The composition of requiem prayers was made by Genji himself, and
revised by a professor of literature, one of his intimate friends.
revised by a professor of literature, one of his intimate friends.
Epiphanius Wilson - Japanese Literature
"
The midnight passed, and the wind blew louder, rushing amongst the
branches of the old pines, and making them moan more and more sadly.
The cries of strange weird birds were heard, probably the shrieks of
the ill-omened screech-owl, and the place seemed more and more remote
from all human sympathy. Genji could only helplessly repeat, "How
could I have chosen such a retreat. " While Ukon, quite dismayed, cried
pitifully at his side. To him it seemed even that this girl might
become ill, might die! The light of the lamp flickered and burnt dim.
Each side of the walls seemed to his alarmed sight to present
numberless openings one after another (where the demon might rush in),
and the sound of mysterious footsteps seemed approaching along the
deserted passages behind them. "Ah! were Koremitz but here," was the
only thought of Genji; but it would seem that Koremitz was from home,
and the time Genji had to wait for him seemed an age. At last the
crowing cocks announced the coming day, and gave him new courage.
He said to himself, "I must now admit this to be a punishment for all
my inconsiderateness. However secretly we strive to conceal our
faults, eventually they are discovered. First of all, what might not
my father think! and then the general public? And what a subject for
scandal the story of my escapades will become. "
Koremitz now arrived, and all at once the courage with which Genji had
fought against calamity gave way, and he burst into tears, and then
slowly spoke. "Here a sad and singular event has happened; I cannot
explain to you why. For such sudden afflictions prayers, I believe,
are the only resource. For this reason I wished your brother to
accompany you here. "
"He returned to his monastery only yesterday," replied Koremitz. "But
tell me what has happened; any unusual event to the girl? "
"She is dead," returned Genji in a broken voice; "dead without any
apparent cause. "
Koremitz, like the Prince, was but young. If he had had greater
experience he would have been more serviceable to Genji; indeed, they
both were equally perplexed to decide what were the best steps to be
taken under the trying circumstances of the case.
At last Koremitz said, "If the steward should learn this strange
misfortune it might be awkward; as to the man himself he might be
relied on, but his family, who probably would not be so discreet,
might hear of the matter. It would, therefore, be better to quit this
place at once. "
"But where can we find a spot where there are fewer observers than
here? " replied Genji.
"That is true. Suppose the old lodgings of the deceased. No, there are
too many people there. I think a mountain convent would be better,
because there they are accustomed to receive the dead within their
walls, so that matters can be more easily concealed. "
And after a little reflection, he continued, "There is a nun whom I
know living in a mountain convent in Higashi-Yama. Let us take the
corpse there. She was my father's nurse; she is living there in strict
seclusion. That is the best plan I can think of. "
This proposal was decided on, and the carriage was summoned.
Presuming that Genji would not like to carry the dead body in his
arms, Koremitz covered it with a mantle, and lifted it into the
carriage. Over the features of the dead maiden a charming calmness was
still spread, unlike what usually happens, there being nothing
repulsive. Her wavy hair fell outside the mantle, and her small mouth,
still parted, wore a faint smile. The sight distressed both the eyes
and heart of Genji. He fain would have followed the body; but this
Koremitz would not permit.
"Do take my horse and ride back to Nijio at once," he said, and
ordered the horse for him. Then taking Ukon away in the same carriage
with the dead, he, girding up his dress, followed it on foot. It was
by no means a pleasant task for Koremitz, but he put up with it
cheerfully.
Genji, sunk in apathy, now rode back to Nijio; he was greatly
fatigued, and looked pale. The people of the mansion noticed his sad
and haggard appearance.
Genji said nothing, but hurried straight away to his own private
apartment.
"Why did I not go with her? " he still vainly exclaimed. "What would
she think of me were she to return to life? " And these thoughts
affected him so deeply that he became ill, his head ached, his pulse
beat high, and his body burned with fever. The sun rose high, but he
did not leave his couch. His domestics were all perplexed. Rice gruel
was served up to him, but he would not touch it. The news of his
indisposition soon found its way out of the mansion, and in no time a
messenger arrived from the Imperial Palace to make inquiries. His
brother-in-law also came, but Genji only allowed To-no-Chiujio to
enter his room, saying to him, "My aged nurse has been ill since last
May, and has been tonsured, and received consecration; it was,
perhaps, from this sacrifice that at one time she became better, but
lately she has had a relapse, and is again very bad. I was advised to
visit her, moreover, she was always most kind to me, and if she had
died without seeing me it would have pained her, so I went to see her.
At this time a servant of her house, who had been ill, died suddenly.
Being rendered 'unclean' by this event, I am passing the time
privately. Besides, since the morning, I have become ill, evidently
the effects of cold. By the bye, you must excuse me receiving you in
this way. "
"Well, sir," replied To-no-Chiujio, "I will represent these
circumstances to his Majesty. Your absence last night has given much
inquietude to the Emperor. He caused inquiries to be made for you
everywhere, and his humor was not very good. " And thereupon
To-no-Chiujio took his leave, thinking as he went, "What sort of
'uncleanness' can this really be. I cannot put perfect faith in what
he tells me. "
Little did To-no-Chiujio imagine that the dead one was no other than
his own long-lost Tokonatz (Pinks).
In the evening came Koremitz from the mountain, and was secretly
introduced, though all general visitors were kept excluded on the
pretext of the "uncleanness. "
"What has become of her? " cried Genji, passionately, when he saw him.
"Is she really gone? "
"Her end has come," replied Koremitz, in a tone of sadness; "and we
must not keep the dead too long. To-morrow we will place her in the
grave: to-morrow 'is a good day. ' I know a faithful old priest. I have
consulted with him how to arrange all. "
"And what has become of Ukon? " asked Genji. "How does she bear it? "
"That is, indeed, a question. She was really deeply affected, and she
foolishly said, 'I will die with my mistress. ' She was actually going
to throw herself headlong from the cliff; but I warned, I advised, I
consoled her, and she became more pacified. "
"The state of her feelings may be easily conceived. I am myself not
less deeply wounded than she. I do not even know what might become of
myself. "
"Why do you grieve so uselessly? Every uncertainty is the result of a
certainty. There is nothing in this world really to be lamented. If
you do not wish the public to know anything of this matter, I,
Koremitz, will manage it. "
"I, also, am aware that everything is fated. Still, I am deeply sorry
to have brought this misfortune on this poor girl by my own
inconsiderate rashness. The only thing I have now to ask you, is to
keep these events in the dark. Do not mention them to any one--nay,
not even to your mother. "
"Even from the priests to whom it must necessarily be known, I will
conceal the reality," replied Koremitz.
"Do manage all this most skilfully! "
"Why, of course I shall manage it as secretly as possible," cried
Koremitz; and he was about to take his departure, but Genji stopped
him.
"I must see her once more," said Genji, sorrowfully. "I will go with
you to behold her, before she is lost to my sight forever. " And he
insisted on accompanying him.
Koremitz, however, did not at all approve of this project; but his
resistance gave way to the earnest desire of Genji, and he said, "If
you think so much about it, I cannot help it. "
"Let us hasten, then, and return before the night be far advanced. "
"You shall have my horse to ride. "
Genji rose, and dressed himself in the ordinary plain style he usually
adopted for his private expeditions, and started away with one
confidential servant, besides Koremitz.
They crossed the river Kamo, the torches carried before them burning
dimly. They passed the gloomy cemetery of Toribeno, and at last
reached the convent.
It was a rude wooden building, and adjoining was a small Buddha Hall,
through whose walls votive tapers mysteriously twinkled. Within,
nothing but the faint sound of a female's voice repeating prayers was
to be heard. Outside, and around, the evening services in the
surrounding temples were all finished, and all Nature was in silent
repose. In the direction of Kiyomidz alone some scattered lights
studding the dark scene betrayed human habitations.
They entered. Genji's heart was beating fast with emotion. He saw Ukon
reclining beside a screen, with her back to the lamp. He did not speak
to her, but proceeded straight to the body, and gently drew aside the
mantle which covered its face. It still wore a look of tranquil
calmness; no change had yet attacked the features. He took the cold
hand in his own, crying out as he did so:--
"Do let me hear thy voice once more! Why have you left me thus
bereaved? " But the silence of death was unbroken!
He then, half sobbing, began to talk with Ukon, and invited her to
come to his mansion, and help to console him. But Koremitz now
admonished him to consider that time was passing quickly.
On this Genji threw a long sad farewell glance at the face of the
dead, and rose to depart. He was so feeble and powerless that he could
not mount his horse without the help of Koremitz. The countenance of
the dead girl floated ever before his sight, with the look she wore
when living, and it seemed as if he were being led on by some
mysterious influence.
The banks of the river Kamo were reached, when Genji found himself too
weak to support himself on horseback, and so dismounted.
"I am afraid," he exclaimed, "I shall not be able to reach home. "
Koremitz was a little alarmed. "If I had only been firm," he thought,
"and had prevented this journey, I should not have exposed him to such
a trial. " He descended to the river, and bathing his hands,[58]
offered up a prayer to Kwannon of Kiyomidz, and again assisted Genji
to mount, who struggled to recover his energy, and managed somehow to
return to Nijio, praying in silence as he rode along.
The people of the mansion entertained grave apprehensions about him;
and not unnaturally, seeing he had been unusually restless for some
days, and had become suddenly ill since the day before, and they could
never understand what urgency had called him out on that evening.
Genji now lay down on his couch, fatigued and exhausted, and continued
in the same state for some days, when he became quite weak.
The Emperor was greatly concerned, as was also Sadaijin. Numerous
prayers were offered, and exorcisms performed everywhere in his
behalf, all with the most careful zeal. The public was afraid he was
too beautiful to live long.
The only solace he had at this time was Ukon; he had sent for her, and
made her stay in his mansion.
And whenever he felt better he had her near him, and conversed with
her about her dead mistress.
In the meantime, it might have been the result of his own energetic
efforts to realize the ardent hopes of the Emperor and his
father-in-law, that his condition became better, after a heavy trial
of some three weeks; and towards the end of September he became
convalescent. He now felt as though he had been restored to the world
to which he had formerly belonged. He was, however, still thin and
weak, and, for consolation, still resorted to talk with Ukon.
"How strange," he said to her, as they were conversing together one
fine autumn evening. "Why did she not reveal to me all her past life?
If she had but known how deeply I loved her, she might have been a
little more frank with me. "
"Ah! no," replied Ukon; "she would not intentionally have concealed
anything from you; but it was, I imagine, more because she had no
choice. You at first conducted yourself in such a mysterious manner;
and she, on her part, regarded her acquaintance with you as something
like a dream. That was the cause of her reticence. "
"What a useless reticence it was," exclaimed Genji. "I was not so
frank as, perhaps, I ought to have been; but you may be sure that made
no difference in my affection towards her. Only, you must remember,
there is my father, the Emperor, besides many others, whose vigilant
admonitions I am bound to respect. That was the reason why I had to be
careful. Nevertheless, my love to your mistress was singularly deep;
too deep, perhaps, to last long. Do tell me now all you know about
her; I do not see any reason why you should conceal it. I have
carefully ordered the weekly requiem for the dead; but tell me in
whose behalf it is, and what was her origin? "
"I have no intention of concealing anything from you. Why should I? I
only thought it would be blamable if one should reveal after death
what another had thought best to reserve," replied Ukon. "Her parents
died when she was a mere girl. Her father was called Sammi-Chiujio,
and loved her very dearly. He was always aspiring to better his
position, and wore out his life in the struggle. After his death, she
was left helpless and poor. She was however, by chance, introduced to
To-no-Chiujio, when he was still Shioshio, and not Chiujio. During
three years they kept on very good terms, and he was very kind to
her. But some wind or other attacks every fair flower; and, in the
autumn of last year, she received a fearful menace from the house of
Udaijin, to whose daughter, as you know, To-no-Chiujio is married.
Poor girl, she was terrified at this. She knew not what to do, and hid
herself, with her nurse, in an obscure part of the capital. It was not
a very agreeable place, and she was about removing to a certain
mountain hamlet, but, as its 'celestial direction' was closed this
year, she was still hesitating, and while matters were in this state,
you appeared on the scene. To do her justice, she had no thought of
wandering from one to another; but circumstances often make things
appear as if we did so. She was, by nature, extremely reserved, so
that she did not like to speak out her feelings to others, but rather
suffered in silence by herself. This, perhaps, you also have noticed. "
"Then it was so, after all. She was the Tokonatz of To-no-Chiujio,"
thought Genji; and now it also transpired that all that Koremitz had
stated about To-no-Chiujio's visiting her at the Yugao house was a
pure invention, suggested by a slight acquaintance with the girl's
previous history.
"The Chiujio told me once," said Genji, "that she had a little one.
Was there any such? "
"Yes, she had one in the spring of the year before last--a girl, a
nice child," replied Ukon.
"Where is she now? " asked Genji, "perhaps you will bring her to me
some day. I should like to have her with me as a memento of her
mother. I should not mind mentioning it to her father, but if I did
so, I must reveal the whole sad story of her mother's fate, and this
would not be advisable at present; however, I do not see any harm if I
were to bring her up as my daughter. You might manage it somehow
without my name being mentioned to any one concerned. "
"That would be a great happiness for the child," exclaimed Ukon,
delighted, "I do not much appreciate her being brought up where she
is. "
"Well, I will do so, only let us wait for some better chance. For the
present be discreet. "
"Yes, of course. I cannot yet take any steps towards that object; we
must not unfurl our sails before the storm is completely over. "
The foliage of the ground, touched with autumnal tints, was beginning
to fade, and the sounds of insects (_mushi_) were growing faint, and
both Genji and Ukon were absorbed by the sad charm of the scene. As
they meditated, they heard doves cooing among the bamboo woods.
To Genji it brought back the cries of that strange bird, which cry he
had heard on that fearful night in Rokjio, and the subject recurred to
his mind once more, and he said to Ukon, "How old was she? "
"Nineteen. "
"And how came you to know her? "
"I was the daughter of her first nurse, and a great favorite of her
father's, who brought me up with her, and from that time I never left
her. When I come to think of those days I wonder how I can exist
without her. The poet says truly, 'The deeper the love, the more
bitter the parting. ' Ah! how gentle and retiring she was. How much I
loved her! "
"That retiring and gentle temperament," said Genji, "gives far greater
beauty to women than all beside, for to have no natural pliability
makes women utterly worthless. "
The sky by this time became covered, and the wind blew chilly. Genji
gazed intently on it and hummed:--
"When we regard the clouds above,
Our souls are filled with fond desire,
To me the smoke of my dead love,
Seems rising from the funeral pyre. "
The distant sound of the bleacher's hammer reached their ears, and
reminded him of the sound he had heard in the Yugao's house. He bade
"Good-night" to Ukon, and retired to rest, humming as he went:--
"In the long nights of August and September. "
On the forty-ninth day (after the death of the Yugao) he went to the
Hokke Hall in the Hiye mountain, and there had a service for the dead
performed, with full ceremony and rich offerings. The monk-brother of
Koremitz took every pains in its performance.
The composition of requiem prayers was made by Genji himself, and
revised by a professor of literature, one of his intimate friends. He
expressed in it the melancholy sentiment about the death of one whom
he had dearly loved, and whom he had yielded to Buddha. But who she
was was not stated. Among the offerings there was a dress. He took it
up in his hands and sorrowfully murmured,
"With tears to-day, the dress she wore
I fold together, when shall I
Bright Elysium's far-off shore
This robe of hers again untie? "
And the thought that the soul of the deceased might be still wandering
and unsettled to that very day, but that now the time had come when
her final destiny would be decided,[59] made him pray for her more
fervently.
So closed the sad event of Yugao.
Now Genji was always thinking that he should wish to see his beloved
in a dream.
The evening after his visit to the Hokke Hall, he beheld her in his
slumbers, as he wished, but at the same moment the terrible face of
the woman that he had seen on that fearful evening in Rokjio again
appeared before him; hence he concluded that the same mysterious being
who tenanted that dreary mansion had taken advantage of his fears and
had destroyed his beloved Yugao.
A few words more about the house in which she had lived. After her
flight no communication had been sent to them even by Ukon, and they
had no idea of where she had gone to. The mistress of the house was a
daughter of the nurse of Yugao. She with her two sisters lived there.
Ukon was a stranger to them, and they imagined that her being so was
the reason of her sending no intelligence to them. True they had
entertained some suspicions about the gay Prince, and pressed Koremitz
to confide the truth to them, but the latter, as he had done before,
kept himself skilfully aloof.
They then thought she might have been seduced and carried off by some
gallant son of a local Governor, who feared his intrigue might be
discovered by To-no-Chiujio.
During these days Kokimi, of Ki-no-Kami's house, still used to come
occasionally to Genji. But for some time past the latter had not sent
any letter to Cicada. When she heard of his illness she not
unnaturally felt for him, and also she had experienced a sort of
disappointment in not seeing his writing for some time, especially as
the time of her departure for the country was approaching. She
therefore sent him a letter of inquiry with the following:--
"If long time passes slow away,
Without a word from absent friend,
Our fears no longer brook delay,
But must some kindly greeting send. "
To this letter Genji returned a kind answer and also the following:--
"This world to me did once appear
Like Cicada's shell, when cast away,
Till words addressed by one so dear,
Have taught my hopes a brighter day. "
This was written with a trembling hand, but still bearing nice traits,
and when it reached Cicada, and she saw that he had not yet forgotten
past events, and the scarf he had carried away, she was partly amused
and partly pleased.
It was about this time that the daughter of Iyo-no-Kami was engaged to
a certain Kurando Shioshio, and he was her frequent visitor. Genji
heard of this, and without any intention of rivalry, sent her the
following by Kokimi:--
"Like the green reed that grows on high
By river's brink, our love has been,
And still my wandering thoughts will fly
Back to that quickly passing scene. "
She was a little flattered by it, and gave Kokimi a reply, as
follows:--
"The slender reed that feels the wind
That faintly stirs its humble leaf,
Feels that too late it breathes its mind,
And only wakes, a useless grief. "
Now the departure of Iyo-no-Kami was fixed for the beginning of
October.
Genji sent several parting presents to his wife, and in addition to
these some others, consisting of beautiful combs, fans, _nusa_,[60]
and the scarf he had carried away, along with the following, privately
through Kokimi:--
"I kept this pretty souvenir
In hopes of meeting you again,
I send it back with many a tear,
Since now, alas! such hope is vain. "
There were many other minute details, which I shall pass over as
uninteresting to the reader.
Genji's official messenger returned, but her reply about the scarf was
sent through Kokimi:--
"When I behold the summer wings
Cicada like, I cast aside;
Back to my heart fond memory springs,
And on my eyes, a rising tide. "
The day of the departure happened to be the commencement of the winter
season. An October shower fell lightly, and the sky looked gloomy.
Genji stood gazing upon it and hummed:--
"Sad and weary Autumn hours,
Summer joys now past away,
Both departing, dark the hours,
Whither speeding, who can say? "
All these intrigues were safely kept in strict privacy, and to have
boldly written all particulars concerning them is to me a matter of
pain. So at first I intended to omit them, but had I done so my
history would have become like a fiction, and the censure I should
expect would be that I had done so intentionally, because my hero was
the son of an Emperor; but, on the other hand, if I am accused of too
much loquacity, I cannot help it.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 52: Name of an ecclesiastical office. ]
[Footnote 53: Sasinuki is a sort of loose trousers, and properly worn
by men only, hence some commentators conclude, the attendant here
mentioned to mean a boy, others contend, this garment was worn by
females also when they rode. ]
[Footnote 54: A mythological repulsive deity who took part in the
building of a bridge at the command of a powerful magician. ]
[Footnote 55: A popular superstition in China and Japan believes foxes
to have mysterious powers over men. ]
[Footnote 56: Upasaka, a sect of the followers of Buddhism who are
laymen though they observe the rules of clerical life. ]
[Footnote 57: Meitreya, a Buddhisatva destined to reappear as a Buddha
after the lapse of an incalculable series of years. ]
[Footnote 58: It is the Oriental custom that when one offers up a
prayer, he first washes his hands, to free them from all impurity. ]
[Footnote 59: According to the Buddhist's doctrine of the Hosso sect,
all the souls of the dead pass, during seven weeks after death, into
an intermediate state, and then their fate is decided. According to
the Tendai sect, the best and the worst go immediately where they
deserve, but those of a medium nature go through this process. ]
[Footnote 60: An offering made of paper, to the God of roads, which
travellers were accustomed to make, before setting out on a journey. ]
CHAPTER V
YOUNG VIOLET
It was the time when Genji became subject to periodical attacks of
ague, that many exorcisms and spells were performed to effect a cure,
but all in vain. At length he was told by a friend that in a certain
temple on the northern mountain (Mount Kurama) there dwelt a famous
ascetic, and that when the epidemic had prevailed during the previous
summer, many people had recovered through his exorcisms. "If," added
the friend, "the disease is neglected it becomes serious; try
therefore, this method of procuring relief at once, and before it is
too late. "
Genji, therefore, sent for the hermit, but he declined to come, saying
that he was too old and decrepit to leave his retreat. "What shall I
do? " exclaimed Genji, "shall I visit him privately? " Eventually,
taking four or five attendants, he started off early one morning for
the place, which was at no great distance on the mountain.
It was the last day of March, and though the height of the season for
flowers in the capital was over, yet, on the mountain, the
cherry-trees were still in blossom. They advanced on their way further
and further. The haze clung to the surface like a soft sash does round
the waist, and to Genji, who had scarcely ever been out of the
capital, the scenery was indescribably novel. The ascetic lived in a
deep cave in the rocks, near the lofty summit. Genji did not, however,
declare who he was, and the style of his retinue was of a very private
character. Yet his nobility of manners was easily recognizable.
"Welcome your visit! " cried the hermit, saluting him. "Perhaps you are
the one who sent for me the other day? I have long since quitted the
affairs of this world, and have almost forgotten the secret of my
exorcisms. I wonder why you have come here for me. " So saying, he
pleasingly embraced him. He was evidently a man of great holiness. He
wrote out a talismanic prescription, which he gave to Genji to drink
in water, while he himself proceeded to perform some mysterious rite.
During the performance of this ceremony the sun rose high in the
heavens. Genji, meantime, walked out of the cave and looked around him
with his attendants. The spot where they stood was very lofty, and
numerous monasteries were visible, scattered here and there in the
distance beneath. There was immediately beyond the winding path in
which they were walking a picturesque and pretty building enclosed by
hedges. Its well arranged balconies and the gardens around it
apparently betokened the good taste of its inhabitants. "Whose house
may that be? " inquired Genji of his attendants. They told him it was a
house in which a certain priest had been living for the last two
years. "Ah! I know him," said Genji. "Strange, indeed, would it be if
he were to discover that I am here in this privacy. " They noticed a
nun and a few more females with her walking in the garden, who were
carrying fresh water for their offerings, and were gathering flowers.
"Ah! there are ladies walking there," cried the attendants in tones of
surprise. "Surely, the Reverend Father would not indulge in
flirtations! Who can they be? " And some of them even descended a
little distance, and peered over the enclosure, where a pretty little
girl was also seen amongst them.
Genji now engaged in prayer until the sun sank in the heavens. His
attendants, who were anxious about his disease, told him that it would
be good for him to have a change from time to time. Hereupon, he
advanced to the back of the temple, and his gaze fell on the far-off
Capital in the distance, which was enveloped in haze as the dusk was
setting in, over the tops of the trees around. "What a lovely
landscape! " exclaimed Genji. "The people to whom such scenery is
familiar, are perhaps happy and contented. " "Nay," said the
attendants, "but were you to see the beautiful mountain ranges and the
sea-coast in our various provinces, the pictures would indeed be found
lovely. " Then some of them described to him Fuji Yama, while others
told him of other mountains, diverting his attention by their animated
description of the beautiful bays and coasts of the Western Provinces;
thus as they depicted them to him, they cheered and gladdened his
mind. One of them went on to say: "Among such sights and at no great
distance, there is the sea-coast of Akashi, in the Province of
Harima, which is, I think, especially beautiful. I cannot, indeed,
point out in detail its most remarkable features, but, in general, the
blue expanse of the sea is singularly charming. Here, too, the home of
the former Governor of the Province constitutes an object of great
attraction. He has assumed the tonsure, and resides there with his
beautiful daughter. He is the descendant of a high personage, and was
not without hope of elevation at Court, but, being of an eccentric
character, he was strongly averse to society. He had formerly been a
Chiujio of the Imperial Guard, but having resigned that office, had
become Governor of Harima. He was not, however, popular in that
office. In this state of affairs he reflected within himself, no
doubt, that his presence in the Capital could not but be disagreeable.
When, therefore, his term of office expired, he determined still to
remain in the province. He did not, however, go to the mountainous
regions of the interior, but chose the sea-coast. There are in this
district several places which are well situated for quiet retirement,
and it would have seemed inconsistent in him had he preferred a part
of the sea-coast so near the gay world; nevertheless, a retreat in the
too remote interior would have been too solitary, and might have met
with objections on the part of his wife and child. For this reason, it
appears, that he finally selected the place which I have already
alluded to for the sake of his family. When I went down there last
time, I became acquainted with the history and circumstances of the
family, and I found that though he may not have been well received in
the Capital, yet, that here, having been formerly governor, he enjoys
considerable popularity and respect. His residence, moreover, is well
appointed and of sufficient magnitude, and he performs with
punctuality and devoutness his religious duties--nay, almost with more
earnestness than many regular priests. " Here Genji interrupted. "What
is his daughter like? " "Without doubt," answered his companion, "the
beauty of her person is unrivalled, and she is endowed with
corresponding mental ability. Successive governors often offer their
addresses to her with great sincerity, but no one has ever yet been
accepted. The dominant idea of her father seems to be this: 'What,
have I sunk to such a position! Well, I trust, at least, that my only
daughter may be successful and prosperous in her life! ' He often told
her, I heard, that if she survived him, and if his fond hopes for her
should not be realized, it would be better for her to cast herself
into the sea. "
Genji was much interested in this conversation, and the rest of the
company laughingly said, "Ah! she is a woman who is likely to become
the Queen of the Blue Main. In very truth her father must be an
extraordinary being! "
The attendant who had given this account of the ex-governor and his
daughter, was the son of the present Governor of the Province. He was
until lately a Kurand, and this year had received the title of Jugoi.
His name was Yoshikiyo, and he, too, was a man of gay habits, which
gave occasion to one of his companions to observe: "Ah! perhaps you
also have been trying to disappoint the hopes of the aged father. "
Another said, "Well, our friend has given us a long account, but we
must take it with some reserve. She must be, after all, a country
maiden, and all that I can give credit to is this much: that her
mother may be a woman of some sense, who takes great care of the girl.
I am only afraid that if any future governor should be seized with an
ardent desire to possess her, she would not long remain unattached. "
"What possible object could it serve if she were carried to the bottom
of the sea? The natives of the deep would derive no pleasure from her
charms," remarked Genji, while he himself secretly desired to behold
her.
"Ay," thought his companions, "with his susceptible temperament, what
wonder if this story touches him. "
The day was far advanced, and the Prince prepared to leave the
mountain. The Hermit, however, told him that it would be better to
spend the evening in the Temple, and to be further prayed for. His
attendants also supported this suggestion. So Genji made up his mind
to stay there, saying, "Then I shall not return home till to-morrow. "
The days at this season were of long duration, and he felt it rather
tiresome to pass a whole evening in sedate society, so, under the
cover of the shades of the evening, he went out of the Temple, and
proceeded to the pretty building enclosed by hedges. All the
attendants had been despatched home except Koremitz, who accompanied
him. They peeped at this building through the hedges. In the western
antechamber of the house was placed an image of Buddha, and here an
evening service was performed. A nun, raising a curtain before
Buddha, offered a garland of flowers on the altar, and placing a Kio
(or Sutra, i. e. , Buddhist Bible) on her "arm-stool," proceeded to read
it. She seemed to be rather more than forty years old. Her face was
rather round, and her appearance was noble. Her hair was thrown back
from her forehead and was cut short behind, which suited her very
well. She was, however, pale and weak, her voice, also, being
tremulous. Two maiden attendants went in and out of the room waiting
upon her, and a little girl ran into the room with them. She was about
ten years old or more, and wore a white silk dress, which fitted her
well and which was lined with yellow. Her hair was waved like a fan,
and her eyes were red from crying. "What is the matter? Have you
quarrelled with the boy? " exclaimed the nun, looking at her. There was
some resemblance between the features of the child and the nun, so
Genji thought that she possibly might be her daughter.
"Inuki has lost my sparrow, which I kept so carefully in the cage,"
replied the child.
"That stupid boy," said one of the attendants. "Has he again been the
cause of this? Where can the bird be gone? And all this, too, after we
had tamed it with so much care. " She then left the room, possibly to
look for the lost bird. The people who addressed her called her
Shionagon, and she appeared to have been the little girl's nurse.
"To you," said the nun to the girl, "the sparrow may be dearer than I
may be, who am so ill; but have I not told you often that the caging
of birds is a sin? Be a good girl; come nearer! "
The girl advanced and stood silent before her, her face being bathed
in tears. The contour of the child-like forehead and of the small and
graceful head was very pleasing. Genji, as he surveyed the scene from
without, thought within himself, "If she is thus fair in her girlhood,
what will she be when she is grown up? " One reason why Genji was so
much attracted by her was, that she greatly resembled a certain lady
in the Palace, to whom he, for a long time, had been fondly attached.
The nun stroked the beautiful hair of the child and murmured to
herself, "How splendid it looks! Would that she would always strive to
keep it thus. Her extreme youth makes me anxious, however. Her mother
departed this life when she only a very young girl, but she was quite
sensible at the age of this one. Supposing that I were to leave her
behind, I wonder what would happen to her! " As she thus murmured, her
countenance became saddened by her forebodings.
The sight moved Genji's sympathy as he gazed. It seemed that the
tender heart of the child was also touched, for she silently watched
the expression of the nun's features, and then with downcast eyes bent
her face towards the ground, the lustrous hair falling over her back
in waves.
The nun hummed, in a tone sufficiently audible to Genji,
"The dews that wet the tender grass,
At the sun's birth, too quickly pass,
Nor e'er can hope to see it rise
In full perfection to the skies. "
Shionagon, who now joined them, and heard the above distich, consoled
the nun with the following:--
"The dews will not so quickly pass,
Nor shall depart before they see
The full perfection of the grass,
They loved so well in infancy. "
At this juncture a priest entered and said, "Do you know that this
very day Prince Genji visited the hermit in order to be exorcised by
him. I must forthwith go and see him. "
Genji observing this movement quickly returned to the monastery,
thinking as he went what a lovely girl he had seen. "I can guess from
this," thought he, "why those gay fellows (referring to his
attendants) so often make their expeditions in search of good fortune.
What a charming little girl have I seen to-day! Who can she be? Would
that I could see her morning and evening in the palace, where I can no
longer see the fair loved one whom she resembles! " He now returned to
the monastery, and retired to his quarters. Soon after a disciple of
the priest came and delivered a message from him through Koremitz,
saying, "My master has just heard of the Prince's visit to the
mountain, and would have waited on him at once, but thought it better
to postpone calling. Nevertheless he would be much pleased to offer a
humble welcome, and feels disappointed that he has not yet had an
opportunity of doing so. "
Genji said in reply, "I have been afflicted with constant attacks of
ague for the last few weeks, and, therefore, by the advice of my
friends, I came to this mountain to be exorcised. If, however, the
spells of the holy man are of no avail to me, his reputation might
suffer in consequence. For that reason I wish to keep my visit as
private as possible, nevertheless I will come now to your master. "
Thereupon the priest himself soon made his appearance, and, after
briefly relating the circumstances which had occasioned his retirement
to this locality, he offered to escort Genji to his house, saying, "My
dwelling is but a rustic cottage, but still I should like you to see,
at least, the pretty mountain streamlet which waters my garden. "
Genji accepted the offer, thinking as he went, "I wonder what the
priest has said at home about myself to those to whom I have not yet
been introduced. But it will be pleasant to see them once more. "
The night was moonless. The fountain was lit up by torches, and many
lamps also were lighted in the garden. Genji was taken to an airy room
in the southern front of the building, where incense which was burning
threw its sweet odors around. The priest related to him many
interesting anecdotes, and also spoke eloquently of man's future
destiny. Genji as he heard him, felt some qualms of conscience, for he
remembered that his own conduct was far from being irreproachable. The
thought troubled him that he would never be free from the sting of
these recollections through his life, and that there was a world to
come, too! "Oh, could I but live in a retreat like this priest! " As he
thus thought of a retreat, he was involuntarily taken by a fancy, that
how happy would he be if accompanied to such a retreat by such a girl
as he had seen in the evening, and with this fancy her lovely face
rose up before him.
Suddenly he said to the priest, "I had once a dream which made me
anxious to know who was living in this house, and here to-day that
dream has again come back to my memory! " The priest laughed, and said,
"A strange dream! even were you to obtain your wish it might not
gratify you. The late Lord Azechi Dainagon died long ago, and perhaps
you know nothing about him. Well! his widow is my sister, and since
her husband's death her health has not been satisfactory, so lately
she has been living here in retirement. "
"Ah, yes," said Genji, venturing upon a guess, "and I heard that she
bore a daughter to Dainagon.
The midnight passed, and the wind blew louder, rushing amongst the
branches of the old pines, and making them moan more and more sadly.
The cries of strange weird birds were heard, probably the shrieks of
the ill-omened screech-owl, and the place seemed more and more remote
from all human sympathy. Genji could only helplessly repeat, "How
could I have chosen such a retreat. " While Ukon, quite dismayed, cried
pitifully at his side. To him it seemed even that this girl might
become ill, might die! The light of the lamp flickered and burnt dim.
Each side of the walls seemed to his alarmed sight to present
numberless openings one after another (where the demon might rush in),
and the sound of mysterious footsteps seemed approaching along the
deserted passages behind them. "Ah! were Koremitz but here," was the
only thought of Genji; but it would seem that Koremitz was from home,
and the time Genji had to wait for him seemed an age. At last the
crowing cocks announced the coming day, and gave him new courage.
He said to himself, "I must now admit this to be a punishment for all
my inconsiderateness. However secretly we strive to conceal our
faults, eventually they are discovered. First of all, what might not
my father think! and then the general public? And what a subject for
scandal the story of my escapades will become. "
Koremitz now arrived, and all at once the courage with which Genji had
fought against calamity gave way, and he burst into tears, and then
slowly spoke. "Here a sad and singular event has happened; I cannot
explain to you why. For such sudden afflictions prayers, I believe,
are the only resource. For this reason I wished your brother to
accompany you here. "
"He returned to his monastery only yesterday," replied Koremitz. "But
tell me what has happened; any unusual event to the girl? "
"She is dead," returned Genji in a broken voice; "dead without any
apparent cause. "
Koremitz, like the Prince, was but young. If he had had greater
experience he would have been more serviceable to Genji; indeed, they
both were equally perplexed to decide what were the best steps to be
taken under the trying circumstances of the case.
At last Koremitz said, "If the steward should learn this strange
misfortune it might be awkward; as to the man himself he might be
relied on, but his family, who probably would not be so discreet,
might hear of the matter. It would, therefore, be better to quit this
place at once. "
"But where can we find a spot where there are fewer observers than
here? " replied Genji.
"That is true. Suppose the old lodgings of the deceased. No, there are
too many people there. I think a mountain convent would be better,
because there they are accustomed to receive the dead within their
walls, so that matters can be more easily concealed. "
And after a little reflection, he continued, "There is a nun whom I
know living in a mountain convent in Higashi-Yama. Let us take the
corpse there. She was my father's nurse; she is living there in strict
seclusion. That is the best plan I can think of. "
This proposal was decided on, and the carriage was summoned.
Presuming that Genji would not like to carry the dead body in his
arms, Koremitz covered it with a mantle, and lifted it into the
carriage. Over the features of the dead maiden a charming calmness was
still spread, unlike what usually happens, there being nothing
repulsive. Her wavy hair fell outside the mantle, and her small mouth,
still parted, wore a faint smile. The sight distressed both the eyes
and heart of Genji. He fain would have followed the body; but this
Koremitz would not permit.
"Do take my horse and ride back to Nijio at once," he said, and
ordered the horse for him. Then taking Ukon away in the same carriage
with the dead, he, girding up his dress, followed it on foot. It was
by no means a pleasant task for Koremitz, but he put up with it
cheerfully.
Genji, sunk in apathy, now rode back to Nijio; he was greatly
fatigued, and looked pale. The people of the mansion noticed his sad
and haggard appearance.
Genji said nothing, but hurried straight away to his own private
apartment.
"Why did I not go with her? " he still vainly exclaimed. "What would
she think of me were she to return to life? " And these thoughts
affected him so deeply that he became ill, his head ached, his pulse
beat high, and his body burned with fever. The sun rose high, but he
did not leave his couch. His domestics were all perplexed. Rice gruel
was served up to him, but he would not touch it. The news of his
indisposition soon found its way out of the mansion, and in no time a
messenger arrived from the Imperial Palace to make inquiries. His
brother-in-law also came, but Genji only allowed To-no-Chiujio to
enter his room, saying to him, "My aged nurse has been ill since last
May, and has been tonsured, and received consecration; it was,
perhaps, from this sacrifice that at one time she became better, but
lately she has had a relapse, and is again very bad. I was advised to
visit her, moreover, she was always most kind to me, and if she had
died without seeing me it would have pained her, so I went to see her.
At this time a servant of her house, who had been ill, died suddenly.
Being rendered 'unclean' by this event, I am passing the time
privately. Besides, since the morning, I have become ill, evidently
the effects of cold. By the bye, you must excuse me receiving you in
this way. "
"Well, sir," replied To-no-Chiujio, "I will represent these
circumstances to his Majesty. Your absence last night has given much
inquietude to the Emperor. He caused inquiries to be made for you
everywhere, and his humor was not very good. " And thereupon
To-no-Chiujio took his leave, thinking as he went, "What sort of
'uncleanness' can this really be. I cannot put perfect faith in what
he tells me. "
Little did To-no-Chiujio imagine that the dead one was no other than
his own long-lost Tokonatz (Pinks).
In the evening came Koremitz from the mountain, and was secretly
introduced, though all general visitors were kept excluded on the
pretext of the "uncleanness. "
"What has become of her? " cried Genji, passionately, when he saw him.
"Is she really gone? "
"Her end has come," replied Koremitz, in a tone of sadness; "and we
must not keep the dead too long. To-morrow we will place her in the
grave: to-morrow 'is a good day. ' I know a faithful old priest. I have
consulted with him how to arrange all. "
"And what has become of Ukon? " asked Genji. "How does she bear it? "
"That is, indeed, a question. She was really deeply affected, and she
foolishly said, 'I will die with my mistress. ' She was actually going
to throw herself headlong from the cliff; but I warned, I advised, I
consoled her, and she became more pacified. "
"The state of her feelings may be easily conceived. I am myself not
less deeply wounded than she. I do not even know what might become of
myself. "
"Why do you grieve so uselessly? Every uncertainty is the result of a
certainty. There is nothing in this world really to be lamented. If
you do not wish the public to know anything of this matter, I,
Koremitz, will manage it. "
"I, also, am aware that everything is fated. Still, I am deeply sorry
to have brought this misfortune on this poor girl by my own
inconsiderate rashness. The only thing I have now to ask you, is to
keep these events in the dark. Do not mention them to any one--nay,
not even to your mother. "
"Even from the priests to whom it must necessarily be known, I will
conceal the reality," replied Koremitz.
"Do manage all this most skilfully! "
"Why, of course I shall manage it as secretly as possible," cried
Koremitz; and he was about to take his departure, but Genji stopped
him.
"I must see her once more," said Genji, sorrowfully. "I will go with
you to behold her, before she is lost to my sight forever. " And he
insisted on accompanying him.
Koremitz, however, did not at all approve of this project; but his
resistance gave way to the earnest desire of Genji, and he said, "If
you think so much about it, I cannot help it. "
"Let us hasten, then, and return before the night be far advanced. "
"You shall have my horse to ride. "
Genji rose, and dressed himself in the ordinary plain style he usually
adopted for his private expeditions, and started away with one
confidential servant, besides Koremitz.
They crossed the river Kamo, the torches carried before them burning
dimly. They passed the gloomy cemetery of Toribeno, and at last
reached the convent.
It was a rude wooden building, and adjoining was a small Buddha Hall,
through whose walls votive tapers mysteriously twinkled. Within,
nothing but the faint sound of a female's voice repeating prayers was
to be heard. Outside, and around, the evening services in the
surrounding temples were all finished, and all Nature was in silent
repose. In the direction of Kiyomidz alone some scattered lights
studding the dark scene betrayed human habitations.
They entered. Genji's heart was beating fast with emotion. He saw Ukon
reclining beside a screen, with her back to the lamp. He did not speak
to her, but proceeded straight to the body, and gently drew aside the
mantle which covered its face. It still wore a look of tranquil
calmness; no change had yet attacked the features. He took the cold
hand in his own, crying out as he did so:--
"Do let me hear thy voice once more! Why have you left me thus
bereaved? " But the silence of death was unbroken!
He then, half sobbing, began to talk with Ukon, and invited her to
come to his mansion, and help to console him. But Koremitz now
admonished him to consider that time was passing quickly.
On this Genji threw a long sad farewell glance at the face of the
dead, and rose to depart. He was so feeble and powerless that he could
not mount his horse without the help of Koremitz. The countenance of
the dead girl floated ever before his sight, with the look she wore
when living, and it seemed as if he were being led on by some
mysterious influence.
The banks of the river Kamo were reached, when Genji found himself too
weak to support himself on horseback, and so dismounted.
"I am afraid," he exclaimed, "I shall not be able to reach home. "
Koremitz was a little alarmed. "If I had only been firm," he thought,
"and had prevented this journey, I should not have exposed him to such
a trial. " He descended to the river, and bathing his hands,[58]
offered up a prayer to Kwannon of Kiyomidz, and again assisted Genji
to mount, who struggled to recover his energy, and managed somehow to
return to Nijio, praying in silence as he rode along.
The people of the mansion entertained grave apprehensions about him;
and not unnaturally, seeing he had been unusually restless for some
days, and had become suddenly ill since the day before, and they could
never understand what urgency had called him out on that evening.
Genji now lay down on his couch, fatigued and exhausted, and continued
in the same state for some days, when he became quite weak.
The Emperor was greatly concerned, as was also Sadaijin. Numerous
prayers were offered, and exorcisms performed everywhere in his
behalf, all with the most careful zeal. The public was afraid he was
too beautiful to live long.
The only solace he had at this time was Ukon; he had sent for her, and
made her stay in his mansion.
And whenever he felt better he had her near him, and conversed with
her about her dead mistress.
In the meantime, it might have been the result of his own energetic
efforts to realize the ardent hopes of the Emperor and his
father-in-law, that his condition became better, after a heavy trial
of some three weeks; and towards the end of September he became
convalescent. He now felt as though he had been restored to the world
to which he had formerly belonged. He was, however, still thin and
weak, and, for consolation, still resorted to talk with Ukon.
"How strange," he said to her, as they were conversing together one
fine autumn evening. "Why did she not reveal to me all her past life?
If she had but known how deeply I loved her, she might have been a
little more frank with me. "
"Ah! no," replied Ukon; "she would not intentionally have concealed
anything from you; but it was, I imagine, more because she had no
choice. You at first conducted yourself in such a mysterious manner;
and she, on her part, regarded her acquaintance with you as something
like a dream. That was the cause of her reticence. "
"What a useless reticence it was," exclaimed Genji. "I was not so
frank as, perhaps, I ought to have been; but you may be sure that made
no difference in my affection towards her. Only, you must remember,
there is my father, the Emperor, besides many others, whose vigilant
admonitions I am bound to respect. That was the reason why I had to be
careful. Nevertheless, my love to your mistress was singularly deep;
too deep, perhaps, to last long. Do tell me now all you know about
her; I do not see any reason why you should conceal it. I have
carefully ordered the weekly requiem for the dead; but tell me in
whose behalf it is, and what was her origin? "
"I have no intention of concealing anything from you. Why should I? I
only thought it would be blamable if one should reveal after death
what another had thought best to reserve," replied Ukon. "Her parents
died when she was a mere girl. Her father was called Sammi-Chiujio,
and loved her very dearly. He was always aspiring to better his
position, and wore out his life in the struggle. After his death, she
was left helpless and poor. She was however, by chance, introduced to
To-no-Chiujio, when he was still Shioshio, and not Chiujio. During
three years they kept on very good terms, and he was very kind to
her. But some wind or other attacks every fair flower; and, in the
autumn of last year, she received a fearful menace from the house of
Udaijin, to whose daughter, as you know, To-no-Chiujio is married.
Poor girl, she was terrified at this. She knew not what to do, and hid
herself, with her nurse, in an obscure part of the capital. It was not
a very agreeable place, and she was about removing to a certain
mountain hamlet, but, as its 'celestial direction' was closed this
year, she was still hesitating, and while matters were in this state,
you appeared on the scene. To do her justice, she had no thought of
wandering from one to another; but circumstances often make things
appear as if we did so. She was, by nature, extremely reserved, so
that she did not like to speak out her feelings to others, but rather
suffered in silence by herself. This, perhaps, you also have noticed. "
"Then it was so, after all. She was the Tokonatz of To-no-Chiujio,"
thought Genji; and now it also transpired that all that Koremitz had
stated about To-no-Chiujio's visiting her at the Yugao house was a
pure invention, suggested by a slight acquaintance with the girl's
previous history.
"The Chiujio told me once," said Genji, "that she had a little one.
Was there any such? "
"Yes, she had one in the spring of the year before last--a girl, a
nice child," replied Ukon.
"Where is she now? " asked Genji, "perhaps you will bring her to me
some day. I should like to have her with me as a memento of her
mother. I should not mind mentioning it to her father, but if I did
so, I must reveal the whole sad story of her mother's fate, and this
would not be advisable at present; however, I do not see any harm if I
were to bring her up as my daughter. You might manage it somehow
without my name being mentioned to any one concerned. "
"That would be a great happiness for the child," exclaimed Ukon,
delighted, "I do not much appreciate her being brought up where she
is. "
"Well, I will do so, only let us wait for some better chance. For the
present be discreet. "
"Yes, of course. I cannot yet take any steps towards that object; we
must not unfurl our sails before the storm is completely over. "
The foliage of the ground, touched with autumnal tints, was beginning
to fade, and the sounds of insects (_mushi_) were growing faint, and
both Genji and Ukon were absorbed by the sad charm of the scene. As
they meditated, they heard doves cooing among the bamboo woods.
To Genji it brought back the cries of that strange bird, which cry he
had heard on that fearful night in Rokjio, and the subject recurred to
his mind once more, and he said to Ukon, "How old was she? "
"Nineteen. "
"And how came you to know her? "
"I was the daughter of her first nurse, and a great favorite of her
father's, who brought me up with her, and from that time I never left
her. When I come to think of those days I wonder how I can exist
without her. The poet says truly, 'The deeper the love, the more
bitter the parting. ' Ah! how gentle and retiring she was. How much I
loved her! "
"That retiring and gentle temperament," said Genji, "gives far greater
beauty to women than all beside, for to have no natural pliability
makes women utterly worthless. "
The sky by this time became covered, and the wind blew chilly. Genji
gazed intently on it and hummed:--
"When we regard the clouds above,
Our souls are filled with fond desire,
To me the smoke of my dead love,
Seems rising from the funeral pyre. "
The distant sound of the bleacher's hammer reached their ears, and
reminded him of the sound he had heard in the Yugao's house. He bade
"Good-night" to Ukon, and retired to rest, humming as he went:--
"In the long nights of August and September. "
On the forty-ninth day (after the death of the Yugao) he went to the
Hokke Hall in the Hiye mountain, and there had a service for the dead
performed, with full ceremony and rich offerings. The monk-brother of
Koremitz took every pains in its performance.
The composition of requiem prayers was made by Genji himself, and
revised by a professor of literature, one of his intimate friends. He
expressed in it the melancholy sentiment about the death of one whom
he had dearly loved, and whom he had yielded to Buddha. But who she
was was not stated. Among the offerings there was a dress. He took it
up in his hands and sorrowfully murmured,
"With tears to-day, the dress she wore
I fold together, when shall I
Bright Elysium's far-off shore
This robe of hers again untie? "
And the thought that the soul of the deceased might be still wandering
and unsettled to that very day, but that now the time had come when
her final destiny would be decided,[59] made him pray for her more
fervently.
So closed the sad event of Yugao.
Now Genji was always thinking that he should wish to see his beloved
in a dream.
The evening after his visit to the Hokke Hall, he beheld her in his
slumbers, as he wished, but at the same moment the terrible face of
the woman that he had seen on that fearful evening in Rokjio again
appeared before him; hence he concluded that the same mysterious being
who tenanted that dreary mansion had taken advantage of his fears and
had destroyed his beloved Yugao.
A few words more about the house in which she had lived. After her
flight no communication had been sent to them even by Ukon, and they
had no idea of where she had gone to. The mistress of the house was a
daughter of the nurse of Yugao. She with her two sisters lived there.
Ukon was a stranger to them, and they imagined that her being so was
the reason of her sending no intelligence to them. True they had
entertained some suspicions about the gay Prince, and pressed Koremitz
to confide the truth to them, but the latter, as he had done before,
kept himself skilfully aloof.
They then thought she might have been seduced and carried off by some
gallant son of a local Governor, who feared his intrigue might be
discovered by To-no-Chiujio.
During these days Kokimi, of Ki-no-Kami's house, still used to come
occasionally to Genji. But for some time past the latter had not sent
any letter to Cicada. When she heard of his illness she not
unnaturally felt for him, and also she had experienced a sort of
disappointment in not seeing his writing for some time, especially as
the time of her departure for the country was approaching. She
therefore sent him a letter of inquiry with the following:--
"If long time passes slow away,
Without a word from absent friend,
Our fears no longer brook delay,
But must some kindly greeting send. "
To this letter Genji returned a kind answer and also the following:--
"This world to me did once appear
Like Cicada's shell, when cast away,
Till words addressed by one so dear,
Have taught my hopes a brighter day. "
This was written with a trembling hand, but still bearing nice traits,
and when it reached Cicada, and she saw that he had not yet forgotten
past events, and the scarf he had carried away, she was partly amused
and partly pleased.
It was about this time that the daughter of Iyo-no-Kami was engaged to
a certain Kurando Shioshio, and he was her frequent visitor. Genji
heard of this, and without any intention of rivalry, sent her the
following by Kokimi:--
"Like the green reed that grows on high
By river's brink, our love has been,
And still my wandering thoughts will fly
Back to that quickly passing scene. "
She was a little flattered by it, and gave Kokimi a reply, as
follows:--
"The slender reed that feels the wind
That faintly stirs its humble leaf,
Feels that too late it breathes its mind,
And only wakes, a useless grief. "
Now the departure of Iyo-no-Kami was fixed for the beginning of
October.
Genji sent several parting presents to his wife, and in addition to
these some others, consisting of beautiful combs, fans, _nusa_,[60]
and the scarf he had carried away, along with the following, privately
through Kokimi:--
"I kept this pretty souvenir
In hopes of meeting you again,
I send it back with many a tear,
Since now, alas! such hope is vain. "
There were many other minute details, which I shall pass over as
uninteresting to the reader.
Genji's official messenger returned, but her reply about the scarf was
sent through Kokimi:--
"When I behold the summer wings
Cicada like, I cast aside;
Back to my heart fond memory springs,
And on my eyes, a rising tide. "
The day of the departure happened to be the commencement of the winter
season. An October shower fell lightly, and the sky looked gloomy.
Genji stood gazing upon it and hummed:--
"Sad and weary Autumn hours,
Summer joys now past away,
Both departing, dark the hours,
Whither speeding, who can say? "
All these intrigues were safely kept in strict privacy, and to have
boldly written all particulars concerning them is to me a matter of
pain. So at first I intended to omit them, but had I done so my
history would have become like a fiction, and the censure I should
expect would be that I had done so intentionally, because my hero was
the son of an Emperor; but, on the other hand, if I am accused of too
much loquacity, I cannot help it.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 52: Name of an ecclesiastical office. ]
[Footnote 53: Sasinuki is a sort of loose trousers, and properly worn
by men only, hence some commentators conclude, the attendant here
mentioned to mean a boy, others contend, this garment was worn by
females also when they rode. ]
[Footnote 54: A mythological repulsive deity who took part in the
building of a bridge at the command of a powerful magician. ]
[Footnote 55: A popular superstition in China and Japan believes foxes
to have mysterious powers over men. ]
[Footnote 56: Upasaka, a sect of the followers of Buddhism who are
laymen though they observe the rules of clerical life. ]
[Footnote 57: Meitreya, a Buddhisatva destined to reappear as a Buddha
after the lapse of an incalculable series of years. ]
[Footnote 58: It is the Oriental custom that when one offers up a
prayer, he first washes his hands, to free them from all impurity. ]
[Footnote 59: According to the Buddhist's doctrine of the Hosso sect,
all the souls of the dead pass, during seven weeks after death, into
an intermediate state, and then their fate is decided. According to
the Tendai sect, the best and the worst go immediately where they
deserve, but those of a medium nature go through this process. ]
[Footnote 60: An offering made of paper, to the God of roads, which
travellers were accustomed to make, before setting out on a journey. ]
CHAPTER V
YOUNG VIOLET
It was the time when Genji became subject to periodical attacks of
ague, that many exorcisms and spells were performed to effect a cure,
but all in vain. At length he was told by a friend that in a certain
temple on the northern mountain (Mount Kurama) there dwelt a famous
ascetic, and that when the epidemic had prevailed during the previous
summer, many people had recovered through his exorcisms. "If," added
the friend, "the disease is neglected it becomes serious; try
therefore, this method of procuring relief at once, and before it is
too late. "
Genji, therefore, sent for the hermit, but he declined to come, saying
that he was too old and decrepit to leave his retreat. "What shall I
do? " exclaimed Genji, "shall I visit him privately? " Eventually,
taking four or five attendants, he started off early one morning for
the place, which was at no great distance on the mountain.
It was the last day of March, and though the height of the season for
flowers in the capital was over, yet, on the mountain, the
cherry-trees were still in blossom. They advanced on their way further
and further. The haze clung to the surface like a soft sash does round
the waist, and to Genji, who had scarcely ever been out of the
capital, the scenery was indescribably novel. The ascetic lived in a
deep cave in the rocks, near the lofty summit. Genji did not, however,
declare who he was, and the style of his retinue was of a very private
character. Yet his nobility of manners was easily recognizable.
"Welcome your visit! " cried the hermit, saluting him. "Perhaps you are
the one who sent for me the other day? I have long since quitted the
affairs of this world, and have almost forgotten the secret of my
exorcisms. I wonder why you have come here for me. " So saying, he
pleasingly embraced him. He was evidently a man of great holiness. He
wrote out a talismanic prescription, which he gave to Genji to drink
in water, while he himself proceeded to perform some mysterious rite.
During the performance of this ceremony the sun rose high in the
heavens. Genji, meantime, walked out of the cave and looked around him
with his attendants. The spot where they stood was very lofty, and
numerous monasteries were visible, scattered here and there in the
distance beneath. There was immediately beyond the winding path in
which they were walking a picturesque and pretty building enclosed by
hedges. Its well arranged balconies and the gardens around it
apparently betokened the good taste of its inhabitants. "Whose house
may that be? " inquired Genji of his attendants. They told him it was a
house in which a certain priest had been living for the last two
years. "Ah! I know him," said Genji. "Strange, indeed, would it be if
he were to discover that I am here in this privacy. " They noticed a
nun and a few more females with her walking in the garden, who were
carrying fresh water for their offerings, and were gathering flowers.
"Ah! there are ladies walking there," cried the attendants in tones of
surprise. "Surely, the Reverend Father would not indulge in
flirtations! Who can they be? " And some of them even descended a
little distance, and peered over the enclosure, where a pretty little
girl was also seen amongst them.
Genji now engaged in prayer until the sun sank in the heavens. His
attendants, who were anxious about his disease, told him that it would
be good for him to have a change from time to time. Hereupon, he
advanced to the back of the temple, and his gaze fell on the far-off
Capital in the distance, which was enveloped in haze as the dusk was
setting in, over the tops of the trees around. "What a lovely
landscape! " exclaimed Genji. "The people to whom such scenery is
familiar, are perhaps happy and contented. " "Nay," said the
attendants, "but were you to see the beautiful mountain ranges and the
sea-coast in our various provinces, the pictures would indeed be found
lovely. " Then some of them described to him Fuji Yama, while others
told him of other mountains, diverting his attention by their animated
description of the beautiful bays and coasts of the Western Provinces;
thus as they depicted them to him, they cheered and gladdened his
mind. One of them went on to say: "Among such sights and at no great
distance, there is the sea-coast of Akashi, in the Province of
Harima, which is, I think, especially beautiful. I cannot, indeed,
point out in detail its most remarkable features, but, in general, the
blue expanse of the sea is singularly charming. Here, too, the home of
the former Governor of the Province constitutes an object of great
attraction. He has assumed the tonsure, and resides there with his
beautiful daughter. He is the descendant of a high personage, and was
not without hope of elevation at Court, but, being of an eccentric
character, he was strongly averse to society. He had formerly been a
Chiujio of the Imperial Guard, but having resigned that office, had
become Governor of Harima. He was not, however, popular in that
office. In this state of affairs he reflected within himself, no
doubt, that his presence in the Capital could not but be disagreeable.
When, therefore, his term of office expired, he determined still to
remain in the province. He did not, however, go to the mountainous
regions of the interior, but chose the sea-coast. There are in this
district several places which are well situated for quiet retirement,
and it would have seemed inconsistent in him had he preferred a part
of the sea-coast so near the gay world; nevertheless, a retreat in the
too remote interior would have been too solitary, and might have met
with objections on the part of his wife and child. For this reason, it
appears, that he finally selected the place which I have already
alluded to for the sake of his family. When I went down there last
time, I became acquainted with the history and circumstances of the
family, and I found that though he may not have been well received in
the Capital, yet, that here, having been formerly governor, he enjoys
considerable popularity and respect. His residence, moreover, is well
appointed and of sufficient magnitude, and he performs with
punctuality and devoutness his religious duties--nay, almost with more
earnestness than many regular priests. " Here Genji interrupted. "What
is his daughter like? " "Without doubt," answered his companion, "the
beauty of her person is unrivalled, and she is endowed with
corresponding mental ability. Successive governors often offer their
addresses to her with great sincerity, but no one has ever yet been
accepted. The dominant idea of her father seems to be this: 'What,
have I sunk to such a position! Well, I trust, at least, that my only
daughter may be successful and prosperous in her life! ' He often told
her, I heard, that if she survived him, and if his fond hopes for her
should not be realized, it would be better for her to cast herself
into the sea. "
Genji was much interested in this conversation, and the rest of the
company laughingly said, "Ah! she is a woman who is likely to become
the Queen of the Blue Main. In very truth her father must be an
extraordinary being! "
The attendant who had given this account of the ex-governor and his
daughter, was the son of the present Governor of the Province. He was
until lately a Kurand, and this year had received the title of Jugoi.
His name was Yoshikiyo, and he, too, was a man of gay habits, which
gave occasion to one of his companions to observe: "Ah! perhaps you
also have been trying to disappoint the hopes of the aged father. "
Another said, "Well, our friend has given us a long account, but we
must take it with some reserve. She must be, after all, a country
maiden, and all that I can give credit to is this much: that her
mother may be a woman of some sense, who takes great care of the girl.
I am only afraid that if any future governor should be seized with an
ardent desire to possess her, she would not long remain unattached. "
"What possible object could it serve if she were carried to the bottom
of the sea? The natives of the deep would derive no pleasure from her
charms," remarked Genji, while he himself secretly desired to behold
her.
"Ay," thought his companions, "with his susceptible temperament, what
wonder if this story touches him. "
The day was far advanced, and the Prince prepared to leave the
mountain. The Hermit, however, told him that it would be better to
spend the evening in the Temple, and to be further prayed for. His
attendants also supported this suggestion. So Genji made up his mind
to stay there, saying, "Then I shall not return home till to-morrow. "
The days at this season were of long duration, and he felt it rather
tiresome to pass a whole evening in sedate society, so, under the
cover of the shades of the evening, he went out of the Temple, and
proceeded to the pretty building enclosed by hedges. All the
attendants had been despatched home except Koremitz, who accompanied
him. They peeped at this building through the hedges. In the western
antechamber of the house was placed an image of Buddha, and here an
evening service was performed. A nun, raising a curtain before
Buddha, offered a garland of flowers on the altar, and placing a Kio
(or Sutra, i. e. , Buddhist Bible) on her "arm-stool," proceeded to read
it. She seemed to be rather more than forty years old. Her face was
rather round, and her appearance was noble. Her hair was thrown back
from her forehead and was cut short behind, which suited her very
well. She was, however, pale and weak, her voice, also, being
tremulous. Two maiden attendants went in and out of the room waiting
upon her, and a little girl ran into the room with them. She was about
ten years old or more, and wore a white silk dress, which fitted her
well and which was lined with yellow. Her hair was waved like a fan,
and her eyes were red from crying. "What is the matter? Have you
quarrelled with the boy? " exclaimed the nun, looking at her. There was
some resemblance between the features of the child and the nun, so
Genji thought that she possibly might be her daughter.
"Inuki has lost my sparrow, which I kept so carefully in the cage,"
replied the child.
"That stupid boy," said one of the attendants. "Has he again been the
cause of this? Where can the bird be gone? And all this, too, after we
had tamed it with so much care. " She then left the room, possibly to
look for the lost bird. The people who addressed her called her
Shionagon, and she appeared to have been the little girl's nurse.
"To you," said the nun to the girl, "the sparrow may be dearer than I
may be, who am so ill; but have I not told you often that the caging
of birds is a sin? Be a good girl; come nearer! "
The girl advanced and stood silent before her, her face being bathed
in tears. The contour of the child-like forehead and of the small and
graceful head was very pleasing. Genji, as he surveyed the scene from
without, thought within himself, "If she is thus fair in her girlhood,
what will she be when she is grown up? " One reason why Genji was so
much attracted by her was, that she greatly resembled a certain lady
in the Palace, to whom he, for a long time, had been fondly attached.
The nun stroked the beautiful hair of the child and murmured to
herself, "How splendid it looks! Would that she would always strive to
keep it thus. Her extreme youth makes me anxious, however. Her mother
departed this life when she only a very young girl, but she was quite
sensible at the age of this one. Supposing that I were to leave her
behind, I wonder what would happen to her! " As she thus murmured, her
countenance became saddened by her forebodings.
The sight moved Genji's sympathy as he gazed. It seemed that the
tender heart of the child was also touched, for she silently watched
the expression of the nun's features, and then with downcast eyes bent
her face towards the ground, the lustrous hair falling over her back
in waves.
The nun hummed, in a tone sufficiently audible to Genji,
"The dews that wet the tender grass,
At the sun's birth, too quickly pass,
Nor e'er can hope to see it rise
In full perfection to the skies. "
Shionagon, who now joined them, and heard the above distich, consoled
the nun with the following:--
"The dews will not so quickly pass,
Nor shall depart before they see
The full perfection of the grass,
They loved so well in infancy. "
At this juncture a priest entered and said, "Do you know that this
very day Prince Genji visited the hermit in order to be exorcised by
him. I must forthwith go and see him. "
Genji observing this movement quickly returned to the monastery,
thinking as he went what a lovely girl he had seen. "I can guess from
this," thought he, "why those gay fellows (referring to his
attendants) so often make their expeditions in search of good fortune.
What a charming little girl have I seen to-day! Who can she be? Would
that I could see her morning and evening in the palace, where I can no
longer see the fair loved one whom she resembles! " He now returned to
the monastery, and retired to his quarters. Soon after a disciple of
the priest came and delivered a message from him through Koremitz,
saying, "My master has just heard of the Prince's visit to the
mountain, and would have waited on him at once, but thought it better
to postpone calling. Nevertheless he would be much pleased to offer a
humble welcome, and feels disappointed that he has not yet had an
opportunity of doing so. "
Genji said in reply, "I have been afflicted with constant attacks of
ague for the last few weeks, and, therefore, by the advice of my
friends, I came to this mountain to be exorcised. If, however, the
spells of the holy man are of no avail to me, his reputation might
suffer in consequence. For that reason I wish to keep my visit as
private as possible, nevertheless I will come now to your master. "
Thereupon the priest himself soon made his appearance, and, after
briefly relating the circumstances which had occasioned his retirement
to this locality, he offered to escort Genji to his house, saying, "My
dwelling is but a rustic cottage, but still I should like you to see,
at least, the pretty mountain streamlet which waters my garden. "
Genji accepted the offer, thinking as he went, "I wonder what the
priest has said at home about myself to those to whom I have not yet
been introduced. But it will be pleasant to see them once more. "
The night was moonless. The fountain was lit up by torches, and many
lamps also were lighted in the garden. Genji was taken to an airy room
in the southern front of the building, where incense which was burning
threw its sweet odors around. The priest related to him many
interesting anecdotes, and also spoke eloquently of man's future
destiny. Genji as he heard him, felt some qualms of conscience, for he
remembered that his own conduct was far from being irreproachable. The
thought troubled him that he would never be free from the sting of
these recollections through his life, and that there was a world to
come, too! "Oh, could I but live in a retreat like this priest! " As he
thus thought of a retreat, he was involuntarily taken by a fancy, that
how happy would he be if accompanied to such a retreat by such a girl
as he had seen in the evening, and with this fancy her lovely face
rose up before him.
Suddenly he said to the priest, "I had once a dream which made me
anxious to know who was living in this house, and here to-day that
dream has again come back to my memory! " The priest laughed, and said,
"A strange dream! even were you to obtain your wish it might not
gratify you. The late Lord Azechi Dainagon died long ago, and perhaps
you know nothing about him. Well! his widow is my sister, and since
her husband's death her health has not been satisfactory, so lately
she has been living here in retirement. "
"Ah, yes," said Genji, venturing upon a guess, "and I heard that she
bore a daughter to Dainagon.
