
out on the dawn. In the small garden before their eyes was a pretty
bamboo grove; their leaves, wet with dew, shone brilliantly, even as
bright as in the gardens of the palace. The cricket sang cheerfully in
the old walls as if it was at their very ears, and the flight of wild
geese in the air rustled overhead. Everything spoke of rural scenes
and business, different from what Genji was in the habit of seeing and
hearing round him.
To him all these sights and sounds, from their novelty and variety,
combined with the affection he had for the girl beside him, had a
delightful charm. She wore a light dress of clear purple, not very
costly; her figure was slight and delicate; the tones of her voice
soft and insinuating. "If she were only a little more cultivated,"
thought he, but, in any case, he was determined to carry her off.
"Now is the time," said he, "let us go together, the place is not very
far off. "
"Why so soon? " she replied, gently. As her implied consent to his
proposal was thus given without much thought, he, on his part, became
bolder. He summoned her maid, Ukon, and ordered the carriage to be got
ready. Dawn now fairly broke; the cocks had ceased to crow, and the
voice of an aged man was heard repeating his orisons, probably during
his fast. "His days will not be many," thought Genji, "what is he
praying for? " And while so thinking, the aged mortal muttered, "Nam
Torai no Doshi" (Oh! the Divine guide of the future).
Thus thinking, she resolved to return no answer. She might, indeed,
have admired the person of Genji, and probably did so, yet, whenever
such feelings came into her mind, the next thought that suggested
itself was, "What is the use of such idle admiration? "
Meanwhile, Genji was often thinking of paying a visit to the house
where she was staying, but he did not consider it becoming to do so,
without some reasonable pretext, more especially as he would have been
sorry, and for her sake more than his own, to draw a suspicion upon
her.
It happened, however, after a prolonged residence at the Court, that
another occasion of closing the Palace in the certain celestial line
of direction arrived. Catching at this opportunity he left the Palace,
and suddenly turning out of his road, went straight to Ki-no-Kami's
residence, with the excuse that he had just discovered the above fact
on his way. Ki-no-Kami surprised at this unexpected visit, had only to
bow before him, and acknowledge the honor of his presence. The boy,
Kokimi, was already there before him, having been secretly informed of
his intention beforehand, and he attended on him as usual in his
apartment on his arrival.
The lady, who had been told by her brother that the Prince earnestly
desired to see her, knew well how dangerous it was to approach an
inviting flower growing on the edge of a precipice. She was not, of
course, insensible to his coming in such a manner, with an excuse for
the sake of seeing her, but she did not wish to increase her dreamlike
inquietude by seeing him. And again, if he ventured to visit her
apartment, as he did before, it might be a serious compromise for her.
For these reasons she retired while her brother was with Genji, to a
private chamber of Chiujio, her companion, in the rear of the main
building, under the pretence that her own room was too near that of
the Prince, besides she was indisposed and required "Tataki,"[49]
which she desired to have done in a retired part of the house.
Genji sent his attendants very early to their own quarters, and then,
through Kokimi, requested an interview with the lady. Kokimi at first
was unable to find her, till after searching everywhere, he, at last,
came to the apartment of Chiujio, and with great earnestness
endeavored to persuade her to see Genji, in an anxious and half
trembling voice, while she replied in a tone slightly angry, "What
makes you so busy? Why do you trouble yourself? Boys carrying such
messages are highly blamable. "
After thus daunting him, she added, more mildly, "Tell the Prince I am
somewhat indisposed, and also that some friends are with me, and I
cannot well leave them now. " And she again cautioned the boy not to be
too officious, and sent him away from her at once.
Yet, at the bottom of her heart, different feelings might have been
struggling from those which her words seemed to express, and some such
thoughts as these shaped themselves to her mind: "Were I still a
maiden in the home of my beloved parents, and occasionally received
his visits there, how happy might I not be? How trying to act as if no
romantic sentiment belonged to my heart! "
Genji, who was anxiously waiting to know how the boy would succeed in
persuading his sister, was soon told that all his efforts were in
vain. Upon hearing this he remained for some moments silent, and then
relieved his feelings with a long-drawn sigh, and hummed:--
"The Hahaki-gi[50] distant tree
Spreads broom-like o'er the silent waste;
Approach, how changed its shape we see,
In vain we try its shade to taste. "
The lady was unable to sleep, and her thoughts also took the following
poetic shape:--
Too like the Hahaki-gi tree,
Lonely and humble, I must dwell,
Nor dare to give a thought to thee,
But only sigh a long farewell.
All the other inmates of the house were now in a sound slumber, but
sleep came not to Genji's eyes. He did, indeed, admire her immovable
and chaste nature, but this only drew his heart more towards her. He
was agitated. At one moment he cried, "Well, then! " at another,
"However! " "Still! " At last, turning to the boy, he passionately
exclaimed, "Lead me to her at once! "
Kokimi calmly replied, "It is impossible, too many eyes are around
us! "
Genji with a sigh then threw himself back on the cushion, saying to
Kokimi, "You, at least, will be my friend, and shall share my
apartment! "
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 22: A hero of an older fiction, who is represented as the
perfect ideal of a gallant. ]
[Footnote 23: A fast observed when some remarkable or supernatural
event took place, or on the anniversary of days of domestic
misfortune. ]
[Footnote 24: A general of the Imperial Guards. ]
[Footnote 25: Love letters generally are not signed or are signed with
a fancy name. ]
[Footnote 26: Left Master of the Horse. ]
[Footnote 27: Secretary to the Master of Ceremonies. ]
[Footnote 28: Deputy-governors of provinces. In those days these
functionaries were greatly looked down upon by the Court nobles, and
this became one of the causes of the feudal system. ]
[Footnote 29: The naoshi is an outer attire. It formed part of a loose
and unceremonious Court dress. ]
[Footnote 30: This alludes to a common habit of women, who push back
their hair before commencing any task. ]
[Footnote 31: Some kinds of nuns did not shave their heads, and this
remark seems to allude to the common practice of women who often
involuntarily smooth their hair before they see people, which practice
comes, no doubt, from the idea that the beauty of women often depends
on the tidiness of their hair. ]
[Footnote 32: This means that her soul, which was sinful, would not go
at once to its final resting-place, but wander about in unknown
paths. ]
[Footnote 33: A mountain spoken of in Chinese literature. It was said
to be in the Eastern Ocean, and people of extraordinary long lives,
called Sennin, were supposed to dwell there. ]
[Footnote 34: In China and Japan handwriting is considered no less an
art than painting. ]
[Footnote 35: An ideal woman patroness of the art of dyeing. ]
[Footnote 36: The weaver, or star Vega. In the Chinese legend she is
personified as a woman always engaged in weaving. ]
[Footnote 37: In the same legend, it is said that this weaver, who
dwells on one side of the Milky Way in the heavens, meets her
lover--another star called Hikoboshi, or the bull-driver--once every
year, on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh month. He dwelt
on the other side of the Milky Way, and their meeting took place on a
bridge, made by birds (jays), by the intertwining of their wings. It
was this which gave rise to the popular festival, which takes place on
this day, both in China and Japan. ]
[Footnote 38: Little darlings--a kind of pink. ]
[Footnote 39: The Tokonatz (everlasting summer) is another name for
the pink, and it is poetically applied to the lady whom we love. ]
[Footnote 40: A female divinity in Indian mythology. ]
[Footnote 41: From the Chinese poet Hak-rak-ten, who was mentioned
before. He says in one of his poems: "Once upon a time a certain host
invited to his abode a clever match-maker. When the guests were
assembled he poured forth wine into a beautiful jar, and said to all
present, 'drink not for a moment, but hear what I say about the two
choices, daughters of the rich get married soon, but snub their
husbands, daughters of the poor get married with difficulty but dearly
love their mothers-in-law. '"]
[Footnote 42: A soft style of Japanese writing commonly used by
ladies. ]
[Footnote 43: A stiff and formal style of Japanese writing. ]
[Footnote 44: The fifth of May is one of the five important national
festivals. A solemn celebration of this fete used to be performed at
Court. It is sometimes called the festival of the "Sweet
Flags,"--_calami aromatici_--because it was held at the season when
those beautiful water-plants were in the height of perfection. ]
[Footnote 45: Another of the five above-mentioned. It was held on the
ninth of September, and it was customary on the occasion for rhymes to
be given out to those present, wherewith to compose Chinese poems. It
was sometimes called the "Chrysanthemum Festival," for the same reason
that the celebration of the fifth of May was termed the "Sweet Flag
Festival. "]
[Footnote 46: This is an astrological superstition. It is said that
when this God is in any part of the compass, at the time being, it is
most unlucky to proceed towards it, and to remain in the same line of
its direction. ]
[Footnote 47: The deputy governor of the province Iyo; he is supposed
to be in the province at this time, leaving his young wife and family
behind. ]
[Footnote 48: The father of Kokimi seems to have been holding the
office Yemon-no-Kami as well as Chiunagon. ]
[Footnote 49: Tataki, or Amma, a sort of shampooing, a very common
medical treatment in Japan. ]
[Footnote 50: Hahaki-gi, the broom-like tree, is said to have been a
certain tree growing in the plain of Sonohara, so called from its
shape, which, at a distance, looked like a spreading broom, but when
one comes near, its appearance was totally changed. ]
CHAPTER III
BEAUTIFUL CICADA
Genji was still sleepless! "Never have I been so badly treated. I have
now discovered what the disappointment of the world means," he
murmured, while the boy Kokimi lay down beside him fast asleep. The
smallness of his stature, and the graceful waving of his short hair,
could not but recall to Genji the beautiful tresses of his sister, and
bring her image vividly before him; and, long before the daylight
appeared, he rose up, and returned to his residence with all speed.
For some time after this no communication took place between the lady
and himself. He could not, however, banish her from his thoughts, and
he said to Kokimi that "he felt his former experience too painful, and
that he strove to drive away his care; yet in vain; his thoughts would
not obey his wish, and he begged him, therefore, to seek some
favorable opportunity for him to see her. " Kokimi, though he did not
quite like the task, felt proud of being made his confidant, and
thenceforward looked incessantly, with keen boyish eyes, for a chance
of obliging him.
Now, it happened that Ki-no-Kami went down to his official residence
in his province, and only the female members of his family were left
at home. "This is the time," said Kokimi to himself, and went to
Genji, and persuaded him to come with him. "What can the boy do? "
thought Genji; "I fear not very much, but I must not expect too much";
and they started at once, in Kokimi's carriage, so as to arrive in
good time.
The evening was darkening round them, and they drew up on one side of
the house, where few persons were likely to observe them. As it
happened to be Kokimi who had come, no fuss was made about his
arrival, nor any notice taken of it. He entered the house; and,
leaving the Prince in the Eastern Hall, proceeded first into the inner
room. The casement was closed.
"How is it the casement is closed? " he demanded of the servants. They
told him "That the Lady of the West (Ki-no-Kami's sister, so called by
the domestics from her living to the westward of the house) was there
on a visit since noon, and was playing Go with his sister. " The door
by which the boy had entered the room was not entirely closed. Genji
softly came up to it, and the whole interior of the apartment was
visible. He stood facing the west. On one side of the room was a
folding screen, one end of which was pushed back, and there was
nothing besides to obstruct his view. His first glance fell on the
fair figure of her of whom he had so fondly dreamt, sitting by a lamp
near a central pillar. She wore a dress of dark purple, and a kind of
scarf thrown over her shoulders; her figure was slight and delicate,
and her face was partly turned aside, as if she did not like to expose
it even to her companions. Her hands were prettily shaped and tiny,
and she used them with a gentle reserve, half covering them. Another
lady, younger than herself, sat facing the east--that is, just
opposite Genji--and was, therefore, entirely visible to him. She was
dressed in a thin white silk, with a Ko-uchiki (outer vestment),
worked with red and blue flowers, thrown loosely over it, and a
crimson sash round her waist. Her bosom was partly revealed; her
complexion very fair; her figure rather stout and tall; the head and
neck in good proportions, and the lips and eyelids lovely. The hair
was not very long, but reached in wavy lines to her shoulders.
"If a man had such a daughter, he might be satisfied," thought Genji.
"But perhaps she may be a little deficient in quietness. No matter how
this may be, she has sufficient attractions. "
The game was drawing to a close, and they paid very little attention
to Kokimi on his entrance. The principal interest in it was over; they
were hurrying to finish it. One was looking quietly at the board, and
said, "Let me see, that point must be Ji. Let me play the Koh[51] of
this spot. " The other saying, "I am beaten; let me calculate," began
to count on her fingers the number of spaces at each corner, at the
same time saying "Ten! twenty! thirty! forty! " When Genji came in this
way to see them together, he perceived that his idol, in the matter of
personal beauty, was somewhat inferior to her friend. He was not,
indeed, able to behold the full face of the former; yet, when he
shifted his position, and fixed his gaze steadfastly upon her, the
profile became distinct. He observed that her eyelids were a little
swollen, and the line of the nose was not very delicate. He still
admired her, and said to himself, "But perhaps she is more
sweet-tempered than the others"; but when he again turned his eyes to
the younger one, strange to say the calm and cheerful smile which
occasionally beamed in her face touched the heart of Genji; moreover,
his usual interviews with ladies generally took place in full
ceremony. He had never seen them in so familiar an attitude before,
without restraint or reserve, as on the present occasion, which made
him quite enjoy the scene. Kokimi now came out, and Genji retired
stealthily to one side of the door along the corridor. The former, who
saw him there, and supposed he had remained waiting in the place he
had left him all the while, apologized for keeping him so long, and
said: "A certain young lady is now staying here; I am sorry, but I did
not dare mention your visit. "
"Do you mean to send me away again disappointed? How inglorious it
is," replied Genji.
"No; why so? The lady may leave shortly. I will then announce you. "
Genji said no more. The ladies had by this time concluded their game,
and the servants, who were about to retire to their own apartments,
cried out, "Where is our young master? we must close this door. "
"Now is the time; pray take me there; don't be too late. Go and ask,"
said Genji.
Kokimi knew very well how hard was his task to persuade his sister to
see the Prince, and was meditating taking him into her room, without
her permission, when she was alone. So he said, hesitatingly, "Please
wait a little longer, till the other lady, Ki-no-Kami's sister, goes
away. "
"Is Ki-no's sister here? So much the better. Please introduce me to
her before she leaves," said Genji.
"But! "
"But what? Do you mean that she is not worth seeing? " retorted Genji;
and would fain have told the boy that he had already seen her, but
thought it better not to do so, and continued: "Were we to wait for
her to retire, it would become too late; we should have no chance. "
Hereupon Kokimi determined to risk a little, and went back to his
sister's room, rolling up a curtain which hung in his way. "It is too
warm--let the air in! " he cried, as he passed through. After a few
minutes he returned, and led Genji to the apartment on his own
responsibility. The lady with the scarf (his sister), who had been for
some time fondly supposing that Genji had given up thinking about her,
appeared startled and embarrassed when she saw him; but, as a matter
of course, the usual courtesies were paid. The younger lady, however
(who was free from all such thoughts), was rather pleased at his
appearance. It happened that, when the eyes of the younger were turned
in another direction, Genji ventured to touch slightly the shoulder of
his favorite, who, startled at the action rose suddenly and left the
room, on pretence of seeking something she required, dropping her
scarf in her haste, as a cicada casts off its tender wingy shell, and
leaving her friend to converse with the Prince. He was chagrined, but
did not betray his vexation either by words or looks, and now began to
carry on a conversation with the lady who remained, whom he had
already admired. Here his usual bold flirtation followed. The young
lady, who was at first disturbed at his assurance, betrayed her
youthful inexperience in such matters; yet for an innocent maiden, she
was rather coquettish, and he went on flirting with her.
"Chance meetings like this," said he, "often arise from deeper causes
than those which take place in the usual routine of things, so at
least say the ancients. If I say I love you, you might not believe me;
and yet, indeed, it is so. Do think of me! True, we are not yet quite
free, and perhaps I might not be able to see you so often as I wish;
but I hope you will wait with patience, and not forget me. "
"Truly, I also fear what people might suspect; and, therefore, I may
not be able to communicate with you at all," said she, innocently.
"Perhaps it might not be desirable to employ any other hand," he
rejoined. "If you only send your message, say through Kokimi, there
would not be any harm. "
Genji now rose to depart, and slyly possessed himself of the scarf
which had been dropped by the other lady. Kokimi, who had been dozing
all the time, started up suddenly when Genji roused him. He then led
the latter to the door. At this moment, the tremulous voice of an
aged female domestic, who appeared quite unexpectedly, exclaimed--
"Who is there? "
To which Kokimi immediately replied, "It is I! "
"What brings you here so late? " asked the old woman, in a querulous
tone.
"How inquisitive! I am now going out. What harm? " retorted the boy,
rather scornfully; and, stepping up to the threshold, gave Genji a
push over it, when all at once the shadow of his tall figure was
projected on the moonlit floor.
"Who's that? " cried the old woman sharply, and in alarm; but the next
moment, without waiting for any reply, mumbled on: "Ah, ah! 'tis Miss
Mimb, no wonder so tall. "
This remark seemed to allude to one of her fellow-servants, who must
have been a stalwart maiden, and the subject of remarks among her
companions. The old woman, quite satisfied in thinking that it was she
who was with Kokimi, added: "You, my young master, will soon be as
tall as she is; I will come out this way, too," and approached the
door. Genji could do nothing but stand silent and motionless. When she
came nearer she said, addressing the supposed Mimb, "Have you been
waiting on the young mistress this evening? I have been ill since the
day before yesterday, and kept myself to my room, but was sent for
this evening because my services were required. I cannot stand it. " So
saying, and without waiting for any reply, she passed on, muttering as
she went, "Oh! my pain! my pain! " Genji and the boy now went forth,
and they drove back to the mansion in Nijio. Talking over the events
of the evening, Genji ironically said to his companion, "Ah! you are a
nice boy! " and snapped his fingers with chagrin at the escape of his
favorite and her indifference. Kokimi said nothing. Genji then
murmured, "I was clearly slighted. Oh wretched me! I cannot rival the
happy Iyo! " Shortly after, he retired to rest, taking with him, almost
unconsciously, the scarf he had carried off, and again making Kokimi
share his apartment, for company's sake. He had still some hope that
the latter might be useful to him; and, with the intention of stirring
up his energies, observed, "You are a nice boy; but I am afraid the
coldness shown to me by your sister may at last weaken the friendship
between you and me. "
Kokimi still made no reply. Genji closed his eyes but could not
sleep, so he started up and, taking writing materials, began to write,
apparently without any fixed purpose, and indited the following
distich:--
"Where the cicada casts her shell
In the shadows of the tree,
There is one whom I love well,
Though her heart is cold to me. "
Casting away the piece of paper on which these words were
written--purposely or not, who knows? --he again leaned his head on his
hand. Kokimi slyly stretching out his hand, picked up the paper from
the floor, and hid it quickly in his dress. Genji soon fell into
profound slumber, in which he was speedily joined by Kokimi.
Some days passed away and Kokimi returned to his sister, who, on
seeing him, chided him severely, saying:--
"Though I managed with some difficulty, we must not forget what people
might say of us, _your_ officiousness is most unpardonable. Do you
know what the Prince himself will think of your childish trick? "
Thus was poor Kokimi, on the one hand, reproached by Genji for not
doing enough, and on the other by his sister for being too officious!
was he not in a very happy position! Yet, notwithstanding her words,
he ventured to draw from his dress the paper he had picked up in
Genji's apartment, and offered it to her.
The lady hesitated a moment,
though somewhat inclined to read it, holding it in her hand for some
little time, undecided. At length she ventured to throw her eyes over
its contents. At once the loss of her scarf floated upon her mind as
she read, and, taking up her pen, wrote on part of the paper where
Genji had written his verses, the words of a song:--
"Amidst dark shadows of the tree,
Cicada's wing with dew is wet,
So in mine eyes unknown to thee,
Spring sweet tears of fond regret. "
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 51: Ji and Koh are the names of certain positions in the
game of "Go. "]
CHAPTER IV
EVENING GLORY
It happened that when Genji was driving about in the Rokjio quarter,
he was informed that his old nurse, Daini, was ill, and had become a
nun. Her residence was in Gojio. He wished to visit her, and drove to
the house. The main gate was closed, so that his carriage could not
drive up; therefore, he sent in a servant to call out Koremitz, a son
of the nurse.
Meantime, while awaiting him, he looked round on the deserted terrace.
He noticed close by a small and rather dilapidated dwelling, with a
wooden fence round a newly-made enclosure. The upper part, for eight
or ten yards in length, was surrounded by a trellis-work, over which
some white reed blinds--rude, but new--were thrown. Through these
blinds the indistinct outline of some fair heads were faintly
delineated, and the owners were evidently peeping down the roadway
from their retreat. "Ah," thought Genji, "they can never be so tall as
to look over the blind. They must be standing on something within. But
whose residence is it? What sort of people are they? " His equipage was
strictly private and unostentatious. There were, of course, no
outriders; hence he had no fear of being recognized by them. And so he
still watched the house. The gate was also constructed of something
like trellis-work, and stood half open, revealing the loneliness of
the interior. The line: "Where do we seek our home? " came first into
his mind, and he then thought that "even this must be as comfortable
as golden palaces to its inmates. "
A long wooden rail, covered with luxuriant creepers, which, fresh and
green, climbed over it in full vigor, arrested his eye; their white
blossoms, one after another disclosing their smiling lips in
unconscious beauty. Genji began humming to himself: "Ah! stranger
crossing there. " When his attendant informed him that these lovely
white flowers were called "Yugao" (evening-glory), adding, and at the
same time pointing to the flowers, "See the flowers _only_,
flourishing in that glorious state. "
"What beautiful flowers they are," exclaimed Genji. "Go and beg a
bunch. "
The attendant thereupon entered the half-opened gate and asked for
some of them, on which a young girl, dressed in a long tunic, came
out, taking an old fan in her hand, and saying, "Let us put them on
this, those with strong stems," plucked off a few stalks and laid them
on the fan.
These were given to the attendant, who walked slowly back. Just as he
came near to Genji, the gate of Koremitz's courtyard opened and
Koremitz himself appeared, who took the flowers from him and handed
them to Genji, at the same moment saying, "I am very sorry I could not
find the gate key, and that I made you wait so long in the public
road, though there is no one hereabouts to stare at, or recognize you,
I sincerely beg your pardon. "
The carriage was now driven in, and Genji alighted. The Ajari,[52]
elder brother of Koremitz; Mikawa-no-Kami, his brother-in-law; and the
daughter of Daini, all assembled and greeted him. The nun also rose
from her couch to welcome him.
"How pleased I am to see you," she said, "but you see I have quite
altered, I have become a nun. I have given up the world. I had no
reluctance in doing this. If I had any uneasiness, it was on your
account alone. My health, however, is beginning to improve; evidently
the divine blessing on this sacrifice. "
"I was so sorry," replied Genji, "to hear you were ill, and now still
more so to find you have given up the world. I hope that you may live
to witness my success and prosperity. It grieves me to think you were
compelled to make such a change; yet, I believe, this will secure your
enjoyment of happiness hereafter. It is said that when one leaves this
world without a single regret, one passes straight to Paradise. " As he
said these words his eyes became moistened.
Now, it is common for nurses to regard their foster children with
blind affection, whatever may be their faults, thinking, so to speak,
that what is crooked is straight. So in Genji's case, who, in Daini's
eyes, was next door to perfection, this blindness was still more
strongly apparent, and she always regarded her office as his nurse, as
an honor, and while Genji was discoursing in the above manner, a tear
began to trickle from her eyes.
"You know," he continued, "at what an early age I was deprived of my
dearest ties; there were, indeed, several who looked after me, but you
were the one to whom I was most attached. In due course, after I grew
up, I ceased to see you regularly. I could not visit you as often as I
thought of you, yet, when I did not see you for a long time, I often
felt very lonely. Ah! if there were no such things as partings in the
world! "
He then enjoined them earnestly to persevere in prayer for their
mother's health, and said, "Good-by. "
At the moment of quitting the house he remembered that something was
written on the fan that held the flowers. It was already twilight, and
he asked Koremitz to bring a taper, that he might see to read it. It
seemed to him as if the fragrance of some fair hand that had used it
still remained, and on it was written the following couplets:--
"The crystal dew at Evening's hour
Sleeps on the Yugao's beauteous flower,
Will this please him, whose glances bright,
Gave to the flowers a dearer light? "
With apparent carelessness, without any indication to show who the
writer was, it bore, however, the marks of a certain excellence. Genji
thought, "this is singular, coming from whence it does," and turning
to Koremitz, he asked, "Who lives in this house to your right? " "Ah,"
exclaimed Koremitz mentally, "as usual, I see," but replied with
indifference, "Truly I have been here some days, but I have been so
busy in attending my mother that I neither know nor have asked about
the neighbors. " "You may probably be surprised at my inquisitiveness,"
said Genji, "but I have reasons for asking this on account of this
fan. I request you to call on them, and make inquiries what sort of
people they are. "
Koremitz thereupon proceeded to the house, and, calling out a servant,
sought from him the information he wanted, when he was told that,
"This is the house of Mr. Yomei-no-Ske. He is at present in the
country; his lady is still young; her brothers are in the Court
service, and often come here to see her. The whole history of the
family I am not acquainted with. " With this answer Koremitz returned,
and repeated it to Genji, who thought, "Ah! the sending of this verse
may be a trick of these conceited Court fellows! " but he could not
entirely free his mind from the idea of its having been sent
especially to himself. This was consistent with the characteristic
vanity of his disposition. He, therefore, took out a paper, and
disguising his handwriting (lest it should be identified), indited the
following:--
"Were I the flower to see more near,
Which once at dusky eve I saw,
It might have charms for me more dear,
And look more beauteous than before. "
And this he sent to the house by his servant, and set off on his way.
He saw a faint light through the chinks of the blinds of the house,
like the glimmer of the firefly. It gave him, as he passed, a silent
sort of longing. The mansion in Rokjio, to which he was proceeding
this evening, was a handsome building, standing amidst fine woods of
rare growth and beauty, and all was of comfortable appearance. Its
mistress was altogether in good circumstances, and here Genji spent
the hours in full ease and comfort.
On his way home next morning he again passed the front of the house,
where grew the Yugao flowers, and the recollection of flowers which he
had received the previous evening, made him anxious to ascertain who
the people were who lived there.
After the lapse of some time Koremitz came to pay him a visit,
excusing himself for not having come before, on account of his
mother's health being more unsatisfactory. He said, "In obedience to
your commands to make further inquiries, I called on some people who
know about my neighbors, but could not get much information. I was
told, however, that there is a lady who has been living there since
last May, but who she is even the people in the house do not know.
Sometimes I looked over the hedges between our gardens, and saw the
youthful figure of a lady, and a maiden attending her, in a style of
dress which betrayed a good origin. Yesterday evening, after sunset, I
saw the lady writing a letter, her face was very calm in expression,
but full of thought, and her attendant was often sobbing secretly, as
she waited on her. These things I saw distinctly. "
Genji smiled. He seemed more anxious than before to know something
about them, and Koremitz continued: "Hoping to get some fuller
information, I took an opportunity which presented itself of sending a
communication to the house. To this a speedy answer was returned,
written by a skilful hand. I concluded from this and other
circumstances that there was something worth seeing and knowing
enclosed within those walls. " Genji immediately exclaimed, "Do! do!
try again; not to be able to find out is too provoking," and he
thought to himself, "If in lowly life, which is often left unnoticed,
we find something attractive and fair, as Sama-no-Kami said, how
delightful it will be, and I think, perhaps, this may be such a one. "
In the meantime his thoughts were occasionally reverting to Cicada.
His nature was not, perhaps, so perverted as to think about persons of
such condition and position in life as Cicada; but since he had heard
the discussion about women, and their several classifications, he had
somehow become speculative in his sentiments, and ambitious of testing
all those different varieties by his own experience. While matters
were in this state Iyo-no-Kami returned to the capital, and came in
haste to pay his respects to Genji. He was a swarthy, repulsive
looking man, bearing the traces of a long journey in his appearance,
and of advanced age. Still there was nothing unpleasant in his natural
character and manners. Genji was about to converse with him freely,
but somehow or another an awkward feeling arose in his mind, and threw
a restraint upon his cordiality. "Iyo is such an honest old man," he
reflected, "it is too bad to take advantage of him. What Sama-no-Kami
said is true, 'that to strive to carry out wrong desires is man's evil
failing! ' Her hardheartedness to me is unpleasant, but from the other
side this deserves praise! "
It was announced after this that Iyo-no-Kami would return to his
province, and take his wife with him, and that his daughter would be
left behind to be soon married.
This intelligence was far from pleasing to Genji, and he longed once
more, only once more to behold the lady of the scarf, and he concerted
with Kokimi how to arrange a plan for obtaining an interview. The
lady, however, was quite deaf to such proposals, and the only
concession she vouchsafed was that she occasionally received a letter,
and sometimes answered it.
Autumn had now come; Genji was still thoughtful. Lady Aoi saw him but
seldom, and was constantly disquieted by his protracted absence from
her. There was, as we have before hinted, at Rokjio, another person
whom he had won with great difficulty, and it would have been a little
inconsistent if he became too easily tired of her. He indeed had not
become cool towards her, but the violence of his passion had somewhat
abated. The cause of this seems to have been that this lady was rather
too zealous, or, we may say, jealous; besides, her age exceeded that
of Genji by some years. The following incident will illustrate the
state of matters between them:--
One morning early Genji was about to take his departure, with sleepy
eyes, listless and weary, from her mansion at Rokjio. A slight mist
spread over the scene. A maiden attendant of the mistress opened the
door for his departure, and led him forth. The shrubbery of flowering
trees struck refreshingly on the sight, with interlacing branches in
rich confusion, among which was some Asagao in full blossom. Genji was
tempted to dally, and looked contemplatively over them. The maiden
still accompanied him. She wore a thin silk tunic of light green
colors, showing off her graceful waist and figure, which it covered.
Her appearance was attractive. Genji looked at her tenderly, and led
her to a seat in the garden, and sat down by her side. Her countenance
was modest and quiet; her wavy hair was neatly and prettily arranged.
Genji began humming in a low tone:--
"The heart that roams from flower to flower,
Would fain its wanderings not betray,
Yet 'Asagao,' in morning's hour,
Impels my tender wish to stray. "
So saying, he gently took her hand; she, however, without appearing to
understand his real meaning, answered thus:--
"You stay not till the mist be o'er,
But hurry to depart,
Say can the flower you leave, no more
Detain your changeful heart? "
At this juncture a young attendant in Sasinuki[53] entered the garden,
brushing away the dewy mist from the flowers, and began to gather some
bunches of Asagao. The scene was one which we might desire to paint,
so full of quiet beauty, and Genji rose from his seat, and slowly
passed homeward. In those days Genji was becoming more and more an
object of popular admiration in society, and we might even attribute
the eccentricity of some of his adventures to the favor he enjoyed,
combined with his great personal attractions. Where beautiful flowers
expand their blossoms even the rugged mountaineer loves to rest under
their shade, so wherever Genji showed himself people sought his
notice.
Now with regard to the fair one about whom Koremitz was making
inquiries. After some still further investigations, he came to Genji
and told him that "there is some one who often visits there. Who he
was I could not at first find out, for he comes with the utmost
privacy. I made up my mind to discover him; so one evening I concealed
myself outside the house, and waited. Presently the sound of an
approaching carriage was heard, and the inmates of the house began to
peep out. The lady I mentioned before was also to be seen; I could not
see her very plainly, but I can tell you so much: she looked charming.
The carriage itself was now seen approaching, and it apparently
belonged to some one of rank. A little girl who was peeping out
exclaimed, "Ukon, look here, quick, Chiujio is coming. " Then one older
came forward rubbing her hands and saying to the child, 'Don't be so
foolish, don't be excited. ' How could they tell, I wondered, that the
carriage was a Chiujio's. I stole forth cautiously and reconnoitred.
Near the house there is a small stream, over which a plank had been
thrown by way of a bridge. The visitor was rapidly approaching this
bridge when an amusing incident occurred: The elder girl came out in
haste to meet him, and was passing the bridge, when the skirt of her
dress caught in something, and she well-nigh fell into the water.
'Confound that bridge, what a bad Katzragi,'[54] she cried, and
suddenly turned pale. How amusing it was, you may imagine. The visitor
was dressed in plain style, he was followed by his page, whom I
recognized as belonging to To-no-Chiujio. "
"I should like to see that same carriage," interrupted Genji eagerly,
as he thought to himself, "that house may be the home of the very girl
whom he (To-no-Chiujio) spoke about, perhaps he has discovered her
hiding-place. "
"I have also made an acquaintance," Koremitz continued, "with a
certain person in this house, and it was through these means that I
made closer observations. The girl who nearly fell over the bridge is,
no doubt, the lady's attendant, but they pretend to be all on an
equality. Even when the little child said anything to betray them by
its remarks, they immediately turned it off. " Koremitz laughed as he
told this, adding, "this was an amusing trick indeed. "
"Oh," exclaimed Genji, "I must have a look at them when I go to visit
your mother; you must manage this," and with the words the picture of
the "Evening-Glory" rose pleasantly before his eyes.
Now Koremitz not only was always prompt in attending to the wishes of
Prince Genji, but also was by his own temperament fond of carrying on
such intrigues. He tried every means to favor his designs, and to
ingratiate himself with the lady, and at last succeeded in bringing
her and Genji together. The details of the plans by which all this was
brought about are too long to be given here. Genji visited her often,
but it was with the greatest caution and privacy; he never asked her
when they met any particulars about her past life, nor did he reveal
his own to her. He would not drive to her in his own carriage, and
Koremitz often lent him his own horse to ride. He took no attendant
with him except the one who had asked for the "Evening-Glory. " He
would not even call on the nurse, lest it might lead to discoveries.
The lady was puzzled at his reticence. She would sometimes send her
servant to ascertain, if possible, what road he took, and where he
went. But somehow, by chance or design, he always became lost to her
watchful eye. His dress, also, was of the most ordinary description,
and his visits were always paid late in the evening. To her all this
seemed like the mysteries of old legends. True, she conjectured from
his demeanor and ways that he was a person of rank, but she never
ascertained exactly who he was. She sometimes reproached Koremitz for
bringing her into such strange circumstances. But he cunningly kept
himself aloof from such taunts.
Be this as it may, Genji still frequently visited her, though at the
same time he was not unmindful that this kind of adventure was
scarcely consistent with his position. The girl was simple and modest
in nature, not certainly manoeuvring, neither was she stately or
dignified in mien, but everything about her had a peculiar charm and
interest, impossible to describe, and in the full charm of youth not
altogether void of experience.
"But by what charm in her," thought Genji, "am I so strongly affected;
no matter, I am so," and thus his passion continued.
Her residence was only temporary, and this Genji soon became aware of.
"If she leaves this place," thought he, "and I lose sight of her--for
when this may happen is uncertain--what shall I do? " He at last
decided to carry her off secretly to his own mansion in Nijio. True,
if this became known it would be an awkward business; but such are
love affairs; always some dangers to be risked! He therefore fondly
entreated her to accompany him to some place where they could be
freer.
Her answer, however, was "That such a proposal on his part only
alarmed her. " Genji was amused at her girlish mode of expression, and
earnestly said, "Which of us is a fox? [55] I don't know, but anyhow be
persuaded by me. " And after repeated conversations of the same nature,
she at last half-consented. He had much doubt of the propriety of
inducing her to take this step, nevertheless her final compliance
flattered his vanity. He recollected very well the Tokonatz (Pinks)
which To-no-Chiujio spoke of, but never betrayed that he had any
knowledge of that circumstance.
It was on the evening of the 15th of August when they were together.
The moonlight streamed through the crevices of the broken wall. To
Genji such a scene was novel and peculiar. The dawn at length began to
break, and from the surrounding houses the voices of the farmers might
be heard talking.
One remarked, "How cool it is. " Another, "There is not much hope for
our crops this year. " "My carrying business I do not expect to
answer," responded the first speaker. "But are our neighbors
listening! " Conversing in this way they proceeded to their work.
Had the lady been one to whom surrounding appearances were important,
she might have felt disturbed, but she was far from being so, and
seemed as if no outward circumstances could trouble her equanimity,
which appeared to him an admirable trait. The noise of the threshing
of the corn came indistinctly to their ears like distant thunder. The
beating of the bleacher's hammer was also heard faintly from afar off.
They were in the front of the house. They opened the window and looked
out on the dawn. In the small garden before their eyes was a pretty
bamboo grove; their leaves, wet with dew, shone brilliantly, even as
bright as in the gardens of the palace. The cricket sang cheerfully in
the old walls as if it was at their very ears, and the flight of wild
geese in the air rustled overhead. Everything spoke of rural scenes
and business, different from what Genji was in the habit of seeing and
hearing round him.
To him all these sights and sounds, from their novelty and variety,
combined with the affection he had for the girl beside him, had a
delightful charm. She wore a light dress of clear purple, not very
costly; her figure was slight and delicate; the tones of her voice
soft and insinuating. "If she were only a little more cultivated,"
thought he, but, in any case, he was determined to carry her off.
"Now is the time," said he, "let us go together, the place is not very
far off. "
"Why so soon? " she replied, gently. As her implied consent to his
proposal was thus given without much thought, he, on his part, became
bolder. He summoned her maid, Ukon, and ordered the carriage to be got
ready. Dawn now fairly broke; the cocks had ceased to crow, and the
voice of an aged man was heard repeating his orisons, probably during
his fast. "His days will not be many," thought Genji, "what is he
praying for? " And while so thinking, the aged mortal muttered, "Nam
Torai no Doshi" (Oh! the Divine guide of the future).
