Japan monsters reading summary

f-A, -1\ '('fA �4 � � l_ \;._ \, "'- 1 � l G-.wji \Lo'1,)j T 1 \�

ll-.L J 9 AOI

Heart-to-Heart

The p l a n t aoi (more preci sely, }utaba aoi), sacred to the Kamo Shri ne, grows on the forest floor and consists of a pair of broad, heart­

shaped leaves that spring from a single stem. At the Kamo Festival people decorated their headdresses a n d carriages wi th it, as well as .

w i th laurel (katsura). In its Heian spel l i n g (afuhi), the word can also be read to mean "day of {lovers') meeting." This wordplay a n d the

p l a n t's configuration suggest the translation "heart-to-heart."

As the chapter title, Aoi refers particularly to an exchange of poems at the Festival between Genji a n d the amorous Dame of Staff.

Seein g Gcnji with som�·one else (Murasaki) in his carriage, she

writes,

"Ah, it is too hard! Today when our IJfart-to-heart told me that the god blessed our muting, I perceive that another sports those leaves."

He replies,

"Yours, so I would say, was a very naughty wish to sport heart-to-heart, when this meeting plaa today gathers men from co1mtless clans."

Aoi must have been accepted as the chapter title because of the inci­ d e n t that takes place at Kamo the day before; and since the p erson

responsible for the incident is above a l l Genji's wife, she is known to

readers as Aoi.

:'�f-:'' ';:��:(; I . . : . , ... . I . 'i·::f� 'j.'·

. ,' . ; .' ' ,' ' ·.:�,·.·.:.-�:.

: ';./ · . . . ·:�;,;;. , ·:·;t;; . i� There is a gap oft wo years or so ,between · ,·;p nder' the.Che_rry · Blo�s.�� ���·��fnd ;:,0: }:;, ,' ·j '::"H:eart-�o-H·��rt."l�the iqteryal Gepji's �a.th�rhas a

. bq� ca

_ . t . ed

. ; �u.·

zak .· �·

. h

· i ··· s�

.. s

.

. ·-.o_.':r J;>y • y��;� ·1 theKokiden Consort, has become Emperori fuJit�ubos son, by, ��nJI h�_s,:: ��:f ·' .'· .> .�-. 1·.: ' � : .? ·;\," ,, ... -.. �;,:,.,· ., �:· ·�. 1::.·:·� . . , _ t'·�· •·.:{ become Heir Apparent. · , · ''•·., •::·,.! ,·_ ' .• + ·. _ ''·: r�' ;� :�· • 'J'I '! � ,·,.·.' ;,·:,;,: '{J''' ��.· ·.:��

·�: � ·�, �.· :: 1( .. �� ',, • r L�·:··�1,_·;·�.;� :.·. ···�\ ·�. :·./ .�:�

,· I , ·:· ::: :f' . )>· '' � ,. 1f •.

. ')\�Jr�

:I, ·.;�:; ·· . ·.· .Genji, �he Con:inarider o.f the}<ight, age 2�.f� ,23;. • : :; : '!'.:d l. ��

.i. \ ·· . . . .. ··•· · Her l>jaje�ry.tpe,Eli)P'���!.�Vo *St (Fujits��o\. . . . ) :' :d0 ·j··.··· i · His E�inenc�; lhC• Retired E�p�ro�, Genjj ·S f�iher' (!Si�JtsUbf' 1�\i · : <; \fi

. f . Th� E�p��s� Mqther, .th'e Kpkl�en,Cpn�cm .'::··!! �1.;. ;;:.,:· 'i' �.J;:

. • . . . , . . �' ,: ; '· >t ·.:�.I r .,·, .· '·' ?'-·,,1,.-:; .. ;:';'·' . l ) �:·;· j The Heir Appare�t. ·FiJjitsli??'s son;:·� . t�.· 4}�y\�ep ·.r:··t��·::.:::·:·'. ; 1 .'r,t .;:} }':-i l . The Rokujo Haven: Z9 to 30 (R,okujo.·n·b Miya�Jci9.�9�bj:: •. · ·�: .. ·' ·:.:::i�/i'-' li�;! ·� ,· ,, , .,

, • i ";� ' ,: .'

'r� - , , .·,·;_ ,·! .

�. t;, ·.-;��.!.,,���·�·; �<·.'�· >. ·.· ··;.,.,:·>.'·� �.,1> � ···_.<:_ \J I j · The High Priestess of lse, her daugh.ter; 13 to �-��(Ak*dnonw� .. <,::::!ri.··��;:l�! ) 1 1 • ��· • ' 11 I r• • ' ,I 1 '·b : ·•·.'·', ',"•_t.'';�·�.-���:··��·i:•rl·;� ;'J · The lady of the bluebells, He� ,Highness (Asagao) " ' .' ·. - :: !, y,::�!.·l··� .·1 Genji's:wi�e·;.2?.-CA�i) · . : · ·,· · · · : :,�·.: .. ;�.,: �·�:·::m · : The High .Priestess of K;amo, third ·�aughter of!<okiden .�Saii�). �+f

1 He,r Highness, motrer of Aoi and To . no Chui6 (Omiya) .· ' :r·

. j His .Highness of<;:�rcmonial , As�g�o·s lath�r (Shjki���O nq,Miy�J · , · n

! Genji's young la�y, 114.JO: �5 (Murasaki) , I · : ., • ,; ,,,' : ·Vj { ', •• (, • � 4 lc .; , ,,, ; • , • � {r. ,· �.; l -

Sh?nagon.,:M_urasaki'S,JlU����- . .· , . ... ··. ,' r :1\{l�

1 � Dame ?f Stjlr.: �enWs: <'ll�<\;fam i ;�;,. i����y si�ti�� ( 9�!1 n�:N ai�,h•{ �,::; �t '1 ·

. . .. • . HisExcelleDcY .. Fh�.Mihi�tcrof the L�f�; ·,�; :', ,·.:.:.�::.<,,;.r,: .. :,::'':h

\ · : f�t�er,bt'�oi an� Tp: ,n; Ch��o:::·�;�·tp;:-�.?, f.?a9aijiry{,_ . · �� · ,(:t;.;:.::�:·:\�;�

\ J:heTh�<l Rank �� P\�in. Mi'sJ:>r9tfJCr.(To' no c�oi�? . . • 1 , : 't' :! ( ;i, The $�n Of G��jj a�4 Aoi .\;�gt \o �,<Y�gi�l; .''•. • • , : ... : .. 'll I 'Cl1Unagon,. a

.·.

ge

' n · t · } .

.

e .

. . �om

··· ;a . n _ ,,.at

·· · · _:His

· · · · .

· � _ .. �.c .;ne��y·:�.�.

."·,;�,: .' .. j . .

. � �· A,tc�i; ,a pag� gtrl ?f Aor:·) .;· : ' ,; :,,·l i· 1 '· • • •• } l '\ Ko\emilsu, Gei\j r�J�st� r hwth�� �9� cl\nlidarit 1 :·: ; ,;, ·;; ; 1\::;·j i Ben,'

. Sho�agon'� �aught�r.· i� �l1c ·s��Yi(e, of,-M.�rasa�i : .. • ,.. >Y·'· ::·i

l •· •· · The )'li�ire�� oft he �ar4i�be ( g�6�z�kiy�i v: ... :1' }j l h1,, � t • . ri,e Minister of ill� R;ghi. her �� lh��. �randfathei �f ;h

•e E � pe;�; (iida i j in l• }j;! · .l�.�����,.:...:+,;-�,�-:�,.,,c._.:, :,.:..,��:+· ,·+·j!,.-+�"t� .c.�'·niA:l·l

The change of reign made all things a burden for Genji, and perhaps his rise in rank 1 explains why he now renounced his lighter affairs, so that for many he multiplied the sorrows of neglect even while he himself, as though in retribution, continually lamented his own love's cruelty.2 She was so constantly at His Eminence's side that she might as well have been a commoner, and this seemed to displease the Empress Mother, who kept to the palace and left her in peace. Now and again His Eminence might hold a beautiful concert or something of the sort, one that set the whole court talking, so that he shone more brightly than ever; but he sadly missed the Heir Apparent, whose lack of effective support worried him, and his request that Genji look after him moved the new Commander to mingled joy and dismay.

Oh, yes, the late Heir Apparent's daughter by the Rokujo Haven had been named High Priestess of Ise, and her mother, who doubted Genji's devotion, had quickly invoked concern over her daughter's youth as a reason for considering going down to Ise herself.

His Eminence remarked to Cenji on learning of her plan, "His Late Highness thought very highly of her and showed her every attention, and I find it intolerable that you should treat her as casually as you might any other woman. I consider the High Priestess my own daughter, and I should therefore appreciate it if you were to avoid offending her mother, both for her father's sake and for mine. Such wanton self-indulgence risks widesprea4. censure." The displeasure on his countenance obliged Genji to agree, and he kept a humble silence.

"Never cause a woman to suffer humiliation," His Eminence continued. "Treat each with tact and avoid provoking her anger."

Genji withdrew contritely from his presence, terrified to imagine his rebuke were he to learn the full impudence of his own inadmissible passion.

I. Suzaku, the son of the Kokiden Consort, has succeeded Genji's father as Emperor. This has brought the faction represented by the Kokiden Consort and her father, the Minister of the Right, to power. More­ over, Genji's father seems as a last gesture to have appointed Genji Commander of t he Right, so that he must now travel with an escort of eight guards.

2. Fujitsubo's. Kokinshil I 041: "As though in retribution for my not loving the one who loves me, the one I do love does not love me."

166 The Talt: of Genji

That even His E m i nence should know of h i s m i sconduct a n d express h i m self on the subject showed how p a i n fully the l a dy's n a m e as we ll as h i s own had been compromised in the a ffair, and h e g u i l t i l y redoubled h i s atte n tions toward her, but he still showed n o sign of acknowledg i n g their tic openly. She herself rem ained constan tly constrained by sha m e over the discrepancy between their ages, a n d he countered w i th m a tching for m a l i ty. The a ffa i r had reached His E m i n ence's ears by now a n d was well known to one and all, but she s t i ll suffered acutely from his rel a­ t i ve i n d i fference toward her.

News of all th i s c o n firmed the lady of the b l uebe lls3 in her resolve that noth­ i ng of the ki nd should happen to her, and she rarely gave him the simp l est reply. Still , he o ften thought how unusual it was of her, and how like her, too, n o t to dis­ m iss him outright.

At His Excellency's there was no praise for Genji's o bv i ously roving fancy, but the l a dy there did not hol d it deeply against him, perhaps because the way he al­ m ost flaunted it was b e n e a th com ment. For a very touch i ng reason she was sadly u n we l l .4 Genji fe l t wonder and sympathy for her. Everyone was p l eased, but her parents had p e n a nces done for fear o f rejo i c i n g too soo n . 5 These thi n gs kept him fully occupied, a nd while he never forgot the lady at Rokujo, he must have failed m ore often than not to v i s i t her.

The H i gh Priestess o f the Kamo Shr i n e resi gned a t this t i me, and her succes­ sor was His Emi n ence's third d(lughter by the E m press M o ther. Thi s Pri ncess's par­ e n ts were sorry to sec her life take this odd turn, s i nce she was a great favorite of theirs, but n o other would do. The attendant rites, although not unusual , were done w i th great p o m p and a n i m atio n . When the t i me for the Festival camc,6 the custom­ ary events received many embell i shments , and there were all sorts o f s i ghts to see . Her Highness's perso n a l d i s tincti on seemed to expla i n it all .

On the day of the Puri fica t i o n' the sen i or nobles took part in the requisite num bers,11 but o nly the best-look i n g and most h i gh l y regarded amo ng them . They were all perfect i n the color o f their train-robes, i n the pattern o f the i r outer trousers 9 and even in thei r cho ice of saddle and m ou n t . Genji took p a rt as well, by His E m i

, nence's special decree. The sightsee i n g carri ages had been m a de ready wel l

i n advance. lchijo Ave n ue w a s packed a n d terr i b l y n o i sy. The view i n g s ta n ds p u t up here and there were e l abora tely adorned, each accord i ng to i ts owner's tas te, and even the sleeves spill i n g from under the i r bli nds were a wonder to beho l d .

The lady a t H is Excellency's rarely w e n t o u t for such events, a n d she h a d not

3. Asagao. 4. With morn i n g sickness 5. Ritual abstinences, performed by others on her behalf. to ensure safe childbirth. . G. The Kamo Festival, on the m i dd l e Bird (tori) day in the fourth month, one of the maJOr annual events

in the City. ) Sh (h ··) 7. Strictly speaking, the second Purification, held o n the day of the Horse (uma or eep rtstl)l pre-

ceding the day of the Festival proper. . . . 8. Accord i ng to the E11gi shiki. the first Purification required a s i ngle Consultant as 1m penal envoy, while the second required one Grand Counselor, one Counselor, and two Consultants.

. . . 9. They had on fu ll c i v i l dress, with a formal cloak of a color to match thetr rank, contrastmg tram-robes, and two pairs of open-legged trousers (the i nner p a i r of p l a i n red si lk, the outer of brocade).

Heart-to-Heart 167 even thought of going this t i me , since s h e w a s i n d i s posed, but her younger gentlewom e n protested, "Oh, come, my lady, we would not enjoy stealing o ff there on our own! All the world l o n gs for a gl i mpse o f hi s l ordship the Com­ mander'0 at the Festiva l today, a n d they s a y even t h e poorest wood­ cutters w i l l be there to see h i m . Some people are even bringing their fam i lies from far-off prov i n ces! My lady, you simply can n o t m i ss i t!"

Carriage and shaft bench

"You really are fee l i n g better lately," H er H ighness remarked to her daughter when she heard, "and your women seem so disappoi nted. '' The household therefore sudde n l y learned that she would see the Fes t ival after a l l .

The sun was already h i gh when she se t o u t with a s l i ttle fuss a s possible. Her impo s i n g tra i n o f carriages hal ted, si nce by now every p l ace was taken and it had nowhere to go . Her grooms fixed o n a spot occupied by m a ny fine ladies' carriages but free of any press of a t te n da n ts, and they began havi ng them cleared away. Among them were two basketwork carriages, a l i ttle worn but with elegant b l i nds through which spilled a h i n t of sleeves, trains, and jackets in the loveliest colors worn by those seated deep w i th i n . The occupant clearly wished to go unrecog­ nized. "These carriages are not o n es you can push asi de this way!" her grooms i n­ sisted loudly, a n d they woul d not l e t them be touched, but by now the young men on both s i des were drunk a n d rowdy and out of contro l .- The more sober personal escort from H is Excellency's warned them in vai n .

The Rokujo H aven, the m o ther o f the H igh Priestess o f Ise (for i t was she), had come secretly for relief from her troubles. H er people said noth i ng about who she was, but the other side of course knew her. 'Take no such nonse nse from the likes of them! They must be cou n t i n g o n protecti o n from his lordship the Comman­ der!'' shouted the men from His Excelle ncy's. Some o f them, Genji's own men, were disturbed to see what was happ e n i ng, but they feigned i n d i fference because i t would have been t o o di fficult to ftitervene.

By the time all the carriages were in p l ace, the Rokuj6 Haven's had been pushed behind the least o f the gen tlewomen's, a n d she had n o view a t a l l . She was not o n l y outraged but extremely put out that she had been recognized after all. W i th her shaft benches broken a n d her carriage shafts n o w resting w i l ly-nilly o n the wheel hubs o f other carriages, she l ooked so ri diculous t h a t s h e rued h e r fo l l y and wondered helplessly why s h e had ever come . She would g l adly have l e f t w i th­ out see i n g the process i o n, but there was no room for her to get out, and her resolve must have faltered after all when she heard cries o f "Here they come!" and under -

10. Genji

168 The Tale of Genji

stood that h e r own cruel lover would be passing by. And pass on by he did, to her bitter chagrin, without so much as a glance her way. 11

Beneath the blinds of carriages far more elaborately done up than usual, many eager ladies had indeed put forth a bright display that Genji affected to ignore, but on some he bestowed a sidelong glance and a smile. The carriages from His Excel­ lency's stood out , and he rode gravely past them. The profound deference and re­ spect shown by his own retinue brought home to the Rokujo H aven the sting of her ignominious defeat.

"One fugitive glimpse as of a face reflected in a hallowed stream

tells me with new cruelty that I matter not at all!"

She did not like being seen to weep, but she knew how much she would have re­ gretted missing the dazzling beauty and presence that on this great occasion shone more brilliantly than ever.

The gentlemen of Genji's escort were perfect in dress and deportment, each as his station warranted, and the senior nobles among them especially so, but the bright­ ness of that single light seemed to eclipse them all. It was unusual for a Commander to be specially guarded by a privy gentleman from the Palace Guards, but this procession was so exceptional that that office was filled for once by someone from the Right Palace Guards. The rest of Genji's retinue was equally brilliant in looks and finery, until it seemed as though the very trees and grasses must bow down before a beauty so uni­ versally a dmired. The way quite respectable women in deep hats 12 or nuns to whom the world was dross carne lurching and stumbling along to see h i m woul d ordinarily have merited cries of horrified disapproval, except that today no one could blame them. Women with puckered mouths and gowns over their hair13 gaped up at him, palms joined or pressed to their foreheads in idiot adoration, while peasant simpletons grinned beatifically, innocent of any thought of how they looked themselves. Even miserable Governors' daughters, girls beneath his notice, were there in cleverly tricked-out carriages, preening and congratulating themselves. Yes, there were many amusing sights to see. Of course, there were also many whom Genji had secretly fa­ vored and who now could only sigh that they meant so little to him.

His Highness o f Ceremonial was watching from a stand. The older h e grows, the more devastatingly handsome he becomes, he said to himself with a feeling of vague dread; surely he must catch the eye even of the gods! To his daughter, 14 who well knew from the letters she had had from him all these years how little his sentiments resem­ bled those of other men, Genji would no doubt have been pleasing enough even if

1 1. More literally, "And perhaps because this was not even Sasanokuma, he passed by with no sign of recognition ... " Kokiushu 1080, attributed to the goddess at lse: "At Sasanokuma, by the Hinokuma River, stop, let your horse drink, that I may look upon you!"

I 2. Ts11ho sozok11, the attire for a respectable woman outdoors. She draped a shift over her head and hair, then put on a deep, broad-brimmed hat. She also hitched up her skirts a little for walking.

13. Women too modest in standing to wear tsubo sozoku would still tuck their hair under their outer robe when outdoors.

14. Asagao.

Heart-to-Heart 169

quite ordinary in looks, and she wondered as she felt his attraction how he could pos­ sibly be so dazzlingly beautiful as well. Still, she desired no greater intimacy with him. Her young gentlewomen praised him until she wished they would stop.

There were no sightseers from His Excellency's on the day of the Festival proper.15 With shock and dismay Genji received from his men a full account of the quarrel the previous day over the placement of the carriages. Alas, he thought, despite her dignity she lacks kindness and tact. She cannot really have meant this to h a p pen, but I suppose she sees so little reason why the two of them should think warmly of each other that those men o f hers then took it on themselves to act as they did. The Haven is so fastidious and reserved by nature-it must have been a terrible experience for her.

H e anxiously went straight to call on her, but her daughter, the lse Priestess, was still at home, and she invoked respect for the sacred sakaki tree to turn him away.16 He quite understood, yet he could not help whispering to h imself, "But why? 1 do wish they would both be less p rickly with one another!"

On the day, he sought refuge at Nijo, from where he went to watch the Festival. He crossed to the west wing17 and had Koremitsu order the carriage. "Are you gentle­ women going, too?"1R he asked and watched, all smiles, while the young lady got her­ self ready very prettily indeed. "Come along, then," he said, "let us see it together."

Her hair was lovelier than ever. "You seem not to have had it trimmed for ages," he observed while he stroked it. "I imagine today is a good day for that."19 He called for a Doctor of the Almanac and had him questioned about the proper hour. "Out you come now, gentlewomen!" h e said and surveyed the delightful picture the children presented. The line of their bewitching hair, boldly cut straight across, stood out sharply against their damask-patterned outer trousers.

"I shall trim your hair myself. But oh, dear, h o w thick it is: I wonder how long it will grow!" He hardly knew what to do next. "People with very long hair still seem to have it shorter at the sides, but you have no stray locks at all! I am a frai d you are not going to look very nicel''20 When he was done, he made the "thousand fathom" wish, w h i l e Shonagon looked on with pleasure and deep gratitude.

H e said,

"Rich seaweed tresses of the u11plumbed ocean depths, a thousand fathoms long,

you are mine and mine alone to watch daily as you grow. "11

15. On this day the High Priestess actually went to the Kamo Shrine. 16. Once appointed, the High Priestess moved to special quarters in the palace and there underwent pu­

rification until the seventh month of the following year, when at last she went on to lse. In this case, how­ ever, her move seems to have been delayed. Meanwhile, her house has been purified, and branches of the sacred sakaki tree, hung with cloth or paper streamers, have been set up at the four corners and at the gate to mark the place as ritually pure.

17. Where Murasaki lives. 18. Genji playfully addresses Murasaki's playmates as adults. 19. An auspicious day according !o the almanac. 20. Ladies with long hair, Genji says, still have shorter sidelocks (hitai gami, the hair that falls from the

temples over the cheeks); but Murasaki's hitai gami seems as long as the rest of her hair. His lament that she "will not look very nice" is not serious.

-

21. It was apparently customary to wish that a girl's hair should grow "a thousand fathoms" long. Genji's poem compares the little girl's hair to seaweed in praise, and it piays on miru (a kind of seaweed) and miru ("sec," i.e., "possess" [a wife)).

1 70 The Tale of Gen)l

I J

liiffifffl Riding ground pavilion

"How am I to know whether a thousand fathoms measure your love, too, when the ever shifting tides so restlessly ebb and flow?"

she wrote on a bit of paper, looking so grown-up yet at the same t i me so fresh and young that she was a joy to beh o l d .

Today a g a i n there w a s no room for o n e carr i age more. Genji's found nowhere to go, and it waited by the riding ground pavilion.22 "lt is awfully crowded here, with all these senior nobles' carriages/' h e remarked, and h e was wondering whether to pass on when from a very fine one overflowing with a b ri gh t profusion o f sleeves there emerged a fan that beckoned to one of h i s men.

"Would you not like to p ut your ca rriage here?" the occupant inquired. "I cede

you my place." Genji wondered what sort o f coquette she cou l d be, but since the spot was in­

deed a good one, he h ad h i s carriage b rought up to it. "I envy you h av i n g managed

to find it/' he replied. At t h i s she broke a bit off a p rettily decorated fan23 and wrote u p on i t ,

"Ah, it is too hard! Today when our heart-to-heart told me that the god blessed our meeting, I perceive that another sports those leaves.

I should not presume . . . "24

22. The riding ground ([sakon no] baba) was near the intersection of lchijO and Nishi no TOin; the pavilion (otodo) there was where the Captains and Lieutenants sat during the yabusamt riding events that took place on the third and fifth days of the fifth month. For the Festival the High Priestess was to come down from her

temporary residence north of the city and proceed eastward along lchijo to the Kamo Shrine. 23. Presumably a hiogi, made of thin slips of cypress (hinoki) wood. She would have written on a piece of

one of these. 24. Continuing the mood of the poem, "I should not presume" relies on vocabulary special to a sacred

festival.

Heart-to-Heart 171

He knew the handwriting: it was the Dame of Staff's. How she wil l play the gay young thing, despite h e r years! He was sufficiently irritated to retort,

"Yours. so I would say, was a very ttaughty wish to sport heart-to-heart, when this meeting place today gathers men from countless clans(

S h e answered, deeply wounded.

'How I rue the day I wished to sport IJeart-to-heart. those perfidious leaves tl1at tvith 110 more than a name stir StiCh foolish pangs of hope(

Many l ad i es were disappointed to see t h at he had someone with him and did not even raise his blinds. The oth e r day he was so correct. they said to themselves, but he certainly is making a casual outing o f it today. Who can she be? She must be worth looking at, if she is with h im.

What a dismal skirmish that was, over heart-to- h e art! Genji was annoyed. Certainly, anyone l ess shame l ess than that woman would have deferred to the lady beside him and refrained from tossing off rash repartee.

The Rokuj6�Haven h ad never through all the years known such misery and turmoil. As to her cruel lover, she had given him up, but she knew how badly she would miss him if she were actually to break with him and go down to Ise, and she also feared ridicule for doing so; yet the t hought of staying after all left hn afra id of encountering once more the hideous contempt that she had already suffered. "Am I the float on t h e fisherman's line?''25 she asked hersel f in anguish day and night, and perhaps this was why she lived l i ke an invalid, her mind seeming to her to have come adrift.

Genji never insisted that it would be madness for her to go; he on ly argued, "I quite understand that you shou l d w ish to see the last o f me, worthless as I am, but even if you are fed u p with me by now, it would still be much kinder o f you to continue receiving me. " This made the storm o f that day o f Purification,26 which she had attended only for re lief from her indecisi on, more hateful to her t h an before.

At His Excellency's a s p i rit, it seemed, was making the lady extremely unwe l l , and her family was alarmed. Th�s was therefore no time for Genji to pursue adven­ tures el sewhere, and i t was only at odd moments that he managed even t o visit Nijo. It pained him dee p l y that someone who so commanded h i s consideration should suffer this way, especially in her al ready delicate conditi on, and he had many prayers and rites done for h e r in h i s own a partment within the residence.

Many spirits and living p hantoms27 came forth and identified themselves in one way or another, but one refused to move into the medium and clung instead to

25. Kokinsha 509: "Am I the Aoat on the line of the fisherman, fishing in lse Bay, that I should be unable to make up my mind?"

26. Literally, "the violent rapids of the lustration stream" (misogigawa, the stream that runs before the Kamo Shrine).

27. "Spirits" (mottonokt) arc the spirits of the dead or other supernatural, generally trouble!>ome entities. "'living phantoms" (ikisudmna) are the malevolent spirits of living persons.

1 72 T he Tale of Genji

t h e lady herse l f; a n d a l t h ough it did h e r no gre a t v i o l e nce, it never l e ft her. I ts re­ s ista nce even to t he m o s t p o t e n t healers was extraordinarily stubborn .

After co n s i deri n g all the ladies w i th who m Genji h a d a li aison, people began to whisper that o n ly the Rokuj<) Haven a n d the l a dy at Nijo engaged his deeper feel ­ ings, so t h a t either might be intensely jeal ous; but divin a tion performed at His Ex ­ cellem.:y's insistence still yielded noth i n g clear. None of the other spiri ts was especially h ost i l e . One a ppeared to be a deceased nurse, whi l e others were e n t i ties that had haunted her pare n ts' fam il i es for generatio ns, but these were n o t serious, and they were m an i fe st i n g themselves only at r a n do m because of her weake n e d condi­ t io n . She herself just cri e d a n d cried, and somet i m e s retched, sufferi n g such unbear­ able agony that her pare n ts wondered in fear and sorrow what was t o becom e of her.

There were constant inquiries from H i s E m i ne nce , whose m os t gracious solic­ i tude, expressed in t h e prayers that he was ki ndly hav i n g offered o n h e r beh alf, m a de it seem s t i l l more urgent that she be saved . The H aven was s h aken to learn that all the world feared for the lady's l i fe . No one a t His Excelle ncy's guessed that that little quarrel over p l aceme n t o f the carriages had i n fl a m e d i n her heart a riva-lry h i therto dorm a n t for m a n y years.

Her troubled m oo d convinced h e r that she was s i m p l y not herse l f , and she moved elsewhere to have heal i n g r i tes d o n e . The news m ade Genj i won der w i th un­ easy sympathy w h a t s ta te of mind had p ro m p t e d her to do t h i s , and he resolved to go and see her. H e wen t very discreetly, since for o n ce she was not at her own home. He begged forgiveness a t l e ngth for his recent, quite unintentional neglect, and h e appealed t o her with a n account of the afflicted lady's condition .

" I myse l f a m n o t all that worried," h e earnestly explained, "but I feel for h e r par­ ents, who are desperately anxious, and so, you see , I thought I should stay w i t h her for the time b e i n g . I would be grateful i f you were to v i ew my behavior more i n dulgen tly." He understood that she was sufferi ng more than usual, and was pained to see i t .

His depart i n g figure, a t dawn a fter a n ig h t o f distances, w a s so enchanting that again she could not bear t o leave him , b u t now that he had reason t o devote himself m ore than ever t o the one who c o m ma n de d his first allegi ance, he would doubtless settle h i s affecti on s upon h e r, a n d this e n dless wai ting would m e a n noth­ ing but misery; h is occasional vis i t would arouse o n l y fresh despair. These thoughts were running through her m i n d when she had a l etter from him-only a letter, and toward sunset: "She had seemed a little better l a tely, but all a t once she took such a turn for the worse that I could n o t get away."

To her t h i s was just a n other o f his excuses, and she replied,

"I knew all too well that uo sleeve goes tmmoistened by tl1e mire of love, yet in the slough of tl1at field I labor in helpless paill.

How true it is, t h a t l i n e about the m ou n t a i n spri n g!"28 To Genji h e r wri t i n g stood out easily i n a n y company. A h , he t h ought, why

28. RokujO's poem develops a play on koiji ("mud-filkd [flooded] rice field" and "path of love"), and her final remark means. ''It is true that you care little for me." Kokin rokujii 987: "How bitterly I regret dipping water from the mountain spring, so shallow that I only wetted my sleeves."

Heart-to-Heart 173

must it be l i ke t h i s ? He was caug h t agoniz i ngly between h i s reluctance to give up both her sp i r i t and he r looks a n d his i ncapacity to com m i t h i m self t o her. His reply reached her well after dark: "Only your sleeves are wert So your feelings have no depth . . .

It is shallow, then, the field of your hard labors, not at all like mine, for I am wholly immersed in the deep slough of love's mire.

Have I failed to answer you in person only because you m ean so little to me?" At His Excelle ncy's the spirit was very act i ve, and the lady was i n agony. The

Haven heard that some were calling it her own living phantom o r the ghost o f His Late Exceliency her father, but o n reflection she found in herself o n l y her own m i s­ ery and n o desire at a l l t o see the l a dy harmed, though she conceded that a soul wander i n g in d i s tress, as souls were said t o do, might w e l l act in this man ner. De­ spite years plu m b i ng-The dept h s of despair, she had never before fel t , as now, utterly destroyed, and a fter t h e Purification, when in that foo l i sh i n cide n t she had been as though si ngled out for contempt a n d treated as naught, she knew that her m i nd, which had then drifted briefly from her, was now indeed beyond her control; and perhaps this was why s h e drea m e d repeatedly, o n doz i n g o ff, t h a t she went to where that lady (as she supposed) lay in h e r finery, pushed and tugged her about, and fla iled a t her wi th a b a n e ful v i o l e nce s trange t o her waking self. lime after time she fe l t that she was not herself and that to her horror she had wandered away from her own bo dy, u n t i l she saw that even if she were wrong, t h e world so unwi l l i ngly speaks wel l o f anyone that t h e rum or o f it would be e m b ro i dered upo n everywhere with glee. She would, she knew, be talked of far and w i de. No doubt it was commo n enough t o leave a s till-active m alevolence behi n d after dea th , and t h i s alon e , when told o f a n o ther, woul d arouse repulsion and fear; but that it should be her tragic des­ tiny to have anythi ng so horrible said o f herself wh i le she was s t i l l alive! No, she could not remain attached to so cruel a l over. Such were her though ts, but hers was a case of "trying too hard t o forget."29

The H i gh Priestess was to have gone to the palace the year before ,30 but vari­ ous di fficu l t i es had preve nted her from doing so until this autum n. She was then to move in the n i nth m o nth directly to the Shrine on the M o o r,31 which meant that prepara t i o n s for the Second Purification had to go forward urge n t ly a t the same time; but the Haven was overcome hy a stra n ge lassitude and spe n t her time i n de­ spondent b ro o d i n g, to t h e i n te n se a nxiety o f the High Pries tess's staff, who offered prayers of every k i n d . 32 Still , her condition was not actually dire, and she got

29. From a riddling poem (Genji monogatari kochashakusho h1'y6 waka 76) built on the multiple implications of the verb omo11: "Trying too hard to forget, I only remember; why, when one tries to forget, does one not forgeti'

30. An lse Priestess was appointed by divination at the start of a new reign. She first purified herself on the bank of the Kamo River (first purification), then entered the Shosai-in ("Hall of First Abstinence") within the palace compound. In the autumn of the next year she underwent the second purification and then entered the Shrine on the Moor; she went to lse in the ninth month of the following year, after further purification in the Katsura River.

31. Nonomiya, a temporary shrine built for the purpose on Saga Moor ( Sagano) , just west of the City. 32. If she became unambiguously ill, her presence would pollute the sacred space inhabited by her

daughter.

1 7 4 The Talc of Gcnjl

through the days and months without d i splaying any clear symptoms. Genji called on her o fte n , but the l a dy to w hom he owed h i s alle g i a nce was so i l l that h e re­ mai ned deeply preoccupi e d .

I t was still early, and t h e family were unprepared, w h e n a l l at o n c e she began to show obvious s i g n s and to suffer pai n . Ever more pote n t prayers were commis­ s i o ned in great numbers, but that s i ngle most obstinate spirit refused t o move, u n t i l t h e m i g ht i est healers were surpr i s e d to fi n d t h e i r efforts frustrated . Their assaul t was n o nethel ess fierce enough that the spir i t wept in m i sery and cried, " O h , please b e a little more gentle with me! I h ave something to say to the Commander!''

"Wh a t d i d I tell you?" the women w h i spered amo n g t hemselves. "Now we shall k n ow!"

They led Genj i i n to the curtain that s tood near where she lay. She was -so c l e arly dyi n g that His Exc e l l ency and H er High ness w i thdrew a l i ttle , understand­ ing that she might have some las t word for him. The pri ests chant i ng the Lotus Sutra lowered their voi ces, to awesome effect. He l i ft e d the curtain and looked i n . Anyone , n o t only h e r husba n d , would have been moved to s e e h er lyi ng there, so beautiful and with so vast a belly, and since she was i n deed his wife, he was of course overcome by pity and regr e t . H e r l o n g , abundant hair, bound at the e n d , lay beside her, contras t i n g viv idly w i t h her white gown. He thought her dearer and more beautiful than ever before.

H e took her hand. 'Th i s 1s dreadful ! What a t h i n g to do to me!" When weep­ ing s i l enced him, she l i fted to h i s face her expiri n g gaze, s o filled in the past with re­ proach and d i sapproval, and tears spilled from her eye s . How could h e not have been profoundly moved?

She wept so piteously that he assumed her thoughts were on her sorrowing parents, as well as on the pain of leav i n g him. "You mus t not make too much of all this," he said sooth i n gly. "You are go i n g to be well after all. At an y rate, whatever happens, you and 1 will meet again . People do . Remember what a strong bond you h av e with His Excellency and H er H i gh ness, because it w ill remain unbroken in l ives to come , and you will be w i th them aga i n .''

"No, no, you do not understand/' a gentle voice answered. "I only wished you to have them release me a l ittl e because I am in such pai n . I did not want to come at a l l , but you see, it really is true t h a t the soul of someone in anguish may wander away.

This spirit of mine that. sighing and suffering, wanders the heavens, oh, stop it now, tie a knot where in front the two hems meet. "33

The voice, the manner, were not hers but those of someone else. After a moment o f shock he understood that h e was in the presence o f the RokujO Haven. Alas, what he had dismissed so far as malicious rumor put about by the i gn orant now proved to be patently true , and he saw w i t h revulsion that such t h i ngs really did happen. "I hear your voice, but I do not know you. Please make i t clear to me who you are." To his under-

33. An old poem-spell, to be repeated by one who has seen a ghost, enjoins the speaker to knot the overlapping hems at the front of his or her robe.

Heart-to-Heart 175

standable horror, the answer was not in doubt. He shuddered to imagine the gentlewomen coming to their mistress now.

When h e r cries died down a l i ttle , her mother brought · the hot medicinal water in case she might be in reprieve; then she was l i fted upright and qui ckly gave b i rth . 34 Her par­ ents' joy k n ew no boun ds, but the spirits expe l led by the healcrs35 n ow ra i s e d a wil d clamor o f jealous rage, and what remai n e d t o come36 was sti l l a great worry. When all fi na l ly ended well, no doubt thanks to urge n t prayers renewed in numbers beyond count i ng, the Abbot of the Mountai n and

Bowl of water for the toilette, on a stand

the other most holy prelates w i ped away their perspirat i o n in triumph and hurried away.

Days of acute and widespread anxiety now gave way to a welcome lull, and at last her parents breathed easily. His Excellency commissioned a new round of protec­ tive rites, but happiness reigned, and exceptional delight in the child put everyone off guard. His Emi n e nce, Their H i ghnesses the Princes, and the senior nobles all attended the splendid birth celebrations that enlivened the succeeding evenings. 37 These events were especially bright and gay because in the bargain the child was a boy.

This news shook the Rokujo Have n . She was supposed to be ncar death, she silently exclaimed, and n ow she h a s actually given birth w i thout a h i tch! Curiously, she still felt unlike herself, and her clothing reeked of poppy seeds . 38 To allay her m i sgivi n gs she tri e d was h i n g her hair and changi ng, but the smell l i n gered until she came to look o n herself with horror and of course to mourn inwardly (for the matter was hardly one she could discuss) what others must be sayi n g about her. As she d i d so, s h e sank i n t o ever more disturbed states o f m i n d .

Genj i , w h o w a s n o w a little l e s s anxious t h a n before, shuddered to recall that dreadful moment w h e n the spirit had s o startli ngly addressed h im. He knew h e had been wrong to neglect her for so long, but h e had grave doubts about h o w he would feel in her presence, and after careful reflection (for he did not wish to be u n k i nd) he only s e n t her a l etter.

Her parents were still apprehensive, s i nce they feared the effects of so serious an ill ness, a n d Genji tactfully abstained from his private excur s i o n s. She was not yet well enough to receive him as she usually did . The little boy was so handsome, in fact disturbi n gly so, that Genji was soon captivated, while H i s Excellency rejoiced that thi ngs had turned out well after all, if it were not for the worry that h i s daugh­ ter had yet to recover; but t h i s h e attributed to the d i fficulty o f gett i n g over every­ thing she had suffered, and i n truth he h ad l i ttle reason to fear.

Seeing how closely the l i ttle boy's engag i n g l ooks resembled t h e Heir Appar-

34. Her gentlewoman lifted her to the- then-normal squatting position. Hot medicinal wate-r was pro­ vided for a birth.

35. Driven by the healers (male Buddhist clerics) into the attendant (female} mediums, through whom the healer� interrogated and dismissed them.

36. The afterbirth. 37. Parties (ubuyashinai) were given on the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth evenings after a birth. The

guests brought gifts of food and clothing for the child. 38. Poppy seeds were thrown on the sacred !}orm1 fire during the rite to quell a spirit.

176 The Tale of Genji

ent's, Genji gave in to fo nd memories and went to call at the palace. "I feel b>uilty not to have seen His Majesty for so l o n g," h e said reproachfully, "and now I am goi n g at last, I hope that I may come a little nearer to talk to you. It is too unkind of you to keep yourself from me as you do."39

" I ndeed, m y lord," a gentlewoman replied, "you and m y lady need no l onger present yourselves flatteringly to each other, and although my lady is very reduced, there is n o reason why a curtain should stand between you."

They arranged a seat for him near where she lay, and he went in to talk to her. She was very weak even now, as her few answers s howed. Still, the m em ory of think­ ing her well and truly lost seemed a dream, and as he told her of his fears for her then, he was assailed by the grim recollection of how, while she lay all but lifeless, that flood of speech had suddenly burst from her. "Ah ," he said, "I have so much more to tell you, but they tell me you arc not up to it, you see. Do take your medicine," he went o n, and in other ways, too, he made him sel f so useful that her gentlewom en were touched and wondered when h e could have learned all this . The sight of her lying there, s o beau­ tiful yet so thin and weak that she hardly seemed am o n g the living, aroused his love and his keenest sympathy. The hair streaming across her pillow, not a strand out of place , struck him as a wonder, and as he gazed at her, he found himself unable to un­ derstand how for all these years h e could have seen any flaw i n her.

"I shall call upon His Eminence, too, and then I shall be back very soon. I would gladly stay with you like this all the time, but Her Highness is always beside you, and I am afraid that I have held back so far for fear of being indiscreet. I n your usual roo m , though, o n ce you have gradually recovered your strength . .. One rea­ s o n why you do n o t get better is that you treat yourself too m uc h like a child." When h e had finished, he set out in his magnificent robes, while she lay there and watched him go for longer than ever before.

His Excellency, too, left for court, since the autumn appointments w7re to be announced,40 and all his sons, who had ambitions o f their own and kept him close company, set off with him.

The residence was quiet, for there was hardly anyone about, when she was sud­ denly racked by a violent fit of retching. Before word could reach the palace, she was gone. All present there withdrew i n shock. Appointments list evening or not, this dis­ aster had clearly put an end to the proceedings. His Excellency could not call on the Abbot of the Mountain or on any other great monk because it was already night when the <.:ry went up. The people of the household, who had thought the danger past, went stumbling about blindly in their horror. The messengers who crowded in from far and near found no one to talk to because all was turmoil, and the parents' desperate grief was truly frightening to see. The spirit had possessed her so often in the past that they watched for two or three days, leaving her pillow and so on undisturbed,41 until signs of change convinced them at last, in their misery, to give up hope.

39. He speaks to Aoi through a gentlewoman. 40. Appointments were announced each spring and autumn, and the Minister of the Left, the court's

senior nonimperial official. presided over the event. 41. The pillow was the soul's resting place. If it was moved, the soul might fail to find the body again if

life returned.

Heart-to-Heart 177

Genji had now su ffered blow on blow, and life was intolerable to him. Condo­ lences from those closest to him aroused only irritated im patience. The expressions of sorrow and sympathy from His Eminence were still a great honor, and His Excel­ lency, who had also reason to rejoice, wept without end. At the urging o f those around him he commissioned solemn rites of every kind, in case his daughter should revive, and in his anguish he persisted even when the workings o f change had be­ come all too plain, but after the vain passage of several days he resigned himself at last, and they took her to Toribeno amid scenes of heartrending grief.

The ground, though very broad, was still crowded with m ourners from far and near, as well as with priests from tem ple after temple, who were there to chant the Name o f Amida. Envoys from Her Majesty and the Heir Apparent, to say nothing of His Eminence, came and went among those from elsewhere, and a l l brought ex­ pressions of the deepest so rrow.

His Excellency could not rise. "Now that at my age I have lost a daughter i n the flower o f h e r youth," he said, weeping i n s h a m e before m a n y sympathetic mourners, "I can o nly writhe upo':l. the ground." All night the clamorous rites went on, but when he returned h ome, just before dawn, he took away with him only a few poor remains.42

Such losses strike often enough , but n o doubt because Genji had known so few-perhaps only one43-he was consumed in his bereavement by the fires o f longing 44 The m o o n still h u n g aloft i n the dawn, since t h e twentieth o f t h e eighth month was past, lending n o little pathos to the lightening sky, when in keen agree­ ment with the feelings of His Excellency, whom he saw wandering in the darkness of a father's grief, Genji gazed sorrowfully upward and murmured,

42. When the family returned home, a retainer carried the ashes in an urn. 43. Presumably his grandmother or Yugao. 44. An intentional allusion also to the fire that has consumed the body of Aoi.

1 78 T he Tale of Genji

"No, I cannot tell where my eyes should seek aloft the smoke I saw rise, but now all the skies above move me to sad thoughts of loss . "

When he returned to H i s Excellency's residence, sleep eluded h i m . Images o f h e r a s h e had known her down the years ran through h i s m i nd, and h e wondered i n vai n regret why s h e had taken such offense at each o f h i s casual divers i o ns, under­ taken wh ile he com placen tly assumed that she would eventually change her m i nd about h i m , and why she had persisted to the e n d i n disli k i n g h i m so. It seemed l ike a dream now to be weari n g gray, and the thought that her gray would have been s t i ll darker i f she had outlived h i m4 5 pro m p ted ,

"[ may do no more, and the mourning I now wear is a shallow gray, but my tears upon my sleeves have gathered in deep pools. "

He went on to call the Buddha's N ame, look i n g m o re beau t i ful than ever, and h i s d i screet chan t i ng o f the scripture passage, "0 L o r d Fugen who seest all the m a n i fest u n iverse,"46 outdi d the m os t practiced m onk's. The s i gh t o f his l i ttle son would start fresh tears for "the grasses o f rememberi n g"47 and yet wi thout th i s reminder o f h e r . . . The thought gave h i m s o m e com fort.

Her High ness had been brought so l ow that she n o longer rose at al l , u n t i l she, t o o , seemed n e a r death , a n d i n great agitati o n H i s Excellency com m i s s i o ned prayers for her as well. He o rdered the memorial s erv i ces ,48 for the days were sli p ­ p i n g by, a n d h e made them very grand because i t h a d a 1 1 been so sudden. N o won ­ der he mourned h i s daughter s o , consideri n g h o w a parent loves even the least favored c h i ld! He and h i s wi fe had been sorry to have no other daughter, and for them t h i s tragedy surpassed the loss of the most p r i celess gem .

Genji wen t nowhere, n o t even to N i j 6 , but from the depth of h i s heartfelt grief he spent days and n i ghts in earnest prayer. To his secret des t i nations he sent only letters. As to the Rokuj6 Haven , the I se H i g h Priestess had now taken up resi ­ dence in the Headquarters of the Left Gate Watc h , 49 and he i nvoked the strict pu­ r i ty prevail i n g there to avo id correspond i n g w i th her at all. He now held the world and its ways, so d i stasteful already, i n u n q ual i fied avers i o n , and he thought that w i thout thi s fresh tie he would certainly assume the guise to which he asp i red, 5° ex­ cept that every t i m e h i s m i nd took this tum, he would straightaway start t h i nk i ng

4 5 . A w i f e mourning h e r husband wore darker gray than a husband mourning his w i f e , and s h e mourned him a year in contrast t o his three months.

46. A Chinese phrase i n praise of the B odhisattva Fugen, closely associated wi t h the Lotus Sutra. I t refers to enlightened insight i n to the nature of existence.

47. Gom1sba 1 1 87, by Kanetada no Haha no Menoto: "Were i t not for the child conceived between you and me, how should I now pluck the grasses of remembering?" These "grasses" are shinobu, a plant the name of which is homophonous with the verb that means "remember fondly."

48. The services held every seven days for the first forty - n i n e days after a death. 49. The building that was converted when necessary into the Shosai - i n , where the priestess spent a pe­

riod of purification. 50. The guise of a monk; the "fresh tic" i s his new son.

how much his young lady i n the west w i n g must m iss h i m. H e s till felt a void beside h i m , however closely h i s women m i gh t gather around h i m while he lay at night alone in his curtained bed. O ften he lay wakeful, murmur­ ing, "Is autu m n the t i me to lose o ne's love/''51 and listen i ng , sick at heart, to the p riests, wh o m he had chosen for their voices ,

Heart-to-Heart 1 79

call i n g the Name of the Buddha A m i da.

Curtained bed

O h , how sadly the w i n d moans as autumn passes! he thought as for once he lay alone and sleepless i n to a foggy dawn; but then a letter arrived on deep blue­ gray paper, tied to chrysanthemums j us t now beg i n n i n g to open and placed beside him by a messenger who left w i thout a word.52 The del i gh t ful effect pleased h i m, and he noted that the wri t i ng was the H aven's.

"Have you understood my s ilence?

The sad news I hear. tha t a life can pass so soon, brings tears to my eyes, but my thoughts go first of a ll to the sleeves of the bereaved.

My heart is so fu l l , you know, beneath t h i s sky." Her wri t i n g is m ore beau t i ful than ever! He could hardly put it dow n , but

her pretense of i n nocence repelled h i m . S t i l l , he had not the heart to with hold an answer, and he hated to i magi n e t h e damage to her name i f he s h o u l d do so. Per­ haps the lady h e had lost had i ndeed been des t i n ed somehow to m eet thi s end , but why s hould he have seen a n d heard the cause so clearly? Yes, he was b i t ter, and desp i te h im sel f he did n o t t h i n k that he could ever feel t h e same about the Haven aga i n.

After l o n g hes i tati o n , s i nce the lse Priestess's purificati o n m i g h t wel l present another difficulty, 5 3 he decided that it would be cruel not to answer a letter so p o i nt­ edly sent, and he wrote o n mauve-gray paper, "My own s i lence has i ndeed lasted too long, but although I have though t o f you , I knew that in t h i s t i me o f mourn i n g you would understand.

5 1 . Kokinsha 8 39, by Mibu no Tadamine, laments the special cruelty of losing a loved one i n autumn, which was a sad season of separation even for the l iving.

, . 52. The messenger did not say from whom the letter came perhaps because the sende r s pn:sent ntually pure situation preven ts her from corresponding openly with someone in mo�rning. . . .

53. A message from someone i n mourning (hence polluted by death) mtght not be adm1ss1ble mto the priestess's dwelling.

1 80 The Talc of Genji

Those who linger on and those all too swiftly gone live as dewdrops, all,

and it is a foolish thing to set ones heart on their world.

You s i m p l y must l e t these thi ngs go. I w i l l c l o s e , s i nce for all I know you may not read t h i s . "

She h a p p e n e d to b e a t h o m e , a n d s h e read h i s l e tter i n private. By the prick­ i ng of h e r conscience she u n derstood his cauti ous h i n t s a n d saw w i t h a n gu i s h that he was quite right. Hers was the greatest o f m i s fortu n e s . How would H i s E m i n e nce take it, when the rumor spread? He and the l ate H e i r Appare n t , 54 among a l l the brothers, had been espec i a l l y close, and he had g l a dly agreed when the H e i r Appar­ ent begged h i m to look a fter the pres e n t l s e Priestess . H e had a l so pressed the Priestess's m o ther often to stay o n at court, a l though she h a d rejected even that for fear of th e <.:onsequences; a n d now to her aston i s h m e n t she found hersel f caught i n love's toi l s l i ke any g i rl an d certai n i n the e n d to h a v e her n a m e b a n d i e d a b o u t i n ­ v i d i ously. Such were the thoughts t h a t w h i rl e d through her m i nd, l e av i n g her as u n ­ well as ever.

Renowned as she was for deep charm a n d rare taste, her fam e h a d grown and grown un t i l even a fter she m ov e d to the Shrine o n the Moor her wonderfu l ly o ri g i ­ n a l ways i n s p i red t h e m o s t d i scri m i n a t i n g privy gentl e m e n t o devote themselves morn i n g and n i gh t to fol l o w i n g the dewy path to her gate . News of t h i s did n o t sur­ prise Genj i at al l , consi deri n g her u n doubted ge n i us . He rea d i ly agreed t h a t she woul d be sorely m i ssed if she t i red o f the worl d a n d went down to I se .

The memori a l rites passed b y o n e b y o n e , b u t Genj i rem a i ned secluded a t His Excel lency's unti l the l a st day. The Th i rd Rank C a p ta i n55 v i s i ted Genj i o ften , p a i ned by the unfam i l i a r tedium o f h i s exi stence , to d i scuss rece n t events o r to d i s tract h i m w i th t h e usual m i sc h i evous goss i p ; a n d then the n o tori ous Dame o f Staff generally provided the occa s i o n for t h e i r m i rt h . "Why, the poor t h i ng!" Genj i cried rep rov­ i n g ly. "You must n o t make such fun of the H o norabl e Granny!"56 S t i l C he enjoyed every word. Tales of thei r romantic adventures, i nc l u d i n g the story o f that cloudy s i x teenth n i gh t in autum n , passed freely betwe e n them , u n t i l the i r ra m b l i n g review of th i s world and i ts sad ways o ften ended in tears.

A cold ra i n57 was fal l i ng l ate one dreary a fternoon when the Capta i n came in, l oo k i n g j auntily splendid e nough to put anyone to shame. H e h a d c h a n ge d to a dress c loak a n d gathered trousers of a gray l i ghter than the o n e he had worn in the season just past . 58

Genji was l e a n i n g on the rai l i n g by the west door to h i s room , gaz i n g out over the frost - wi thered garden. The w i l d w i n d blew, the ra i n poured dow n , a n d h i s tears,

54. Her husband. 5 5 . To no Chuj o , who has apparently been promoted t o the third rank. Captain was a fourth-rank

office. but an exceptionally wellborn young man could b e promoted higher. H e is probably no longer Secretary.

5 6. Oba otodo, a n i ckname for the old lady featured in "Beneath the Autumn Leaves." Genji's father gave it to her, accordi ng to a passage in "The Bluebell."

57 . The shigurt rain of late autumn and early winter. 58. O n the first day of the tenth month (the first of win ter) . courtiers changed into new clothes. Al­

though still in mourning, To no Chujo had lightened the mood o f his costume .

Heart-to-Heart 1 8 1

i t seemed t o h i m , v i e d w i th t h e ra i n a s h e murmured, ch i n i n hand, "Did she turn to ra i n , to cloud? I s h a l l never know . . . " ; 59 a n d the Cap ta i n , gaz i n g at him w i th h i s m i n d a s always o n p l easure, knew that if h e were a woman his soul wou l d stay with Genj i i n s tead of setti ng o ff for the h ereafter. Genj i was i n a very casual state of dress, and he s i m pl y rethreaded the cords of his dress c l o ak when the Capta i n sat down bes i de h i m . I t w a s a sum m e r c l o ak , a l i ttle darker t h a n h i s v i s i tor's , worn over a perfectly p l a i n scarlet gown . 60 The C a p t a i n c o u l d hardly keep h i s eyes o ff h i m . H e , too , gazed sorrowful l y i n to space. Summer dress cloak

"Among all these clouds that drift across the sodden skies, turni11g into rain, which am I to look upon with the gaze of one u,IJo mourns?

No one w i l l ever know where she has go n e , " h e went on, as though to h i m se l f .

"The very heavens where she who so long u;as mi11e turned to cloud and min darken, and wi11ter showers deepen the skies' heavy gloom. "

Genj i was obvi ously deeply affl i c ted. The Captain d i d not quite u nderstand, s i n ce Genj i h a d never shown such de ­

votion to h i s s i ster before. H i s E m i n ence had h a d to speak to h i m , a n d it was surely His Exce l l e ncy's attentiveness, as wel l a s the restra i n i ng i n fluence o f the exa l te d family connect i o n with H e r H igh n e ss , 6 1 t h a t had k e p t Cenj i i n t h e e n d from s i m ply leaving her, a l though the Capta i n h a d o ften h ad occa s i on to note his unha p p i ness with sym p a thy. He regre tted her l os s m o re than ever when h e saw now that Genj i must actua l l y h ave held h e r i n the h i gh es t regard. He fe l t in h i s great sorrow as though the l ig h t h a d go ne from t h e world.

Ge n t i a n s and p i nks were b l o o m i n g among the w i thered grasses . Genj i had some p icke d , a n d a fter the Capta i n h ad gone , h e sent S a i s h o ( h i s l i ttle son's nurse ) with one to H e r H i ghness, w i t h the poem ,

"This dear little pink, lingering on after all in my wiu try hedge, siJall be to me a token of the autumn that is gonc 62

To you it can hardly be as pretty as t h e one you have l o s t . " T h e l i tt l e boy was cer­ tai n ly very swee t , w i th a l l his i n noce n t s m i les .

59. From a poem by the n i nth- century Chinese poet Liu Mengde, included in the anthology WmxuaH ( Japanese Mouzm ) . T� no ChujO's poem, below, picks up the same reference.

60. Scarlet (ktlrt'l!tli) could easily be worn under the gray of relatively light mourn i n g . 6 1 . A o i a n d T� n o Chuju's mother was a sister o f Cenji's father. 62. The "li ttle pink" (or pinks, Hadrshiko) stands for Genji's son , ' 'the autumn that is gone," for his w i fe and

her death.

1 82 The Ta le of Gcnji

Her H i gh n ess's tears fel l more e a s i l y than l eaves from ga l e - swept trees, and

she coul d only weep to read i t .

"I need only s e e t h a t m o s t lovely little p i n k i n h i s wasted hedge for these sleeves of mitte again to melt in a rain of tears . "

It seemed to Cenj i , at l oose ends, t h a t H e r H i g h ness of t he bluebe l l s would

understand how s a d this day had been, a n d a l t hough i t was dark by now, h e sent her

a note. The last one had come a long time ago, but his messages were l i ke that now,

and she had no q ua l ms about rea d i n g i t. O n Ch i nese paper the color o f today's sky

he had wri tte n,

"Never have such dews as this evening come to fall on my moistrned sleeves,

tiJough I have knowtt in my time many a somber aHtunm .

Col d rai ns always fa l l . . . "63 He h a d taken great care w i th h i s h a n dwri t i n g , which was fi n e r than ever, and

the Pri ncess agreed w i th her gen tl e w o m e n that she coul d not fa i l to a n swer h i m . "My

thoughts have often gone out t o you , " she wrote , "but I could not very well . . . 64

Ever since I heard that even as autumn mists rose you were left forlorn, my sorrowi11g thoug hts have gone to the rains from win try skies . "

That was a l l , and to h i m the fai n t h a n dwri ti n g h a d a profound a p pe a l . It was

rare for a wom a n to i m prove in a l l ways o n l on g acquai n ta n c e , a n d he was struck by

how truly in h e r case "distance is the secret of l as t i n g charm . "65 D i st a n t s h e m i ght

be, but she never fa i l e d to res pond just as she s h ou l d , and t h i s , h e b e l i eved, was why

their feel i n g for each other wou l d e n dure , for surely the prete n s i o n s a n d affectations

that put a woman on show for everyone o n l y d i s p l ay her worst shortco m i n gs . No,

h e s a i d to h i msel f , that was not how h e m e a n t to bri ng u p the young lady in his

west w i n g . He never forgot how much she must m i ss h i m , but h e fe l t as though he

h a d taken i n a m otherless ch i l d , a nd h e was p l eased that wh i l e away he a t l east did

not need to wonder what doubts and m i s g iv i ngs she m i ght have about h i m .

After dark h e ordered t h e l am p brought u p a n d c a l l e d t h e best o f t h e gentle­

women to come a n d talk to h i m . for years he h a d h a d a weakness for the one cal led

Chunago n , but h e had made n o a p proaches to her duri ng th i s t i m e of sorrow.

Chunagon a dm i re d his tact. "Day after day now, " h e bega n w i t h b l am e l es s warmth ,

"I have bee n see i n g more of you a l l than I ever used t o , a n d you can be sure that I w i l l m i ss you when we are no l o nger together. Qui te apart from our l o s s , I fi nd the

thought of the future painful in many ways . "

6 3 . Gmji mot�ogatari kochushakusbo it� 'yo waka 5 1 4: "Th e cold rains of the tenth month alway<. fal l , hut never have my sleeves been as wet a'> now."

64. ''( could not very well write to you." 65. Apparently a quotation lrum a poem now losl .

Heart-to-Heart 183

"To say noth i n g o f the darkness we feel s i nce my poor

lady's passi ng/' o n e answered w i th renewed tears, "the very

idea that you , too, my lord, are now to l e ave u s for-

ever . . . " She could not fi n i sh .

H e l o oked a t them fondly. " Leave you forever?

How cruel you must t h i nk me! If you can only b e

patient, you w i l l s o o n s e c how w ro n g y o u are . A h ,

l i fe fl e e s so quickly!" H i s tear-filled eyes a s h e

gazed i n to the l a m p were very beauti fu l .

A l i ttl e girl , an orphan of whom their

late m i stress had been espec i a l ly fo nd, was

looking very s a d. "Ateki , " he s a i d , weep i n g

b i t terly i n sympathy, " I must be the o n e you

wi l l have to l ove . now." She looked very

sweet i n a girl i sh gown dyed a darker gray

Page girl in a kazami dress gown

than the others, a b l ac k overgown, a n d trousers of l e a f gol d . 66

"I hope that those of you who wish to honor the past wi l l stay on w i t h our l i t ­

tle so n , " h e went o n , "even i f that means put t i n g u p w i t h a rather q u i e t l i fe . I w i l l fee l

even less l i k e retur n i n g i f y o u a l l l e a v e a n d noth i n g rem a i n s o f the househ o l d I once

knew. " None doubted, though , that h e wou l d come p n l y rarely, desp i te h i s t a l k o f

the future, a n d they were sadder t h a n before.

His Excel l e ncy had given each gentlewom a n very s i m ply, as her ra n k a n d s t a ­

t i o n deserved, the accessories that h i s daughter h a d favored i n da i ly use, a n d t o

some, more substa ntial m e m e n t o s .

Genj i , who kne� that he cou l d n o t stay s h u t up l ike t h i s forever, set off t o c a l l o n His Em i n e n c e . A cold ra i n fe l l wh i l e they brought o u t h i s carriage a n d g athere d

h i s m e n , as though t h e very h e av e n s were weep i n g , a n d t h e w i n d rustled t h e l e aves

so noi s i l y o n the trees that his gent lewom en were di sco nsolate . Even those whose

sleeves sometimes dri e d l ately now moi stened them a ga i n . His people presu m a b l y

went t o N i j O to await h i s arriva l , s i nce t h a t was w h e r e h e was t o s p e n d the n i gh t ,

a n d although t h i s woul d surely n o t b e h i s l a s t t i m e a t H i s Exce l l e ncy's, those w h o

stayed beh i n d were very dow n cast . To H is Exce l l e n cy a n d H e r H i gh ness h i s depar­

ture only meant fresh sorrow.

Genji addressed H er H i gh n es s in a letter. " I m e a n t o w a i t upon H i s E m i nence

today, since he has graciously expressed anxiety about m e . D i smayed as I am t o

have survived h e r a l l t h i s t i m e , I am shaken to have to go out at a l l , a n d convers a ­

tion woul d be beyo nd m e . f o r t h a t reason I have refra i n e d from say i n g good - by e t o you in person . "

Tears b l i n de d H e r H i g h ness w h e n s h e read i t , a n d s h e could n o t reply. I t was

His Excel l e ncy who came stra i gh t t o him, too overcome t o take his s l eeve from h i s

eyes. The ge ntlewomen p resent s h a re d their gri e f . The s i gh t o f Genj i wee p i n g over

his sorrows was extremely touch i n g , but he also l ooked very beau t i ful as h e di d s o .

6 6 . S h e has o n an akomc (oftt:n worn b y littl e girls) under a kazami ( a girl's formal dress gow n ) . The darker gray conveys deeper mourning.

184 The Ta le of Genji

For a t i me H i s Exce l lency struggl ed to master h i s fee l i ngs. "At my great age anything may bring tears to my eyes, and so o f course it i s more than I can do to calm the fee l ings that never leave my sleeves dry; that is why I cannot very wel l present mysel f be fore H i s Emi ­ nence, for 1 know how l i kely I am to

make a spectac l e of myself. Pl ease ex­ p l a i n this to h i m , if you find a moment to

do so. It is very hard to l ose a chi l d this way, when one has so few years l e ft . " The effort that it cost him to master h i mse l f was p a infully obv i ou s .

Standing curtains "Indeed," Genji answered, repeatedly b l ow ­

ing h i s nose, "one never knows w h o w i l l go first an d who l a s t , but to experience such a l oss is a t r i a l unl i ke any other. I sha l l describe your con d i t i on to H i s Eminence, a nd I am sure that he w i l l understand."

"Then go before dark, because I see no s i gn that the r a i n w i l l let u p . " Genji looked about h i m a n d s a w through o pen sl i ding pane l s o r behind stand­

ing curtains a crowd of some t h i rty gentlewomen dressed in varying shades of gray, l i ght or dark, and w i th deep sorrow p l a in to see on thei r tearful faces. He was very moved.

"It i s a comfort that you w i l l be c a l l ing here som e t i me s ," H is Excel l ency said, "since one whom you will not w i sh t o neglect remains behind; but these women who understand so l i t tle are gri ev i n g, and who cou l d b l ame them? They i ma gine that you are n ow leaving your home forever, and the prospect of l osing the occa­ s i onal p leasure of your presence, to which these years have accustomed them, trou­ b l es them more than the sorrow of our common l oss. You were never a t ease w ith her," he went on , weeping, "but al as, I always kept u p hope . Yes , this i s a sad evening, i t i s indeed. "

'Their sorrow shows how l i ttle they know me. There may indeed have been t imes when I deprived her of my company, even as I took it for granted that some­ how all would be wel l , but now I have, if anything, l es s reason to neglect t h i s house than before. You w i l l sec , I promise. "

He then took his leave. H i s Exce l l ency went to Genj i 's room after see i n g him off. I t was as i t had always been, to the last deta i l of i ts furn i sh i ngs , but to His Ex­ ce l l ency i t was as empty as a c i ca da's cast- of f she l l .

A n inkstone l a y abandoned be fore t h e curta ined bed. T h e young gentle­ women must have smi l ed through thei r sadness to watch him examine the p i eces of practice c a l l igraphy left nearby, w i p i ng his eyes as he did so. Genji had j o tted down moving old poems, Chinese and J apanese, in a ra p i d cursive, i n characters sq uare and form a l , and in various other unusual styl es . H ow beau t i fu l l y he wr i t e s ! H i s Ex-

Heart-to-Heart 1 8 5 cell ency exc l a i med to h i mse l f, l i ft i ng h i s gaze skyward. He must have been very sorry indeed to have l o s t Genj i as a son- i n - l aw.

Where Genj i had wri t ten the l ine "Who w i l l now share w i th me our old p i l ­ low, our covers . . . "67 h e had added,

"Her departed soul must feel yet deeper sorrow for this bed we shared,

whm it is beyond me still to leave it and go away. "

And bes i de 'The frost flowers are whi te , "

"Now that you are gone, I have lain s o many Jtig h ts , brushing off the dew, on our g illyjlower bed covered n o w only with dust(68

He must have h a d in m i nd the p i nks of the other day, because among the p a pers there were w i thered ones .

"Far be i t from me to understate our l oss," H i s Exce l l ency s a i d when he showed them to Her H i ghness, "but I take comfort from the thought that sorrows l ike this one visit us all and that the old ti e69 that b r i e fl y brought her to us, a p p arently only t o cause us pain, may have been more cruel than ki nd. As the days go by, though, and I m i ss her more, i t seems just too hard that the Commander should be soon to become a <>tranger. Whenever he stayed away and failed to come for a day or two , ! l ooked for­ ward to h i s return, and once h i s l i ght is gone from my l i fe , I do not know how I w i l l be able t o g o on!" H e sobbed s o openly that the more mature o f H er H i ghness's women were overcome, and on th i s d i sma l l y chi l l y evening they, too, burst i n to tears.

The younger ones meanwh i l e c l ustered together here and there i n sad conver­ sation. 'Just as H i s Exce l lency says , " they observed, "I do not dou b t that havi n g the young master to l ook after i s a great comfort, but even he can hardly make up for the lady who l e f t him behi nd." Others were saying, "I p l an t o go home for a wh i l e ; I w i l l be back l a ter on. " There were many touchi n g scenes as one and a l l s a i d good­ bye to one another.

"You arc awfu l ly th i n , " H i s Eminence observed sympathe t i c a l l y when Genji called on h i m-" a l l those days spent fasting, I suppose ."70 He had Genj i d i ne i n h i s own presence a n d showered h i m w i th the most touching atten t i ons .

When Genji called on Her M ajesty, the gentlewomen there l ooked on h i m w i th wonder. Through OmyObu s h e asked , "H o w have y o u been a l l thi s t i me, which for me, t o o , has been so fi l l ed with sorrow?"

''I knew i n a general way how precarious l ife i s , but seeing it w i th my own eyes has upset and rep e l l e d me, and unt i l today only your kind messages have susta ined m e . " His manner was even more sadly subdued than i n the past. In mourning, wear-

67. A l i ne ( l ike "The frost flowers arc white," below) from B a i Juyi's "Song of U ne n d i n g Sorrow." 68. Here as elsewhere, toko11atm ( "g i l lyflower") plays on toko ("bed"). The dew is Genji's tears. 69. From past lives. 70. During the first forty- ni n e day� <1 mourner kept to the p l a i nest food and espec i a l l y avoided meat and

spices.

186 The Tale of Genji

i n g a n u n patterned formal c l o a k over a gray t ra i n - ro b e a n d wi th the p e n da n t t a i l s of

h i s headdress ro l l ed , he was m ore beauti ful t h a n i n h i s most b ri l l i a n t fi n ery. He

spoke o f how co ncerned h e was a t not h av i n g seen t h e Heir Apparent for so l o n g ,

a n d t h e n i gh t w a s we l l adva n c e d w h e n a t l a s t h e w i th drew.

Every room at N ij o was s p i c - a n d - s p a n , a n d the w h o l e staff, m e n and women

a l i ke , awai ted h i s arriva l . The s e n i o r gen t l ewo m e n were all back, a n d see i n g each o f

t h e m dressed a n d m ade u p to h e r b e s t adv a n t a ge recal l e d t o h i m w i th a p a n g the

sorrow i n g company that h e h a d just l e ft . H e c h a n ge d and we n t stra i ght t o the west

w i n g . The curta i ns and furn i s h i n gs for the new seaso n were bright a n d gay/1 the

h a n dsome young ge n tlewo m en and page g i r l s , w i t h t h e i r graceful a i rs and ways,

m ade a most agreeable s i gh t , and S h u n a go n 's warm we lcome p l eased h i m greatly.

H i s young l ady was dressed extre m e l y p retti l y. "See what a big g i rl you are,

now I have been away so l o n g ! " H e l i fted her l i t t l e s t a n d i n g curt a i n t o see her, and

her l ooks as she bash fu l l y turned away were beyo n d reproach . Her p ro fi l e in the

l a m p l i gh t , her h a i r-everyth i n g to l d h i m that she wou l d ex a ct l y rese m b l e that

other l ady for whom he p i n e d , and h e was overj oye d .

H e s a t beside h e r a n d described what h a d h a p p e n e d wh i l e h e w a s g o n e . n " I s o

l o ok forward t o tel l i ng you a l l a b o u t i t ," he s a i d . "but a l l t h a t wou l d b e too m u c h

now. I s h a l l g o a n d r e s t a l i tt l e fi rst a n d then be back. I s h a l l be see i n g so m uch o f y ou now that you m ay grow ti red of m e !"

Shonagon was pleased ·to hear a l l t h i s , but s h e s t i l l worried about h i m . That

may not have been very n i ce o f her, but he k e p t up w i th so m a ny great l a di e s that

she was a fra i d a new one m i gh t now a p pe a r a n d ru i n everyth i n g .

Genji returned to h i s o w n apart m e n t s , where he had t h e ge n t l e wom a n Chuj()

rub h i s legs before he fel l a s l e e p . The n ext m o rn i n g he s e n t o ff a l e t ter for h i s l i ttle

so n . The sorrowful re ply fi l l ed h i m with m e l a n c h o ly.

With so l i tt l e to occupy h i m now h e rem a i n e d very pen sive, but h e c ou l d not

yet muste r the a m b i t i o n to s e t out o n casual even i ng cal l s . It was a p l e asure t o see

that his young l a dy h ad turn e d out to be a l l h e coul d w i s h , and s i nce h e j udged that

the t i m e had n ow m ore or l ess c o m e , h e began to drop suggestive h i n t s ; but she

showed no sign of understa n di ng.

H e s p e n t whole days w i th her, w h i l i ng away the t i m e at G o o r a t ch aracter­

guess i n g games ,73 and such were her w i t and grace , so e n thral l i ng i n qual i ty .

her

every gesture, that after those years o f forbearance wh i l e her c harm had offered

nothing more, he could e n dure i t n o l o n ger; a n d so de s p i te h i s c o m pu n c t i o n it came

to pass one m o rn i n g , when there was n o th i n g otherw i s e about t h e i r ways w i th each

other to b e t ray the change , t h a t h e rose e a rl y w h i l e she rose not at al l . ''Wha t c a n be the matter?'' her women asked each other a n x i ously. "She must

not be feel i ng h erse l f. "

7 1 . Curtains and other furnishings had been changed for w i n ter, whic:h began o n the lirst of the tenth lunar month.

72. He addresses her very politely, despite h i s i nt i mate tone. 73 . The guessi ng game (hrn-tsugi) involved gues�ing partly h i d den characters or m a k i ng u p new ones hy

adding elements to given parts

Heart-to-Heart 1 8 7

Before leav i n g he p u t a wri t i ng b o x bes i de her, i n s i de h e r curt a i n s .74 A t last

when there was n o o n e nearby, she l i fted h e r head a n d fou n d a k n o t ted l etter a t h e; p i l l ow. O pe n i n g it uncom p re h e n d i ngly, s he read ,

"Ah, wiJat distances kept us s o straugely apart, wlm1 night after night we two yet lay side by side in our overlappi11g clothes. "

H e seemed to have dashed i t o ff w i th t h e grea test o f ease . She had never su s ­

pected h i m o f such i n te n t i o n s , a n d s h e c ou l d o n l y wo n de r b i tterly w h y i n h e r i n n o ­

cence she h a d ever trusted a n y o n e w i th such h orri d i deas .

Toward m i dday he return ed. "You seem to be i l l . What i s wro n g , t h e n ? Today

w i l l be no fun if we can n o t p l a y Go .'' He peeped i n : sh e was s t i l l l y i n g w i t h the bed­

clothes over her head. The gen t l ewomen drew back as h e w e n t to her. "Why w i l l

you n o t tal k to me? You d o n o t l i ke m e a fter a l l , do you. Your gentlewomen must be wonderi n g about all th i s . " He pulled the covers o ff h e r and fou n d her drenched i n

persp i rati o n . Even the h a i r a t her forehead was soak i n g wet . "Oh , dear, we ca n n o t

have t h i s ! W h a t a fuss y o u are m a k i n g! " S h e w a s s t i l l furious wi th h i m , th ough , de ­

spite h i s a t te m pts to c o n s o l e h e r, a n d she refused h i m a s i n g l e word i n rep ly. "Very

wel l , t h e n , " he s a i d reproach fu l ly, "I wi l l n o t come a n y m ore. I feel q u i te unwante d . " He opened t h e w ri t i n g box a n d peered i n s i de , but there was n o t h i n g i n i t . What a

l i ttle g i rl she s t i l l i s ! He c o n tem p l ated her fo n dly. He s p e n t t h e w h o l e day try i n g to

make her feel better, a n d h e r refusal to y i e l d o n l y made h e r m o re prec ious .

Tha t eve n i n g they were brought baby boar cakes . 75 The eve n t was noth i ng

elaborate, s i n c e Genj i was in m ourn i n g , a n d the cakes were served o n l y there i n

the west w i n g . When h e saw them i n a l l t h e i r c o l o rs , p re s e n t e d i n p re t ty, cypress

boxes, h e w e n t out to the fro n t of t h e h ouse and c a l l e d Kore m i t s u . " B r i n g m e

cakes l i ke these tomorrow even i ng , a l t h ough n o t nearl y s o m a ny. Today was n o t

lucky."76

Kore m i ts u , a l ways so q u ic k , n oted h i s s m i les a n d caught h i s m ea n i ng i n ­

stantly. H e asked n o questi o n s b u t o n l y s a i d w i th a perfectly s t ra i gh t face, "Cer­

tainly, m y l o rd , a new couple s h ou l d o f course choose the ri g h t day t o have t h e m .

How m a n y b a by rat cakes should I provide?"77 "About a t h i rd as m a n y s h ou l d do . " Kore m i tsu, who u n de rstood h i m perfectly,

wi thdrew. He cert a i n l y k n ows h i s. way about! Genj i thought. Kore m i tsu said noth ­

ing to a n y o n e , a n d he a l l but m a de the cakes h i m s e l f, at h o m e .

7 4 . S o t h a t s h e c a n answer t h e poem he h a s l e f t by h e r p i l l ow. After a couple's first n i g h t together the man was supposed to leave the woman a poem . a n d she to respo n d . Being "knotted," Genji's note has visibl y t o d o w i t h love.

75. Glutinous ric:e cakes, eac:h shaped l i ke a baby boar (inoko mocbii), eaten for good luck a t the hour of the Boar (about 9:00 to I I :00 P.M ) o n the �rst day of the Boar i n t h e tenth l u nar m o n t h . The rice was mixed with ingredients l ike sesame, chestnut, o r pers i m m o n , so that the cake� ca me i n seven d i fferent flavors and colors.

, ,

76. Newlyweds were served w h i te rice cakes on their third n ight together, the one when their marriage was s�aled. However, the day o f the Boar (only the second night in this case) was unlucky for the start of anythmg as I m portant as marriage.

77. The day of t h e Rat followed that of t h e B oar, but "baby rat cakes" (nrnoko [no rnociJ i i ] ) did not exist· the term is Koremi tsu's invention.

'

1 88 The Tale o f Genji

Ge nj i , at his w i ts' end to p l acate his darl i ng, was h i gh l y a mused t o feel as t h ough h e had just stolen a bride . What she used to mean to m e is n o t h i n g com ­ pared to what she means to me n ow! he reflected. How u n ruly the he art i s ! I coul d not bear o n e n i gh t away from hert

D iscreetly, very l ate at n ight, Kore m i tsu brought the cakes t h a t Ge nj i h a d or­ dered. H e was acutely aware t h a t S h o n ag o n , who was o l der, m i gh t e m barrass Genj i 's you n g lady, so he c a l l e d for her daughter, 13e n . "Take them t h ese , q u i etly." H e h a n d e d her the cakes in a n i ncense jar b o x . 78 'They arc to celebrate a h a ppy even t, a n d you are to put them bes i de the p i l low. Be carefu l , now, do not do any-

thing wro n g . " "13u t I have never done anyth i ng wro ng l ike that," B e n s a i d i n surpriSe as she

took the m ?9 "Actually, avo i d that word for now. Just don't use i t ."80 Ben w a s too young to grasp what h e m e a n t , but she delivered the cakes, s l i p ­

p i n g t h e m i n through t h e s ta n d i n g curt a i n by the i r p i l l ows . N o d o u b t i t w a s a s a l -

ways Gcnj i who expl a i ned the m . T h e gentlewomen k new n o th i n g o f a l l t h i s , b u t w h e n Genj i h a d the b o x re-

moved early the next morn i n g , t h ose c l osest to th e i r m i s tress u n derstood what had happened. Where could those d i shes have come from? The l i tt l e carved s t a n ds were so de l icate a n d the cakes themselves so b e au t i hd ly m a de-i t was a l l as pretty as could be . 8 1 Shon agon , who h ad never dreamed Genj i woul d go t h i s far,82 d i s solved i n tears o f gra t i tude before su�h evi dence of h i s u n st i n t i n g devot i o n .

"I d o w i sh h e h a d q u i etly tol d us, though , " t h e women w h i s pered to each other. "Wh at can that man o f h i s have t hought?"

Thereafter Genj i m i ssed h er and worri ed about her whe never h e called a mo­ ment at the p a l ace or at His E m i n ence's , so much so that h i s fee l i ngs surp rised even h i m . He was n o t i n sensi tive to the b i tter c o m p l a i n ts addressed to h i m by the ladies h e was v i s i t i ng, but h e was so relucta n t to hurt h i s new w i fe by b e i n g away a s i ngle n ight that he arranged thi ngs to l o ok as though he were i l l . " I s h a l l b e g i n goi n g out once I a m a g a i n ready to face the world" was the only k i n d of a n swer he gave them.

The M istress o f the Wardrobe s t i l l h ad h er heart set only o n Ge nj i , and the Empress Mother83 did not a t all l i ke the fee l i ngs that H i s Exce l le ncy t h e i r father ex­ pressed on the subject. "After al l , " h e woul d say, "I see n oth i n g w ro n g w i th her hav­ i n g what she w a n t s , now t h a t I gather that proud w i fe of h i s is n o m ore . " The Empress Mother, to whom there was n o th i n g dishonorable about her s i ster's enter· i n g palace service as long as she did so w i t h d i g n i ty, was determ i n ed to offer her to

H i s Majesty. Genj i , who was so fo n d of her, fou n d t h i s prospect thoroughly d i s a p p o i n t i ng.

78. Ben must be b e h i n d a curt a i n . The box serves to disguise its contents. 79. She mistakes Koremitsu's mean i n g. Ada ("wrong") can m e a n .;pecifical l y someth i ng wanton. . 80. Ada is too i l l -omened to use at the time of a marriage. !! 1. 'Th ird - n i gh t cakes" were served on silver dishes, with si lver chopstick�. si lver chopstick rests in the

�hape of cranes, etc. 82. As to marry Murasaki relatively formally. 83. Oborozukiyo and Kokiden (!rna Kisak i , "the new Empress"), Oborozukiyo's elder sister a n d Gcnji's

i mplaLabte foe.

Heart-to-Heart 1 89

but he was in no mood j u s t now to di ­ vide h i s affect i o n s . Why do that? H e had learned, to h i s cost, t h e v a l u e o f cau ­ ti o n . Life is short e n ough as i t i s , he re­ flected, and bes i des, I have made my c ho i ce . I should never have provoked j ea l ousy.

As to the Rokujo H ave n , her pl ight affected h i m very m u c h , but th i n gs would never go w e l l if he acknowl edged her formally, whereas she was j us t the woman to discuss t h i ngs w i t h n o w a n d aga i n , i f s h e wou l d o n l y l e t h im g o o n Clothing frame seeing her as in the past . He could n o t bring h i m s e l f to g i v e her u p eve n now.

It occurred to h i m t h a t society s t i l l did not k n ow who h i s new l ove was, a n d that th at reflected poorly o n h er; a n d he dec i de d accordi n gly to i n form H i s H i g h ­ ness her father. He i nv i te d a chosen few t o a don n i n g of t h e tra i n t h a t he p l a n n e d to bri ng o ff more amply t h a n usua l-wh ich was a l l very wel l , except t h a t s h e had n o w taken a keen d i s l i ke to h i m . S h e so b i tterly ru e d giv i n g h i m a l l t h o s e years o f trust and affection that she wou l d not even l o o k him properly in the eye , a n d she d i s ­ played o n l y avers i o n f o r h i s l i g h test remark. T h e c h a n ge t h a t h a d c o m e over h e r both am use d a nd p a i ned h i m . "Those years wh e n I w a s so fo n d o f y o u h ave a l l gone to waste," he would com p l a i n , "a n d the way you keep yoursel f from me hurts me very much!" O n th i s n o te the New Ye ar came.

O n the fi rs t day o f the year he cal l e d fi rs t , as usua l , o n His E m i nence, then on His Majesty a n d the Heir A p p a re n t . After with draw i n g from the palace h e went o n t o H i s Excellency's. New Year o r n o t , H i s Exce l l e n cy was deep i n forlorn rem i n i s ­ cences, a n d Genj i 's arrival j ust then overwhelmed every effort o f h i s t o master h i s emotions . T h e pass i n g years seemed t o have c o n ferred o n Genj i sti l l greater d i g n ity of presence and l ooks even m o re dazzl i ng than before .

When he l e ft H i s Excel l e n cy to v i s i t th e rooms of the l ady he h a d l os t , the gentlewomen there were overcome b y the j oy of his rare v i s i t . H e found that his l i t ­ tle son had grown a great dea l , a n d t h e boy's ready s m i l e s were very touc h i n g . H e shared t h e H e i r Apparen t's eyes a n d mouth, w h i c h gave Genj i a tw i n ge o f a l arm that others m i g h t wonde r a t the resem blance. Everyth i n g was as it had bee n , a n d there were robes h a n g i n g as ever o n t h e i r frames, b u t the absence o f a nyth i n g b e ­ long i n g t o a w o m a n c a s t a p a l l over i t a l l .

1-;-Ic received a n ot e from H er H i gh ness. 'Today I h ave been s tri v i n g t o conta i n my sorrow," she wrote, "but I c a n n o l onger d o s o n o w t h a t you have been good enough to ca l l . " She c o n t i nued, "My eyes have b e e n s o dim a l l these m o n ths w i th

:·wee p i n g that the c l o th i n g I have m ade you, as I a l ways u sed to do, m ay look very dul l , but I h ope that at l east today you w i l l con descen d to wear i t . "

. · The exqui s i te i tems t h a t accompanied th i s m essage j oi n e d the others already , on the frames . In color and work m a n sh i p the tra i n - robe she w i s h e d h i m to have was so excep tional that h e knew h e c ou l d n o t l e t it go u n a p prec i ated, and he put it o n .

190 The Ta le of Gcnjl

He un de rstood w i th a rush of sym pathy how disappoi nted she would have be en i f he h a d fa i le d t o com e . H e wrote i n reply, "I c a m e t o rem i n d you t h a t spri n g i s here,

but so m a ny m e m ories crowd through me now that I hardly know what to say. I'

For so many years you have rmewed on this day the bright hues I wear, and now I don them again, I feel my tears fall like rain.

My heart i s overfl owi ng."

S h e a n swered,

'There is nothing new in the com ing of the year, only an old rain :

the tears an aging mother sheds for all tiJa t she has lost. "

A n d they d i d i n deed have reaso n to mourn .

1 0

S A K A K I

The Green Branch

Sakaki, a broadlcaf evergreen tree, figures in S h i n to ritual , hence i n th i s chapter's best - remem bered

sce ne: Genj i 's v i s i t to the Rokuj o

Haven at the S h ri n e on the Moor.

She reproaches h i m when he ar­

rives and s l i ps a branch of sakaki under her b l i n ds :

" When no cedar trees stand �� though t o draw t h e eye by the sacred fence, what strange misapprehension led you to pick sakakd'

He rep l i es,

'This was where she was, the shrine maide11, that I knew, and fon d memories made the scent of sakaki my reason to pick a branch. "

H i s sakaki branch gave the chap­ ter i ts title.