Prompt for Module 5 Discussion:

5. Different Ways of Speaking

A priest's language. The speech of men and of women. 1 1 The common people always tend to add extra syllables to their

words.

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Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, ed. and trans. by Ivan Morris (New York: Columbia University Press, 1991

10. I Enjoy Watching the Officials

I enjoy watching the officials when they come to thank the Emperor for their new appointments. As they stand facing His Majesty with their batons 36 in their hands, the trains of their robes trail along the floor. Then they make obeisance and begin their ceremonial movements 37 with great animation.

II. The Sliding Screen in the Back of the Hall

The sliding screen in the back of the hall in the north-east corner of Seiryo Palace is decorated with paintings of the stormy sea and of the terrifying creatures with long arms and long legs that live there.38 When the doors of the Empress's room were open, we could always see this screen. One day we were sitting in the room, laughing at the paintings and remarking how un­ pleasant they were. By the balustrade of the veranda stood a large celadon vase, full of magnificent cherry branches; some of them were as much as five foot long, and their blossoms over­ flowed to the very foot of the railing. Towards noon the Major Counsellor,39 Fujiwara no Korechika, arrived. He was dressed in a cherry-coloured Court cloak, sufficiently worn to have lost its stiffness, a white under-robe, and loose trousers of dark purple; from beneath the cloak shone the pattern of another robe of dark red damask. Since His Majesty was present, Korechika knelt on the narrow wooden platform before the door and reported to him on official matters.

A group of ladies-in-waiting was seated behind the bamboo blinds. Their cherry-coloured Chinese jackets hung loosely over their shoulders with the collars pulled back; they wore robes of wistaria, golden yellow, and other colours, many of which showed beneath the blind covering the half-shutter. Presently the noise of the attendants' feet told us that dinner was about to be served in the Daytime Chamber,4° and we heard cries of 'Make way. Make wa:y.'

34

The bright, serene day delighted me. When the Chamber­

lains had brought all the dishes into the Chamber, they came to

announce that dinner was ready, and His Majesty left by the middle door. After accompanying the Emperor, Korechika returned to his previous place on the veranda beside the cherry blossoms. The Empress pushed aside her curtain of state and came forward as far as the threshold.41 We were overwhelmed by the whole delightful scene. It was then that Korechika slowly intoned the words of the old poem,

The days and the months flow by, But Mount Mimoro lasts forever.42

Deeply impressed, I wished that all this might indeed continue for a thousand years.

As soon as the ladies serving in the Daytime Chamber had called for the gentlemen-in-waiting to remove the trays, His Majesty returned to the Empress's room. Then he told me to rub some ink on the inkstone. Dazzled, I felt that I should never be able to take my eyes off his radiant countenance. Next he folded a piece of white paper. 'I should like each of you ' he said , , 'to copy down on this paper the first ancient poem that comes into your head.'

'How am I going to manage this ? ' I asked Korechika who .

,

was still out on the veranda. 'Write your poem quickly,' he said, 'and show it to His

Majesty. We men must not interfere in this.' Ordering an attendant to take the Emperor's inkstone to each of the women in the room, he told us to make haste. 'Write down any poem you happen to remember,' he said.-, The Naniwazu 43 or whatever else you can think of.'

For some reason I was overcome with timidity; I flushed and had no idea what to do. Some of the other women managed to put down poems about the spring, the blossoms, and such suitable subjects; then they handed me the paper and said, 'Now it's your turn.' Picking up the brush, I wrote the poem that goes,

35

The years have passed And age has come my way.

Yet I need only look at this fair flower For all my cares to melt away.

I altered the third line, however, to read, 'Yet I need only look

upon my lord.'44 When he had finished reading, the Emperor said, 'I asked

you to write these poems because I wanted to find out how quick

you really were. 'A few years ago,' he continued, 'Emperor Enyii ordered all

his courtiers to write poems in a notebook. Some excused them­ selves on the grounds that their handwriting was poor; but the Emperor insisted, saying that he did not care in the slightest about their handwriting or even whether their poems were suit­ able for the season. So they all had to swallow their embarrass­ ment and produce something for the occasion. Among them was His Excellency, our present Chancellor, who was then Middle Captain of the Third Rank,45 He wrote down the old poem,

Like the sea that beats Upon the shores of Izumo As the tide sweeps in, Deeper it grows and deeper - The love I bear for you.

But he changed the last line to read, "The love I bear my lord!", and the Emperor was full of praise.'

When I heard His Majesty tell this story, I was so overcome that I felt myself perspiring. It occurred to me that no younger woman 46 would have been able to use my poem and I felt very lucky. This sort of test can be a terrible ordeal: it often happens that people who usually write fluently are so overawed that they actually make mistakes in their characters.

Next the Empress placed a notebook of Kokin Shu poems before her and started reading out the first three lines of each one, asking us to supply the remainder. Among them were several famous poems that we had in our minds day and night; yet for

36

some strange reason we were often unable to fill in the missing

lines. Lady Saisho, for example, could manage only ten, which hardly qualified her as knowing her Kokin Sh1i. Some of the other women, even less successful, could remember only about half a

dozen poems. They would have done better to tell the Empress quite .simply that they had forgotten the lines; instead they came out with great lamentations like 'Oh dear, how could we have done so badly in answering the questions that Your Majesty was pleased to put to us?' - all of which I found rather

absurd. When no one could complete a particular poem, the Empress

continued reading to the end. This produced further wails from the women: 'Oh, we all knew that one! How could we be so stupid?'

'Those of you,' said the Empress, 'who had taken the trouble to copy out the Kokin Shu several times would have been able to complete every single poem I have read. In the reign of Emperor Murakami there was a woman at Court known as the Imperial Lady47 of Senyii Palace. She was the daughter of the Minister of the Left who lived in the Smaller Palace of the First Ward, and of course you have all heard of her. When she was still a young girl, her father gave her this advice: "First you must study penmanship. Next you must learn to play the seven-string zither better than anyone else. And also you must memorize all the poems in the twenty volumes of the Kokin Shu."

'Emperor Murakami,' continued Her Majesty, 'had heard this story and remembered it years later when the girl had grown up and become an Imperial Concubine. Once, on a day of absti­ nence,48 he came into her room, hiding a notebook of Kokin Shu poems in the folds of his robe. He surprised her by seating him­ self behind a curtain of state; then, opening the book, he asked, "Tell me the verse written by such-and-such a poet, in such­ and-such a year and on such-and-such an occasion." The lady understood what was afoot and that it was all in fun, yet the possibility of making a mistake or forgetting one of the poems must have worried her greatly. Before beginning the test, the

37

Emperor had summoned a couple of ladies-in-waiting who were particularly adept in poetry and told them to mark each incorrect reply by a go stone. 49 What a splendid scene it must have been! You know, I really envy anyone who attended that Emperor even as a lady-in-waiting.

'Well,' Her Majesty went on,' he then began questioning her. She answered without any hesitation, just giving a few words or phrases to show that she knew each poem. And never once did she make a mistake. After a time the Emperor began to resent the lady's flawless memory and decided to stop as soon as he detected any error or vagueness in her replies. Yet, after he had gone through ten books of the Kokin Shu, he had still not caught her out. At this stage he declared that it would be useless to continue. Marking where he had left off, he went to bed. What a triumph for the lady I

'He slept for some time. On waking, he decided that he must have a final verdict and that if he waited until the following day to examine her on the other ten volumes, she might use the time to refresh her memory. So he would have to settle the matter that very night. Ordering his attendants to bring up the bedroom lamp, he resumed his questions. By the time he had finished all twenty volumes, the night was well advanced; and still the lady had not made a mistake.

'During all this time His Excellency, the lady's father, was in a state of great agitation. As soon as he was informed that the Emperor was testing his daughter, he sent his attendants to various temples to arrange for special recitations of the Scrip­ tures. Then he turned in the direction of the Imperial Palace and spent a long time in prayer. Such enthusiasm for poetry is really rather moving.'

The Emperor, who had been listening to the whole story, was much impressed. 'How can he possibly have read so many poems?' he remarked when Her Majesty had finished. 'I doubt whether I could get through three or four volumes. But of course things have changed. In the old days even people of humble station had a taste for the arts and were interested in elegant

38

,

pastimes. Such a story would hardly be possible nowadays,

would it?' The ladies in attendance on Her Majesty and the Emperor's

own ladies-in-waiting who had been admitted into Her Majesty's

presence began chatting eagerly, and as I listened I felt that my cares had really 'melted away'.

12. When I Make Myself Imagine

When I make myself imagine what it is like to be one of those women who live at home, faithfully serving their husbands - women who have not a single exciting prospect in life yet who be­ lieve that they are perfectly happy - I am filled with scorn. Often they are of quite good birth, yet have had no opportunity to find out what the world is like. I wish they could live for a while in our society, even if it should mean taking service as Attendants,5° so that they might come to know the delights it has to offer.

I cannot bear men who believe that women serving in the Palace are bound to be frivolous and wicked. Yet I suppose their prejudice is understandable. After all, women at Court do not spend their time hiding modestly behind fans and screens, but walk about, looking openly at people they chance to meet. Yes, they see everyone face to face, not only ladies-in-waiting like themselves, but even Their Imperial Majesties (whose august names I hardly dare mention), High Court Nobles,5 1 senior courtiers, and other gentlemen of high rank. In the presence of such exalted personages the women in the Palace are all equally brazen, whether they be the maids of ladies-in-waiting, or the relations of Court ladies who have come to visit them, or house­ keepers, or latrine-cleaners, or women who are of no more value than a roof-tile or a pebble. Small wonder that the young men regard them as immodest! Yet are the gentlemen themselves any less so? They are not exactly bashful when it comes to look­ ing at the great people in the Palaq:, No, everyone at Court is much the same in this respect.

39

Women who have served in the Palace, but who later· get married and live at home, are called Madam and receive the most respectful treatment. To be sure, people often consider that these women, who have displayed their faces to all and sundry during their years at Court, are lacking in feminine grace. How proud they must be, nevertheless, when they are styled Assistant Attendants, or summoned to the Palace for occasional duty, or ordered to serve as Imperial envoys during the Kamo Festival! Even those who stay at home lose nothing by having served at Court. In fact they make very good wives. For example, if they are married to a provincial governor and their daughter is chosen to take part in the Gosechi dances,52 they do not have to disgrace themselves by acting like provincials and asking other people about procedure. They themselves are well versed in the formalities, which is just as it should be,

More text follows

29. Elegant Things

A white coat worn over a violet waistcoat. Duck eggs. Shaved ice mixed with liana syrup and put in a new silver

bow1.1a1 A rosary of rock crystal. Wistaria blossoms. Plum blossoms covered with snow. A pretty child eating strawberries.

6g

43. Poetic Subjects

The capital city. Arrowr oot. Water-bur. Colts. Hail. Bamb

oo

grass. The round-l eaved violet. Club moss. Water o

ats. Flat

river-boats. The man darin duck. The scattered chigaya

reed.

Lawns. The green vine. T he pear tree. The jujube tree. Th

e

althea.

44. Things That Cannot Be Compar ed

Summer and winter. Night and day. Rain and sunshine. Youth

and age. A person's laughter and his anger. Black and white.

Love and hatred. The little indigo plant and the great philo­

dendron. Rain and mist.

When one has stopped loving somebo dy, one feels that he has

become someone else, even though he is still the same person.

In a garden full of evergreens the crows are all asleep. Then,

towards the middle of the night, t he crows in one of the trees

suddenly wake up in a great flurry and start flapping about. Their

unrest spreads to the other trees, an d soon all the birds have been

startled from their sleep and are ca wing in alarm. How different

from the same crows in daytime!

lh

47. Rare Things

A son-in-law who is praised by his adoptive father; a young bride who is loved by her mother-in-law.

A silver tweezer that is good at plucking out the hair. A servant who does not speak badly about his master. A person who is in no way eccentric or imperfect, who is

superior in both mind and body, and who remains flawless all his life.

People who live together and still manage to behave with reserve towards each other. However much these people may try to hide their weaknesses, they usually fail.

To avoid getting ink stains on the notebook into which one is copying stories, poems, or the like. If it is a very fine notebook, one takes the greatest care not to make a blot; yet somehow one never seems to succeed.

When people, whether they be men or women or priests, have promised each other eternal friendship, it is rare for them to stay on good terms until the end.

A servant who is pleasant to his master. One has given some silk to the fuller and, when he sends it

back, it is so beautiful that one cries out in admiration.

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49. It Was during One of Her Majesty's Periods of Residence

It was during one of Her Majesty's periods of residence in the building of the Empress's Office. Although we were somewhat cut off from things, we enjoyed being in such a tall building and the ancient trees that stretched far into the distance behind the Office delighted us. One day it was reported that there was a demon in the main room. Everything had to be taken out, and we arranged the screens and other furniture so as to keep the demon out of the rest of the house. We told the maids to put Her Majesty's curtains of state in the front part of the building, south of the main room, and we women moved into an adjoining chamber.

All the time we could hear the cries of' Make way I' that pre­ ceded the approach of High Court Nobles and senior courtiers as they went from the gate of the Inner Palace Guards past the guard-house of the Left Guards. The cries for the senior courtiers were shorter than those for the High Court Nobles, and we had heated discussions about which were the 'big cries' and which the 'small cries'. 1 18 Since we had often heard these

86

voices, we were usually able to recognize them. 'That's Lord So-and-so they're announcing,' one of us would say. 'No it isn't,'

another woman would insist, and then we would have to send a servant to find out who was right. It was amusing to hear the first woman say, 'Well, you see I knew.'

Early one morning, when a pale moon still hung in the sky, we went out into the garden, which was thick with mist. Hearing

us, Her Majesty got up herself, and all the ladies in attendance joined us in the garden. As we strolled about happily, dawn gradually appeared on the horizon. When eventually I left to go and have a look at the guard-house of the Left Guards, all the other women ran after me, crying that they wanted to come along. On our way we heard a group of senior courtiers, who were evidently bound for the Empress's palace, reciting' So on and so forth - and the voice of autumn speaks' . 179 We therefore hurried back to the palace to converse with the gentlemen on their arrival there. 'So you have been out moon-viewing,' said one of them admiringly and composed a poem in praise of the moon.

Both during the day and at night the senior courtiers were always paying us such visits. High Court Nobles too, unless they were in an uncommon hurry, used to call on us whenever they were going to or from the Imperial Palace.

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I

97. Things That Give a Clean Feeling

An earthen cup. A new metal bowl. A rush mat. The play of the light on water as one pours it into a vessel. A new wooden chest.

98. Things That Give an Unclean Feeling

A rat's nest. Someone who is late in washing his hands in the morning. White snivel, and children who sniffie as they walk. The containers used for oil. Little sparrows.384 A person who does not bathe for a long time even though the

weather is hot,3Bs All faded clothes give me an unclean feeling, especially those

that have glossy colours.

168

155. The Thunder Guards are Awe-Inspiring

The Thunder Guards are awe-inspiring when they appear during a violent thunderstorm.s3z The Major and Middle Captains and the other officers of the two Guards divisions make a delightful sight as they post themselves next to the lattices in the Palace. When the thunder has abated, one of the Major Captains orders the soldiers to 'go up' or 'go down'.SJJ

156. One Has Taken a Roundabout Way

One has taken a roundabout way to avoid an unlucky direc­ tion. It is late at night when one approaches home, and the carriage attendants walk with their heads bent to protect them­ selves against the terrible cold. Finally one arrives and pulls up a brazier. It is delightful enough when live embers cover the en­ tire surface, but it is a particular pleasure to find a glowing ember under a covering of ash. Then one starts talking to one's companions and does not even notice that the fire had gone out . Often a maid will lay some fresh charcoal on top and light it; this annoys me greatly, though it is all right if she lights the fire in the centre. It is also very annoying when a maid rakes all the embers to the sides of the brazier, then piles up some new charcoal in the middle and places the burning embers on top.

184. When the Middle Captain

When the Middle Captain of the Left Guards Division was still Governor of Ise, he visited me one day at my home. There was a straw mat at the edge of the veranda, and I pulled it out for him. This notebook of mine happened to be lying on the mat, but I did not notice it in time. I snatched at the book and made a desperate effort to get it back; but the Captain instantly took it off with him and did not return it until much later. I suppose it was from this time that my book began to be passed about at Court.

185. It Is Getting So Dark

It is getting so dark that I can scarcely go on writing; and my brush is all worn out. Yet I should like to add a few things before I end.

I wrote these notes at home, when I had a good deal of time to myself and thought no one would notice what I was doing. Everything that I have seen and felt is included. Since much of it might appear malicious and even harmful to other people, I was careful to keep my book hidden. But now it has become public, which is the last thing I expected.

One day Lord Korechika, the Minister of the Centre, brought the Empress a bundle of notebooks. 'What shall we do with them ? ' Her Majesty asked me. 'The Emperor has already made arrangements for copying the" Records of the Historian".' s82

'Let me make them into a pillow,' I said.s83

'Very well,' said Her Majesty. 'You may have them.' I now had a vast quantity of paper at my disposal, and I set

about filling the notebooks with odd facts, stories from the past, and ail sorts of other things, often including the most trivial material. On the whole I concentrated on things and people that I found charming and splendid; my notes are also full of poems

263

and o b

serv at io

n

s

o n

t r ees and pl an ts, birds and i nsects. I was su r e that w

he

n peop le saw my book th ey would say, 'It's ev en wo r se t h

an I ex pec t

e d. Now one can really tell what she is like,'After a ll , it is w r itten en t

i

r e

l y for my own amusement and I p ut thin gs down exac tl

y as they cam e to me. How could my casualjott i ngs pos

si bl y bear comp arison with the many impressiv e bo o

ks that exist in our time? Readers have declared, howev e r

'

tha t I can be pr oud of m y wor k. T his has surprised me greatly•

. '

ye t I su ppo s e it is n ot so str ange that people should like i

t, for,as will be gat h

e r e d from these notes of mine, I am the sort ofpe rson who approves

o f what others a b ho r

a n

d d

et

es t s t

h

e t h

i ngs

they l ike.s8

4

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ever pe op le may th

i nk of my bo ok, I

sti ll r e

g r e t that it

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c ame t

o

light.

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■d o"se rva tionF ')fl trees and plants, birds and insects. I was

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o:>rse than I eY')ect...a. ,"O* one -.tu 1cill,, .J . ....... ... ~. is .. L ;,

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wilt h ~ ··,ai:herpd rro"1. rnese hu~ Ul ~ _, ,. . , I ciu •••• t :,..,r _ ).

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Iii('' ' hk <> Sll4

w,-. .. •~ver oeoole 'llav think of my book, I still regret that it er r.ame to 111, · ·t.