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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..241b0f6 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #67111 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67111) diff --git a/old/67111-0.txt b/old/67111-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7663d63..0000000 --- a/old/67111-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9295 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Sacred Tree, by Murasaki - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Sacred Tree - Being the Second Part of ‘The Tale of Genji’ - -Author: Murasaki - -Translator: Arthur Waley - -Release Date: January 6, 2022 [eBook #67111] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Ronald Grenier - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SACRED TREE *** - - - - - - THE SACRED TREE - - BEING THE SECOND PART - OF ‘THE TALE OF GENJI’ - - By - LADY MURASAKI - - Translated from the Japanese by - Arthur Waley - - - Boston and New York - HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY - The Riverside Press Cambridge - 1926 - - To - - MARY MacCARTHY - - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN - - - - - PREFACE - -Several critics have asked to be told more about the writer of the -Tale of Genji. Unfortunately little is known of Murasaki’s life save -the bare facts recorded in the first appendix of Volume I. What other -knowledge we possess is derived from her _Diary_, which will be -discussed in a later volume and is meanwhile available in Mr. Doi’s -translation. Reviewers have also asked for information concerning -the state of literature in Japan at the time when the _Tale_ was -written. This I have supplied; and I have further ventured upon a short -discussion of Murasaki’s art and its relation to the fiction of the -West. - -I have been blamed for using Catholic terms to describe heathen -rituals. My reason for doing so is that the outward forms of medieval -Buddhism stand much nearer to Catholicism than to the paler ceremonies -of the Protestant Church, and if one avoids words with specifically -Catholic associations one finds oneself driven back upon the still -less appropriate terminology of Anglicanism. Thus ‘Vespers’ is a less -misleading translation than ‘Evening Service’ though the latter is far -more literal. - -Finally, I have thought it might be of interest to give a few notes -concerning the transmission of the text. - -Volume III is finished and will appear shortly. - -_Note on Pronunciation_.—The G in ‘Genji’ is hard, as in ‘gun.’ Vowels, -as in Italian. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - PREFACE 5 - LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS 9 - GENEALOGICAL TABLES 11 - SUMMARY OF VOL. 1 13 - INTRODUCTION: - FICTION IN JAPAN PREVIOUS TO THE _Tale of Genji_ 15 - THE ART OF MURASAKI 30 - NOTE ON THE TEXT 35 - - CHAPTER - X. THE SACRED TREE 39 - XI. THE VILLAGE OF FALLING FLOWERS 94 - XII. EXILE AT SUMA 99 - XIII. AKASHI 141 - XIV. THE FLOOD GAUGE 188 - XV. THE PALACE IN THE TANGLED WOODS 225 - XVI. A MEETING AT THE FRONTIER 252 - XVII. THE PICTURE COMPETITION 258 - XVIII. THE WIND IN THE PINE-TREES 282 - - - - - LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS - - (ALPHABETICAL) - - - Akashi, Lady of Daughter of the old recluse of Akashi. - - Akikonomu, Lady Vestal Virgin at Ise; daughter of Rokujō. - - Aoi, Princess Genji’s first wife. - - Asagao, Princess Genji’s first-cousin; courted by him in - vain. - - Chūjō Short for ‘Tō no Chūjō.’ - - Chūjō, Lady Tō no Chūjō’s daughter by his legitimate - wife. - - Chūnagon Maid to Oborozuki. - - Emperor, The Old Genji’s father. - - Fujitsubo The Old Emperor’s consort; loved by Genji. - - Genji, Prince The Old Emperor’s son by a concubine. - - Gosechi, Lady Dancer at the winter festival; admired by - Genji. - - Hyōbukyō, Prince Fujitsubo’s brother; Murasaki’s father. - - Iyo no Suke Husband of Utsusemi. - - Jijū Maid to Suyetsumu. - - Jōkyōden, Lady Consort of Suzaku. - - Ki no Kami Son of Iyo no Suke by his first wife. - - Kōkiden Original consort of the Old Emperor; - supplanted first by Genji’s mother, then - by Fujitsubo. - - Koremitsu Retainer to Genji. - - Murasaki Genji’s second wife. - - Oborozukiyo, Princess Younger sister of Kōkiden. - - Ōmyōbu Maid to Fujitsubo. - - Reikeiden Lady-in-waiting at the Old Emperor’s Court. - - Reikeiden, Princess Niece of Kōkiden. - - Rokujō, Princess Widow of the Old Emperor’s brother. - - Ryōzen, Emperor Son of Genji and Fujitsubo; successor to - Suzaku. - - Shōnagon Murasaki’s old nurse. - - Sochi no Miya, Prince Genji’s half-brother. - - Suyetsumu, Lady Daughter of Prince Hitachi; the red-nosed - (Suyetsumuhana) lady. - - Suzaku, Emperor Genji’s half-brother; successor to the Old - Emperor. - - Tō no Chūjō Brother of Genji’s first wife, Lady Aoi. - - Ukon no Jō (Ukon) Faithful retainer to Genji; brother of - Ki no Kami. - - Utsusemi Wife of Iyo no Suke. Courted by Genji. - - Village of Falling Sister of Reikeiden; protected by Genji. - Flowers, Lady from the - - - - - GENEALOGICAL TABLES - - - ┌ Prince Zembō, _m_. Lady Rokujō, and died young. - │ │ - │ └ Lady Akikonomu. - │ - │ - ├ THE OLD EMPEROR. - │ │ - │ ├ Suzaku (his mother was Lady Kōkiden). - │ │ - │ └ Genji (his mother was Lady Kiritsubo). - │ - │ - ├ Prince Momozono Shikibukyō. - │ │ - │ └ Princess Asagao. - │ - └ Princess Ōmiya, _m_. the Minister of the Left. - │ - ├ Aoi. - │ │ - │ └ Yūgiri. - │ - └ Tō no Chūjō. - │ - └ Lady Chūjō. - - - MINISTER OF THE RIGHT. - │ - ├ Kōkiden (eldest daughter). - │ - └ Oborozukiyo[1] (sixth daughter), wife of Suzaku, who is Emperor - for a time, but soon retires. - - - A FORMER EMPEROR. - │ - ├ Prince Hyōbukyō. - │ │ - │ └ Murasaki (Genji’s second wife). - │ - └ Fujitsubo. - │ - └ Ryōzen (supposed to be the old Emperor’s child; really Genji’s). - Becomes Emperor in Suzaku’s stead. - -[1] Whom in this volume I call Oborozuki for short. - - - - - SUMMARY OF VOLUME ONE - - -Genji is an illegitimate son of the Emperor; his mother dies soon -after his birth. At the age of twelve he is affianced to Lady Aoi, the -daughter of the Minister of the Left; but she is older than he is, and -looks down upon him as a mere schoolboy. Years go by and they are still -upon indifferent terms. Meanwhile Genji falls in love with Lady Rokujō, -a widow eight years older than himself. She is passionately jealous of -his wife (whom, however, Genji hardly ever sees) and relations with her -become very difficult. Genji turns for consolation to Utsusemi, wife of -a provincial governor: to Yūgao, a discarded mistress of his great -friend Tō no Chūjō: to the fantastic Lady Suyetsumuhana, the ‘lady -with the red nose.’ Utsusemi is carried away to the provinces by her -husband; Yūgao dies, withered by the virulence of Rokujō’s jealousy. -Meanwhile Genji manages to establish better terms with his wife, Aoi, -only to lose her through the operation of the same baleful force that -had destroyed Yūgao. Since his childhood Genji has had a passionate -admiration for Lady Fujitsubo, his father’s second wife and therefore -his own stepmother. He has a son by her which is believed by the world -to be the Emperor’s child. Had this misdemeanour became known, Genji’s -enemies, led by Lady Kōkiden who had been his mother’s rival, would -have had an ample pretext for driving him away from Court. As it is, -the actual cause of Genji’s banishment (recounted in Vol. II) is his -intrigue with Oborozukiyo, a much younger sister of his enemy, -Lady Kōkiden. - -At the end of Vol. I, Genji marries, _en secondes noces_, Lady -Murasaki, a niece of Fujitsubo, whom he had some years before taken -into his house and adopted. - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - -Fiction in Japan Previous to “The Tale of Genji” - -_The Tale of Genji_ was probably written about 1001–1015 A.D. We know -the titles of a good many earlier stories and romances. About a dozen -are mentioned in the _Tale_ itself. But only three actual works of -fiction survive, _The Bamboo-cutter_, _The Hollow Tree_ (‘Utsubo’), and -the _Room Below Stairs_ (‘Ochikubo’). Besides these there are a few -works which, though belonging to a rather different category, throw -some light on the development of fiction and will be mentioned in due -course. - -_The Bamboo-cutter_ dates from about 860–870. It is a harmless little -fairy-story. An old peasant finds a minute child in a bamboo-stem. She -grows up into a woman of surpassing beauty, is courted by numerous -lovers to whom she sets a series of grotesque tasks which they entirely -fail to perform. Finally celestial messengers arrive and carry her away -to the sky. - -The _Hollow Tree_ cannot be much earlier than 980. No doubt in this -interval of more than a hundred years much was written that is now -lost. But it cannot be said that _The Hollow Tree_ shows much sign -of progress. As it exists to-day it is a very long book—more than -half as long as _Genji_. But it is not quite certain whether, of -the fourteen chapters which we now possess, any but the first -(called _Toshikage_) is really earlier than _Genji_. _Toshikage_ is -the story of a man who on the way from Japan to China, regardless of -geographical probabilities, gets wrecked ‘on the coast of Persia.’ In -this country he falls in with supernatural beings from whom he obtains -thirty miraculous zitherns and the knowledge of enchanted tunes. After -a distinguished career on the Continent he returns to Japan with ten -zitherns which he distributes among the grandees of the Court, keeping -one for his small daughter, to whom alone he teaches the marvellous -Persian tunes. He and his wife die, the daughter marries unhappily and -is finally left with no possessions save the marvellous zithern and -a little son of twelve. They take refuge in a hollow tree, but soon -discover to their consternation that their new home is the den of a -bear who, returning from his day’s hunting, is about to devour them, -when the little boy makes a speech of several pages. The bear is so -much moved that, far from molesting the intruders, it puts the hollow -tree at their disposition and trots off to look for another home. -Finally the wicked husband repents, takes back the wife and child whom -he had deserted and all ends happily. The child embarks upon its career -as an infant prodigy and at the age of eighteen takes part victoriously -in a musical competition at Court. - -The remaining chapters deal chiefly with the rivalry of this young -musician and other courtiers for the hand of the Prime Minister’s -daughter. They possess a certain historical interest as pictures of -Court life, but are long-winded and boring to an almost unbelievable -degree. Even _Toshikage_ (the first chapter), which, when summarized, -may sound mildly entertaining, is for the most part unendurably silly. - -A little later, but not very far removed in date, is the _Room Below -Stairs_. It is a feebly sentimental story about an ill-used -step-child, somewhat in the manner of the edifying stories told in the -_Fairchild Family_, but wholly lacking in the occasional felicities -which spring unexpectedly from Mrs. Sherwood’s pen. It is, however, a -short book (only about 200 pages) and that is the best that can be said -for it. - -In none of these works is there any ability or desire to portray -character. That is not in itself fatal to a work of fiction. The -_Arabian Nights_ are without it, and it exists only in the most -rudimentary form in Defoe. But if this resource be neglected, something -must take its place. There must be a fertility of narrative invention -(as in Near Eastern fiction) or the building up of effect by sequences -of actual word-texture (as in Virginia Woolf). Otherwise not literature -but mere perfunctory anecdote will result, as has indeed happened in -the case of _Genji’s_ predecessors. - -Now Murasaki herself has every quality which these earlier writers -lack. She exploits character, in a very restrained way, it is true, but -with an unerring instinct how to produce the greatest effect with the -least possible display. And to this she adds not only an astonishing -capacity for invention, but also a beauty of actual diction unsurpassed -by any long novel in the world. For none of these qualities was she -indebted in any way to such of her predecessors as survive. Concerning -lost works it is useless to speculate. - -I have said that besides the three early stories there are other -prose works which have some bearing on the history of Japanese -fiction. To begin with there are the _Tales of Ise_, written somewhere -about 890 A.D. They consist of 125 short paragraphs (often only two -or three lines) containing little poems and a description of the -circumstances under which they were written. They appear to concern the -love-adventures of a single person, but are quite disconnected. I -have translated one of the longer episodes in my _Japanese Poetry_. The -_Yamato Tales_, about half a century later, also centre round poems. -They consist of rather trivial anecdotes about courtiers of the period. - -We now come to the one book which, though it is not a work of fiction -and though it lacks the qualities of deliberate art which make _Genji_ -so astonishing, at least seems to move in the same world of thought and -feeling. This is the _Gossamer Diary_ (‘Kagerō Nikki’). - -The writer was mistress of the great statesman Fujiwara no Kane-iye -(929–999). By him she had a son called Michitsuna, and her name not -being recorded she is known to history as ‘Michitsuna’s mother.’ He -made her acquaintance in 954 and Michitsuna was born the year after. -But Kane-iye already had a wife, a legitimate family and numerous -mistresses. Lady Gossamer (as we will for convenience call the writer -of the _Diary_) could not expect undivided attention. This was a fact -that she took years to recognize, and when the diary closes (in the -twentieth year of their _liaison_!) she had indeed recognized her -position, but was still as far from accepting it as at the start. - -The record begins in 954, the year in which they met. ‘For twenty -days he has not been here at all.’ ‘This month he has written -only twice....’ Such entries are frequent from the beginning. Her -grievance grew and grew. It became her whole life. When he did not -come, she wept; when he came, she wept because he had not come -sooner. She was immersed in perpetual devotions; while he, like our -own eighteenth-century bucks whom in every particular he so strongly -resembled, only turned religious when he was ill. Often he found her -kneeling before an image of Buddha, lost in prayer; and one day, -suddenly infuriated by this dismal reception, he kicked over her -incense-bowl and, snatching the rosary from her hands, flung it across -the room. He loved gaiety, noise, funny stories, practical jokes. She -was shy, sensitive and, above all, terribly serious. His method of -entertaining her was to repeat with immense gusto ‘every piece of silly -clownery or tomfoolery’ that was current in the City, spiced with jokes -and puns of his own. - -She was incurably sentimental. Never for an instant could she recognize -that time must bring changes, and after ten years she was still -expecting him to court her with the ardour of _arishi toki_, ‘the times -that were.’ - -One night when she is awaiting him she lights the candles. No! She will -let him find her in the dark, as in those old days when their love -was still a secret escapade. She puts the candles out and, hearing -him fumbling at the entry, cries _Koko ni_! (Here!) and stretches out -her hand as she had often done before. But to-night he is in no mood -for hide-and-seek. ‘What game is this?’ he cries angrily, ‘light the -candles at once. I cannot see my way into the room.’ Then he asks if -they can find him a snack of something to eat; he has had no supper. -He eats his fish in silence, then says that he has had a tiring day, -yawns, and falls asleep. At dawn his sons, the children of her rival, -come to fetch him, and he calls her to the window to ‘look what fine -young fellows they have grown.’ - -His visits become more and more infrequent. She is desperately unhappy, -talks of suicide, threatens to become a nun and on more than one -occasion actually instals herself in a nunnery, but always allows -herself to be ‘rescued’ at the last minute. The second flight was to -a temple at Narutaki. Here she remained for many months in a state of -the greatest agitation; but she did not take her vows, and in the end -allowed herself to be fetched, quietly away by Kane-iye and her -son Michitsuna, now a boy in his ’teens. - -It was at this moment that she actually began the composition of the -_Diary_, the first part of which is not a day-to-day record but an -autobiographical fragment composed many years later than the events -which it records. But henceforward the book has all the character of a -diary and is indeed very minute; scarcely a shower passes unrecorded. -A new phase in the story begins with the adoption by Lady Gossamer of -a little orphan girl aged twelve, a child of her lover Kane-iye by a -woman whom years ago he had seduced and immediately abandoned. The -child grows up and is ultimately courted by the head of the office in -which Lady Gossamer’s son Michitsuna is now working. Kane-iye gives his -consent to the match; Lady Gossamer hears stories to the young man’s -discredit, foresees for her adopted daughter a life all too like her -own and opposes the plan. - -Here (in 974 A.D., twenty years after she first met Kane-iye) the -_Diary_ ends abruptly. - -Publication in our sense of the word did not of course exist in those -days. But no doubt a few copies of the book were made for those who -were likely to be interested. Kane-iye himself, who lived on for -another twenty-five years, surely possessed one. Now it was in the -family of Kane-iye’s legitimate son Michinaga[1] that Murasaki, the -authoress of the _Tale of Genji_, served as lady-in-waiting, and we -know from Murasaki’s diary that this Michinaga fell in love with her -and courted her. It is more than probable that Michinaga had inherited -a copy of the _Gossamer Diary_ from Kane-iye and in that case it is -also very probable that he showed it to Murasaki. This much at any -rate is certain, that we find in the _Gossamer Diary_ an anticipation -of just those characteristics which mark off _Genji_ from other -Japanese romances,—apt delineation of character, swift narrative, vivid -description and above all the realization that a story of actual life, -such as is led by hundreds of real men and women, is not necessarily -less interesting than a tale crammed with ogres and divinities. The -following passage refers to the year 970, when Kane-iye (the lover) was -41, Michitsuna (the bastard) 15 and Lady Gossamer herself perhaps about -35. - -‘Every day he promises that it shall be to-morrow. And when to-morrow -comes, it is to be the day after. Of course I do not believe him; -yet each time that this happens I begin imagining that he has -repented,—that all has come right again. So day after day goes by. - -‘At last I am certain. He does not intend to come. I did not think that -about unhappiness I had anything fresh to learn; I confess that never -before have I endured such torture as in these last days. Hour after -hour the same wretched thoughts chase through my brain. Shall I be able -to endure it much longer? I have tried to pray; but no prayer forms -itself in my mind, save the wish that I were dead. - -‘But there is this lovely creature (her son Michitsuna) to think of. If -only he were a little older and I could see him married to some girl -whom I trusted, then I would indeed be glad to die. But as it is how -can I leave him to shift for himself,—to wander perhaps from house to -house? No, that is too horrible. I must not die. - -‘I might of course become a nun and try to forget all this. Indeed, -I did once speak of it (i.e. to Michitsuna),—quite lightly, just to -see how he would take it. He was terribly distressed and, struggling -with his tears, he told me that if I did so he would become a monk, -“For what would there be,” he said, “to keep me in the world? You are -the only thing I care for.” And at that he burst into a flood of -tears. By this time I too was weeping; but seeing him almost beside -himself with grief I tried to pass the thing off as a jest, saying -“Well, I mean to one day; and what will your highness do then?” It -happened that he had a falcon on his wrist, and jumping straight to his -feet he set it free, reciting as he did so the verse: “Desolate must -she be, and weary of strife, whose thoughts, like this swift bird, fly -heavenward at a touch.” - -‘At this, some of my servants who chanced to be sitting near by could -not restrain their tears; and it may be imagined with what feelings I, -in the midst of the unendurable misery and agitation with which I was -contending, heard my child utter these words. - -‘It was growing dark when suddenly _he_ (her lover) arrived at the -house. For some reason I felt certain that he had come only to regale -me with all the empty gossip that was going round. I sent a message -that I was not well and would see him some other time. - -‘It is the tenth day of the seventh month. Every one is getting ready -their Ullambana[2] presents. If, after all these years, he should fail -to send me anything for the festival I think the most hard-hearted -person in the world could not help being sorry for me! However, there -is still time. - -‘Last night, just when I was thinking I should have to get the -offerings for myself and was weeping bitterly, a messenger came with -just the same presents as in other years, and a letter attached! Even -the dead were not forgotten.[3] In his letter he quoted the poem: -“Though never far away, yet wretched must I bide....” If that is indeed -how he feels, his conduct becomes more than ever inexplicable! No -allusion to the fact that he has transferred his affections to some one -else. Yet I am certain it is so. - -‘It suddenly occurs to me that there is a certain gentlewoman in the -household of that Prince Ono no Miya[4] who died the other day. I -believe that it is she whom my lord is courting. She is called Ōmi, -and I heard some one whispering not long ago that this Ōmi was having -an adventure of some kind. He does not want her to know that he comes -here. That is why he decided to break with me beforehand. I said this -to one of my maids; but she doubted if there were anything in it. “O -well, it may be so,” she said, “but in any case this Ōmi is not the -sort of person to ask many questions....” - -‘I have got another idea. I think it is one of the daughters of the -late Emperor. But what difference does it make? In any case, as every -one tells me, it is no use just sitting and watching him slip away from -me as one might watch the light fade out of the evening sky. “Go away, -pay a visit somewhere or other,” they say to me. I have thought about -nothing else day or night but this hideous business. The weather is -very hot. But it is no use going on talking about what I am going to -do. This time my mind is made up. I am going to Ishiyama for ten days. - -‘I decided to tell no one, not even my brothers, and stole from the -house very secretly, just before dawn. Once outside, I began to run as -fast as I could. I had almost reached the Kamo River when some of my -women came rushing after me laden with all sorts of stuff. How they -discovered that I had fled and that this was the direction I had taken, -I still do not know. The setting moon was shining very brightly and -we might easily have been recognized; but we met no one. When we came -to the river some one told me there was a dead man lying face -downwards on the shingle. I did not feel afraid. - -‘By the time we reached the Awada Hill I began to be very exhausted and -was obliged to rest. I had still not decided what I should do when I -arrived,[5] and in the agony of trying to make up my mind I burst into -tears. I could not risk being seen in such a state and staggering to my -feet I set out once more, just able to drag myself along a step or two -at a time. - -‘By the time we reached Yamashina it was quite light. I felt like a -criminal whose guilt has suddenly been exposed and became so agitated -that I scarcely knew what I was doing. My women had now fallen behind. -I waited for them and made them go in front, myself walking alone so -that we might attract as little attention as possible. Yet the people I -met stared at me curiously and whispered excitedly. I was terrified. - -‘Scarcely able to draw breath I at last reached Hashiri-i. Here they -said it was time for breakfast, and having opened the picnic baskets -they were just arranging the mats and getting things ready when we -heard people coming towards us shouting at the top of their voices. -What was I to do? Who could it be? I could only suppose that they -were friends of one or another of the maids who were with me. “Could -anything more tiresome have happened?” I was just thinking, when I saw -that the people were on horseback and formed part of a large travelling -party, consisting of numerous riders and a number of waggons and -coaches. It was in fact the retired governor of Wakasa coming back from -his province. Soon they began to pass the place where we were sitting. -Fortunate travellers! Among them are many who from to-day onwards will -kneel in my Lord’s presence noon and night. This thought cut -through my heart like a knife. It seemed to me that the drivers took -the waggons as close as they could to where we had spread our mats. -While they were passing us, not only the servants who were at the back -of the coaches but even the drivers and grooms behaved disgracefully, -making such remarks as I had never heard before. My ladies showed great -spirit, hastily moving our belongings as far from the roadside as they -could and calling out: “This is a public highway, isn’t it? We have -just as good a right to be here as you!” What an odious scene to be -mixed up with! As soon as they were well out of sight we pressed on -again, and were soon passing through the Ōsaka gate. I reached the quay -at Uchide[6] more dead than alive. My people whom I had sent on ahead -had gathered long bulrushes and built for me a kind of shelter or cabin -on the deck. I crept on board and lay down, scarcely noticing whether -we had the boat to ourselves or not. Soon we were far out upon the -lake. During the voyage, as we drew further and further from the City, -I felt a loneliness, an anguish, an utter helplessness impossible to -describe. It was well after the Hour of the Monkey (i.e. about 5 p.m.) -that we reached the temple. - -‘As soon as I had taken a bath, I went and lay down. Again I began -trying to make up my mind what I should do, and for several hours I lay -tossing from side to side, unable to get any rest. At dusk I washed -again and went into the Chapel. - -‘I began trying to make my confession to Buddha; but tears choked me -and my voice fell to a whisper. It was now quite dark. I went to the -window and looked out. The Chapel stood high, and below it was what -seemed like a precipitous ravine; it lay in a cup or hollow and the -steep banks on either side were overgrown with tall trees, so -that the place was very closed-in and dark. The moon was some twenty -days old and having risen late in the night was now shining with -extraordinary brilliance. Here and there the moonlight pierced through -the trees, making sudden patches of brightness; there was one such just -at the foot of the cliff. Looking straight below me I could see what -appeared to be a vast lake, but was indeed only a small drinking-pool. -I went on to a balcony and leant over the railing. Among the grass on -the steep bank far below me I could see something white appearing and -disappearing, and at the same time there was a curious, rustling sound. -I asked what it was and was told that these were deer. I was wondering -why I had not heard them cry as one generally does, when suddenly from -the direction of quite a different valley there came a faint weak sound -like the wailing of a new-born child. Surely it must be a young doe -crying a great way off? At first I thought that I was imagining the -sound; but presently it became unmistakable. - -‘I was lost in prayer and knew nothing of what was going on around -me, when a hideous yelling, seeming to come from the far side of the -hills at which I had been looking, broke in upon my prayers. It was -a peasant chasing some one off his land. Never have I heard a voice -more pitiless, more ferocious. If such sounds as that proved to be -common happenings in this place, I knew that I should not hold out very -long and, utterly shattered, I sat for a while trying to recover my -composure. At last I heard a sound of chanting in the temple; the monks -had begun to sing the _goya_,[7] and I left the chapel. Feeling very -weak, I again took a bath. It was beginning to grow light, and looking -about me I saw that a heavy night-mist was rolling away to the -West, blown by a light, steady wind. The view beyond the river looked -as though painted in a picture. Near the water horses were quietly -grazing; they looked strangely small and far away. It was very lovely. - -‘If only my beloved child were in safe hands I would give everything up -and arrange to end my days here. But the moment I think of him I long -to be back in the City and become very depressed. - -‘He will be coming with the other boys on the excursion to Sakura-dani, -which is not far from here. If he were to come, I could not bear to -hear that he had passed so close.... I do not want to go back; but I -think if any one fetched me I should consent to go. But should I? I -worry about this all the time and cannot bring myself to eat anything. - -‘They came and told me they had been for a walk behind the monastery -and found some meadow-sweet growing near a pond. I asked them to bring -me some, which they did, and put the flowers in a bowl along with some -lemons on stripped stems. It really looked very pretty. - -‘When it was dark I went back to the chapel and spent the night in -confession and prayer, weeping bitterly the whole while. Towards -daybreak I dozed for a moment and dreamt that I saw one of the monks -(the one who seems to act as a sort of steward here) fill a bucket -of water and put it on the seat on my right. I woke up with a start -and knew at once that the dream had been sent to me by Buddha. It was -certainly not of a kind to bring much encouragement.[8] Presently some -one said that it was now broad daylight, and breaking off my prayers I -came down from the chapel. I found, however, that it was really -still quite dark. Only across the surface of the lake a whiteness was -creeping, against which were dimly outlined the figures of some twenty -men clustered together on the shore. They seemed all to be gazing -intently at something that was hidden from me by the shadow of the -cliff. But though I could see nothing I knew that from the dark place -would presently issue the boat for which they were waiting. A priest, -who had just come from the early morning service, was standing on the -cliff watching the boat put out from the shore, and as it drew further -and further away from him, it seemed to me that he gazed after it -almost wistfully. Should I too, if I had been here as many years, grow -weary of the place and long for escape? It may be so. “This time next -year!” the young men on the boat shouted; and by the time the priest -had called “goodbye” they were already mere shadows in the distance. -I looked up at the sky. The moon was very slim. Its narrow bow was -reflected in the lake. A rainy wind was now blowing and presently the -whole surface of the water became covered with glittering ripples. The -young men on the boat had begun to sing, and though their voices were -faint I could hear what song they were singing. It was “Haggard has -grown the face ...” and the sound of it brought back the tears to my -eyes. - -‘Ikaga Point, Yamabuki Point,—promontory after promontory was now -emerging from the darkness. And as my eye travelled along the shore I -suddenly saw something moving through the reeds. Before I could see -clearly what it was I began to hear the noise of oars, then the low -humming of a rowers’ song. A boat was drawing near. Some one standing -further down the shore called out as it passed “Where are you making -for?” “For the temple,” a voice from the boat answered, “to fetch the -lady....” - -‘How my heart beat when I heard those words! It seems that despite -all my precautions he[9] caught wind of my plan, and sent some servants -to escort me; but by then I suppose I had already started. They were -at first wrongly directed; hence the delay. The boat pulled inshore, -room was made for us, and soon we were on our homeward way, the oarsmen -singing lustily. As we passed along the side of Seta Bridge it began to -grow quite light. A covey of sand-plovers, with much frilling of wings, -flew right across us; and indeed, before we reached the quay where two -days ago I had taken boat, we had seen many lovely and moving sights. A -carriage was waiting for me at the quay and I was back in the City soon -after the hour of the Snake (10 a.m.). No sooner did I reach home than -my women gathered round me full of lurid stories about all that had -been going on in the world since my departure. It is really very odd -that they should still think such things have any interest for me; and -so I told them.’ - -In the _Izumi Shikibu Nikki_, the record of a love-affair which took -place in 1003–1004, we find the romantic diary already becoming a -rather effete and self-conscious _genre_. This little book (some -forty pages) is utterly lacking in the intensity and directness of -Lady Gossamer’s journal; it has been translated into English[10] -and the environment of the story is so new to European readers that -its weakness as literature tends to be condoned. Another work which -preceded _Genji_ by a few years was the _Makura no Sōshi_ or ‘Pillow -Sketches’ of Sei Shōnagon. This is a spirited commonplace-book, but it -contains no connected narrative and therefore does not here concern us. -The greater part of it was translated by the late Abbé Noël Péri, and -no doubt his translation will one day be published. - - -The Art of Murasaki - -Most critics have agreed that the book is a remarkable one and that -Murasaki is a writer of considerable talent; but few have dealt with -the points that seem to me fundamental. No one has discussed, in -anything but the most shadowy way, the all-important question of how -she has turned to account the particular elements in story-telling -which she has chosen to exploit. The work, it is true, is a -translation, and this fact prevents discussion of Murasaki as a poet, -as an actual handler of words. But it has for long been customary to -criticize Russian novels as though Mrs. Garnett’s translation were the -original; nor is there any harm in doing so, provided actual questions -of style are set aside. - -One reviewer did indeed analyse the nature of Murasaki’s achievement to -the extent of classifying her as ‘psychological’ and in this respect he -even went so far as to class her with Marcel Proust. Now it is clear -that, if we contrast _Genji_ with such fiction as does not exploit the -ramifications of the human mind at all (the _Arabian Nights_ or _Mother -Goose_), it appears to be ‘psychological.’ But if we go on to compare -it with Stendhal, with Tolstoy, with Proust, the _Tale of Genji_ -appears by contrast to possess little more psychological complication -than a Grimm’s fairy tale. - -Yet it does for a very definite reason belong more to the category -which includes Proust, than to the category which includes Grimm. -Murasaki, like the novelist of to-day, is not principally interested -in the events of the story, but rather in the effect which these -events may have upon the minds of her characters. Such books as hers -it is convenient, I think, to call ‘novels,’ while reserving for other -works of fiction the name ‘story’ or ‘romance.’ She is ‘modern’ -again owing to the accident that medieval Buddhism possessed certain -psychological conceptions which happen to be current in Europe to-day. -The idea that human personality is built up of different layers -which may act in conflict, that an emotion may exist in the fullest -intensity and yet be unperceived by the person in whom it is at -work—such conceptions were commonplaces in ancient Japan. They give to -Murasaki’s work a certain rather fallacious air of modernity. But it is -not psychological elements such as these that Murasaki is principally -exploiting. She is, I think, obtaining her effects by means which -are so unfamiliar to European readers (though they have, in varying -degrees, often been exploited in the West) that while they work as they -were intended to do and produce aesthetic pleasure, the reader is quite -unconscious how this pleasure arose. - -What then are the essential characteristics of Murasaki’s art? -Foremost, I think, is the way in which she handles the whole course -of narrative as a series of contrasted effects. Examine the relation -of Chapter VIII (_The Feast of the Flowers_) to its environment. The -effect of these subtly-chosen successions is more like that of music -(of the movements, say, in a Mozart symphony) than anything that we -are familiar with in European fiction. True, at the time when the -criticisms to which I refer were made only one volume of the work had -been translated; but the quality which I have mentioned is, I should -have supposed, abundantly illustrated in the first chapters. That to -one critic the _Tale of Genji_ should have appeared to be memoirs—a -realistic record of accidental happenings rather than a novel—is to me -utterly incomprehensible. But the first painted makimonos that were -brought to Europe created the same impression. They were regarded -merely as a succession of topographical records, joined together -more or less fortuitously; and Murasaki’s art obviously has a close -analogy with that of the makimono. Then there is her feeling for shape -and tempo. She knows that, not only in the work as a whole, but in -each part of it there is a beginning, a middle and an end, and that -each of these divisions has its own character, its appropriate pace -and intensity. It is inconceivable, for example, that she should open -a book or episode with a highly-coloured and elaborate passage of -lyrical description, calculated to crush under its weight all that -follows. Another point in which she excels is the actual putting of -her characters on to the scene. First their existence is hinted at, -our curiosity is aroused, we are given a glimpse; and only after much -manoeuvring is the complete entry made. The modern novelist tends to -fling his characters on to the canvas without tact or precaution of any -kind. That credence, attention even, may be a hard thing to win does -not occur to him, for he is corrupted by a race of readers who come to -a novel seeking the pleasures of instruction rather than those of art; -readers who will forgive every species of clumsiness provided they are -shown some stratum of life with which they were not previously familiar. - -How finally does Murasaki achieve the extraordinary reality, the -almost ‘historical’ character with which she succeeds in investing her -scenes? Many readers have agreed with me in feeling that such episodes -as the death of Yūgao, the clash of the coaches at the Kamo festival, -the visit of Genji to the mountains, the death of Aoi, become, after -one reading, a permanent accession to the world as one knows it, -are things which have ‘happened’ as much as the most vivid piece of -personal experience. This sense of reality with which she invests her -narrative is not the result of realism in any ordinary sense. It is -not the outcome of those clever pieces of small observation by -which the modern novelist strives to attain the same effect. Still -less is it due to solid character building; for Murasaki’s characters -are mere embodiments of some dominant characteristic; Genji’s father -is easy-going; Aoi, proud; Murasaki, long-suffering; Oborozukiyo, -light-headed. This sense of reality is due rather, I think, to a -narrative gift of a kind that is absolutely extinct in Europe. To -analyse such a gift would require pages of quotation. What does it -in the last resort consist in, save a preeminent capacity for saying -the most relevant things in the most effective order? Yet, simple as -this sounds, I believe that in it rests, unperceived by the eye of -the Western critic, more than half the secret of Murasaki’s art. Her -construction is in fact classical; elegance, symmetry, restraint—these -are the qualities which she can set in the scales against the -interesting irregularities of European fiction. That such qualities -should not be easily recognized in the West is but natural; for here -the novel has always been Gothic through and through. - - - - -NOTE ON THE TEXT - - -The Medieval Manuscripts - -In the Middle Ages (from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries) -the MSS. of _Genji_ were divided into two groups, (1) Those which were -founded on the copy made for Fujiwara no Sadaiye about the middle of -the thirteenth century. His was known as the Blue Cover Copy and is the -basis of all printed editions[11] down to the present day. (2) Those -which were founded on the copy made for Minamoto no Mitsuyuki early in -the thirteenth century. His was known as the Kōchi Copy, owing to the -fact that he was Governor of Kōchi. At first the more popular of the -two, it was afterwards almost entirely disregarded. - - -Existing Manuscripts - -The earliest existing _Genji_ manuscript is a series of rolls -illustrating some of the later chapters of the _Tale_. They are -attributed to Tosa no Takayoshi (early twelfth century). Then comes a -manuscript of Chapter xxiv (_The Tide-Gauge_), which is supposed to -be in the handwriting of Fujiwara no Sadaiye and therefore to date -from the first half of the thirteenth century. The earliest complete -manuscript is the Hirase Copy, which is in private possession at Ōsaka. -It was made during the years 1309–1311 and is founded principally -on the Kōchi Copy. It has thus a quite different pedigree from the -currently printed text. I know it only from facsimiles of Chapters i -and xxxi kindly presented to me by Professor Naitō, on whose researches -the above information is largely based. My translation is based chiefly -on the Hakubunkwan edition of 1914; but numerous other editions have -been consulted. - -[1] 966–1027 A.D. - -[2] Festival on the 15th day of the 7th month. The presents given are -to be used as offerings to Buddha. - -[3] I.e. specially her mother. The festival was on behalf of the souls -of dead parents and ancestors. - -[4] An uncle of Kane-iye’s. - -[5] Whether she should stay permanently in the monastery. - -[6] The modern Ōtsu, now reached from Kyōto (her starting-point) by -tramway in half an hour. - -[7] The late night service. - -[8] It foreboded ill to Kane-iye, who was at that time Marshal of the -bodyguard of the _Right_. Water typifies weakness and death. - -[9] Kane-iye. - -[10] _Diaries of Court Ladies_, 1920. - -[11] The earliest printed edition known to me is that of 1650, of which -there is a copy in the British Museum. I imagine this to be the _editio -princeps_. - - - - - THE SACRED TREE - - CHAPTER X - - THE SACRED TREE - - -As the time for her daughter’s departure came near, Lady Rokujō -fell into utter despair. It had at first been generally supposed -that the death of the lady at the Great Hall would put an end -to all her troubles and the attendants who waited upon her at -the Palace-in-the-Fields were agog with excitement. But their -expectations remained unfulfilled. Not a word came from Genji, and -this unprecedented treatment on his part finally convinced her that -something[1] had indeed happened which it was impossible for him to -forgive. She strove to cast out all thought of him from her heart so -that when the time came she might set out upon her journey without -misgiving or regret. For a parent to accompany her daughter on such -an occasion was in the highest degree unusual; but in this case the -Virgin’s extreme youth was a convenient excuse, and Rokujō put it -about that as the child still needed surveillance she had decided to -quit the temporal world in her daughter’s company. Even after all that -had happened the prospect of parting with her forever was extremely -painful to Genji, and as the day drew near he again began to send her -letters full of tenderness and solicitude. But he did not propose a -meeting, and she herself had by now given up all hope that there -could be any question of such a thing. She was certain that (for all -his politeness) what had happened must in reality have made her utterly -odious to him, and she was determined not to plunge herself, all to no -purpose, into a fresh period of conflict and agitation. From time to -time she made short visits to her palace, but so secretly that Genji -did not hear of it. The Palace-in-the-Fields was not a place where -he could see her without inconvenient restrictions and formalities. -He fully intended to see her, but put off the visit from day to day -till at last months had elapsed since she left the city. Then the -ex-Emperor’s health began to decline. He had no definitely serious or -alarming symptoms, but constantly complained of feeling that there was -something wrong with him. Genji’s thoughts were therefore a great deal -occupied with his father’s condition; but he did not want Rokujō to -leave with the impression that he had lost all feeling for her, nor did -he wish those who knew of their friendship to think that he had treated -her heartlessly, and despite all difficulties he set out one day for -the Palace-in-the-Fields. It was the seventh of the ninth month and -the departure of the Virgin for Ise was bound to take place within the -next few days. It may be imagined that Rokujō and her maids were in no -condition to receive visits, but he wrote again and again begging her -to see him even if it were only at the moment of her departure, and at -last, despite the fluster into which her whole household was plunged, -and feeling all the while that she was acting very imprudently, she -could no longer fight against her longing once more to see him and -sent word secretly that, if he came, she would contrive to speak to -him for a moment from behind her screen-of-state. As he made his -way through the open country that stretched out endlessly on every -side, his heart was strangely stirred. The autumn flowers were -fading; along the reeds by the river the shrill voices of many insects -blended with the mournful fluting of the wind in the pines. Scarcely -distinguishable from these somewhere in the distance rose and fell a -faint, enticing sound of human music. He had with him only a handful -of outriders, and his attendants were by his orders dressed so as to -attract as little notice as possible. They noted that this lack of show -contrasted strangely with the elaborate pains which their master had -bestowed upon his own equipment, and as they looked with admiration -at the fine figure he cut, the more romantically disposed among them -were thrilled at the thought that it had befallen them to accompany -him upon a journey, every circumstance of which was calculated to -stir to the depth such sensitive hearts as theirs. So delighted was -Genji with the scene before him that he continually asked himself why -it was that he had deferred this visit for so long; and he regretted -that while Rokujō was at the Palace-in-the-Fields he had not made a -constant practice of visiting her. They came at last to a group of very -temporary-looking wooden huts surrounded by a flimsy brushwood fence. -The archways,[2] built of unstripped wood, stood out black and solemn -against the sky. Within the enclosure a number of priests were walking -up and down with a preoccupied air. There was something portentous -in their manner of addressing one another and in their way of loudly -clearing their throats before they spoke. In the Hill of Offering there -was a dim flicker of firelight, but elsewhere no single sign of life. -So this was the place where he had left one who was from the start in -great distress of mind, to shift for herself week after week, month -after month! Suddenly he realized with a terrible force all that she -must have suffered. He hurried to the place where she had told him -he would find her (a room in the northern outbuilding) and sent in a -long message contrasting his present quiet and serious existence with -his now discarded frivolities. She in return replied with a message, -but did not suggest that they should meet. This angered him. ‘You do -not seem to realize,’ he said, ‘that such excursions as this are now -no part of my ordinary existence and can only be arranged with the -greatest difficulty. I had hoped that instead of keeping me beyond -the pale, you would hasten to relieve all the anxiety that I have had -concerning you in the long months since we met.’ To this appeal were -added the protests of her waiting-ladies who were scandalized at the -idea of Prince Genji being left waiting outside the house. At first -she pleaded the impossibility of receiving a guest in surroundings so -cramped and wretched, her duty towards her daughter at this critical -hour, the undesirability of such an interview just on the eve of her -permanent departure. But though the prospect of facing him filled -her with unspeakable depression, she had not the heart to treat him -unkindly, and at last, looking very grave, with sighs and hesitation -at every step she came forward to meet him. ‘I presume that here one -is allowed no further than the verandah,’ he said, and mounting the -narrow bamboo platform that surrounded the building he took his seat -there. An evening moon had risen and as she saw him moving in its -gentle light she knew that all this while she had not been wrong; he -was indeed more lovely, more enticing than anyone in the world beside. -He began trying to explain why it was that for so many months on end -he had not been able to visit her; but he soon got into a tangle, -and feeling suddenly embarrassed he plucked a spray from the Sacred -Tree[3] which grew outside her room and handing it to her through -her blinds-of-state he said: ‘Take this evergreen bough in token that -my love can never change. Were it not so, why should I have set foot -within the boundaries of this hallowed plot? You use me very ill.’ -But she answered with the verse ‘Thought you perchance that the Holy -Tree from whose boughs you plucked a spray was as “the cedar by the -gate”?’[4] To this he replied: ‘Well knew I what priestess dwelt in -this shrine, and for her sake came to pluck this offering of fragrant -leaves.’ - -Though the position was not likely to be a very comfortable one, he now -thrust his head under the reed blinds and sat with his legs dangling -over the wooden framework of the bamboo platform. During all the years -when he could see her as often and as intimately as he chose and she on -her side withheld nothing from him, he had gone on serenely assuming -that it would be always so, and never once in all that time had he -felt so deeply moved as at this moment. Suddenly he realized with -astonishment that though after that unhappy incident he had imagined -it to be impossible for them to meet and had so avoided all risk of -his former affection being roused to new life, yet from the first -moment of this strange confrontation he had immediately found himself -feeling towards her precisely as he had before their estrangement. -Violently agitated he began to cast his mind rapidly over the long -years of their friendship. Now all this was over. It was too horrible. -He burst into tears. She had determined not to let him see what she -was suffering, but now she could restrain herself no longer and he was -soon passionately entreating her not to go down to Ise after all. The -moon had set, but the starlit sky was calm and lovely. Pausing -often to gaze up into the night he began at last to speak to her of -what had lain so heavily on his heart. But no sooner was it openly -mentioned between them than all the pent-up bitterness of so many weeks -was suddenly released and vanished utterly away. Little by little, in -preparation for her final departure, she had at last accustomed herself -to think of him almost with indifference. Now in a moment all this was -undone, and when she heard Genji himself entreating her to abandon the -journey her heart beat violently, and the wildest thoughts agitated -her brain. The garden which surrounded her apartments was laid out in -so enchanting a manner that the troops of young courtiers who in the -early days of the retreat had sought in vain to press their attentions -upon her, used, even when she had sent them about their business, to -linger there regretfully; and on this marvellous night the place seemed -consciously to be deploying all its charm. In the hours which followed, -no secret was withheld on her side or on his; but what passed between -them I shall not attempt to tell. - -At last the night ended in such a dawn as seemed to have been fashioned -for their especial delight. ‘Sad is any parting at the red of dawn; but -never since the world began, gleamed day so tragically in the autumn -sky,’ and as he recited these verses, aghast to leave her, he stood -hesitating and laid her hand tenderly in his. - -A cold wind was blowing. The pine-crickets in neighbouring trees were -whispering in harsh despairing tones, as though they knew well enough -what was toward. Their dismal voices would have struck a chill to the -heart of any casual passer-by, and it may well be imagined what cheer -they gave to lovers already at the height of distraction and anguish. -She recited the verse ‘Sad enough already is this autumn parting; -add not your dismal song, O pine-crickets of the moor.’ He knew that -it was his neglect that had forced this parting upon them. But now it -was too late to make amends. Full of useless regrets, while the grey -light of morning spread over the sky, he journeyed back disconsolately -to the town, through meadows deep in dew. As she watched him go she -could no longer restrain herself, and at the thought that she had lost -him forever broke into a fit of reckless weeping. Her gentlewomen, -who on the evening before caught a fleeting glimpse of him in the -moonlight, enjoyed next morning the excitement of detecting in their -mistress’s room a lingering fragrance of the princely scent which he -had carried.[5] It may well be imagined that they at any rate were far -from condemning the crime to which she had been accessory. ‘It would -have to be a marvellous journey indeed that I was going to take, before -I could bring myself to part from such a one as this young prince!’ So -one of the ladies exclaimed; and at the thought that they had seen him -for the last time all were on the verge of tears. - -His letter, which arrived during the day, was so full and affectionate -that had it been within her power she might have attempted to alter -her plans. But matters had gone too far for that and it was useless to -think of it. Nor were his feelings towards her (she was convinced) of -a sort to warrant such a step. Much of what he had said was inspired -simply by pity for her. But the mere fact that he took the trouble to -say such things—that he thought it worth while to comfort her—showed -that he still retained something of his old feeling, and the thought -that even upon such remnants of affection as this she must now soon -turn her back forever, filled her mind with the most painful longings -and regrets. He sent her many costumes and all else of which she -could possibly have need upon the journey, with suitable presents to -all her ladies. But to these handsome and costly gifts she gave hardly -a thought. Indeed as the hour of her departure drew near she sank into -a state of utter collapse. It was as though she had never till that -moment fully realized the desolation and misery into which an intrigue, -undertaken originally in a reckless and frivolous spirit, had at last -plunged her. Meanwhile the Virgin, who had to the last been far from -certain that her mother really meant to accompany her, was delighted -that all was now fixed beyond power of recall. The unusual decision -of the mother to accompany her daughter was much discussed in the -world at large. Some scented a scandal; a few were touched by so rare -an exhibition of family attachment. It is indeed in many ways more -comfortable to belong to that section of society whose actions are -not publicly canvassed and discussed. A lady in Rokujō’s conspicuous -position finds her every movement subjected to an embarrassing scrutiny. - -On the sixteenth day of the seventh month the Virgin was purified in -the Katsura River. The ceremony was performed with more than ordinary -splendour, and her escort for the journey to Ise was chosen not -from among the Chamberlains and Counsellors, but from noblemen of -the highest rank and reputation. This was done in compliment to the -old ex-Emperor who showed a particular interest in the Virgin, his -favourite brother’s child. At the moment of her departure from the -Palace-in-the-Fields Rokujō was handed a letter. It was from Genji -and was couched in all those tender terms that had once been current -between them. Remembering the sacred errand upon which she was bound -he tied the letter to a streamer of white bark-cloth.[6] ‘Such love as -ours,’ he wrote, ‘not even the God of Thunder whose footsteps shake the -fields of Heaven ...’[7] and added the verse: ‘O all ye Gods of the -Kingdom, Rulers of the Many Isles, to your judgment will I hearken; -must needs this parting sever a love insatiable as ours?’[8] Though -the letter arrived just when the procession was forming and all was -bustle and confusion, an answer came. It was not from Rokujō but from -the Virgin herself, and had been dictated by her to her aunt who was -acting as Lady Intendant: ‘Call not upon the Gods of Heaven to sit in -judgment upon this case, lest first they charge you with fickleness and -pitiless deceit.’ He longed to witness the presentation of the Virgin -and her mother at the Palace,[9] but he had a feeling that since it was -to avoid him that Rokujō was leaving the City, it would be embarrassing -for both of them if he took part in the ceremonies of farewell, and -overcoming his desire to see her once more, he stayed in his own -palace sunk in idle thoughts. The reply of the Virgin showed a quite -astonishing precocity, and he smiled as he read it through again. The -girl had begun to interest him. No doubt she was precocious in charm -as well as intelligence, and since it was his foible invariably to set -his heart upon possessing, even at the cost of endless difficulties, -whatever custom and circumstance seemed to have placed beyond his -utmost reach, he now began thinking what a misfortune it was that he -had in earlier days never once availed himself of his position in the -house to make her acquaintance, which would indeed at any time have -been perfectly easy. But after all, life is full of uncertainties; -perhaps one day some unforeseen circumstance would bring her into his -life once more. - -The fame of Lady Rokujō brought many spectators to view the procession -and the streets were thronged with coaches. The Palace Gates were -entered at the hour of the monkey.[10] Lady Rokujō, sitting in the -sacred palanquin by her daughter’s side, remembered how her father, -the late Minister of State, had brought her years ago to these same -gates, fondly imagining that he would make her the greatest lady in -the land.[11] Thus to revisit the Palace now that so many changes had -come both to her life and to the Court, filled her with immeasurable -depression. At sixteen she had been married, at twenty she had been -left a widow and now at thirty again she had set foot within the -Ninefold Palisade. She murmured to herself the lines: ‘Though on this -sacred day ’twere profanation to recall a time gone by, yet in my -inmost heart a tinge of sadness lurks.’ - -The Virgin was now fourteen. She was extremely handsome and her -appearance at the presentation-ceremony, decked in the full robes of -her office, made a profound impression. The Emperor, when he came to -setting the Comb of Parting in her hair, was deeply moved and it was -observed that he shed tears. - -Outside the Hall of the Eight Departments a number of gala-coaches -were drawn up to witness the departure of the Virgin from the Palace. -The windows of those coaches were hung with an exquisitely contrived -display of coloured scarves and cloaks, and among the courtiers who -were to go down to Ise there were many who thought with an especial -pang of one who in his honour had added some gay touch of her own to -the magnificence of this unprecedented show. It was already dark when -the procession left the Palace. When after traversing the Second -Wood they turned into the Dōi Highway the travellers passed close by -Genji’s palace. Deeply moved, he sent the following poem tied to a -spray of the Holy Tree—‘Though to-day you cast me off and lightly set -upon your way, yet surely when at last you ferry the Eighty Rapids of -Suzuka Stream[12] your sleeve will not be dry.’ When this message was -brought to her it was already quite dark. This and the noisy bustle -of her journey prevented her from answering till the next day. When -her reply came it was sent back from beyond the Barrier: ‘Whether at -the Eighty Rapids of Suzuka Stream my sleeve be wet or no, all men -will have forgotten me long ere I come to Ise’s Land.’ It was hastily -written, yet with all the grace and distinction that habitually marked -her hand; but his pleasure in it was marred by the strange bitterness -of her tone. A heavy mist had risen, and gazing at the dimly-veiled -semblances that were belatedly unfolding in the dawn he whispered to -himself the lines: ‘O mist, I long to follow with my eyes the road that -she passed; hide not from me in these autumn days the slopes of Meeting -Hill.’[13] That night he did not go to the western wing,[14] but lay -sleepless till dawn, brooding disconsolately upon a turn of affairs for -which, as he well knew, he alone was responsible. What _she_ suffered, -as day by day she travelled on through unknown lands, may well be -guessed. - -By the tenth month the ex-Emperor’s condition had become very grave -indeed. Throughout the country much concern was felt. The young Emperor -was in great distress and hastened to pay him a visit-of-state. Weak -though he was the sick man first gave minute instructions as to the -upbringing of the Heir Apparent and then passed on to a discussion -of Genji’s future. ‘I desire you,’ he said, ‘still to look upon him -as your guardian and to seek his advice in all matters, whether small -or great; as indeed I have accustomed you to do during my lifetime. -In the handling of public business he shows a competence beyond his -years. There is no doubt that his natural vocation is to administer the -affairs of a people rather than to lead the secluded life of a Royal -Prince, and when I attached him to a clan devoid of Royal Blood it was -that he might the better keep watch for us over the public affairs -of our kingdom. I therefore entreat you never to act contrary to his -advice.’ He gave many other parting instructions to his successor, but -such matters are not for a woman’s pen and I feel I must apologize for -having said even so much as this. - -The young Emperor, deeply moved, repeatedly signified that he would -obey all these instructions in every particular. It gave his father -great comfort and pleasure to note that he was already growing up into -a fine handsome young fellow. But after a short while Court affairs -necessitated the Emperor’s immediate presence, and his father, who -longed to keep him by his side, was in the end more distressed than -comforted by this brief visit. The Heir Apparent was to have come at -the same time as the Emperor; but it was thought that this arrangement -would be too tiring and the little boy[15] was brought on another day. -He was big for his age and very pretty. The old man looked fondly at -him and the child, unconscious of the purpose for which he had been -summoned, stood watching him with laughter in his face. Fujitsubo, who -sat near by, was weeping bitterly; and, suddenly catching sight of her, -the ex-Emperor for a while lost his composure. To this little -prince also he gave a variety of instructions; but it was evident that -he was too young to understand what was being said, and remembering -the uncertainties of his future the ex-Emperor gazed at the child -with pity and distress. In his final instructions to Genji concerning -the management of public affairs he recurred again and again to the -question of the Heir Apparent and the importance of giving him due -protection and advice. It was now late at night and the Heir Apparent -was taken off to bed. A vast number of Courtiers followed in his -train, so that his visit created almost as much bustle and confusion -as that of the Emperor himself. But this visit had seemed to the sick -man only too short and it was with great distress that he watched the -procession depart. The Empress Mother, Lady Kōkiden, had also intended -to come; but hearing that Fujitsubo was at his side she felt somewhat -disinclined, and while she was trying to decide whether to go or not, -his Majesty passed quietly and painlessly away. - -The ex-Emperor’s death caused profound consternation in many quarters. -Though it was some while since he resigned the Throne, he had continued -to control the policy of the government just as in former days. The -present Emperor was a mere child; his grandfather, the Minister of -the Right, was known to be a man of hasty temper and treacherous -disposition. Courtiers and noblemen alike regarded with the greatest -apprehension a government subjected to his arbitrary power. But among -them all none had better reason than Fujitsubo and Prince Genji to -dread the coming reign. It was indeed natural that this prince should -take a foremost part in the ceremonies of mourning which were performed -by the family on each seventh day, and in the Filial Masses for the -dead man’s soul; but his piety was generally noted and admired. -Despite the unbecoming dress which custom required, his beauty made -everywhere a deep impression; and this, combined with his evident -distress, procured him a great share of sympathy. - -He had lost in one year his wife and in the next his father. The scenes -of affliction through which he had passed weighed heavily upon his -spirits and for a while deprived him of all zest for life. He thought -much of retiring from the world, and would have done so had he not been -restrained by many earthly ties. During the forty-nine days of mourning -the ladies of the late ex-Emperor’s household remained together in his -apartments. But at the expiration of this period they retired to their -respective homes. It was the twentieth day of the twelfth month. The -dull sky marked (thought Fujitsubo) not only the gloom of the departing -year, but the end of all fair prospects. She knew with what feelings -Kōkiden regarded her and was aware that her existence at a Court -dominated by this woman’s arbitrary power could not be otherwise than -unhappy. Above all it was impossible for her to go on living in a place -where, having for so many years enjoyed the old Emperor’s company, she -found his image continually appearing to her mind. The departure of -all his former ladies-in-waiting and ladies-of-the-household rendered -her situation unendurable and she determined to move to her mansion in -the Third Ward. Her brother Prince Hyōbukyō came to fetch her away. -Snow was falling, blown by a fierce wind. The old Emperor’s quarters, -now rapidly becoming denuded of their inhabitants, wore a desolate -air. Genji happened to be there when Hyōbukyō arrived and they fell -to talking of old times. The great pine-tree in front of the Palace -was weighed down with snow and its lower boughs were withered. Seeing -this, Hyōbukyō recited the verses: ‘Because the great pine-tree -is withered that once with wide-spread branches sheltered us from the -storm, lo! we the underboughs droop earthward in these last moments of -the year.’ No very wonderful poem, but at that moment it moved Genji -deeply, and noticing that the lake was frozen all over he in his turn -recited the poem: ‘Now like a mirror shines the frozen surface of the -lake. Alas that it reflects not the form and face we knew so well!’ -Such was the thought that came to him at the moment, and he gave it -utterance well knowing that the prince would think it forced and crude. -Ōmyōbu, Fujitsubo’s gentlewoman, now interposed with the verse: ‘The -year draws in; even the water of the rock-hewn well is sealed with ice, -and faded from those waters is the face that once I saw.’ Many other -poems were exchanged; but I have other things to tell. - -Fujitsubo’s return to her mansion was carried out with no less ceremony -than on former occasions, but to her mind the transit seemed this time -a distressing affair and more like a journey to some strange place than -a home-coming; and as she approached the house her thoughts travelled -back over all the months and years that had passed since this place had -been her real home. - -The New Year brought with it none of the usual novelties and -excitements. Genji, in very dismal humour, shut himself up in his room. -At the time when the new appointments were being made, during the old -Emperor’s reign and to an equal extent even after his retirement, -Genji’s doors had always been thronged with suitors. But this year -the line of horses and carriages waiting outside his palace was thin -indeed, and the bags[16] of courtiers were no longer to be seen at all. - -When he looked about him and saw his reception halls frequented -only by his personal retainers, who looked as though time were hanging -heavily on their hands, the thought that this was but a pretaste of -the dreariness and insignificance with which his whole life would -henceforth be tinged reduced him to a state of great depression. - -In the second month Oborozukiyo was made chief Lady of the Bedchamber, -the former occupant of this office having at the ex-Emperor’s death -become a nun. Her birth and education, together with her unusual charm -both of person and disposition, combined to make her much sought after -even at a Court where such qualities were to be found in remarkable -profusion. Her sister Lady Kōkiden was now seldom at Court, and on -the rare occasion when she needed a room she lodged in the Umetsubo, -resigning her old apartments to the Lady of the Bedchamber. No longer -was Oborozukiyo buried away in the inconvenient Tōkwaden; she had space -and light and a vast number of ladies in her employ, while all about -her was in the gayest and newest style. But she could not forget a -certain brief and unexpected adventure[17] which had once befallen her, -and was very unhappy. A desultory correspondence was still carried on -between them with the greatest caution and secrecy. - -He knew well enough how fatal would now be the consequences of -discovery; but this, as has often been noted, so far from discouraging -him served only to increase his interest in such an affair. - -During the late Emperor’s lifetime Kōkiden had been obliged to behave -with a certain restraint. Now she was free to revenge herself with -the ferocity of a long-curbed malice upon those who had hitherto been -sheltered from her spite. Genji found himself thwarted at every turn. -He had expected these intrigues, but having for so long enjoyed a -favoured and protected existence he was at a loss how to cope with them. - -The Minister of the Left felt that his influence was gone and no -longer presented himself at Court. Kōkiden had never forgiven him for -marrying the late princess his daughter to Genji instead of giving -her, as had originally been intended, to her son the present Emperor. -Moreover there had always been a certain amount of ill-feeling between -the families of the two Ministers. During the late Emperor’s reign the -Minister of the Left had managed things pretty much as he chose, and it -was but natural that he now had no desire to take part in the triumph -of his rival. Genji continued to visit him as before and was assiduous -in his attention to Aoi’s maids-of-honour, as also in providing for the -education of the little prince her son. This delighted the old Minister -and he continued to treat his son-in-law with the same affectionate -deference as in old days. - -The high position to which Genji had been raised two years ago had -entailed much tiresome business and made considerable inroads upon his -leisure. He found himself in consequence obliged to discontinue many of -the intimacies in which he had been previously engaged. Of his lighter -distractions he was now thoroughly ashamed and was glad to abandon -them; so that for a while his life became altogether quiet, regular and -exemplary. The announcement of his marriage with Murasaki was very well -received by the world at large. Shōnagon and her companions naturally -attributed their little mistress’s success to the prayers of her -pious grandmother the late nun, and in secret conclave congratulated -themselves on the turn which events had taken. Her father Prince -Hyōbukyō asked for nothing better than such a match. But his wife, -who had not managed to do half as well for her own children on whom -she doted, was extremely jealous of her step-child’s triumph, and this -marriage continued to be a very sore point with her. Indeed, Murasaki’s -career had been more like that of some step-child in fiction[18] than -of a real young person. - -The Vestal Virgin of Kamo, third daughter of the late Emperor by -Lady Kōkiden, was now in mourning and had to resign her charge. Her -successor was the Princess Asagao.[19] It had not very often happened -that a collateral descendant of the Emperor was chosen for this post; -but on this occasion no other princess of suitable age and lineage was -available. Genji’s admiration for this lady had not, in all the years -that had passed since he first courted her, in any degree abated, and -it was painful to him to learn that she was now to embark upon so -different a way of life. She still sent him an occasional message and -he had never ceased to write to her. He had known her as a Lady of the -Court. Now he must try to picture her to himself as a priestess. This -he could not manage to do, and his repeated failure to evoke any image -which corresponded to her as she now was bitterly tormented him. - -The young Emperor punctiliously obeyed his father’s last injunctions -and treated Genji with great consideration. But he was still very -young, and being somewhat weak and yielding in character he was easily -influenced by those about him. Again and again, under pressure from -Kōkiden or the Minister of the Right, he allowed public measures to -be taken of which he did not really in the least approve. Meanwhile -Kōkiden’s sister the Lady Oborozukiyo, though her new position rendered -the carrying on of a secret intrigue in the highest degree -difficult and perilous, was becoming more and more unhappy, and at -last found a means of informing Genji of her unaltered attachment. -He would have been glad enough if she had felt otherwise; but after -what had passed between them he could not disregard such a message. -Accordingly he waited till the Court was immersed in the Celebration -at the Five Altars[20] and went secretly to her apartments. The -encounter was brief and dream-like as on that first occasion, on the -night of the Flower-feast.[21] Her maid Chūnagon smuggled him in by -the little side door which had before caught his attention. There -happened to be a good many people about at the time, and it was with -great trepidation that this lady conducted him through the exposed and -frequented ante-chambers which led to her mistress’s apartments. To -look upon Prince Genji was a ceaseless delight even to those who daily -served him. It can be imagined then what rapture his visit brought to -one who had waited so long for his return. Nor was Genji on his side -by any means indifferent to her charms. She was at the height of her -youth and good-looks; lively, graceful, confiding. Indeed, save for a -certain light-heartedness and inconsequence, there was nothing in her -which he would wish to change. Suddenly he heard people stirring in -the corridor outside and for a moment thought that it must already be -morning. He soon realized however that these were not the people of the -house, but members of the Imperial Guard come to report themselves. -No doubt some officer of the Guard was known to be spending the night -in this part of the Palace; but for a moment Genji had the wild idea -that some malicious person had revealed to the soldiers of the -Guard the unexpected presence of their Commander.[22] He was amused at -his mistake, but at the same time horrified at the realization of the -risks which he was running. Outside in the corridor they could still -hear the soldiers tramping up and down looking for their officer and -calling out as they went ‘First hour of the Tiger Watch, first hour of -the Tiger Watch!’[23] Then Oborozukiyo whispered the verse: ‘Though -the watch-man of the night cries out “Enough!” yet seems it from -your tears and mine we are not of his mind.’[24] Her plaintive tone -touched his heart and he answered with the verse: ‘Must we, because -they say the time is spent, in tears relinquish what our own hearts’ -reluctance bids us still enjoy?’ So saying he left her. Though daylight -had not yet come and the setting moon was heavily veiled in mist, he -felt very uneasy. And in fact, despite his disguise, his bearing and -figure were so notable that he was at once recognized by a brother -of Lady Jōkyōden[25] who happened, at the moment when Genji passed -unsuspecting on his way, to have just left Fujitsubo’s old quarters and -was now standing in the shadow of a trellis-gate. This gentleman was -vastly amused and did not fail to make good use of the episode in his -conversation. - -So great were the risks he had run that for some time afterwards -Genji found himself wishing Fujitsubo’s prudence and reserve were -more commonly practised, and at such times he almost applauded her -unkindness. At any rate it saved him from these nerve-racking -experiences. But such moods did not last long. With the Lady of the -Bedchamber his deeper feelings were not involved, whereas he was drawn -towards Fujitsubo as though by some secret power, and except at rare -moments her coldness caused him nothing but torment and despair. - -This princess, though she no longer felt at ease in the Palace and -could not bring herself to visit it, was distressed that she was now -unable to see her son. It was very awkward that there was no one to -advise her about the child except Prince Genji, who unfortunately still -persisted in regarding her with the same strange adoration. She was in -a continual panic lest he should take advantage of her dependence upon -him. True the Emperor had died without betraying the least suspicion -concerning the child’s parentage. But she shuddered to think of the -predicament in which this deception had involved her. Any renewal of -their relationship, quite apart from the effect it might have upon her -own fortunes, would react disastrously upon her son. So heavily did -this matter weigh upon her that when she was supposed to be at her -prayers she did nothing but turn over in her mind, a hundred times -this way and that, how best she might persuade him to feel differently -towards her. - -Yet despite all her precautions he managed one night to enter the -house and get very near indeed to the room where she was sitting. Not -a soul in the house had conspired with him or expected his coming. -He seemed to have risen mysteriously up among them like a figure in -a dream. He sent her many passionate messages, such as I cannot here -transcribe, but she would not let him come to her. At last, worn out -by his persistency, she began to feel so faint that Ōmyōbu, Myōbu no -Ben and the rest of her favourite waiting-women took fright and were -soon busily employed in attending to her. Meanwhile Genji, in a -frenzy of irritation and disappointment, scarce knew how he came to be -in her ante-chamber nor thought how he was going to retire from it. -So completely had he lost all sense of real things that though broad -daylight was come he did not stir from where he stood. The news of her -indisposition quickly spread through the house. There was a sound of -footsteps, and Genji, still but half conscious, groped his way into -a large lumber-room or clothes-cupboard that happened to be near by. -An embarrassed lady-in-waiting hastily stowed away a cloak and other -effects which she saw lying about. - -Fujitsubo herself remained in much distress both of body and mind -throughout the night. As she was feeling very giddy, her brothers, who -had now arrived upon the scene, sent out for a priest. All this Genji -heard from his hiding-place with great grief and alarm. The day was -far advanced when she began at last to mend. She had not of course the -least idea that he was still in the house and her ladies feared that if -they were to tell her of his presence the news might cause a recurrence -of last night’s attack. At last she dragged herself from her bed to the -chair in which she generally sat, and her brothers, thinking that the -worst was now over, withdrew and she was left alone. Even her intimate -and personal attendants had retired from her daïs and could be heard -moving away to and fro behind the screens at the other end of the room. -The sole preoccupation of Ōmyōbu and the few other ladies who shared -the secret of Genji’s presence was now how best to get him out of the -house. They were certain that if he stayed where he was the same scene -would be repeated that night, with the same unhappy effects, and they -were whispering together in a tone of great concern when Genji, first -cautiously pushing the door a little ajar and then gently slipping -out, darted from his hiding-place to the shelter of one of the screens -which surrounded her daïs. From this point of vantage he was able at -last to gaze upon her to his heart’s content, and as he did so tears -of joy and wonder filled his eyes. ‘I am wretched, wretched,’ she was -murmuring; ‘but soon my misery will end, soon all will be over....’ She -was looking out towards the centre of the room and he caught a profile -view of her face which he found inexpressibly charming. Presently -Ōmyōbu came with fruit for her breakfast. Though the cover of the -fruit-box was of rare and beautiful workmanship she did not so much as -glance at it, but sat rigidly staring in front of her, like one for -whom life has lost all interest and meaning. - -How beautiful she was! And, now that it was possible to compare them on -equal terms, how like in every minutest detail of pose and expression -to the girl at home! Particularly in the carriage of her head and the -way her hair grew there was the same singular charm. For years Murasaki -had served to keep Lady Fujitsubo, to some extent at any rate, out of -his thoughts. But now that he saw how astonishingly the one resembled -the other he fancied that all the while Murasaki had but served as a -substitute or eidolon of the lady who denied him her love. Both had -the same pride, the same reticence. For a moment he wondered whether, -if they were side by side, he should be able to tell them apart. -How absurd! Probably indeed, he said to himself, the whole idea of -their resemblance was a mere fancy; Fujitsubo had for so many years -filled all his thoughts. It was natural that such an idea should come -to him. Unable to contain himself any longer, he slipped out of his -hiding-place and gently crept between her curtains-of-state, till he -was near enough to touch the train of her cloak. By the royal scent -which he carried she knew at once that it was he, and overcome by -astonishment and terror she fell face downwards upon her couch. ‘Can -you not bear to set eyes upon me?’ he cried, and in despair clutched -at the skirt of her cloak. She in panic slipped the cloak from her -shoulders and would have fled, leaving it in his hands; but by ill luck -her hair caught in the buckle and she was held fast. With horror she -realized that a fate too strong for her was planning to put her at his -mercy. He for his part suddenly lost all dignity and self-restraint. -Sobbing violently he poured out to her, scarce knowing what he said, -the whole tale of his passion and despair. She was horrified; both the -visit and the outburst seemed to her unpardonable, and she did not -even reply. At last, hard-pressed, she pleaded illness and promised -to see him some other time. But he would not be put off and continued -to pour out his tale of love. In the midst of all this talk that so -much displeased her and to which she paid no heed at all, there came -some phrase which caught her attention and for some reason touched -her; and though she was still determined that what had happened on -that one unhappy occasion should never, never be repeated, she began -to answer him kindly. Thus by skilful parryings and evasions she kept -him talking till this night too was safely over. By her gentleness she -had shamed him into submission and he now said: ‘There cannot surely -be any harm in my coming occasionally to see you in this way. It would -be a great relief to me if I could do so.’ This and much else he said, -now in a far less desperate mood. Even in quite commonplace people such -situations produce strange flights of tenderness and fancy. How much -the more then in such lovers as Genji and the queen! - -But it was now broad daylight. Ōmyōbu and her daughter arrived and -soon took possession of their mistress. Genji, retiring from the -room, sent her many tender messages. But now she sat staring vacantly -in front of her as though she were but half alive. Exasperated by -her martyred attitude, he cried out at last: ‘Answer me, answer me! -I cannot live without you. And yet, what use to die? For I know that -in every life to come I am doomed to suffer the torment of this same -heinous passion.’ Still, to the alarm of those who waited upon her, she -sat staring fixedly in front of her. He recited the verse: ‘If indeed -the foeman fate that parts us works not for to-day alone, then must I -spend Eternity in woe.’ When she heard him saying that the bonds of her -love would hold him back from Paradise, she began to weep and answered -with the verse: ‘If to all time this bond debars you from felicity, not -hostile fate but your own heart you should with bitterness condemn.’ -The words were spoken with a tenderness that was infinitely precious to -him; yet he knew that a prolongation of the interview could not but be -painful to both of them, and he rushed from the room. - -He felt that he made himself odious to her. He would never be able to -face her again, and contrary to custom he wrote no morning letter. For -a long while he paid no visit either to the Emperor or to the Heir -Apparent, but lay in his room brooding upon Fujitsubo’s unkindness. -Misery and longing brought him at last to so pitiable a plight that -it was as though with agonizing pain his inmost soul were dissolving -within him. Often there ran in his head the lines: ‘Soon upon causeways -of resounding stone my footsteps shall beat out their song!’[26] And -indeed the world again seemed to him so cheerless that his decision -would soon have been taken had he not remembered that there was one -over whose happiness he was pledged to watch. So exquisite, so -trustful a creature he could not abandon, and the project was soon put -aside. - -Fujitsubo too reflected upon what had taken place with great uneasiness -of mind. She had now learnt how he had concealed himself for a whole -day in her house without giving her the slightest intimation of his -presence. This fact Ōmyōbu and the rest had not, in their indignation -at his plight, managed to restrain themselves from revealing to her. -Such conduct she could not tolerate. Yet she well knew that if she -showed her displeasure Genji would feel a disinclination towards the -Heir Apparent, and this she was above all things anxious to avoid. -In a fit of despair he might even take some step which could not be -rectified, and that thought, despite the torment of his importunity, -filled her even now with horror. If such an occurrence as that of -last night were often to be repeated it was certain that both their -reputations would soon be irrecoverably destroyed. She felt that it -would in a way disarm the censures of the world if she were to give up -the rank of Empress, the bestowal of which had been received with such -caustic comments by Lady Kōkiden. She remembered with what intention -and with what explicit injunctions this title had been granted her -by the late Emperor. But she felt herself no longer bound by his -instructions; for since his death the whole position at Court had -utterly changed. She had no fear of suffering the fate of Lady Chi,[27] -but she had every reason to suppose that her position as Empress would -henceforth be both ludicrous and humiliating. She felt no inclination -to struggle against ridicule and opposition. Soon her mind was made -up. She must renounce the world. But first she must visit her son. She -could not bear that he should never again see her as he had known -her in days of old. She drove to the Palace without public escort. On -many occasions when she had travelled in even less state than this, -Genji had attended her and arranged every detail of her progress. This -time he pleaded sickness and was not present. Previously he had been in -the habit of sending constantly to enquire after her health. The fact -that he had discontinued this practice was cited by the sympathetic -Ōmyōbu as a proof that he must be now plunged in the utmost misery. - -The little prince[28] had grown into a handsome boy. His mother’s -visit surprised and delighted him and he was soon telling her all -his secrets. She looked at him sadly. The step that she contemplated -seemed unendurably hard to take. Yet a glance at the Palace reminded -her how great were the changes and upheavals that had taken place, -how insecure had now become her own position at the Court. The Lady -Kōkiden still showed the same unrelenting hostility, finding at every -turn some means to inconvenience or humiliate her. Her high rank, so -far from protecting her, now imperilled both herself and her son. For -a long while she hesitated, torn by many conflicting feelings. At -last she succeeded in saying to the child: ‘What would you think if I -were to go away for a long while and, when at last I came back to see -you, were to look quite different, almost as though it were another -person?’ She watched his face while she spoke. ‘What would happen to -you?’ he said, very much interested; ‘would you become like old Lady -Shikibu? Why do you want to be like that?’ and he laughed. It was very -difficult to tell him. She began again: ‘Shikibu is ugly because she -is so old. That is not what I mean. I shall have even less hair than -Shikibu and I shall wear a black dress, like the chaplain whom -you have seen coming to say prayers here in the evenings; but it will -be a long while before they let me come here to see you.’ He saw that -she was crying and at once said very decidedly: ‘If you do not come -for a long while, I shall miss you terribly.’ He too began to cry, and -ashamed of his tears, turned his head away. As he did so his long hair -fell rippling across his cheek. The eyes, the brow—all was as though -a cast had been taken from the face she knew so well. He had not yet -lost his baby-teeth. One or two of them were a little decayed, their -blackness amid a row of white giving to his smile a peculiar piquancy -and charm. As she watched him standing there in his half-girlish beauty -and suddenly realized how like he was to his father, she became more -than ever unhappy. But if the resemblance was painful to her and seemed -to her at that moment almost to spoil his beauty, it was only because -she dreaded the gossip to which this likeness would give rise. - -Genji too was longing to see his son, but while Princess Fujitsubo was -at Court he was resolved to keep away. Perhaps this would make her -realize how completely he had been frustrated by her harshness; for -she would certainly be expecting to meet him in the young prince’s -apartments. - -He was in very ill humour and the time hung heavily on his hands. -It was now autumn and it seemed a pity not to be in the country. -He decided to spend a little while at the Temple in the Cloudy -Woods.[29] Here in the cell of his mother’s elder brother, a master -of the Vinaya,[30] he spent several days reading the sacred texts and -practising various austerities. During this time much happened both -to move and delight him. The maple leaves in the surrounding -forests were just turning and he remembered Sōjō’s song written in the -same place: ‘Proud autumn fields....’ In a little while he had almost -forgotten that this quiet place was not his home. He gathered about -him a number of doctors famous for their understanding of the Holy -Law and made them dispute in his presence. Yet even in the midst of -scenes such as these, calculated to impress him in the highest degree -with the futility of all earthly desires, one figure from the fleeting -world of men still rose up importunately before him and haunted every -prayer. One day at dawn by the light of a sinking moon the priests of -the temple were making the morning offering of fresh leaves and flowers -before an image that stood near by. He could hear the clink of the -silver flower-trays as they scattered chrysanthemum and maple leaves of -many hues around the Buddha’s feet. It seemed to him then that the life -these people led was worth while, not merely as a means to salvation -but for its own pleasantness and beauty. Again and again he marvelled -that he could have for so long endured his own aimless existence. His -uncle, the Vinaya-master, had an extremely impressive voice and when -he came to the passage ‘None shall be cast out, but take unto him all -living things that call upon his name,’ Genji envied him the assurance -with which he uttered the Buddha’s promise. Why should not he too avail -himself of this promise, why should not he too lead this sanctified -existence? Suddenly he remembered Murasaki and his home. What must she -be thinking of him? It was many days since he had seen her, and he -hastened to repair this neglect: ‘I came here as an experiment,’ he -wrote, ‘that I might decide whether it would not be better for me to -withdraw forever from the world. Since I have been here it has been -gradually becoming clearer to me that my present way of life can -bring me nothing but misery; and to-day I heard something read out loud -which made a deep impression upon me and convinced me that I ought not -any longer to delay....’ The letter was written on sandalwood paper -of Michinoku, informally but with great elegance. With it he sent the -poem: ‘Because I left you in a home deep-girt with dewy sedge, with -troubled mind I hear the wild winds blow from every side.’ This he -said and much else beside. She cried when she read it. Her answer was -written on a white slip: ‘First, when the wild wind blows, flutters -the dewy web that hangs upon the wilting sedge-row in the fields.’ He -smiled to himself with pleasure as he read it, noting how swiftly her -hand had improved. He had written her so many letters that her writing -had grown to be very like his, save that to his style she had added -some touches of girlish delicacy and grace. In this as in all else she -at least had not disappointed him. - -It occurred to him that Kamo was not so very far off and he thought -he would send a message to the Vestal Virgin.[31] To Chūjō her maid -he sent the letter: ‘That here among strangers in deep affliction I -languish unconsoled, your mistress cannot know.’ To this he added a -long tale of his present woes and to the Virgin herself addressed the -poem: ‘Goddess Immaculate, the memory of other days has made me bold -to hang this token at thy shrine!’ And to this, quoting an old song, -he added the words ‘Would that like a ring upon the hand I might turn -Time around till “then” was “now.”’ He wrote on light green paper, and -with the letter was a twig of the Sacred Tree festooned with fluttering -tassels of white as befitted the holy place to which it was addressed. -In answer the maid Chūjō wrote: ‘There is so little here to break the -sameness of the long empty days that sometimes an idle memory of -the past will for a moment visit the Virgin’s heavenly thoughts. Of you -she has spoken now and again, but only to say that now all thought of -you is profitless.’ The gentlewoman’s letter was long and written with -great care. On a small strip tied to a white ritual tassel the Virgin -herself had written the poem: ‘Full well you know that in those other -days no secret was between us for you to hang as ritual-token at your -heart.’ It was not written with much pains, but there was an easy flow -in the cursive passages which delighted his eye and he realized that -the Court had lost one who would in time have grown to be a woman of no -ordinary accomplishments. - -He shuddered. How pitiless is God! Suddenly he remembered that only -last autumn the melancholy gateway of the Palace-in-the-Fields had -filled him with just such an indignation and dismay. Why should these -Powers be suffered to pursue their hideous exactions? - -That strange trait of perversity, so often noted, was indeed at work -again under the most absurd circumstances. For in all the years when -Asagao was within reach he had not made one serious effort to win her, -but had contented himself with vague protestations and appeals. But -now that she was utterly unattainable he suddenly imagined that he had -never really cared for anyone else! Believing him to be the victim of -an inconsolable passion, the Virgin had not the heart to leave his -letters unanswered, and a correspondence of a rather strange and unreal -kind was for some while carried on between them. - -Before he left the Temple in the Cloudy Woods he read the whole of the -Sixty Chapters,[32] consulting his uncle on many obscure points. The -delight of the priests, down to the humblest servitor, may well be -imagined. It seemed as though the Lord Amida must hold their poor -country temple in especial favour, or he would not have vouchsafed that -such a radiance should shine among them. - -But soon Genji began to grow restless. His mind strayed constantly to -mundane affairs, and though he dreaded the return, there was one whom -it was not in his heart any longer to neglect. Before his departure he -ordered a grand chanting of the Scripture to be held and gave suitable -presents to all the resident priests both high and low, and even to the -peasants of the surrounding country. Then, after many other rituals -and benefactions, he drove away. The country people from far and near -crowded round the gates to see him go, uncouth figures strangely -gnarled and bent. His carriage was draped with black and he himself was -still dressed in the drab unbecoming robes of mourning. Yet even the -momentary glimpse of him that they caught as he entered his carriage -sufficed to convince them that a prince of no ordinary beauty had been -dwelling near to them and many were moved to tears. - -It seemed to him when he was back in his palace that Murasaki had in -these last months become far less childish. She spoke very seriously -of the changes at Court and showed great concern for his future. That -in these last weeks his affections had been much occupied elsewhere -could hardly have escaped her notice. He remembered with a pang that -in the last poem she had sent him there was some reference to ‘the -wilting sedge-row,’ and full of remorse he treated her with more than -ordinary kindness. He had brought her a branch of autumn leaves from -the country temple where he had been staying. Together they compared it -with the trees in his palace garden, and found when they set them side -by side that the country leaves were dyed to a yet deeper red. There -was one who was at all times paramount in his thoughts, and the sight -of these leaves, tinged with so strong a hue that they eclipsed -whatever colours were set beside them, reminded him that to her alone -he had given no token of his return. The desire to have news of her so -tormented him that at last he wrote a letter to Ōmyōbu announcing that -he had left the temple: ‘I heard with surprise and joy of your Lady’s -visit to the Court. I longed for news both of her and of the young -prince; but though I was uneasy on their account, I could not interrupt -my appointed course of penance and study. Thus many days have passed -since last I gave you any news. Here are some sprays of autumn leaf. -Bid your Lady look at them when she feels so disposed, lest unregarded -they should waste their beauty “like silken stuffs spread out by -night.”’ - -They were huge, leaf-laden boughs, and when she looked closer, -Fujitsubo saw that the usual tiny strip of paper, such as he always -used in writing to her, was tied to one of them. Her gentlewomen -were watching her, and as she examined the offering she felt herself -blushing. So he was still in the same deplorable state of mind! Surely -he must realize that it was very embarrassing for her to receive -offerings of this kind from one who was known to be her admirer! -Wishing that he would show more regard for her feelings and reputation -she bade a servant put the boughs in a vase and stand it against one of -the pillows on the verandah, as far out of the way as possible. - -In her reply she confined herself to matters of business upon which she -needed his advice. Her cold and impersonal tone deeply wounded him. -But as it was his usual practice to assist her in every difficulty, -he felt that his absence on the day of her departure from Court would -give rise to unwelcome speculations, and hearing that the day had been -fixed he hastened to the Palace. He went first to the apartments of the -young Emperor and finding him at leisure settled down to a long -conversation. In person His Majesty much resembled the late Emperor, -but he was of a quicker and livelier disposition. He was very easy -to get on with and they were soon exchanging recollections of their -late father. The Emperor had heard that Genji was still on intimate -terms with his aunt the Princess Oborozuki, and had on his own account -observed many signs of such an attachment. If the affair had begun -since the Princess’s arrival at Court he would have felt bound to take -cognizance of it. But he knew that the friendship between them was of -very old standing and felt that under these circumstances there was no -great impropriety in it. - -They discussed all manner of affairs together, including their Chinese -studies, and the Emperor consulted him about the interpretation of -various difficult passages. They then repeated to one another such -poems of gallantry as they had lately addressed to ladies of the -Court, and it was in the course of this conversation that the Emperor -mentioned his admiration of the Lady Rokujō’s daughter and his -distress on the occasion of her departure for Ise. This emboldened -Genji, and soon he was telling the Emperor about his own visit to the -Palace-in-the-Fields and all the sad circumstances attending it. The -waning moon had begun at last to rise. ‘It is at such moments as this,’ -said the Emperor sadly, ‘that one longs for music.’[33] - -Genji now took his leave, explaining that he must wait upon the -ex-Empress before she retired again to her own home. ‘You will -remember,’ he said, ‘that the late Emperor our father committed -the Heir Apparent to my guardianship and protection. There happens -unfortunately to be no one else to watch over his interests, and as -I am very uneasy concerning his future I am obliged to take counsel -fairly frequently with his mother.’ ‘Our father certainly asked -me to retain him as Heir Apparent,’ replied the Emperor, ‘and I have -always tried to help him in any way I could. But there is really -nothing much that I can do for him. I hear he has made astonishing -progress with his handwriting and is in every way satisfactory. I am -afraid he is more likely to be a credit to me than I a help to him.’ -‘He does indeed seem to be in most ways very forward and intelligent,’ -said Genji, ‘but his character is still quite unformed.’ And after some -further description of the child’s attainments he proceeded to the Heir -Apparent’s apartments. - -There was a certain Tō no Bēn, a son of Kōkiden’s elder brother Tō -Dainagon. Being young, good-looking and popular he had grown somewhat -out of hand. This young man was now on his way to the rooms of his -sister Princess Reikeiden. For a moment Genji’s servants who were -preceding him to the Heir Apparent’s rooms blocked his path and forced -him to stand waiting till they had passed. In a low voice, but quite -distinctly enough for Genji to hear every word, the young courtier -chanted the lines ‘When a white rainbow crossed the sun the Crown -Prince[34] trembled.’ Genji flushed, but it was obviously best to let -the matter pass. - -That Kōkiden should have succeeded in infecting her whole clan with her -venomous hostility towards him was both vexatious and alarming. Genji -was indeed much disquieted; but he contrived on all such occasions to -conceal his discomfiture. - -In arriving at Fujitsubo’s rooms he sent in a message to explain that -he had been detained in the Presence. It was a moonlit night of unusual -beauty. It was at such times as this that the old Emperor would -call for music. Fujitsubo remembered those dazzling midnight parties. -Here were the old courtyards, the old gardens and rooms, and yet this -was not the Palace after all! Through Ōmyōbu her maid she sent to him -the poem: ‘Though now dark exhalations hide from sight the Palace of -the Ninefold Wall, yet goes my heart to the bright moon[35] that far -above the cloud-bank dwells.’ She did not in this message give any hint -that she wished to see him; yet her tone was not unkind, and forgetting -all his rancour he wrote with tears in his eyes: ‘Though lovely still -as in past years the moonbeams of this night, for me in vain their -beauty, since now in shadows of unkindness they are wrapped.’ - -She was to leave the Palace at dawn and was much preoccupied with the -young prince her son. In her anxiety for his future she overwhelmed him -with warnings and instructions. The child understood but little of what -she was saying, and seeing that his attention had wandered, she felt -more than ever that he was of no age to shift for himself. He usually -went to bed very early, but on this occasion he had asked to sit up -till his mother started. It was evident that he was very much upset by -her departure, but he was very brave about it, and this made her feel -more than ever remorseful at leaving him. - -Genji could not banish from his mind the thought of Tō no Bēn’s -insolent behaviour. It spoilt all his enjoyment in life and for a long -while he wrote to no one, not even to Oborozuki. The autumn rains set -in and still no word came from him. She began to wonder what could be -amiss, and at last sent him the poem: ‘While leaf by leaf autumn has -stripped the trees, all this long windy while have I in sadness waited -for the news that did not come.’ Doubtless it had cost her some -trouble to communicate with him in secret; moreover the poem itself -was not at all displeasing. Genji detained the messenger, and going -to his desk opened the drawer where he kept his Chinese writing-paper -and chose the prettiest piece he could find. Mending his pen with -the greatest care, he indited a note so elegant even in its outside -appearance that on its arrival there was quite a stir among the ladies -who were at her side. Who could be the sender of such a missive? -Significant glances were exchanged. ‘I have for some while, for reasons -about which it would be useless to speak, been in the last depths of -depression.’ So he wrote and to this he added the poem: ‘Why, think -you, fell the rains of autumn yet faster than of yore? It was my tears -that swelled them, my tears because we could not meet.’ He told her too -that if the path of their friendship were but clear, he should soon -forget the rain and his depression and all that was amiss in the world. -He took much pains with this letter. There were several other people -who had written to complain of his neglect, but though he sent them all -encouraging replies there were some of them about whom he did not feel -very strongly one way or the other. - -On the anniversary of the Emperor’s death, in addition to the usual -ceremonies, he caused the Service of the Eight Recitals[36] to be -celebrated with particular magnificence. The day of national mourning -was the first of the eleventh month. A heavy snow was falling. He sent -to Fujitsubo the poem: ‘Though once again the time of his departure has -come back, not yet dare hope we for the day when we shall meet.’[37] It -happened that on that day she felt in utter despair, seeing no hope of -happiness on any side. She answered: ‘Though sad to have outlived -him for so long, yet in this day’s return found I some peace; it was as -though the world again were in his rule.’ - -It was not written with very great display of penmanship, but there was -(or Genji fancied that there was) a peculiar distinction and refinement -in the writing. It was not quite in the fashion of the moment; but that -did not matter, for she had a style that was completely of her own -invention. - -But this, he remembered, was the day of the great masses for his -father’s soul. He must put Fujitsubo out of his thoughts; and wet -through by the perpetual downpour of rainy snow, he played his part in -the elaborate rituals and processions. - -The Service of the Eight Recitals was to be celebrated in Fujitsubo’s -house on the tenth of the twelfth month and the four succeeding -days. She was at great pains to render the ceremony as impressive as -possible. The tents to be used on each of the five days were wound -on rods of ivory; they were backed with thin silk and laid in cases -of woven bamboo. All was ordered with a splendour such as had seldom -been seen before. But under her management even the most trivial daily -arrangements became invested with a singular beauty and completeness. -It did not therefore surprise Genji that the Recitals were carried -out with unequalled impressiveness and dignity. The adornments of the -Buddha, the coverings of the flower-altars, all were of a beauty that -made him dream he was indeed a dweller in Amida’s Land of Bliss. - -The first day’s Recital was dedicated to the memory of her father;[38] -the next was on behalf of her mother, the deceased Empress; the third -day was in memory of her husband, the late ex-Emperor. It is on this -day that the fifth book is read; despite the disapproval of Kōkiden -and her flatterers, the ceremony was attended by the greater -part of those about the Court. The readers of this third day had been -chosen with especial care, and when they came to the passage: ‘Then he -gathered sticks for firewood and plucked wild berries and the fruit of -the mountains and trees,’ the words that all had heard so many times -before took on a strange significance. It fell to the lot of the dead -man’s sons to officiate at the altar, circling it with gold and silver -dishes held aloft in their hands, and these dishes piled high with -offerings of many kinds. This rite was performed by Genji with a grace -and deftness that was not equalled by any of his companions. You will -say that I have noted this superiority many times before; that is true, -and I can only plead in excuse that people were actually struck by it -afresh each time they saw him. - -The last day’s Recital was on behalf of her own salvation. To the -astonishment of all present it was announced that she herself wished -to take this opportunity of abandoning the world, and had desired the -clergy to intimate her renunciation to the Lord Buddha. It may well be -imagined with what consternation both Prince Hyōbukyō her brother and -Genji himself received this utterly unexpected announcement. It was -made in the middle of the service, and Hyōbukyō, without waiting for -the Recital to end, left his seat and went at once to her side. But all -his pleading was in vain. At the end of the service she sent for the -Head of the Tendai Sect[39] and told him that she was ready to receive -the Rules forthwith. Her uncle the High Priest of Yogawa thereupon -ascended the daïs and shaved her head. A murmur of horror ran through -the hall; there was a sound of sobbing. There is something strangely -moving in the spectacle of such a renunciation, even when some -decrepit old woman decides at last that it is time to take her vows. -But here a lady in the prime of her beauty, who till now had given the -world no inkling of her intention, was suddenly casting herself away. -Her brother found himself weeping with the rest; and even strangers -who had come merely for the sake of the service felt, under the spell -of the reader’s solemn voice and of this sudden declaration, that a -personal calamity had befallen them. The sons of the late Emperor who -remembered her proud bearing at their Father’s Court were particularly -distressed, and all of them intimated their regret at the step which -she had taken. Only Genji stood rooted to the spot in speechless horror -and dismay. At last he realized that his behaviour must be attracting -attention, and when all the princes had left her he made his way to her -daïs. - -Most of the people had cleared off and only a few ladies-in-waiting, -all of them on the verge of tears, sat here and there in small -disconsolate groups. An unclouded moon heightened the sparkling -radiance of the fresh snow which lay around the house. Old memories -crowded to his mind and for a moment he feared that he would break -down. But at last controlling himself he said very quietly ‘What made -you suddenly decide to do this?’ ‘I have been meaning to for a long -while, but so many things were happening and I had not time to think -about it quietly....’ He was standing outside her curtains-of-state. -This answer was not spoken directly to him, but was brought by Ōmyōbu, -her maid. Within the curtains he knew that her favourites were gathered -round her. He could hear a faint, reiterated rustling, as though a -company of silent mourners were swaying in inconsolable grief. How well -he understood their utter despair! From the hanging incense-burner -behind her curtain-of-state there rose a heavy perfume of -_kurobo_,[40] carried through the room by the fierce snow-wind which -had blown since dusk; and with it mingled a faint remnant of the holy -incense which the priests had that day been burning in the house. Add -to this the princely scent which Genji wore and you may well imagine -that the night air was fragrant as the winds of Paradise. - -A messenger came from the Heir Apparent’s household. There rose before -her mind the memory of the child’s pretty speeches and ways, that last -morning in the Palace. It was more than she could bear, and lest she -should break down altogether she left the message unanswered. Seeing -the messenger go away empty-handed, Genji wrote a few words on her -behalf. It was now time for him to take his leave; but both he and she -were in a state of agitation which they could barely control, and he -dared not utter the thoughts that were at that moment passing through -his mind. Through Ōmyōbu he sent her this poem: ‘Though fain I too -would seek that stainless tract whither the moon has climbed, yet how -unguided in the darkness should those small feet not go astray?’[41] -He spoke of his regret at the step she had taken, but only in formal -terms, for he knew that she was not alone. Of the tumultuous thoughts -which surged through his brain there was not one to which he could at -such a time give vent. And answer came: ‘Though now upon life and all -its sorrow I have looked my last, yet are there certain earthly things -I shall not soon forget....’ ‘The stain of the world clings fast to -me....’ This and much else was in the answer; but he guessed that a -great part of it had been supplied by those who were about her. - -There was no more to be done, and heavy at heart he left the house. -At the Nijō-in he lay alone upon his bed, never once closing his -eyes. He was now firmly convinced that if it were not for his duty to -Fujitsubo’s son he would certainly retire from the world. The late -Emperor had hoped that by investing Lady Fujitsubo with definite -public rank he would assure the boy’s future. But now, by becoming a -nun, she had upset all his calculations; for it was almost certain -that she would not continue to hold her present position in the State. -Were Genji also now to desert the child, what would become of him? -These were the thoughts that still perplexed him when morning came. He -remembered that Fujitsubo would now have to provide herself with such -articles as appertain to a nun’s life. In this matter at least he could -assist her, and he hastened to send to her palace before the end of -the year a suitable provision of rosaries, prayer-desks and the like. -He heard that Ōmyōbu also had renounced the world that she might keep -her mistress company, and to this gentlewoman he sent a message of -affectionate condolence. In this letter he touched on many incidents of -their common past, and a correspondence ensued, of such length that it -would not be possible to record it. As was natural on so affecting an -occasion many poems were exchanged between them, and as these were of -considerable merit I regret that they must be omitted. - -Now that Fujitsubo had definitely embraced the religious life she felt -that there was less impropriety in her receiving him, and on several -occasions she no longer conversed through an intermediary, but actually -admitted him to her presence. His feelings towards her were absolutely -unchanged, but now that there could be no question of intimacy between -them he could face her with some degree of tranquillity. - -The close of that year ended the period of Court mourning, and the New -Year was celebrated at the Palace with the usual festivities, including -the Imperial Banquet and the Dance Songs.[42] But of these things no -echo reached Fujitsubo’s house. Day after day was spent in prayers, -penances and meditations on the life to come, and he who had been at -once her comfort and despair no longer found any place in her thoughts. -She continued to use the old palace-chapel for her daily observances; -but for the celebration of more elaborate rites she built a new chapel -in front of the west wing, but at some distance from the house. - -He visited her on New Year’s Day. Nowhere was there a sign of renewal -or rejoicing. The house was very quiet and seemed almost deserted. -Here and there stood a few of her most devoted retainers, looking (or -was it only his fancy?) very downcast and depressed. Of the usual New -Year offerings from the Palace only the white horse[43] had this year -arrived. The gentlewomen of the house could not but remember how at -this season in former years princes and courtiers had thronged these -halls. Now they drove straight past, making one and all for the great -palace in the next Ward.[44] - -This was under the circumstances perfectly natural and Fujitsubo had -fully expected it. Yet when it happened she became very depressed. But -now the arrival of one whom she would not have exchanged for a thousand -visitors put all this chagrin out of her head. - -So great were the changes that had taken place since he was last in -her room that for a while he could do nothing but stare about him in -bewilderment. - -The canopy of her daïs and the hangings of her screen-of-state were now -of dark blue; here and there behind the curtains he caught a glimpse of -light grey and jasmine-coloured sleeves. The effect was not displeasing -and he would gladly have studied it more closely. - -The ice on the lake was just beginning to break up. The willows on the -banks showed a faint tinge of green; they at least remembered that -a new season had begun. These and other portents of the approaching -spring he watched till it grew dark. From behind the curtains Fujitsubo -gazed at him as he sat singing softly to himself the song: ‘Happy the -fisher-folk[45] that dwell ...’; she thought that in all the world -there could be no one so beautiful. - -She remained all the while behind her curtains, but a great part of the -room was taken up by images and altars, so that she was obliged to let -him sit very near the daïs and he did not feel wholly cut off from her. - -A number of elderly nuns were installed at her side, and fearing lest -in their presence his parting words might betray too great an emotion -he stole in silence from the room. ‘What a fine gentleman he has grown -up to be!’ they exclaimed after Genji’s departure. ‘One might have -thought that it would have spoiled him always having things his own -way as he did in his Father’s time, and being first in everything. -How little can he then have guessed that he would ever come to know -the world’s ingratitude! But you can see that he bears his troubles -manfully, though there is a graver look in his face now than there was -in the old days. Poor gentleman, it makes one’s heart bleed to see him -so sad!’ So the old ladies whispered together, shaking their heads -and calling blessings upon him, while to Fujitsubo herself came many -painful recollections. - -It was the time when the yearly distribution of honours took place. -Fujitsubo’s kinsmen and retainers were entirely passed over. This was -quite natural and she did not resent it; but she noticed that even the -usual bounties were withheld, and promotions which had always been -taken as a matter of course were in many cases not granted. There was a -great deal of disappointment and annoyance. Moreover on the ground that -she would shortly have to give up her official rank and would not then -be able to maintain so large an establishment,[46] many other changes -and readjustments were made. - -All this she had expected. It was indeed the inevitable consequence -of her retirement from secular life; but when she saw her former -pensioners and retainers going about with dismal faces and in many -instances left without proper support, she was very much upset. But -above all her thoughts were centred on one persistent desire; that, -even though she herself should come to utter ruin, the Heir Apparent -might in due course come peacefully to the Throne, and it was to this -end that she caused perpetual services to be celebrated in the chapel -attached to her house. - -To what secret peril was the young prince’s life exposed? Those who -were called upon to officiate at these incessant litanies could -themselves form no conjecture. But her own prayers were more explicit. -Again and again she called upon the Buddha to save the young prince -from the ruin which would immediately overtake him should the true -story of his birth be known; and she prayed with all her heart that, -if retribution must needs come, it might fall upon herself rather than -upon the child. These prayers had at least the effect of bringing her -to a calmer state of mind. Genji, for his part, regarded them as -by no means superfluous. - -His own servants and retainers had in the recent distribution of -honours fared little better than hers and were in very ill humour. -Thoroughly discontented with the march of public affairs both they and -their master henceforward appeared but seldom at Court. About this -time the Minister of the Left decided to send in his resignation. -The changes in his home as well as the decline of his own political -influence had recently told very much upon his spirit and he no -longer felt equal to his charge. The Emperor remembered the unbounded -confidence which his father had placed in this Minister’s sagacity, and -how in his last hours the old Emperor had said that to dispense with -such a man’s counsel must needs endanger the security of the Throne. He -was therefore very reluctant to give this resignation effect and for -a while attempted to ignore it. But the Minister stuck to his point -and, though his retirement had not been formally accepted, no longer -appeared at Court. - -Henceforward the whole government of the country fell into the hands of -a single family, that of Kōkiden’s father, the Minister of the Right. -The powerful influence of the retired Minister had indeed been the last -check upon the complete dominance of this ascendant faction, and his -withdrawal from public affairs was regarded with grave apprehension -both by the young Emperor himself and by all right-thinking people. - -The late Minister’s sons, who had hitherto enjoyed a consideration -in the world somewhat beyond that to which their own abilities would -have entitled them, were mortified to discover that they could no -longer have everything their own way. The most crestfallen of them all -was Tō no Chūjō, who through his connexion[47] with the family which -was now dominant, might have been expected to fare rather better -than the rest. Unfortunately he was still on very bad terms with his -wife, and his neglect of her had deeply offended the Minister, who no -longer received Chūjō as a son-in-law. No doubt as a punishment for -his misdemeanour, his name had been altogether omitted from the list -of New Year honours and promotions. Such things however did not much -interest him and he was not nearly so disappointed as the Minister had -hoped. He could indeed hardly expect to enjoy much influence when even -Genji’s fortunes were so obviously on the decline, and leaving public -business to look after itself he would go off to Genji’s palace, where -the two of them spent the time in the study of music and letters. Often -they would remind one another of the many absurd exploits in which -they had once been rivals; and even in their present quiet pursuits -the old rivalry continued. Genji was much occupied with the readings -of Holy Scripture which are appointed for spring and autumn, and with -the performance of various other annual observances.[48] He also -gathered round him a number of scholars who seemed, no doubt owing to -the present state of public affairs, to be out of employment, and put -them to writing Chinese poems and essays. He also spent many hours in -playing literary games such as rhyme-covering and the like. He soon -became so interested in these trivial pursuits that for a month on -end he never once set foot in the palace. This incivility, together -with his enthusiasm for what were considered frivolous and undignified -occupations, was commented upon very unfavourably in many quarters. - -The summer rains had set in, and one day when a steady downpour made -other amusements impossible Chūjō arrived at the palace with a -great pile of books. Genji too opened his library, and after exploring -several cases which had not been unlocked for a long time he produced -some very remarkable collections of ancient Chinese poetry. There -happened to be with him that day several friends who, though they were -not scholars by profession, had a very considerable knowledge of such -matters. From among these gentlemen and the learned doctors who were -present Genji picked sides, and ranging them to left and right of the -room instituted a grand competition with very handsome prizes. In -the course of the rhyme-covering contests they came across some most -unusual and puzzling rhyme-words, and even well-known scholars were -occasionally at a loss. More than once Genji was able to come to their -rescue. They were astonished at his knowledge. How, they wondered, -did he find time to pick up so many accomplishments? There seemed to -be no art or pastime in which he did not show the same marvellous -proficiency. The ‘right’ won easily and it fell to Chūjō’s lot to -provide the winners with a feast. This took place on the following day. -It was not an elaborate affair, but consisted of a collation served in -elegant luncheon boxes. - -Various prizes were also given and when this was over the doctors of -literature were again called upon to divert the company with essays. -The rose-trees at the foot of the steps were in full bloom and coming -as they did in a somewhat dull season, when the brightness of spring is -over and the riot of autumn colours has not yet begun, these flowers -gave Genji an especial pleasure. - -Chūjō’s son, a little boy of eight or nine who had only that year been -introduced at Court, was present that day. He sang well and could play -the _shō_. Genji was very fond of him and they used often to practise -together. He was Chūjō’s second son by his wife, the sister of Kōkiden, -and as grandson of the all-powerful Minister of the Right he was -treated by every one at Court with great deference. But he was also not -only handsome but extremely intelligent, and in the present company his -performance received so much encouragement that he was soon singing -that rather noisy song the _Ballad of Takasago_, which he got through -with great credit and applause. As a reward for this song Genji laid -his own cloak on the boy’s shoulders, and as he sat flushed with the -excitement of the party and wearing only an unlined shirt of thin gauze -that showed the delicate texture of his skin beneath, the old doctors -of literature stared at him with delight and amazement from the distant -part of the room where they had respectfully taken up their stand; -and many of them shed tears of wonder and delight. At the close of -the stanza: ‘May I be there where lilies bloom’ Chūjō picked up the -wine-bowl and handed it to Genji, reciting as he did so the poem: ‘Not -the first rose that but this morning opened on the tree, with thy fair -face would I compare.’ Laughing, Genji took the cup and whispered the -poem: ‘Their time they knew not, the rose-buds that to-day unclosed. -For all their fragrance and their freshness the summer rains have -washed away.’ Then Chūjō, who had become somewhat excited, accused -Genji of toying with the wine-bowl and forced him to drink what he -considered a proper draught. - -Much else happened before the banquet closed. But to describe in detail -all that was said and done on an occasion such as this would, I think, -be very unfair to the persons concerned. I will therefore observe -Tsurayuki’s warning and refrain from tiring you with any further -particulars. Suffice it to say that the company made a great many -poems both in Chinese and Japanese, all of them containing flattering -references to their host, and Genji soon began to feel in very good -humour with himself. He could not help thinking of the passage -in Chinese history where the Duke of Chou boasts that he is ‘the son -of King Wen and the brother of King Wu.’ These were very good names -and fitted his case exactly. ‘Son of King Wen, brother of King Wu.’ -Suddenly, as he murmured these words, he remembered that the Chinese -duke had added ‘and uncle of King Ch’ēng.’ But here he was on difficult -ground; something seemed to have gone wrong with the parallel. The -‘King Ch’ēng’[49] of his case, though something more than a nephew, was -still a very long way from being a king! - -Prince Sochi no Miya[50] frequently joined these gatherings, and as he -was not only a man of taste and fashion but also an excellent performer -on various instruments, his presence added greatly to the pleasure of -the company. - -About this time Princess Oborozuki left the Court for a while and went -to stay at her father’s house. She had for some time been suffering -from slight attacks of malaria and it was thought that she could be -treated for this illness more conveniently at her home than amid the -bustle of the Court. Priests were summoned and their incantations were -at once effective. Among the many people who wrote to congratulate -her upon her recovery Genji was naturally one, and as both of them -happened for the moment to have a good deal of time on their hands, a -correspondence ensued which led in the end to his paying her a somewhat -reluctant visit. This was followed by others and he was soon seeing -her every night. She was well made, tending even to plumpness, so -that the slight pallor and thinness which had ensued from her recent -indisposition only enhanced her charm. It happened that at the -time Kōkiden was also staying in the house. This made Genji’s visits -particularly imprudent, but it was just this added risk which attracted -him and induced him to repeat them. It was not of course long before -several inmates of the house became aware that something of this kind -was going on, but they were too frightened of Kōkiden to say anything -to her about it, nor had the Minister of the Right any suspicion -whatever. - -One night when Genji was with her a violent storm suddenly came on. -The rain fell in such torrential floods as to be quite alarming -and just after midnight tremendous crashes of thunder began. -Soon the whole place was astir. The young princes and Kōkiden’s -gentlemen-in-attendance seemed to be wandering all over the house, -while the ladies-in-waiting, terrified by the thunderstorm, were -clinging to one another hysterically in the passage just outside. There -were people everywhere and Genji began to wonder how he was ever going -to escape. - -It was now broad daylight. Oborozuki’s maids had entered the room -and seemed to be crowding round the great curtained bed. Genji was -appalled by the situation. Among these ladies there were two who knew -the secret, but they quite lost their heads in this emergency and were -unable to be of any use. The thunderstorm was over and the rain was -now less violent. The Minister was now up and about. He first paid his -elder daughter a visit, and then, just at a moment when the rain was -falling rather heavily, stepped lightly and briskly into Oborozuki’s -room. The rain was making such a noise that they did not hear him and -it was not till a hand was thrust through the bed-curtains that they -realized what had happened. ‘We have had a very bad thunderstorm,’ he -said, pulling the curtain slightly aside as he spoke. ‘I thought of you -in the night and had half a mind to come round and see how you were -getting on, but somehow or other I didn’t. Your brothers were on -duty at the Palace last night. Just fancy....’ So he went on, speaking -in an excited inconsequent manner which, even in his present quandary, -Genji could not help contrasting with the gravity and good-sense of -that other Minister, Aoi’s father, and he smiled to himself. Really if -he had so much to say he had better come right inside and have done -with it. Oborozuki, determined to screen her lover if she could, now -crept to the edge of the bed and issued cautiously from between the -curtains. Her face was so flushed and she looked so very ill at ease -that her father was quite alarmed. ‘What have you been doing?’ he said, -‘you are not looking at all well. I am afraid we stopped the treatment -too soon. These attacks are very troublesome to get rid of....’ As he -spoke his eye suddenly fell upon a man’s pale violet-coloured belt that -had got mixed up with her clothes, and at the same time he noticed a -piece of paper with writing upon it lying near the bed. How did these -things come to be in his daughter’s room? ‘Whose is this?’ he asked, -pointing at the paper. ‘I think you had better give it to me; it may -be something important. I shall probably know the writing.’ She looked -where he was pointing. Yes, there was Genji’s paper lying conspicuously -upon the floor. Were there no means of heading her father away from it? -She could think of none and did not attempt to answer his question. It -was evident that she was acutely embarrassed, and even though she was -his own child he ought to have remembered that she was now a lady of -some consequence, whose feelings, however reprehensible might be her -conduct, he was bound in some measure to respect. Unfortunately there -was not in his nature a particle either of moderation or restraint. He -stooped to pick up the paper, and as he did so, without the slightest -hesitation or compunction he opened the bed-curtains and peered -right in. There full length upon the bed and apparently quite at -his ease lolled a charming young man, who when the curtain stirred -merely rolled quietly over and hid his face in the pillows. Enraged, -astonished as the Minister was, even he had not quite the courage to -press the discovery home. Blind with fury he thrust the paper into his -pocket and rushed out of the room. - -Genji was indeed extremely concerned about the consequences of this -incident, coming as it did in the wake of so many other indiscretions. -But his first care was to comfort his companion, which he did as best -he could. - -Self-restraint had never been a characteristic of the lady’s father -and now that he was getting old he found it more than ever impossible -to keep anything to himself. It was therefore only to be expected that -without considering the consequences or turning the matter over in -his mind for a single moment, he went and told the whole story to his -daughter Kōkiden. - -‘Well there it is,’ he wound up, ‘and you will not be surprised to hear -that the handwriting was that of no less a person than Prince Genji! -Of course I know quite well that this affair has been going on for a -long time. A good deal of licence is allowed to people in his position -and unfortunately I was weak-minded enough to let the matter pass. -Then came the death of his wife, and it seemed certain that he would -now legitimize his relations with your sister. Instead of doing so he -suddenly abandoned her in the most heartless and disgraceful fashion. -I was very uneasy about what had happened, but there was nothing to do -except to make the best of a bad business, and I sent her to Court, -fully trusting that His Majesty would not regard this one escapade as -a fatal objection. Unfortunately he looked upon her as still more or -less betrothed to Genji and left her severely alone. One would -have thought she had suffered enough already! It is really disgusting, -after what has happened, that he should have the face to start the -thing all over again. You may say that a young man is bound to have his -fling; but this Prince Genji goes a great deal too far. I hear that he -has been behaving very badly with the Vestal Virgin of Kamo, carrying -on a secret correspondence with her, and according to some people -going a good deal further than that. If he has no respect for her holy -calling he might at least realize that this kind of thing does his own -reputation no good. How anyone holding an important and responsible -position in the State can bring himself to behave in this way I simply -cannot imagine....’ Kōkiden had always detested Genji and she now burst -out angrily: ‘They call him their Emperor, but from the very beginning -they have gone out of their way to heap every sort of indignity upon -him. Even before he came to the Throne they had already begun to treat -him abominably. Remember how the Minister of the Left behaved about the -marriage of his cherished only daughter! He insisted forsooth in giving -her to this wretched Prince Genji instead of to my son, though my boy -was older and had already been proclaimed Heir Apparent, while Genji -did not count as a member of the royal family at all and was so young -that the wedding took place on the same day as his Initiation! We too, -you may remember, were planning to give my sister to Genji when we were -outwitted by this hasty wedding, of which till the last minute no one -was given the slightest intimation. Every one was indeed astonished -that we should allow ourselves to be tricked in this unscrupulous -fashion. We should all much have preferred to see her married to this -young man, but when that fell through there was nothing for it but to -do the best we could for her at Court. It is really extraordinary -that after all the painful experiences she has had with this wretch she -should still imagine she can make a permanent conquest of him. I have -no doubt he is treating the Vestal Virgin in just the same way; and -his behaviour in this matter, as indeed in many others, is causing His -Majesty the greatest anxiety; which is not to be wondered at, seeing -that the heir to the Throne is entirely in this Prince Genji’s hands.’ - -She went on in this strain for so long and with so much rancour that -her father, who never remained angry for more than a short time, soon -began to sympathize with Genji rather than with her and was sorry that -he had mentioned the matter at all. ‘I think that for the present,’ -he said, ‘you had better not speak of this to anyone, not even to His -Majesty your son. Prince Genji’s conduct is certainly outrageous; but -you are very fond of your sister and you cannot denounce him without -getting her too into trouble. Leave the matter to me. I intend to -speak to her very seriously, and if this has no effect, then we shall -have done our best and she must take the consequences.’ But it was too -late to mend matters; she was indeed only further exasperated by his -attempt to conciliate her. That Genji should have been carrying on this -intrigue in her own house, and that too at a time when he knew she -was in residence, showed an impudent contempt for her authority which -deeply wounded her, and all that she now thought of was how best she -might use this discovery to his undoing. - -[1] Rokujō was still uncertain whether it was her jealousy that had -killed Yūgao. - -[2] Torii. - -[3] The _sakaki_, a species of evergreen oak, is planted at Shintō -shrines. - -[4] In allusion to the old song ‘My home is at the foot of Miwa Hill. -If you like me, come some day to visit me. You will know the house by -the cedar which grows at the gate.’ - -[5] Princes used rich scents forbidden to commoners. - -[6] Used in making offerings to Shintō gods. - -[7] An allusion to the poem (_Kokinshū_ 701) ‘Can even the God of -Thunder whose footfall echoes in the sky put those asunder whom love -has joined?’ - -[8] In reality an appeal to the Virgin (representative of the Gods) to -dissuade her mother from accompanying her. - -[9] Before departing for Ise the Virgin was presented to the Emperor -and formally invested. - -[10] 4 p.m. - -[11] Prince Zembō, her father, was at that time Heir Apparent. - -[12] A river in the Province of Ise. - -[13] ‘Ōsaka’ means Hill of Meeting; a gentle slope on the road from -Kyōto to Ōtsu. - -[14] I.e. to Murasaki. - -[15] Genji’s son by Fujitsubo; supposed to be the Emperor’s child. He -was now four years old. - -[16] In which they packed the costumes they wore while on duty at the -palace. - -[17] Her relations with Genji. See vol. i, p. 241. She had now become -the Emperor’s mistress. - -[18] The neglected step-child who in the end triumphs over her pampered -rivals is a favourite theme in Japanese stories. Cf. the _Sumiyoshi -Monogatari_ and the _Ochikubo_. - -[19] See vol. i, pp. 68 and 252. - -[20] A ritual in honour of the Five Mysterious Buddhas of the Tantric -Sect, to wit: Gōsanze, Gundari, Dai-itoku, Kongō-yasha and Fudō. - -[21] See vol i, pp. 241 _seq_. - -[22] Genji was Commander of the Imperial Guard. The soldiers of the -Guard had to report at 4 a.m. to the senior officer of the Guard who -happened on that night to be in the Palace. They had really come to -report to some subordinate officer who happened to be lodging close by. - -[23] I.e. 4 a.m. They had to go on calling the hour till their officer -replied ‘So be it’ to show that he had heard them. - -[24] There is a play of words on _aku_ ‘enough’ and _aku_ ‘dawn’; in -the next poem between _aku_ ‘enough’ and _aku_ ‘open.’ - -[25] Wife of the young Emperor Suzaku. - -[26] I.e. in a monastery. - -[27] Who, after the death of her lover, the Chinese Emperor Kao Tsu, -was tortured and mutilated (c. B.C. 200) by his wife. - -[28] Genji’s child by Fujitsubo: supposed by the world to be the late -Emperor’s son. - -[29] The Unrinin, near Kyōto. - -[30] Books on monastic discipline, and morality in general. - -[31] Princess Asagao. - -[32] The canonical book of the Tendai Sect. - -[33] The Court was still in mourning and music was not allowed. - -[34] The Crown Prince sent an assassin to murder the King of Ch‘in; -whereupon the above phenomenon was observed and the Crown Prince felt -convinced that the plot would fail. The young courtier vaguely hints -that Genji is meditating treason. - -[35] I.e. the late Emperor. - -[36] Of the Hokkekyō. - -[37] Ostensibly the poem refers to the late Emperor, but it has a -hidden reference to the meeting of Fujitsubo and Genji. There is a pun -on _yuki_, ‘snow,’ and _yuki_, ‘go.’ - -[38] Of whom we are vaguely told that he was ‘a former Emperor.’ - -[39] The bishop of the Enryakuji on Mount Hie. - -[40] An incense made of sandal-wood, cloves, etc. - -[41] I should like to become a priest, but I must stay and look after -the child. There is an allusion to the famous poem on the death of a -child: ‘Because in Death’s dark land he will not know the way, I will -make offerings to the Guardian of Souls that on his shoulders he may -carry him.’ - -[42] Performed by girls on the 16th day and by young men on the 14th -and 15th days of the first month. - -[43] Twenty-one white horses were offered to the Emperor on the 7th -day, and afterwards distributed by him among members of his family. - -[44] The residence of the Minister of the Right, Kōkiden’s father. - -[45] _Ama_, ‘fishermen,’ also means ‘nun.’ - -[46]The State grant allowed to an ex-Empress was sufficient to maintain -2,000 dependants. - -[47] His wife was the fourth daughter of the Minister of the Right. - -[48] Such as Buddha’s birthday, Māyā’s birthday, Buddha’s Nirvāna day, -etc. - -[49] The Heir Apparent, Genji’s son by Fujitsubo, supposed to be the -old Emperor’s child. - -[50] One of Genji’s step-brothers. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE VILLAGE OF FALLING FLOWERS - - -The outlook was very black. Not only were his private affairs in a -state of grievous entanglement, but also his position at Court was -being made every day more difficult. So despondent did he become that -he had serious thoughts of giving everything up and quitting the -Capital. But this was by no means easy now that so many persons were -dependent upon him. For example there was Lady Reikeiden, a lady of his -father’s Court. She had no children to look after her and had, since -the old Emperor’s death, been living in very bad circumstances. But -for Genji’s assistance she would never have pulled through. With her -lived a sister much younger than herself with whom he had once had a -fugitive affair when both of them were living at the Palace. He never -forgot anyone to whom he had stood, even for the briefest period, in -such a relation as this. Their friendship had never been resumed; but -he had reason to suppose that on her side the attachment was still as -strong as ever. During the period of emotional tumult through which -he had just passed he had many times brooded upon his relations with -this lady. At last he felt that he could neglect her no longer, and the -rains of the fifth month having given place to an enchanting spell of -fine warm weather, he set out for her sister’s house. He went without -any outriders and took care that there should be nothing to distinguish -his coach from that of an ordinary individual. As he was nearing -the Middle River he noticed a small house standing amid clumps of -trees. There came from it the sound of some one playing the zithern; a -well-made instrument, so it seemed, and tuned to the eastern mode.[1] -It was being excellently played. The house was quite near the highway -and Genji, alighting for a moment from the carriage, stood near the -gate to listen. Peeping inside he saw a great laurel-tree quavering -in the wind. It reminded him of that Kamo festival long ago, when -the dancers had nodded their garlands of laurel and sun-flower.[2] -Something about the place interested him, seemed even to be vaguely -familiar. Suddenly he remembered that this was a house which he had -once visited a long while before. His heart beat fast.... But it had -all happened too long ago. He felt shy of announcing himself. All the -same, it seemed a pity to pass the house without a word, and for a -while he stood hesitating. Just when he was about to drive away, a -cuckoo flew by. Somehow its note seemed to be an invitation to him to -stay, and turning his chariot he composed the following poem, which he -gave into Koremitsu’s hands: ‘Hark to the cuckoo’s song! Who could not -but revisit the hedge-row of this house where once he sung before?’ -There seemed to be several people sitting together in a room on the -left. This must be the lady’s own apartment. Several of the voices -Koremitsu thought he could remember having heard before. He made a -slight noise to attract attention and delivered the poem. He could -hear it being discussed within by a number of young women who seemed -somewhat puzzled by it. Presently a reply was brought: ‘That to my -garden Cuckoo has returned, his song proclaims. But how, pray, should I -see him, caged behind the summer rain?’ Koremitsu made sure that -they were only pretending not to know who their visitor was. The lady -indeed, though she hid her feelings from the rest, was very loath to -send Koremitsu away with this hollow message. But so long a time had -elapsed since her adventure with Genji that she may very well have had -good reasons for doing so. Suddenly, as he drove away, there came into -his mind a picture of this lady dancing with four others at the Palace. -Yes, that was who she was. She had been one of the Gosechi dancers one -winter long ago. How much he had admired her! And for a moment he felt -about her exactly as he had felt before. It was this strange capacity -of his for re-creating in its full intensity an emotion suspended -for months or even years and overlaid by a thousand intervening -distractions, that gained for him, faithless though he was, so large a -number of persistent admirers. - -At last he arrived at Lady Reikeiden’s house. Noting that it wore an -aspect fully as cheerless and deserted as he had feared, he hastened -at once to the elder lady’s room. They talked much of old times and -the night was soon far advanced. It was the twentieth day and the moon -had now risen, but so tall were the surrounding trees that the garden -still looked dark and gloomy as before. The lady herself sat in a room -pervaded by the fragrance of orange-trees. She was no longer young, -but still preserved much dignity and charm. Though she had never been -singled out as a particular favourite with the late Emperor, they had -been on very familiar terms and she was able to entertain Genji with -many intimate recollections of his father’s life and habits. Indeed so -vivid a picture of those old days soon rose before his mind that the -tears came into his eyes. A cuckoo was suddenly heard in the garden -outside, perhaps the very same that had sung when he was waiting -at the gate of the little house; its note at any rate seemed strangely -similar. Had it followed him? Pleased with this idea he sang softly to -himself the old song ‘Knows the cuckoo when he sings?’ Presently he -handed to her this poem: ‘“It is the scent of orange-trees that draws -the cuckoo to the village of falling flowers.” I knew you would remind -me of many things that I would not gladly forget; that is why I made my -way straight to your room. Though life at Court gives me much both to -think of and to feel, there are often times when I should like to have -about me people who would talk of the past, and now that the world has -given its allegiance to new powers such people are hard to find. But -if I, amid the bustle of the town, feel this deprivation, how much the -more must you in your long hours of tedious inactivity!’ - -His prospects had indeed changed very much for the worse since she had -first known him, and he certainly seemed to feel those changes deeply. -But if her heart went out to him it was perhaps rather because of his -youth and beauty than because she regarded his position in the world -as calling for any particular commiseration. She answered him with -the poem: ‘To these wild gardens and abandoned halls only the scent -of orange-trees could draw the traveller’s steps!’ She said no more -and he took his leave. Yes, despite the fact that greater beauties had -overshadowed her at his father’s Court, this lady had a singular charm -and distinction of her own. - -Her sister was living in the western wing. He did not hide from her -that he was only calling upon her on his way from Lady Reikeiden’s -rooms. But in her delight at his sudden arrival and her surprise at -seeing him under circumstances so different she forgot to take offence -either at his having visited her sister first or having taken so -long in making up his mind to come at all. The time that they -spent together was in every way successful and agreeable, and she can -scarcely have thought that he did not care for her. - -It was often thus with those whom he met only in this casual way. -Being women of character and position they had no false pride and saw -that it was worth while to take what they could get. Thus without any -ill will on either side concerning the future or the past they would -enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company, and so part. However, if -by chance anyone resented this kind of treatment and cooled towards -him, Genji was never in the least surprised; for though, as far as -feelings went, perfectly constant himself, he had long ago learnt that -such constancy was very unusual. The lady in the little house by the -road-side was clearly an example of the latter class; she had resented -the infrequence of his visits and no longer felt disposed to receive -him. - -[1] I.e. as a _wagon_ or Japanese zithern, not in the Chinese style. - -[2] See vol. i, p. 257. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -EXILE AT SUMA - - -The intrigue against him was becoming every day more formidable. It was -evident that he could not in any case go on living much longer where he -was, and by a voluntary withdrawal he might well get off more lightly -than if he merely allowed events to take their course. - -There was Suma. It might not be such a bad place to choose. There had -indeed once been some houses there; but it was now a long way to the -nearest village and the coast wore a very deserted aspect. Apart from -a few fishermen’s huts there was not anywhere a sign of life. This did -not matter, for a thickly populated, noisy place was not at all what he -wanted; but even Suma was a terribly long way from the Capital, and the -prospect of being separated from all those whose society he liked best -was not at all inviting. His life hitherto had been one long series of -disasters. As for the future, it did not bear thinking of! Clearly the -world held in store for him nothing but disappointment and vexation. -But no sooner had he proved to himself convincingly that he was glad -to leave the Capital than he began to recollect a thousand reasons for -remaining in it. Above all, he could not imagine what would become of -Murasaki if he were to leave her. Even when for one reason or another -he was obliged to pass a few days away from his palace, he spent so -much of the time wondering how she was getting on without him that he -never really enjoyed himself and in the end dreaded even these -short absences almost as much as she did. Now he was going away not -for a fixed number of days or even years, but for a huge, incalculable -period of time; perhaps (for who knew what might not happen either to -him or her?) forever. The thought that he might never see her again -was unendurable and he began to devise a scheme for hiding her in his -retinue and secretly taking her with him. He soon saw however that this -was quite impracticable. First there was the difficult sea-journey; and -then, at Suma, the total lack of amusements and society. The waves and -winds of that desolate shore would make poor companions for one used -to the gaieties of a fashionable house. It would moreover be utterly -impossible in such a place to make adequate provision for the comfort -of a fastidious and delicately-nurtured lady. Her presence would soon -involve him in all sorts of difficulties and anxieties. She herself -felt that she would rather face every danger, every hardship, than -be left behind at the Nijō-in, and that he should doubt her courage -wounded her deeply. - -The ladies at the ‘village of falling flowers,’ though in any case they -saw him but seldom, were dismayed at the news of his departure, not -for personal reasons only, but also because they had come to depend -in numerous ways on his patronage and support. Many others whose -acquaintance with him was very slight, were, though they would not have -confessed it, shattered at the prospect of his disappearance from the -Court. The abbess[1] herself feared that if she showed him any open -mark of sympathy at this turn in his fortunes she would give new life -to rumours which had already been used against him by his enemies. But -from the time when his decision was first announced she contrived to -send him constant secret messages. He could not help reflecting -with some bitterness that she might sometimes have shown an equal -concern while it was still possible for her to console him in more -concrete ways. But it seemed to be fated that throughout all this long -relationship each, however well disposed, should only cause torment to -the other. He left the City about the twentieth day of the third month. -The date of his departure had not been previously disclosed and he -left his palace very quietly, accompanied only by some seven or eight -intimate retainers. He did not even send formal letters of farewell but -only hasty and secret messages to a few of those whom he loved best, -telling them in such words as came to him at the moment what pain it -cost him to leave them. Those notes were written under the stress of -deep emotion and would doubtless interest the reader; but though some -of them were read to me at the time, I was myself in so distracted a -state of mind that I cannot accurately recall them. Two or three days -before his departure he paid a secret visit to Aoi’s father. He came -in a rattan-coach such as women use, and heavily disguised. When they -saw that it was indeed Prince Genji who had stepped out of this humble -equipage the people at the Great Hall could hardly believe that this -was not some strange dream. Aoi’s old room wore a dismal and deserted -air; but the nurses of his little boy and such of Aoi’s servants as -were still in the house soon heard the news of his unexpected arrival -and came bustling from the women’s quarters to gaze at him and pay him -their respects. Even the new young servants who had not seen him before -and had no reason to take his affairs particularly to heart were deeply -moved at this farewell visit, which brought home to them so vividly the -evanescence of human grandeurs. The little prince recognized him and -at once ran up to him in the prettiest and most confiding way. This -delighted Genji; taking the child on his knee he played with -it so charmingly that the ladies could hardly contain their emotion. -Presently the old Minister arrived: ‘I have often meant,’ he said, -‘during these last months when you have been living so much at home, -to come round and talk over with you various small matters connected -with the past; but first I was ill and for a long time could not attend -to my duties, and then at last my resignation was definitely accepted. -Now I am merely a private person, and I have been afraid that if I came -to see you it would be said that it must be to promote some personal -intrigue that I was bestirring my aged bones. As far as I am concerned -I am out of it all, and have really nothing to be afraid of. But these -new people are very suspicious and one cannot be too careful.... I -am distressed beyond measure that you should be obliged to take the -course which you are now contemplating; I would gladly not have lived -to witness such a day. These are bad times, and I fully expected to see -a great deal of mischief done to the country. But I confess I did not -foresee that you would find yourself in such a situation as this, and -I am heart-broken about it, utterly heart-broken....’ ‘We are told,’ -answered Genji, ‘that everything which happens to us in this life is -the result of our conduct in some previous existence. If this is to be -taken literally I suppose I must now accept the fact that in a previous -incarnation I must have misbehaved myself in some way. It is clear, at -any rate, that I am in bad odour at Court; though, seeing that they -have not thought it necessary to deprive me of my various offices and -titles, they cannot have very much against me. But when the Government -has shown that it mistrusts a man, he is generally considered much to -blame if he continues to flaunt himself at Court as though nothing -were amiss. I could cite many instances in the history both of our own -and other countries. But distant banishment, the penalty which -I hear is contemplated in my case, has never been decreed except as -the penalty of scandalous and open misdemeanour. My conscience is of -course perfectly clear; but I see that it would be very dangerous to -sit down and await events. I have therefore decided to withdraw from -the Capital, lest some worse humiliation should befall me.’ He gave -the Minister many further details of his proposed flight. The old man -replied with a multitude of reminiscences, particularly of the late -Emperor, with anecdotes illustrating his opinions and policies. Each -time that Genji tried to go his father-in-law gripped his sleeve and -began a new story. He was indeed himself deeply moved by these stories -of old days, as also by the pretty behaviour of his little son, who -while they were talking of policies and grave affairs constantly ran up -to one or the other with his absurd, confiding prattle. The Minister -continued: ‘Though the loss of my dear daughter is a sorrow from which -to my dying day I shall not recover, I find myself now quite thankful -that she did not live to see these dreadful days. Poor girl, she would -have suffered terribly. What a nightmare it all is! More than anything -else I am distressed that my grandson here should be left with us -elderly people and that for months or even years to come you will be -quite cut off from him. - -‘As you say, exile has hitherto been reserved as a punishment for -particularly grave offences. There have indeed been many cases both -here and in China of innocent persons being condemned to banishment, -but always in consequence of some false charge being made against them. -But against you a threat of exile seems to have been made without any -cause being alleged. I cannot understand it....’ - -Tō no Chūjō now joined them and wine was served. It was very late, but -Genji showed no signs of going, and presently all the gentlewomen -of the household collected round him and made him tell them stories. -There was one among them, Chūnagon by name, who, though she never spoke -of it, had always cared for Genji far more deeply than did any of her -companions. She now sat sad and thoughtful waiting to say something to -him but unable to think of anything to say. He noticed this and was -very sorry for her. When all the rest had gone to their rooms he kept -her by him and talked to her for a long while. It may perhaps have -been for her sake that he stayed so long. Dawn was beginning to come -into the sky and the moon, which had not long risen, darted its light -among the blossom of the garden trees, now just beyond their prime. -In the courtyard leafy branches cast delicate half-shadows upon the -floor, and thin wreaths of cloud sank through the air till they met the -first flicker of the white grass-mists which, scarcely perceptible, now -quivered in the growing light. - -He hung over the balustrade outside the corner room and for a while -gazed in silence at this scene, which transcended even the beauty of -an autumn night. Chūnagon, that she might watch him go, had opened the -main door and stood holding it back. ‘I shall return,’ Genji said, ‘and -we shall surely meet again. Though indeed, when I think about it, I can -find no reason to suppose that I shall ever be recalled. Oh, why did I -not make haste to know you in better days, when it would have been so -easy for us to meet?’ She wept but made no answer. - -Presently Aoi’s mother sent a message by Saishō, the little prince’s -nurse: ‘There are many things that I want to talk over with you, but -my mind is nowadays so clouded and confused that I hesitate to send -for you. It is kind of you to have paid us so long a visit and I would -ask you to come to me; but I fear that to talk with you would remind -me too much of all that is now so changed. However, pray do not -leave the house till your poor little son is awake.’ He answered with -the poem: ‘To a shore I go where the tapering smoke of salt-kilns -shall remind me of the smoke that loitered by her pyre.’ He wrote no -letter to go with the poem, but turning to the nurse he said: ‘It is -sad at all times to leave one’s friends at dawn. How much the more -for one such as I, who goes never to return!’ ‘Indeed,’ she answered, -‘“farewell” is a monster among words, and never yet sounded kindly in -any ear. But seldom can this word have had so sinister an import as to -all of us on this unhappy morning.’ - -Touched by her concern at his departure he felt that he must give her -what she evidently expected,—some further message for her mistress, -and he wrote: ‘There is much that I should like to say, but after -all you will have little difficulty in imagining for yourself the -perplexity and despair into which my present situation has plunged me. -I should indeed dearly like to see the little prince before I go. But -I fear that the sight of him might weaken my resolution to forsake the -fleeting world, and therefore I must force myself to leave this house -without further delay.’ - -The whole household was now awake and every one was on the watch to -see him start. The moon shone red at the edge of the sky, and in its -strange light he looked so lovely, yet so sad and thoughtful, that the -hearts of wolves and tigers, nay of very demons, would have melted at -the sight of him. It may be imagined then with what feelings those -gentlewomen watched him drive away, many of whom had known and loved -him since he was a child. But I had forgotten to say that Aoi’s mother -replied with the poem: ‘Seek not another sky, but if you love her,[2] -stay beneath these clouds with which her soul is blent.’ When he -reached his own palace he found that none of the gentlewomen there had -slept a wink. They were sitting a few here, a few there, in frightened -groups, looking as though they would never lift their heads again. -Those officers of his household and personal retainers who had been -chosen to go with him to Suma were busy preparing for their departure -or saying good-bye to their friends, so that the retainers’ hall was -absolutely deserted; nor had the gentlewomen whom he was leaving -behind dared to present themselves on the occasion of his departure, -for they knew that any demonstration of good will towards an enemy of -those in power would be remembered against them by the Government. So -that instead of his doors being thronged, as once they had been, by -a continual multitude of horsemen and carriages, he found them that -morning utterly deserted and realized with bitterness how frail is the -fabric of worldly power. Already his great guest-tables, pushed against -the wall, were looking tarnished and dusty; the guest-mats were rolled -up and stowed away in corners. If the house looked like this now, what -sort of spectacle he wondered would it present when he had been absent -for a few months? - -On reaching the western wing he found the partition door still open. -Murasaki had sat there watching till dawn. Some of the little boys -who waited upon her were sleeping on the verandah. Hearing him coming -they now shook themselves and rose with a clatter. It was a pleasant -sight to see them pattering about in their little pages’ costumes; but -now he watched them with a pang at his heart, for he could not help -remembering that while he was away they would grow up into men and in -the end have to seek service elsewhere. And indeed during those days -he looked with interest and regret on many things which had never -engaged his attention before. ‘I am so sorry about last night,’ he -said. ‘One thing happened after another, and by the time I was -free to come back it would not have been worth while. You must have -thought it horrid of me. Now that there is so little time left, I hate -to be away from you at all. But my departure from the Court naturally -involves me in many painful duties, and it would be quite impossible -for me to remain shut up here all the time. There are other people, -some of whom I may very likely never see again, who would think it -unkind of me if I did not even bid them good-bye....’ ‘It is your going -away that matters,’ she answered; ‘nothing else is of any consequence -now....’ She said no more, but sat staring before her in an attitude of -the profoundest despair. And indeed, as Genji realized, she had every -possible reason to dread his departure. Her father Prince Hyōbukyō had -never put himself out for her, and since Genji’s disgrace he stopped -writing and no longer even enquired about her. She was ashamed of his -worldly caution and dreaded lest others should notice it. For her part -she was resolved that, since he showed no interest in her, she would -be the last to remind him of her existence. Some one told her that -her step-mother[3] went about saying: ‘This is what comes of trying -to get on too quickly in the world. Look how she has been punished! -All her relatives expire and now her lover takes flight!’ She was -deeply distressed and felt that she could not ever communicate with -her step-mother again. There was indeed no one to whom she could turn -for help, and her position was likely to be in every way unhappy and -difficult. ‘I promise,’ said Genji to comfort her, ‘that if my exile -seems likely to last for a considerable time, I will send for you to -join me, even if I can offer you nothing better to live in than a hole -in the rocks. But it would be considered most improper for me to take -you with me now. People who are disapproved of by the Government -are expected to creep about miserably in the dark, and if they try to -make themselves happy and comfortable it is considered very wicked. -I have not of course done anything wrong, but my misfortune must -certainly be due to some sin in a previous life, and I am sure that if -I did anything so unusual as to take my lady into exile with me, fate -would find some yet more cruel way to punish me for the presumption.’ - -He then lay down and slept till noon. Later in the day his half-brother -Prince Sochi no Miya and Tō no Chūjō called and offered to help him -dress. He reminded them that he had resigned his rank and they brought -him a cloak of plain silk without any crest or badge. This costume had -an informal air which became him better than they had expected. When -he went to the mirror that his servants might do his hair he could not -help noticing how thin his face had lately grown, and he said ‘What a -fright I look! Can I really be such a skeleton as this? It is indeed -a bad business if I am.’ Murasaki, her eyes full of tears, came and -peeped at the mirror. To distract her he recited the poem: ‘Though I -wander in strange lands and far away, in this mirror let me leave my -image, that it may never quit your side.’ ‘That, yes, even so little as -that, would comfort me, if indeed this mirror might hold the image of -your distant face.’ So she answered, and without another word sank into -a seat behind the roof-pillar, that her tears might not be seen. His -heart went out to her, and he felt at this moment that among all the -women he had known she was indeed the most adorable. - -His step-brother now fell to reminding him of scenes in their common -childhood, and it was already growing dark when he left Genji’s room. -The lady at the ‘village of falling flowers’ had written to him -constantly since she heard the news of his approaching departure. He -knew that she had many reasons for dreading his absence and it -seemed unfeeling not to pay her one more visit before he left. But if -he spent another evening away from his palace Murasaki would be very -disappointed, and he therefore did not start till late in the night. -He went first to the room of Princess Reikeiden, who was flattered and -delighted beyond measure that hers should be the only house to which he -paid the honour of a farewell visit. But what passed between them was -not of sufficient interest to be recorded. He remembered that it was -only through his help and protection that she had managed to overcome -the difficulties and anxieties of the last few years. Now matters would -go from bad to worse. In the house nothing stirred. The moon had risen -and now shimmered faintly through the clouds. The lake in front of -the building was large and wild, and dense thickets of mountain-trees -surrounded it. He was just thinking that there could hardly in all the -world be a lovelier, stranger place, when he remembered the rocky shore -of Suma,—a thousand times more forbidding, more inaccessible! - -The younger sister had quite made up her mind that Genji was going -to leave the house without visiting her, and she was all the more -surprised and delighted when at last, more lovely than ever by -moonlight and in the grave simplicity of his exile’s dress, he stole -into her room. At once she crept towards the window and they stood -together gazing at the moonlight. They talked for a while, and found -to their astonishment that it was nearly day. ‘How short the night has -been,’ said Genji. ‘Yet even such a hasty meeting as this may never be -ours again. Why did I not know you better in all those years when it -would have been so easy to meet? Never have such misfortunes befallen -an innocent man before, nor ever will they again. I go from torment to -torment. Listen ...’ and he was beginning to recount to her the -disasters and miscalculations of the past when the cock crowed, and -fearing detection he hastened away. - -The moon was like last night, just on the point of setting; it seemed -to him a symbol of his own declining fortunes. Shining through the dark -purple of her dress the moonlight had indeed, as in the old poem, ‘the -leaden look of those who weep,’ and she recited the poem: ‘Though to -the moonlight my sleeve but narrow lodging can afford, yet might it -dwell there for ever and for ever, this radiance[4] of which my eyes -can never tire.’ He saw that she was deeply moved by this parting and -in pity sought to comfort her with the poem: ‘In its long journeying -the moon at last shall meet a clearer sky; then heed not if for a while -its light be dimmed.’ ‘It is foolish,’ he added, ‘to spoil the present -with tears for sorrows that are still to come,’ and with that he -hurried away, that he might be out of the house while it was still dark. - -At home he had a great many things to arrange before his departure. -First of all he had to give instructions concerning the upkeep of -his palace to the few faithful retainers who had taken the risk of -remaining in his service. When these had at last all been assigned -their functions, difficulties arose about some of the attendants who -were to have gone with him into exile, and a fresh choice had to -be made. Then there was the business of deciding how much luggage -he should take with him to his mountain fastness. Some things were -obviously indispensable; but even when he cut down his equipment to -the barest possible necessities there were still all kinds of odds and -ends, such as writing-materials, poems, Chinese books, which all had to -be fitted into the right sort of boxes. And then there was his zithern; -he could not leave that behind. But he took no large objects -of furniture nor any of his more elaborate costumes, having resigned -himself to the prospect of a completely bucolic existence. Finally he -had to explain to Murasaki all the arrangements he had made about the -servants who were to stay behind, and a hundred other matters. Into -her charge too he put all the documents concerning his various estates -and grazing-lands in different parts of the country. His granaries -and store-houses he put into the keeping of the nurse Shōnagon whose -vigilance and reliability he had often noted, giving her the help -of one or two trusted household officers. And here again there were -numerous arrangements to be made. - -With the gentlewomen of his palace he had never been on intimate terms. -But he kept them in a good humour by sending for them occasionally to -talk with him, and he now summoned them all, saying to them: ‘I am -afraid it will be rather dull here while I am away. But if any of you -care to stay in my service on the chance that I may one day return to -the Court, which if I live long enough is indeed certain to happen -sooner or later,—please consider yourselves at the disposition of -the Lady in the western wing.’ So saying he sent for all the other -servants, high and low, and distributed suitable keepsakes among them. - -No one was forgotten; to the nurse of Aoi’s little son and even to the -servants at the ‘village of falling flowers’ he sent tokens of his -appreciation, chosen, you may be sure, with the greatest taste and care. - -To Oborozuki, despite a certain reluctance, he wrote at last: ‘That -after what happened between us you should have ceased to communicate -with me was both natural and prudent. But I would now have you know -that the unparalleled ferocity of my enemies has at last driven me from -the Court. “The rising torrent of your reproachful tears has carried me -at last to the flood-mark of exile and disgrace.” I cannot forget -that this folly alone was the instrument of my undoing.’ There was some -danger that the letter might fall into wrong hands before it reached -its destination, and for that reason he made it brief and vague. - -The lady was heart-stricken, and though she strove to hide her tears, -they flowed in a torrent that her sleeve was not broad enough to dam. -She sent him the poem: ‘Long ere I reach the tide of your return shall -I, poor scum upon the river of tears, be vanished out of sight.’ She -was weeping violently when she wrote it, and there were many blotches -and mistakes, but her writing was at all times elegant and pleasing. He -would very much have liked to see her once more before his departure, -and he many times thought of arranging it. But she was too intimately -connected with just those people who had been chiefly responsible for -his undoing, and somewhat regretfully he put the idea aside. - -On the evening of the day before his departure he went to worship at -his father’s tomb on the Northern Hills. As the moon did not rise till -after midnight he found himself with time on his hands, and went first -to visit the Abbess Fujitsubo. She allowed him to stand close up to -her curtain, and on this occasion spoke to him with her own mouth. -She naturally had many questions to talk over concerning the future -of her son, which was now more than ever uncertain. But apart from -this, two people who had once lived on such terms as this prince and -princess, could not now fail to have much to say to one another of a -far more intimate and tender character. He thought her every bit as -charming and graceful as in old days, and this made him allude with -bitterness to her heartless treatment of him. But he remembered in time -that her present state made any such complaints in the highest degree -unseemly and inappropriate. He was allowing his feelings to get out -of hand, and withdrawing for a while into his own thoughts, he -said at last: ‘This punishment has come upon me quite unexpectedly, -and when I try to account for it, one possible explanation of a most -alarming character presents itself to my mind. I am not thinking of the -danger to myself should a certain fact be known, but of the disastrous -consequences of such a disclosure upon the career of the young prince, -your son....’ The same possibility had of course occurred to her. Her -heart beat wildly, but she did not answer. The many painful scenes in -which he had recently taken part had broken his spirit and he now wept -unrestrainedly. ‘I am going to the Royal Tombs,’ he said at last. ‘Have -you any message?’ She answered with the poem: ‘He that was, is not; and -he that is, now hides from the afflictions of the world. What increase -but of tears did my renunciation bring?’ - -At last the moon rose, and he set out. Only five or six attendants were -with him, men of low rank, but all of them deeply attached to him. -Genji himself rode on horseback like the rest. This was quite natural -on such an occasion, but his companions could not help contrasting -this melancholy cavalcade with the splendours of his retinue in former -days. Among them the most downcast was Ukon,[5] who had formed part of -his special escort on the occasion of the Kamo festival a few years -ago. This gentleman had since that time seen himself repeatedly passed -over at the annual distribution of honours, and finally his name -disappeared altogether from the lists. Being without employment he had -been obliged to go into service, and was now acting as Genji’s groom. -As they rode along Ukon’s eye lighted on the Lower Shrine of Kamo which -lay quite near their road, and remembering that wonderful day of the -festival he leapt from his horse and holding Genji’s bridle he -recited the verse: ‘Well I remember how, crowned with golden flowers, -we rode together on that glorious day! Little, alas, they heed their -worshippers, the churlish gods that in the Shrine of Kamo dwell.’ - -Genji well knew what was passing through the man’s mind. He remembered -with indignation and pity how Ukon had been the gayest, the most -resplendent figure among those who had ridden with him on that day. -Genji too alighted from his horse and turning his face towards the -Shrine repeated this parting poem: ‘Thou who art called the Righter -of Wrongs, to Thee I leave it to clear the name that stays behind me, -now that I am driven from the fleeting haunts of men.’ Ukon was a very -impressionable youth, and this small episode thrilled and delighted him -beyond measure. - -At last they reached the Tombs. Genji’s mind was full of long-forgotten -images. He saw his father seated on the throne in the days of his -prime, the pattern of a kindly yet magnificent king. Who could then -have guessed that death would in an instant deface all memory of that -good and glorious reign? Who could have foreseen that the wise policies -which, with tears in his eyes, he had time and again commended to those -about him, would in an instant be reversed, and even his dying wishes -contemptuously cast aside? The path to the Royal Tomb was already -overgrown with tall thick grass, so that in pressing his way along it -he became soaked with dew. The moon was hidden behind clouds, dank -woods closed about him on either hand, such woods as give one the -feeling one will never return through them alive. When at last he knelt -at the tomb, his father’s face appeared so vividly before him that he -turned cold with fear. Then murmuring the verse: ‘How comes it that thy -vanished image looms before me, though the bright moon, symbol of thy -high fortunes, is hidden from my sight?’ he set out towards the -town, for it was now broad daylight. On his return he sent a message -to the Heir Apparent. Ōmyōbu had taken charge of the child since -Fujitsubo’s retirement and it was through her that Genji now addressed -his son: ‘I leave the City to-day. That I have been unable to visit -you once more is the greatest of my many vexations. You indeed know -better than I can tell what thoughts are mine in this extremity, and I -beg you to commend me to your little master in such terms as you deem -best.’ With this letter he enclosed a spray of withered cherry-blossoms -to which was tied the poem: ‘When again shall I see the flowers of -the City blossoming in Spring, I whom fortune has cast out upon the -barren mountains of the shore?’ This she passed on to the boy who, -young though he was, quite well understood the import of the message, -and when Ōmyōbu added ‘It is hard at present to say when he will -return...!’ the young prince said sadly ‘Even when he stays away for a -little while I miss him very much, and now that he is going a long way -off I do not know how I shall get on.... Please say this to him for me.’ - -She was touched by the simplicity of his message. Ōmyōbu often -called to mind all the misery which in past days had grown out of -her mistress’s disastrous attachment. Scene after scene rose before -her. How happy they might both have been, if only.... And then she -would remember that she and she alone had been the promoter of their -ruin. She had pleaded for Genji, arranged those fatal meetings! And -a bitter remorse filled her soul. She now sent the following reply: -‘His Highness dictated no formal answer. When I informed him of your -departure, his distress was very evident....’ This and more she wrote, -somewhat incoherently, for her thoughts were in great confusion. With -the letter was the poem: ‘Though sad it is to mark how swift -the flowers fall, yet to the City Spring will come again and with it, -who can tell....’ ‘Oh if that time were come!’ she added, and spent -the hours which followed in recounting such moving tales of Genji’s -wisdom and kindness that every one in the Palace was soon dissolved -in tears. If these people who but seldom caught sight of him were -distressed at the prospect of his departure, it may be imagined what -were the feelings of those whose duties brought them constantly into -his presence. At the Nijō-in every one down to the mere scullery-maids -and outdoor servants, who could never hope to exchange a single word -with him and had thought themselves very lucky if they obtained an -occasional glance or smile, had always been in despair when it was -known that he would be absent from the palace even for a few days. -Nor was his downfall by any means welcome in the country at large. -Since his seventh year he had enjoyed the privilege of running in and -out of the old Emperor’s rooms just as he felt inclined. Everything -he asked for had been granted without question, and there were few -who had not at one time or another found themselves beholden to his -boundless good-nature and generosity. Even among the great nobles and -Ministers of the Crown there were some who owed their first promotion -to Genji’s good offices; and countless persons of less importance knew -quite well that they owed everything to him. But such was their dread -of the present Government, with its ruthless methods of persecution -and suppression, that not one of them now came near him. Expressions -of regret were everywhere heard; but it was only in the secrecy of -their own hearts that these sympathizers dared blame the Government for -happenings which they universally deplored. After all, what was the -good of risking their own positions by showing to the exiled prince -civilities which could be of no real use to him? There was some -sense in this, but on Genji their prudence made a most painful and -dispiriting impression. He suddenly felt the world was inhabited by a -set of mean and despicable creatures, none of whom were worth putting -oneself out for in any way at all. - -He spent the whole of that day quietly with Murasaki at his palace. -He was to start soon after midnight. She hardly knew him as he stood -before her dressed in his queer travelling clothes. ‘The moon has -risen,’ he said at last. ‘Come out to the door and see me start. I -know that at the last minute I shall think of all kinds of things I -meant to say to you to-day. Even when I am only going away for a few -nights, there are always so many things to remember....’ He raised the -curtain-of-state behind which she was sitting and drew her with him -towards the portico. She was weeping bitterly. Her feet would not obey -her and she stumbled haltingly at his side. The moonlight fell straight -upon her face. He looked down at her tenderly. The thought came to him -that he might die at Suma. Who would look after her? What would become -of her? He was indeed no less heart-broken than she; but he knew that -if he gave way to his feelings her misery would only be increased and -he recited the verse: ‘We who so long have sworn that death alone -should part us, must suffer life for once to cancel all our vows.’ He -tried to speak lightly, but when she answered: ‘Could my death pay to -hold you back, how gladly would I purchase a single moment of delay,’ -he knew that she was not speaking idly. It was terrible to leave her, -but he knew that by daylight it would be harder still, and he fled from -the house. All the way down to the river her image haunted him and it -was with a heart full to bursting that he went aboard the ship. It was -a season when the days are long, and meeting with a favourable wind -they found themselves at Suma between three and four o’clock in -the afternoon.[6] It was indeed a trifling journey, but to Genji, who -had never crossed the sea before, the experience was somewhat alarming, -though his fears were mingled with wonder and delight. As they came -in sight of that wild and lonely headland where stands the Hall of -Ōye[7] marked by its solitary pine, he recited the verse: ‘A life more -outcast shall be mine among these hills than all those exiles led -whose sufferings the books of Kara[8] have rehearsed.’ He watched the -waves lapping up over the sands and then creeping back again. It put -him in mind of the ancient song: ‘Oh would that like the tides I went -but to return!’ Those who were with him knew the song well enough, but -never before had it moved them as now when Genji murmured to himself -the long-familiar words. Looking back he saw that the mountains behind -them were already melting into the hazy distance, and it seemed to him -that he had indeed travelled the classical ‘three thousand leagues’ -of which the Chinese poets so often speak. The monotonous dripping -of the oars now became almost unendurable. ‘Now is my home hid from -me by the mist-clad hills, and even the sky above me seems not the -lovely cloudland that I knew.’ So he sang, being for the moment utterly -downcast and dispirited. - -His new home was quite close to the place where in ancient days Ariwara -no Yukihira[9] once lived in exile, ‘trailing his water-buckets along -the lonely shore.’ At this point the sea bends back, forming a -shallow inlet, encompassed by desolate hills. - -He proceeded to inspect the hut which had been prepared for his -reception. Never had he seen such a place before. Even the hedge was -built in quite a different way from what he was used to; and the hut -itself, with its thatched roof and wide-spreading gables covered with -wattled bull-rushes, seemed to him the most extraordinary place to -live in. But he could not help admiring the ingenuity with which it -was constructed, and he knew that if he had come there under different -circumstances the prospect of staying in such a cottage would have -fascinated and delighted him. How, in the old days, he had longed for -such an experience! - -Many repairs and alterations were necessary, and Genji sent at once for -the bailiffs of some of his estates which lay in the neighbourhood. -They and their workmen, directed by the faithful Yoshikiyo, soon -carried out Genji’s plans, and the place began to assume a much more -habitable air. The pond was dredged and deepened, plantations were -laid out. Soon he settled down to his new life in a way that he would -never have dreamed to be possible. The Governor of the province had -formerly been attached to his household, and though he did not dare -to give him a public welcome, he made it clear in private that his -sympathies were on Genji’s side. Thus even in this remote spot he was -not entirely deprived of society; but there was no one with whom he was -really intimate and such conversation as he could get was of the most -superficial and uninteresting kind. He felt almost as isolated as if -he had been cast up on a desert island, and the prospect of spending -months, nay years, buried away amid these uncivilized surroundings -still appalled him. He was just beginning to reconcile himself a little -to his rustic employments when the summer rains set in. During -this tedious period of inactivity he thought much of his friends at -the Capital. Often he called to mind the picture of Murasaki’s misery -in those last hours, of the Heir Apparent’s infant beauty or the -heedless antics of Aoi’s little son. He determined to send a courier -to the City, and began writing letters to everybody. While he wrote to -the Lady of his palace and again while he wrote to Fujitsubo in her -cloister he wept so bitterly that the letters had many times to be put -aside. To Oborozuki he dared not write direct, but as he had sometimes -done before enclosed a message to her in a letter to Lady Chūnagon, -with the acrostic poem: ‘That I, though cast like weed upon the barren -margin of the sea, am unrepentant still, how should they guess,—these -fisherfolk that tend their salt-kilns on the shore?’ To the retired -Minister and to Nurse Saishō he sent many instructions concerning the -upbringing of the child. It may well be imagined that the arrival of -his post-bag in the City set many hearts a-flutter. - -The condition of Murasaki after his departure had gravely alarmed her -attendants. She lay for many days utterly overcome by the shock of his -departure. Every effort to cheer her was in vain. The sight or mention -of things which she connected with him, a zithern which he had once -played, the perfume of a dress which he had left behind, threw her at -once into a new paroxysm of grief. She behaved indeed for all the world -as though he were not merely exiled but already in his grave. At last -Shōnagon, becoming seriously alarmed, sent for her uncle the priest -and begged his aid. The liturgy of intercession which he conducted -had for its aim both the recovery of Lady Murasaki from her present -prostration and the early recall of Genji himself. For a while she -was somewhat calmer and began to go about the house again. She spent -much time at her devotions, praying fervently that he might soon -return and live with her as before. She sent him sleeping-clothes and -many other comforts which she feared he might not otherwise be able to -secure. Among the garments which she packed were a cloak and breeches -of plain homespun. She folded them with a sigh, remembering his Court -apparel with its figured silks and glittering badges. And there was his -mirror! He had left it behind as in his poem he had jestingly promised -to do; but his image he had taken with him, and much good was a mirror -that reflected another face than his! The places where he used to walk, -the pinewood pillar against which he used to lean,—on these she could -still never look without a bitter pang. Her situation might well have -dismayed even a woman long inured to the world; for an inexperienced -girl the sudden departure of one who had taken the place of both father -and mother, to whom she had confided everything, to whom she had looked -on every occasion for comfort and advice, was a blow from which it -could hardly be expected that she would quickly recover. Deep down in -her heart there was the haunting fear that he might die before his -recall. But apart from this dread (which did not bear thinking of), -there was the possibility that gradually, at such a distance as this, -his affection for her would cease. True, she could write to him, and -had his absence been fixed at a few weeks or months she would have had -no great anxiety. But as it was, year might follow year without the -slightest change in his prospects, and when he found that this was so -who knew what might not come...? - -The Lady Abbess too was at this time in great distress. The sin of -the Heir Apparent’s birth was a constant weight upon her heart. She -felt that she had up to the present escaped more lightly than her -_karma_ in any degree warranted and that a day of disastrous reckoning -might still be at hand. For years she had been so terrified -lest her secret should become known that she had treated Genji with -exaggerated indifference, convinced that if by any sign or look she -betrayed her partiality for him their attachment would at once become -common knowledge at Court. She called to mind countless occasions when, -longing for his sympathy and love, she had turned coldly away. The -result of all her precautions did indeed seem to be that, in a world -where everything that anyone knows sooner or later gets repeated, this -particular secret had, so far as she could judge by the demeanour of -those with whom she came in contact, remained absolutely undivulged. -But the effort had cost her very dear, and she now remembered with pity -and remorse the harshness which this successful policy had involved. -Her answer to the letter which he sent from Suma was long and tender; -she sought indeed to explain and expiate her seeming heartlessness in -former days. - -An answer also came from Oborozuki: ‘Not even to fishers that on the -shore of Suma their faggots burn must we reveal the smouldering ashes -of our love.’ ‘More I have no heart to write,’ she added in the margin -of this poem, which was on a tiny strip of paper discreetly hidden -between the pages of a note from Lady Chūnagon. In her own letter -this lady gave a most melancholy account of her mistress’s condition. -All these tales of woe made the arrival of Genji’s return post-bag a -somewhat depressing event. - -Murasaki’s letter was full of the tenderest allusions and messages. -With it was the poem: ‘Look at the sleeves of the fisherfolk who trail -salt-water tubs along the shore: you will not find them wetter than -mine were on the night you put out to sea.’ The clothes and other odds -and ends which she sent him were all of the most delicate make and -colour. She had evidently taken immense trouble, and he reflected -that she could now have little indeed to employ her. No doubt she had -in her loneliness deliberately prolonged this task. Day and night her -image floated before him and at last, unable to endure any longer -the idea of her remaining by herself in that dull lonely palace, he -began to make fresh plans for bringing her out to join him. But after -further reflection he changed his mind. Such a step would at once bring -down upon him the full retribution of his offences, and putting the -idea out of his head he took to prayer and fasting, in the hope that -Buddha would have pity on him and bring his exile to a speedy end. He -was also somewhat distressed at being separated from Aoi’s son. But -here the case was different from that of older people. There was every -probability that he would eventually see the child again, and meanwhile -he had the comfort of knowing that it was in excellent hands. - -But stay! There has been so much to tell that one important matter had -quite escaped me. I ought to have told you that before his departure -he sent a message to Ise with a letter informing Lady Rokujō of the -place at which she must in future address him. An envoy now arrived at -Suma with her reply. It was long and intimate. Both the handwriting -and mode of expression showed just that extraordinary distinction and -fineness of breeding which he had always admired in her. ‘I find it -impossible,’ she wrote, ‘to conceive of you in such a place as that -at which you bid me to address you. Surely this must be some long, -fantastic dream! I cannot but believe that I shall soon hear of you -as again at the Capital; alas, even so it will be far longer before -_my_ fault is expiated and we can meet face to face. “Forget not those -who for salvation dredge their misery by Ise’s shore, while you with -fisherfolk drag dripping buckets to the kiln.”’ This and much more was -written, not as it seemed at one time, but bit by bit as fresh -waves of feeling prompted her. There were altogether four or five large -sheets of white Chinese paper, and there were many passages which in -the handling of the ink were quite masterly. This woman, whom he once -so passionately admired, had, after the fatal outcome of her jealousy, -become utterly distasteful to him. He knew well enough that she was not -to blame for what had occurred and that his own feelings towards her -were utterly unreasonable, and now that he was himself suffering the -penalty of exile he felt more than ever ashamed of having driven her -away by his sudden coldness. Her present letter moved him so deeply -that he detained the messenger for several days, questioning him upon -every detail of the life at Ise. The man was a young courtier of good -family and was enchanted at the opportunity of living in the company of -this famous prince at such close quarters as the limited accommodation -of the cottage made necessary. In his reply Genji said: ‘Had I known -that I was to be driven from the Court, I might have done well to join -you in your journey. “Were I but in the little boat that the men of Ise -push along the wave-tops of the shore, some converse would at least be -mine.”... Now, alas, there is less prospect even than before that we -shall ever meet again....’ - -He had now acquitted himself of all his epistolary duties, and no one -had any right to complain. Meanwhile a letter arrived from the lady -in the ‘village of falling flowers,’ or rather a journal in which she -had from time to time noted down her impressions since his departure. -The manner in which she recorded her despondency at his absence was -both entertaining and original. The letter was a great distraction -and aroused in him a quite new interest in this lady. It had come to -his ears that the summer rains had done considerable damage to the -foundations of her house and he sent word to his people at the Capital -to get materials from such of his farms as were nearest to the -ladies’ home and do whatever was necessary in the way of repairs. - -The Emperor still showed no signs of summoning Princess Oborozuki to -his side. Her father imagined that she felt her position and, since she -was his favourite daughter, was most anxious to get matters put right. -He spoke about it to Kōkiden, begging her to use all her influence, -and indeed went so far as to mention his daughter’s disappointment to -the Emperor himself. It was hoped that he might be prevailed upon to -instal her, if not as a regular mistress, at any rate in some dignified -capacity in his immediate entourage. The Emperor had hitherto neglected -her solely because of her supposed attachment in another direction. -When at last, yielding to the persuasion of her relatives, he summoned -her to him, she was as a matter of fact more than ever absorbed in her -unlucky passion. She moved into the Inner Palace during the seventh -month. As it was known that the Emperor had previously been very much -in love with her, no surprise was felt when he began immediately to -treat her as a full lady-in-waiting. From the first he showered upon -her a multitude both of endearments and reproaches. He was by no means -distasteful to her either in person or character, but a thousand -recollections crowded to her mind and continuously held her back. He -did not fail to notice this, and once when they were at music together -he said to her suddenly: ‘I know why you are unhappy. It is because -that man has gone away. Well, you are not the only one who misses him; -my whole Court seems to be plunged in the darkest gloom. I see what it -is; I ought never to have let him go. The old Emperor on his death-bed -warned me of all this, but I took no notice, and now I shall suffer -for it.’ He had become quite tearful. She made no comment, and after a -while he continued: ‘I get very little pleasure out of my life. I -am fast realizing that there is no point in any of the things I do. I -have the feeling that I shall probably not be with you much longer.... -I know quite well that you will not be much upset; certainly much less -than you were recently. That poet was a fool who prayed that he might -know what happened to his mistress after he was gone. He cannot have -cared much about her, or he would certainly rather not have known.’ He -really seemed to set such store by her affection and spoke in so bitter -and despondent a tone that she could bear it no longer and burst into -tears. ‘It is no good your crying like that,’ he said peevishly, ‘I -know well enough that your tears are not in any way connected with me.’ -For a while he was silent. Then he began again: ‘It is so depressing -not to have had any children. Of course I shall keep Lady Fujitsubo’s -son as my Heir Apparent, since the old Emperor desired it. But there is -sure to be a great deal of opposition, and it is very inconvenient....’ - -In reality, the government of the country was not in his hands at -all; at every turn he saw his own wishes being violated and a quite -contrary policy pursued by men who knew how to take advantage of his -inexperience and weakness of character. All this he deplored but was -powerless to alter. - -At Suma autumn had set in with a vengeance. The little house stood -some way back from the sea; but when in sudden gusts the wind came -‘blowing through the gap’ (the very wind of Yukihira’s poem[10]) it -seemed as though the waves were at Genji’s door. Night after night he -lay listening to that melancholy sound and wondering whether in all the -world there could be any place where the sadness of autumn was more -overwhelming. The few attendants who shared the house with him had all -gone to rest. Only Genji lay awake, propped high on his pillow, -listening to the storm-winds which burst upon the house from every -side. Louder and louder came the noise of the waves, till it seemed to -him they must have mounted the fore-shore and be surging round the very -bed on which he lay. Then he would take up his zithern and strike a few -notes. But his tune echoed so forlornly through the house that he had -not the heart to continue and, putting the zithern aside, he sang to -himself the song: - - “The wind that waked you, - Came it from where my Lady lies, - Waves of the shore, whose sighs - Echo my sobbing?” - -At this his followers awoke with a start and listened to his singing -with wonder and delight. But the words filled them with an unendurable -sadness, and there were some whose lips trembled while they rose and -dressed. - -What (Genji asked himself) must they think of him? For his sake they -had given up their homes, parents, brothers, friends from whom they -had never been absent for a day; abandoned everything in life which -they had held dear. The thought that these unfortunate gentlemen should -be involved in the consequences of his indiscretion was very painful -to him. He knew that his own moodiness and ill humour had greatly -contributed to their depression. Next day he tried to cheer them with -jokes and amusing stories; and to make the time pass less tediously he -set them to work to join strips of variegated paper into a long roll -and did some writing practice, while on a piece of very fine Chinese -silk he made a number of rough ink sketches which when pasted on to a -screen looked very well indeed. Here before his eyes were all those -hills and shores of which he had so often dreamed since the day long -ago when they had been shown to him from a far-off height.[11] He -now made good use of his opportunities and soon got together a -collection of views which admirably illustrated the scenery of this -beautiful coast-line. So delighted were his companions that they were -anxious he should send for Chiyeda and Tsunenori[12] and make them -use his sketches as models for proper-coloured paintings. His new -affability soon made them forget all their troubles, and the four or -five retainers who habitually served him felt that the discomforts of -exile were quite outweighed by the pleasure of waiting upon such a -master. - -The flowers which had been planted in front of the cottage were -blooming with a wild profusion of colour. One particularly calm and -delightful evening Genji came out on to the verandah which looked -towards the bay. He was dressed in a soft coat of fine white silk with -breeches of aster-colour. A cloak of some dark material hung loosely -over his shoulders. After reciting the formula of submission (‘Such a -one, being a disciple of the Buddha Śākyamuni, does obeisance to him -and craves that in the moonlit shelter of the Tree of Knowledge he may -seek refuge from the clouds of sorrow and death’) he began in a low -voice to read a passage from the Scriptures. The sunset, the light -from the sea, the towering hills cast so strange a radiance upon him -as he stood reading from the book, that to those who watched he seemed -like some visitant from another world. Out beyond the bay a line of -boats was passing, the fishermen singing as they rowed. So far off were -these boats that they looked like a convoy of small birds afloat upon -the high seas. With the sound of oars was subtly blended the crying of -wild-geese, each wanderer’s lament swiftly matched by the voice of his -close-following mate. How different his lot to theirs! And Genji -raised his sleeve to brush away the tears that had begun to flow. As he -did so the whiteness of his hand flashed against the black wooden beads -of his rosary. Here indeed, thought those who were with him, was beauty -enough to console them for the absence of the women whom they had left -behind. - -Among his followers was that same Ukon who had gone with him to the old -Emperor’s tomb. Ukon’s father had become Governor of Hitachi and was -anxious that he should join him in his province. He had chosen instead -to go with Genji to Suma. The decision cost him a bitter struggle, but -from Genji he hid all this, and appeared to be quite eager for the -journey. This man, pointing to the wild-geese above, now recited the -poem: ‘Like flocks that unafraid explore the shifting highways of the -air, I have no fear but that my leader should outwing me in the empty -sky.’ - -About this time the Secretary to the Viceroy came back to Court. As -he was travelling with his wife, daughters and a very large staff of -attendants he preferred to make the whole journey by water. They were -proceeding in a leisurely fashion along the coast and had intended to -stop at Suma which was said to be the most beautiful bay of all, when -they heard that Genji was living there. The giddy young persons in the -boat were immediately in the wildest state of excitement, though their -father showed no signs of putting them ashore. If the other sisters, -who did not know Genji, were in a flutter, it may be imagined what a -commotion was going on in the breast of Lady Gosechi.[13] She could -indeed hardly restrain herself from cutting the tow-cord, and when the -boat put in so near the shore that a faint sound of string-music could -be heard floating down from Genji’s cottage, the beauty of the shore, -the proximity of so interesting a personage and the interrupted -strains of the tune combined to make a powerful impression upon the -imaginations of these young people, and the tears came into their eyes. -The Secretary sent the following letter ashore: ‘I had hoped that after -my long absence it would be from your lips that I should first hear all -the gossip of the Capital. I now learn to my intense surprise and, if -you will allow me to say so, to my deep regret, that you are at present -living in retirement in this remote place. As we are a large and mixed -party, I must excuse myself from troubling you, but I hope to have the -pleasure of your society upon some other occasion.’ This letter was -brought by his son the Governor of Echizen, a nobleman who had been -one of Genji’s equerries and had been treated by him with particular -kindness. He was distressed at his former master’s ill fortune and did -not wish to seem ungrateful; but he knew that there were persons in his -father’s train who had their eye upon him and would, if he lingered -in Genji’s company, denounce him to the authorities. He therefore -handed in the letter and at once hurried away. ‘You are the first of my -friends to visit me since I left the Capital,’ said Genji. ‘I cannot -sufficiently thank you for sparing me so much of your time....’ His -reply to the Viceroy’s letter was couched in much the same terms. The -young Governor returned in very low spirits, and his account of what he -had seen and heard provoked loud expressions of sympathy not only from -the ladies of the party but also from the Viceroy himself. Lady Gosechi -contrived to send a short message on her own account, together with the -poem: ‘Little you guessed that at the sound of your distant lute one -hand was near indeed to severing the tow-cord of the boat.’ ‘Do not -think me forward if under these strange circumstances I have ventured -once more to address you,’ she added. He smiled as he read the letter. -She seemed to have become very demure. ‘Had you in truth been -minded to visit me, what easier than to cut the cable that drags you -past this shore?’ So he wrote and again: ‘You are a little taken aback, -I think, to find me “among the fishers at their toil.”’ So much did -he long for some distraction that he would indeed have been delighted -if she had found courage to come ashore; nor is this strange when we -remember how not far away from this same place a mighty exile[14] found -solace in the company of an ostler. - -In the Capital Genji’s absence was still universally deplored. His -step-brothers and some of the noblemen with whom he was most intimate -had in the early days of his exile sent sometimes to enquire about -him and had composed elegies in his honour, to which he had replied. -This soon reached Kōkiden’s ears. She was furious at this proof of -his continued popularity: ‘It is unheard of,’ she burst out angrily, -‘that a man condemned of offences against the Government of his country -should be allowed to live as he pleases and even share in the literary -pastimes of the Court. There he sits (by the way I hear he has got a -very pretty house!) railing all day at the Government, and no doubt -experimenting on loyal servants of the Crown for all the world like -that man in the History Book who declared that a stag was a horse.’[15] -Henceforward Genji received no letters from Court. - -The lady at the Nijō-in remained inconsolable. The servants in the -eastern wing had at first been somewhat reluctant to transfer their -services to her; but after a while her charming manners and -amiable disposition completely won their hearts, and none of them -showed any signs of seeking service elsewhere. Their employment had -given them opportunity of observing, albeit at a distance, most of -the great ladies of the Court. They were soon willing to allow that -in beauty of character Murasaki far excelled them all, and they well -understood why Genji had singled her out to be his pupil. - -He, meanwhile, longed more and more to have her with him. But apart -from the fact that the roughness of life at Suma would be utterly -unsuited to her, he knew that his sending for her would be regarded as -an impudent challenge to those who had achieved his downfall. - -They were within easy distance of Akashi, and Yoshikiyo naturally -thought of the strange lady whom he had once courted there, daughter -of the eccentric recluse[16] who had made his home near the bay. He -wrote to her several times, but received no reply. Finally a note -came not from her but from her father, saying that he had something -to tell Yoshikiyo and would be glad if he could find time to call. It -was quite clear what this meant. The old man merely wanted to tell him -that his suit was unwelcome. Yoshikiyo saw no point in going to the -house on purpose to be snubbed, and left the letter unanswered. As a -rule provincial governors seem to think that there are no reputable -families in the land except those of other provincial governors, and -it would never occur to them to marry their daughters into any other -class. But this ex-Governor was a man who not only had ideas of his own -but clung to them with passionate obstinacy. For years past, the sons -of provincial officials had been courting his daughter, and one and -all he had sent them about their business. His own notion of a husband -was very different. Then came Genji’s arrival at Suma. So soon -as he heard of it, the ex-Governor said to his wife: ‘I hear that Lady -Kiritsubo’s boy, Prince Hikaru Genji, has got into some sort of trouble -with the authorities and has come to live at Suma. I confess I am -delighted to hear it. What a splendid opportunity for our girl....’ - -‘You must be mad!’ broke in the mother. ‘I have been told by people -at Court, that he already keeps several ladies of the highest rank as -his mistresses; and not content with that, it appears that he has now -got into trouble about some lady in the Imperial Household. I cannot -imagine why you suppose that a coxcomb of this kind is likely to take -any interest in a simple, country girl....’ ‘You know nothing whatever -about it,’ interrupted the father testily. ‘I have very good reasons -for thinking as I do, and I must trouble you to fall in with my plans. -I intend to invite Prince Genji over here at the earliest possible -opportunity.’ He now spoke in a gentler tone, but it was evident that -he meant to have his own way, and to his wife’s consternation he began -to make the most lavish preparations for Genji’s entertainment.’ I -cannot imagine,’ she said, ‘why you are so set upon marrying our -daughter to this man. However exalted his position may once have been, -that does not alter the fact that he has now been expelled from the -City as a criminal. Even if by any chance he did take a fancy to her, -the idea of accepting such a person as our son-in-law is one which -you cannot surely entertain even as a joke....’ ‘What is all this -about criminals?’ he growled. ‘Surely you know that some of the most -distinguished men in history both here and in China have been forced at -one time or another to retire from Court. There is nothing disgraceful -about it. Just consider for a moment who this prince is. His mother was -the daughter of my own uncle, the late Inspector of Provinces, -who having made a name for himself by his public services was able -to obtain for her a position in the Imperial Palace. Here she at -once became the idol of our beloved Monarch, and although the very -exceptional favour with which she was treated aroused a good deal of -jealousy and in the end brought about her undoing, her career cannot be -considered unsuccessful, since she became the mother of His Majesty’s -most cherished son. In short, the family with which his august father -was not ashamed to ally himself is surely good enough for this young -prince, and though our daughter is a country-bred girl, I do not think -you will find he turns up his nose at her....’ - -The young woman in question was not remarkably handsome, but she had -considerable distinction and charm. Indeed many of the greatest ladies -at Court had, so far as good looks went, far less to boast of. She was -painfully conscious of her own deficiencies and had made up her mind -that no one of good position would ever take any notice of her. Men of -her own rank in life she knew that she had no opportunity of meeting. -Sooner or later her parents would die, and then she would either become -a nun or else drown herself in the sea; she was not sure which. Her -father brought her up with extreme strictness, and her only outings -were pilgrimages to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi, whither he brought her -regularly twice a year, secretly hoping that the God would be moved to -assist his ambitious designs. - -The New Year had begun. The days were growing longer and already there -was a faint show of blossom on the cherry-trees which Genji had planted -in his garden at Suma. The weather was delightful, and sitting idly in -the sunshine he recalled a thousand incidents that were linked in his -mind with former springs. The twentieth day of the second month! It was -just a year ago that he left the Capital. All those painful scenes of -farewell came back vividly to his mind, bringing with them a new -access of longing. The cherry-trees of the Southern Hall must now be in -full bloom. He remembered the wonderful Flower Feast of six years ago, -saw his father’s face, the elegant figure of the young Crown Prince; -and verses from the poems which he had himself made on that occasion -floated back into his mind. - -All this while Tō no Chūjō had been living at the Great Hall, with -very little indeed to amuse him. He had been put down again into the -Fourth Rank and was very much discouraged. It was essential to his -prospects that he should not come under any further suspicion, but he -was an affectionate creature and finding himself longing more and more -for Genji’s society, he determined, even at the cost of offending the -Government, to set out at once for Suma. The complete unexpectedness -of his visit made it all the more cheering and delightful. He was -soon admiring Genji’s rustic house, which seemed to him the most -extraordinary place to be living in. He thought it more like some -legendary hermit’s hut in a Chinese book than a real cottage. Indeed -the whole place might have come straight out of a picture, with its -hedge of wattled bamboo, the steps of unhewn stone, the stout pine-wood -pillars and general air of improvisation. Chūjō was enchanted by the -strangeness of it all. Genji was dressed in peasant style with a grey -hunting-cloak and outer breeches over a suit of russet-brown. The way -in which he played up to this rustic costume struck Chūjō as highly -absurd and at the same time delighted him. The furniture was all of -the simplest kind and even Genji’s seat was not divided off in any -way from the rest of the room. Near it lay boards for the games of -_go_ and _sugaroku_, and chessmen, with other such gear as is met with -in country houses. The meals, which were necessarily of a somewhat -makeshift character, seemed to Chūjō positively exciting. One day some -fishermen arrived with cockles to sell. Genji sent for them and -inspected their catch. He questioned them about their trade and learned -something of the life led year in and year out by those whose homes -were on this shore. It was a story of painful unremitting toil, and -though they told it in a jargon which he could only half understand, he -realized with compassion that their feelings were, after all, very much -like his own. He made them handsome presents from his wardrobe and they -felt that these shells had indeed been life-giving.[17] - -The stable was quite close by and in full view of the cottage. It -amused Chūjō to watch the labourers fetching rice-husks from a queer -building which seemed to be a sort of store-house or granary and using -them as provender for the horses; and he would sing the ballad: ‘Sweet -is the shade....’[18] - -He had of course a great deal to tell to his friend, and it was -sometimes with laughter, sometimes with tears that they went step by -step over all that had happened in the long months of their separation. -There were many stories of Aoi’s little son, happily still too young -to understand what was going on in the world around him, of the old -Minister, who now was sunk into a state of unremitting melancholy, and -of a thousand other happenings at the Great Hall and Court, which could -not possibly be recounted in full and would lose all interest if told -incompletely. Neither of them had any inclination to sleep, and at dawn -they were still exchanging Chinese odes. - -Though Chūjō had said that he no longer cared what the authorities -thought of him, he was reluctant to aggravate his offence by -lingering on this forbidden shore, and he now announced that he must -start for home again immediately. This was a terrible blow to Genji -who knew that so short a visit would leave him even more wretched -than before. Wine was brought and as they drank the farewell cup they -murmured in unison the words of Po Chü-i’s parting poem: - - “Chin on hand by the candle we lay at dawn - Chanting songs of sadness, till the tears had splashed - Our cup of new-made wine....” - -Chūjō had brought with him some delightful presents from the Capital. -With many apologies Genji offered him in return a black colt, saying as -he did so: ‘I fear that it may be embarrassing for you to receive even -so poor a gift as this from one in my position. But I beg of you to -accept it as a symbol of my longing to return, for in the _Old Poem_ it -is written: - - “The Tartar horse neighs into the northern wind; - The bird of Yueh nests on the southern bough.” - -It was in fact a magnificent horse and could hardly have been matched -in all the kingdom. Among the presents brought by Chūjō was a -celebrated flute which had long been in his possession, and many other -small but beautiful objects such as could easily be secreted and would -serve as tokens of his affection without exciting troublesome comment. - -The morning was well advanced before Chūjō set out. He could hardly -believe that the long-dreamed-of meeting was already over and looked -back again and again to where his friend was standing. The sight of -Genji gazing after him as the boat drew away made it more difficult -than ever to endure so speedy a parting, and he cried out ‘When, when -shall we meet again? I cannot think that they will let you go on -much longer....’ At which Genji answered him with the poem: ‘O crane, -who travellest at will even to the very margin of the Land on High, -look well upon me, whether in intent I be not cloudless as this new day -of Spring.’[19] ‘Sometimes for a while I have hope,’ he added; ‘but of -those who before have been in my case even the most grave and virtuous -have seldom managed to repair their fortunes. I fear I shall not see -the precincts of the Capital again.’ ‘Hapless in cloudland shall your -crane’s solitary voice re-echo till with his lost friend, wing to wing -again, he can renew his flight.’ This was the poem that Chūjō now -recited as his boat left the shore. - -The third month was now beginning and some one who was supposed to be -well up in these matters reminded Genji that one in his circumstances -would do well to perform the ceremony of Purification on the -coming Festival Day.[20] He loved exploring the coast and readily -consented. It happened that a certain itinerant magician was then -touring the province of Harima with no other apparatus than the crude -back-scene[21] before which he performed his incantations. Genji now -sent for him and bade him perform the ceremony of Purification. Part -of the ritual consisted in the loading of a little boat with a number -of doll-like figures and letting it float out to sea. While he watched -this, Genji recited the poem: ‘How like these puppets am I too cast -out to dwell amid the unportioned fallows of the mighty sea....’ These -verses he recited standing out in the open with nothing but the wind -and sky around him, and the magician, pausing to watch him, thought -that he had never in his life encountered a creature of such beauty. -Till now there had not been the least ripple on the face of the sea. -Genji, wondering what would in the end become of him, began to -review the whole course of his past life and the chances of better -fortune in the future. He gazed on the quiet aspects of both sky and -sea. ‘The Gods at least, the myriad Gods look kindly on my fate, -knowing that sinful though I be, no penalty have I deserved such as I -suffer in this desolate place.’ As he recited these words, the wind -suddenly rose; the sky grew dark and without waiting to finish the -ceremony every one began hastily preparing to make for home. Just when -they had decided to return as quickly as possible, a squall of rain -commenced, beginning so unexpectedly that there was no time even to -put up umbrellas. The wind was now blowing with unparalleled violence -and things which the calmness of the morning had tempted them to -leave carelessly lying about the shore were soon scattered in every -direction. The sea too was rapidly advancing and they were obliged to -run for their lives. Looking back they saw that the whole surface of -the bay was now covered with a blanket of gleaming white foam. Soon the -thunder was rolling and great flashes of lightning fell across the sky. -It was all they could do to make their way home. The peasants had never -witnessed such a gale before. ‘It blows pretty stormy sometimes,’ they -said; ‘but you can generally see it coming up a long while before.’ -Of such a storm as this, coming on without a moment’s warning, they -could make nothing at all. Still the thunder crashed, and the rain -fell with such violence that each shaft struck deep into the earth. It -seemed indeed as though the end of the world were come. Some of Genji’s -servants became very restless and uneasy; but he himself settled -quietly in his chair and read out loud from the Scriptures. Towards -evening the thunder became less violent, but the wind remained very -high all night. It was soon apparent that if the wind did not change, -the waves would carry away their house. Sudden high tides had -often before done great damage on the coast, but it was agreed that -such a sea as this had never been seen before. Towards dawn every one -went off to get a little rest. Genji too began to doze a little. There -appeared to him in his dream a vague and shadowy figure who said: ‘I -have come from the Palace to fetch you. Why do you not follow me?’ He -tried to obey the command, but suddenly awoke. He realized that the -‘Palace’ of his dream did not mean, as he had at first supposed, the -Palace of the Emperor, but rather the dwelling of the Sea God. The -whole import of the dream was that the Dragon King[22] had taken a -fancy to him and wished to detain him yet longer on the shore of his -domains. He became very depressed and from this time onwards took a -dislike to the particular part of the coast in which he had chosen to -reside. - - -[1] Fujitsubo. - -[2] The dead Aoi, Genji’s first wife. - -[3] Hyōbukyō’s wife. Murasaki was his illegitimate daughter. - -[4] Genji. - -[5] See vol. i, pp. 253 seq. - -[6] The distance is about 60 miles. It could, says Moto-ori, in no -circumstances have been covered in one day. He therefore concludes that -the travellers spent a night at Naniwa (the modern Ōsaka) on the way. A -much more probable solution is that Murasaki was herself rather vague -about the time which such a journey would take. - -[7] Near Naniwa. It was here that the returning Vestals of Ise lodged -on their way back to the Capital. - -[8] China. - -[9] For the story of his exile, see the Nō play _Matsukaze_ in my _Nō -Plays of Japan_, p. 268. - -[10] See _Nō Plays of Japan_, p. 268. - -[11] See vol. i, pp. 137 seq. - -[12] Tsunenori was a famous painter, c. 950 A.D. So presumably was -Chiyeda. Some people say Chiyeda was a name used by Tsunenori. - -[13] See above, p. 96. - -[14] The great statesman Sugawara no Michizane, 845–903. - -[15] Chao Kao was plotting to overthrow the Second Emperor (3rd cent. -B.C.). He brought his majesty a stag, telling him it was a horse. The -Emperor laughed, but some of the Courtiers were so much afraid of Chao -Kao that they sided with him and insisted that it was indeed a horse. -Then Kao knew that they feared him more than the Emperor and definitely -decided to revolt. - -[16] See vol. i, p. 138. - -[17] There is here a play on words. The other meaning is: ‘That life -was indeed worth living.’ - -[18] ‘Sweet is the shade, the lapping waters cool, and good the pasture -for our weary steeds. By the well of Asuka, here let us stay.’ See vol. -i, p. 46. - -[19] I.e. You have access to the Emperor, put in a word on my behalf. - -[20] The third day of the third month. - -[21] _Zeshō_, a screen or in some cases curtain with a pine-tree -painted on it used as a background to sacred performances. - -[22] Sovereign of the Ocean. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -AKASHI - - -The bad weather continued; day after day nothing but rain, wind and -repeated thunderstorms, bringing with them countless troubles and -inconveniences. So depressing was the past to look back upon and so -little hope did the future hold out for him that, try as he might, -Genji could no longer keep up even the appearance of cheerfulness. His -prospects were indeed dark. It was just possible that he might some day -be permitted to return to the Capital. But with the dominant faction -at Court still working against him he would be subject to unendurable -slights and vexations. He thought more than once of withdrawing from -the coast and seeking shelter at some point well back among the inland -hills. But he knew that if he did so it would be said he had been -scared away by a few days of foul weather. The smallest actions of -people in his position are recorded, and he did not care to figure in -the history-books as the Prince who ran away from a storm. Night after -night he had the same dream of a messenger summoning him to the realms -below the sea. It seemed as though the Dragon of the Ocean had indeed -set his heart upon him. - -Day followed day without the least break showing in the sky. It was -now a long time since he had heard any news from the Capital, and -he was becoming very anxious. To be immured for weeks on end in his -small house was to the last degree enervating and depressing; -but in this villainous weather there was no question of so much as -even sticking one’s head out of doors for two minutes. Needless to say -no one came to visit him. At last a pitifully bedraggled figure hove -into view, fighting its way through the storm. A messenger from the -Nijō-in. So he announced himself; but the journey had reduced him to -such a plight that Genji would scarce have known that this tattered, -dripping mass was a human being at all. He was indeed a common peasant, -such a one as in old days would have been unceremoniously bundled out -of Genji’s path. Now Genji found himself (not without some surprise at -the degree of condescension to which his misfortunes had brought him) -welcoming the fellow as an equal, and commiserating with him upon his -plight. - -In her letter Murasaki said: ‘In these odious days when never for a -single instant has the least gleam or break pierced our sodden sky, -the clouds have seemed to shut you off from me and I know not behind -which part of this dark curtain to look for you. “How fiercely must -the tempests be blowing on your shore, when even here my sleeves are -drenched with ceaseless spray!”’ - -The letter was full of sad and tender messages. He had no sooner opened -it than a darkness spread before his eyes and tears fell in floods, -‘belike to swell the margin of the sea.’ - -He learnt from the messenger that at Kyōto too the storm had raged with -such violence and persistency that it had been proclaimed a national -Visitation, and it was said that the great Service of Intercession[1] -had been held in the Palace. So great were the floods that the officers -of the Court were unable to reach the Inner City, and all -business was at a standstill. He told his story confusedly and in a -broken jargon that was very hard to follow. But what matter? Such as it -was, his news came from Kyōto, from the City, and that in itself was -enough to make Genji catch eagerly at every word. He had the messenger -brought to his own room and was soon plying him with questions. It -seemed that the same continuous downpour had gone on day after day -without a moment’s break, varied only by occasional hurricanes of wind. -Thunder they had not had, nor the alarming hailstorms which along the -coast were of such violence that the hailstones had penetrated far down -into the earth. Such horror came into the man’s face as he recalled the -scenes through which he had passed, and so lamentable was his present -condition that even those who had taken the storm somewhat lightly -now began to feel seriously alarmed. It seemed indeed as though a -continuance of the present deluge must speedily wash the world away; -but worse was to come, for next day, from dawn onwards, an even more -violent wind raged, causing a tremendous flood-tide along all the -shore. Soon the breakers were crashing with a din so stupendous that -you would have thought the rocks, nay the very hills, could not long -resist them. Suddenly a blaze of lightning, inexpressibly fierce and -dazzling, rushed earthward. They realized that something must have -been struck, and there was now no longer anyone who even pretended to -take the situation lightly. Each of Genji’s servants was wondering in -his heart what he had done to deserve at the hand of Fate so hideous -an experience. Here, it seemed, they were all to die; never again to -meet mother or father, far from the pitying faces of wife, of children, -or of friends. Genji himself had no desire to end his existence on -this inhospitable shore, but he managed to control his feelings -and did his best to introduce some order among his followers. This -proved to be by no means easy. At last he set them to offering up -prayer-strips and ribbons to the God of Sumiyoshi and himself called -upon the God to save from calamity a shore that was so near his own -Holy Abode and, if indeed he were a Present Deity, to prove it now by -his aid. So he prayed, with many other vows and supplications. And -his servants, as they heard him, forgot for a while the peril that -threatened their own lives, and could think only of the calamity which -would befall their country should such a prince be lost amid the waters -of this deserted shore. Then one, who was of greater courage than the -rest and had now somewhat regained the use of his faculties and better -feelings, began to call upon the God to take his life and welcome, so -be it Genji were saved. And after this, all began in chorus to invoke -both Buddhas and Gods of their own land; and presently one said: -‘Though nurtured in a palace of princes and inured from infancy to -softness and delights, our master has not hidden his face from common -men; for in every corner of the Eight Islands his patience and kindness -are known. How many that were downcast and obscure has he not helped -upward to greatness? Tell us now, Heaven, tell us, Earth, of what crime -has he been guilty, that he should be cast away, a victim to the winds -and seas? Guiltless he has been punished, has been robbed of rank and -office, has been torn from home and country, nor has been suffered to -be at peace either by day or night....’ Genji himself prayed again to -the gods, saying: ‘With such sights and sounds about us we cannot but -wonder whether the end of our days is come. Do ye now, O Powers, put -an end to this grievous visitation, whether it be the fruit of _karma_ -or the punishment of present crimes; lest we should doubt if Gods and -Buddhas can indeed make manifest their will.’ Then turning in the -direction of the Sumiyoshi Shrine he uttered many further prayers to -that God, to the Dragon King of the Ocean and to a thousand and one -other Gods and Spirits. Suddenly, however, while he was in the midst -of these prayers, there was a louder thunder-clap than ever, and at -the same time lightning struck a pent-house which actually adjoined -Genji’s room. Flames shot up and that part of the building was soon in -ashes. His men were now without exception in such a state of panic that -they could do nothing. Finally Genji got them to move his things into -a sort of shed at the back of the house, which had sometimes been used -as a kitchen. Here, huddled with all his followers and grooms, he spent -the rest of the day, wearied by their ceaseless lamentations, which -indeed bid fair to out-din the thunder. The sky was still black as ink -when night fell. However, the wind began to subside and presently the -rain grew a little less heavy; and at last an occasional star began to -twinkle. The thought of their master spending the night in so strange -and undignified a situation was very perturbing to his attendants and -they began trying to make his proper bedroom habitable again. This, -however, did not prove to be feasible, for although a great part of -it had not been actually touched by the fire, ‘the Storm God in his -boisterous passage’ had left a terrible havoc behind him and the -room was strewn with the tattered wreckage of furniture, screens and -bedding. It was agreed that nothing could be done till next day. - -Genji said his prayers and began to consider the situation. It was -indeed sufficiently alarming. So high had the tide risen that, now -the moon was up, the fine of the incoming waves was plainly visible -from his house, and standing at the open wicker door he watched the -fierce breakers plunge and recoil. Such conditions of storm and tide -had not occurred in recent times and no one was prepared to say -how far matters were likely to go. This being the only gentleman’s -house in the neighbourhood many of the fishing people and peasants who -lived along the shore had now collected in front of it. Their queer, -clipped dialect and the rustic topics of their conversation were alike -very strange to him; but he would not suffer them to be driven out of -earshot. ‘If this wind does not go down,’ one of them was saying, ‘we -shall have the sea right on top of us before the tide turns. God’s -help alone can save us.’ It may be imagined that these predictions -were far from disposing the townsmen towards a quiet night’s rest. A -brisk sea wind was again driving onward the swollen tide, and though he -tried to reassure his men Genji was himself in considerable anxiety; -when suddenly and quite unexpectedly he fell into a doze and dreamed -that his father, looking exactly as in the old days when he was on -the throne, stood beside the crazy bed which had been improvised for -him in this disordered place. ‘How comes it that you are sleeping in -such a place as this?’ the vision asked, and taking his hand made as -though to drag him from the bed. And again, ‘Put your trust in the God -of Sumiyoshi. Leave this place, take to your ship and He will show you -where to go.’ What joy it was to hear that voice once more! ‘Father,’ -Genji answered, ‘since your protection was taken from me nothing but -sorrow and ill-fortune have befallen me, and now I am fully expecting -to perish miserably upon this forsaken shore.’ ‘It is not to be thought -of,’ answered the Emperor. ‘Your offence was not so great that you must -needs be driven to such a place as this. Unfortunately I myself am at -present expiating a few small offences (such as it is indeed impossible -to avoid; for the Judges of the Dead have not managed to prove that -during my whole reign I did serious harm to anyone). However, for -the present this expiation keeps me very busy, and I have not -been able to keep an eye upon what is happening here. But your late -misfortunes have been such as I could not bear to think of, and though -it cost me great labour, I have made my way through the depths of -ocean and up again on to the shore, that I might be with you in your -suffering. Yet this time I must not stay longer, but will go straight -to the Palace and tell these things to him who is now Ruler there.’ So -he spoke, and turned to fly away. ‘Let me go with you. Do not leave -me!’ cried Genji in his dream. But looking up he found that there was -no one there at all. The full-faced moon stared down at him, cold -and un-dreamlike; a cloud trailed across the sky, shaped to the dim -semblance of a figure in flight. - -It was many years since he had dreamed of his father, though in his -waking hours he had never ceased to mourn for him and long for his -company. This sudden vision which, though so brief, had all the -vividness of a real encounter, brought him great comfort. The thought -that at the hour of his greatest despair, nay when death itself seemed -close at hand, his father’s spirit had hastened through the air to -succour him, made him almost glad that Fate had brought him to the -extremity which had moved his father’s compassion. So full was he of -new hope and comfort that in his exultation he utterly forgot the -perils that encompassed him, and lay trying to recall stray fragments -of his father’s dream-speech which had faded from his waking mind. -Thinking that the dream might be repeated, he tried to sleep again; but -this time all his efforts were in vain, and at daylight he was still -awake. - -Next morning there landed at a point in the bay opposite to Genji’s -house a little boat with two or three persons aboard her. It proved on -enquiry that they had come from the Bay of Akashi and that the boat -belonged to the ex-Governor of the province, now turned lay-priest. -The messenger explained that his master was himself aboard and -desired to have a word in private with the Genshōnagon[2] Yoshikiyo, -if he were at present to be found at Suma. Yoshikiyo thought this very -peculiar. The ex-Governor was perfectly well aware of all that went -on in the district; but though he had been acquainted with Yoshikiyo -for years, he had not during all the while they had been at Suma paid -the slightest attention to him. It seemed indeed (thought Yoshikiyo) -as if he were definitely in the old man’s bad books. And now, in the -middle of an atrocious storm, he took it into his head to pay a call. -It was all very queer. But Genji, who saw in this new happening a -possible fulfilment of his dream, said at once ‘You had better go,’ -and Yoshikiyo accordingly accompanied the messenger back to the boat. -How they had ever managed to launch it at all, under the conditions -which must have prevailed at the time they left Akashi, was a complete -mystery to him. ‘On the first day of this month,’ the old man began, -‘I had a most singular and interesting dream. What it portended seemed -to me at the time very improbable; but part of the dream was that if -I wished to see the promise fulfilled, I must get ready a boat and on -the thirteenth day, so soon as there was the slightest lull in the -storm, make straight for this coast. As this injunction was several -times repeated I had the boat manned and at the appointed time waited -for a chance of getting to sea. There was a fearful gale blowing; -rain was falling in torrents and a thunderstorm was in progress. It -certainly did not seem a very good moment to start. But there are -many instances in foreign history of people saving a whole country -from peril by obeying an apparently senseless dream. I feared -that if I delayed my departure beyond the day which had been named my -journey would be of no service to anyone. And so, determined that you -should know of the divine indication which had been vouchsafed to me, -I launched my boat. What was my surprise to discover that we had a -quite moderate wind blowing nicely in our wake! We had this wind behind -us all the way, and I cannot but regard the whole affair as a clear -instance of divine intervention. It is possible that on your side too -there has been some warning or message which fits in to the revelations -which I have received. I am very sorry to disturb His Highness; but I -should be obliged if you would tell him of what has passed.’ Yoshikiyo -accordingly went back to Genji and told him the whole story. The matter -needed some consideration. Here was a chance which it would not be -wise to let pass. Both actual events, such as the destruction of his -bedroom, and a general restlessness induced by his own singular dream, -with its warning to quit this place, inclined him to make use of the -ex-Governor’s visit. No doubt that if he retired to Akashi his move -would become the subject of a great many scurrilous jokes[3]; but on -the other hand he would look even more foolish if it turned out that -he had not availed himself of a genuine warning from the Gods. And -this must be a very dangerous thing to do; for even human beings are -extremely annoyed if one disregards their advice. His situation could -hardly be worse than it was already. The old Governor was many years -his senior; was even, as things went now, his superior in rank, and was -certainly viewed by the authorities in a very different light from that -in which Genji was regarded. In fact it would be most unwise not to -take advantage of his visitor’s evident friendliness and desire to be -connected with him. To go to Akashi would be to beat a retreat. -But a wise man[4] of ancient times has told us that ‘to retreat is no -disgrace.’ And then there was his own dream, in which his father had -begged him to leave this place. He had made up his mind about it. He -would ask if he might go back with them to Akashi. He therefore sent a -message to his visitor saying: ‘Though I am living in a strange land, -under circumstances in the highest degree painful and depressing, from -the direction of my own home there does not come a single message of -enquiry or condolence. Here all is unfamiliar to me; save the stars and -sun there is not one being or thing that recalls to me the life I used -to know. You can imagine then with what joy I saw your fishing-boat -draw near. Tell me, is there not on your shore some corner where I -could hide myself and be at peace?’ - -This was just what the old gentleman wanted, and in high delight he -hastened to welcome Genji’s suggestion. A great bustle commenced; but -before daybreak all Genji’s effects had been stowed away in the boat -and, with his usual band of chosen retainers, he at last set sail. The -wind had veered and was behind them on the return journey too, so that -the little ship flew to Akashi like a bird. The distance is of course -not great and the voyage does not in any case take more than a few -hours. But so assiduously did the wind follow them on this occasion -that it really seemed as though it were doing it on purpose. - -Akashi was evidently a very different sort of place. Indeed his first -impression was that, if anything, it would be difficult here to find -seclusion enough. The ex-Governor’s estate comprised not only the -foreshore, but also a considerable extent of mountain-land -behind. And everywhere, in creeks and hill-folds and on river-shores, -were felt-roofed huts so situated that the old recluse might not lack -an agreeable place of retirement at any season of the year. - -On all sides there rose groups of substantial granaries and barns, -which looked as though they must contain rice and corn enough to last -for the rest of his present existence. But though so careful to provide -for his earthly needs, he had by no means forgotten the life to come. -On a site which, commanding as it did a magnificent panorama, was -calculated to inspire him with the sublimest thoughts, he had built a -handsome temple, where part of his time was spent in the performance of -penances and mystic meditations. - -During the recent storms he had moved his wife and daughter to a lodge -on the hill-side and was therefore able to place his seaside residence -entirely at Genji’s disposal. It was still dark when they left the -boat; but as they drove along the shore, the growing daylight at -last gave him an opportunity of taking a good look at his guest. So -delighted was he by the young man’s appearance and by the rapid success -of his expedition that his usually severe and formidable countenance -relaxed into a perfect efflorescence of smiles and affability. But -even in this state of preoccupation and excitement he did not forget -to offer up a prayer of thankfulness to the God of Sumiyoshi. To the -old man it was as though the sun and moon had been taken down from -the sky and entrusted to his keeping. It may easily be imagined that -he left no stone unturned to make Genji comfortable and contented. -Not only was the place one of great natural beauty, but it had been -laid out with unusual taste and skill. Copses had been planted, -rock-gardens constructed and flower-beds made,—all this around -the mouth of a little creek that ran in from the sea. The charms of -the place were such as a very skilful landscape-painter might possibly -manage to convey; to describe them in words would, I fear, be quite -useless. The contrast with the uncomfortable quarters where he had been -cooped up for months was immense. The house was equipped with every -possible elegance and convenience; it scarcely fell short of the great -mansions which he had been used to frequent at the Capital; and indeed -in many respects surpassed them. Thus admirably served and lodged -Genji began to regain some of his equanimity and was soon engaged in -writing letters to his friends at the Capital. The messenger who had -brought Murasaki’s letter was far too much shaken by his previous -experiences to be sent back immediately to the City and Genji had left -him behind at Suma. He now sent for him and entrusted to him a letter -in which he described all that he had recently been through and with -many tender messages explained the reasons which had led him to his -new abode. He also sent private intimation of his whereabouts and -present condition to various holy men who were charged to pray for -his welfare. To Fujitsubo he sent an account of the thunderstorm and -his own almost miraculous escape from harm. He had tried to write an -answer to Murasaki’s letter during the melancholy period when he was -still at Suma, but had never managed to finish it, for his tears fell -so fast that he was forever putting the letter aside. And it was indeed -a piteous sight to see him stop again and again to wipe away the tears -that soiled his page. In this letter he said: ‘More than once my misery -has become so intense that I was fully determined to give up my career -and end my days in some cloister cell. But then I always remembered -your little poem[5]: and felt that it was impossible to leave the -world, at least till I had seen you once again. - - “Swift as before - My thoughts fly back to thee, - Though now from unknown shore - To stranger and more distant shores I flee....” - -Forgive this letter which, written as in a dream, may well say -much which a waking mind can scarcely apprehend.’ It was written -distractedly and with a shaking hand: but those who were with him could -not forbear from peeping a little as he wrote, such was their curiosity -to know what he would say to one who held so great a sway over his -affections. And presently, having seen what they could, his servants -too began their own letter-writing, each of them having some dear one -at the City from whom he was anxious to obtain news. - -The bad weather in which for so many weeks there had not been a single -break, had now completely vanished. Out came all the fishing boats, -eager to make up for lost time. The complete desertedness of Suma, -which apart from a few fishermen who lived in caves under the cliff, -had no inhabitants at all, was very depressing. Akashi could certainly -not be complained of on that score; indeed, he feared at first that it -might prove somewhat too populous. But the beauty of the place was so -great and afforded him so many surprises that he was soon perfectly -contented. His host seemed to be exclusively absorbed in religious -exercises. Only one other matter occupied his thoughts; it was clear -from stray allusions in his conversation that he lived in a state of -continual agitation about his only daughter, to whom he was evidently -attached with an almost morbid degree of concentration. Genji had not -forgotten the favourable account of this lady which had been given -him some years ago. Her presence had of course been no part of -his reason for coming to this place; but the fact that accident had -finally brought him so near her was in a way intriguing. However, his -misfortunes were still weighing heavily upon his mind and he was in a -mood for prayer and fasting rather than for any gallant diversions. -Moreover his thoughts were, for the time being, more than ever turned -towards the City, and he would not have dreamed of doing anything that -the girl whom he had left in his palace might feel to be a betrayal -of his promises. He was therefore careful not to show the slightest -interest in the topic to which his host so often returned. But various -indications had already convinced him that the lady in question was -a person of very unusual and attractive qualities, and despite this -assumed indifference he could not help feeling a certain curiosity with -regard to her. The ex-Governor showed himself to be an ideal host. He -stationed himself at the far end of the house, in a wing which was -completely cut off from Genji’s quarters. Here he was always to be -found when wanted, but never obtruded himself. The self-effacement was -the more remarkable seeing that he was all the time longing to be in -Genji’s company, and he was continually praying Gods and Buddhas for -guidance as to how he might best win the confidence of his exalted -guest. Although he was not much over sixty a constant habit of watching -and fasting had told much upon him, so that in appearance he was -wizened and almost decrepit. But he was by no means a dull companion, -for owing to the influential circles in which his youth had been passed -he was extremely well-informed concerning all the principal events of a -period which had hitherto lain outside Genji’s ken, and his anecdotes -were a considerable source of distraction. Genji found indeed that he -had started a veritable landslide of information about a generation -which his own distractions, both social and political, had never -left him time to study. So pleased was he both with his host and with -his new place of residence that he thought with horror how easily it -might never have occurred to him to pay this visit. - -Though he had now become so intimate with his guest, the old man was -still daunted by a certain reserve and distance in Genji’s manner -towards him; and whereas in the first few days of their acquaintance he -had sometimes mentioned his daughter, he now hardly ever referred to -her. But all the while he was trying to discover some way of unfolding -his project and his complete failure to do so distressed him beyond -measure. He was obliged at last to confess to his wife that he had -made no progress; but she was not able to offer him any useful advice. -The girl herself had been brought up in a neighbourhood where there -was not a single male of any description whom she could possibly think -of as a lover. At last she had a chance of convincing herself that -such creatures as men of her own class did actually exist. But this -particular one was such an exalted person that he seemed to her in -his way quite as remote as any of the local people. She knew of her -parents’ project, which indeed distressed her greatly, for she was -convinced they were merely making themselves ridiculous. - -It was now the fourth month. A dazzling summer outfit was supplied -for Genji’s use; magnificent fresh hangings and decorations were put -up in all his apartments. The attentions of his host were indeed so -lavishly bestowed that they would have proved embarrassing, had not -Genji remembered that he was in the hands of an eccentric, whose -exalted notions were notorious and must, in a man of such distinction, -be regarded with indulgence. About this time he began to have a fresh -distraction; for messengers again began to arrive from the Capital, -and came indeed in a pretty constant stream. One quiet moonlit night, -when a cloudless sky stretched over the wide sea, Genji stood -looking out across the bay. He thought of the lakes and rivers of his -native land. This featureless expanse of sea awakened in him only a -vague and general yearning. There was no intimate mark round which his -associations might gather, no bourne to which his eyes instinctively -turned. In all the empty space before him only the island of Awaji -stood out solidly and invited attention. ‘Awaji, from afar a speck of -foam,’ he quoted, and recited the acrostic verse: ‘Oh, foam-flecked -island that wast nothing to me, even such sorrow as mine is, on this -night of flawless beauty thou hast power to heal!’ - -It was so long since he had touched his zithern that there was a -considerable stir among his followers when they saw him draw it out -of its bag and strike a few random notes. Presently he began trying -that piece which they call the ‘Kōryō’[6] and played the greater part -of it straight through. The sound of his zithern reached the house on -the hillside near by, mingled with the sighing of pine-woods and the -rustling of summer waves. The effect of all this upon the imagination -of the impressionable young lady in the house above may well be -guessed. Even gnarled old peasants, whom one would not have expected -to make head or tail of this Chinese music, poked their noses out of -their cottage-doors and presently came to take an airing along the -shore. The Governor could not contain himself, and breaking off in the -middle of his prayers, hastened to Genji’s rooms. ‘How this brings -back to me the old days at Court, before I turned my back on all the -pleasures of the world,’ he exclaimed: ‘But surely the enchantment of -such music as this is not all earthly! Does it not turn our thoughts -towards those celestial strains which will greet us when we come -at last to the place of our desires?’ To Genji too the sound of the -zithern brought recollections of many music-makings at the Capital. He -remembered with just what turns and graces such a one had played the -zithern at a particular banquet or another had played the flute. The -very intonations of some singer’s voice came back to him from years -ago. He remembered many an occasion of his own triumph or that of his -friends; the acclamations, the compliments and congratulations of the -Court, nay, the homage of everyone from the Emperor downwards; and -these shadowy memories imparted to his playing a peculiar tinge of -melancholy and regret. The old recluse was deeply moved and sent to his -house on the hill for his own lute and large zithern. Then, looking -for all the world like a _biwa_ priest,[7] he played several very -admirable and charming pieces. Presently he handed the large zithern -to Genji, who struck a few chords, but was soon overcome by the tender -memories which this instrument[8] evoked. The poorest music may gain -a certain interest and beauty from the circumstances in which it is -performed. It may be imagined then how enchanting was the effect of -Genji’s touch as the notes sped across the bay. Nor indeed could any -flowering groves of spring nor russet winter woods have made a better -setting for his music than this huge space of open sea. Somewhere in -the region of soft, vague shadows along the shore, shrike were making -that strange tapping sound with their bills. It sounded as though -some one had been locked out and were rapping, rapping, rapping in -the desperate hope that those within might at last relent of their -unkindness. The old recluse then played so delightfully on both -instruments that Genji was fascinated. ‘This large zithern,’ he -said to the old man presently, ‘is usually supposed to be a woman’s -instrument and requires a very delicate, fluttering touch.’ He meant -this quite generally, and not as an apology for his own playing; but -the old man answered with a deprecatory smile: ‘I cannot imagine a -touch more suitable to this instrument than yours. This zithern was -originally a present from the Emperor Engi[9] and has been in my family -for three generations. Since my misfortunes and retirement I have had -little taste for such distractions as this, and have lost what small -skill I ever possessed. But in times of great spiritual stress or deep -depression I have occasionally turned to this instrument for solace and -support. And indeed there is in my household one who from watching me -at such times has herself developed a strange proficiency, and already -plays in a manner which would not, I venture to think, displease those -departed princes to whom the zithern once belonged. But perhaps by -now, like the mountain-hermit in the old story, I have an ear that is -better attuned to the rushing of wind through the tree-tops than to -the music of human hands. Nevertheless I wish that, yourself unseen, -you might one day hear this person’s playing’; and his eyes moistened -in fond paternal recollection. ‘I had no idea,’ answered Genji, ‘that -I was in the neighbourhood of genius such as you describe. I fear my -playing will have sounded to you indeed as a mere “rushing of wind -through the tree-tops,” and he hastened to put back the zithern in the -old priest’s hands. ‘It is indeed a curious fact,’ Genji continued, -‘that all the best players of this instrument have been women. You will -remember that the Fifth Princess became, under the instruction of her -father the Emperor Saga,[10] the most famous performer of her -whole generation. But none of her descendants seems to have inherited -her talent. Of all the players who in our own time have achieved a -certain reputation in this line, there is not one who is more than -an intelligent amateur. That in this remote place there should be -some one who is really a skilled performer excites me beyond measure. -Do please lose no time in arranging....’ ‘As for that,’ the priest -answered, ‘I do not see why there should be any great difficulty about -it, even if it meant bringing the player down here to meet you. Was not -one that had sunk into ignominy and made herself a merchant’s drudge -once summoned to a great man’s[11] side, because she could still play -upon her lute the music that long ago he had loved? And speaking of -the lute, I should tell you that the person to whom I refer is also -a remarkable lute-player, though this instrument too is one which is -very rarely mastered completely. Such absolute fluency, such delicacy -of touch, I assure you! And such certainty, such distinction of style! -Shut away for so long on this shore, where one hears no sound but the -roaring of the sea, I sometimes fall a prey to dark and depressing -thoughts; but I have only to listen for a while to this delightful -performer and all my sorrows disappear.’ He spoke with so much -enthusiasm and discernment that Genji was charmed with him and insisted -upon his playing something on the large zithern. The old man’s skill -was astonishing. True, his handling of the instrument was such as is -now considered very old-fashioned, and his fingering was all entirely -in the discarded ‘Chinese’ style, with the left-hand notes heavily -accentuated. But when (though this was not the sea of Ise) he played -the song ‘Let us gather shells along the clean sea-shore,’ getting one -of his servants, who had an excellent voice, to sing the words, Genji -enjoyed the performance so much that he could not refrain from -beating the measure and sometimes even joining in the words. Whereupon -the priest would pause in his playing and listen with an expression of -respectful rapture. - -Fruit and other refreshments were then served, all with the greatest -taste and elegance. The old priest insisted upon every one present -drinking endless cups of wine, though the night itself was of a beauty -so intoxicating that the dull realities of life had long ago faded -from their minds. As the night wore on a cool wind began to blow among -the trees, and the moon, who in her higher course had been somewhat -overcast, now at her setting shone out of a cloudless sky. When the -company was grown a little quieter, the priest began gradually to tell -the whole story of his life on this shore, together with his reasons -for settling there and a voluminous account of his vows and religious -observances; when without difficulty he led the conversation towards -the topic of his daughter. She certainly sounded very interesting, -and despite the old man’s volubility Genji found himself listening -with pleasure at any rate to this part of the discourse. ‘It seems -a strange thing to say,’ his host went on, ‘but I sometimes wonder -whether, humble old cleric though I be, my own prayers are not really -responsible for your Highness’s excursion to these remote parts! You -will say that if this is so I have done you a very bad turn.... But -let me explain what I mean. For the last eighteen years I have put -myself under the special protection of the God of Sumiyoshi. From my -daughter’s earliest childhood I have been very much exercised in mind -regarding her future, and every year in the spring and autumn I have -taken her with me to the shrine of that deity, where praying day and -night I have performed the offices of the Six Divisions,[12] with -no other desire at heart save that, whether I myself should -be re-born upon a Lotus Throne or no, to her at least all might be -given that I asked. My father, as you know, was a Minister of State; -while I, no doubt owing to some folly committed in a former life, am -become a simple countryman, a mere yokel, dwelling obscurely among the -hills. If the process continued unchecked and my daughter was to fall -as far below me in estate as I am now below my illustrious father, -what a wretched fate, thought I, must be in store for her! Since the -day of her birth my whole object has been to save her from such a -catastrophe, and I have always been determined that in the end she -should marry some gentleman of good birth from the Capital. This has -compelled me to discourage many local suitors, and in doing so I have -earned a great deal of unpopularity. I am indeed, in consequence of my -efforts on her behalf, obliged to put up with many cold looks from the -neighbouring gentry; but these do not upset me at all. So long as I am -alive to do it, I am determined to afford her what little protection my -narrow sleeve can give. When I am no longer there to watch over her, -she will no doubt do as she thinks best. But I confess I would rather -hear she were drowned in the sea than that she had settled herself in -the sphere of life to which my folly has for the time reduced her.’ -He went on thus for a long while, pausing now and again to shed a few -tears; but most of what he said would not be worth repeating. Genji was -for various reasons also in a very emotional and discursive mood, and -presently he interrupted: ‘I could never make out why I had suddenly -fallen into disgrace and been compelled to live in these remote -regions; for I have certainly done nothing in my whole life to deserve -so stern a punishment as this. But at last you have furnished me with -the explanation, and I am perfectly well satisfied. No doubt it was, as -you suggest, entirely in answer to your prayers that all this has -happened to me. I only regret that, since you must all the time have -been aware of this, you did not think fit to tell me about it a little -sooner. Since I left the City I have been so much obsessed by the -uncertainty of human life that I have felt no inclination towards any -save religious employments. I am now so worn out by months of penance -and fasting that no worldly impulse or desire is left in any corner -of my being. I had indeed been told long ago that a grown-up daughter -lived here with you; but I knew nothing more, and assumed that the -society of a disgraced and exiled man could only be distasteful to one -of her birth and breeding. But since you thus encourage me, I ask for -nothing better than to make her acquaintance as soon as possible. I do -not doubt that her company will prove a solace to my loneliness.’ His -prompt acceptance was more than the old man had dared to expect and in -high delight he answered with the verse: ‘You too have learnt to know -it, the loneliness of night upon Akashi shore, when hour and listless -hour must yet be filled before the dawn can come.’ ‘And when you -consider the anxiety in which I have for all these years been -living...’, the old man added: and though he trembled somewhat -affectedly at the recollection of what he had been through, Genji was -willing to concede that to have lived all one’s life in such a place -must indeed have been very disagreeable. However he would not be too -sympathetic and answered: ‘You at any rate have the advantage of being -used to the coast...’, and he recited the poem: ‘What know you of -sorrow, who wear not the traveller’s cloak, nor on an unaccustomed -pillow rest, groping for dreams till dawn?’ For the first time Genji was -treating him without the slightest formality or reserve. In his -gratitude and admiration the old man poured out an endless stream of -inconsequent but flattering remarks, which would be wearisome to read. I -am conscious indeed that the whole of this section is rather a bundle of -absurdities. But how else could I display the vanity and eccentricity -of the old recluse? - -At last everything seemed to be turning out just as he desired. He -was already beginning to breathe more freely when, to crown his -satisfaction, very early on the morning of the next day a messenger -from Prince Genji arrived at the house on the hill. The letter which -he carried was written with a certain embarrassment, for the lady had -grown up in very different surroundings from those whom he was used to -address. But the very fact of discovering such talent and charm hidden -away in a place where one would least have expected it was enough to -kindle his fancy. He took unusual pains with the letter, writing it on -a _kurumi-iro_[13] paper from Korea. In it was the poem: ‘Long wandered -my lonely gaze with nought to rest on save the drifting pathways of the -clouds, till the mists divided and I saw the tree-tops by your house.’ -‘Love has vanquished discretion...’, he ended, quoting from the old -song. - -Anxious to be on the spot in case such a letter arrived, the old -priest had already installed himself in the mansion on the hill before -the messenger started. He imagined that his presence in the house -was entirely unsuspected. But Genji’s man, had he not already been -perfectly well aware that the old recluse had preceded him, would -certainly have guessed it by the almost embarrassing attentions which -were paid to him when he reached the house. Despite the distracting -refreshments with which he was being regaled the messenger could not -but wonder why the lady was taking such an immense while in composing -her reply. The truth was that though her father had gone through -into the women’s apartments and was giving her all the assistance -in his power, she found herself utterly at a loss to frame a reply. -Despite the trouble that Genji had taken with his letter, there was an -uneasiness about it which made her feel that it was not spontaneous; -and even had she known in what terms to reply there was still the -question of hand-writing. She guessed that in this matter he would be a -severe critic and felt utterly incapable of pleasing him. No! The gulf -between them was too great. Pretending that she was unwell she sank -helplessly upon a couch. There was nothing for it but to reply in her -stead, and the old priest wrote as follows: ‘You will think it very -peculiar that I should answer your letter in my daughter’s stead. Pray -attribute her inability to frame a reply not to any want of gratitude -or respect, but rather to the bashfulness engendered by country -breeding; pray reflect also that she has never yet had the privilege of -finding herself in your company. She has however ventured to compose -the following poem, which she bids me communicate to you: “That I too -for long years have gazed upon these selfsame pathways of the sky is -token of some strange kinship in the course of our desires.” She is, as -you will observe, deeply affected by the arrival of your message. Pray -do not think her answering poem impertinently bold.’ - -This was written on Michinoku paper, and although the style of the -writing was quite out of fashion it had a certain dignity and elegance -of its own. The poem did strike Genji as somewhat forward in tone, and -this surprised him. - -He sent back the messenger loaded with handsome stuffs for dresses. -Next day he wrote to her again protesting that he was not used to -receive, in reply to a private letter, an answer dictated as though to -a Palace Secretary. And he added the verse: ‘This surely is a dismal -and outrageous thing, to greet a passer-by and get no friendly nod -nor “Say, how goes the world with you?”’ This time he wrote on -a very soft thin paper, with great delicacy and care. The appearance -of the letter was such that a young girl who did not admire it must -needs have been rustic, nay brutish indeed. The lady to whom it was -addressed was by no means insensible; but she felt that the writer -of it was too far removed from her in rank and influence for any -interchange of affection to be thinkable. The discovery that a world -existed which was populated by such dazzling creatures, so far from -giving her pleasure, merely left her more unhappy and discontented -than before. Again she found herself utterly at a loss how to reply, -and it was only the persistence of her father which forced her at last -to indite the poem: ‘“How goes the world?” is said to friends. That -one whom you have never seen should greet more stiffly, can do small -outrage to the feelings of your heart.’ It was written in sharply -contrasted light and heavy strokes on a deep-brown paper, in a masterly -style which would not have disgraced a lady of the Court. Genji was -naturally very pleased; but he did not want it to be reported at the -Capital that he had committed himself to a fresh entanglement. He was -therefore careful henceforward always to leave several days’ interval -between his letters to her. He wrote in fact only when it chanced that -the evening hours hung heavy on his hands, or upon the pretext of some -particularly beautiful sunrise or other natural effect; at such times -in short as he guessed that she might be under the influence of the -same impressions as himself. In such a correspondence it seemed to him -that there could not be any impropriety. He had heard so much about -her pride that he felt sorely tempted to put it to the test. But he -remembered that his retainer Yoshikiyo had spoken of her very much -as though she were his own property. Should Genji now by any chance -succeed where the devotion of years had brought no reward, he -would certainly feel that he had treated his gentleman very badly and -suffer the discomfort of remorse. But on reflection he decided that as -she had been so reluctantly thrust upon his notice, there could be no -harm in pursuing a guarded correspondence with her. She did indeed turn -out in the course of this correspondence to be possessed of a pride and -aloofness which rivalled that of the greatest princesses whom he had -known and, on such occasions as he pitted his own pride against hers, -it was generally she who came out on top. - -Though now yet another range of hills separated him from the Capital, -his mind was more constantly than ever occupied with thoughts of his -friends at home. His longing for Murasaki often became unendurable. -What was there to be done? In such moments he could not resist making -plans for bringing her secretly from the Capital. But quiet reflection -would show him that it was unlikely he would go on living for more than -a year or two longer at Akashi and no step was worth while which might -merely provoke a fresh outburst on the part of his adversaries. - -That year the Court was troubled by a succession of disquieting -portents and apparitions. On the thirteenth day of the third month, -during a night marked by violent thunderstorms and a fierce wind -with torrents of rain, the Emperor dreamed that he saw His Majesty -the late Emperor standing at the foot of the step before his throne, -wearing an expression of extreme displeasure, indeed glaring at him, -as it seemed, with an angry and astonished eye. The Emperor having -assumed an attitude of respectful attention, the apparition proceeded -to deliver a long discourse, part of which was concerned with Genji’s -present plight. The Emperor was very much frightened, and being in -any case somewhat uneasy at Genji’s prolonged absence, he hastened to -communicate his dream to Kōkiden. She was not at all sympathetic. -‘These stormy nights are very disturbing,’ she said. ‘It is quite -natural that you should have had bad dreams; the rain alone would -have accounted for it. You must not allow such trifles to upset you.’ -About this time the Emperor began to suffer from a pain in his eyes. -Remembering his dream, he could not get out of his head the idea -that this pain was in some way caused by the wrathful glance of the -apparition which had rebuked him. His sufferings became more and more -acute, despite the fact that continual services of intercession were -held both in the Palace and at Kōkiden’s house. - -Next came the death of Kōkiden’s father, the Grand Minister of the -Right. There was nothing unexpected in this, for he had reached a -very great age. But coming as it did on top of various other public -calamities it caused widespread consternation. Kōkiden herself, though -she had no definite malady, was also very far from well. As time went -on she seemed gradually to lose strength. A general gloom spread -over the Court. It was felt that if, as was alleged by his friends, -Prince Genji had indeed been banished without any sufficient cause, -the present misfortunes of the nation might well have been sent as -punishment for this injustice. Again and again the Emperor thought of -restoring Genji to his previous rank and appointments; but whenever he -mentioned this project to Kōkiden, that lady would answer: ‘To do so -would be to incur the public charge of inconsequence and frivolity. He -was banished and if, when less than three years have elapsed, he is -suddenly recalled to the Capital, a pretty figure you and I shall cut -in history!’ She spoke with such fierce conviction that the Emperor was -completely overawed. So the months went by, and meantime both he and -Kōkiden were gradually sinking under the burden of their respective -maladies. - -At Akashi, as frequently happens in autumn, heavy winds were blowing -in the bay. Genji began to find the long evenings very monotonous -and depressing. Sometimes he would allow the priest to come and talk -to him, and in the course of one of these conversations Genji said: -‘I am longing for a little diversion. Could you not manage, without -attracting too much attention, to bring your daughter here one day -to see me?’ It seemed somehow to be accepted that for Genji to pay -a visit to the house on the hill was entirely out of the question. -Unfortunately the lady herself was equally averse to making any move. -She knew that gentlemen who visited the provinces on Government -business would often take up with some wretched peasant girl and, for -so long as they happened to be in the district, carry on a purely -frivolous affair with her. The Lady of Akashi was convinced that -Genji regarded her in just such a light. To accept his advances could -only render her in the end more wretched than before. Her parents, -she knew, were still clinging to the idea that all those long years -of watchfulness and isolation had at last borne fruit. To them the -inevitable disillusion would be a crushing blow. Her mind was quite -made up; so long as this prince remained at Akashi she would continue -to correspond with him, but further than that she would not go. - -His name had been known to her for years past, and she had sometimes -wondered whether it would ever fall to her lot to meet, even in the -most superficial way, some such magnificent personage as he. Now, -astonishing though it seemed, he was actually living a stone’s throw -away. She could not be said exactly to have met him, but she constantly -caught glimpses of him, heard his inimitable zithern-playing, and knew, -one way and another, all that there was to know about his daily comings -and goings. That such a person should even be aware of her -existence was more than, as an inhabitant of this remote fishing-town, -she had any right to expect. As time went on it seemed to her less -than ever possible that any closer relationship should be established -between them. Meanwhile her parents were far less confident about the -situation than she supposed. They felt that in their anxiety to see the -prayers of half a lifetime at last fulfilled they had perhaps acted -somewhat precipitately. If Genji did not after all seem to regard their -daughter as ‘counting,’ her feelings would have been upset for nothing. -True he was a great catch and was worth certain risks; but that only -made it harder to lose him. They had an uneasy feeling that while they -had been placing all their trust in ‘Gods whom no eye seeth’ they had -paid too little attention to the dispositions of the human beings for -whose future they had schemed. - -‘A little music,’ said Genji to the old priest one evening, ‘would -mingle pleasantly with the sound of these autumn waves. It is only as a -background to music that the sound of the sea is tolerable.’ - -The time for action had come. The old priest looked in his calendar, -chose a lucky day, and despite the misgivings of his wife began to -prepare the house on the hill for Genji’s visit. Not even to his most -intimate acolytes and disciples did he explain the object of these -elaborate preparations. The visit was to take place on the thirteenth -day of the month. It turned out to be a resplendent moonlit night. -The old man came to Genji’s room and recited the line: ‘Is this a -night to lose?’ Genji at once understood that this was an invitation -to the house on the hill. Suddenly what had seemed impossible became -perfectly simple. He set his cloak to rights and left the house. His -host had provided him with a magnificent coach, but the narrow lanes -would have made its use inconvenient and Genji preferred to go -on horseback. He was accompanied only by Koremitsu and one or two of -his other trusted servants. The house stood a little way back from the -shore and while he climbed to it he was all the time looking down over -the bays that spread out on every side. He remembered the verse: ‘Would -that to one who loves what I love I now might show it, this moon that -lies foundered at the bottom of the bay!’ For the first time since he -had agreed to set out upon this excursion he remembered the lady at his -palace far away, and at that moment he could hardly resist turning his -horse’s head and riding straight to the Capital. ‘O thou, my milk-white -pony, whose coat is as the moon-beams of this autumn night, carry me -like a bird through the air that though it be but for a moment I may -look upon the lady whom I love!’ So he murmured as he approached the -house, which was thickly girt with an abundance of fine timber. It -was indeed a house impressively situated and in many ways remarkable; -but it had not the conveniences nor the cheerful aspect of the house -on the shore. So dark and shut-in an appearance did it present as he -drew near, that Genji soon began to imagine all its inhabitants as -necessarily a prey to the deepest melancholy and felt quite concerned -at the thought of what they must suffer through living in so cheerless -a place. The Hall of Meditation stood close by and the sound of its -bell blent mournfully with the whispering of the pine-trees that on the -steep uneven ground grew precariously out of a ledge of rock, their -roots clutching at it like some desperate hand. From the plantations in -front of the house came a confused wailing of insect voices. - -He looked about him. That part of the house which he knew to be -occupied by the lady and her servants wore an air of festive -preparation. Full in the moonlight a door stood significantly ajar. He -opened it. ‘I wish to rest for a few minutes,’ he said; ‘I hope you -have no objection to my coming in?’ She had in fact the greatest -objection, for it was against just such a meeting as this that she had -resolutely set her face. She could not actually turn him away; but she -showed no signs of making him welcome. He thought her in fact the most -disagreeable young person whom he had ever met. He was accustomed to -see women of very much greater consequence than this girl show at any -rate a certain gratification at being thought worthy of his attentions. -She would not, he felt, have dared to treat him so rudely but for the -present eclipse of his fortunes. He was not used to being regarded -so lightly, and it upset him. The nature of the circumstances was -obviously not such that he could carry off the situation with a high -hand. But though violence was out of the question, he would certainly -cut a very ridiculous figure in the eyes of the girl’s parents if he -had to admit that she showed no signs of wanting to be acquainted -with him. He felt embarrassed and angry. Suddenly one of the cords -of the screen-of-state behind which she was sitting fell across her -zithern, making as it did so a kind of casual tune. As she bent over -the instrument he saw her for an instant just as she must have looked -before his entry had made her stiffen; just as she must look when -carelessly and at ease she swept an idle plectrum over the strings. -He was captivated. ‘Will you not even play me something upon this -zithern of which I have heard so much?’ he added, and he recited the -poem: ‘Were it but from your zithern that those soft words came which -your lips refuse, half should I awaken from the wretched dream wherein -I am bemused.’ And she: ‘A night of endless dreams, inconsequent and -wild, is this my life; none more worth telling than the rest.’ Seen -dimly behind her curtains she recalled to him in a certain measure the -princess[14] who was now in Ise. It was soon evident that though -she had answered his poem she was no nearer than before to treating his -visit as otherwise than an impertinence. She had been sitting there -so comfortable and happy, when suddenly this tiresome person burst in -upon her without apology or warning. However, the remedy lay in her -own hands, and rising to her feet she fled into a neighbouring closet, -fastening the door behind her with ostentatious care. You might have -supposed that this was the end of the matter, for she had evidently -no mind to return, nor he any intention of forcing bolts and bars. -Curiously enough, however, this was not the end of the matter. The -difficulties that ensued may well be imagined if we remember the lady’s -unusual shyness and pride. Suffice it to say that from this night’s -meeting, which seemed at first to have been forced upon him by chance -and other people’s intrigues, sprang an intimacy which was grounded -in the deepest feeling. The night, generally so long and tedious at -Akashi, passed on this occasion all too quickly. It was essential that -he should leave unobserved, and at the first streak of dawn, with many -last endearments and injunctions, he crept stealthily from the room. -His next day’s letter was sent very secretly, for he was haunted by the -fear that some story of this adventure might find its way back to the -Capital. The lady for her part was anxious to show that she was to be -trusted, and deliberately treated Genji’s messenger without ceremony -of any kind, as though he were bound on some errand of merely domestic -import. He paid many subsequent visits to the house on the hill, always -with the greatest secrecy. Unfortunately the way there led nowhere -else, and knowing that fisher-folk are notorious gossips he began -to fear that his addiction to this particular road would be noticed -and commented upon. His visits now became far less frequent, and the -lady began to think that her early fears were soon to be fulfilled. -The old priest’s thoughts were, if the truth must be told, for -the time being much more frequently occupied with the coming of Genji -than with the coming of Amida.[15] He could not make out what had gone -wrong, and was in a terrible state of agitation. To make matters worse -he knew that such earthly considerations ought to leave him quite -unmoved and he was ashamed to discover how little his pious observances -had availed to render him indifferent to the blows of fortune. - -Genji would not for all the world have had the news of his latest -adventure reach Murasaki as a piece of current gossip, even though it -were represented in the most harmless light. Her hold upon him was -indeed still strong as ever, and the mere idea of such a story reaching -her, of her feeling that she had been superseded, of a possible quarrel -or estrangement, filled him with shame and dismay. She was not indeed -given to jealousy; but more than once she had shown plainly that his -irregularities, so far from passing unobserved, were indeed extremely -distressing to her. How bitterly he now regretted those trivial -gallantries, so profitless to him, yet to her so miserably disquieting! -And even while he was still visiting the lady of the hillside, since -there was no other way of quieting his conscience concerning Murasaki, -he wrote to the Nijō-in more frequently and more affectionately than -ever before. At the end of one of these letters he added: ‘How it -grieves me to remember the many occasions when I have spoilt our -friendship for the sake of some passing whim or fancy in which (though -you could not believe it) my deeper feelings were not at all engaged. -And now I have another matter of this kind to confess, a passing dream, -the insignificance of which you can guess by the fact that I tell you -of it thus unasked. “Though with the shining seaweed of the shore -the fisherman a moment toys, yet seeks he but assuagement of a sorrow -that long ere this has filled his eye with burning tears.”’ - -Her answer showed no resentment and was couched in the tenderest terms. -But at the end, in reference to his disclosure, she wrote: ‘As regards -the “dream” which you could not forbear telling me, I have experience -enough in that direction to enable me to draw several conclusions. “Too -downrightly, it seems, have I obeyed it, our vow that sooner would the -Isle of Pines by the sea-waves be crossed....”’ But though her tone was -good-humoured, there was in all her letter an undercurrent of irony, -which disturbed him. He carried it about with him for a long while and -constantly re-read it. During this time his secret nocturnal excursions -were entirely abandoned, and the Lady of Akashi naturally imagined that -all her fears had now come true. He had amused himself to his fill and -had no longer any interest in what became of her. With no support, save -that of parents whose advanced age made it improbable that they could -much longer be of any assistance, she had long ago given up hope of -taking her place in the world with those of equal rank and attainments. -But she did now bitterly regret the waste of all those empty months and -years during which she had been so conscientiously guarded and kept—for -what? At last she had some experience of the usages which prevailed in -the ‘grand world’ outside, and she found them even less to her liking -than she had anticipated. She indulged however in no outburst of spleen -or disappointment, nor in her letters did she ever reproach him for -his long absence. He had indeed as time went on become more and more -attached to her, and it was only his desire to be able to allay the -anxiety of one who had after all a prior claim upon him that induced -him to suspend his visits to the lady on the hill. Henceforward -his nights at Akashi were again spent in solitude. - -He amused himself by making sketches upon which he afterwards scribbled -whatever thoughts happened to be passing through his mind. These he -sent to Murasaki, inviting her comments. No method of correspondence -could have been better calculated to move and interest her. The -distance between them seemed in some sort to have been annihilated. -She too, at times when she was feeling out of spirits or at a loss for -employment, would also make sketches of the scenes around her, and at -the same time she jotted down all that was happening to her day by day -in the form of a commonplace book or diary. - -What, she wondered, would she have to write in her diary? And he in his? - -The New Year had come. At the Palace nothing was now talked of save the -Emperor’s illness, and the Court was full of restless speculation. The -only child of the present Emperor was a boy born to him by Princess -Jōkyōden, daughter of the new Minister of the Right. But he was -only two years old and therefore of no particular account. The Heir -Apparent, Fujitsubo’s son, was also a minor. The Emperor was fully -determined to resign the Throne to him at the earliest opportunity, -but should he do so it would be necessary to appoint a regent. There -were so few people to whom it would be in any way possible to entrust -the affairs of government that it seemed a pity Genji should be out -of the running. His presence was indeed becoming in every way more -and more imperative, and at last the Emperor decided to recall him, -whether Kōkiden approved or not. Since the end of the year her illness -had taken a more serious turn.[16] The Emperor too—although for -a time thanks to the immense efforts made on his behalf in consequence -of certain disastrous omens which had engendered something in the -nature of a natural panic, although for a time his eyes showed some -improvement—was soon in as bad a way as ever, and feeling very -uncertain of the future, he dictated an edict in which Genji was -commanded to return to the Capital by the end of the seventh month. -That sooner or later there would be a turn in his fortunes Genji had -always been convinced. But the shortness and uncertainty of life made -him little inclined to settle down quietly and wait for events to take -their course. This swift recall came therefore as an intense relief. -And yet, for one reason at any rate, he was by no means anxious to -leave the coast so soon. The priest too had never expected that Genji -would be with him very long; but the news of his immediate departure -came as something of a shock. However, it was a consolation to feel -that Genji was now definitely re-embarking upon the path of prosperity, -and that his partiality, should it continue, would be in the future -even more valuable than before. Genji now began again to visit the -upper house almost every evening. Since the beginning of the sixth -month the Lady of Akashi had been slightly indisposed and it was now -certain that she was with child. No sooner had a definite term been put -to their friendship than Genji’s feeling for her redoubled: surely in -those last days she was more charming than she had ever been before! -Here indeed, rash though his courtship had been, was one whom under no -circumstances he would ever feel that he had loved and cherished beyond -her deserts? She for her part sat in absolute silence before him, lost -in her own thoughts. Poor soul, he could not blame her. - -When three years ago he had set out so reluctantly upon that miserable -journey to Suma, his only consolation had been to imagine the -joy and excitement with which on some far distant yet inevitable day -he would retrace his steps to the City. Now that day had come, and -to be returning was indeed very pleasant. But all the while, mingled -with delightful anticipations, was the strange fear that he might -never be able to re-visit the place of his banishment! His servants -however were all in high spirits, and this, combined with the bustle of -numerous friendly deputations from the Capital, created an atmosphere -of general liveliness and excitement, despite the obvious depression -that all these signs of departure brought to the host under whose roof -the numerous visitors were lodged. The seventh month had begun, and -the summer weather was even more delightful than usual. Why, wondered -Genji, was he, who took such pleasure in quiet and harmless pursuits, -doomed on every occasion to find himself involved in the most harrowing -and disastrous situations? It had not indeed escaped the notice of -those who knew him best that a fresh complication, of the kind they -already knew only too well, had arisen in his life. For several months -on end he had never once mentioned the lady’s name, and they began to -hope that the affair had run its course. But the curiously subdued -state of his spirits on the very eve of departure told them only too -plainly that this hope was premature. It was whispered that all this -trouble had arisen from Yoshikiyo’s indiscreet eloquence upon the -occasion when after Genji’s cure they had climbed the mountain summit -and looked down towards the western seas.[17] Yoshikiyo himself, as -indeed he had every reason to be, was very much irritated by the whole -affair. - -Two days before his departure Genji visited the house on the hill some -hours earlier than was his wont. He had never before seen the -lady by full daylight, and her beauty astonished him. Such dignity -of bearing, such an air of proud decision he had not in the least -expected. This fresh discovery of her, this last-hour revelation filled -him with new longings and regrets. Must he lose her? Could not some -excuse be formed for bringing her to the Capital, for installing her -at Court? And to ease his feelings he began to discuss with her the -wildest plans as though they had been perfectly simple and practicable. - -The austerities which he had practised during the earlier days of his -exile had left him still looking somewhat worn and thin. Yet such -was his beauty that while, touched by her misery, he sat beside her -and with tears in his eyes whispered the tenderest words of pity and -endearment, for a moment she felt that even if there had been but one -such night as that and after it he had disappeared forever, she would -still feel his love for her to have been the greatest happiness of her -life. - -But for all his kindness he was a prince,—the inhabitant of a world -peopled not by creatures like herself, but by a remote and superior -order of beings. Such was the thought that even at moments like this -would obtrude itself with painful persistency. Oddly enough, though the -promise that she would play to him had been the excuse for his first -visit, she had never once touched her zithern since he had known her. -For this he had often scolded her, and now he determined to make a last -attempt. ‘Will you not play one small tune, so that I may carry it away -in my head to remember you by,’ he said, and sent to the lower house -for the zithern which he had brought with him from the Capital. He -tuned it with special care, and the few chords that he struck while he -did so floated with a strange distinctness through the still midnight -air. The old priest heard these sounds, and unable to contain himself -came bustling round to the women’s quarters with his Chinese -zithern in his arms and deposited it in the room where his daughter was -receiving her guest. Then he discreetly withdrew. Genji now renewed -his entreaties and at last she could resist no longer. He guessed at -once, by the way that she handled and tuned the instrument, that she -would prove to be a remarkable performer. Lady Fujitsubo used generally -to be considered the best zithern-player of the day, and though the -applause of the fashionable world was in part a tribute to her rank and -beauty, she was without question a very fine musician. But the Lady of -Akashi, in addition to a complete command of her instrument, played -with an intensity of feeling and a power of expression utterly unknown -to the princess. Such indeed was her playing that even he, who could -now so seldom get from music a pleasure that he had not experienced -many times before, was utterly taken aback. He could have listened -forever, and his only regret was that he had not forced her to play -to him months ago. Of course he must not lose her! And handing to her -his own zithern he begged her to keep it for him till they should -play together again. She answered with an acrostic poem in which she -prophesied that this loan was likely to remain forever on her hands. -And he, in indignation—‘Steadfast am I as the middle strings[18] of -this my zithern that I leave with you until we meet.’ ‘Who knows that -it may not be soon,’ he added; ‘Perhaps before these very strings have -fallen out of tune.’ Thus he sought to comfort her; but to her mind -one thought only was present,—that he was going away. She began to sob -bitterly. - -On the day of his departure he was up long before sunrise. The setting -out of so large a party (for the house was now full of friends who had -come to escort him back to the City) occasioned a tremendous -bustle. Genji too was much preoccupied, but in the midst of these -distractions he found time to send her a message: ‘Because they have -left the sea behind them, the rising waves creep listlessly across the -sand. But I, a sinking wave, cast back disconsolate thoughts towards -the shore whence I retreat.’ And she: ‘My cabin by the shore the winds -have sheltered, and gladly now amid the receding wreckage of the -storm would I drift out to sea.’ His friends from the Capital noticed -that he was in great distress, and could only suppose that, despite -the untoward circumstances which had brought him to this place, he -had in the course of years become so attached to it that the actual -moment of parting was somewhat of a wrench. But they could not help -thinking that such a display of emotion was very excessive. On the -other hand Yoshikiyo and the rest saw their worst fears confirmed. -This was evidently a serious business, and they foresaw all kinds of -complications that might arise from it. These gentlemen were delighted -to be going home, but when it came to the actual moment of departure -they felt a certain regret at leaving this extremely agreeable coast, -and there were naturally many among them who had on their own account -to face somewhat painful scenes of farewell. Many affecting poems were -written and tearful speeches made; but what use would it be to record -them all? - -In his preparations for the departure of the travellers the old -priest had surpassed himself. For every single person connected with -the expedition, down to the humblest carriers and menials, the most -sumptuous equipment was provided. It was indeed hard to imagine how -in these few weeks such elaborate preparations could possibly have -been made. The arrangements for Genji’s own comfort were of the most -extraordinary ingenuity; in fact the luxuries forced upon him filled so -many boxes that it required quite an army of porters to carry all -his luggage. Genji was indeed equipped more like a traveller setting -out from the Capital than like one returning from the provinces. There -seemed to be no imaginable contingency which the old priest had not -thought of. To the travelling cloak which had been specially designed -for that day’s journey the Lady of Akashi attached the poem: ‘That this -cloak of travel, cut and folded by the salt sea-shore, should bear a -stain or two of spray, you will not take amiss!’ Despite the noise and -confusion of departure, he found a moment in which to write the answer: -‘Though for a while I must wear it in remembrance, yet soon as certain -days and months are safely passed, once more no garment shall divide -us.’ This message he sent privately, and when he put on the new cloak -he was at pains to tell those about him that it was a present from the -old priest and worn at his especial desire. The cloak which he had -previously been wearing he sent to the house on the hill, where for -long afterwards the sight of it and the smell of the rare scent with -which it was perfumed awakened tantalizing memories in those from whose -thoughts he would in any case seldom have been absent. - -The priest excused himself from accompanying the expedition even so -far as the frontier of the province, saying that in his present state -of grief and agitation he did not feel equal to so great an exertion. -‘Pray do not think me impertinent,’ he added, ‘but I ought perhaps to -remind you ... in fact, we none of us doubt for an instant.... But -quite at your own time and convenience, of course!’ He did not dare go -beyond these brief, disjointed hints, but Genji, so far from taking -offence, was extremely sorry for the old man, who, it was evident, -had taken the business to heart in the most unfortunate way. ‘There -is now a particular reason why I should cherish and remember -her,’ said Genji presently; ‘you may be sure that in a very little -while I shall see to it that she has her due. To leave you all at such -a moment grieves me more than I can say. But what would you have me -do?’ The lady herself was in a strange state of mind. She was still -convinced that the difference in rank between them precluded any -lasting union and was certain that in the long run she had no more -chance of happiness at the City than she had if left behind here in the -wilds. But when it came to his actually starting, she could not bear -to be left behind. Try as she might, she could not control herself. -His image perpetually haunted her and every effort to banish it ended -in a wild fit of sobbing. ‘It would have saved the poor girl untold -misery,’ said the mother, having in vain tried every means to distract -her, ‘if this wretched business had never begun. And how unnecessary it -all is! Nothing of the kind need ever have entered the child’s head, -but for the odious and perverse advice which certain people....’ ‘Hold -your tongue,’ the old priest said angrily. ‘This will all come right -in the end; he has told me so himself. He knows about her condition -and will do all that he can for her.’ ‘Come, child,’ he said, bringing -her a basin of hot water in his own hands; ‘you must get up at once -and let yourself be dressed. You really must not go on like this. -It is terrible, you know, terrible,’ and he stood at the corner of -the bed looking at her encouragingly. Not only the mother, but the -girl’s old nurse and most of the confidential servants were in a state -of indignation against their master and went about saying that his -misguided promptings had brought them all into this terrible trouble. -But the old man’s evident misery soon dismissed their anger. He went -about muttering to himself: ‘To think that I should have waited all -these years for a chance to do something that would help her! And just -when I thought everything was going so well, I find I have only -made the poor thing unhappy....’ - -So much did his mistake (for such he was now convinced that it was) -afflict the old man, that he became a little queer in the head. During -the day he did little but doze; but at night he would suddenly get -up and seated in an attitude of prayer would fumble with his hands -as though he had forgotten even how to use his rosary. One night his -disciples managed to persuade him to go for a walk in the moonlight. -Mumbling prayers as he went and quite unaware of his surroundings he -stumbled and fell headlong into the moat. He was soon fished out; but -in falling he had caught his leg against a large stone and done himself -considerable injury. During the illness which followed, his mind, -strangely enough, seemed to be somewhat easier and he appeared to be -worrying less about the unfortunate situation of his daughter. - -Meanwhile Genji was on his homeward way. At Naniwa he halted to perform -the customary ceremony of Purification. He did not on this occasion -go to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi himself but sent a messenger to inform -the authorities that he was intending to perform his devotions there -quietly on some future occasion. He was now travelling so hurriedly -and with so large a retinue that a personal visit was impossible. -Apart from the halt at Naniwa he made no unnecessary discursions or -digressions, but pressed on with all possible speed to the Capital. - -Upon his arrival the Nijō-in presented an extraordinary spectacle. The -friends who had accompanied him on the journey were here joined by -numerous others who had awaited him in the City. All of them now surged -in wild excitement through the Palace, some hurraying lustily, some -weeping with joy, and the scene soon became one of indescribable noise -and disorder. - -And now Murasaki, who at the moment of his departure had vowed in her -poem that ‘could it but purchase an hour of respite, life itself was a -price she would not grudge to pay,’ was glad that the gift which in her -despair she had bartered so lightly, had not indeed been taken from her! - -In these three years she had grown even handsomer than before. At -first he could not make out in what way it was that her appearance was -altered. But when they were alone together he noticed that her hair, -which even before he went away had begun to be almost too thick, had -been cleverly thinned out. He had to confess that this new way of -wearing it became her very well. But suddenly, while he watched her -with fond satisfaction, the pleasant thought that she would always be -near him was interrupted by a very different image. There rose before -his mind the figure of the lady whom he had left behind in that sad -mansion above the bay. Plainly as though she were with him he saw her -loneliness, her misery, her despair. Why was it that time after time -he of all people should find himself in this odious position? Lest -Murasaki should feel that things were passing through his mind which he -must hide from her, he began telling her about the lady of the shore. -But he took such evident pleasure in dilating upon this subject that -his frankness had the effect of convincing her that the matter was -a far more serious one than she had before supposed. ‘It is not for -myself I mind,’[19] she quoted, only half meaning him to understand. -How terrible that he had lost three whole years of her company, and -lost them, too, in punishment for those very infidelities which he -would now have given so much to undo! - -Soon after his return all his original titles were restored and he -was accorded the rank of supernumerary President of Council; while -his supporters were re-established in offices equivalent to those of -which they had been deprived. Indeed so wide an amnesty was proclaimed -that the Court soon wore the aspect of a withered tree that one spring -morning suddenly begins to sprout again. - -A message came summoning Genji to the Palace. Great excitement -prevailed among the Court attendants. It seemed to them that he looked -more handsome and flourishing than ever. Had he really spent the last -three years under such harrowing conditions as rumour had reported? -Among the gentlewomen present were some who had served the old Emperor -his father and these old ladies, who had always taken his side, now -pressed round him chattering and weeping. The Emperor had been somewhat -nervous about this interview. Anxious to make a good impression, he -had spent an immense while over his toilet. On this particular day -he was feeling somewhat stronger; but for a long while he had been -seriously out of health and he was looking sadly altered. They talked -quietly till nightfall. It was the fifteenth day of the month. The -weather was calm and fine and, as he sat in the moonlight, such a host -of memories crowded to the young Emperor’s mind that he shed a few -tears. He was indeed at that time full of the darkest forebodings. -‘Nothing entertaining has happened here,’ he said at last. ‘I used to -like it when you played to me; but of course it is a long time since -you did that....’ Genji answered with the poem: ‘For as many years as -the leech-baby[20] could not stand upon its feet have I been set adrift -upon the wide plains of the sea.’ The Emperor, who felt the sting of -this allusion, skilfully parried the thrust with the verse: -‘Round the Palace Pillar[21] long enough have we played hide-and-seek; -let us forget the rancour of wasted springtimes that we in amity might -better have employed.’ - -After this visit Genji’s first care was to perform the ceremonial Eight -Readings of the Lotus Sūtra in memory of his father the late Emperor. -He next visited the Crown Prince and found him grown almost beyond -recognition. The child was surprised and delighted to recover his old -playmate, whom he perfectly well remembered. Genji was relieved to -discover that the boy was unusually quick at his studies and promised, -so far as could at present be judged, to make a very satisfactory -successor to the Throne. - -His agitation upon being admitted to Fujitsubo was not indeed such as -it would have been some years ago; but the meeting was an affecting one -and they had much to discuss together. One thing I had almost forgot: -by one of the priest’s servants who had come with them all the way -to the Capital he sent a number of letters to Akashi; among them a -long one to the priest’s daughter, in which, as he was able to convey -it to her secretly, he did his best, by dint of tender messages and -allusions, to comfort and console her. In it was the poem: ‘At Akashi -is all night spent[22] in weeping? And do the mists of morning hide the -long-looked-for light of day?’ - -At last Lady Gosechi,[23] who silently and unknown to all the world -had been grieving bitterly at Genji’s exile, was able to relieve her -feelings by taking action. It was natural and proper that she should -write to congratulate him upon his recall. She did so, but left -him to guess from whom the letter came. With it was the poem: ‘A -seafarer that with reluctant heart floated past Suma’s shore would -fain you saw her sleeve that since that day has never once grown dry.’ -Her fine handwriting at once betrayed her and he replied: ‘With better -cause might I make tearful plaint, to whom you steered so close, yet -would not stay your course.’ Brief as their meeting had been, he still -preserved the happiest recollections of it and this sudden reminder of -her made him for a moment hope that their friendship might one day be -renewed. But what was he thinking of! Now and henceforward there were -to be no more frivolities of that kind. Thus he cautioned himself, and -the result was that even the Lady at the Village of Falling Flowers -received only a formal intimation of his return. To know that he was -to be seen and not to see him was worse than his being utterly out of -reach, and the poor lady was unhappier than ever now that he was again -at the Nijō-in. - -[1] Instituted in China in the 6th century. It centred round the -reading of the _Jēn Wang Ching_ (Nanjio No. 17) in which Buddha -instructs the great kings of the earth how to preserve their countries -from calamity. - -[2] A Court title. Yoshikiyo was son of the Governor of Harima and -had courted the Lady of Akashi. See vol. i, p. 138, where, following -another text, I have called him Yoshizane. - -[3] It would be said that he was running after the Lady of Akashi, the -old recluse’s daughter. - -[4] Lao Tzŭ, say the commentators; but this saying does not occur in -the _Tao Tē Ching_. - -[5] The mirror-poem, p. 108. - -[6] Evidently a Chinese tune. Attempts to identify it have hitherto -been very unconvincing. - -[7] Priests who collected money for their community by going round -playing the _biwa_ at street-corners. - -[8] Which he had taught to Murasaki. - -[9] 898–930. Sixtieth Emperor of Japan. - -[10] 810–823. Fifty-second Emperor of Japan. - -[11] Po Chü-i. The reference is to his poem _The Lute Girl’s Song._ - -[12] A service performed at dawn, sunrise, midday, sunset, dusk and -nightfall. - -[13] A double paper; light blue on a white ground. - -[14] Rokujō. - -[15] Buddha. - -[16] There is some doubt about the punctuation of this and the -following sentence. - -[17] See vol. i, pp. 137 seq. Some texts call Yoshikiyo ‘Yoshizane,’ as -I have done in vol. i. See above, p. 113. - -[18] Which remained unaltered whatever tuning was adopted. - -[19] ‘It is not for myself I mind; but since the Gods are just, for him -who is forsworn I am indeed afraid.’ No. 38 of the _Hundred Poems_; it -is by Lady Ukon, 10th century. - -[20] The Royal Gods Izanagi and Isanami bore a leech-child; as at the -age of three it could not stand they cast it adrift in a boat. - -[21] After a sort of game of hide-and-seek round the Pillar of the -Palace of Heaven these Gods met face to face and Izanagi exclaimed: ‘I -have met a lovely maiden’; whereupon they became husband and wife and -bore the leech-child. - -[22] _Akashi_ means ‘spending the whole night.’ - -[23] See p. 129. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE FLOOD GAUGE - - -Since the night of his so vivid and disquieting dream, the late Emperor -had been constantly in Genji’s thoughts. He longed to succour his -father’s soul, weighed down as it was (if the words of that nightly -apparition were indeed to be trusted) by a load of earthly sin. Now -that he was back in the City he was anxious to lose no time, and the -great ceremony of the Eight Readings, for which he had begun to make -arrangements soon after his return, was duly carried out in the Godless -Month.[1] The manner in which this function was attended showed that -Genji had fully regained his former ascendancy. - -Ill though she was, Kōkiden still had sufficient interest in what went -on about her to be furious at this recrudescence of a force which she -confidently supposed herself to have annihilated. But the Emperor, much -as he stood in awe of her, was now obsessed by the idea that if he -again disobeyed the late Emperor’s injunction some terrible calamity -would overtake him. The feeling that he had successfully insisted -upon Genji’s recall quite braced him, and the pain in his eyes, which -had till recently been very troublesome, now began to show signs of -improvement. But he did not somehow feel that he was likely to be very -much longer on the Throne. There were many matters which he desired -to see satisfactorily settled while he was still capable of -attending to them, and he constantly summoned Genji to the Palace to -consult him upon the most confidential affairs of policy and state. In -doing so he was but following his real inclination; this was very well -understood in the country and the public at large was delighted to see -the Emperor once more asserting himself. - -As the time drew near when he intended to renounce the Throne, the -Emperor became increasingly concerned with regard to the effect -that this step would have upon Lady Oborozuki’s career. ‘My poor -grand-father, the late Chief Minister, is gone,’ he said to her one -day; ‘and it does not look as though my mother[2] would be with us -much longer. I myself have no intention of remaining on the Throne. I -am afraid you will be left in a most tiresome position. I know that -there is some one whom you have always liked better than me. But I do -not think anyone could possibly be more attached to you than I am, and -it distresses me continually to think what will become of you when -I am gone. Even if your former friend is willing to look after you -again, however kind he is to you, I am quite certain he will take far -less trouble about you than I do.’ The colour rushed to her cheeks and -her eyes filled with tears. He saw that he had wounded her and, moved -to sudden pity by the spectacle of her humiliation and remorse, he -forgot all her misdeeds and continued in a gentler tone: ‘What a pity -that we have never had any children! I am sure you and he will have -some later on, and it will be a pity that they are his and not mine, -because they will only be commoners, you know.’ He went on for some -while discussing what would happen after he was dead, her distress and -remorse increasing at every word. Her charm was such that, despite his -jealousy, the Emperor had grown steadily more attached to her in -the years that had passed. But though his partiality had raised her to -a position of undisputed pre-eminence at Court, she had not at any time -been happy. At first she brooded incessantly upon Genji’s comparative -indifference towards her, but later, as her sense of responsibility -increased, she marvelled more and more at the childish recklessness -which had led her into that miserable adventure and, besides destroying -her own good name, had reacted so disastrously upon her seducer. - -In the second month of the new year the Initiation Ceremony of the -Crown Prince was performed. He was only eleven years old but was big -for his age, and it was already apparent that he was developing an -extraordinary resemblance to his guardian, Prince Genji. In this the -world saw nothing to complain of; their future monarch could not, they -felt, have chosen a better model. But the Lady Abbess, his mother, -watched the growing resemblance with very different feelings and could -not but imagine that it was arousing the blackest suspicions. - -The Emperor himself was greatly relieved to see that the boy was -shaping so well, and he now began to prepare Lady Kōkiden for the -news that he intended to vacate the Throne. His actual resignation -came suddenly, indeed before the end of the second month, and Kōkiden -was very much upset. To put matters right he assured her that his -abdication had but one motive: namely, that he might be free to devote -his poor abilities to looking after her. At this she was naturally -somewhat mollified. - -Fujitsubo’s son accordingly became Emperor under the title Ryōzen, and -Lady Jōkyōden’s little son became Crown Prince. The new regime bore -somewhat the character of a Restoration and was marked by a return -to all the gaieties and festivities of the old Emperor’s reign. From -being President of Council, Genji became Palace Counsellor; it -was intended that he should fulfil the functions of Chief Minister, and -it was only because the two ministerial posts were already filled that -this less imposing title was given him. Genji however professed himself -quite unable to cope with the duties of so arduous a function, and -proposed that Aoi’s father, the Minister of the Left, should be asked -to assume control. But the old man pointed out that illness had long -ago obliged him to forgo the executive part of his duties. Since then -he had not grown any younger, and feared that his head was no longer -clear enough to deal with complicated affairs. Genji replied that in -the Other Land,[3] at times of change and uncertainty, even those who -had retreated far away among the hills had sometimes been prevailed -upon to return and lend their aid to a government that showed itself -to be well-disposed. Nor had such men ever considered that their white -hairs constituted a bar, but had come forward gladly to take office -under the new regime. And indeed for doing so they had always been -deemed true paladins of wisdom. ‘It is my desire,’ Genji concluded, -‘and that of the Council that you should resume the position which you -held before your health obliged you to withdraw, and we feel that in -doing so you may be sure of incurring no hostile criticism from any -quarter.’ It was quite true that retired Ministers had sometimes been -known to resume their functions. The old man withdrew his opposition -and allowed them to make him Grand Minister with Plenary Powers. He was -now sixty-three. Since the decline of his public influence, his whole -family had lived very much under a cloud. But now that he was again -in the ascendant they began to resume their old place in society. His -sons were soon once more entrusted with positions of great importance; -in particular, Tō no Chūjō became Privy Counsellor of the Second -Class. Chūjō’s daughter, who was now twelve years old, was being -trained for the Court, whither she was to be sent as soon as she was -old enough. The boy who had sung the Ballad of Takasago so prettily -some years ago, was already installed as one of the Emperor’s pages and -was thought to be doing very well. Besides these he had a number of -other children, all of them very promising, and Genji, whose exiguous -progeny was of small comfort to him, quite envied Chūjō the size and -prosperity of his young family. - -Yūgiri, Genji’s son by Aoi, was a fine little fellow. He was already -attached to the suite of the new Crown Prince. The princess, Aoi’s -mother, remained entirely unmoved by the renewed good fortunes of her -husband and family. Indeed, this return to happier days only served -to awaken fresh memories of the daughter whose loss had marked the -beginning of all their troubles. Her one consolation had been that -by her death Aoi had been spared the torture which Genji’s disgrace -and banishment would have inflicted upon her proud and fastidious -nature. Now that he was restored to his former glories not even this -consideration remained valid. Genji continued to show her the same -attentions as before his exile and lost no opportunity of going over to -the Great Hall. Yūgiri’s old nurse and other members of the household -had during all these years remained faithfully at their posts, and -Genji contrived, in one way and another, to show each of them how much -he appreciated her patience and fidelity. The recipients of these small -favours were in a state of rapturous gratitude and delight. - -He was also deeply touched by the conduct of the gentlewomen at -the Nijō-in, in whom he had formerly shown so little interest. He -determined henceforward to take more pains about them. He soon found -himself so much occupied in paying small attentions to Miss -Chūjō, Madam Nakatsukasa and other good ladies of his household, that -he scarcely ever had time to leave the house. He was also much taken up -with the rebuilding of a lodge which stood to the east of his palace, -on an estate which had belonged to his father. He took great trouble -over the work and had the place put in splendid order, for it was his -intention to lend it to unfortunate or unprotected persons, such as the -lady at ‘the village of falling flowers,’ whom he could best assist if -he had them near at hand. - -Meanwhile he often wondered how the Lady of Akashi was faring, but -he was at this time so much occupied both with private and national -affairs that he could not get news of her as often as he would have -liked to do. He reckoned that her delivery was likely to take place -early in the third month, and about that time he contrived to send a -secret courier to Akashi and learnt that the event had already taken -place sixteen days ago. It was a girl, and everything had gone well. -This was Genji’s first daughter, and he felt quite excited. But how -callous he had been to let her go through all this alone! Why had he -not brought her with him to the City and looked after her while this -was happening? He felt, indeed, a sudden outburst of tenderness towards -her and of remorse at his own hardness of heart. - -Astronomers had once told him that he would have three children, of -whom the eldest and youngest would eventually ascend the Throne, while -the middle one would rise to be Chief Minister. They had further -said it would be the lowest-born of the three mothers who would give -birth to the future Empress. All that had happened so far fitted in -very well with their prognostications. The prophecy that his children -would attain Imperial rank and lead the Government of the country had -been repeatedly made by sign-readers of all kinds; but during -the difficult times from which Genji had just emerged it appeared to -be wildly improbable that any of these hopes would be fulfilled. But -now the safe accession of Ryōzen to the Throne made him feel that -everything would happen as the soothsayers had foretold. That he -himself was not destined to achieve such honours had been generally -recognized and he had long ago given up regarding such a thing as -within the bounds of possibility. So well had this been recognized by -his father, the old Emperor, that although Genji was his favourite son -he had given special instructions that he was to remain a commoner. -As regards Ryōzen, it was not of course recognized in the world that -His Majesty was Genji’s son; but that, after all, did not in any way -invalidate the truth of the sign-readers’ prognostications. - -But if this new child were really going to be empress it seemed almost -disrespectful to have allowed her to be born at so strange a place. He -must make amends to this future sovereign, and that he might soon be -able to lodge both mother and child in proper comfort, he ordered his -bailiffs to push through the rebuilding of the eastern lodge as rapidly -as possible. - -It occurred to him that it would be very difficult for her to secure -a suitable wet-nurse at Akashi. He chanced to hear of a young woman, -a child of the old Emperor’s Lady-in-Attendance, who had recently, -under distressing circumstances, been left with an infant on her hands. -Both the Lady-in-Attendance and her husband, who had been one of the -Royal Chamberlains, were dead, and the girl had been left entirely to -her own devices; with the result which I have mentioned above. His -informant undertook to interview the girl and, if possible, persuade -her to take service at Akashi. She did not in point of fact need very -much persuasion. She was young and thoughtless and thoroughly -tired of sitting all day in a large tumble-down house with nothing to -do but stare in front of her. She could not imagine any service which -she would better like to enter than his, and at once agreed to go. -Genji was of course delighted; though he felt somewhat uncomfortable -at sending away a young girl to a place where she would enjoy so few -distractions. There were certain matters which it was necessary to -talk over with her, and in complete secrecy, with many precautions -against his absence being noticed at home, he contrived to visit the -young woman’s house. She did not actually withdraw her consent; but -she was now feeling very nervous about the whole business. Genji, -however, took so much trouble in explaining to her what she had to do -and in removing all her doubts and apprehensions that in the end she -put herself entirely at his disposal. It happened to be a lucky day, -and with many apologies for giving her so little time he asked her to -get ready for the journey. ‘It seems very hard,’ Genji said, ‘that you -should be packed off to the country like this to look after some one -else’s child. But I am particularly anxious that some one should be -there. I know by experience that it will be rather dull; but you must -make up your mind to put up with it for a time, just as I did.’ Having -thus encouraged her, he gave a detailed description of the place and -all that belonged to it. - -She had sometimes done service at the Palace and this was not the first -time Genji had seen her. But her misfortunes had brought her very low -and she looked years older than when he saw her last. The house was -in a hopeless state of disrepair and its vast size, together with the -carefully planned copses and avenues which surrounded it, made the -place only the more depressing. How had she contrived to hold out -there so long? His sympathy was aroused. The charm of youth had -not after all entirely deserted her, and she was intelligent. He felt -inclined to prolong the interview and said laughing: ‘Now that it is -all arranged I feel quite sorry that you have agreed to go. What do -you feel about it?’ She felt indeed that if she were destined to enter -Genji’s service at all, it would have been agreeable to find herself -consigned to a rather less remote part of his household. He now recited -the verse: ‘Can this one moment of farewell indeed have been the sum -of all our friendship, whose separation seems now like the parting of -familiar friends?’ Smiling she answered him: ‘Your chagrin, I suspect, -is not that I must leave you, but springs from envy that _I_ not _you_ -should go whither your heart is set.’ Her quickness delighted him -and, whatever truth there may have been in her ironic exposure of his -feelings, he was really sorry that she was going. - -He sent her as far as the boundary of the City in a wheeled -carriage,[4] under the care of his most trusted personal servants, upon -whom he had enjoined absolute silence concerning this affair. Among the -baggage was a vast number of presents, from the Guardian Sword[5] down -to the most trifling articles such as might possibly be useful to the -Lady of Akashi at this crisis; upon the young nurse too he lavished -every small attention which his ingenuity could devise, determined to -mitigate so far as was possible the discomfort of her long journey. -It amused him to picture to himself the extravagant fuss which the -old priest, at all times so comically preoccupied with his daughter’s -fortunes, must be making in this latest crisis. Not but what he was -himself filled with the tenderest concern for the Lady’s welfare. Above -all, he must not let her feel at such a minute that there was now -or ever could be any obstacle to his fulfilling the promises concerning -which she herself had always been so sceptical, and in the letter which -he now sent he spoke in the most definite manner of his intentions -towards the child and his plans for her future life at the Capital. - -The travellers proceeded as far as the borders of Settsu by boat, and -thence on horseback to Akashi with all possible speed, where their -arrival was welcomed by the old recluse with boundless gratitude and -delight. With raised hands he solemnly made obeisance in the direction -of the Capital, and the mother and child, marked henceforward with this -new and unhoped-for sign of princely favour, became invested in his -eyes with an almost alarming degree of sanctity. The child was indeed a -most exquisite creature, and the young nurse felt, from the moment it -was presented to her, that Genji’s care and anxiety on its behalf were -by no means ill-bestowed. In an instant the discomforts and perils of -her long journey seemed like an evil dream, from which she had suddenly -awaked to find this pretty and enticing infant lying in her arms. -Henceforward she had no thought but how best to tend and succour it. - -The mother, it seemed, had for many months past been in very low -spirits. Her confinement had left her in a condition of extreme -weakness, and she was herself convinced that she would not recover. -These fresh tokens of Genji’s affection and concern could not fail -somewhat to revive her. For the first time she raised her head from -the pillows and received the messengers with every sign of interest -and delight. They informed her that they had been ordered to return -to the Capital without a moment’s delay. She contrived to write a few -hasty lines, in which little indeed could appear of all that at that -moment she was thinking and feeling. Yet these few words made an -impression upon their recipient the violence of which surprised and -disquieted him. - -He had not himself told Murasaki about the birth of his child at -Akashi, nor was it likely that anyone else would in so many words have -done so. But he feared that some inkling of the matter might reach -her, and he finally made up his mind that it would be better for her -to know all about it. ‘I had far rather that this had not happened. It -is all the more irritating because I have for so long been hoping that -you would have a child; and that, now the child has come, it should be -some one else’s instead is very provoking. It is only a girl, you know, -which really makes it rather a different matter. It would perhaps have -been better from every point of view if I had left things as they were, -but this new complication makes that quite impossible. I think, indeed, -of sending for the child. I hope that when it arrives you will not feel -ill-disposed towards it.’ She flushed: ‘That is just the sort of thing -you always used to say,’ she answered. ‘It seems to me to show a very -strange state of mind. Of course I ought to put up with it, but there -are certain things which I do not see how I can be expected to get -used to....’ ‘Softly, softly,’ he answered, laughing at her unwonted -asperity, ‘who is asking you to get used to anything? I will tell you -what you are doing. You are inventing all sorts of feelings for me such -as I have never really had at all, and then getting cross with me for -having them. That is not a very amiable proceeding, is it?’ And having -gone on in this strain for some while, he became quite cheerful. - -She thought of how they had longed for one another during the years of -his exile, of his constant letters and messages. This whole affair at -Akashi—what had it been but a pastime, a momentary distraction in the -midst of his disappointments and troubles? ‘You will understand -then,’ Genji continued, ‘that I was anxious to hear how things were -going on. I sent to enquire and have just heard that everything is -still as well as one can hope for. But if I start telling you about it -now I know we shall soon be at cross purposes again....’ ‘She is of -course very charming,’ he added presently, ‘but I think my feeling for -her had a good deal to do with the place and the circumstances....’ He -began to describe how exquisitely the smoke from the salt-kilns had -tapered across the evening sky; he spoke of the poems which they had -exchanged, of his first glimpse of her by night, of her delightful -playing on the zithern. Upon all these themes he enlarged with evident -satisfaction. Murasaki while she listened could not but remember how -particularly unhappy she had been just at the very time when the -episodes which Genji was now recalling with such relish were taking -place at Akashi. Even if this affair were, as he represented it to be, -a mere pastime of the moment, it was clear that he had been singularly -successful in his search for distraction. ‘Come,’ he said at last, -‘I am doing my best to show you that I am fond of you. You had best -be quick, if you are ever going to forgive me at all; life does not -last forever. Here am I trying so hard just now not to give you the -slightest cause for one speck of jealousy or suspicion. And now just -because of this unfortunate affair....’ So saying he sent for his large -zithern and tried to persuade her to play it with him as they were used -to do. But Murasaki could not help remembering his enthusiasm for the -playing of the Lady at Akashi. With such virtuosity she did not care to -compete, and say what he would he could not persuade her to play a note. - -It sometimes happened that her usual good temper and gentleness would -thus all at once desert her, giving place to a fit of wild -jealousy and resentment. To Genji these outbursts were by no means -unattractive. - -It occurred to him that the fifth day of the fifth month would be the -fiftieth day of the child’s life, and he knew that his absence from -the Prayers which would be held on that day would be extremely painful -to the mother. If only he had them with him in the Capital, what a -delightful affair he could make of this Fiftieth Day Ceremony! It was -really too bad that a daughter of his should have come into existence -in such an outlandish place as this. He ought never to have allowed -it. And this was his first daughter. If it had been a boy he did not -think he would have minded nearly so much. But this girl seemed very -important, for he felt that in a sense all his misfortunes had come to -him as a preliminary to her birth, and had, if one could put it so, no -other goal or object. He lost no time in sending a messenger to Akashi -with strict injunctions to arrive there on the fifth day without fail. -The messenger duly arrived, bearing with him the most touching and -gratifying tokens of Genji’s anxiety for the welfare of his friends. To -the Lady of Akashi he sent an acrostic poem, lamenting that he should -have left her to dwell, like the pine-tree that grows beneath the -northern cliff, in a place of shadows, to which not even the rejoicings -of the Fiftieth Day would bring an altering gleam. ‘My anxiety for you -both,’ his letter continued, ‘is becoming too great a torment for me to -bear. Things cannot go on like this and I have quite decided to bring -you to the Capital. Do not however think that my care for you will end -merely with that....’ She told her father of Genji’s decision, and this -time at any rate the old man had good cause for that mixture of joy and -weeping to which he was at all times prone. Looking round at Genji’s -Fiftieth Day presents which lay about in astonishing profusion -she realized how dark a day this would have been for her but for the -coming of this messenger from the City. As a second consolation she had -for the first time, in the nurse whom Genji had sent to her, some one -to whom she could confide the affairs of her heart, and this changed -her whole life. Her father had gathered about her, picking them up one -by one as opportunity offered, a collection of dames who, as regards -birth and upbringing, were quite the equals of the new nurse. But the -mountain solitudes of Akashi did not offer much scope for choice and -the poor ladies were one and all the most tottering and antiquated -relics of bygone Courts. Among them the new arrival felt incredibly -brisk and smart and in this gloomy company her opinion of herself went -up by leaps and bounds. She had endless stories about life at the -Capital; and when these failed, she had only to describe some occasion -at which Genji had figured or some incident showing the affection in -which he was held or the extent of the power which he now wielded -(subjects to which she continually returned with remarkable zest): -at once the Lady of Akashi’s cheeks would glow with pride. She ought -indeed to be happy that such a Prince as this should deign even to undo -and abandon her, leaving nothing to show for their love save the child -that had been begotten of it. The nurse was allowed to read Genji’s -letters, and though she did so with passionate interest, she could not -but feel somewhat jealous of her mistress’s strange and unforeseen good -fortune. At such times it would seem to the nurse that to her alone of -all mankind nothing good ever happened, till suddenly in Genji’s letter -she would come across some reference to herself: ‘What about the nurse? -How is she turning out?’ and so forth, or sometimes even more personal -enquiry about her health and spirits. Then for a long while the girl, -usually so despondent, would feel perfectly happy and contented. - -To Genji’s Fiftieth Day letter the Lady of Akashi sent the following -reply: ‘Alas that to the little crane who calls to you from among the -numberless islands of the deep, you do not come, though the Fiftieth -Day[6] be come.’ ‘I am for a thousand reasons,’ she continued, ‘in -great despondency concerning our future; and for that very reason -occasional kindnesses such as you have to-day shown to me are all the -more precious. As for myself I do not rightly know what will become of -me. But I earnestly hope that our daughter at any rate may live to be a -consolation to you rather than an embarrassment and anxiety.’ - -Genji carried this letter about with him and constantly re-read it half -aloud to himself, pausing over every sentence with fond deliberation; -Murasaki could not fail to notice his preoccupation and once, hearing -him thus employed, she murmured the song: ‘Far from me have you drifted -as those boats that, starting from Mikuma shore, now row far out at -sea.’ She had not meant him to hear. But he looked up and said sharply: -‘Do you really think that it is so bad as that! I should have thought -you would understand exactly what such a letter as this must mean -to me. It is perfectly natural that I should be interested, deeply -interested in an occasional budget of news from a place where I spent -so long a time, and if in reading it I come across references which -remind me suddenly of some interesting event or experience of those -days, I think it is quite natural that I should occasionally break out -into an exclamation, or something of that sort. It would be much better -if you simply pretended not to hear. But here is the letter.’ He held -it out to her, but in such a way that she could only see the outer fold -upon which the address was written. Examining the writing she saw at -once that it was a flawless hand, such as the greatest lady in -the land would have had no cause to disown. From that moment she knew -what was in store for her; this would assuredly prove no fleeting fancy. - -In spite of these preoccupations his thoughts sometimes turned towards -the Lady in the Village of Falling Flowers and he realized with dismay -that he had not once been near her since his return to the Capital. For -one thing, his new position in the Government had given him so much -business to look after and was attended by formalities and restrictions -which made it more than ever difficult for him to go about as he chose. -Part of the fault however was certainly hers; for, inured to a life -that offered few novelties or distractions, she was willing to accept -without ill-temper or complaint such treatment as others would have -found insufferable. But the fifth month at last brought him a little -leisure. Once more he thought of his obligation, and this time he -actually managed to slip away and make the long-deferred visit. It was -a comfort that here at least he was certain of not being treated to any -exhibition of fashionable tantrums, coquettishly withering glances or -well-calculated resentment; for he knew that, seldom as she saw him, -his interest in her was by far the most important fact in her life, -and a visit from him was not lightly to be sacrificed to some useless -outburst of jealousy or irritation. - -The house had in these last years grown rapidly more and more -dilapidated and had indeed become a most melancholy-looking place. -After paying his respects to the elder sister he hastened to the main -entrance of the western wing and stood in the porch. It was near -midnight; the moon had sunk behind a bank of light clouds. It was with -feelings of inexpressible joy and agitation that she suddenly saw his -figure dimly outlined in the darkness. She had been sitting at -the lattice and, in her shyness, did not rise when she saw him. They -continued to converse thus, he in the porch and she at her window, but -there was in her manner no hint of unfriendliness or reprobation. What -a relief to encounter at last a disposition so grateful and unexacting! -Some water-fowl were clamouring quite close to the house. She recited -the verse: ‘Dare I admit you to a house so desolate that even the -shy water-birds regard it as their home?’ Her voice died away to a -whisper as she reached the last words in a way which he found strangely -alluring. What a lot of nice people there seemed to be in the world, -thought Genji. And the odd part of it was that it was just this very -fact which made life so difficult and fatiguing. He answered with the -verse: ‘If the cry of the water-fowl brings you always so promptly to -your door, _some_ visitor there must be whom it is your pleasure to -admit.’ This was of course mere word-play. He did not for a moment -suppose that any such agreeable adventures ever fell to her lot; nor -indeed that she would welcome them. For though she had had to wait -years for this visit, he felt confident that her fidelity had never -once wavered. She reminded him of his poem: ‘Gaze not into the sky....’ -and of all that had befallen at that farewell scene on the eve of -his departure for Suma. ‘It seems strange,’ she said at last, ‘that I -of all people should so much have minded your being away, considering -how seldom I see you when you are here!’ But even this was said with -perfect gentleness and good humour. His reply to this charge was, you -may be sure, both prompt and conciliatory, and it was not long before -he had managed, by kindness of one sort or another, to make her, for -the moment at any rate, as happy as it is possible for any woman to be. - -He often thought during these days of Lady Gosechi, and would -very much have liked to see her again; but the difficulties seemed too -great and he did not attempt it. Her parents saw plainly enough that -she had not got over her unfortunate attachment and did their best to -settle her future in some other way. But she for her part declared she -had given up all thought of lovers or marriage. ‘If only I had some -large convenient building,’ thought Genji, ‘where I could house these -friends of mine and be able to keep an eye not only on them, but on -any babies that might chance to get born, how much simpler life would -be!’ The new eastern wing was indeed promising to prove a very handsome -affair and thoroughly in the style of the moment. He was impatient to -get it finished, and now appointed special foremen to superintend the -different branches of the work and get it put through as quickly as -possible. - -Not infrequently something would happen to remind him of the Lady -Oborozuki and despite all that had happened a fresh wave of longing -would beset him. She for her part had not only suffered but learnt -her lesson and utterly refused to have any dealings with him, which -made him feel very irritated and depressed. Now that the ex-Emperor -Suzaku was relieved of the cares of Government, he became somewhat more -animated and showed a certain amount of interest in music and other -Court diversions. It was curious that among all his Ladies-in-Waiting -and Ladies-of-the-Wardrobe it was to Lady Jōkyōden, the mother of the -Crown Prince, that he paid the least attention. Not even the singular -chance which made her mother of the Heir Apparent seemed able to -restore to her any particle of the ascendancy which she had lost when -Lady Oborozuki was taken into favour. She had indeed left the Emperor’s -Palace and now lived in apartments attached to those of the Crown -Prince, her son. Genji’s rooms at Court were in the old Shigeisa; the -Crown Prince was occupying the Nashitsubo, which was not far -away. Thus Genji, as a near neighbour, was constantly consulted by the -Prince’s staff and was often able to be of considerable assistance to -them. - -As Fujitsubo had become a nun, her full rank could not be restored; but -she received a Royal Grant equivalent to that of an Empress Mother,[7] -together with the services of such State officers as usually wait -upon an ex-Empress. The whole of these additional resources went in -the celebration of those religious functions which had now become her -whole employment in life. For many years she had felt that it was -impossible for her to appear at Court and to her great distress her -son, the present Emperor, had grown up a stranger to her. Now that he -was safely on the Throne she could come and go as she pleased; and -indeed her constant presence at Court now became the greatest grievance -of her old rival Kōkiden, who saw in it the frustration of all the -schemes to which her whole life had been devoted. Genji bore Kōkiden -no malice and, without thrusting his services upon her, did what he -could to help her. The fact that these magnanimous overtures were met -with unrelenting hostility was observed by all at Court and made a most -painful impression. - -Prince Hyōbukyō had treated Genji with marked coldness in the period -before his exile. Now that Genji’s fortunes were again on the ascendant -he appeared anxious to renew their former friendship; but Genji felt -little inclined to do so. That at a time when so many animosities were -in abeyance and so many broken friendships had been renewed Genji and -her brother should be on these very indifferent terms was to Fujitsubo -a source of great disappointment and anxiety. - -Power was now pretty equally divided between Genji himself -and his father-in-law, the old Minister at the Great Hall. In the -eighth month of this year Tō no Chūjō’s daughter came to Court. -Her grandfather, the old Minister, was a conspicuous figure at the -Presentation and saw to it that the ceremony should lack no jot of its -traditional grandeur. It was well known that Prince Hyōbukyō would very -much have liked to see his second daughter in a similar position. But -Genji did not feel sufficiently friendly towards him to second this -design, particularly as there were many other young ladies who were -quite as well qualified to fill the post. Prince Hyōbukyō saw nothing -for it but to submit. - -In the autumn Genji made his pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi, -where, as will be remembered, he had various vows to fulfil. The -occasion was made one of public importance and the splendour of his -cortège, in which all the greatest noblemen and courtiers of the day -vied with one another to take part, made a deep impression throughout -the kingdom. The Lady of Akashi had been unable to pay her accustomed -visit to the Shrine either last autumn or during the spring of this -year. She determined to renew the practice, and it so happened that she -arrived by boat at Sumiyoshi just as Genji’s magnificent procession -was passing along the shore. She saw throngs of servitors, laden with -costly offerings; she saw the Eastern Dancers,[8] in companies of ten, -riding by on horseback, men of picked stature, conspicuous in their -strange blue-striped dress. Not a word concerning Genji’s visit to -Sumiyoshi had reached her, and turning to some one who was standing -near she asked what procession this might be. ‘What procession?’ the -man exclaimed in astonishment. ‘Why, the Chief Minister’s!’ and a -shout of laughter went up at the notion that there could possibly exist -anybody in the world who had not heard of this all-important event, -laughter in which a number of rough scallawags who were standing by -joined as heartily as the rest. - -She was confounded. That after all these long months of waiting it -should be thus she met him showed indeed to what a different world -he really belonged! Yet after all they were not quite strangers, he -and she. She was at least of more account in his eyes than these -wretches who had scoffed at her ignorance, than all this rabble who -cared nothing for him and had come here only that they might boast -of having shared in his triumph. How cruel an irony that she who -thought of him and him only, who painfully gathered together every -scrap of intelligence concerning his health and movements, should all -unwittingly have chosen this disastrous day for her journey, while all -the rest of the world resounded with the news of his coming; she hid -her face and wept. The procession moved on its way—innumerable green -cloaks, with here and there a scarlet one among them, bright as an -autumn maple-tree amid a grove of pines. In cavalcade after cavalcade -the varying colours flashed by, now dark, now light.[9] Among the -officers of the Sixth Grade there was one whose sheriff’s coat of -gold and green made him conspicuous; this was Ukon, the gentleman who -upon the occasion of Genji’s visit to the Imperial Tombs had recited -the verse: ‘Little, alas, they heed their worshippers....’[10] He had -become captain of the Quiver Bearers, and as such was attended by -more numerous officers than any other of the sheriffs. Among these -attendants was Yoshikiyo, who in a resplendent crimson cloak, -worn with an air of the utmost nonchalance, was perhaps the handsomest -figure in all the throng. - -Here, prosperous and happy, were all the knights and gentlemen whom she -had seen at Akashi; then a pitiable band, now scattered amongst a vast -cohort of partisans and retainers. The young princes and courtiers who -rode with the procession had vied with one another in the magnificence -of their accoutrement. Such gorgeous saddles and trappings had rarely -been seen; and it may be imagined how they dazzled the eye of a country -girl, fresh from her hillside retreat. At last came Genji’s coach. -She could catch but a momentary glimpse of it; and of the face for -which she yearned with so ardent a longing she could see nothing at -all. Imitating the example of the great Tōru[11] he was attended by -boy outriders. They were charmingly dressed, their hair looped at the -sides and tied with purple ribbons. The ten of them were arranged -according to their height, and a very pretty sight they were as they -filed past in their dainty costumes. A boy rode by, clad in the dress -of a Court page, a person of some consequence evidently, for he was -obsequiously watched over and assisted, while a posse of boy grooms, -each differently dressed, yet forming between them a carefully designed -pattern, rode in his train. She was told that this was Prince Yūgiri, -Genji’s son by Lady Aoi. She thought of her own daughter for whom so -different a fate seemed to be reserved, and in sad submission bowed her -head towards the Shrine. The Governor of the Province had now appeared, -his arrival being attended by greater pomp than had ever before marked -his intercourse with a Minister on pilgrimage. The Lady of Akashi saw -clearly that even should she succeed in forcing her way through the -crowd, there was little chance that in the midst of all these -excitements the God would pay any attention to her insignificant -offering. She was on the point of going home again, since there seemed -to be no object in staying any longer, when it occurred to her that -she might at any rate row over to Naniwa and perform the ceremony of -Purification. This she did, while Genji, still unaware that she had -been so near him, spent the rest of the evening preforming his vows -within the Shrine. At last, thinking that by now the God ought to be -thoroughly content, Genji determined to enjoy himself a little into -the bargain; and the rest of the night was spent by the whole company -in the most lively fashion imaginable. Koremitsu and the rest made a -mental note that for certain kinds of religious observance there was -much to be said. It happened that Genji went outside for a little while -and Koremitsu, who was with him, recited an acrostic verse in which he -hinted that beneath the pine-trees of Sumiyoshi a less solemn stillness -now prevailed than when the Gods first ruled on earth. This could not -be denied, and indeed to Genji too a joyful time had succeeded to an -age of sadness. He therefore answered with the verse: ‘That from wild -waves whose onslaught drove me from my course this God delivered me, -I shall not soon forget.’ Koremitsu then went on to tell him how the -boat from Akashi, dismayed by the crowds that flocked the Shrine, had -put out again to sea. He hated to think that she had been there without -his knowing it; besides, he felt now that it was this very God of -Sumiyoshi who had given her to him for a bride. He could not let her go -back without a word from him to cheer her. To think that she had come -and gone without his even hearing that she was at hand would certainly -grieve her worst of all. But for the moment she had gone further up the -coast and there was nothing to be done. - -After leaving Sumiyoshi he visited several places in the neighbourhood. -At Naniwa he too underwent the ceremony of Purification, together with -other ceremonies, particularly the Ablution of the Seven Streams. -As he passed the estuary of Horiye he murmured ‘Like the Tide-gauge -at Naniwa...,’[12] hardly knowing why the lines had come into his -head. Koremitsu, who was near his coach, overheard these words, and -regarding them as a command to him to produce writing materials (a -duty for which he was often in request) he whipped out a short-handled -pen from the folds of his dress and as soon as Genji’s coach came to a -standstill handed it in to him. Genji was amused by his promptness and -on a folded paper wrote the lines: ‘That once again our love to its -flood-mark shall rise, what better presage than this chance meeting -by the tide-gauge of the shore?’ This he sent across to Naniwa by the -hand of an underling who, from conversation with her servants, knew at -what address she was to be found. Much as she had suffered at seeing -him pass her by, it needed only this trifling message to allay all her -agitation. In a flutter of gratitude and pride she indited the answer: -‘How comes it[13] that to the least of those who bide as pilgrims in -this town you bear a love that mounts so high upon the flood-gauge -of your heart?’ She had that day been bathing in the Holy Waters at -the Shrine of Rain-coat Island, and she sent him her poem tied to a -prayer-strip which she had brought from the Shrine. When the message -reached Genji it was already growing dark; the tide was full, and the -cranes along the river-mouth had with one accord set up their strange -and moving cry. Touched by the beauty of the place and hour, he -suddenly lost all patience with the crowds that surged around him. -Could he but banish them all from his sight and find himself with only -the writer of this diffident poem at his side! - -The journey back to the City was enlivened by many excursions and -entertainments, but all the while his thoughts continually returned -to the strange coincidence of that unhappy meeting. Quantities of -dancing-girls had attached themselves to his retinue. Despite their -total lack of sense or breeding, their company appeared to afford a -vast deal of satisfaction to the hot-blood young gentlemen who formed -Genji’s escort. This seemed to him very strange. One cannot enjoy -beautiful scenery or works of art in the company of any but the right -person; and surely if, in such matters as that, one is so easily put -off by commonness or stupidity, it must make some difference _whom_ one -chooses as partner in these far more intimate associations? He could -not indeed contrive to take the slightest interest in these creatures. -They on their side quickly perceived that they were not being a -success, and at once redoubled their efforts; with the consequence that -he found them only the more repulsive. - -Next day was marked a ‘good day’ in the calendar, and Genji’s party -being safely on its way back to the Capital, the Lady of Akashi was -able to return to Sumiyoshi and pursue her devotions in peace, now at -last finding occasion to fulfil the many vows that had accumulated -since her last visit to the Shrine. Her recent glimpse of Genji in -all his glory had but increased the misgivings which day and night -beset her: amid such surroundings as that it was impossible that -so insignificant a person as herself should not rapidly sink into -obscurity and contempt. She did not expect to hear from him again till -he was back at Court. She was counting the days, when to her -surprise a messenger appeared. In a letter, which had evidently been -written during the journey, he named the actual date at which he should -send for her to the City. Once more he sought to dispel all her doubts -and anxieties; she could rely upon him implicitly; her position in his -household would, he besought her to believe, be neither equivocal nor -insecure. Nevertheless, she felt that she was embarking upon a perilous -voyage under skies which, however promising an aspect they might now -be wearing, might at any moment change to the threat of a hideous -disaster. Her father too, when it came to the prospect of actually -releasing her from his care, was exceedingly perturbed; indeed he -dreaded her departure for the Capital even more than he had feared the -prospect of her remaining forever buried in her rustic home. Her answer -to Genji was full of reservations and misgivings concerning her fitness -for the position which he promised her. - -The retirement of the Emperor Suzaku had necessitated the appointment -of a new Vestal at Ise, and Lady Rokujō had brought her daughter back -again to the City. Genji had written the usual congratulations and -this had given her immense pleasure; but she had no desire to give -him the opportunity of once more distracting her as he had done in -those old days, and she had answered only in the most formal terms. -Consequently he had not, since her return, made any attempt to visit -her. He did indeed make some vague suggestion of a meeting; but these -hints were very half-hearted and it was a relief to him that they -were not taken. He had recently decided not to complicate his life by -outside relationships even of the most harmless kind: he simply had -not time. And particularly in a case of this sort he saw no object in -forcing his society upon some one who did not desire it. He was however -extremely curious to see how the Vestal Virgin, now known as Lady -Akikonomu, had grown up. Rokujō’s old palace in the Sixth Ward had been -admirably repaired and redecorated, and life there was in these days -by no means intolerable. Rokujō herself had gifts of character and -intelligence which the passage of years had not obliterated. Her own -personality and the unusual beauty of many of her gentlewomen combined -to make her house a meeting place for men of fashion, and though she -was herself at times very lonely, she was leading a life with which -she was on the whole by no means ill-contented, when her health gave -way. She felt at once that there was no hope for her, and oppressed -by the thought that she had for so long been living in a sinful -place,[14] she resolved to become a nun. This news was a great blow -to Genji. That he would ever again meet her as a lover, he had long -felt to be impossible. But he thought of her as a friend whose company -and conversation would always be among his greatest pleasures. That -she should have felt it necessary to take this solemn and irrevocable -step was a terrible shock, and on hearing what had happened he at once -hastened to her palace. It proved to be a most harrowing visit. He -found her in a state of complete collapse. Screens surrounded her bed; -his chair was placed outside them, as near as possible to her pillow, -and in this manner they conversed. It was evident that her strength was -rapidly failing. How bitterly he now repented that he had not come to -her sooner; had not proved, while yet there was time, that his passion -for her had never expired! He wept bitterly, and Rokujō on her side, -amazed to realize from the very intensity of his grief that during all -the years when she had imagined herself to be forgotten, she had never -been wholly absent from his thoughts, in a moment discarded all -her bitterness, and seeing that his distress was unendurable began with -the utmost tenderness to lead his thoughts to other matters. She spoke -after a while about her daughter, Lady Akikonomu, the former Virgin -of Ise, begging him to help her on in the world in any way he could. -‘I had hoped,’ she said, ‘having cast the cares of the world aside, -to live on quietly at any rate until this child of mine should have -reached an age when she could take her life into her own hands....’ Her -voice died away. ‘Even if you had not mentioned it, I should always -have done what I could to help her,’ answered Genji, ‘but now that you -have made this formal request to me, you may be sure that I shall make -it my business to look after her and protect her in every way that -lies in my power. You need have no further anxiety on that score....’ -‘It will not be so easy,’ she answered. ‘Even a girl whose welfare -has been the sole object of devoted parents often finds herself in a -very difficult position if her mother dies and she has only her father -to rely upon. But your task will, I fear, be far harder than that of -a widowed father. Any kindness that you show the girl will at once -be misinterpreted; she will be mixed up in all sorts of unpleasant -bickerings and all your own friends will be set against her. And this -brings me to a matter which is really very difficult to speak about. -I wish I were so sure in my own mind that you would _not_ make love -to her. Had she my experience, I should have no fear for her. But -unfortunately she is utterly ignorant and indeed is just the sort of -person who might easily suffer unspeakable torment through finding -herself in such a position. I cannot help wishing that I could provide -for her future in some way that was not fraught with this particular -danger....’ What an extraordinary notion, thought Genji. How could she -have got such a thing into her head? ‘You are thinking of me as I -was years ago,’ he answered quickly. ‘I have changed a great deal since -then, as you would soon discover if you knew more about me....’ - -Out of doors it was now quite dark. The room where he was sitting -was lit only by the dim glow that, interrupted by many partitions, -filtered through from the great lamp in the hall. Some one had entered -the room. He peeped cautiously through a tear in one of the screens -which surrounded the bed. In the very uncertain light he could just -distinguish Rokujō’s form. Her hair was cropped, as is customary with -novices before the final tonsure; but elegantly and with taste, so that -her head, outlined against the pillows, made a delicate and charming -picture. On the far side of the bed he could distinguish a second -figure. This surely must be Lady Akikonomu. There was a point at which -the screens had been carelessly joined, and looking through this gap he -saw a young girl sitting in an attitude of deep dejection with her chin -resting on her hand. So far as he could judge from this very imperfect -view she was exceedingly good-looking. Her hair that hung loose to the -ground, the carriage of her head, her movements and expression,—all -had a singular dignity and grace; yet despite this proud air there was -something about her affectionate, almost appealing. But was he not -already beginning to take just that interest in her person against -which her mother had a few moments ago been warning him? He hastily -corrected his thoughts. Lady Rokujō now spoke again: ‘I am in great -pain,’ she said, ‘and fear that at any moment my end may come. I would -not have you witness my last agonies. Pray leave me at once.’ This she -said with great difficulty, her women supporting her on either side. -‘How glad I should have been,’ said Genji, ‘if my visit had made you -better. I am afraid it has only made you worse. I cannot bear to -leave you in such pain. Tell me what it is that hurts so much?’ And -so saying he made as though to come to her side. ‘Do not come to me!’ -she cried out in terror, ‘I am grown hideous; you would not know me. -Does what I say seem to you very strange and disjointed? It may be that -my thoughts wander a little, for I am dying. Thank you for bearing -patiently with me at such a time. I am much easier in my mind now that -I have had this talk with you. I had meant to for a long time....’ ‘I -am touched,’ replied Genji, ‘that you should have thought of me as -a person to whom you could confide these requests. As you know, my -father the late Emperor had a very large number of sons and daughters; -for my part, I am not very intimate with any of them. But, when his -brother died, he also regarded Lady Akikonomu here as though she were -his own child and for that reason I have every right to regard her as -my sister and help her in just those ways which a brother might. It is -true that I am a great deal older than she is; but my own family is -sadly small,[15] and I could well afford to have some one else to look -after....’ - -After his return he sent incessantly to enquire after her progress and -constantly wrote to her. She died some eight days later. He was deeply -distressed, for a long while took no interest in anything that happened -and had not the heart to go even so far as the Emperor’s Palace. The -arrangements concerning her funeral and many other matters about which -she had left behind instructions fell entirely upon him, for there was -no one else to whom her people could apply. Fortunately the officers -who had been attached to Lady Akikonomu’s suite while she was at Ise -still remained in her service and they were able to give her a certain -amount of assistance. Before the funeral Genji called in person -and sent in a note to the bereaved lady of the house. A housekeeper -(one of the people from Ise) brought back word that her mistress was -completely overwhelmed by her loss and could not reply to him. He -sent in a second message reminding Lady Akikonomu that her mother had -solemnly committed her to his care and begging her not to regard him -as an alien intruder into her affairs. He then sent for the various -members of the household and gave them their instructions. He did so -with an air of confidence and authority which surprised those who -remembered for how long he had absented himself from that house. The -funeral was carried out with the utmost pomp, the bier being attended -not only by her servants, but by all Genji’s servants and retainers. - -For a long while afterwards he was immersed in prayers and penances -and but seldom emerged from the seclusion of a thickly curtained -recess. To Lady Akikonomu he sent many messages of enquiry, to which -she now answered in her own hand. She had at first been too shy to do -so; much to the dismay of her old nurse, who explained to her that -not to answer letters is considered very uncivil. One day as he sat -watching the wild storms of sleet and snow that were sweeping in a -confused blizzard across the land, he could not help wondering how -Lady Akikonomu was faring in this rough weather and sent a messenger -to her palace. ‘I wonder how you like this storm,’ he wrote, and added -the poem: ‘I see a house of mourning; dark tempests threaten it, and -high amid the clouds hovers a ghost with anxious wing.’ It was written -on light blue paper tinged with grey; the penmanship and make-up of -the note were indeed purposely intended to be such as would impress a -young girl. So much did this elegant missive dazzle her inexperienced -eye that she again felt utterly unable to reply, and it was only -when one member of her household after another reproached her for such -rudeness and ingratitude that she at last took up a sheet of heavily -scented dark-grey paper and in brush-strokes so faint as to be scarcely -distinguishable wrote the poem: ‘Would that like the snow-flakes when -they are weary of falling I might sink down upon the earth and end my -days.’ There was nothing very remarkable about the writing, but it -was an agreeable hand and one which bore unmistakable traces of the -writer’s lineage. He had formed a high opinion of her at the time when -she first went to Ise and had very much regretted her withdrawal from -the world. Now she was an ordinary person again, and, if he wished to -cultivate her acquaintance, entirely at his disposal; but this very -fact (as was usual with him) caused a revulsion of feeling. To go -forward in the direction where fewest obstacles existed seemed to him -to be taking a mean advantage. Although he was, in his attentions to -Lady Akikonomu, merely fulfilling her mother’s request, he knew quite -well how every one at Court was expecting the story to end. Well, for -once in a way their expectations would be disappointed. He was fully -determined to bring her up with the utmost propriety and, so soon as -the Emperor reached years of discretion, to present her at Court; in -fact, to adopt her as his daughter,—a thing which, considering the -smallness of his family, it was natural for him to do. He constantly -wrote her letters full of kindness and encouragement, and occasionally -called at her palace. ‘What I should really like,’ he said one day, -‘would be for you to look upon me, if you will forgive my putting it in -that way, as a substitute for your dear mother. Can you not sometimes -treat me as though I were an old friend? Can you not trust me with -some of the secrets you used to confide to her?’ Such appeals merely -embarrassed her. She had lived so secluded a life that to open -her mouth at all in a stranger’s presence seemed to her a terrible -ordeal, and her gentlewomen were in the end obliged to make such -amends as they could. It was a comfort that many of her officers and -gentlewomen were closely connected with the Imperial Family and would, -if his project for installing her in the Palace did not come to naught, -be able to help her to assert herself. He would have been glad to know -more about her appearance, but she always received him from behind -her curtains, and he neither felt justified in taking the liberties -that are accorded to a parent nor did he feel quite sure enough of -himself to wish to put his parental feelings to the test. He was -indeed very uncertain with regard to his own intentions, and for the -present mentioned his plans about her to nobody. He saw to it that the -Memorial Service was carried out with great splendour, devoting to the -arrangement of it a care that deeply gratified the bereaved household. -Life there was becoming more and more featureless and depressing as the -weeks went by. One by one Lady Akikonomu’s servants and retainers were -finding other employment. The Palace stood at the extreme outer edge -of the Sixth Ward, in a district which was very little frequented, and -the melancholy bells which went on tolling and tolling in innumerable -adjacent temples reduced her every evening to a state of abject -misery. She had always been used to spend a great deal of time in her -mother’s company, and even when she was sent to Ise, though no parent -had ever before accompanied the Vestal Virgin, they still remained -unseparated. It can be imagined then that her mother’s loss left her -peculiarly helpless and desolate; and the thought that Rokujō, who -had travelled so far for her sake, should now set out upon this last -journey all alone, caused her unspeakable pain. Many suitors both high -and low, under cover of paying attentions to one or other of her -gentlewomen, now began to frequent the house. Genji however had in his -best fatherly style exacted a promise from the lady’s old nurse that -she would allow no matchmaking to go on in the house. Above all he -feared that some of her women might wish for their own ends to keep -these gentlemen hanging about the premises. It soon however became -apparent that there was no danger of this. The ladies concerned knew -that their doings would probably reach Genji’s ears, and they were far -too anxious to stand well with him to dream of abusing their position. -The suitors soon found that their advances were not met with the -slightest encouragement. - -It will be remembered that at the time of Lady Akikonomu’s departure -for Ise the retired Emperor Suzaku had, when presiding at the -magnificent farewell ceremony in the Daigoku Hall, been greatly struck -with her beauty. This impression had remained with him, and on her -return to the Capital he begged Rokujō to let her daughter come to him, -promising that she should take her place as the equal of his sister, -the former Vestal of Kamo, and the other princesses, his sisters and -kinswomen whom he sheltered under his roof. This proposal did not -please her. She feared that where so many exalted personages were -gathered together her daughter would be likely to receive but scant -attention. Moreover Suzaku was at the time in very bad health, and if -he should fail to recover, his dependants might be left in a precarious -position. Now that her mother was dead it was all the more desirable -to establish her in a manner which offered some prospect of security. -When therefore Suzaku repeated his invitation, this time in somewhat -insistent terms, Lady Akikonomu’s friends were placed in an awkward -position. Genji’s private plan of affiancing her to the boy-Emperor -would, now that Suzaku had displayed so marked an inclination towards -her, be difficult to pursue without too deeply offending his -brother. Another consideration weighed with him: he was becoming more -and more fascinated by the girl’s beauty and he was in no hurry to -commit her to other hands. Under the circumstances he thought the best -thing he could do was to talk the matter over with Lady Fujitsubo. -‘I am in great difficulties over this business,’ he said. ‘As you -know, the girl’s mother was a woman of singularly proud and sensitive -temperament. I am ashamed to say that, following my own wanton and -selfish inclinations, I behaved in such a way as to do great injury to -her reputation, with the consequence that henceforward she on her side -harboured against me a passionate resentment, while I on mine found -myself branded not only by her but also by the world at large as a -profligate and scamp. Till the very last I was never able to recover -her confidence; but on her death-bed she spoke to me of Akikonomu’s -future in a way which she would never have done had she not wholly -regained her good opinion of me. This was a great weight off my mind. -Even had these peculiar relations not existed between us, her request -was one which even to a stranger I could hardly have refused. And as it -was, you may imagine how gladly I welcomed this chance of repairing, -even at this late hour, the grievous wrong which my light-mindedness -had inflicted upon her during her lifetime. His Majesty is of course -many years younger than Akikonomu;[16] but I do not think it would be -a bad thing if he had some older and more experienced person in his -entourage. However, it is for you to decide....’ ‘I am of the same -opinion,’ Fujitsubo replied. ‘It would of course be very imprudent -to offend the retired Emperor. But surely the mother’s wishes are a -sufficient excuse. If I were you I should pretend you know nothing -about the retired Emperor’s inclination towards her and present -her at the Palace without more ado. As a matter of fact, Suzaku now -cares very little about such matters. What energy he still possesses -is spent on prayers and meditation. I do not think you will find that -he minds very much one way or the other....’ ‘All the same, I think it -will be best under the circumstances if the request for Akikonomu’s -Presentation came from you,’ said Genji. ‘I could then seem merely to -be adding my solicitations to yours. You will think that in weighing -the pros and cons of the matter with such care I am over-scrupulous; -and indeed I fear that you have found me rather tedious. It is simply -that I am extremely anxious people should not think me lacking in -respect towards my brother....’ It soon became apparent that, in -accordance with Fujitsubo’s advice, he had decided to disregard the -retired Emperor’s wishes. But it was in Genji’s own palace and not, for -the moment at any rate, in the Emperor’s household that Lady Akikonomu -was to be installed. He explained the circumstances to Murasaki. -‘She is just about your age,’ he said, ‘and you will find her a very -agreeable companion. I think you will get on famously together....’ -Murasaki at once took to the idea and was soon busy with preparations -for the reception of the visitor. - -Fujitsubo was all this while extremely exercised in mind concerning -the future of her niece, the youngest daughter of Prince Hyōbukyō, for -Genji’s estrangement from the father seemed to block every avenue of -advancement. Tō no Chūjō’s daughter, as the grandchild of the Senior -Minister, was treated on all sides with the utmost deference and -consideration, and she had now become the Emperor’s favourite playmate. -‘My brother’s little girl is just the same age as the Emperor,’ said -Fujitsubo one day; ‘he would enjoy having her to play at dolls with -him sometimes, and it would be a help to the older people who -are looking after him.’ But quite apart from affairs of state, Genji -had (as Fujitsubo knew) such a multiplicity of private matters to -attend to and was plagued from morning till night by such a variety of -irritating applications and requests that she had not the heart to keep -on bothering him. It was something that a person like Lady Akikonomu -would soon be at the Emperor’s side; for Fujitsubo herself was in very -poor health and, though she sometimes visited the Palace, she could -not look after her son’s education as she would have liked to do. It -was necessary that there should be some one grown up to keep an eye on -him, and though she would dearly like to have seen her niece installed -as his playmate, she was extremely glad of the arrangement whereby a -sensible creature like Lady Akikonomu was to have him in her constant -care. - -[1] Tenth month. The Shintō gods become inaccessible during this month; -but the Buddhas are, apparently, still available. - -[2] Lady Kōkiden. - -[3] China. - -[4] As opposed to a Sedan-chair. A carriage drawn by oxen is meant; -this was a great luxury. - -[5] Used at the birth-ceremonies of a Princess. - -[6] _Ika_—Fiftieth Day; but also ‘Why do you not come?’ - -[7] The taxes paid by 2,000 households. - -[8] These men accompanied a Minister of State on pilgrimages to the -great Shintō shrines, danced in front of the shrine and afterwards took -part in horse-races round it. - -[9] The higher officers wore cloaks of deeper hue, i.e. dipped more -often in the dye and therefore more costly. - -[10] See above, p. 114. - -[11] For the extravagances of this statesman, see _Nō Plays of Japan_, -p. 293. - -[12] ‘As to the tide-gauge at Naniwa that now lies bare, so to our love -the flood tide shall at last return.’ - -[13] Pun on Naniwa, name of town and _nani wa_ ‘How comes it?’ Here -and in the preceding poem there is also a play on _miozukushi_ = -tide-gauge, and _mi wo tsukushi_ = with all one’s heart and soul.’ - -[14] A Shintō shrine, offensive to Buddha. - -[15] Aoi’s son Yūgiri was his only acknowledged child. - -[16] Akikonomu was now nineteen; the boy-Emperor Ryōzen, seven. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -THE PALACE IN THE TANGLED WOODS - - -While Genji, like Yukihira of old, ‘dragged his leaky pails’ along -the shore of Suma, his absence had been mourned, in varying ways -and degrees, by a very large number of persons in the Capital. Even -those who stood in no need of patronage or protection and had through -his departure lost only the amenities of a charming friendship were -deeply distressed. For some of them, such as Murasaki, this sad time -was mitigated by constant messages from his place of exile; some were -privileged to busy their needles upon such garments as his altered -state prescribed, or were allowed the consolation of rendering him -other small services such as in his present difficulties he was likely -to require. But there were others who, though they had received his -favours, had done so unknown to the world, and these ladies now learned -of Genji’s last hours at the Capital from the casual gossip of some -friend who had no idea that the matter was of any particular concern -to them. Needless to say they feigned a like indifference; but such -concealment costs one dear and not a few hearts were broken in the -process. - -Among those who fared worst during his absence was the lady at the -Hitachi Palace.[1] During the period after her father’s death there -had been no one to take care of her and she had for a while led a very -wretched existence. But then came the unexpected apparition of -Genji. His letters and visits, which to him in the crowded days of his -glory were insignificant acts of courtesy, implying no more than a very -mild degree of interest and affection, were to their recipient, with -her narrow and unvarying life, like the reflection of a star when it -chances to fall into a bowl of water. It was but natural, she thought, -that when the outcry against him began Genji should no longer find time -for an attachment which had in any case played only a very subordinate -part in his life, particularly as the attacks upon him were part of a -widespread movement which could not but be causing him the greatest -anxiety. Then came his exile and at last his triumphant return. But -still she heard no word from him. - -In old days when she heard nothing from him for a week or two she -would become a little tearful it is true, but she still managed to -carry on her ordinary existence. Now months, years had passed; long -ago she had given up all hope, and sank into a condition of settled -apathy and gloom. ‘Poor princess!’ said the elderly gentlewomen who -waited upon her. ‘Really she has had the worst possible luck! To see -this glorious apparition suddenly descending upon her like a God or -Buddha out of the sky—not that he meant very much by it; but she, -poor lady, could never get over the surprise of his noticing her at -all—and then for him to disappear without a word! She knows of course -that it is not from her that he has run away to Suma; it all comes of -this new government! But still, one cannot help being very sorry for -the poor young creature.’ She had indeed during the time after her -father’s death become gradually inured to a life of extreme monotony -and isolation; but Genji’s visits had awakened in her quite new -ambitions; for the first time in her life she began to feel herself -drawn towards the world of taste and fashion. This made her -renewed state of poverty and isolation all the more difficult to bear. -The fact that Genji frequented the house had for the time being induced -a certain number of other visitors to present themselves. But since -his departure one visitor after another, having grown more and more -remiss in his attentions, finally ceased to come at all. Her father’s -ladies-in-waiting were all very advanced in years and every now and -then one of them would die; the other servants, both indoors and out, -were continually seeking better service, and hardly a month passed -but some member of her staff either died or drifted away. The palace -grounds, which had for long years past been allowed to sink into a sad -state of neglect, had now become a mere jungle. Foxes had made their -lairs in the garden walks, while from the ornamental plantations, now -grown into dank and forbidding woods, the voice of the screech-owl -sounded day and night alike; so little was there now any sign of -human habitation in that place, so dim was the daylight that pierced -those tangled thickets. The few servants who still lingered on in -the midst of all this desolation began to declare that tree-spirits -and other fearsome monsters had established themselves in the palace -grounds and were every day becoming more open and venturesome in their -habits. ‘There is no sense in continuing to live like this,’ one of -these ladies said. ‘Nowadays all the government officials are building -themselves handsome houses. Several of them have for a long time past -had their eye on all your timber and have been making enquiries in the -neighbourhood whether you might not be prevailed upon to part with -it. If only you would consent to do so, you might with the proceeds -easily buy some newer place that would be less depressing to live in. -You are really asking too much of the few servants that remain with -you....’ ‘Hush, how can you suggest such a thing!’ answered the -princess. ‘What would people think if they heard you? So long as I -am alive no such disrespect to my poor Father’s memory shall ever be -committed. I know quite well that the grounds have become rather wild -and dismal; but this was his home, his dear spirit haunts the place, -and I feel that so long as I am here I am never far off from him. That -has become my only comfort....’ She broke off in tears, and it was -impossible to allude to the subject again. Her furniture too, though -entirely out of fashion, was much of it very beautiful in an old-world -way, and enquiries were constantly coming from those who made it their -business to understand such matters and had heard that she possessed -a work by such and such a master of some particular time and school. -Such proposals she regarded merely as an ill-bred comment upon her -poverty and indeed complained of them bitterly to the aforementioned -gentlewoman. ‘But, Madam,’ the lady protested, ‘it is not at all -an unusual thing....’ And to convince her mistress that funds must -somehow or other be procured she began to call her attention to various -dilapidations, the repair of which could not safely be deferred for a -single day. But it made no difference. The idea of selling any of her -possessions seemed to the princess utterly untenable. ‘If he had not -meant me to keep them, he would not have put them here,’ she said; ‘I -cannot bear to think of them becoming ornaments in ordinary, worldly -people’s houses. I do not think he would wish me to...,’ and that was -all that could be got out of her. - -Visitors and even letters were now absolutely unknown at the Hitachi -Palace. True, her elder brother the Zen priest on the rare occasions -when he came up to the Capital, usually visited the palace. But he did -little more than poke his head in and go away. He was a particularly -vague and unpractical sort of man, who even among his fellow -clerics ranked as unusually detached from all worldly considerations. -In fact he was a saint, and consequently very unlikely to notice that -the whole place was overgrown with weeds and bushes, still less to -suggest any means of clearing them away. - -Meanwhile, the state of affairs was becoming very acute. The once -elegant courtyard was thickly overgrown with weeds; and lusty hemlock -clumps were fast destroying the gables and eaves of the roof. The main -eastern and western gates of the park were barricaded by huge masses -of mugwort and it was impossible to open them. This might have given -the inhabitants of the palace a certain comforting sense of security, -had it not been for the fact that the walls which surrounded the estate -were everywhere either broken down or upon the point of falling. Horse -and oxen from the neighbouring pastures soon found their way through -these gaps, and when the summer came they began to make free with -the palace lawns in a way which scandalized the little herd-boys who -were in charge of them. At the time of the autumn equinox there were -very heavy gales, and one day the main roof of the servants’ wing -was blown right away, leaving only a ceiling of thin match-boarding, -a mere shell, which would not have withstood the mildest shower of -rain. At this the under-servants left in a body. Henceforward the few -inhabitants of the palace led a pitiable existence, not even getting -enough to eat, for there was no one to make up the fires or prepare -their food. Thieves and vagabonds had the place completely at their -mercy; but fortunately it never occurred to them to go near it. -How could so desolate a ruin contain anything worth meddling with? -They shook their heads and trudged on. But strangely enough, had -he penetrated those savage thickets, an enterprising burglar would -have found, amid a tangled mass of wreckage, a drawing-room[2] -perfectly appointed in every detail, each ornament, each screen and -article of furniture still standing exactly where the late prince had -left it. True, there was no longer anyone to dust this last-surviving -room, and it needed dusting badly. Never mind, it was a real room; -not just a living-place, but a noble apartment with everything in it -handsome and dignified just as it ought to be. And here, year in and -year out, her whole life was spent. - -Solitary people with a great deal of time on their hands seem usually -to turn to old ballads and romances for amusement and distraction, -but for such employments the princess showed little inclination. Even -in the lives of those who have no particular interest in poetry there -are usually periods of inactivity during which they take to exchanging -verses with some sympathetic correspondent—verses which, if they are -young, generally contain affecting references to various kinds of plant -and tree. But the princess’s father had imbued her with the belief -that all outward display of emotion is undignified and ill-bred; she -felt that what he would really have liked best would have been for her -to communicate with no one at all, and she had long given up writing -even to the few relations with whom she might have been expected -occasionally to correspond. - -At rare intervals she would open an old-fashioned chest and fiddle for -a while with a number of ancient picture-scrolls, illustrations of such -stories as _The Chinese Prefect_, _The Mistress of Hakoya_, _Princess -Kaguya_[3] and the like. Then there were some poems which, though -all of very ancient date, were excellently chosen, with the names of -the poets and the titles of the poems written in a nice clear hand at -the side, so that one could really tell what one was reading. They were -written on the best Kanya and Michinoku papers, now grown somewhat -puffy with age,[4] and though it cannot be supposed that she could -derive much pleasure from reading the same familiar pages over and over -again, yet it was noticed that in her hours of deepest depression she -would often sit with the books spread open before her. As for reading -the Sūtras or performing those Buddhist ceremonies which have now -become so indispensable an element in fashionable life, she would have -shuddered at the thought, and would not have dreamed of so much as -touching a rosary, even though no one was there to see. Such was the -arduous standard of conduct which this lady imposed upon herself. - -Of her old servants only Jijū, the daughter of her foster-nurse, had -survived the general exodus of the last few years. Jijū’s friend, the -former Vestal of Kamo, whose company had been one of her distractions, -was dead, and the poor lady’s existence had become such as no one could -reasonably be expected to endure. A sister of the princess’s mother -had fallen on evil days and ended by marrying a provincial official. -She now lived at the Capital, and as she had daughters, together with -a bevy of unusually agreeable young waiting-women, Jijū occasionally -visited the house, where indeed she was quite at home, for both her -parents had been friends of the family. But the princess herself, with -her usual unsociability, absolutely refused to hold any communication -with her aunt’s household. ‘I am afraid the princess looks upon -me as a very vulgar person,’ the aunt said to Jijū one day. ‘She still -thinks, despite the wretched manner in which she now lives, that to -have such relations as we is a disgrace to her. At any rate I suppose -that is why she is so careful never to come near us.’ It was in this -somewhat malicious tone that she always discussed her niece’s behaviour. - -I have noticed that people of quite common origin who have risen in -the world can in a very short time achieve a perfect imitation of -aristocratic importance. And similarly, if through some accident an -aristocrat falls into low company, he generally exhibits a meanness -so thorough-going that it is hard to believe he has been at any pains -to acquire it. Of this second tendency the princess’s aunt was a good -example. She knew that after her unfortunate marriage the people at the -Hitachi Palace had regarded her as a disgrace to the family. Now that -the prince was dead and Suyetsumu herself was in circumstances of such -difficulty, there seemed to be quite a good chance that the princess -might eventually have to take shelter under her aunt’s roof. This was -what the aunt herself was looking forward to. It was her revenge. -She saw the princess installed as a dependant, fetching and carrying -for her daughters. And what an ideal drudge she would make, being so -priggish and strait-laced that it would never be necessary to keep an -eye upon her! ‘You ought to bring her round to see us sometimes,’ the -aunt would say to Jijū, ‘and if you could get her to bring her zithern, -so much the better; we have heard so much about her playing.’ Jijū did -her best, and the princess, docile as usual, admitted that there was -everything to be said in favour of paying an occasional visit. But when -it came to the point, panic overwhelmed her. She would do anything, -anything that Jijū asked; but she would not make friends. And so, -greatly to the aunt’s discomfiture, the matter was dropped. - -About this time her uncle was appointed treasurer to a provincial -district. He intended to take his family with him, and was anxious to -equip his daughters with attendants whom it would be pleasant to name -in the ears of provincial visitors. The chance of being able to exhibit -a real princess as a member of their staff was not to be thrown away -and the aunt returned once more to the attack. ‘I am very worried at -having to go so far away from you,’ she sent word by Jijū. ‘We have not -had the pleasure of seeing you much lately; but it was a great comfort -to me to feel that I was near at hand and could help you if anything -went wrong. I am most anxious that, if possible, we should not be -separated....’ All this had no effect whatever. ‘The conceited little -fool! I have no patience with her,’ the aunt cried out at last. ‘She -may have these grand ideas about herself if she chooses; but no one -else is going to take much notice of a creature that goes on year after -year living in the hole-and-corner way that she does; least of all this -famous Prince Genji, with whom she pretends to be so intimate.’ - -At last came Genji’s pardon and recall, celebrated in every part of the -kingdom by riotous holiday-making and rejoicing. His friends of either -sex were soon vying with one another in demonstrations of good will and -affection. These testimonies to his popularity, pouring in from persons -of every rank and condition in life, naturally touched him deeply, -and in these stirring days it would have been strange indeed if many -minor affairs had not escaped his memory. But for her the time of his -restoration was far harder to bear than that of his exile. For whereas -she had before confidently looked forward to his return, counting upon -it as we count upon the winter trees to bud again in spring, this -glorious home-coming and restoration, when at last they came, brought -joy to every hut and hovel in the land, but to her only a hundredfold -increase of her former misery. For of what comfort to her were his -triumphs, if she must hear of them from other lips? - -The aunt had the satisfaction of seeing her prophecies fulfilled. -It was of course out of the question that anyone would own to an -acquaintance with a person living in such miserable squalor as now -surrounded the princess. There are those, says the _Hokkekyō_,[5] -whom even Buddha and his saints would have hard work to redeem; and -certainly this lady had allowed her affairs to drift into a disorder -which the most generous patron would shrink from attempting to set -straight. This contempt for all the rest of the world, this almost -savage unsociability, was of course no invention of her own; it was -merely an attempt to perpetuate the haughty demeanour of the late -prince and princess, her parents. But this did not make the young -princess’s attitude any less irritating and ridiculous. ‘There is still -time to change your mind,’ said her aunt one day. ‘A change of scene—a -journey through the mountains, for example, is often very beneficial -to people who have some trouble on their minds. I am sure you think -that life in the provinces is very uncomfortable and disagreeable, but -I can assure you that while you are with us you will never have to -stay anywhere quite so higgledy-piggledy....’ The wretched old women -who still dragged on their existence in the palace eagerly watched the -princess’s face while their fate was being decided. Surely she would -not throw away this opportunity of escape! To their consternation they -soon saw that her aunt’s appeal was not making the slightest impression -upon her. Jijū, for her part, had recently become engaged to a young -cousin of the provincial treasurer’s, who was to accompany him -to his province, and she was therefore pledged to go down to Tsukushi, -whether the princess joined the party or not. She was however deeply -attached to her mistress and very loath indeed to leave her in her -present condition. She therefore discussed the matter with her again, -and did everything in her power to persuade the princess to accompany -them; only to make the extraordinary discovery that Suyetsumu was still -from day to day living in the hope that the visitor from whom she -had for all those years had no word would suddenly reappear and put -everything to rights again. ‘He was very fond of me,’ she said. ‘It is -only because he has been unhappy himself that he has not remembered -to write to me. If he had the slightest idea of what is happening -to us here, he would come at once....’ So she had been thinking for -years, and though the general structure of the house fell every day -into a more fantastic state of dilapidation, she still persisted as -obstinately as ever in retaining every trifling article of furniture -and decoration in exactly the place where it had always been. She spent -so much of her time in tears that a certain part of her face had now -become as red as the flower which the hillman carries over his ear; so -that her appearance, particularly when she showed her face in profile, -would have struck a casual visitor as somewhat forbidding. But of -this I will say no more; it is perhaps always a mistake to enter into -matters of that kind. - -As the cold weather came on, existence at the Hitachi Palace rapidly -became more and more difficult. The princess sat staring in front of -her, plunged in unbroken gloom. Meanwhile Genji celebrated the ritual -of the Eight Readings, in memory of his father, the old Emperor. He -took great trouble in choosing the priests for this ceremony and -succeeded finally in assembling a notable band of dignitaries. -Among them none was more renowned for the sanctity of his life and -the wide range of his studies than Princess Suyetsumu’s brother, the -Abbot of Daigoji. On his way back from the ceremony, he looked in for a -moment at the Hitachi Palace. ‘I have just been celebrating the Eight -Readings in Prince Genji’s palace,’ he said; ‘a magnificent ceremony! -It is a pleasure to take part in such a service as that! I cannot -imagine anything more beautiful and impressive. A veritable paradise—I -say it in all reverence—a veritable paradise on earth; and the -prince himself, so calm and dignified, you might have thought him an -incarnation of some holy Buddha or Bodhisat. How came so bright a being -to be born into this dim world of ours?’ So saying, he hurried off to -his temple. Unlike ordinary, worldly men and women he never wasted -time in discussing sordid everyday affairs or gossiping about other -people’s business. Consequently he made no allusion to the embarrassed -circumstances in which his sister was living. She sometimes wondered -whether even the Saints whom he worshipped would, if they had found -some one in a like situation, really have succeeded in behaving with so -splendid an indifference. - -She was indeed beginning to feel that she could hold out no longer, -when one day her aunt suddenly arrived at the palace. This lady was -quite prepared to meet with the usual rebuffs; but having on this -occasion come in a comfortable travelling coach stored with everything -that the princess could need during a journey she did not for an -instant doubt that she would gain her point. With an air of complete -self-confidence she bustled towards the front gate. No sooner had the -porter begun trying to open it than she realized into what a pitch of -decay her niece’s property had fallen. The doors were off their hinges, -and as soon as they were moved tottered over sideways, and it -was not till her own menservants come to the rescue that, after a -tremendous shouldering and hoisting, a passage was cleared through -which she could enter the grounds. What did one do next? Even such a -heap of gimcrack ruins as this presumably had some apertures which -were conventionally recognized as doors and windows. A lattice door -on the southern side of the house was half open and here the visitors -halted. It did not seem possible that any human being was within hail; -but to their astonishment, from behind a smoke-stained, tattered -screen-of-state the maid Jijū suddenly appeared. She was looking very -haggard, but though age and suffering had greatly changed her, she was -still a well-made, pleasing woman; ‘at any rate far more presentable -than her mistress,’ thought the visitors. ‘We are just starting,’ cried -out the aunt to the lady of the house, who, as she guessed, was seated -behind this sooty screen: ‘I have come to take Jijū away. I am afraid -you will find it very difficult to get on without her, but even if -you will not deign to have any dealings with us yourself, I am sure -you will not be so inconsiderate as to stand in this poor creature’s -way....’ She put in so moving a plea on behalf of Jijū that there -ought by rights to have been tears in her eyes. But she was in such -high spirits at the prospect of travelling as a provincial governor’s -wife that a smile of pleasant anticipation played upon her lips all -the while. ‘I know quite well,’ she continued, ‘that the late prince -was not at all proud of his connexion with us, and I am sure it was -quite natural that when you were a child you should pick up his way -of thinking and feeling. But that is a long time ago now. You may say -that it was my fault we did not meet. But really while celebrities such -as Prince Genji were frequenting the house I was not at all sure that -humble people like ourselves would be welcome. However, one of the -advantages of being of no importance is that we humdrum creatures -are not subject to the same violent ups and downs as you exalted -people. I for my part was very sorry to see your fortunes declining -so rapidly as they have done of late, but so long as I was near at -hand I was quite happy about you and did not consider it my duty to -interfere. But now that I am going away to another part of the country, -I confess I feel very uneasy....’ ‘It would be delightful to go with -you. Most people would be very glad indeed.... But I think that as long -as the place holds together at all I had better go on as I am....’ -That was all that could be got out of her. ‘Well, that is for you to -decide,’ said the aunt at last, ‘but I should not think that anyone -has ever before buried himself alive in such a god-forsaken place. I -am sure that if you had asked him in time Prince Genji would have been -delighted to put things straight for you; indeed, with a touch here -and there no doubt he would soon have made the place more sumptuous -than the Jade Emperor’s[6] Palace. But unfortunately he is now entirely -preoccupied with this young daughter of Prince Hyōbukyō, and will do -nothing for anyone else. He used to lead a roving life, distributing -his favours in all sorts of directions. But now that has all stopped, -and under these circumstances it is very unlikely to occur to him that -a person living buried away in the middle of such a jungle as this, -is all the time expecting him to rush round and take her affairs in -hand.’ The princess knew that this was only too true and she now began -to weep bitterly. Yet she showed no signs of changing her mind, and -the Chancellor’s wife, after wasting the whole afternoon in tormenting -her, exclaimed at last: ‘Well then, I shall take Jijū. Make haste, -please, please; it is getting late!’ Weeping and flustered Jijū drew -her mistress back into the alcove: ‘I never meant to go,’ she -whispered, ‘but this lady seems so very anxious to take me. I think -perhaps I will travel with them part of the way and then come back -again. There is a great deal of truth in all that she has been saying. -But then, on the other hand, I do not like to upset you by leaving. It -is terrible to have to decide so quickly....’ So she whispered; but -though the princess loved her dearly and was stung to the quick that -even this last friend should be making ready to desert her, she said -not a word to encourage Jijū to stay, but only sobbed more bitterly -than before. She was wondering what she could give to her maid to keep -in remembrance of her long service in the family. Perhaps some cloak -or dress? Unfortunately all her clothes were far too worn and soiled -to give away. She remembered that somewhere in the house was a rather -pretty box containing some plaited strands of her own hair, her fine -glossy hair that grew seven feet long. This would be her present, -and along with it she would give one of those boxes of delicious -clothes-scent that still survived from the old days when her parents -were alive. These she handed to Jijū together with an acrostic poem in -which she compared her departure to the severing of this plaited tress -of hair. ‘Your Mama told me always to look after you,’ she said, ‘and -whatever happened to me I should never dream of sending you away. I -think however that you are probably right to go, and only wish that -some one nicer were taking charge of you....’ ‘I know Mama wished me to -stay with you,’ said Jijū at last through her tears. ‘But quite apart -from that, we have been through such terrible times together in these -last years that I cannot bear to go off heaven knows where and leave -you here to shift for yourself. But, Madam, “By the Gods of Travel to -whom I shall make offering upon my way, I swear that never can _I_ -be shorn from you like this tress of severed hair.”’ Suddenly -the voice of the aunt broke in upon them shouting impatiently: ‘What -has become of Jijū? Be quick, now, it is getting quite dark!’ Hardly -knowing what she did, Jijū climbed into the coach and as it drove away -stared helplessly at the dilapidated house. - -So at last Jijū had left her; Jijū who for years past, though in sore -need of a little pleasure and distraction, had never once asked for -a single day’s holiday! But this was not the end of the princess’s -troubles; for now even the few old charwomen who still remained in the -house—poor doddering creatures who could never have persuaded anyone -else to employ them—began threatening to leave. ‘Do you think I blame -her?’ said one of them, speaking of Jijū’s departure. ‘Not I! What had -she to stay for, I ask you. And come to that, I should like to know -why we go on putting up with it all.’ And they began with one accord -remembering influential patrons who had at one time or another promised -to employ them. No, decidedly they would not stay in the place any -longer. - -These conversations, which took place in the princess’s hearing, had -the most disquieting effect upon her. The Frosty Month[7] had now -come. In the open country around, though snow and hail frequently -fell, they tended to melt between-whiles. But in the wilderness that -surrounded the Hitachi Palace vast drifts of snow, protected by the -tangled overgrowth from any ray of sunlight, piled higher and higher, -till one might have fancied oneself in some valley among the Alps of -Koshi. Through these arctic wastes not even the peasants would consent -to press their way and the palace was for weeks on end entirely cut off -from the outer world. - -The princess sat staring at the snow. Life had been dull enough before, -but at any rate she had some one at hand whose chatter at -times broke in upon her gloom. But now Jijū’s laughter, Jijū’s tears -were gone, and as she lay day and night alike behind her crumbling -curtains-of-state the princess was consumed by a loneliness and misery -such as she had never known before. - -Meanwhile, at the Nijō Palace, Genji remained wholly absorbed in the -girl from whom he had so long been separated, and it was only a few -very particular friends who heard any news of him at all. He did -sometimes think of the Hitachi Palace and wondered whether the princess -could still be living there all alone. But he was in no great hurry to -discover, and the New Year passed without his having taken any steps -about her. In the fourth month he decided to call upon the ladies -in the Village of Falling Flowers, and having obtained Murasaki’s -permission he set out one evening, clad in his usual disguise. For days -it had rained unceasingly. But now, just at the moment when the heavy -rain stopped and only a few scattered drops were falling, the moon -rose; and soon it was one of those exquisite late spring nights through -whose moonlight stillness he had in earlier years so often ridden out -on errands of adventure. Busy with memories of such excursions he had -not noticed where he was driving, when suddenly looking up he saw a -pile of ruined buildings surrounded by plantations so tangled and -overgrown that they wore the aspect of a primeval jungle. Over a tall -pine-tree a trail of wisteria blossoms was hanging; it quivered in the -moonlight, shaken by a sudden puff of wind that carried with it when -it reached him a faint and almost imperceptible odour of flowers. It -was for orange-blossom that he had set out that night; but here too -was a flower that had a fragrance worth enjoying. He leaned out of the -carriage window. They were passing by a willow whose branches swept -the ground; with the crumbling away of the wall which had once -supported it the tree had fallen forward till its trunk was almost -prostrate. Surely he had seen these grounds before? Why, yes, this must -be—suddenly it all came back to him. Of course it was that strange -lady’s house. He was driving past the Hitachi Palace. Poor creature, he -must discover at once what had become of her; and stopping his carriage -and calling to Koremitsu, who as usual on occasions of the kind was in -attendance upon him, he asked him whether this was not indeed Princess -Suyetsumu’s place. ‘Why certainly!’ said Koremitsu. ‘In that case,’ -said Genji, ‘I should like to find out whether the same people are -still living there. I have not time to pay a personal visit now, but -I should like you to go in and enquire. Make sure that you discover -exactly how things stand. It looks so silly if one calls on the wrong -people.’ - -After a particularly dismal morning spent in staring blankly in front -of her the princess had fallen asleep and dreamed that her father, the -late prince, was still alive and well. After such a dream as that she -woke up more miserable than ever. The window side of the room had been -flooded in the recent rains; but taking a cloth she began mopping up -the water and trying to find a place where she could put her chair. -While she did so the stress of her sufferings stirred her to a point -of mental alertness which she did not often reach. She had composed -a poem, and suddenly she recited the lines: ‘To the tears I shed in -longing for him that is no more, are added the ceaseless drippings that -patter from my broken roof!’ - -Meanwhile Koremitsu had made his way into the house and was wandering -this way and that looking for some sign of life. He spent a long while -in poking into all sorts of corners and at last concluded that the -place had been abandoned as uninhabited. He was just setting out to -report this to Genji when the moon came out from behind a cloud, -lighting up the front of the house. He then noticed a trellis roll-door -which was half pulled up. A curtain behind it moved. It almost seemed -as though some one were there. Koremitsu, feeling oddly enough quite -nervous, turned back and approached this door, clearing his throat -loudly as he did so. In answer to this signal a very aged, decrepit -voice answered from within the room. ‘Well, what is it? Who are you?’ -‘It is Koremitsu,’ he answered, ‘could you tell Jijū that I should like -to speak to her?’ ‘Jijū?’ the aged voice answered, ‘you cannot speak -to her, she has gone away. But would not I do just as well?’ The voice -was incredibly ancient and croaking, but he recognized it as that of -one of the gentlewomen whom he used to meet here in former days. To -those within, inured as they were to years of absolute isolation, the -sudden apparition of this figure wrapped in a great hunting cloak, was -a mystery so startling and inexplicable that for a while it did not -occur to them that their visitor could be other than some fox-spirit -or will-o’-the-wisp masquerading in human form. But the apparition -behaved with reassuring gentility and coming right up to the doorway -now addressed them as follows: ‘I must make it my business to find -out exactly how matters stand. If you can assure me that, on your -mistress’s side, nothing has changed since the time when we used to -come here, then I think you will find His Highness my master no less -ready to help you than he was in days gone by. Can I trust you to let -her know that we halted here to-night? I must be able to report to my -master that his message is in safe hands....’ The old lady and her -companions burst out laughing. ‘Listen to him!’ they cried, ‘asking -whether Madam has altered her way of life, whether she has taken to -new friends! Do you suppose, young man, that if she were not -waiting day and night for this famous prince of yours, she would still -be living in this wilderness? Why, if there had been a soul in the -world to help us, we should have shifted from these tumbledown quarters -a long while ago. Just let Prince Genji have a look at the place for -himself; he’ll soon know how things stand! Yes, and we have been living -like this for years; I shouldn’t think anyone in the world has ever -been through such times as we have in this house. I tell you it’s a -wonder we’ve been able to bear it for so long, such a life as we and -our poor young lady have been leading....’ They soon got launched upon -a recital of their sufferings and misfortunes, which wandered so far -from the purpose in hand that Koremitsu, growing impatient, at last -interrupted them. ‘Enough, enough,’ he cried; ‘that will do to go on -with. I will go to Prince Genji at once and tell him of this.’ - -‘What a long time you have been!’ exclaimed Genji, when Koremitsu -finally reappeared. ‘Are things in the palace much as they used to be? -The whole place is so overgrown with creepers and bushes that I hardly -recognize it.’ Koremitsu described how he at last discovered signs of -life in the house and finally recognized the voice of Shōshō, Jijū’s -old aunt, who had told him the lamentable tale which he now repeated. - -Genji was horror-stricken at what he heard. How she must have suffered, -buried away month after month amid all this disorder and decay! He was -appalled at his own cruelty. How was it conceivable that he should have -left her all this while to her own devices? ‘Now then, what am I to -do?’ he said at last. ‘If I am to visit the poor lady I had much rather -it was not at this time of night; but if I do not go in now, I may not -get another chance for a long while. I am afraid that what the old -ladies said is only too true; if she were not counting upon my return, -she would scarcely have gone on living such a life as you have -just heard described....’ He was about to go straight into the house, -but suddenly he hesitated. Would it not be better first of all to send -in a very nice friendly note and discover whether she really insisted -upon seeing him? But then he remembered the extraordinary difficulty -with which she penned an answer. If she had not very much improved in -this respect since his last dealings with her, he might easily spend -the rest of the night waiting for his messenger to return with her -reply. He had just dismissed that idea as impracticable when Koremitsu -broke in: ‘Pardon me, you have no notion how difficult it is to force -a way through the brambles. Let me go first and shake the dew off the -long branches. Then you will not get quite so wet.’ - -Accordingly Koremitsu went in front lashing the bushes with his -riding-whip. But when they got under the trees such showers shook -down on them from the branches (for the woods were still wet with the -recent rains) that Koremitsu was obliged to go and fetch his master’s -umbrella, quoting as he held it aloft the old song about the dense -forests of Miyagi-no, where ‘the drippings from wet boughs are worse -than rain.’ Even so, the ends of Genji’s trousers became dripping -wet before he reached the house. It was by no means easy even in old -days to distinguish which was supposed to be the front door. By now -such architectural features as doors and lobbies had long ago become -merged in the general dilapidation. Genji’s entry, though effected -by a somewhat undignified scramble, had at any rate the advantage of -being completely private and unobserved. At last, just as she had -always predicted, Genji had come back! But in the midst of her elation -a sudden panic seized her. How could she meet him in the miserable -dress that she was wearing? All seemed lost, when she remembered -the clothes that her aunt had brought for her to travel in. She had -thought at the time that her father would have considered them very -unsuitable and had put them aside after a mere hasty glance. The -servants had packed them in a scented Chinese trunk and now brought -them out, smelling deliciously fragrant. She could not receive him in -what she was wearing and she had nothing else to change into. Much as -she disapproved of her aunt’s taste, what could she do but let them -dress her in these new-fangled clothes? Thus equipped she took her seat -behind the smoky curtains-of-state and waited. Presently Genji entered -the room. ‘It is a long time since we have held any communication, is -it not?’ he said, ‘but on my side at any rate that does not mean that -there has been any change of feeling. I was all the while expecting to -hear from you and was determined that I would not be the first to give -a sign of life. At last however the sight of the familiar tree-groups -by your gate overcame this resolution and I could not forbear....’ So -saying he lifted one corner of the curtains that surrounded her daïs -and peeped in. As in old days she was utterly overcome by confusion, -and sat for some while unable to make any kind of rejoinder. At last, -almost inaudibly, she murmured something about its being ‘kind of him -to have found his way ... through all those wet bushes ... such a -scramble!’ - -‘I am afraid you have been having a very dull time,’ he went on; -‘but pray give me credit for to-night’s persistence. It showed some -devotion, did it not, that I should have forced my way into the heart -of this tangled, dripping maze, without a word of invitation or -encouragement? I am sure you will forgive me for neglecting you for so -long when I tell you that for some while past I have seen absolutely -no one. Not having received a word of any kind from you, I -could not suppose that you were particularly anxious to see me. But -henceforward I am going to assume, whether you write to me or no, that -I shall not be unwelcome. There now! After that, if I ever behave badly -again you will really have some cause to complain.’ So unhappy was he -at the thought of all that she must have suffered during those years -of penury and isolation that, in his desire to make amends, he soon -began saying things which he did not quite mean. He even had thoughts -of giving up his intended excursion and staying here for the night. But -the princess seemed to be so painfully conscious of the deficiencies -in her domestic arrangements and in general so completely overwhelmed -by the presence of a visitor, that after passing some time in rather -unsuccessful efforts to make further conversation, he began looking -for an opportunity to slip quietly away. There came into his mind -the old song: ‘The tree I planted spreads its boughs so high.’[8] He -had not indeed planted those great pine-trees that closed about the -ruined palace on every side, but it seemed to him that they had shot up -surprisingly since he first visited the place. How quickly the years -had sped! And from the thought of what she must have been through -during all this time he passed naturally to the recollection of his own -misfortunes and adventures. ‘Yes, when one comes to think of it, it is -indeed a long time,’ he said at last. ‘At Court there have been great -changes, many of them for the worse. Some day when I have plenty of -time I must tell you of my exile and the strange outcast life we led -on those deserted shores. You too, no doubt, have much to tell of all -that has befallen you in these last dull and dreary days. I could wish -indeed that you had many friends to whom you could confide your -sorrows. But if for the moment I am the only one, make what use of me -you can. You will find that, whatever my faults may be, as a listener I -have much to recommend me.’ - -The moon was now sinking. The main western door stood wide open, and -as the covered gallery which had formerly run along that side of -the house had now completely crumbled away, the moonlight streamed -unimpeded into the room where they were sitting. Looking about him he -recognized one after another the familiar fittings and ornaments. Not -a thing was missing from its place. It was strange indeed to contrast -the absolutely unchanged aspect of this corner of the house with the -surrounding wreckage and desolation. He remembered the old story of -the unfilial son who so much enjoyed pulling down the pagoda which his -poor father had erected. The princess could not indeed prevent the -outward fabric of her father’s palace from falling into decay; but it -was astonishing how little trace the passage of time had left upon the -inner room in which he had once taken such pride. - -Genji’s thoughts returned to the princess herself. She was the shyest, -the most awkward creature he had ever met; and yet there was something -extraordinarily distinguished about her movements and bearing. She -interested him, as indeed she had always done; so much so that he had -fully intended not to lose sight of her. How should he ever forgive -himself for allowing her affairs to drift into this deplorable -condition? The truth was, he had been entirely absorbed in his own -troubles and projects. But that was no excuse. - -Had his ultimate destination that night been some scene of lively -modern entertainment, the contrast would have been fatal. But the -Village of Falling Flowers struck him on this occasion as particularly -staid and dreary, and he left with the impression that the latter -hours of the night had been by no means more agreeably spent than the -former. - -The time of the Kamo Festival had come. On the eve of the festival-day -Genji was to undergo the ritual of Purification and the presents which -are customary in connexion with this occasion began pouring in thick -and fast. Much of his time was spent in acknowledging them; but he did -not forget his promise to the lady at Hitachi. The first thing to do -was to make her palace habitable; and sending for his most reliable -bailiffs he explained to them what he wanted done. Soon a host of -workmen were clearing away the undergrowth, while carpenters went -round with planks and stays, here patching a hole, there shoring up -a tottering wall or replacing some rotten beam, till at last all was -tolerably weather-tight and secure. The mere fact that Genji’s men -were at work upon the building at once set the gossips talking and the -most absurd stories were circulated. Somewhat embarrassed by all this -Genji himself remained at a distance, but he wrote a long letter to the -princess, telling her of the new rooms which he was now adding to his -palace and offering her accommodation in them, so soon as the place was -ready. ‘You had better be looking round for a few nice young maids and -pages to bring with you,’ he told her. Nor did he forget to enquire -individually after each of the queer old waiting-ladies, an attention -which put them into such high spirits that the old palace had hardly -room enough to hold them, as now gazing up at the sky, now staring in -the direction from which the messenger had come, they gave unbridled -vent to their gratitude and admiration. It was well known in society -that Genji took little interest in the common run of women. Even the -mildest flirtation with such persons seemed to hold no attraction -for him; their conversation would have bored him and indeed he -scarcely seemed to notice their existence. Those few favoured persons -with whom he was generally known to have been on terms of intimacy were -in every case women of entirely exceptional qualities. That one who in -general showed such discrimination should single out as the recipient -of his attentions a creature who could not lay claim to a single merit -either of person or intellect, caused universal astonishment. This much -at any rate was agreed, that though no one had heard anything about it, -the affair must in reality be of very long standing. - -The retainers and dependants who, thinking that the Hitachi Palace -would never see better days, had a short while ago been in such a -hurry to seek other employment, now one after another came begging to -re-enter the princess’s service. She at any rate knew how to behave -towards those who waited upon her—treated them even with perhaps an -exaggerated consideration. Whereas in the houses to which they had -betaken themselves, belonging for the most part to wholly uncultured -and undistinguished members of the petty bureaucracy, their experiences -had been such as they would never have imagined to be possible; and -they made no secret of the fact that they heartily repented of their -recent experiment. - -Prince Genji’s influence was now greater than it had ever been in the -days before his disaster. The mere fact that he was known to take an -interest in the Hitachi Palace was enough to invest the place with a -certain glamour. Visitors began to make their appearance, and soon the -once deserted hills presented quite a busy and animated scene. One -thing which had made the house so depressing was the fact that it was -wholly shut in by bushes and trees. This jungle Genji now ordered to -be reduced to tolerable dimensions; he had the ponds cleared and -pleasant streams were made to run in and out among the flower-beds. All -this work was performed with remarkable despatch, for even the lowest -labourers and serfs knew that it was in their interest to please a lady -who, for whatever reason it might be, evidently stood high in Genji’s -esteem. - -She lived for two years more in the old palace, at the end of which -time she moved into the new Eastern Wing that Prince Genji had been -building. He did not spend much time in her company, but she was -well content merely to feel that they inhabited the same domain, and -whenever he had occasion to visit that part of the house he would look -in upon her for a few minutes, that she might not feel she was wholly -neglected. Her aunt’s astonishment when in due time she returned to the -Capital—Jijū’s delight at her mistress’s good fortune and shame at the -thought that she had not held out a little longer in the princess’s -service—all this remains yet to be told. I would indeed have been glad -to carry my story a little further, but at this moment my head is -aching and I am feeling very tired and depressed. Provided a favourable -opportunity presents itself and I do not forget to, I promise I will -tell you all about it on some future occasion. - -[1] Suyetsumuhana. See vol. i, ch. vi. I shall henceforward call her -Suyetsumu. - -[2] Such a term must only be taken as a rough equivalent. - -[3] Of these three romances the first is quite unknown; the second -must have been a Taoist fairy story, for ‘Hakoya’ is the ‘Miao-ku-shē’ -of Chuang Tzŭ, Chapter I,—a divine mountain inhabited by mysterious -sages. The third is either identical with the _Taketori Monogatari_ -(‘The Bamboo-cutter’s Story’) or at any rate treated the same theme. - -[4] Kanya River (‘Paper-makers’ River’) is between Hirano and Kitano, -near Kyōto. Michinoku paper, from the province of that name, was made -of spindle-wood. These stout Japanese papers become thick and fluffy -with age. - -[5] The _Saddharmapundarika Sūtra_. - -[6] The sovereign divinity of the Chinese Taoists. - -[7] Eleventh month. - -[8] ‘I knew it not, but an old man must I be indeed; the pine-tree that -with my hands I planted spreads its boughs so high.’ - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -A MEETING AT THE FRONTIER - - -It will be remembered that the year after the old Emperor’s death -Iyo no Suke[1] was sent as governor to a distant province and that -his wife, the lady of the Broom-tree episode, was prevailed upon to -accompany him. Vague rumours reached her concerning Genji’s banishment; -it was said that he was in disgrace and was living somewhere along the -shores of Suma. Though obliged to feign indifference, she was indeed -naturally very much distressed and longed to write to him. But though -‘the wind sometimes blew across the Tsukubane hills’[2] she dared not -trust her secret to so fickle a breeze, and while she waited for some -securer messenger the months and years went swiftly by. It had at one -time seemed as though Genji’s banishment might last indefinitely, -far longer in any case than Iyo no Suke’s short term of office. But -in the end it so turned out that Genji had already been back in the -Capital for a year when Iyo’s governorship expired. By an odd chance -it happened that on the very day when the ex-governor and his party -were to enter the Barrier at Ōsaka, Genji was to pass through this same -barrier on his way to Ishiyama where he was to attend a service in the -Temple of Kwannon. Ki no Kami and various other friends and relations -of the ex-governor had come out from the City to meet him, and -from them the returning provincials learnt that Genji with a vast -ceremonial procession would shortly be passing along their road. Iyo -no Suke, wishing to reach the Barrier while things were still quiet, -set out with his party long before daylight. But his wagons crowded -with women and their luggage jolted along so slowly that when daylight -came they were still trailing along the coast-road at Uchi-ide. News -now came that Genji’s procession had crossed the Awata Road. Already -his first outriders were in sight. So dense was even this vanguard of -the great procession that to press past it was out of the question. -Accordingly, at the foot of the Frontier Hill Iyo called a halt. The -wagons were drawn up along the wayside, and the oxen released from the -yoke were soon browsing here and there among the fir-trees. Meanwhile -the travellers sat in the shelter of a neighbouring copse, waiting for -the procession to pass. - -Although this was but a portion of Iyo no Suke’s train, for he had -sent some wagons on in advance while others were still to follow, it -seemed a very large party; no less than ten coaches, with such a blaze -of shawls, scarves and gaily coloured favours protruding from their -windows that they looked more like the coaches from which ladies of -fashion view the departure of Vestals to Ise or Kamo than the workaday -vehicles in which rustic persons are usually conveyed to the Capital. - -In honour of Genji’s return to public life the pilgrimage to Ishiyama -was on this occasion carried out with unusual solemnity, and at the -head of the procession rode vast throngs of noblemen and courtiers, -most of whom stared with considerable curiosity at this cluster of gay -equipages drawn up along the roadside. - -It was the last day of the ninth month, and autumn leaves in many -tints of red and brown stood out against a dull background of -colourless winter grass. Suddenly from behind the frontier guardhouse -there burst forth a blaze of many-coloured travelling cloaks, some -richly embroidered, some batik-dyed, of every pattern and hue. Genji’s -coach was passing. He too scanned the party by the roadside, but -instantly lowered the carriage blind. He had recognized, among those -who had come out to meet the travellers, his page and message-carrier -Utsusemi’s brother—a child in those old days but now Captain of the -Guard. He bade one of his equerries call this young man to his side and -when he arrived said to him laughingly: ‘I hope your sister notices how -attentive I am to her. It is not often that I go all the way to the -Barrier to meet my friends!’ He spoke lightly, but his heart beat fast -and there rose up in his mind a host of tender memories to which in -this hasty message it would have been useless to allude. - -It was years since Utsusemi had spoken of Genji; yet she had never -forgotten what had passed between them and it needed only these few -words from him to renew all the misery in which her yearning for him -had plunged her long ago. - -When Genji returned from Ishiyama, Utsusemi’s brother, the Captain -of the Guard, came out towards the Barrier to meet him and made his -excuses for having taken a day’s leave in honour of his sister’s -return. As a boy he had been very good-looking and Genji had taken a -great fancy to him. But despite the fact that he owed everything to -Genji, without whose patronage he would never have been able to enter -the Imperial Guard at all, still less to obtain promotion, no sooner -had his master’s fortunes begun to decline than this young man, fearing -to offend those in power, entered the service of his brother-in-law, -the provincial governor. Genji, though he showed no resentment -at the time, found this dereliction very hard to forgive. Their old -relations were never resumed; but the Captain was still numbered among -the favourite gentlemen of his household. Iyo no Suke’s son, Ki no -Kami, had become governor of Kawachi and was consequently no longer -on the spot. The younger son, Ukon no Jō, had, as will be remembered, -followed Genji into exile and now stood very high in his favour. His -position was envied not only by this young Captain of the Guard but by -many another who in the days of Genji’s adversity had thought it wiser -to leave him to his fate. - -Soon after this Genji sent for the Captain[3] and gave him a letter to -be taken to his sister. ‘So was this affair, which he thought had come -to an end long ago, still dragging on after all these years?’ the young -man asked himself as he carried the letter to Iyo no Suke’s house. ‘Did -not our meeting of the other day seem almost as though it had been -arranged by Fate? Surely you too must have felt so.’ With the letter -was the acrostic poem: ‘Though on this lake-side Fate willed that we -should meet, upon its tideless shore no love-shell[4] can we hope to -find.’ ‘How bitterly I envied the Guardian of the Pass,’[5] he added. - -‘I hope you will send an answer,’ said the Captain. ‘He has got it into -his head that I behaved badly to him some time ago. I should be very -glad if I could get back on to the old terms with him. I do not myself -see much point in correspondences of this kind; but when anyone writes -to me such a letter as I suppose this to be, I take care to write a -civil answer. No one blames me for that; and still less is a woman -thought the worse of for showing that a little harmless flattery -does not altogether displease her.’ - -She was still the same shy, inexperienced girl of years ago; her -brother’s tone profoundly shocked her and she had no intention of -carrying on a flirtation for his benefit. But naturally enough she -_did_ feel flattered at the reception of such a note and in the end -consented to reply. With her letter was an acrostic poem in which she -said that the Barrier of Ōsaka had been no barrier to her tears, nor -the Hill of Ōsaka a true hill of meeting.[6] - -She was connected in his mind with the most delightful and also -perhaps the most painful moment in his life. Hence his thoughts tended -frequently to recur to her, and he continued to write to her from time -to time. - -Meanwhile Iyo no Suke, who was now a very old man, began to decline -in health, and feeling that his end was near, he called his sons to -him and discussed with them the disposition of his worldly affairs. -But what evidently concerned him above all was the future of his young -wife. They must promise him to yield to her wishes in everything and -to treat her exactly as they had done during his lifetime. Still -unsatisfied by their assurances he sent for them over and over again -at every hour of the night and day and exacted fresh promises. But -Utsusemi, after all that she had suffered already, could not believe -that happiness of any kind could ever be in her fate. She saw herself, -so soon as her husband was dead, bandied about unwanted from one -relation’s house to another, and the prospect appalled her. Iyo knew -only too well what was passing in her mind. He desired so persistently -to comfort and protect her that, could life be prolonged by mere -anxiety to live, he would never have deserted her. For her indeed -he would gladly have forgone the joys of Paradise that his ghost -might linger on earth and keep her from all harm. Thus, profoundly -distrusting the intention of his sons and full of the blackest -forebodings, he died at last after a bitter struggle against fate, and -only when his will could no longer hold out against the encroachments -of sickness and old age. - -For a while, with their father’s dying injunctions fresh in their ears, -the step-sons treated her with at any rate superficial kindness; but -this soon wore off and she began to find her position in the house -exceedingly unpleasant. This no doubt lay rather in the nature of -the circumstances themselves than in any particular ill-will on the -part of her guardians. But she felt herself to be the object of a -deliberate persecution and her life became one continual succession -of tears and lamentations. The only one of the brothers who seemed to -have any sympathy with her was Ki no Kami: ‘Please keep nothing back -from me,’ he said. ‘My father was so anxious that I should help you -and how can I, unless you entrust your secrets to me?’ Then he took to -following her about. She remembered how amorous he had always been. -Soon his intentions became perfectly apparent. She had suffered enough -already in her life; why should she sit down and wait quietly for the -fresh miseries which fate had now in store for her? Without a word to -anybody she sent for her confessor and took the vows of a nun. Her -waiting-women and servants were naturally aghast at this sudden step. -Ki no Kami took it as a personal affront. ‘She did it simply to spite -me,’ he told people; ‘but she is young yet and will soon be wondering -how on earth she is going to support such an existence for the rest -of her life,’—sagacity which did not impress his hearers quite as he -intended. - -[1] Utsusemi’s husband. See vol. i, chapters 2 and 3. - -[2] ‘The wind that blows across the ridge, that blows across the hills, -would that it might carry a message to him that I love.’ - -[3] Utsusemi’s brother; the ‘boy’ of vol. i, ch. 3. - -[4] _Kai-nashi_ = ‘no shell’; but also ‘no profit.’ - -[5] I.e. Iyo no Suke. - -[6] Ō-saka means ‘Hill of Meeting’; _seki_ means a barrier, but also a -flood-dam. See above, p. 25. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -THE PICTURE COMPETITION - - -It will be remembered that after Rokujō’s death Genji decided that her -daughter Princess Akikonomu had best come and live with him till the -time came for her Presentation at Court. At the last minute, however, -he altered his mind, for such a step seemed too direct a provocation to -Princess Akikonomu’s admirer, the young ex-Emperor Suzaku. But though -he did not remove her from her palace in the Sixth Ward he felt his -responsibilities towards this unfortunate orphan very keenly and paid -her many lengthy visits. He had now definitely arranged with Fujitsubo -that Akikonomu was soon to enter the Emperor’s Palace; but he was -careful not to betray in public any knowledge of this plan, and to the -world at large he seemed merely to be giving the girl such general -guidance and support as might be expected from a guardian and family -friend. - -Suzaku was indeed bitterly disappointed at the intelligence that the -Princess had been handed over to a mere infant such as the present -Emperor. He often thought of writing to her but at the same time -dreaded the scandal which would ensue if his attachment became known. -When however the day of Presentation at last arrived his caution -suddenly deserted him, and he sent to Akikonomu’s palace an assortment -of the most costly and magnificent gifts which his treasury could -supply—comb-boxes, scrap-boxes, cases for incense-jars; all of the most -exquisite workmanship and material; with these was a supply of -the most precious perfumes both for burning and for the scenting of -clothes, so that the bales in which these gifts arrived scented the -air for a full league on every side. This extravagant magnificence, -besides relieving Suzaku’s feelings, had another very definite object. -It was particularly intended to annoy the lady’s guardian, to whom, as -Suzaku very well knew, the contents of these packages would immediately -be shown. It so happened that Genji was actually at Akikonomu’s palace -when the scented bales arrived; her servants at once showed them to him -and told him whence they came. He picked up at random one of a pair of -comb-boxes; it was a work of fascinating elegance and delicacy. Near -it was a box for combs such as are worn in the hair, decorated with a -pattern of flowers. In the very centre of one petal was an inscription. -Looking closer he read the poem: - - ‘Come not again!’[1] Because it fell to me, - Who least would have it so, - At Heaven’s command your exile to ordain; - To others, not to me who bade you go, - You come again! - -Somehow or other, in cases of this kind, Genji could never help -imagining what he himself would feel if he were in the same position. -Supposing that he had fallen in love with some one all those years ago -and that the beloved person had gone away immediately to some far-off -place; and suppose that he, instead of forgetting all about her as -might have been expected, had waited patiently year after year and, -when at last she returned, had been told that she was to be handed -over to some one else—he saw on reflection that the situation was -really very painful. Judging from his own experience he knew that -Suzaku’s complete lack of employment, now that he had resigned -all his official duties, would gravely aggravate the case. Yes, he -must indeed be passing through a period of terrible agitation! He was -now extremely sorry that he had ever suggested the Presentation of the -young Princess. He had indeed in the past good reason to resent his -brother’s conduct towards him. But lately Suzaku had shown nothing -but affability.... He stood for a long while lost in thought. It was -all very perplexing. Turning at last to Akikonomu’s gentlewomen who -were inspecting these magnificent presents, he asked whether their -mistress had already composed her answering poem. ‘And surely a letter -must also have come with these things?’ he added. There was indeed a -letter and the gentlewomen had read it, but they very much doubted -whether it was fit for Genji’s eyes and made no offer to produce it. -The princess herself was distressed by this exhibition of devotion -on the part of one with whom she could no longer have any dealings. -What answer could she possibly contrive? But her maids were pressing -round her, insisting that it would be intolerably rude to allow the -messengers to depart without handing to them a word of thanks, and -Genji was telling her that not to reply was out of the question; a -few words would suffice. No doubt they were right. She felt very much -embarrassed by Suzaku’s attentions; but she remembered distinctly how -handsome, how distinguished he had seemed to her on that day of the -farewell ceremony. There had been tears in his eyes, and though it all -happened so many years ago she could recall as distinctly as if it -were yesterday the vague feelings of childish sympathy and admiration -which her meeting with the young Emperor had aroused in her on that -last morning when she went to the Palace for her Crowning. With these -memories were blended others; thoughts, for example, of her mother Lady -Rokujō and of the long exile which they had shared. She wrote no -letter, but only the poem: - - “Come not again!” I wept to hear those words, - Thinking you willed it so, - When Heaven’s command my exile did ordain; - Now hearing that it grieved you I should go, - I weep again. - -The messengers who had brought the presents were richly rewarded and -sent upon their way. Genji would very much have liked to see her reply, -but she refused to show it to him. - -She was small and frail. How well Suzaku, with his almost girlish -beauty, would have suited her; while as for the Emperor, he was years -her junior, scarcely out of the nursery. Did she too (though she -certainly breathed no word of complaint) secretly resent the steps -which he had taken for her worldly advancement? This idea troubled him -sorely; but it was by now far too late to undo the arrangement, and the -best he could do was to stay with her for a little while and advise her -as kindly and discreetly as possible how to conduct herself in the new -life that was before her. He then interviewed the Court chamberlains -who were to arrange her Presentation, and having settled everything -satisfactorily with them he made his way to the Inner Palace. He did -not wish it to appear that he was himself standing sponsor for the new -arrival nor that he was in the Palace as her relative or guardian. He -therefore gave his coming the appearance of an ordinary ceremonial -visit. - -Princess Akikonomu’s palace was famous for the unusual number of -good-looking gentlewomen who were in service there. Many of these -had recently been living at their homes, but they now assembled in -full force, and arriving with their mistress at Court created a most -dazzling impression. Were Rokujō alive, with what solicitude -would she be watching over that day’s momentous proceedings, thought -Genji, as he saw the procession arrive; and remembering her singular -gifts and lively intelligence, he felt how great a loss she was not to -himself only, but to the whole life of the Court. So rare indeed (as it -now seemed to him) was her perfection both of mind and person that he -seldom encountered among his acquaintance talent or accomplishment of -any kind without immediately recalling how slender these attainments -would seem if set beside those of Lady Rokujō. - -On the day of the Presentation Fujitsubo was at the Palace. When she -told the Emperor that some one new was coming to see him, he listened -very earnestly and attentively. He was an intelligent and lively child, -very forward for his age. After telling him all about the princess, -‘So you see she is rather an important lady,’ Fujitsubo continued, -‘and when she comes this evening you must be very polite to her and -not play any of your tricks....’ The Emperor said nothing, but he -thought to himself that if the lady were indeed so grown up and so -important, far from wanting to tease her he would be very frightened -of her indeed. Great was his delight then when very late that evening -there arrived at the Palace a very shy, shrinking girl, very small and -fragile, not indeed looking like a grown-up person at all. He thought -her very pretty; but he was much more at his ease with Chūjō’s little -daughter, who had lived at the Palace for some while and was very -sociable and affectionate, while the new princess was terribly silent -and shy. Still, though he found her rather difficult to get on with, -he felt, partly owing to the deference with which, as Prince Genji’s -ward, she was treated by every one else at Court, and partly owing to -the magnificence with which she was served and apparelled—he felt -that she was in some way which he did not understand a person of very -great importance. In the evenings indeed he allowed the one to wait -upon him as often as the other; but when he wanted a partner in some -game or some one to amuse him in the early part of the day, it was -seldom Akikonomu for whom he sent. - -Tō no Chūjō had presented his daughter at Court with the express -intention that she should one day share the Throne. The presence -of this formidable rival at the Palace could not fail to cause him -considerable anxiety. - -The poem with which Princess Akikonomu had acknowledged the -ex-Emperor’s gifts had but served to increase his agitation. He knew -that he must now banish all thought of her from his mind; but it was -hard indeed to do so. He was brooding now over his loss, when Genji -arrived on a visit. They talked for a long while about many different -matters, and in the course of this conversation mention was made of the -ceremonies upon the occasion of Lady Akikonomu’s departure for Ise. -This was a subject which they had often discussed before; but now, -as on previous occasions, the conversation terminated without Suzaku -making the slightest allusion to the real reason why this topic so -much interested him. Genji naturally did not betray his knowledge of -the secret; but he was envious to know exactly how far this mysterious -passion went, and he could not restrain himself from experimenting upon -his brother with various anecdotes concerning the lady in question -and her recent admission to the Emperor’s suite. It was apparent in a -moment that Suzaku suffered acutely while these subjects were being -discussed, and Genji, ashamed of his unkindness, hastily turned the -conversation to other matters. - -At such a ceremony as that of the crowning of the Vestal the Emperor -meets the lady whom he is to initiate face to face and during -the whole proceedings no curtain or screen divides them. Suzaku must -therefore at least know what Princess Akikonomu looked like; which -was more than Genji did, for she had till this day never received him -except in an unlighted room or behind her curtains-of-state. In what -exactly did her charm consist? What was it that had kindled in the -ex-Emperor’s heart a passion that had survived the lapse of so many -years? The problem intrigued him and he almost envied his brother -the knowledge which he must possess on the subject. She was indeed -evidently of a very melancholy, indolent disposition. If only she would -sometimes forget herself, show a little of the impetuosity of youth, -then in course of time he might hope for a moment to catch a glimpse -of her as she really was! But while her gravity and reticence seemed -to become every day more pronounced, all his dealings with her tended -only to confirm his conviction that underneath all this reserve was -concealed an interesting and admirable character. - -Now that all the Emperor’s time was divided between the two princesses -of his retinue, Prince Hyōbukyō had given up all idea of presenting -his second daughter at Court. Perhaps an opportunity would occur later -on when the Emperor was of an age to perceive for himself that such a -match was by no means to be despised. Meanwhile his favour seemed to -be pretty equally divided between the two existing claimants. He was -particularly interested in pictures and had as a result of this taste -himself acquired considerable skill. It happened that Lady Akikonomu -painted very charmingly, and so soon as he discovered this the Emperor -began constantly sending for her to paint pictures with him. Among -the serving-women in the Palace he had always taken an interest in -any who were said to be fond of pictures; and it was natural that -when he discovered painting to be the favourite occupation of -the pretty princess he should become very much attached to her. Hers -were not solemn pictures, but such clever, quick sketches; so that -just to watch her do them was an exciting game. And when, sitting so -charmingly beside him on the divan, she paused and held her brush in -the air for a moment wondering where to put the next stroke, she looked -so daring that the little Emperor’s heart was completely captivated. -Soon he was going to her rooms at all hours, and Tō no Chūjō became -seriously alarmed lest his own daughter should lose her primacy. -But he was determined not to be outdone, and being of an extremely -ingenious and resourceful nature he soon had a plan for putting an end -to this menacing situation. He sent for all the most skilful painters -in the land and under strict bond of secrecy set them to work upon a -collection of pictures which was to be like nothing that had ever been -seen before. They were to be illustrations to romances, which would -be preferable to purely ingenious subjects, the significance being -more easily grasped by a young mind and all the most interesting and -exciting stories were chosen. In addition to these illustrations there -was to be a set of ‘Months,’ a very attractive subject, with texts -specially written for the occasion. In due time Princess Chūjō[2] -showed them to the Emperor, who was naturally very much interested -and soon afterwards asked for them again, saying that he thought -Princess Akikonomu would like to see them. At this Princess Chūjō -began to make difficulties, and though His Majesty promised to show -them to no one else and carry them with the greatest care straight to -the other princess’s apartments, she refused to part with them. -Genji heard of this and was amused to see that Tō no Chūjō could still -throw himself into these absurd conspiracies with the same childish -excitement as in their young days. ‘I am very sorry,’ he said to the -Emperor, ‘to hear that Princess Chūjō hides her pictures from you and -will not let you take them away and study them at your ease. It seems, -too, that she was quite cross and quarrelsome about it, which was most -reprehensible. But I have some very nice pictures, painted a long while -ago. I will send them to you.’ - -At the Nijō-in there were whole cupboards full of pictures both old -and new. Taking Murasaki with him he now inspected their contents -and together they went through the whole collection, putting on one -side those which were most likely to appeal to modern taste. There -were naturally many illustrations of the _Everlasting Wrong_[3] and -the story of Wang Chao-chün,[4] both of them very interesting and -moving subjects, but unfortunately quite inappropriate to the present -occasion. These therefore had to be excluded. But it occurred to Genji -that his own sketches made during his sojourn at Suma and Akashi might -be of interest, and sending for the box in which they were kept he took -advantage of this occasion to go through them with Murasaki. Even some -one seeing them without any knowledge of the circumstances under which -they were painted would, if possessed of the slightest understanding -of such matters, have at once been profoundly moved by these drawings. -It may be imagined then with what emotion they were examined by one to -whom each scene came as an answer to the questionings and anxieties -of some evil dream from which it seemed there could be no awakening. -She told him more of what she had suffered in those unforgettable -days than she had ever done before. Why had he not sometimes sent such -pictures as these? How they would have comforted and reassured her. -And she recited the verse: ‘Better had it been for me when I was alone -to look at pictures of the realms where fishers dwell, than stare at -nothing, as I did all day long!’ Genji was deeply moved and with tears -in his eyes he answered with the verse: ‘It was an evil time; yet never -once in all those days was my heart sore as now when, hand in hand, we -view the pictured past.’ - -To one other person only had he shown them—the ex-Empress Fujitsubo. -Going through the whole collection sketch by sketch, in order to choose -out the best and also to give as good an idea as possible of the -different estuaries and bays, he could not help wondering all the time -how things were faring in the house of his host at Akashi. - -On hearing of the preparations that were taking place at the Nijō-in, -Tō no Chūjō went through his pictures again and had them all fitted out -with the most elegant ivory-rollers, backings and ribbons.[5] It was -about the tenth day of the third month. The weather was delightful, -things were looking at their best and every one was in a good temper; -moreover it was a time at which no particular fêtes or ceremonies -occupied the Court, so that uninterrupted attention could be now given -to those lighter pastimes in which the Emperor so much delighted, -and whole days were spent unrolling painting after painting. The one -ambition of every one at Court was to rout out and bring to the Palace -some picture which should particularly catch the young Emperor’s fancy. -Both Akikonomu’s partisans and those of Lady Chūjō had brought forward -vast numbers of scrolls. On the whole, illustrated romances proved to -be the most popular. Akikonomu’s side was strongest in ancient -works of well-established reputation; while Lady Chūjō patronized all -the cleverest modern painters, so that her collection, representing as -it did all that most appealed to the fashionable tastes of the moment, -made at first sight a more dazzling impression. The Emperor’s own -ladies-in-waiting were divided in opinion. Some of the most intelligent -were on the side of the ancients; others favoured the present day. But -on the whole modern works tended to win their approval. - -It happened that Fujitsubo was paying one of her periodical visits to -the Court, and having given a casual inspection to the exhibits of both -parties she decided to suspend her usual religious observances and -devote herself to a thorough study of all these works, for painting was -a matter in which she had always taken a deep interest. Hearing the -animated discussions which were taking place between the supporters -of modern and ancient art, she suggested that those present should be -formed into two teams. On Lady Akikonomu’s side the principal names -were Heinaishi no Suke, Jijū no Naishi, Shōshō no Myōbu; on Lady -Chūjō’s,—Daini no Naishi no Suke, Chūjō no Myōbu and Hyōye no Myōbu. -These were considered the cleverest women of the day, and Fujitsubo -promised herself very good entertainment from such an interchange of -wit and knowledge as their rivalry was likely to afford. - -In the first contest that archetype and parent of all romances, _The -Bamboo Cutter’s Story_,[6] was matched against the tale of Toshikage -in _The Hollow Tree_. The partisans of antiquity defended their choice -as follows: ‘We admit that this story, like the ancient bamboo-stem in -which its heroine was found, has in the course of ages become a -little loose in the joints. But the character of Lady Kaguya herself, -so free from all stain of worldly impurity, so nobly elevated both in -thought and conduct, carries us back to the Age of the Gods, and if -such a tale fails to win your applause, this can only be because it -deals with matters far beyond the reach of your frivolous feminine -comprehensions.’ To this the other side replied: ‘The Sky Land to which -Lady Kaguya was removed is indeed beyond our comprehensions, and we -venture to doubt whether any such place exists. But if we regard merely -the mundane part of your story, we find that the heroine emanated from -a bamboo joint. This gives to the story from the start an atmosphere -of low life which we for our part consider very disagreeable. We are -told that from the lady’s person there emanated a radiance which lit up -every corner of her foster-father’s house. But these fireworks, if we -remember aright, cut a very poor figure when submitted to the august -light of his Majesty’s Palace. Moreover the episode of the fireproof -ratskin ends very tamely, for after Abe no Ōshi[7] had spent thousands -of gold pieces in order to obtain it, no sooner was it put to the test -than it disappeared in a blaze of flame. Still more lamentable was -the failure of Prince Kuramochi[7] who, knowing that the journey to -Fairyland was somewhat difficult, did not attempt to go there but had a -branch of the Jewel Tree fabricated by his goldsmith; a deception which -was exposed at the first scratch.’ - -The picture was painted by Kose no Ōmi[8] and the text was in the hand -of Ki no Tsurayki.[9] It was on Kanya paper backed with Chinese -silk. The cover was of a reddish violet tinge, the rollers being of -sandal-wood,—by no means an extraordinary get-up. The moderns then -proceeded to defend their own exhibit; ‘Toshikage,’[10] they said, -‘though buffeted by wind and wave, pitched headlong into a stormy sea -and in the end cast up upon an unknown shore, pursued, undaunted by -suffering and disaster, the purpose which he had set before him, and -succeeded at last in displaying, both at the foreign Court[11] and in -our own country, the marvellous talent which it had cost him so much to -acquire. The adventures of so dauntless a character, affording as they -do a comparison between the manners of the Land Beyond the Sea and of -our own Land of Sunrise, cannot fail to be of interest; moreover the -same contrast has been maintained in the style of the pictures as in -the matter of the text.’ - -It was painted on thick white paper such as poem-slips are made of, the -outer cover was of blue paper and the roller of yellow jade. The artist -was Tsunenori;[12] the scribe, Onō no Michikaze,[13]—a combination -that could hardly have been more dazzling in its fashionableness -and modernity. Against such claims as these the partisans of the -antique were quite unable to prevail and Lady Chūjō’s side scored the -overwhelming victory. - -In the next contest the _Tales of Ise_[14] were pitted against the -story of Shō Sammi.[15] A long discussion ensued; but here -again the fact that _Shō Sammi_ deals with persons in a comfortable -and prosperous situation, presents scenes of Court life and shows the -world as we know it to-day could not fail to render this work far more -attractive to the majority of these young critics. An opposite opinion -was voiced by Heinaishi, who recited the verse: ‘Shall we leave the -deep heart of Ise’s waters unexplored till time shall have effaced -their secret, like a footprint that the tide washes from the shore?’ -‘Shall the fame of Narihira,’[16] she added, ‘be eclipsed by modern -tittle-tattle dressed up in the finery of a specious style?’ To this -Daini no Naishi no Suke replied with the verse: ‘Upon the topmost -regions of the sky[17] our hero’s heart is set; with scorn he views -your shoals, upon which, heavy as a thousand watery fathoms, the ages -rest.’ - -‘Well,’ said Fujitsubo, ‘ambition such as that of Prince Hyōye[18] is -no doubt a very valuable quality; but I sincerely hope that admiration -for him and his like will never cause us to let the fame of Captain -Laigo[19] sink into decay!’ And she recited the verse: ‘Has the old -fisherman of Ise shore, like seaweed that the ebbing tide reveals, so -long been flattered by the public eye, only to sink at last beneath the -rising sea of scorn?’ - -These feminine discussions are capable of continuing, more or less at -cross-purposes for an indefinite length of time. It would indeed be -impossible to record all the arguments and counter-arguments that were -expended over even one of these pictures. Moreover the younger and -less considered of the gentlewomen present, though any one of -them would have given her eyes not to miss any of the paintings that -were being unrolled, were hustled into the background, even though -they belonged to the Emperor’s own or to Lady Fujitsubo’s household, -and were scarcely able to see anything at all. This occasioned much -jealousy and heart-burning. - -Presently Genji arrived at the Palace and was greatly diverted by the -spectacle of this disorderly and embittered combat. ‘If you will get -up another competition,’ he said, ‘I will arrange for the Emperor to -be present and will myself make the awards.’ In preparation for this -event, which he had indeed been contemplating for some time, he made a -further selection from the pictures which he had recently put aside, -and having done so he could not resist inserting among them the two -scrolls of his sketches made at Suma and Akashi. Tō no Chūjō meanwhile, -determined not to be outdone, was straining every nerve in preparation -for the new contest. It was indeed a moment in the history of our -country when the whole energy of the nation seemed to be concentrated -upon the search for the prettiest method of mounting paper-scrolls. In -arranging the conditions of the contest Genji had said: ‘My idea is -that it should be confined to paintings already in existence; we do not -want a lot of new work hurriedly executed for this special purpose....’ -But Tō no Chūjō could not resist the temptation to set some of his -favourite masters to work, and improvising a little studio with a -secret door he strove to steal a march on his rivals. The secrecy was -not however as well maintained as he could have desired; even Suzaku, -in his secluded apartments, heard the story and determined to put his -own collection at the service of Princess Akikonomu. He had a series of -‘Festivals All the Year Round,’ painted by various famous old masters; -texts explaining these pictures had been added by no less a hand -than that of the Emperor Daigo.[20] Why should he not order a series -of paintings illustrating the principal events of his own reign? Among -these subjects one would naturally be the crowning of the Vestal at -the Daigoku Hall upon the day of her departure for Ise. He entrusted -this scene to Kose no Kimmochi[21] and it may be imagined with what -care and insistence he discussed every detail of a work so dear to his -heart. It was encased in a delicately fretted box of aloes-wood. The -pattern on the wrappings and decorations of the roll was a heart-shaped -crest formed by leaves of the same tree. Nothing could have been more -delightfully up-to-date. He sent it by the hand of the Captain of the -Senior Bodyguard, who was one of his retainers. There was no message, -save for a poem written on the picture just by where the Vestal was -shown arriving in her litter at the Daigoku Hall: ‘Though I no longer -within the Circle of the Gods a place may take, yet unforgotten is the -concourse which in those hours with bright Divinities I held.’ - -To return no answer would show too great a disrespect towards one who -had once occupied the Throne, and though these attentions distressed -her she broke off a piece of the ritual comb which he had fastened -in her hair on that day long ago, and tying to it the verse ‘Not yet -forgotten is that high converse, and once again within the Precinct of -the Gods oh were it but my lot to stray!’ she wrapped the broken comb -in Chinese paper of deep colour and gave it to the messenger, whom she -rewarded with many handsome presents. The ex-Emperor when he opened -the packet was deeply moved, and for the first time regretted that he -had so soon resigned the Throne. Not unnaturally he was feeling -somewhat bitterly against Prince Genji; but he realized that he had -himself, in past days, deserved none too well at his brother’s hands. -Most of the ex-Emperor’s pictures had belonged to his mother, the -Empress Kōkiden; unfortunately a considerable part of her collection -had however come into the possession of Lady Chūjō, who was her -grand-daughter. - -The ex-Emperor’s wife, Lady Oborozuki, was also extremely interested -in painting and had shown the utmost discrimination in forming her -collection. - -When the great day came, though there had not been much time for -preparation everything was arranged in the most striking and effective -manner. The ladies-in-waiting belonging to the two sides stood drawn up -in line on either side of the Imperial Throne; the courtiers, very much -on the alert, were ranged up in the verandah of the small back room. -Lady Chūjō’s party (the left) exhibited their pictures in boxes of -purple sandal-wood mounted on sapan-wood stands, over which was thrown -a cover of Chinese brocade worked on a mauve ground. The carpet on -which the boxes stood was of Chinese fine-silk, dyed to the colour of -grape-juice. Six little girls were in attendance to assist in handling -the boxes and scrolls; they were dressed in mantles with white scarves -lined with pink; their tunics were of scarlet, worn with facings blue -outside and light green within. - -Akikonomu’s boxes were of aloes-wood arranged on a low table of similar -wood, but lighter in colour. The carpet was of Korean brocade on a -blue-green ground. The festoons hanging round the table and the design -of the table-legs were carefully thought out and in the best taste. -The little girls in attendance wore blue mantles, with willow-coloured -scarves; their tunics, brown outside and yellow within. When all the -boxes were duly arranged on their stands, the Emperor’s own ladies -took up their places, some with Lady Chūjō’s supporters, some with the -opposing side. At the summons of the herald Genji and Tō no Chūjō now -appeared and with them Genji’s half-brother, Prince Sochi no Miya, -who among the various arts which he cultivated was particularly fond -of painting. He had received no official summons on this particular -occasion, but had in the end yielded to Genji’s entreaties that he -would come and help him in his difficult task. Prince Sochi was at once -called to the Emperor’s side and appointed part-umpire in the coming -contest. An amazing collection of paintings had been assembled and -assuredly the task of the judges was no light one. A great impression -was made when Akikonomu’s side produced the famous series of ‘Four -Seasons’ by noted masters of antiquity. Both the charming fancy -displayed in the choice of episodes for illustration and the easy, -flowing character of the brush-strokes rendered these works highly -attractive; and the modern paintings on paper, being necessarily -limited in size, sometimes, especially in landscape, made a certain -impression of incompleteness. Yet the far greater richness both of -brushwork and invention gave even to the more trivial of these modern -works a liveliness which made them compare not unfavourably with the -masterpieces of the past. Thus it was very difficult indeed to reach -any decision, save that to-day, as on the previous occasion, both sides -had produced many works of absorbing interest. - -The sliding-screen of the breakfast-room was now pushed aside and Lady -Fujitsubo entered. Remembering how learned she was in these matters -Genji felt somewhat shy, and contented himself henceforward as exhibit -after exhibit was produced with an occasional comment or suggestion, -discreetly thrown in only when some point of especial difficulty -threatened an indefinite delay. The contest was still undecided when -night fell. - -At last the moment arrived when there was only one more picture to -show on each side. Amid intense excitement Princess Akikonomu’s side -produced the roll containing Genji’s sketches at Suma. Tō no Chūjō was -aghast. His daughter’s side too had reserved for their last stroke -one of the most important works at their disposition; but against the -prospect of so masterly a hand working at complete leisure and far -from the distracting influences which beset an artist in town, Lady -Chūjō’s supporters at once knew that they could not hope to prevail. -An additional advantage was given to Genji’s paintings by the pathos -of the subject. That during those years of exile he had endured a -cheerless and monotonous existence those present could well conjecture. -But when they saw, so vividly presented, both the stern manner of his -life and in some sort even the feelings which this rustic life had -aroused in one used to every luxury and indulgence, they could not but -be deeply moved, and there were many (Prince Sochi no Miya among them) -who could scarcely refrain from tears. Here were presented in the most -vivid manner famous bays and shores of the Suma coast, so renowned in -story yet to these city folk so utterly unknown and unimagined. The -text was written in cursive Chinese characters, helped out here and -there with a little native script, and unlike the business day-to-day -journals that men generally keep it was varied by the insertion of an -occasional poem or song. The spectators now clamoured only for more -specimens of Genji’s handiwork, and it would have been impossible at -that moment to interest them in anything else. It seemed to them as -though all the interest and beauty of the many pictures which they -had been examining had in some strange manner accumulated and -attached themselves to this one scroll. By universal and ungrudging -consent Princess Akikonomu’s side was awarded the victory. - -It was already nearing the dawn when Genji, feeling somewhat -discursive, sent round the great tankard and presently began telling -stories to the company. ‘From my earliest childhood,’ he said at last, -‘I have always been fond of books; and my father the late Emperor, -fearing that I might become wholly absorbed in my studies, used to say -to me: “Perhaps learning carries with it inevitably so great a share -of the world’s esteem that, to redress the balance, the scholar, once -he advances beyond a certain stage of learning, is doomed to pay for -his enviable attainments either by ill health or poverty. Those who -are born to greatness may be certain that, whether they exert their -minds or not, the advantages of noble birth will suffice to distinguish -them from their fellows; and for you of all men the acquisition of -such ill-starred accomplishments would be entirely superfluous. I -sincerely hope that you will not allow them to occupy too much of your -time.” He arranged that most of my lessons should be in practical -subjects connected with national administration and economy. I got on -fairly well, but there was no branch in which I showed any particular -aptitude. It was only in painting, which my preceptors considered a -very trivial and unbecoming pastime, that I displayed any unusual -talent. Often I used to wonder whether I should ever get the chance of -using this gift to the full, for the time allotted to these lighter -distractions was very short. At last, with my unexpected retirement -to a remote shore, the longed-for opportunity arrived. On every side -the great sea spread about me; I began to learn its secrets, became -so intimate with its every mood and aspect that where these sketches -fail it is not for lack of understanding, but because there came -at last a point where my brush could no longer keep pace with the -visions that beset my brain. Not having previously had any opportunity -of showing these sketches to His Majesty, I took advantage of this -occasion to display them. But I fear that my action in using them for -this competition will when reflected upon provoke very unfavourable -comments....’ The conversation was carried on by Prince Sochi no Miya: -‘I know, of course,’ he said, ‘that mere industry will not carry one -far in any art; his heart must be in the matter. But all the same there -is a great deal which can simply be learnt from masters; so that a -man, without any understanding of what is really important, will often -easily succeed in imitating the outward forms and procedures of an art. -But painting and draughts demand an extraordinary degree of natural -equipment and also furnish us with the strangest surprises; for some -apparently half-witted fellow, who does not seem capable of any useful -activity, will turn out to be a genius at draughts or painting! On the -other hand I have occasionally come across instances where intelligent -children of good family have possessed what I may term a general -superiority, showing an unusual capacity in every form of art and -learning. - -‘My father the late Emperor gave personal attention to the training -of all his children, both girls and boys, in every imaginable art and -accomplishment. But it was in your education, Genji, that he took by -far the greatest interest, and it was to you, whom he considered most -likely to profit by it, that he was at pains to hand on the great -store of information which in the course of his long life he had -here and there acquired. In literature of course you were far ahead -of any of us; just as you were in other less important matters, such -as playing upon the zithern, which was indeed perhaps your principal -accomplishment. But I remember that, in addition to this, you -played reasonably well on the flute, guitar, and great zithern; as -indeed your father often mentioned with wonder. These talents of -yours were well known at Court, and I for my part had heard that -you occasionally amused yourself with brushes and paints. But I had -always supposed that this was a mere pastime, and I confess that -the masterpieces which you have exhibited before us to-day took me -completely by surprise. I assure you that even the great ink-painters -of antiquity would feel no small uneasiness should their works be set -beside these sketches of yours. You are indeed a prodigy!’ He spoke -rather thickly and indistinctly, for he was already a little bit -fuddled with wine; and being for the same reason somewhat lachrymose, -when mentioning his late father’s name he suddenly burst into tears. - -It was towards the end of the month and the late moon had at last -risen. The rooms where they were assembled were still dark, but the -sky outside was already aglow with dawn. The Keeper of Books and -Instruments was asked to bring out the zitherns. Tō no Chūjō took the -_wagon_,[22] which he played, if not so well as Genji, at any rate in -a very distinguished manner. Sochi no Miya took the great-zithern and -Genji the _kin_.[23] The lute was played by Akikonomu’s gentlewoman -Shōshō no Myōbu. There was a certain courtier who had a genius for -beating time; he was now sent for and a most agreeable concert ensued. -Dawn was spreading fast. Colour began to come into the flowers, and the -features of those sitting by became dimly discernible in the growing -light. The birds were singing lustily; a pleasant morning had begun. - -Presents were now distributed to the guests by Lady Fujitsubo on behalf -of the Emperor; Prince Sochi no Miya received in addition the -special tribute of a cloak from the wardrobe, in recognition of his -services as umpire. - -Genji gave instructions that the Suma scroll should be left with -Fujitsubo. Hearing that it was only one of a series, she begged to be -shown the rest. ‘You shall see them all in good time,’ Genji said; -‘there are far too many of them to go through at one sitting.’ The -little Emperor, too, seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, -which was a great comfort to those who had engineered them. - -When Tō no Chūjō saw with what zest Genji supported his ward Princess -Akikonomu even in such trifling matters as this contest he again -became a little uneasy about Lady Chūjō’s position. But observing the -situation closely, he noted that the young Emperor, who certainly began -by being very deeply attached to his little playmate, after the first -excitement of recognizing this new companion with her interesting -grown-up accomplishments had passed away, settled down again quite -happily to his old love. For the present at any rate there was no need -for anxiety. - -Genji had a strong presentiment the Court ceremony and festivals of the -reign were destined to be taken as a model in future times. It was for -this reason that even in the matter of private pastimes and receptions -he took great pains that everything should be carried out in the most -perfectly appropriate and pleasurable manner. Hence life at Court -during this period became one long series of exquisitely adjusted pomps -and festivities. - -Genji was still haunted by the impermanence of worldly things, and now -that the Emperor was beginning to reach years of discretion he often -thought quite seriously of embracing a monastic life. It seemed to him -that in history one so often reads of men who at an immature age rose -to high position and became conspicuous figures in the world only -to fall, after a very short time, into disaster and ignominy. With -regard to himself he had felt since his exile that if the position in -which he now found himself was beyond that to which he was properly -entitled, this was only fate’s kind compensation for the indignities to -which in his early life he had suddenly been exposed. But now the debt -which fortune owed him was fully discharged and he could not believe -that he was far from the brink of some fresh disaster. He would have -liked to shut himself away in some retired corner and devote himself to -meditations upon the life to come; he did indeed choose a quiet site on -a hill near the City and build a hermitage there, which he even went -so far as to furnish with images and holy books. But so many questions -arose concerning the education of his children and their future at -Court, that there could be no question of his actually taking his vows, -at any rate for some considerable time; and what exactly he had in mind -when he began building this hermitage it would be hard to say. - -[1] The formula with which the Emperor despatches the Vestal of Ise. - -[2] Chūjō’s daughter. Actually she is called Kōkiden, but this is a -name of another character in the book, and as the use of it would lead -to confusion, I have given her a name which links her to her father. - -[3] The story of Ming Huang and Yang Kuei-fei; a long poem by Po Chū-i. - -[4] A Chinese princess given to a Tartar king in marriage and carried -away into the north. - -[5] For tying up the rolls. - -[6] A 9th-century story about a fairy who was found in a bamboo-stem, -set various fantastic ordeals to her lovers and finally disappeared in -the Land Above the Sky. It is written in a rather disjointed style. -Translated by Victor Dickins in _Japanese Texts_. See above, p. 15. - -[7] One of the suitors. - -[8] Also called Aimi. Successor of Kose no Kanaoka, who founded the -Kose school in the 9th century. - -[9] 883–946 A.D. Editor of the _Kokinshū_, the first official anthology -of poetry. - -[10] Having set out from Japan to China he was wrecked on the coast -of Persia, where he acquired a magic zithern and the knowledge of -unearthly tunes, armed with which he won great fame as a musician in -China and Japan. See Aston’s _History of Japanese Literature_, p. 76, -and above, p. 16. - -[11] China. - -[12] Asukabe Tsunenori, flourished about 964 A.D. - -[13] Also called Ono no Dōfū, the most celebrated calligraphist of -Japan. - -[14] A collection of short love-episodes, each centring round a poem or -poems. See Aston’s _History of Japanese Literature_, p. 80. - -[15] Already lost in the 15th century. - -[16] Hero of the _Tales of Ise_. - -[17] I.e., upon promotion at Court. Courtiers were called ‘men above -the clouds.’ - -[18] Presumably the hero of the tale of Shō Sammi. - -[19] Narihira, hero of the _Tales of Ise_. - -[20] 898–930, a great patron of literature, and himself an important -poet and calligrapher. - -[21] Grandson of the great Kose no Kanaoka. Flourished about 960 A.D. - -[22] Japanese zithern. - -[23] Chinese zithern. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE WIND IN THE PINE-TREES - - -The new quarters which Genji had built to the east of his palace were -now ready and the lady from the Village of Falling Flowers was duly -installed there. The western wing and connecting galleries of the -Nijō-in had been arranged in offices for the clerks whom he employed -in his capacity as Grand Minister. In the eastern wing he intended to -establish the Lady of Akashi. The women’s quarters at the back of the -palace he enlarged considerably, making several sets of very agreeable -and comfortable apartments; these he destined for those ladies who -having in the past received some mark of favour which, though fleeting, -had generally been coupled with handsome promises, now looked to him -for recognition and support. He kept the Grand Bedchamber of the Palace -open, and though he lived chiefly in the new building, he continued to -use the other from time to time and none of the necessary furniture was -removed. - -He wrote frequently to Akashi and many times begged her to come up -to the Capital. But she had heard so many stories of how others had -suffered at his hands,—how he had again and again toyed with the -affections not only of humble creatures such as herself, but of the -greatest ladies in the land, only to cast them aside a few months later -with the most callous indifference. Surely it would be foolish not -to take warning? If this was his conduct towards persons of rank and -influence, what sort of treatment could she, a friendless girl, expect? -What part could she hope to play save the humiliating one of a foil -to the young princess who was Genji’s lawful bride? Suppose she -accepted his offer, suppose she let him instal her in this new house, -how often would he come near her? Sometimes perhaps on his way to -Murasaki’s room he might look in casually for a moment; more she could -not expect. She saw herself the butt of every lewd wit in his palace. -No; she would never consent. - -But there were other considerations. Should she continue to bring up -her baby daughter in this sequestered spot, how could the child ever -hope to take its place among the princes and princesses of the Blood? -Little as she trusted Genji, she must not cut off her child from all -possibility of an ultimate transference to the Capital. Her parents too -realized with dismay that her prospect at the City was none too bright; -but on the whole they inclined towards a move. - -There was a certain estate near the Ōi River[1] which her mother -had inherited (it had belonged to Nakatsukasa no Miya, the mother’s -paternal grandfather). Successive heirs failed to claim it and for two -years the place had been falling into decay. A fresh plan had occurred -to the old recluse and his wife. They summoned the caretaker of the -place, a descendant of the man whom Nakatsukasa had originally left -in charge and said to him: ‘We had intended to quit the world forever -and end our earthly days in this inaccessible retreat. But certain -unexpected events in our family have made it necessary that we should -again seek a residence within easy reach of the Capital. After our long -absence from the Court we should feel utterly lost and bewildered were -we to plunge straight into the bustle of the town, and it occurred -to us that while we are looking for some quiet, old house to live in -permanently, it might be a good thing to use this place at Ōi which you -have been looking after for us!’ ‘I am afraid you will be very -disappointed when you see it,’ said the man. ‘For years past no one -has been in possession and everything is tumbling to pieces. I have -been making shift myself to live in a room which has indeed a kind of -ceiling, but no roof! And since the spring they have been building -this new hermitage for Prince Genji close by, and this has changed the -whole character of the district. The place is crowded with workmen; -for the hermitage, by what I can make out, is going to be a very grand -affair. If what you are looking for is a quiet, unfrequented spot you -will certainly be badly disappointed.’ His remarks had the opposite -effect to that which he had intended. To learn that at Ōi they would be -living as it were under Genji’s very wing was an astonishing piece of -news. He ordered the man to put the large repairs in hand at once; what -wanted setting to rights indoors they could see to at leisure later -on. This did not at all suit the caretaker. ‘If you want to know,’ he -said sulkily, ‘I reckon this place belongs to me as much as to anyone. -I have been living there quietly all these years and this is the first -I have heard of anybody putting in a claim to it. When I first took -things in hand the pastures and rice-fields were all running to waste, -and his lordship Mimbu no Tayū told me before he died that I could -have them for my very own and do what I could with them as payment of -certain sums which he then owed me.’ What he was really frightened of -was that, if the family came into residence, they would lay claim to -some of the live stock and grain that their land had produced. He had -suddenly grown very red in the face, his voice quivered with anger and -his whole aspect was so grim and even menacing that the old recluse -hastened to reassure him: ‘I am not in any way interested in the farm -or its produce,’ he said; ‘with regard to them please go on just as -before. As a matter of fact I _have_ got the title-deeds somewhere -here, but it is a long time since I attended to business matters -of any kind and it might take me a long while to find these papers. I -will remember to look into the question and see how it stands....’ The -steward soon cooled down. He noted that the old priest was evidently -on friendly terms with Genji. This decided him to be civil. And after -all, even if the presence of his masters might for the moment be rather -inconvenient, he would later on have plenty of opportunities for -reimbursing himself. Mollified by these reflections he set the repairs -in hand at once. - -Genji meanwhile had no notion of what was afoot and could not -understand why, after all his entreaties, the Lady of Akashi still hung -back. He did not at all like the idea of their child being brought up -amid such uncivilized surroundings. Moreover, if the story afterwards -became known, it would certainly seem as though he had been reluctant -to acknowledge the child and had behaved with great heartlessness in -making no proper provision for it or for the mother. - -But at last the house at Ōi was ready and a letter came from Akashi -describing how, with no idea that he was building in the district, they -had suddenly remembered the existence of the place and were making -plans for living there. He understood quite well the object of this -move. The Lady of Akashi was determined that if their intercourse was -to be resumed it must be in a place where she would not be subjected to -a humiliating contact with her rivals. To avoid this she was evidently -prepared to make every conceivable sacrifice. He was curious to know -more about her future plan of retreat and sent Koremitsu, who was -always employed in confidential missions of this kind, to investigate -the place a little and let him know if there was anything he could -do to assist the new-comers at Ōi. Koremitsu reported that the house -was in a very agreeable situation which somehow reminded one of the -seaside. ‘It sounds just the place for her,’ said Genji. The -hermitage which he was building was to the south of Daikakuji, which -temple, in the beauty of its groves and cascades, it even bid fair -to rival. The house where the family from Akashi was coming to live -was right on the river, among the most delightful pine-woods, and the -unpretentious way in which it was planned, in one long building without -galleries or side-wings, gave it rather the air of a farmhouse than of -a gentleman’s mansion. As regards furniture Koremitsu told him what was -most needed and he saw to it that these wants were supplied. - -A member of Genji’s personal servants now arrived at Akashi to assist -the family in their removal. When she found herself actually faced -with the prospect of leaving these shores and inlets, near which so -great a part of her life had been spent, the Lady of Akashi was filled -with consternation. The present plan was that her father should stay -on at Akashi alone, and the idea of leaving him made her very unhappy. -Looking back over the whole affair, with all its consequences, she was -amazed to think that she had ever drifted into this miserable union, -which had brought nothing but trouble and confusion upon herself and -those for whom she cared. She found herself envying those whose fortune -it had been never to cross this prince’s path. Her father, seeing the -house full of the servants and retainers whom Genji had sent from the -Capital, could not deny to himself that here indeed was the fulfilment -of his every dream and prayer. He had secured his daughter’s future. -But what about his own? How would his life be endurable without her? -He brooded on this night and day, but never showed what was passing -in his mind, save for saying once or twice to his wife: ‘Do you think -even if I went with you I should see much of the little girl[2]?’ The -mother was also much distressed. For years past her husband had -slept in his little hermitage and had lived an entirely separate life, -engrossed in his meditations and devotions. There was little reason -to suppose that, even should she stay behind, he would give her very -much of his society, and virtually she would be living without any -companionship or support. But though he was a spectator of their lives -rather than a participator in them, his casual exits and entrances had -become the rock in which her whole existence was rooted; the prospect -of separation appalled her. He was a strange creature; but she had long -ago given up expecting him to play in any sense a husband’s part. His -odd appearance, his eccentric opinions, their lonely life,—all these -she had learnt to tolerate in the belief that this at any rate was the -last stage of her disillusionment, the final and unalterable ordeal -which death alone would end. Suddenly she found herself face to face -with this undreamed-of parting, and her heart shrank. The wet-nurse -and other young persons whom at the time of the child’s birth Genji -had sent from the Capital were beginning to become very restive and -the prospect of the coming journey delighted them. Yet even the most -frivolous among them could not leave these creeks and sandy bays -without a pang; and there were some who, knowing that it might never be -their lot to visit such scenes again, came near to adding the salt of -tears to sleeves already splashed by the breakers of the rising tide. - -Autumn had begun and the country was at its loveliest. At dawn upon -the day fixed for their departure a chill wind was blowing and insects -filled the air with their interminable cry. The Lady of Akashi, already -awake, kept going to her window and looking out across the sea. Her -father had returned early from celebrating the night service in his -chapel; it was with trembling lips that he had performed the familiar -ceremonies. But now that the day of parting had come no words -of sorrow or ill-omen must be spoken. So each was determined, but it -was no easy matter to keep things going. The child was brought in, -its infant beauty shining like a jewel in the greyness of the dawn. -The grandfather never wearied of holding it in his arms and, young as -it was, an understanding seemed to have grown up between them. He was -indeed astonished by the readiness with which the child accepted a -companion whose appearance and manners, so different from those of its -regular attendants, might have been expected to have alarmed it in the -highest degree. Moreover there seemed something inappropriate, almost -sinister in their alliance. Yet for long he had scarcely let it be a -minute out of his sight. How should he live without it? He did not -want to spoil the journey by an outburst of unrestrained grief; yet -utterly silent he could not remain, and reciting the verse: ‘While for -good speed upon their road and happiness to come I pray, one thing the -travellers will not deny me, an old man’s right to shed a foolish tear -or two,’ he tried to hide his tears with his sleeve, exclaiming: ‘No, I -ought not to; I should not do it!’ - -His wife stood weeping at his side; there was one thing that she could -not disguise from herself: after long years both of his life and her -own that had been spent in an unceasing protest against the pleasures -and frivolities of the world, it was to those same frivolities and in -pursuit of the most worldly ambitions that her husband was sending -her away from him: ‘Together we left the city,’ she cried; ‘how all -alone shall I re-find the paths down which you led me over heath and -hill?’ The Lady of Akashi also recited a poem in which she said that -even to those who seem to have parted forever, life with its turns -and chances brings strange reunions to pass. She besought her father -to come at least part of the way with them; but he seemed to -regard it as utterly impossible that he should venture away from his -seaside retreat, and it was evident that he regarded the negotiation -even of the short road down to the sea as the most venturesome and -nerve-racking business. - -‘When I first put worldly ambitions aside,’ said the old man, ‘and -contented myself with a mere provincial post, I made up my mind -that, come what might, you, my dear daughter, should not suffer from -my having sacrificed my own prospects; and how best, despite the -remoteness of our home, to fit you for the station of life to which you -properly belonged became my one thought and care. But my experience as -Governor taught me much; I realized my incapacity for public affairs, -and knew that if I returned to the City it would only be to play the -wretched part of ex-Governor. My resources were much diminished and -were I to set up house again at the Capital it would be on a very -different scale from before. I knew that I should be regarded as a -failure both in my private and public life, a disgrace to the memory of -my father who occupied the highest station in the State; moreover my -acceptance of a provincial governorship had everywhere been regarded -as the end of my career, and as for myself, I could not but think that -it was indeed best it should be so. But you were now growing up and -your future had to be thought of. How could I allow you to waste your -beauty in this far corner of the earth like a brocade that is never -taken from the drawer? But no better prospect seemed to present itself, -and in my despair I called upon Buddha and all the gods to help me. -That, living as we did, any fresh acquaintances should ever be formed -by us seemed out of the question. Yet all the time I believed that -some strange chance would one day befall us. And what indeed could -have been more utterly unforeseen than the circumstance which at last -brought so distinguished a guest to our home? In this I could -not but see the hand of Heaven, and my only anxiety was lest too great -an inequality of rank should divide you. But since the birth of this -child, that fear has not so much troubled me, for I feel that your -union is fated to be a lasting one. A child of Royal Blood cannot, we -must allow, pass all its days in a village by the sea, and though this -parting costs me dear I am determined never again to tamper with the -world that I have renounced. Princes are the lamps that light this -world, and though they may for a time be destined to cast confusion -upon the quiet of rusticity, soon they must perforce return to their -true firmament; while those whom they have left smile back, as I do -now, into the lowly Sphere[3] from whence they sprang. Should you hear -that I am dead, do not tease yourselves concerning the welfare of my -soul, and above all, while less than death divides us, do not worry -over what may be befalling me.’ Thus he poured out all that was passing -through his mind and at last he added in conclusion: ‘You may be sure -that each of the six times of Prayer, till the day when the smoke rises -from my pyre, I shall pray with all my heart for the happiness of the -little princess....’ - -Hitherto he had spoken with great self-possession; but now his face -began to pucker. - -There was so much baggage to be transported that a vast quantity of -wagons would have been required had the whole party proceeded by road. -To send some of the stuff by road and the rest by sea was in many ways -inconvenient; moreover Genji’s retainers did not wish to be recognized -on the journey, and for all these reasons it seemed best that the -whole party should proceed by water. They set sail at the hour of the -Dragon, and soon their ship, like that of the old poet’s story,[4] -was lost amid the morning mists far out across the bay. The old -priest stood gazing after it lost in a bewildered trance of grief -from which it seemed as though he would never awake. The wind was -fresh and favourable, and they arrived at the City punctually at the -hour they had announced. Wishing to attract no notice they left their -large baggage on board and travelled inland as quickly as possible. -The house at Ōi at once took their fancy and was, as Koremitsu had -noticed, in some curious way very reminiscent of the seaside, so that -they soon felt quite at home. The mother had known this place as a -girl and moving recollections crowded to her mind at every turn. By -Genji’s orders a covered gallery had been added to the house, which was -a great improvement, and the course of the stream had also been very -successfully altered. Much still remained to be done, but for the most -part only such small jobs as could easily be finished off later on, -when they had got things straight and settled in. On their arrival they -found that entertainment had been prepared for them at Genji’s command -by one of his confidential servants. He intended to come himself at the -earliest opportunity, but many days passed before he could contrive -an excuse for slipping away. The Lady of Akashi had made sure that he -would be there to welcome her. She therefore spent the first days at Ōi -in the deepest depression, regretting her old home and quite at a loss -how to occupy her time. At last she took out the zithern which Genji -had given to her at Akashi. She was feeling at the moment particularly -desperate, and as she had the part of the house where she was sitting -entirely to herself she gave vent to her feelings in a somewhat wild -improvisation, which soon startled her mother from the couch where she -was lying and brought her to the player’s side. With the music of the -zithern was blended the sighing of the wind in the great pine-woods -that lay behind the house. ‘An altered and a lonely woman to -this my native village I return. But still unchanged the wind blows -music through the trees.’ So the mother sang, and the daughter: ‘Far -off is now the dear companion of my happier days, and none is here who -comprehends the broken language of my lute.’ - -While things were going thus dismally at Ōi, Genji was feeling very -uneasy. To have established the people from Akashi so close to the -Capital and then neglect them entirely was indeed a monstrous way to -behave; but circumstances made it very difficult for him to escape -unobserved. He had not said anything to Murasaki about the move to -Ōi, but such things have a way of getting round, and he decided that -it would be better not to explain his absence in a note. He therefore -wrote to her one morning as follows: ‘There are various matters at -Katsura[5] which I ought to have looked into a long while ago; but I -did not at all want the bother of going there and have kept on putting -it off. Some people whom I promised to visit have settled near by and I -am afraid I shall have to go and see them too. Then I ought to go over -to my hermitage at Saga and see the Buddha there before it is painted. -So I am afraid I shall have to be away for two or three days.’ - -Some faint echo of the business at Ōi had reached her, but in a very -garbled form. She heard that Genji was hurriedly building a large new -mansion on his estate at Katsura. This was of course quite untrue. -Murasaki at once concluded that the mansion at Katsura was intended -for the Lady of Akashi and depressed by this she wrote in answer: -‘Do you know the story of the woodman[6] who waited so long that -leaves sprouted from the handle of his axe? Do not imagine that -I shall be quite so patient as that....’ It was evident that she was -out of humour with him! ‘How crotchety you are!’ he said. ‘In the past -you did indeed have some excuse; but now I have entirely changed my -habits. Anyone who knows me would tell you as much.’ It took the whole -morning to coax her back into a reasonable frame of mind. At last -very secretly, with no outriders of any kind save for a few intimate -personal attendants, and taking every precaution lest he should be -spied on or followed, he set out for Ōi and arrived there just as it -was growing dark. Even when dressed in the plain hunting clothes that -he wore at Akashi he had seemed to the Lady of the Shore a figure of -unimaginable brilliance; and now when he appeared in full Court dress -(he had indeed made himself as splendid as possible for the occasion) -she was completely overwhelmed by his magnificence and soon, in -contemplating this dazzling spectacle, the whole household recovered -from the gloom into which they had been plunged. The little princess -had of course to be fetched and it was naturally with considerable -emotion that he now saw his child for the first time. It was indeed a -pity that he should make its acquaintance in this belated manner. What -nonsense people talk about children, he thought. Every one used to make -such a fuss about Yūgiri, Princess Aoi’s child, and pretend it was so -remarkably handsome. Such people were mere time-servers and flatterers. -If it had not been the Prime Minister’s grandchild no one would have -seen anything remarkable about it at all. But here was a very different -story. If this little creature did not grow up into a woman of quite -exceptional beauty, he was indeed very much mistaken. The child smiled -at him with such innocent surprise and had such a perfect little face -and air that he at once took an immense fancy to it. The nurse who when -he had first sent her to Akashi was already losing her looks, -had now grown quite middle-aged. He asked her many questions about -her experiences in these last months, to which she replied frankly -and without any shyness. He felt sorry that he had sent her to waste -the last hours of her vanishing youth in so dull a place and now said -sympathetically: ‘Here too you are a long way from everything and it -is not at all easy for me to come over. I wish you would persuade your -mistress to make use of the apartments I originally offered her....’ -‘We must see how we get on,’ the Lady of Akashi interposed. - -That night at least she had no reason to complain of neglect and day -came only too swiftly. During the morning he gave fresh instructions -to the retainers who were responsible for the redecoration of the -house, and presently a number of people who farmed on and around his -Katsura estate came to pay their respects, having heard beforehand that -he was about to visit his properties in this neighbourhood. As they -were there, he thought he had better make them useful and set them -to work repairing some places in the Lodge where the shrubs had been -trodden down. ‘I see,’ he said, ‘that some of the artificial rocks -have rolled over and almost disappeared under the grass. I must get my -people to hoist them up again into some position in which they will -not look quite so pointless. However this is not the kind of garden -that looks the better for too much trouble being taken with it; and you -may not be staying here very long. It will not do to make everything -here too nice or it will soon be as hard to go away from here as it -was to leave Akashi.’ Soon they fell to talking of those old days, -now laughing, now weeping, but all the time divinely happy. Once her -mother came and peeped at them as they sat talking and the sight of -their happiness made her forget that she herself was old, was wretched. -Wreathed in smiles she hobbled away from the room. A little later -she was watching him standing in his shirt-sleeves instructing the -workmen how to utilize the little spring of water that issued near the -gallery of the eastern wing. He had no idea that he was being watched, -till happening to come across a tray for flower-offerings and other -religious gear lying about the house, he suddenly thought of the pious -old lady and said to his companion: ‘By the way, did your mother come -with you? I had quite forgotten she might be here or I should not be -going about the house dressed in this fashion.’ He sent for his cloak -and going up to the curtain-of-state behind which he was told the old -lady would probably be sitting, he said in a gentle tone: ‘Madam, I -have come to thank you; for it is your doing that the little girl -thrives so well. Your prayers and devotions it is that have lightened -the load of her _karma_ and caused her to grow up so fine and healthy -a child. I know well enough what it must have cost you to leave the -house which had become your sanctuary and mingle once more with the -follies of this transitory world. I know too what anxiety you must be -in, concerning the husband whom you have left.... For this and much -else, Madam, I have come to thank you....’ ‘That you should guess how -dear it cost me to come back to the turmoil of the world, and that in -these kind words you should tell me my exertions have not been made in -vain, is in itself sufficient reward for all that I have endured, and -justifies a life drawn out beyond the allotted span.’ So the pious old -lady spoke and then continued, weeping: ‘I have been in great anxiety -concerning this ‘twin-leaved pine,’[7] and while we dwelt under the -shadow of those wild cliffs I scarce dared hope that it would at last -find room to spread and grow. But now I pray more confidently,—though -still afraid that from roots[8] so lowly no valiant stem can ever -spring....’ - -There was in her speech and bearing a courtly dignity which pleased -him, and he led her on to talk of the time when her grandfather, the -old Prince, was living at the house. While she spoke the sound of -running water reached them. It came from the buried spring near the -eastern wall of the house; the workmen had just finished clearing it. -It seemed like the voice of one suddenly aroused from lethargy by the -mention of old familiar names. ‘I, that was mistress here, scarce know -the way from room to room; only this crystal spring remembers still and -meditates the ancient secrets of the house.’ She murmured this poem -softly to herself and did not know that he had heard what she said. But -it had not escaped him; indeed, he thought it by no means lacking in -beauty and power of expression. - -As he stood looking down at her, full of interest and compassion, the -aged lady thought him more beautiful than anything she could have ever -dreamed would exist in the world. He now drove over to his hermitage at -Saga and arranged for the Reading of the _Samantabhadra Sūtra_ and the -meditations on Amitābha and Shākyamuni to take place every month on the -fourteenth, fifteenth and last days respectively, together with other -rituals for which he now made the final arrangements. The decoration -of the Buddha Hall and the provision of the necessary altars and -furniture was then discussed and various duties assigned to those in -charge of the place. He returned to Ōi by moonlight. It was strangely -like those nights of old when he used to visit her at the house on the -hill. It seemed natural enough that, as in those days, she should bring -out a zithern (it was indeed his own, which he had given her), and -soon, stirred by his presence and the beauty of the night, she began -to finger the instrument. He noticed at once that true to her promise -she had not altered the tuning since that last night at Akashi, and it -seemed as though all that had happened since were obliterated and -he were still listening to that farewell tune. - -He was conscious of no inequality between herself and him. Despite -her mixed descent and rustic upbringing there was about her an air of -personal distinction which made ample amends for her lack of breeding -and worldly experience. Her looks had indeed greatly improved since he -knew her, and as he gazed, now at her, now at the lovely child, he felt -that both of them were destined to occupy henceforward a very large -share of his attention. But what was he to do? It would indeed be a -great pity that the child should grow up in an obscure country-house. -Most people would no doubt think him perfectly justified in taking it -away with him to the Nijō-in and bringing it up in whatever way he -chose. But he knew that this would be a terrible blow to the mother and -could not bring himself to suggest it. He sat watching the two of them -with tears in his eyes. The little creature had at first been rather -shy with him. But now it was quite at its ease, prattled and laughed in -his face and in fact showed every sign of wanting to make friends with -him. The infant in this expansive mood seemed to him more entrancing -than ever. He took it up in his arms, and watching the tenderness with -which he held it the mother felt that its fortunes were indeed secure. -Next day he was to return to the Capital. He therefore returned to -rest for a while; but the news that he was shortly to leave this house -spread with disconcerting rapidity to his tenants at Katsura and the -anterooms were soon full of visitors waiting to escort him on his -journey. A number of courtiers had also discovered his whereabouts and -were waiting to pay their respects. While he was being dressed, Genji -said petulantly: ‘This is intolerable. If I am being tracked down even -to such a place as this, where can I ever hope to hide my head?’ -And with a mob of visitors pressing round him he was swept away to -his carriage. At a window by which they had to pass, stationed there -as though by accident, was the child’s nurse with the infant in her -arms. Stroking its face tenderly as he passed, Genji said to her: ‘I -should have been sorry not to see this child. But it has all been so -hurried.... Better than nothing perhaps.... But “your village is so far -away”....’[9] ‘We shall expect rather more from your Highness than -we did in the old days when we really were a long way off,’ the nurse -replied. The little princess stretched out her hand as though trying to -hold him back. Pausing for a while he turned and said: ‘It is terrible -to have such a sentimental disposition as mine. I cannot bear to part -from those I am fond of even if it be only for a single day. But where -is your mistress? Why did not she too come to bid me good-bye? Tell her -that it is barbarous....’ The nurse smiled and withdrawing into the -house delivered the message. But so far from being unconcerned at his -departure, the Lady of Akashi was so much agitated that she had sunk -helpless upon her bed, and it was some while before she could muster -enough strength to rise. At last, after Genji, not knowing what was -amiss, had in his heart passed severe censure upon her coyness, she -arrived in the front-room supported by her ladies and sank into a seat -where, though she was partly hidden by a curtain, he got a fair view -of her face. Such delicacy of feature, such distinction, such grace -would not he thought have done discredit to an Emperor’s daughter. -He went up to the window, pulled aside the curtain and whispered a -few words of farewell. Then he hastened to rejoin his companions; but -looking back for an instant over his shoulder he saw that, though -all this time she had remained motionless and silent, she was -following him intently with her eyes. He had in old days been somewhat -too slender for his height; now he had filled out a little and she -found this slightly robuster air very becoming. He must indeed have -expended considerable thought upon his appearance, every detail down -to the elegantly adjusted billowing of his wide, puffy trousers being -calculated with the nicest eye for effect. Such at any rate was her -impression as he passed out of sight that morning,—a view perhaps -somewhat coloured by partiality. - -Ukon, the brother of Ki no Kami, had relinquished his office of -Treasurer, and having been appointed Quiver-bearer to His Majesty had -this year been formally invested as an officer of the 5th rank. He -now came to relieve Genji of his sword, and looking in the direction -from which his master had come saw the Lady of Akashi’s form dimly -outlined at the window. He had himself formed some slight acquaintance -with her during the period of Genji’s exile and wished to discover -whether she still had a liking for him. He therefore drew one of her -maids-of-honour aside and said: ‘I have not forgotten those hours of -pleasant intercourse, but fear to give offence. Sometimes when, waking -before the dawn, I hear the rustling of the wind among the trees, I -think for a moment that I am back at Akashi, or listening again to -the waves that beat upon the shore. At such moments I long to break -the silence with some message or token; but till now no proper means -has come to hand....’ He purposely spoke in such a way that she might -not understand him unless she were already aware of his feelings -towards her mistress. ‘The clouds that hang eight-fold about this -lonely hillside screen us from the world no less securely than the -mist-wreaths of that sequestered bay. I for my part thought that of -my friends in those days “none save the ancient pine-tree”[10] -remembered me, and it is good news indeed to hear that by you at -least....’ She could not have been wider of the mark![11] He was -now very sorry that he had in old days so scrupulously avoided all -reference to this attachment. He would have explained himself further, -but Genji was waiting; and calling out with an assumed cheerfulness -‘Let us talk of this another time,’ he hastened to rejoin his master. -Already the outriders were clearing intruders from the road and amid -great clatter and bustle the procession started on its way. Two -officious gentlemen, the Captain of the Guard and a certain Hyoye no -Kami, rode at the back of Genji’s coach. ‘I object to being tracked -down like this,’ said Genji wearily, ‘when I go to pay a quiet visit -to private friends.’ ‘The moonlight was so exquisite last night,’ they -said in self-defence, ‘that we could not bear having been left behind, -and this morning we groped our way through the early mist to find you. -The maple-leaves in the Capital are not yet quite at their best; but -in the open country the colours are marvellous. We should have been -here sooner, had we not become involved in a hawking party that one of -the chamberlains has got up.’ ‘I must go back to Katsura first,’ said -Genji; and accordingly the party set out in that direction. It was no -easy matter on the spur of the moment to provide entertainment for -so large a number of persons. However, the cormorant-fishers who ply -their trade on the Katsura river were hastily sent for, and promised -to secure food enough for the whole party. Their strange, clipped talk -reminded Genji of the fishermen at Suma and greatly diverted him. The -falconers, who had decided to camp in the open country, sent a present -of small snipe, each bird tied to a bunch of sedge-leaves. They played -at the game[12] of floating wine-cups down the stream. So many -times were the cups set afloat and so steep were the banks of the -stream that the game proved somewhat dangerous. But the wine made them -reckless and they were still shouting out their couplets long after -it grew dark. At last the moon rose and it was time for the music to -begin. The most skilful performers on zithern, lute, _wagon_, and -various wind instruments were called upon and were soon playing such -tunes as were best suited to the place and hour. A gentle breeze blew -down the stream blending its whisperings with the music of pipe and -string. Higher and higher the moon rose above them; never had night -been so radiant and still. It was already very late when a band of four -or five courtiers made their appearance. They had come straight from -the Palace where the Emperor had been giving a concert. ‘This is the -first of the Six Fast Days,’ His Majesty had suddenly exclaimed. ‘I -expected that Genji would be here. What has become of him?’ Some one -then informed His Majesty of Genji’s present whereabouts and messengers -were at once despatched to Katsura bearing a letter in which the -Emperor declared himself envious of the pleasant excursion in which his -Minister had found time to indulge. With this letter was the poem: ‘How -pleasantly the shadow of the laurel-tree must fall upon the waters in -the village beyond the stream!’[13] Genji answered with due humility -and respect. The messengers found this moonlight concert even more -agreeable than the one which they had left and had soon settled down -to drink and listen for the second time that night. When at last they -rose it was proper that they should not be sent away empty-handed. As -there was nothing here to give to them Genji sent a note to Ōi: ‘Have -you anything that would do to give to some messengers from the Court?’ -After looking round for a little they sent such objects as they -could lay hands on. There were two boxes full of clothes. For the chief -messenger, who was now anxious to return to the Palace, he selected a -lady’s dress of very handsome stuff. - -The company now became extremely animated. Poem followed poem in a -swift exchange, and even Genji’s conversation, usually equable and -restrained, began to take so extravagant a turn that his hearers would -gladly have kept him talking thus till the end of the time. As for -things at home, he reflected,—the harm was already done. The rishi’s -axe must by now have blossomed, aye, and withered too. Why not one more -day? But no; that would never do; and the party broke up hastily. - -They set out for the Capital, each wearing on his head the -bright-coloured scarf with which, according to his rank and station, -he had been presented the night before and with these gay patches that -bobbed up here and there in the morning mist blended the colours of the -flowers in the gardens through which they passed. - -There was with them a certain member of the Night Watch famous for -his singing of ancient ballads, and to cheer the company he now sang -with great spirit the ballad ‘Ho, my pony’; whereupon his companions -doffed their scarves and wound them round the singer’s head. The -wind fluttered through the many-coloured ends that dangled about his -shoulders, weaving as gay a brocade as that with which the storms of -autumn carpet a forest floor. - -The news of his swift return or at least some faint echo of it reached -the Lady of Akashi in her chamber, making her feel more than ever -desolate. To Genji it suddenly occurred that he had never written -the customary[14] letter. Other things had indeed been occupying his -attention; but he wished he had remembered. - -On his return to the Nijō-in he rested for a little while and -then went to tell Murasaki about his country visit ‘I am very sorry -that I was away longer than I led you to expect,’ he said; ‘those -wretched fellows hounded me down and, try as I might, I could not get -rid of them. I am very tired this morning. I think, if you will excuse -me, I must get some more sleep,’ and so saying he retired to his own -room. When they met later he saw that things were not going well, but -for a time pretended not to notice. At last she became so tiresome that -he said somewhat sharply: ‘This is ridiculous. You know quite well -that there can never be any comparison between her position and yours. -Surely you had better drop this absurd affectation and make the best of -me now I am here.’ - -He had promised to be at the Palace before nightfall, and now rose -to go. But before he left the room she saw him go into a corner and -scribble a hasty note. She guessed at once to whom it was addressed. -What a long time it was taking! He seemed to have a great deal to -say. Her women saw him giving it to a messenger with many whispered -instructions and they were duly indignant. - -He was supposed to be on duty all night at the Palace. But he was -impatient to put matters right, and though it was very late indeed -before he could get away he hurried back to Murasaki at the first -opportunity of escape. While he was with her, the messenger returned -from Ōi with an answer in his hand. Genji read it without any attempt -at concealment, and finding it to be of the most harmless description, -he handed it to her saying: ‘Please tear it up when you have read -it, and do not leave the pieces lying about; pieces make such a bad -impression! In my position one has to be so careful.’ - -He came and sat by her couch; but he was thinking all the time of the -Lady at Ōi and wishing he could be with her. For a long while he sat -gazing into the lamp and did not speak a word. - -The letter which he had handed to Murasaki was spread open before her; -but she was not reading it. ‘I am sure you have been peeping,’ he said -at last. ‘That way of reading letters is very tiring,’ and he smiled -at her with such evident affection that the tears welled to her eyes. -‘There is something I want to talk to you about,’ he said, bending over -her; ‘I have seen the little girl and, as a matter of fact, taken a -great fancy to her. I naturally want to do as well for her as I can, -but under the circumstances that is far from easy, and I am rather -worried about it. I want you to think about the matter a little, and -see if you cannot help me. What can be done? For example, would you be -willing to have her here and bring her up as your own child? She is -almost three years old, and at that age they are so pretty and innocent -that it is very hard indeed to harden one’s heart against them. It is -getting to be time that she came out of her long clothes. Would you be -very much upset if I asked you to take charge of the ceremony?’[15] ‘I -was cross just now,’ she said; ‘but I knew you were thinking all the -while about other things, and there seemed to be no use in pretending -we were friends if we were not. I should love to look after the little -girl. She is just the age I like best.’ She laughed with joy at the -thought of having such a creature in her arms, for she was passionately -fond of children. Should he try to secure the child? Genji was still -very doubtful. Visits to Ōi were very difficult to arrange, and he -seldom contrived to get there except on the two days in each month when -he went over to hear the service at his chapel near Saga. - -Thus though the Lady of Akashi fared considerably better than the -Weaving Lady[16] in the story and though her expectations were of the -most moderate description, it would have been strange had these hurried -visits contented her. - -[1] Also called the Katsura River. Runs near Saga (to the east of -Kyōto) where Genji was building his hermitage. - -[2] The Lady of Akashi’s child. - -[3] The metaphor is of souls sinking back into lower incarnations. - -[4] See Waley, _Japanese Poetry_ (Oxford, 1920), p. 56. - -[5] Where Genji had an estate. - -[6] A Chinese named Wang Chih. He watched a couple of hermits playing -chess in a cave. The game absorbed his attention so completely that it -seemed to him to last only a few minutes; but when it was over he found -that years had elapsed and leaves had actually sprouted from the wood -of his axe. - -[7] Two-year-old child. - -[8] Referring to the Lady of Akashi’s comparatively humble birth. - -[9] Quoting the old song: ‘Your village is so far away that I must go -back almost as soon as I come. Yet short as our meetings are perhaps we -should be still unhappier without them.’ - -[10] Allusion to an old poem. - -[11] The lady was unaware that he had been in love with her mistress -and imagined it was of his feelings for herself that Ukon was speaking. - -[12] Each competitor had to improvise a verse before the cup reached -him. - -[13] Many puns. _Katsura_ = ‘laurel.’ Also, a _katsura_-tres was -supposed to grow in the moon. - -[14] The ‘next morning’ letter. - -[15] The _mogi_ or ‘First Putting On of the Skirt.’ - -[16] The two stars, Weaving Lady and Plough Boy, meet only on the -seventh day of the seventh month. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes. - - - 1. Italicized text is indicated with leading and trailing underscores. - - 2. Footnotes have been renumbered and placed at the end of each - chapter. - - 3. The bastard-title page prior to the main title page and the - half-title page preceding the main text have both been omitted. - They contained the words “THE SACRED TREE”. - - 4. The original landscape orientation of the genealogical tables - has changed to a portrait orientation by the transcriber in - order to provide a better view for eReaders. Each table has - has been separated by two blank lines for clarity. - - 5. In order to facilitate word wrapping, ellipses in the middle of - a sentence have been replaced with a group of three periods. This - group has a leading and, unless a comma is present, trailing blank - space added. Ellipses at the end of a sentence do not have a - leading blank space, but closing punctuation has been added if - needed. - - 6. Missing periods and quotation marks silently added. - - 7. 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- font-variant:normal; - font-style:normal; - font-weight:normal; - text-decoration:none; - text-indent:0em;} - - .x-ebookmaker p.drop-cap:first-letter { - float: none; - margin: 0; - font-size: 100%;} - - div.transnote p { - text-align:left; - text-indent: 0; - margin-top: 0.5em; - margin-bottom: 0.5em;} - - div.transnote p.center { - text-align:center;} - - /* === footnotes === */ - .footnote { - margin: .25em 10% .25em 10%; - padding: .25em; - font-size: .8em;} - - .fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: none;} - - .transnote h2 { - margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - page-break-before: always;} - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Sacred Tree, by Murasaki</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Sacred Tree</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>Being the Second Part of ‘The Tale of Genji’</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Murasaki</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: Arthur Waley</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: January 6, 2022 [eBook #67111]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Ronald Grenier</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SACRED TREE ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img class="w100" src="./images/cover.jpg" alt="cover image" /> -</div> - -<p class="small noindent">Transcriber Note: The cover image was created -by the transcriber from the original cover and elements of the title page. -It is placed in the public domain.</p> - -<div class="figcenter illowp100"> - <img class="w100" src="./images/title.png" alt="title page" /> -</div> - - -<div class="title-page"> - -<h1>THE SACRED TREE</h1> - -<p class="center larger150">BEING THE SECOND PART<br /> -OF ‘THE TALE OF GENJI’</p> - -<p class="center mt2 smcap">By</p> - -<p class="center larger mt_25">LADY MURASAKI</p> - -<p class="center smaller mt2">TRANSLATED FROM THE JAPANESE BY</p> - -<p class="center">ARTHUR WALEY</p> - -<p class="mt4 center"> - <img src="./images/logo.png" alt="logo" class="center_5em" /></p> - -<p class="center smaller mt6">BOSTON AND NEW YORK</p> -<p class="center">HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY</p> -<p class="center">The Riverside Press Cambridge</p> -<p class="center">1926</p> -</div> - - -<p class="center mt4"><span class="smaller">To</span><br /> -MARY MacCARTHY</p> - -<p class="center mt4 small">PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN</p> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_5"><i>{5}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="PREFACE">PREFACE</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">SEVERAL critics have asked to be told more about the writer of the -Tale of Genji. Unfortunately little is known of Murasaki’s life save -the bare facts recorded in the first appendix of Volume I. What other -knowledge we possess is derived from her <cite>Diary</cite>, which will be -discussed in a later volume and is meanwhile available in Mr. Doi’s -translation. Reviewers have also asked for information concerning -the state of literature in Japan at the time when the <cite>Tale</cite> was -written. This I have supplied; and I have further ventured upon a short -discussion of Murasaki’s art and its relation to the fiction of the -West.</p> - -<p>I have been blamed for using Catholic terms to describe heathen -rituals. My reason for doing so is that the outward forms of medieval -Buddhism stand much nearer to Catholicism than to the paler ceremonies -of the Protestant Church, and if one avoids words with specifically -Catholic associations one finds oneself driven back upon the still -less appropriate terminology of Anglicanism. Thus ‘Vespers’ is a less -misleading translation than ‘Evening Service’ though the latter is far -more literal.</p> - -<p>Finally, I have thought it might be of interest to give a few notes -concerning the transmission of the text.</p> - -<p>Volume III is finished and will appear shortly.</p> - -<p><i>Note on Pronunciation</i>.—The G in ‘Genji’ is hard, as in ‘gun.’ Vowels, -as in Italian.</p> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{7}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tbody><tr> - <td></td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg small">PAGE</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt">PREFACE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_5">5</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt">LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_9">9</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt">GENEALOGICAL TABLES</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_11">11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt">SUMMARY OF VOL. 1</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_13">13</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt">INTRODUCTION:</td> - <td class="tdpg"></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt2">FICTION IN JAPAN PREVIOUS TO THE <cite>Tale of Genji</cite></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_15">15</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt2">THE ART OF MURASAKI</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_30">30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="leftt2">NOTE ON THE TEXT</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_35">35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="small">CHAPTER</td> - <td></td> - <td></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">X.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE SACRED TREE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_39">39</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XI.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE VILLAGE OF FALLING FLOWERS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_94">94</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XII.</td> - <td class="leftt">EXILE AT SUMA</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_99">99</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XIII.</td> - <td class="leftt">AKASHI</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_141">141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XIV.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE FLOOD GAUGE</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_188">188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XV.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE PALACE IN THE TANGLED WOODS</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_225">225</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XVI.</td> - <td class="leftt">A MEETING AT THE FRONTIER</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_252">252</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XVII.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE PICTURE COMPETITION</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_258">258</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="rightt">XVIII.</td> - <td class="leftt">THE WIND IN THE PINE-TREES</td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#page_282">282</a></td> - </tr></tbody> -</table> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_9"><i>{9}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IMPORTANT_PERSONS">LIST OF MOST IMPORTANT PERSONS</h2> -<p class="center smaller">(ALPHABETICAL)</p> -</div> - - -<table summary="List of most important persons"> - <tbody><tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Akashi, Lady of</td> - <td class="leftt">Daughter of the old recluse of Akashi.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Akikonomu, Lady</td> - <td class="leftt">Vestal Virgin at Ise; daughter of Rokujō.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Aoi, Princess</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s first wife.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Asagao, Princess</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s first-cousin; courted by him in vain.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Chūjō</td> - <td class="leftt">Short for ‘Tō no Chūjō.’</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Chūjō, Lady</td> - <td class="leftt">Tō no Chūjō’s daughter by his legitimate wife.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Chūnagon</td> - <td class="leftt">Maid to Oborozuki.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Emperor, The Old</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s father.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Fujitsubo</td> - <td class="leftt">The Old Emperor’s consort; loved by Genji.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Genji, Prince</td> - <td class="leftt">The Old Emperor’s son by a concubine.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Gosechi, Lady</td> - <td class="leftt">Dancer at the winter festival; admired by Genji.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Hyōbukyō, Prince</td> - <td class="leftt">Fujitsubo’s brother; Murasaki’s father.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Iyo no Suke</td> - <td class="leftt">Husband of Utsusemi.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Jijū</td> - <td class="leftt">Maid to Suyetsumu.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Jōkyōden, Lady</td> - <td class="leftt">Consort of Suzaku.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Ki no Kami</td> - <td class="leftt">Son of Iyo no Suke by his first wife.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Kōkiden</td> - <td class="leftt">Original consort of the Old Emperor; supplanted first by Genji’s mother, - then by Fujitsubo.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Koremitsu</td> - <td class="leftt">Retainer to Genji.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Murasaki</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s second wife.<span class="pagenum"><i>{10}</i></span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Oborozukiyo, Princess</td> - <td class="leftt">Younger sister of Kōkiden.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Ōmyōbu</td> - <td class="leftt">Maid to Fujitsubo.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Reikeiden</td> - <td class="leftt">Lady-in-waiting at the Old Emperor’s Court.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Reikeiden, Princess</td> - <td class="leftt">Niece of Kōkiden.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Rokujō, Princess</td> - <td class="leftt">Widow of the Old Emperor’s brother.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Ryōzen, Emperor</td> - <td class="leftt">Son of Genji and Fujitsubo; successor to Suzaku.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Shōnagon</td> - <td class="leftt">Murasaki’s old nurse.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Sochi no Miya, Prince</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s half-brother.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="leftt"><span class="smcap">Suyetsumu, Lady</span> (Suyetsumuhana)</td> - <td class="leftt">Daughter of Prince Hitachi; the red-nosed lady.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Suzaku, Emperor</td> - <td class="leftt">Genji’s half-brother; successor to the Old - Emperor.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Tō no Chūjō</td> - <td class="leftt">Brother of Genji’s first wife, Lady Aoi.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Ukon no Jō (Ukon)</td> - <td class="leftt">Faithful retainer to Genji; brother of - Ki no Kami.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Utsusemi</td> - <td class="leftt">Wife of Iyo no Suke. Courted by Genji.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="smcap leftt">Village of Falling Flowers, Lady from the</td> - <td class="leftt">Sister of Reikeiden; protected by Genji.</td> - </tr> - - </tbody> -</table> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_11"><i>{11}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="GENE_TABLE">GENEALOGICAL TABLES</h2> -<p class="noindent"><img src="./images/gene.png" width="100%" alt="Genealogical graph of the -Old Emperor’s siblings, the Minister of the Right’s family, and a former emperor’s family" /></p> -</div> - - -<div class="footnote"> -<span class="fnanchor">1</span> -Whom in this volume I call Oborozuki for short. -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_13"><i>{13}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VOLUME_ONE">SUMMARY OF VOLUME ONE</h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">GENJI is an illegitimate son of the Emperor; his mother dies soon -after his birth. At the age of twelve he is affianced to Lady Aoi, the -daughter of the Minister of the Left; but she is older than he is, and -looks down upon him as a mere schoolboy. Years go by and they are still -upon indifferent terms. Meanwhile Genji falls in love with Lady Rokujō, -a widow eight years older than himself. She is passionately jealous of -his wife (whom, however, Genji hardly ever sees) and relations with her -become very difficult. Genji turns for consolation to Utsusemi, wife of -a provincial governor: to Yūgao, a discarded mistress of his great -friend Tō no Chūjō: to the fantastic Lady Suyetsumuhana, the ‘lady -with the red nose.’ Utsusemi is carried away to the provinces by her -husband; Yūgao dies, withered by the virulence of Rokujō’s jealousy. -Meanwhile Genji manages to establish better terms with his wife, Aoi, -only to lose her through the operation of the same baleful force that -had destroyed Yūgao. Since his childhood Genji has had a passionate -admiration for Lady Fujitsubo, his father’s second wife and therefore -his own stepmother. He has a son by her which is believed by the world -to be the Emperor’s child. Had this misdemeanour became known, Genji’s -enemies, led by Lady Kōkiden who had been his mother’s rival, would -have had an ample pretext for driving him away from Court. As it is, -the actual cause of Genji’s banishment (recounted in Vol. II) is his -intrigue with<span class="pagenum"><i>{14}</i></span> Oborozukiyo, a much younger sister of his enemy, -Lady Kōkiden.</p> - -<p>At the end of Vol. I, Genji marries, <i>en secondes noces</i>, Lady -Murasaki, a niece of Fujitsubo, whom he had some years before taken -into his house and adopted.</p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_15"><i>{15}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION</h2> -</div> - -<h3 class="smcap">Fiction in Japan Previous<br /> to “The Tale of Genji”</h3> - - -<p class="drop-cap"><cite>THE Tale of Genji</cite> was probably written about 1001–1015 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> We know -the titles of a good many earlier stories and romances. About a dozen -are mentioned in the <cite>Tale</cite> itself. But only three actual works of -fiction survive, <cite>The Bamboo-cutter</cite>, <cite>The Hollow Tree</cite> (‘Utsubo’), and -the <cite>Room Below Stairs</cite> (‘Ochikubo’). Besides these there are a few -works which, though belonging to a rather different category, throw -some light on the development of fiction and will be mentioned in due -course.</p> - -<p><cite>The Bamboo-cutter</cite> dates from about 860–870. It is a harmless little -fairy-story. An old peasant finds a minute child in a bamboo-stem. She -grows up into a woman of surpassing beauty, is courted by numerous -lovers to whom she sets a series of grotesque tasks which they entirely -fail to perform. Finally celestial messengers arrive and carry her away -to the sky.</p> - -<p>The <cite>Hollow Tree</cite> cannot be much earlier than 980. No doubt in this -interval of more than a hundred years much was written that is now -lost. But it cannot be said that <cite>The Hollow Tree</cite> shows much sign -of progress. As it exists to-day it is a very long book—more than -half as long as <cite>Genji</cite>. But it is not quite certain whether, of -the fourteen chapters which we now possess, any but<span class="pagenum" id="page_16"><i>{16}</i></span> the first -(called <cite>Toshikage</cite>) is really earlier than <cite>Genji</cite>. <cite>Toshikage</cite> is -the story of a man who on the way from Japan to China, regardless of -geographical probabilities, gets wrecked ‘on the coast of Persia.’ In -this country he falls in with supernatural beings from whom he obtains -thirty miraculous zitherns and the knowledge of enchanted tunes. After -a distinguished career on the Continent he returns to Japan with ten -zitherns which he distributes among the grandees of the Court, keeping -one for his small daughter, to whom alone he teaches the marvellous -Persian tunes. He and his wife die, the daughter marries unhappily and -is finally left with no possessions save the marvellous zithern and -a little son of twelve. They take refuge in a hollow tree, but soon -discover to their consternation that their new home is the den of a -bear who, returning from his day’s hunting, is about to devour them, -when the little boy makes a speech of several pages. The bear is so -much moved that, far from molesting the intruders, it puts the hollow -tree at their disposition and trots off to look for another home. -Finally the wicked husband repents, takes back the wife and child whom -he had deserted and all ends happily. The child embarks upon its career -as an infant prodigy and at the age of eighteen takes part victoriously -in a musical competition at Court.</p> - -<p>The remaining chapters deal chiefly with the rivalry of this young -musician and other courtiers for the hand of the Prime Minister’s -daughter. They possess a certain historical interest as pictures of -Court life, but are long-winded and boring to an almost unbelievable -degree. Even <cite>Toshikage</cite> (the first chapter), which, when summarized, -may sound mildly entertaining, is for the most part unendurably silly.</p> - -<p>A little later, but not very far removed in date, is the <cite>Room Below -Stairs</cite>. It is a feebly sentimental story about<span class="pagenum"><i>{17}</i></span> an ill-used -step-child, somewhat in the manner of the edifying stories told in the -<cite>Fairchild Family</cite>, but wholly lacking in the occasional felicities -which spring unexpectedly from Mrs. Sherwood’s pen. It is, however, a -short book (only about 200 pages) and that is the best that can be said -for it.</p> - -<p>In none of these works is there any ability or desire to portray -character. That is not in itself fatal to a work of fiction. The -<cite>Arabian Nights</cite> are without it, and it exists only in the most -rudimentary form in Defoe. But if this resource be neglected, something -must take its place. There must be a fertility of narrative invention -(as in Near Eastern fiction) or the building up of effect by sequences -of actual word-texture (as in Virginia Woolf). Otherwise not literature -but mere perfunctory anecdote will result, as has indeed happened in -the case of <cite>Genji’s</cite> predecessors.</p> - -<p>Now Murasaki herself has every quality which these <a id="typo_1"></a><ins title="Original has ‘earliers’.">earlier</ins> writers -lack. She exploits character, in a very restrained way, it is true, but -with an unerring instinct how to produce the greatest effect with the -least possible display. And to this she adds not only an astonishing -capacity for invention, but also a beauty of actual diction unsurpassed -by any long novel in the world. For none of these qualities was she -indebted in any way to such of her predecessors as survive. Concerning -lost works it is useless to speculate.</p> - -<p>I have said that besides the three early stories there are other -prose works which have some bearing on the history of Japanese -fiction. To begin with there are the <cite>Tales of Ise</cite>, written somewhere -about 890 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> They consist of 125 short paragraphs (often only two -or three lines) containing little poems and a description of the -circumstances under which they were written. They appear to concern the -love-adventures of a single person, but are quite<span class="pagenum"><i>{18}</i></span> disconnected. I -have translated one of the longer episodes in my <cite>Japanese Poetry</cite>. The -<cite>Yamato Tales</cite>, about half a century later, also centre round poems. -They consist of rather trivial anecdotes about courtiers of the period.</p> - -<p>We now come to the one book which, though it is not a work of fiction -and though it lacks the qualities of deliberate art which make <cite>Genji</cite> -so astonishing, at least seems to move in the same world of thought and -feeling. This is the <cite>Gossamer Diary</cite> (‘Kagerō Nikki’).</p> - -<p>The writer was mistress of the great statesman Fujiwara no Kane-iye -(929–999). By him she had a son called Michitsuna, and her name not -being recorded she is known to history as ‘Michitsuna’s mother.’ He -made her acquaintance in 954 and Michitsuna was born the year after. -But Kane-iye already had a wife, a legitimate family and numerous -mistresses. Lady Gossamer (as we will for convenience call the writer -of the <cite>Diary</cite>) could not expect undivided attention. This was a fact -that she took years to recognize, and when the diary closes (in the -twentieth year of their <i>liaison</i>!) she had indeed recognized her -position, but was still as far from accepting it as at the start.</p> - -<p>The record begins in 954, the year in which they met. ‘For twenty -days he has not been here at all.’ ‘This month he has written -only twice....’ Such entries are frequent from the beginning. Her -grievance grew and grew. It became her whole life. When he did not -come, she wept; when he came, she wept because he had not come -sooner. She was immersed in perpetual devotions; while he, like our -own eighteenth-century bucks whom in every particular he so strongly -resembled, only turned religious when he was ill. Often he found her -kneeling before an image of Buddha, lost in prayer; and one day, -suddenly infuriated by this dismal reception, he kicked<span class="pagenum"><i>{19}</i></span> over her -incense-bowl and, snatching the rosary from her hands, flung it across -the room. He loved gaiety, noise, funny stories, practical jokes. She -was shy, sensitive and, above all, terribly serious. His method of -entertaining her was to repeat with immense gusto ‘every piece of silly -clownery or tomfoolery’ that was current in the City, spiced with jokes -and puns of his own.</p> - -<p>She was incurably sentimental. Never for an instant could she recognize -that time must bring changes, and after ten years she was still -expecting him to court her with the ardour of <i>arishi toki</i>, ‘the times -that were.’</p> - -<p>One night when she is awaiting him she lights the candles. No! She will -let him find her in the dark, as in those old days when their love -was still a secret escapade. She puts the candles out and, hearing -him fumbling at the entry, cries <i>Koko ni</i>! (Here!) and stretches out -her hand as she had often done before. But to-night he is in no mood -for hide-and-seek. ‘What game is this?’ he cries angrily, ‘light the -candles at once. I cannot see my way into the room.’ Then he asks if -they can find him a snack of something to eat; he has had no supper. -He eats his fish in silence, then says that he has had a tiring day, -yawns, and falls asleep. At dawn his sons, the children of her rival, -come to fetch him, and he calls her to the window to ‘look what fine -young fellows they have grown.’</p> - -<p>His visits become more and more infrequent. She is desperately unhappy, -talks of suicide, threatens to become a nun and on more than one -occasion actually instals herself in a nunnery, but always allows -herself to be ‘rescued’ at the last minute. The second flight was to -a temple at Narutaki. Here she remained for many months in a state of -the greatest agitation; but she did not take her vows, and in the end -allowed herself to be fetched,<span class="pagenum"><i>{20}</i></span> quietly away by Kane-iye and her -son Michitsuna, now a boy in his ’teens.</p> - -<p>It was at this moment that she actually began the composition of the -<cite>Diary</cite>, the first part of which is not a day-to-day record but an -autobiographical fragment composed many years later than the events -which it records. But henceforward the book has all the character of a -diary and is indeed very minute; scarcely a shower passes unrecorded. -A new phase in the story begins with the adoption by Lady Gossamer of -a little orphan girl aged twelve, a child of her lover Kane-iye by a -woman whom years ago he had seduced and immediately abandoned. The -child grows up and is ultimately courted by the head of the office in -which Lady Gossamer’s son Michitsuna is now working. Kane-iye gives his -consent to the match; Lady Gossamer hears stories to the young man’s -discredit, foresees for her adopted daughter a life all too like her -own and opposes the plan.</p> - -<p>Here (in 974 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span>, twenty years after she first met Kane-iye) the -<cite>Diary</cite> ends abruptly.</p> - -<p>Publication in our sense of the word did not of course exist in those -days. But no doubt a few copies of the book were made for those who -were likely to be interested. Kane-iye himself, who lived on for -another twenty-five years, surely possessed one. Now it was in the -family of Kane-iye’s legitimate son Michinaga<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_1" href="#Footnote_INTRO_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> that Murasaki, the -authoress of the <cite>Tale of Genji</cite>, served as lady-in-waiting, and we -know from Murasaki’s diary that this Michinaga fell in love with her -and courted her. It is more than probable that Michinaga had inherited -a copy of the <cite>Gossamer Diary</cite> from Kane-iye and in that case it is -also very probable that he showed it to Murasaki. This much at any -rate is certain, that we find in the <cite>Gossamer Diary</cite> an anticipation -of just those characteristics which mark<span class="pagenum"><i>{21}</i></span> off <cite>Genji</cite> from other -Japanese romances,—apt delineation of character, swift narrative, vivid -description and above all the realization that a story of actual life, -such as is led by hundreds of real men and women, is not necessarily -less interesting than a tale crammed with ogres and divinities. The -following passage refers to the year 970, when Kane-iye (the lover) was -41, Michitsuna (the bastard) 15 and Lady Gossamer herself perhaps about -35.</p> - -<p>‘Every day he promises that it shall be to-morrow. And when to-morrow -comes, it is to be the day after. Of course I do not believe him; -yet each time that this happens I begin imagining that he has -repented,—that all has come right again. So day after day goes by.</p> - -<p>‘At last I am certain. He does not intend to come. I did not think that -about unhappiness I had anything fresh to learn; I confess that never -before have I endured such torture as in these last days. Hour after -hour the same wretched thoughts chase through my brain. Shall I be able -to endure it much longer? I have tried to pray; but no prayer forms -itself in my mind, save the wish that I were dead.</p> - -<p>‘But there is this lovely creature (her son Michitsuna) to think of. If -only he were a little older and I could see him married to some girl -whom I trusted, then I would indeed be glad to die. But as it is how -can I leave him to shift for himself,—to wander perhaps from house to -house? No, that is too horrible. I must not die.</p> - -<p>‘I might of course become a nun and try to forget all this. Indeed, -I did once speak of it (i.e. to Michitsuna),—quite lightly, just to -see how he would take it. He was terribly distressed and, struggling -with his tears, he told me that if I did so he would become a monk, -“For what would there be,” he said, “to keep me in the world? You are -the only thing I care for.” And at that he burst into<span class="pagenum"><i>{22}</i></span> a flood of -tears. By this time I too was weeping; but seeing him almost beside -himself with grief I tried to pass the thing off as a jest, saying -“Well, I mean to one day; and what will your highness do then?” It -happened that he had a falcon on his wrist, and jumping straight to his -feet he set it free, reciting as he did so the verse: “Desolate must -she be, and weary of strife, whose thoughts, like this swift bird, fly -heavenward at a touch.”</p> - -<p>‘At this, some of my servants who chanced to be sitting near by could -not restrain their tears; and it may be imagined with what feelings I, -in the midst of the unendurable misery and agitation with which I was -contending, heard my child utter these words.</p> - -<p>‘It was growing dark when suddenly <em>he</em> (her lover) arrived at the -house. For some reason I felt certain that he had come only to regale -me with all the empty gossip that was going round. I sent a message -that I was not well and would see him some other time.</p> - -<p>‘It is the tenth day of the seventh month. Every one is getting ready -their Ullambana<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_2" href="#Footnote_INTRO_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> presents. If, after all these years, he should fail -to send me anything for the festival I think the most hard-hearted -person in the world could not help being sorry for me! However, there -is still time.</p> - -<p>‘Last night, just when I was thinking I should have to get the -offerings for myself and was weeping bitterly, a messenger came with -just the same presents as in other years, and a letter attached! Even -the dead were not forgotten.<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_3" href="#Footnote_INTRO_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> In his letter he quoted the poem: -“Though never far away, yet wretched must I bide....” If that is indeed -how he feels, his conduct becomes more than ever<span class="pagenum"><i>{23}</i></span> inexplicable! No -allusion to the fact that he has transferred his affections to some one -else. Yet I am certain it is so.</p> - -<p>‘It suddenly occurs to me that there is a certain gentlewoman in the -household of that Prince Ono no Miya<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_4" href="#Footnote_INTRO_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> who died the other day. I -believe that it is she whom my lord is courting. She is called Ōmi, -and I heard some one whispering not long ago that this Ōmi was having -an adventure of some kind. He does not want her to know that he comes -here. That is why he decided to break with me beforehand. I said this -to one of my maids; but she doubted if there were anything in it. “O -well, it may be so,” she said, “but in any case this Ōmi is not the -sort of person to ask many questions....”</p> - -<p>‘I have got another idea. I think it is one of the daughters of the -late Emperor. But what difference does it make? In any case, as every -one tells me, it is no use just sitting and watching him slip away from -me as one might watch the light fade out of the evening sky. “Go away, -pay a visit somewhere or other,” they say to me. I have thought about -nothing else day or night but this hideous business. The weather is -very hot. But it is no use going on talking about what I am going to -do. This time my mind is made up. I am going to Ishiyama for ten days.</p> - -<p>‘I decided to tell no one, not even my brothers, and stole from the -house very secretly, just before dawn. Once outside, I began to run as -fast as I could. I had almost reached the Kamo River when some of my -women came rushing after me laden with all sorts of stuff. How they -discovered that I had fled and that this was the direction I had taken, -I still do not know. The setting moon was shining very brightly and -we might easily have been recognized; but we met no one. When we came -to the<span class="pagenum"><i>{24}</i></span> river some one told me there was a dead man lying face -downwards on the shingle. I did not feel afraid.</p> - -<p>‘By the time we reached the Awada Hill I began to be very exhausted and -was obliged to rest. I had still not decided what I should do when I -arrived,<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_5" href="#Footnote_INTRO_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> and in the agony of trying to make up my mind I burst into -tears. I could not risk being seen in such a state and staggering to my -feet I set out once more, just able to drag myself along a step or two -at a time.</p> - -<p>‘By the time we reached Yamashina it was quite light. I felt like a -criminal whose guilt has suddenly been exposed and became so agitated -that I scarcely knew what I was doing. My women had now fallen behind. -I waited for them and made them go in front, myself walking alone so -that we might attract as little attention as possible. Yet the people I -met stared at me curiously and whispered excitedly. I was terrified.</p> - -<p>‘Scarcely able to draw breath I at last reached Hashiri-i. Here they -said it was time for breakfast, and having opened the picnic baskets -they were just arranging the mats and getting things ready when we -heard people coming towards us shouting at the top of their voices. -What was I to do? Who could it be? I could only suppose that they -were friends of one or another of the maids who were with me. “Could -anything more tiresome have happened?” I was just thinking, when I saw -that the people were on horseback and formed part of a large travelling -party, consisting of numerous riders and a number of waggons and -coaches. It was in fact the retired governor of Wakasa coming back from -his province. Soon they began to pass the place where we were sitting. -Fortunate travellers! Among them are many who from to-day onwards will -kneel in my Lord’s presence noon and night. This thought cut<span class="pagenum" id="page_25"><i>{25}</i></span> -through my heart like a knife. It seemed to me that the drivers took -the waggons as close as they could to where we had spread our mats. -While they were passing us, not only the servants who were at the back -of the coaches but even the drivers and grooms behaved disgracefully, -making such remarks as I had never heard before. My ladies showed great -spirit, hastily moving our belongings as far from the roadside as they -could and calling out: “This is a public highway, isn’t it? We have -just as good a right to be here as you!” What an odious scene to be -mixed up with! As soon as they were well out of sight we pressed on -again, and were soon passing through the Ōsaka gate. I reached the quay -at Uchide<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_6" href="#Footnote_INTRO_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> more dead than alive. My people whom I had sent on ahead -had gathered long bulrushes and built for me a kind of shelter or cabin -on the deck. I crept on board and lay down, scarcely noticing whether -we had the boat to ourselves or not. Soon we were far out upon the -lake. During the voyage, as we drew further and further from the City, -I felt a loneliness, an anguish, an utter helplessness impossible to -describe. It was well after the Hour of the Monkey (i.e. about 5 p.m.) -that we reached the temple.</p> - -<p>‘As soon as I had taken a bath, I went and lay down. Again I began -trying to make up my mind what I should do, and for several hours I lay -tossing from side to side, unable to get any rest. At dusk I washed -again and went into the Chapel.</p> - -<p>‘I began trying to make my confession to Buddha; but tears choked me -and my voice fell to a whisper. It was now quite dark. I went to the -window and looked out. The Chapel stood high, and below it was what -seemed like a precipitous ravine; it lay in a cup or hollow and the -<span class="pagenum"><i>{26}</i></span> steep banks on either side were overgrown with tall trees, so -that the place was very closed-in and dark. The moon was some twenty -days old and having risen late in the night was now shining with -extraordinary brilliance. Here and there the moonlight pierced through -the trees, making sudden patches of brightness; there was one such just -at the foot of the cliff. Looking straight below me I could see what -appeared to be a vast lake, but was indeed only a small drinking-pool. -I went on to a balcony and leant over the railing. Among the grass on -the steep bank far below me I could see something white appearing and -disappearing, and at the same time there was a curious, rustling sound. -I asked what it was and was told that these were deer. I was wondering -why I had not heard them cry as one generally does, when suddenly from -the direction of quite a different valley there came a faint weak sound -like the wailing of a new-born child. Surely it must be a young doe -crying a great way off? At first I thought that I was imagining the -sound; but presently it became unmistakable.</p> - -<p>‘I was lost in prayer and knew nothing of what was going on around -me, when a hideous yelling, seeming to come from the far side of the -hills at which I had been looking, broke in upon my prayers. It was -a peasant chasing some one off his land. Never have I heard a voice -more pitiless, more ferocious. If such sounds as that proved to be -common happenings in this place, I knew that I should not hold out very -long and, utterly shattered, I sat for a while trying to recover my -composure. At last I heard a sound of chanting in the temple; the monks -had begun to sing the <i>goya</i>,<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_7" href="#Footnote_INTRO_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> and I left the chapel. Feeling very -weak, I again took a bath. It was beginning to grow light, and looking -about me I saw that a heavy night-mist was<span class="pagenum"><i>{27}</i></span> rolling away to the -West, blown by a light, steady wind. The view beyond the river looked -as though painted in a picture. Near the water horses were quietly -grazing; they looked strangely small and far away. It was very lovely.</p> - -<p>‘If only my beloved child were in safe hands I would give everything up -and arrange to end my days here. But the moment I think of him I long -to be back in the City and become very depressed.</p> - -<p>‘He will be coming with the other boys on the excursion to Sakura-dani, -which is not far from here. If he were to come, I could not bear to -hear that he had passed so close.... I do not want to go back; but I -think if any one fetched me I should consent to go. But should I? I -worry about this all the time and cannot bring myself to eat anything.</p> - -<p>‘They came and told me they had been for a walk behind the monastery -and found some meadow-sweet growing near a pond. I asked them to bring -me some, which they did, and put the flowers in a bowl along with some -lemons on stripped stems. It really looked very pretty.</p> - -<p>‘When it was dark I went back to the chapel and spent the night in -confession and prayer, weeping bitterly the whole while. Towards -daybreak I dozed for a moment and dreamt that I saw one of the monks -(the one who seems to act as a sort of steward here) fill a bucket -of water and put it on the seat on my right. I woke up with a start -and knew at once that the dream had been sent to me by Buddha. It was -certainly not of a kind to bring much encouragement.<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_8" href="#Footnote_INTRO_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> Presently some -one said that it was now broad daylight, and breaking off my prayers I -came down from the chapel. I found, however, that it<span class="pagenum"><i>{28}</i></span> was really -still quite dark. Only across the surface of the lake a whiteness was -creeping, against which were dimly outlined the figures of some twenty -men clustered together on the shore. They seemed all to be gazing -intently at something that was hidden from me by the shadow of the -cliff. But though I could see nothing I knew that from the dark place -would presently issue the boat for which they were waiting. A priest, -who had just come from the early morning service, was standing on the -cliff watching the boat put out from the shore, and as it drew further -and further away from him, it seemed to me that he gazed after it -almost wistfully. Should I too, if I had been here as many years, grow -weary of the place and long for escape? It may be so. “This time next -year!” the young men on the boat shouted; and by the time the priest -had called “goodbye” they were already mere shadows in the distance. -I looked up at the sky. The moon was very slim. Its narrow bow was -reflected in the lake. A rainy wind was now blowing and presently the -whole surface of the water became covered with glittering ripples. The -young men on the boat had begun to sing, and though their voices were -faint I could hear what song they were singing. It was “Haggard has -grown the face ...” and the sound of it brought back the tears to my -eyes.</p> - -<p>‘Ikaga Point, Yamabuki Point,—promontory after promontory was now -emerging from the darkness. And as my eye travelled along the shore I -suddenly saw something moving through the reeds. Before I could see -clearly what it was I began to hear the noise of oars, then the low -humming of a rowers’ song. A boat was drawing near. Some one standing -further down the shore called out as it passed “Where are you making -for?” “For the temple,” a voice from the boat answered, “to fetch the -lady....”</p> - -<p>‘How my heart beat when I heard those words! It<span class="pagenum"><i>{29}</i></span> seems that despite -all my precautions he<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_9" href="#Footnote_INTRO_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> caught wind of my plan, and sent some servants -to escort me; but by then I suppose I had already started. They were -at first wrongly directed; hence the delay. The boat pulled inshore, -room was made for us, and soon we were on our homeward way, the oarsmen -singing lustily. As we passed along the side of Seta Bridge it began to -grow quite light. A covey of sand-plovers, with much frilling of wings, -flew right across us; and indeed, before we reached the quay where two -days ago I had taken boat, we had seen many lovely and moving sights. A -carriage was waiting for me at the quay and I was back in the City soon -after the hour of the Snake (10 a.m.). No sooner did I reach home than -my women gathered round me full of lurid stories about all that had -been going on in the world since my departure. It is really very odd -that they should still think such things have any interest for me; and -so I told them.’</p> - -<p>In the <cite>Izumi Shikibu Nikki</cite>, the record of a love-affair which took -place in 1003–1004, we find the romantic diary already becoming a -rather effete and self-conscious <i>genre</i>. This little book (some -forty pages) is utterly lacking in the intensity and directness of -Lady Gossamer’s journal; it has been translated into English<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_10" href="#Footnote_INTRO_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> -and the environment of the story is so new to European readers that -its weakness as literature tends to be condoned. Another work which -preceded <cite>Genji</cite> by a few years was the <cite>Makura no Sōshi</cite> or ‘Pillow -Sketches’ of Sei Shōnagon. This is a spirited commonplace-book, but it -contains no connected narrative and therefore does not here concern us. -The greater part of it was translated by the late Abbé Noël Péri, and -no doubt his translation will one day be published.</p> - -<p> -<span class="pagenum" id="page_30"><i>{30}</i></span></p> - -<h3>The Art of Murasaki</h3> - -<p>Most critics have agreed that the book is a remarkable one and that -Murasaki is a writer of considerable talent; but few have dealt with -the points that seem to me fundamental. No one has discussed, in -anything but the most shadowy way, the all-important question of how -she has turned to account the particular elements in story-telling -which she has chosen to exploit. The work, it is true, is a -translation, and this fact prevents discussion of Murasaki as a poet, -as an actual handler of words. But it has for long been customary to -criticize Russian novels as though Mrs. Garnett’s translation were the -original; nor is there any harm in doing so, provided actual questions -of style are set aside.</p> - -<p>One reviewer did indeed analyse the nature of Murasaki’s achievement to -the extent of classifying her as ‘psychological’ and in this respect he -even went so far as to class her with Marcel Proust. Now it is clear -that, if we contrast <cite>Genji</cite> with such fiction as does not exploit the -ramifications of the human mind at all (the <cite>Arabian Nights</cite> or <cite>Mother -Goose</cite>), it appears to be ‘psychological.’ But if we go on to compare -it with Stendhal, with Tolstoy, with Proust, the <cite>Tale of Genji</cite> -appears by contrast to possess little more psychological complication -than a Grimm’s fairy tale.</p> - -<p>Yet it does for a very definite reason belong more to the category -which includes Proust, than to the category which includes Grimm. -Murasaki, like the novelist of to-day, is not principally interested -in the events of the story, but rather in the effect which these -events may have upon the minds of her characters. Such books as hers -it is convenient, I think, to call ‘novels,’ while reserving for other -works of fiction the name ‘story’<span class="pagenum"><i>{31}</i></span> or ‘romance.’ She is ‘modern’ -again owing to the accident that medieval Buddhism possessed certain -psychological conceptions which happen to be current in Europe to-day. -The idea that human personality is built up of different layers -which may act in conflict, that an emotion may exist in the fullest -intensity and yet be unperceived by the person in whom it is at -work—such conceptions were commonplaces in ancient Japan. They give to -Murasaki’s work a certain rather fallacious air of modernity. But it is -not psychological elements such as these that Murasaki is principally -exploiting. She is, I think, obtaining her effects by means which -are so unfamiliar to European readers (though they have, in varying -degrees, often been exploited in the West) that while they work as they -were intended to do and produce aesthetic pleasure, the reader is quite -unconscious how this pleasure arose.</p> - -<p>What then are the essential characteristics of Murasaki’s art? -Foremost, I think, is the way in which she handles the whole course -of narrative as a series of contrasted effects. Examine the relation -of Chapter VIII (<cite>The Feast of the Flowers</cite>) to its environment. The -effect of these subtly-chosen successions is more like that of music -(of the movements, say, in a Mozart symphony) than anything that we -are familiar with in European fiction. True, at the time when the -criticisms to which I refer were made only one volume of the work had -been translated; but the quality which I have mentioned is, I should -have supposed, abundantly illustrated in the first chapters. That to -one critic the <cite>Tale of Genji</cite> should have appeared to be memoirs—a -realistic record of accidental happenings rather than a novel—is to me -utterly incomprehensible. But the first painted makimonos that were -brought to Europe created the same impression. They were regarded -merely as a<span class="pagenum"><i>{32}</i></span> succession of topographical records, joined together -more or less fortuitously; and Murasaki’s art obviously has a close -analogy with that of the makimono. Then there is her feeling for shape -and tempo. She knows that, not only in the work as a whole, but in -each part of it there is a beginning, a middle and an end, and that -each of these divisions has its own character, its appropriate pace -and intensity. It is inconceivable, for example, that she should open -a book or episode with a highly-coloured and elaborate passage of -lyrical description, calculated to crush under its weight all that -follows. Another point in which she excels is the actual putting of -her characters on to the scene. First their existence is hinted at, -our curiosity is aroused, we are given a glimpse; and only after much -manoeuvring is the complete entry made. The modern novelist tends to -fling his characters on to the canvas without tact or precaution of any -kind. That credence, attention even, may be a hard thing to win does -not occur to him, for he is corrupted by a race of readers who come to -a novel seeking the pleasures of instruction rather than those of art; -readers who will forgive every species of clumsiness provided they are -shown some stratum of life with which they were not previously familiar.</p> - -<p>How finally does Murasaki achieve the extraordinary reality, the -almost ‘historical’ character with which she succeeds in investing her -scenes? Many readers have agreed with me in feeling that such episodes -as the death of Yūgao, the clash of the coaches at the Kamo festival, -the visit of Genji to the mountains, the death of Aoi, become, after -one reading, a permanent accession to the world as one knows it, -are things which have ‘happened’ as much as the most vivid piece of -personal experience. This sense of reality with which she invests her -narrative is not the result of realism in any ordinary sense. It is -<span class="pagenum"><i>{33}</i></span> not the outcome of those clever pieces of small observation by -which the modern novelist strives to attain the same effect. Still -less is it due to solid character building; for Murasaki’s characters -are mere embodiments of some dominant characteristic; Genji’s father -is easy-going; Aoi, proud; Murasaki, long-suffering; Oborozukiyo, -light-headed. This sense of reality is due rather, I think, to a -narrative gift of a kind that is absolutely extinct in Europe. To -analyse such a gift would require pages of quotation. What does it -in the last resort consist in, save a preeminent capacity for saying -the most relevant things in the most effective order? Yet, simple as -this sounds, I believe that in it rests, unperceived by the eye of -the Western critic, more than half the secret of Murasaki’s art. Her -construction is in fact classical; elegance, symmetry, restraint—these -are the qualities which she can set in the scales against the -interesting irregularities of European fiction. That such qualities -should not be easily recognized in the West is but natural; for here -the novel has always been Gothic through and through.</p> - - - -<p> -<span class="pagenum" id="page_35"><i>{35}</i></span></p> - -<h3 class="center">NOTE ON THE TEXT</h3> - -<p class="smcap noi mt2">The Medieval Manuscripts</p> - -<p>In the Middle Ages (from the thirteenth to the seventeenth centuries) -the MSS. of <cite>Genji</cite> were divided into two groups, (1) Those which were -founded on the copy made for Fujiwara no Sadaiye about the middle of -the thirteenth century. His was known as the Blue Cover Copy and is the -basis of all printed editions<a id="FNanchor_INTRO_11" href="#Footnote_INTRO_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> down to the present day. (2) Those -which were founded on the copy made for Minamoto no Mitsuyuki early in -the thirteenth century. His was known as the Kōchi Copy, owing to the -fact that he was Governor of Kōchi. At first the more popular of the -two, it was afterwards almost entirely disregarded.</p> - -<p class="smcap noi mt2">Existing Manuscripts</p> - -<p>The earliest existing <cite>Genji</cite> manuscript is a series of rolls -illustrating some of the later chapters of the <i>Tale</i>. They are -attributed to Tosa no Takayoshi (early twelfth century). Then comes a -manuscript of Chapter xxiv (<cite>The Tide-Gauge</cite>), which is supposed to -be in the handwriting of Fujiwara no Sadaiye and therefore to date -from the first half of the thirteenth century. The earliest complete -manuscript is the Hirase Copy, which is in private possession at Ōsaka. -It was made during the years 1309–1311 and<span class="pagenum"><i>{36}</i></span> is founded principally -on the Kōchi Copy. It has thus a quite different pedigree from the -currently printed text. I know it only from facsimiles of Chapters i -and xxxi kindly presented to me by Professor Naitō, on whose researches -the above information is largely based. My translation is based chiefly -on the Hakubunkwan edition of 1914; but numerous other editions have -been consulted.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_1" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - 966–1027 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_2" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - Festival on the 15th day of the 7th month. The presents given are -to be used as offerings to Buddha. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_3" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - I.e. specially her mother. The festival was on behalf of the souls -of dead parents and ancestors. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_4" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - An uncle of Kane-iye’s. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_5" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - Whether she should stay permanently in the monastery. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_6" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - The modern Ōtsu, now reached from Kyōto (her starting-point) by -tramway in half an hour. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_7" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - The late night service. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_8" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - It foreboded ill to Kane-iye, who was at that time Marshal of the -bodyguard of the <em>Right</em>. Water typifies weakness and death. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_9" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - Kane-iye. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_10" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - <cite>Diaries of Court Ladies</cite>, 1920. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_INTRO_11" href="#FNanchor_INTRO_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - The earliest printed edition known to me is that of 1650, of which -there is a copy in the British Museum. I imagine this to be the <i>editio -princeps</i>. -</div> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_39"><i>{39}</i></span></p> -<p class="center larger175">THE SACRED TREE</p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="larger">THE SACRED TREE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">AS the time for her daughter’s departure came near, Lady Rokujō -fell into utter despair. It had at first been generally supposed -that the death of the lady at the Great Hall would put an end -to all her troubles and the attendants who waited upon her at -the Palace-in-the-Fields were agog with excitement. But their -expectations remained unfulfilled. Not a word came from Genji, and -this unprecedented treatment on his part finally convinced her that -something<a id="FNanchor_X_1" href="#Footnote_X_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> had indeed happened which it was impossible for him to -forgive. She strove to cast out all thought of him from her heart so -that when the time came she might set out upon her journey without -misgiving or regret. For a parent to accompany her daughter on such -an occasion was in the highest degree unusual; but in this case the -Virgin’s extreme youth was a convenient excuse, and Rokujō put it -about that as the child still needed surveillance she had decided to -quit the temporal world in her daughter’s company. Even after all that -had happened the prospect of parting with her forever was extremely -painful to Genji, and as the day drew near he again began to send her -letters full of tenderness and solicitude. But he did not propose a -meeting, and she<span class="pagenum"><i>{40}</i></span> herself had by now given up all hope that there -could be any question of such a thing. She was certain that (for all -his politeness) what had happened must in reality have made her utterly -odious to him, and she was determined not to plunge herself, all to no -purpose, into a fresh period of conflict and agitation. From time to -time she made short visits to her palace, but so secretly that Genji -did not hear of it. The Palace-in-the-Fields was not a place where -he could see her without inconvenient restrictions and formalities. -He fully intended to see her, but put off the visit from day to day -till at last months had elapsed since she left the city. Then the -ex-Emperor’s health began to decline. He had no definitely serious or -alarming symptoms, but constantly complained of feeling that there was -something wrong with him. Genji’s thoughts were therefore a great deal -occupied with his father’s condition; but he did not want Rokujō to -leave with the impression that he had lost all feeling for her, nor did -he wish those who knew of their friendship to think that he had treated -her heartlessly, and despite all difficulties he set out one day for -the Palace-in-the-Fields. It was the seventh of the ninth month and -the departure of the Virgin for Ise was bound to take place within the -next few days. It may be imagined that Rokujō and her maids were in no -condition to receive visits, but he wrote again and again begging her -to see him even if it were only at the moment of her departure, and at -last, despite the fluster into which her whole household was plunged, -and feeling all the while that she was acting very imprudently, she -could no longer fight against her longing once more to see him and -sent word secretly that, if he came, she would contrive to speak to -him for a moment from behind her screen-of-state. As he made his -way through the open country that stretched out endlessly on every -side, his heart was strangely stirred.<span class="pagenum"><i>{41}</i></span> The autumn flowers were -fading; along the reeds by the river the shrill voices of many insects -blended with the mournful fluting of the wind in the pines. Scarcely -distinguishable from these somewhere in the distance rose and fell a -faint, enticing sound of human music. He had with him only a handful -of outriders, and his attendants were by his orders dressed so as to -attract as little notice as possible. They noted that this lack of show -contrasted strangely with the elaborate pains which their master had -bestowed upon his own equipment, and as they looked with admiration -at the fine figure he cut, the more romantically disposed among them -were thrilled at the thought that it had befallen them to accompany -him upon a journey, every circumstance of which was calculated to -stir to the depth such sensitive hearts as theirs. So delighted was -Genji with the scene before him that he continually asked himself why -it was that he had deferred this visit for so long; and he regretted -that while Rokujō was at the Palace-in-the-Fields he had not made a -constant practice of visiting her. They came at last to a group of very -temporary-looking wooden huts surrounded by a flimsy brushwood fence. -The archways,<a id="FNanchor_X_2" href="#Footnote_X_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> built of unstripped wood, stood out black and solemn -against the sky. Within the enclosure a number of priests were walking -up and down with a preoccupied air. There was something portentous -in their manner of addressing one another and in their way of loudly -clearing their throats before they spoke. In the Hill of Offering there -was a dim flicker of firelight, but elsewhere no single sign of life. -So this was the place where he had left one who was from the start in -great distress of mind, to shift for herself week after week, month -after month! Suddenly he realized with a terrible force all that she -must have suffered. He hurried<span class="pagenum"><i>{42}</i></span> to the place where she had told him -he would find her (a room in the northern outbuilding) and sent in a -long message contrasting his present quiet and serious existence with -his now discarded frivolities. She in return replied with a message, -but did not suggest that they should meet. This angered him. ‘You do -not seem to realize,’ he said, ‘that such excursions as this are now -no part of my ordinary existence and can only be arranged with the -greatest difficulty. I had hoped that instead of keeping me beyond -the pale, you would hasten to relieve all the anxiety that I have had -concerning you in the long months since we met.’ To this appeal were -added the protests of her waiting-ladies who were scandalized at the -idea of Prince Genji being left waiting outside the house. At first -she pleaded the impossibility of receiving a guest in surroundings so -cramped and wretched, her duty towards her daughter at this critical -hour, the undesirability of such an interview just on the eve of her -permanent departure. But though the prospect of facing him filled -her with unspeakable depression, she had not the heart to treat him -unkindly, and at last, looking very grave, with sighs and hesitation -at every step she came forward to meet him. ‘I presume that here one -is allowed no further than the verandah,’ he said, and mounting the -narrow bamboo platform that surrounded the building he took his seat -there. An evening moon had risen and as she saw him moving in its -gentle light she knew that all this while she had not been wrong; he -was indeed more lovely, more enticing than anyone in the world beside. -He began trying to explain why it was that for so many months on end -he had not been able to visit her; but he soon got into a tangle, -and feeling suddenly embarrassed he plucked a spray from the Sacred -Tree<a id="FNanchor_X_3" href="#Footnote_X_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> which grew outside<span class="pagenum"><i>{43}</i></span> her room and handing it to her through -her blinds-of-state he said: ‘Take this evergreen bough in token that -my love can never change. Were it not so, why should I have set foot -within the boundaries of this hallowed plot? You use me very ill.’ -But she answered with the verse ‘Thought you perchance that the Holy -Tree from whose boughs you plucked a spray was as “the cedar by the -gate”?’<a id="FNanchor_X_4" href="#Footnote_X_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> To this he replied: ‘Well knew I what priestess dwelt in -this shrine, and for her sake came to pluck this offering of fragrant -leaves.’</p> - -<p>Though the position was not likely to be a very comfortable one, he now -thrust his head under the reed blinds and sat with his legs dangling -over the wooden framework of the bamboo platform. During all the years -when he could see her as often and as intimately as he chose and she on -her side withheld nothing from him, he had gone on serenely assuming -that it would be always so, and never once in all that time had he -felt so deeply moved as at this moment. Suddenly he realized with -astonishment that though after that unhappy incident he had imagined -it to be impossible for them to meet and had so avoided all risk of -his former affection being roused to new life, yet from the first -moment of this strange confrontation he had immediately found himself -feeling towards her precisely as he had before their estrangement. -Violently agitated he began to cast his mind rapidly over the long -years of their friendship. Now all this was over. It was too horrible. -He burst into tears. She had determined not to let him see what she -was suffering, but now she could restrain herself no longer and he was -soon passionately entreating her not to go down to Ise after all. The -moon had set, but the<span class="pagenum"><i>{44}</i></span> starlit sky was calm and lovely. Pausing -often to gaze up into the night he began at last to speak to her of -what had lain so heavily on his heart. But no sooner was it openly -mentioned between them than all the pent-up bitterness of so many weeks -was suddenly released and vanished utterly away. Little by little, in -preparation for her final departure, she had at last accustomed herself -to think of him almost with indifference. Now in a moment all this was -undone, and when she heard Genji himself entreating her to abandon the -journey her heart beat violently, and the wildest thoughts agitated -her brain. The garden which surrounded her apartments was laid out in -so enchanting a manner that the troops of young courtiers who in the -early days of the retreat had sought in vain to press their attentions -upon her, used, even when she had sent them about their business, to -linger there regretfully; and on this marvellous night the place seemed -consciously to be deploying all its charm. In the hours which followed, -no secret was withheld on her side or on his; but what passed between -them I shall not attempt to tell.</p> - -<p>At last the night ended in such a dawn as seemed to have been fashioned -for their especial delight. ‘Sad is any parting at the red of dawn; but -never since the world began, gleamed day so tragically in the autumn -sky,’ and as he recited these verses, aghast to leave her, he stood -hesitating and laid her hand tenderly in his.</p> - -<p>A cold wind was blowing. The pine-crickets in neighbouring trees were -whispering in harsh despairing tones, as though they knew well enough -what was toward. Their dismal voices would have struck a chill to the -heart of any casual passer-by, and it may well be imagined what cheer -they gave to lovers already at the height of distraction and anguish. -She recited the verse ‘Sad enough<span class="pagenum"><i>{45}</i></span> already is this autumn parting; -add not your dismal song, O pine-crickets of the moor.’ He knew that -it was his neglect that had forced this parting upon them. But now it -was too late to make amends. Full of useless regrets, while the grey -light of morning spread over the sky, he journeyed back disconsolately -to the town, through meadows deep in dew. As she watched him go she -could no longer restrain herself, and at the thought that she had lost -him forever broke into a fit of reckless weeping. Her gentlewomen, -who on the evening before caught a fleeting glimpse of him in the -moonlight, enjoyed next morning the excitement of detecting in their -mistress’s room a lingering fragrance of the princely scent which he -had carried.<a id="FNanchor_X_5" href="#Footnote_X_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> It may well be imagined that they at any rate were far -from condemning the crime to which she had been accessory. ‘It would -have to be a marvellous journey indeed that I was going to take, before -I could bring myself to part from such a one as this young prince!’ So -one of the ladies exclaimed; and at the thought that they had seen him -for the last time all were on the verge of tears.</p> - -<p>His letter, which arrived during the day, was so full and affectionate -that had it been within her power she might have attempted to alter -her plans. But matters had gone too far for that and it was useless to -think of it. Nor were his feelings towards her (she was convinced) of -a sort to warrant such a step. Much of what he had said was inspired -simply by pity for her. But the mere fact that he took the trouble to -say such things—that he thought it worth while to comfort her—showed -that he still retained something of his old feeling, and the thought -that even upon such remnants of affection as this she must now soon -turn her back forever, filled her mind with the most painful longings -and regrets. He sent her many costumes and all<span class="pagenum"><i>{46}</i></span> else of which she -could possibly have need upon the journey, with suitable presents to -all her ladies. But to these handsome and costly gifts she gave hardly -a thought. Indeed as the hour of her departure drew near she sank into -a state of utter collapse. It was as though she had never till that -moment fully realized the desolation and misery into which an intrigue, -undertaken originally in a reckless and frivolous spirit, had at last -plunged her. Meanwhile the Virgin, who had to the last been far from -certain that her mother really meant to accompany her, was delighted -that all was now fixed beyond power of recall. The unusual decision -of the mother to accompany her daughter was much discussed in the -world at large. Some scented a scandal; a few were touched by so rare -an exhibition of family attachment. It is indeed in many ways more -comfortable to belong to that section of society whose actions are -not publicly canvassed and discussed. A lady in Rokujō’s conspicuous -position finds her every movement subjected to an embarrassing scrutiny.</p> - -<p>On the sixteenth day of the seventh month the Virgin was purified in -the Katsura River. The ceremony was performed with more than ordinary -splendour, and her escort for the journey to Ise was chosen not -from among the Chamberlains and Counsellors, but from noblemen of -the highest rank and reputation. This was done in compliment to the -old ex-Emperor who showed a particular interest in the Virgin, his -favourite brother’s child. At the moment of her departure from the -Palace-in-the-Fields Rokujō was handed a letter. It was from Genji -and was couched in all those tender terms that had once been current -between them. Remembering the sacred errand upon which she was bound -he tied the letter to a streamer of white bark-cloth.<a id="FNanchor_X_6" href="#Footnote_X_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> ‘Such love as -ours,’ he wrote, ‘not<span class="pagenum"><i>{47}</i></span> even the God of Thunder whose footsteps shake the -fields of Heaven ...’<a id="FNanchor_X_7" href="#Footnote_X_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> and added the verse: ‘O all ye Gods of the -Kingdom, Rulers of the Many Isles, to your judgment will I hearken; -must needs this parting sever a love insatiable as ours?’<a id="FNanchor_X_8" href="#Footnote_X_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> Though -the letter arrived just when the procession was forming and all was -bustle and confusion, an answer came. It was not from Rokujō but from -the Virgin herself, and had been dictated by her to her aunt who was -acting as Lady Intendant: ‘Call not upon the Gods of Heaven to sit in -judgment upon this case, lest first they charge you with fickleness and -pitiless deceit.’ He longed to witness the presentation of the Virgin -and her mother at the Palace,<a id="FNanchor_X_9" href="#Footnote_X_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> but he had a feeling that since it was -to avoid him that Rokujō was leaving the City, it would be embarrassing -for both of them if he took part in the ceremonies of farewell, and -overcoming his desire to see her once more, he stayed in his own -palace sunk in idle thoughts. The reply of the Virgin showed a quite -astonishing precocity, and he smiled as he read it through again. The -girl had begun to interest him. No doubt she was precocious in charm -as well as intelligence, and since it was his foible invariably to set -his heart upon possessing, even at the cost of endless difficulties, -whatever custom and circumstance seemed to have placed beyond his -utmost reach, he now began thinking what a misfortune it was that he -had in earlier days never once availed himself of his position in the -house to make her acquaintance, which would indeed at any time have -been perfectly easy. But after all, life is full of uncertainties; -perhaps one day<span class="pagenum"><i>{48}</i></span> some unforeseen circumstance would bring her into his -life once more.</p> - -<p>The fame of Lady Rokujō brought many spectators to view the procession -and the streets were thronged with coaches. The Palace Gates were -entered at the hour of the monkey.<a id="FNanchor_X_10" href="#Footnote_X_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> Lady Rokujō, sitting in the -sacred palanquin by her daughter’s side, remembered how her father, -the late Minister of State, had brought her years ago to these same -gates, fondly imagining that he would make her the greatest lady in -the land.<a id="FNanchor_X_11" href="#Footnote_X_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> Thus to revisit the Palace now that so many changes had -come both to her life and to the Court, filled her with immeasurable -depression. At sixteen she had been married, at twenty she had been -left a widow and now at thirty again she had set foot within the -Ninefold Palisade. She murmured to herself the lines: ‘Though on this -sacred day ’twere profanation to recall a time gone by, yet in my -inmost heart a tinge of sadness lurks.’</p> - -<p>The Virgin was now fourteen. She was extremely handsome and her -appearance at the presentation-ceremony, decked in the full robes of -her office, made a profound impression. The Emperor, when he came to -setting the Comb of Parting in her hair, was deeply moved and it was -observed that he shed tears.</p> - -<p>Outside the Hall of the Eight Departments a number of gala-coaches -were drawn up to witness the departure of the Virgin from the Palace. -The windows of those coaches were hung with an exquisitely contrived -display of coloured scarves and cloaks, and among the courtiers who -were to go down to Ise there were many who thought with an especial -pang of one who in his honour had added some gay touch of her own to -the magnificence of this unprecedented show. It was already dark when -the procession<span class="pagenum"><i>{49}</i></span> left the Palace. When after traversing the Second -Wood they turned into the Dōi Highway the travellers passed close by -Genji’s palace. Deeply moved, he sent the following poem tied to a -spray of the Holy Tree—‘Though to-day you cast me off and lightly set -upon your way, yet surely when at last you ferry the Eighty Rapids of -Suzuka Stream<a id="FNanchor_X_12" href="#Footnote_X_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> your sleeve will not be dry.’ When this message was -brought to her it was already quite dark. This and the noisy bustle -of her journey prevented her from answering till the next day. When -her reply came it was sent back from beyond the Barrier: ‘Whether at -the Eighty Rapids of Suzuka Stream my sleeve be wet or no, all men -will have forgotten me long ere I come to Ise’s Land.’ It was hastily -written, yet with all the grace and distinction that habitually marked -her hand; but his pleasure in it was marred by the strange bitterness -of her tone. A heavy mist had risen, and gazing at the dimly-veiled -semblances that were belatedly unfolding in the dawn he whispered to -himself the lines: ‘O mist, I long to follow with my eyes the road that -she passed; hide not from me in these autumn days the slopes of Meeting -Hill.’<a id="FNanchor_X_13" href="#Footnote_X_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> That night he did not go to the western wing,<a id="FNanchor_X_14" href="#Footnote_X_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> but lay -sleepless till dawn, brooding disconsolately upon a turn of affairs for -which, as he well knew, he alone was responsible. What <em>she</em> suffered, -as day by day she travelled on through unknown lands, may well be -guessed.</p> - -<p>By the tenth month the ex-Emperor’s condition had become very grave -indeed. Throughout the country much concern was felt. The young Emperor -was in great distress and hastened to pay him a visit-of-state. Weak -though he was the sick man first gave minute instructions as to the -<span class="pagenum"><i>{50}</i></span> upbringing of the Heir Apparent and then passed on to a discussion -of Genji’s future. ‘I desire you,’ he said, ‘still to look upon him -as your guardian and to seek his advice in all matters, whether small -or great; as indeed I have accustomed you to do during my lifetime. -In the handling of public business he shows a competence beyond his -years. There is no doubt that his natural vocation is to administer the -affairs of a people rather than to lead the secluded life of a Royal -Prince, and when I attached him to a clan devoid of Royal Blood it was -that he might the better keep watch for us over the public affairs -of our kingdom. I therefore entreat you never to act contrary to his -advice.’ He gave many other parting instructions to his successor, but -such matters are not for a woman’s pen and I feel I must apologize for -having said even so much as this.</p> - -<p>The young Emperor, deeply moved, repeatedly signified that he would -obey all these instructions in every particular. It gave his father -great comfort and pleasure to note that he was already growing up into -a fine handsome young fellow. But after a short while Court affairs -necessitated the Emperor’s immediate presence, and his father, who -longed to keep him by his side, was in the end more distressed than -comforted by this brief visit. The Heir Apparent was to have come at -the same time as the Emperor; but it was thought that this arrangement -would be too tiring and the little boy<a id="FNanchor_X_15" href="#Footnote_X_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> was brought on another day. -He was big for his age and very pretty. The old man looked fondly at -him and the child, unconscious of the purpose for which he had been -summoned, stood watching him with laughter in his face. Fujitsubo, who -sat near by, was weeping bitterly; and, suddenly catching sight of her, -the ex-Emperor<span class="pagenum"><i>{51}</i></span> for a while lost his composure. To this little -prince also he gave a variety of instructions; but it was evident that -he was too young to understand what was being said, and remembering -the uncertainties of his future the ex-Emperor gazed at the child -with pity and distress. In his final instructions to Genji concerning -the management of public affairs he recurred again and again to the -question of the Heir Apparent and the importance of giving him due -protection and advice. It was now late at night and the Heir Apparent -was taken off to bed. A vast number of Courtiers followed in his -train, so that his visit created almost as much bustle and confusion -as that of the Emperor himself. But this visit had seemed to the sick -man only too short and it was with great distress that he watched the -procession depart. The Empress Mother, Lady Kōkiden, had also intended -to come; but hearing that Fujitsubo was at his side she felt somewhat -disinclined, and while she was trying to decide whether to go or not, -his Majesty passed quietly and painlessly away.</p> - -<p>The ex-Emperor’s death caused profound consternation in many quarters. -Though it was some while since he resigned the Throne, he had continued -to control the policy of the government just as in former days. The -present Emperor was a mere child; his grandfather, the Minister of -the Right, was known to be a man of hasty temper and treacherous -disposition. Courtiers and noblemen alike regarded with the greatest -apprehension a government subjected to his arbitrary power. But among -them all none had better reason than Fujitsubo and Prince Genji to -dread the coming reign. It was indeed natural that this prince should -take a foremost part in the ceremonies of mourning which were performed -by the family on each seventh day, and in the Filial Masses for the -dead man’s soul; but his piety was generally noted and admired.<span class="pagenum"><i>{52}</i></span> -Despite the unbecoming dress which custom required, his beauty made -everywhere a deep impression; and this, combined with his evident -distress, procured him a great share of sympathy.</p> - -<p>He had lost in one year his wife and in the next his father. The scenes -of affliction through which he had passed weighed heavily upon his -spirits and for a while deprived him of all zest for life. He thought -much of retiring from the world, and would have done so had he not been -restrained by many earthly ties. During the forty-nine days of mourning -the ladies of the late ex-Emperor’s household remained together in his -apartments. But at the expiration of this period they retired to their -respective homes. It was the twentieth day of the twelfth month. The -dull sky marked (thought Fujitsubo) not only the gloom of the departing -year, but the end of all fair prospects. She knew with what feelings -Kōkiden regarded her and was aware that her existence at a Court -dominated by this woman’s arbitrary power could not be otherwise than -unhappy. Above all it was impossible for her to go on living in a place -where, having for so many years enjoyed the old Emperor’s company, she -found his image continually appearing to her mind. The departure of -all his former ladies-in-waiting and ladies-of-the-household rendered -her situation unendurable and she determined to move to her mansion in -the Third Ward. Her brother Prince Hyōbukyō came to fetch her away. -Snow was falling, blown by a fierce wind. The old Emperor’s quarters, -now rapidly becoming denuded of their inhabitants, wore a desolate -air. Genji happened to be there when Hyōbukyō arrived and they fell -to talking of old times. The great pine-tree in front of the Palace -was weighed down with snow and its lower boughs were withered. Seeing -this, Hyōbukyō recited the verses: ‘Because the great pine-tree<span class="pagenum"><i>{53}</i></span> -is withered that once with wide-spread branches sheltered us from the -storm, lo! we the underboughs droop earthward in these last moments of -the year.’ No very wonderful poem, but at that moment it moved Genji -deeply, and noticing that the lake was frozen all over he in his turn -recited the poem: ‘Now like a mirror shines the frozen surface of the -lake. Alas that it reflects not the form and face we knew so well!’ -Such was the thought that came to him at the moment, and he gave it -utterance well knowing that the prince would think it forced and crude. -Ōmyōbu, Fujitsubo’s gentlewoman, now interposed with the verse: ‘The -year draws in; even the water of the rock-hewn well is sealed with ice, -and faded from those waters is the face that once I saw.’ Many other -poems were exchanged; but I have other things to tell.</p> - -<p>Fujitsubo’s return to her mansion was carried out with no less ceremony -than on former occasions, but to her mind the transit seemed this time -a distressing affair and more like a journey to some strange place than -a home-coming; and as she approached the house her thoughts travelled -back over all the months and years that had passed since this place had -been her real home.</p> - -<p>The New Year brought with it none of the usual novelties and -excitements. Genji, in very dismal humour, shut himself up in his room. -At the time when the new appointments were being made, during the old -Emperor’s reign and to an equal extent even after his retirement, -Genji’s doors had always been thronged with suitors. But this year -the line of horses and carriages waiting outside his palace was thin -indeed, and the bags<a id="FNanchor_X_16" href="#Footnote_X_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> of courtiers were no longer to be seen at all.</p> - -<p>When he looked about him and saw his reception halls<span class="pagenum"><i>{54}</i></span> frequented -only by his personal retainers, who looked as though time were hanging -heavily on their hands, the thought that this was but a pretaste of -the dreariness and insignificance with which his whole life would -henceforth be tinged reduced him to a state of great depression.</p> - -<p>In the second month Oborozukiyo was made chief Lady of the Bedchamber, -the former occupant of this office having at the ex-Emperor’s death -become a nun. Her birth and education, together with her unusual charm -both of person and disposition, combined to make her much sought after -even at a Court where such qualities were to be found in remarkable -profusion. Her sister Lady Kōkiden was now seldom at Court, and on -the rare occasion when she needed a room she lodged in the Umetsubo, -resigning her old apartments to the Lady of the Bedchamber. No longer -was Oborozukiyo buried away in the inconvenient Tōkwaden; she had space -and light and a vast number of ladies in her employ, while all about -her was in the gayest and newest style. But she could not forget a -certain brief and unexpected adventure<a id="FNanchor_X_17" href="#Footnote_X_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> which had once befallen her, -and was very unhappy. A desultory correspondence was still carried on -between them with the greatest caution and secrecy.</p> - -<p>He knew well enough how fatal would now be the consequences of -discovery; but this, as has often been noted, so far from discouraging -him served only to increase his interest in such an affair.</p> - -<p>During the late Emperor’s lifetime Kōkiden had been obliged to behave -with a certain restraint. Now she was free to revenge herself with -the ferocity of a long-curbed malice upon those who had hitherto been -sheltered from her spite. Genji found himself thwarted at every turn. -<span class="pagenum"><i>{55}</i></span> He had expected these intrigues, but having for so long enjoyed a -favoured and protected existence he was at a loss how to cope with them.</p> - -<p>The Minister of the Left felt that his influence was gone and no -longer presented himself at Court. Kōkiden had never forgiven him for -marrying the late princess his daughter to Genji instead of giving -her, as had originally been intended, to her son the present Emperor. -Moreover there had always been a certain amount of ill-feeling between -the families of the two Ministers. During the late Emperor’s reign the -Minister of the Left had managed things pretty much as he chose, and it -was but natural that he now had no desire to take part in the triumph -of his rival. Genji continued to visit him as before and was assiduous -in his attention to Aoi’s maids-of-honour, as also in providing for the -education of the little prince her son. This delighted the old Minister -and he continued to treat his son-in-law with the same affectionate -deference as in old days.</p> - -<p>The high position to which Genji had been raised two years ago had -entailed much tiresome business and made considerable inroads upon his -leisure. He found himself in consequence obliged to discontinue many of -the intimacies in which he had been previously engaged. Of his lighter -distractions he was now thoroughly ashamed and was glad to abandon -them; so that for a while his life became altogether quiet, regular and -exemplary. The announcement of his marriage with Murasaki was very well -received by the world at large. Shōnagon and her companions naturally -attributed their little mistress’s success to the prayers of her -pious grandmother the late nun, and in secret conclave congratulated -themselves on the turn which events had taken. Her father Prince -Hyōbukyō asked for nothing better than such a match. But his wife,<span class="pagenum"><i>{56}</i></span> -who had not managed to do half as well for her own children on whom -she doted, was extremely jealous of her step-child’s triumph, and this -marriage continued to be a very sore point with her. Indeed, Murasaki’s -career had been more like that of some step-child in fiction<a id="FNanchor_X_18" href="#Footnote_X_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> than -of a real young person.</p> - -<p>The Vestal Virgin of Kamo, third daughter of the late Emperor by -Lady Kōkiden, was now in mourning and had to resign her charge. Her -successor was the Princess Asagao.<a id="FNanchor_X_19" href="#Footnote_X_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> It had not very often happened -that a collateral descendant of the Emperor was chosen for this post; -but on this occasion no other princess of suitable age and lineage was -available. Genji’s admiration for this lady had not, in all the years -that had passed since he first courted her, in any degree abated, and -it was painful to him to learn that she was now to embark upon so -different a way of life. She still sent him an occasional message and -he had never ceased to write to her. He had known her as a Lady of the -Court. Now he must try to picture her to himself as a priestess. This -he could not manage to do, and his repeated failure to evoke any image -which corresponded to her as she now was bitterly tormented him.</p> - -<p>The young Emperor punctiliously obeyed his father’s last injunctions -and treated Genji with great consideration. But he was still very -young, and being somewhat weak and yielding in character he was easily -influenced by those about him. Again and again, under pressure from -Kōkiden or the Minister of the Right, he allowed public measures to -be taken of which he did not really in the least approve. Meanwhile -Kōkiden’s sister the Lady Oborozukiyo, though her new position rendered -the carrying on of a secret<span class="pagenum"><i>{57}</i></span> intrigue in the highest degree -difficult and perilous, was becoming more and more unhappy, and at -last found a means of informing Genji of her unaltered attachment. -He would have been glad enough if she had felt otherwise; but after -what had passed between them he could not disregard such a message. -Accordingly he waited till the Court was immersed in the Celebration -at the Five Altars<a id="FNanchor_X_20" href="#Footnote_X_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> and went secretly to her apartments. The -encounter was brief and dream-like as on that first occasion, on the -night of the Flower-feast.<a id="FNanchor_X_21" href="#Footnote_X_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> Her maid Chūnagon smuggled him in by -the little side door which had before caught his attention. There -happened to be a good many people about at the time, and it was with -great trepidation that this lady conducted him through the exposed and -frequented ante-chambers which led to her mistress’s apartments. To -look upon Prince Genji was a ceaseless delight even to those who daily -served him. It can be imagined then what rapture his visit brought to -one who had waited so long for his return. Nor was Genji on his side -by any means indifferent to her charms. She was at the height of her -youth and good-looks; lively, graceful, confiding. Indeed, save for a -certain light-heartedness and inconsequence, there was nothing in her -which he would wish to change. Suddenly he heard people stirring in -the corridor outside and for a moment thought that it must already be -morning. He soon realized however that these were not the people of the -house, but members of the Imperial Guard come to report themselves. -No doubt some officer of the Guard was known to be spending the night -in this part of the Palace; but for a moment Genji had the wild idea -that some malicious person had revealed to the<span class="pagenum"><i>{58}</i></span> soldiers of the -Guard the unexpected presence of their Commander.<a id="FNanchor_X_22" href="#Footnote_X_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> He was amused at -his mistake, but at the same time horrified at the realization of the -risks which he was running. Outside in the corridor they could still -hear the soldiers tramping up and down looking for their officer and -calling out as they went ‘First hour of the Tiger Watch, first hour of -the Tiger Watch!’<a id="FNanchor_X_23" href="#Footnote_X_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> Then Oborozukiyo whispered the verse: ‘Though -the watch-man of the night cries out “Enough!” yet seems it from -your tears and mine we are not of his mind.’<a id="FNanchor_X_24" href="#Footnote_X_24" class="fnanchor">24</a> Her plaintive tone -touched his heart and he answered with the verse: ‘Must we, because -they say the time is spent, in tears relinquish what our own hearts’ -reluctance bids us still enjoy?’ So saying he left her. Though daylight -had not yet come and the setting moon was heavily veiled in mist, he -felt very uneasy. And in fact, despite his disguise, his bearing and -figure were so notable that he was at once recognized by a brother -of Lady Jōkyōden<a id="FNanchor_X_25" href="#Footnote_X_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> who happened, at the moment when Genji passed -unsuspecting on his way, to have just left Fujitsubo’s old quarters and -was now standing in the shadow of a trellis-gate. This gentleman was -vastly amused and did not fail to make good use of the episode in his -conversation.</p> - -<p>So great were the risks he had run that for some time afterwards -Genji found himself wishing Fujitsubo’s prudence and reserve were -more commonly practised, and at such times he almost applauded her -unkindness. At any rate<span class="pagenum"><i>{59}</i></span> it saved him from these nerve-racking -experiences. But such moods did not last long. With the Lady of the -Bedchamber his deeper feelings were not involved, whereas he was drawn -towards Fujitsubo as though by some secret power, and except at rare -moments her coldness caused him nothing but torment and despair.</p> - -<p>This princess, though she no longer felt at ease in the Palace and -could not bring herself to visit it, was distressed that she was now -unable to see her son. It was very awkward that there was no one to -advise her about the child except Prince Genji, who unfortunately still -persisted in regarding her with the same strange adoration. She was in -a continual panic lest he should take advantage of her dependence upon -him. True the Emperor had died without betraying the least suspicion -concerning the child’s parentage. But she shuddered to think of the -predicament in which this deception had involved her. Any renewal of -their relationship, quite apart from the effect it might have upon her -own fortunes, would react disastrously upon her son. So heavily did -this matter weigh upon her that when she was supposed to be at her -prayers she did nothing but turn over in her mind, a hundred times -this way and that, how best she might persuade him to feel differently -towards her.</p> - -<p>Yet despite all her precautions he managed one night to enter the -house and get very near indeed to the room where she was sitting. Not -a soul in the house had conspired with him or expected his coming. -He seemed to have risen mysteriously up among them like a figure in -a dream. He sent her many passionate messages, such as I cannot here -transcribe, but she would not let him come to her. At last, worn out -by his persistency, she began to feel so faint that Ōmyōbu, Myōbu no -Ben and the rest of her favourite waiting-women took fright and were -soon<span class="pagenum"><i>{60}</i></span> busily employed in attending to her. Meanwhile Genji, in a -frenzy of irritation and disappointment, scarce knew how he came to be -in her ante-chamber nor thought how he was going to retire from it. -So completely had he lost all sense of real things that though broad -daylight was come he did not stir from where he stood. The news of her -indisposition quickly spread through the house. There was a sound of -footsteps, and Genji, still but half conscious, groped his way into -a large lumber-room or clothes-cupboard that happened to be near by. -An embarrassed lady-in-waiting hastily stowed away a cloak and other -effects which she saw lying about.</p> - -<p>Fujitsubo herself remained in much distress both of body and mind -throughout the night. As she was feeling very giddy, her brothers, who -had now arrived upon the scene, sent out for a priest. All this Genji -heard from his hiding-place with great grief and alarm. The day was -far advanced when she began at last to mend. She had not of course the -least idea that he was still in the house and her ladies feared that if -they were to tell her of his presence the news might cause a recurrence -of last night’s attack. At last she dragged herself from her bed to the -chair in which she generally sat, and her brothers, thinking that the -worst was now over, withdrew and she was left alone. Even her intimate -and personal attendants had retired from her daïs and could be heard -moving away to and fro behind the screens at the other end of the room. -The sole preoccupation of Ōmyōbu and the few other ladies who shared -the secret of Genji’s presence was now how best to get him out of the -house. They were certain that if he stayed where he was the same scene -would be repeated that night, with the same unhappy effects, and they -were whispering together in a tone of great concern when Genji, first -cautiously pushing the door a little ajar and then gently<span class="pagenum"><i>{61}</i></span> slipping -out, darted from his hiding-place to the shelter of one of the screens -which surrounded her daïs. From this point of vantage he was able at -last to gaze upon her to his heart’s content, and as he did so tears -of joy and wonder filled his eyes. ‘I am wretched, wretched,’ she was -murmuring; ‘but soon my misery will end, soon all will be over....’ She -was looking out towards the centre of the room and he caught a profile -view of her face which he found inexpressibly charming. Presently -Ōmyōbu came with fruit for her breakfast. Though the cover of the -fruit-box was of rare and beautiful workmanship she did not so much as -glance at it, but sat rigidly staring in front of her, like one for -whom life has lost all interest and meaning.</p> - -<p>How beautiful she was! And, now that it was possible to compare them on -equal terms, how like in every minutest detail of pose and expression -to the girl at home! Particularly in the carriage of her head and the -way her hair grew there was the same singular charm. For years Murasaki -had served to keep Lady Fujitsubo, to some extent at any rate, out of -his thoughts. But now that he saw how astonishingly the one resembled -the other he fancied that all the while Murasaki had but served as a -substitute or eidolon of the lady who denied him her love. Both had -the same pride, the same reticence. For a moment he wondered whether, -if they were side by side, he should be able to tell them apart. -How absurd! Probably indeed, he said to himself, the whole idea of -their resemblance was a mere fancy; Fujitsubo had for so many years -filled all his thoughts. It was natural that such an idea should come -to him. Unable to contain himself any longer, he slipped out of his -hiding-place and gently crept between her curtains-of-state, till he -was near enough to touch the train of her cloak. By the royal scent -which he carried<span class="pagenum"><i>{62}</i></span> she knew at once that it was he, and overcome by -astonishment and terror she fell face downwards upon her couch. ‘Can -you not bear to set eyes upon me?’ he cried, and in despair clutched -at the skirt of her cloak. She in panic slipped the cloak from her -shoulders and would have fled, leaving it in his hands; but by ill luck -her hair caught in the buckle and she was held fast. With horror she -realized that a fate too strong for her was planning to put her at his -mercy. He for his part suddenly lost all dignity and self-restraint. -Sobbing violently he poured out to her, scarce knowing what he said, -the whole tale of his passion and despair. She was horrified; both the -visit and the outburst seemed to her unpardonable, and she did not -even reply. At last, hard-pressed, she pleaded illness and promised -to see him some other time. But he would not be put off and continued -to pour out his tale of love. In the midst of all this talk that so -much displeased her and to which she paid no heed at all, there came -some phrase which caught her attention and for some reason touched -her; and though she was still determined that what had happened on -that one unhappy occasion should never, never be repeated, she began -to answer him kindly. Thus by skilful parryings and evasions she kept -him talking till this night too was safely over. By her gentleness she -had shamed him into submission and he now said: ‘There cannot surely -be any harm in my coming occasionally to see you in this way. It would -be a great relief to me if I could do so.’ This and much else he said, -now in a far less desperate mood. Even in quite commonplace people such -situations produce strange flights of tenderness and fancy. How much -the more then in such lovers as Genji and the queen!</p> - -<p>But it was now broad daylight. Ōmyōbu and her daughter arrived and -soon took possession of their mistress.<span class="pagenum"><i>{63}</i></span> Genji, retiring from the -room, sent her many tender messages. But now she sat staring vacantly -in front of her as though she were but half alive. Exasperated by -her martyred attitude, he cried out at last: ‘Answer me, answer me! -I cannot live without you. And yet, what use to die? For I know that -in every life to come I am doomed to suffer the torment of this same -heinous passion.’ Still, to the alarm of those who waited upon her, she -sat staring fixedly in front of her. He recited the verse: ‘If indeed -the foeman fate that parts us works not for to-day alone, then must I -spend Eternity in woe.’ When she heard him saying that the bonds of her -love would hold him back from Paradise, she began to weep and answered -with the verse: ‘If to all time this bond debars you from felicity, not -hostile fate but your own heart you should with bitterness condemn.’ -The words were spoken with a tenderness that was infinitely precious to -him; yet he knew that a prolongation of the interview could not but be -painful to both of them, and he rushed from the room.</p> - -<p>He felt that he made himself odious to her. He would never be able to -face her again, and contrary to custom he wrote no morning letter. For -a long while he paid no visit either to the Emperor or to the Heir -Apparent, but lay in his room brooding upon Fujitsubo’s unkindness. -Misery and longing brought him at last to so pitiable a plight that -it was as though with agonizing pain his inmost soul were dissolving -within him. Often there ran in his head the lines: ‘Soon upon causeways -of resounding stone my footsteps shall beat out their song!’<a id="FNanchor_X_26" href="#Footnote_X_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> And -indeed the world again seemed to him so cheerless that his decision -would soon have been taken had he not remembered that there was one -over whose happiness he was pledged to<span class="pagenum"><i>{64}</i></span> watch. So exquisite, so -trustful a creature he could not abandon, and the project was soon put -aside.</p> - -<p>Fujitsubo too reflected upon what had taken place with great uneasiness -of mind. She had now learnt how he had concealed himself for a whole -day in her house without giving her the slightest intimation of his -presence. This fact Ōmyōbu and the rest had not, in their indignation -at his plight, managed to restrain themselves from revealing to her. -Such conduct she could not tolerate. Yet she well knew that if she -showed her displeasure Genji would feel a disinclination towards the -Heir Apparent, and this she was above all things anxious to avoid. -In a fit of despair he might even take some step which could not be -rectified, and that thought, despite the torment of his importunity, -filled her even now with horror. If such an occurrence as that of -last night were often to be repeated it was certain that both their -reputations would soon be irrecoverably destroyed. She felt that it -would in a way disarm the censures of the world if she were to give up -the rank of Empress, the bestowal of which had been received with such -caustic comments by Lady Kōkiden. She remembered with what intention -and with what explicit injunctions this title had been granted her -by the late Emperor. But she felt herself no longer bound by his -instructions; for since his death the whole position at Court had -utterly changed. She had no fear of suffering the fate of Lady Chi,<a id="FNanchor_X_27" href="#Footnote_X_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> -but she had every reason to suppose that her position as Empress would -henceforth be both ludicrous and humiliating. She felt no inclination -to struggle against ridicule and opposition. Soon her mind was made -up. She must renounce the world. But first she must visit her son. She -could not bear that he should never again see her as<span class="pagenum"><i>{65}</i></span> he had known -her in days of old. She drove to the Palace without public escort. On -many occasions when she had travelled in even less state than this, -Genji had attended her and arranged every detail of her progress. This -time he pleaded sickness and was not present. Previously he had been in -the habit of sending constantly to enquire after her health. The fact -that he had discontinued this practice was cited by the sympathetic -Ōmyōbu as a proof that he must be now plunged in the utmost misery.</p> - -<p>The little prince<a id="FNanchor_X_28" href="#Footnote_X_28" class="fnanchor">28</a> had grown into a handsome boy. His mother’s -visit surprised and delighted him and he was soon telling her all -his secrets. She looked at him sadly. The step that she contemplated -seemed unendurably hard to take. Yet a glance at the Palace reminded -her how great were the changes and upheavals that had taken place, -how insecure had now become her own position at the Court. The Lady -Kōkiden still showed the same unrelenting hostility, finding at every -turn some means to inconvenience or humiliate her. Her high rank, so -far from protecting her, now imperilled both herself and her son. For -a long while she hesitated, torn by many conflicting feelings. At -last she succeeded in saying to the child: ‘What would you think if I -were to go away for a long while and, when at last I came back to see -you, were to look quite different, almost as though it were another -person?’ She watched his face while she spoke. ‘What would happen to -you?’ he said, very much interested; ‘would you become like old Lady -Shikibu? Why do you want to be like that?’ and he laughed. It was very -difficult to tell him. She began again: ‘Shikibu is ugly because she -is so old. That is not what I mean. I shall have even less hair than -Shikibu and I shall wear a black dress, like the chaplain<span class="pagenum"><i>{66}</i></span> whom -you have seen coming to say prayers here in the evenings; but it will -be a long while before they let me come here to see you.’ He saw that -she was crying and at once said very decidedly: ‘If you do not come -for a long while, I shall miss you terribly.’ He too began to cry, and -ashamed of his tears, turned his head away. As he did so his long hair -fell rippling across his cheek. The eyes, the brow—all was as though -a cast had been taken from the face she knew so well. He had not yet -lost his baby-teeth. One or two of them were a little decayed, their -blackness amid a row of white giving to his smile a peculiar piquancy -and charm. As she watched him standing there in his half-girlish beauty -and suddenly realized how like he was to his father, she became more -than ever unhappy. But if the resemblance was painful to her and seemed -to her at that moment almost to spoil his beauty, it was only because -she dreaded the gossip to which this likeness would give rise.</p> - -<p>Genji too was longing to see his son, but while Princess Fujitsubo was -at Court he was resolved to keep away. Perhaps this would make her -realize how completely he had been frustrated by her harshness; for -she would certainly be expecting to meet him in the young prince’s -apartments.</p> - -<p>He was in very ill humour and the time hung heavily on his hands. -It was now autumn and it seemed a pity not to be in the country. -He decided to spend a little while at the Temple in the Cloudy -Woods.<a id="FNanchor_X_29" href="#Footnote_X_29" class="fnanchor">29</a> Here in the cell of his mother’s elder brother, a master -of the Vinaya,<a id="FNanchor_X_30" href="#Footnote_X_30" class="fnanchor">30</a> he spent several days reading the sacred texts and -practising various austerities. During this time much happened both -to move and delight him. The maple leaves in the surrounding<span class="pagenum"><i>{67}</i></span> -forests were just turning and he remembered Sōjō’s song written in the -same place: ‘Proud autumn fields....’ In a little while he had almost -forgotten that this quiet place was not his home. He gathered about -him a number of doctors famous for their understanding of the Holy -Law and made them dispute in his presence. Yet even in the midst of -scenes such as these, calculated to impress him in the highest degree -with the futility of all earthly desires, one figure from the fleeting -world of men still rose up importunately before him and haunted every -prayer. One day at dawn by the light of a sinking moon the priests of -the temple were making the morning offering of fresh leaves and flowers -before an image that stood near by. He could hear the clink of the -silver flower-trays as they scattered chrysanthemum and maple leaves of -many hues around the Buddha’s feet. It seemed to him then that the life -these people led was worth while, not merely as a means to salvation -but for its own pleasantness and beauty. Again and again he marvelled -that he could have for so long endured his own aimless existence. His -uncle, the Vinaya-master, had an extremely impressive voice and when -he came to the passage ‘None shall be cast out, but take unto him all -living things that call upon his name,’ Genji envied him the assurance -with which he uttered the Buddha’s promise. Why should not he too avail -himself of this promise, why should not he too lead this sanctified -existence? Suddenly he remembered Murasaki and his home. What must she -be thinking of him? It was many days since he had seen her, and he -hastened to repair this neglect: ‘I came here as an experiment,’ he -wrote, ‘that I might decide whether it would not be better for me to -withdraw forever from the world. Since I have been here it has been -gradually becoming clearer to me that my present way of life can<span class="pagenum"><i>{68}</i></span> -bring me nothing but misery; and to-day I heard something read out loud -which made a deep impression upon me and convinced me that I ought not -any longer to delay....’ The letter was written on sandalwood paper -of Michinoku, informally but with great elegance. With it he sent the -poem: ‘Because I left you in a home deep-girt with dewy sedge, with -troubled mind I hear the wild winds blow from every side.’ This he -said and much else beside. She cried when she read it. Her answer was -written on a white slip: ‘First, when the wild wind blows, flutters -the dewy web that hangs upon the wilting sedge-row in the fields.’ He -smiled to himself with pleasure as he read it, noting how swiftly her -hand had improved. He had written her so many letters that her writing -had grown to be very like his, save that to his style she had added -some touches of girlish delicacy and grace. In this as in all else she -at least had not disappointed him.</p> - -<p>It occurred to him that Kamo was not so very far off and he thought -he would send a message to the Vestal Virgin.<a id="FNanchor_X_31" href="#Footnote_X_31" class="fnanchor">31</a> To Chūjō her maid -he sent the letter: ‘That here among strangers in deep affliction I -languish unconsoled, your mistress cannot know.’ To this he added a -long tale of his present woes and to the Virgin herself addressed the -poem: ‘Goddess Immaculate, the memory of other days has made me bold -to hang this token at thy shrine!’ And to this, quoting an old song, -he added the words ‘Would that like a ring upon the hand I might turn -Time around till “then” was “now.”’ He wrote on light green paper, and -with the letter was a twig of the Sacred Tree festooned with fluttering -tassels of white as befitted the holy place to which it was addressed. -In answer the maid Chūjō wrote: ‘There is so little here to break the -sameness of the long empty days that sometimes<span class="pagenum"><i>{69}</i></span> an idle memory of -the past will for a moment visit the Virgin’s heavenly thoughts. Of you -she has spoken now and again, but only to say that now all thought of -you is profitless.’ The gentlewoman’s letter was long and written with -great care. On a small strip tied to a white ritual tassel the Virgin -herself had written the poem: ‘Full well you know that in those other -days no secret was between us for you to hang as ritual-token at your -heart.’ It was not written with much pains, but there was an easy flow -in the cursive passages which delighted his eye and he realized that -the Court had lost one who would in time have grown to be a woman of no -ordinary accomplishments.</p> - -<p>He shuddered. How pitiless is God! Suddenly he remembered that only -last autumn the melancholy gateway of the Palace-in-the-Fields had -filled him with just such an indignation and dismay. Why should these -Powers be suffered to pursue their hideous exactions?</p> - -<p>That strange trait of perversity, so often noted, was indeed at work -again under the most absurd circumstances. For in all the years when -Asagao was within reach he had not made one serious effort to win her, -but had contented himself with vague protestations and appeals. But -now that she was utterly unattainable he suddenly imagined that he had -never really cared for anyone else! Believing him to be the victim of -an inconsolable passion, the Virgin had not the heart to leave his -letters unanswered, and a correspondence of a rather strange and unreal -kind was for some while carried on between them.</p> - -<p>Before he left the Temple in the Cloudy Woods he read the whole of the -Sixty Chapters,<a id="FNanchor_X_32" href="#Footnote_X_32" class="fnanchor">32</a> consulting his uncle on many obscure points. The -delight of the priests, down to the humblest servitor, may well be -imagined. It seemed<span class="pagenum"><i>{70}</i></span> as though the Lord Amida must hold their poor -country temple in especial favour, or he would not have vouchsafed that -such a radiance should shine among them.</p> - -<p>But soon Genji began to grow restless. His mind strayed constantly to -mundane affairs, and though he dreaded the return, there was one whom -it was not in his heart any longer to neglect. Before his departure he -ordered a grand chanting of the Scripture to be held and gave suitable -presents to all the resident priests both high and low, and even to the -peasants of the surrounding country. Then, after many other rituals -and benefactions, he drove away. The country people from far and near -crowded round the gates to see him go, uncouth figures strangely -gnarled and bent. His carriage was draped with black and he himself was -still dressed in the drab unbecoming robes of mourning. Yet even the -momentary glimpse of him that they caught as he entered his carriage -sufficed to convince them that a prince of no ordinary beauty had been -dwelling near to them and many were moved to tears.</p> - -<p>It seemed to him when he was back in his palace that Murasaki had in -these last months become far less childish. She spoke very seriously -of the changes at Court and showed great concern for his future. That -in these last weeks his affections had been much occupied elsewhere -could hardly have escaped her notice. He remembered with a pang that -in the last poem she had sent him there was some reference to ‘the -wilting sedge-row,’ and full of remorse he treated her with more than -ordinary kindness. He had brought her a branch of autumn leaves from -the country temple where he had been staying. Together they compared it -with the trees in his palace garden, and found when they set them side -by side that the country leaves were dyed to a yet deeper red. There -was one who was at all times paramount in his thoughts, and the sight -of<span class="pagenum"><i>{71}</i></span> these leaves, tinged with so strong a hue that they eclipsed -whatever colours were set beside them, reminded him that to her alone -he had given no token of his return. The desire to have news of her so -tormented him that at last he wrote a letter to Ōmyōbu announcing that -he had left the temple: ‘I heard with surprise and joy of your Lady’s -visit to the Court. I longed for news both of her and of the young -prince; but though I was uneasy on their account, I could not interrupt -my appointed course of penance and study. Thus many days have passed -since last I gave you any news. Here are some sprays of autumn leaf. -Bid your Lady look at them when she feels so disposed, lest unregarded -they should waste their beauty “like silken stuffs spread out by -night.”’</p> - -<p>They were huge, leaf-laden boughs, and when she looked closer, -Fujitsubo saw that the usual tiny strip of paper, such as he always -used in writing to her, was tied to one of them. Her gentlewomen -were watching her, and as she examined the offering she felt herself -blushing. So he was still in the same deplorable state of mind! Surely -he must realize that it was very embarrassing for her to receive -offerings of this kind from one who was known to be her admirer! -Wishing that he would show more regard for her feelings and reputation -she bade a servant put the boughs in a vase and stand it against one of -the pillows on the verandah, as far out of the way as possible.</p> - -<p>In her reply she confined herself to matters of business upon which she -needed his advice. Her cold and impersonal tone deeply wounded him. -But as it was his usual practice to assist her in every difficulty, -he felt that his absence on the day of her departure from Court would -give rise to unwelcome speculations, and hearing that the day had been -fixed he hastened to the Palace. He went first to the apartments of the -young Emperor and finding him<span class="pagenum"><i>{72}</i></span> at leisure settled down to a long -conversation. In person His Majesty much resembled the late Emperor, -but he was of a quicker and livelier disposition. He was very easy -to get on with and they were soon exchanging recollections of their -late father. The Emperor had heard that Genji was still on intimate -terms with his aunt the Princess Oborozuki, and had on his own account -observed many signs of such an attachment. If the affair had begun -since the Princess’s arrival at Court he would have felt bound to take -cognizance of it. But he knew that the friendship between them was of -very old standing and felt that under these circumstances there was no -great impropriety in it.</p> - -<p>They discussed all manner of affairs together, including their Chinese -studies, and the Emperor consulted him about the interpretation of -various difficult passages. They then repeated to one another such -poems of gallantry as they had lately addressed to ladies of the -Court, and it was in the course of this conversation that the Emperor -mentioned his admiration of the Lady Rokujō’s daughter and his -distress on the occasion of her departure for Ise. This emboldened -Genji, and soon he was telling the Emperor about his own visit to the -Palace-in-the-Fields and all the sad circumstances attending it. The -waning moon had begun at last to rise. ‘It is at such moments as this,’ -said the Emperor sadly, ‘that one longs for music.’<a id="FNanchor_X_33" href="#Footnote_X_33" class="fnanchor">33</a></p> - -<p>Genji now took his leave, explaining that he must wait upon the -ex-Empress before she retired again to her own home. ‘You will -remember,’ he said, ‘that the late Emperor our father committed -the Heir Apparent to my guardianship and protection. There happens -unfortunately to be no one else to watch over his interests, and as -I am very uneasy concerning his future I am obliged to take counsel -fairly frequently with his mother.’ ‘Our father<span class="pagenum"><i>{73}</i></span> certainly asked -me to retain him as Heir Apparent,’ replied the Emperor, ‘and I have -always tried to help him in any way I could. But there is really -nothing much that I can do for him. I hear he has made astonishing -progress with his handwriting and is in every way satisfactory. I am -afraid he is more likely to be a credit to me than I a help to him.’ -‘He does indeed seem to be in most ways very forward and intelligent,’ -said Genji, ‘but his character is still quite unformed.’ And after some -further description of the child’s attainments he proceeded to the Heir -Apparent’s apartments.</p> - -<p>There was a certain Tō no Bēn, a son of Kōkiden’s elder brother Tō -Dainagon. Being young, good-looking and popular he had grown somewhat -out of hand. This young man was now on his way to the rooms of his -sister Princess Reikeiden. For a moment Genji’s servants who were -preceding him to the Heir Apparent’s rooms blocked his path and forced -him to stand waiting till they had passed. In a low voice, but quite -distinctly enough for Genji to hear every word, the young courtier -chanted the lines ‘When a white rainbow crossed the sun the Crown -Prince<a id="FNanchor_X_34" href="#Footnote_X_34" class="fnanchor">34</a> trembled.’ Genji flushed, but it was obviously best to let -the matter pass.</p> - -<p>That Kōkiden should have succeeded in infecting her whole clan with her -venomous hostility towards him was both vexatious and alarming. Genji -was indeed much disquieted; but he contrived on all such occasions to -conceal his discomfiture.</p> - -<p>In arriving at Fujitsubo’s rooms he sent in a message to explain that -he had been detained in the Presence. It was a moonlit night of unusual -beauty. It was at such<span class="pagenum"><i>{74}</i></span> times as this that the old Emperor would -call for music. Fujitsubo remembered those dazzling midnight parties. -Here were the old courtyards, the old gardens and rooms, and yet this -was not the Palace after all! Through Ōmyōbu her maid she sent to him -the poem: ‘Though now dark exhalations hide from sight the Palace of -the Ninefold Wall, yet goes my heart to the bright moon<a id="FNanchor_X_35" href="#Footnote_X_35" class="fnanchor">35</a> that far -above the cloud-bank dwells.’ She did not in this message give any hint -that she wished to see him; yet her tone was not unkind, and forgetting -all his rancour he wrote with tears in his eyes: ‘Though lovely still -as in past years the moonbeams of this night, for me in vain their -beauty, since now in shadows of unkindness they are wrapped.’</p> - -<p>She was to leave the Palace at dawn and was much preoccupied with the -young prince her son. In her anxiety for his future she overwhelmed him -with warnings and instructions. The child understood but little of what -she was saying, and seeing that his attention had wandered, she felt -more than ever that he was of no age to shift for himself. He usually -went to bed very early, but on this occasion he had asked to sit up -till his mother started. It was evident that he was very much upset by -her departure, but he was very brave about it, and this made her feel -more than ever remorseful at leaving him.</p> - -<p>Genji could not banish from his mind the thought of Tō no Bēn’s -insolent behaviour. It spoilt all his enjoyment in life and for a long -while he wrote to no one, not even to Oborozuki. The autumn rains set -in and still no word came from him. She began to wonder what could be -amiss, and at last sent him the poem: ‘While leaf by leaf autumn has -stripped the trees, all this long windy while have I in sadness waited -for the news that did not come.’<span class="pagenum"><i>{75}</i></span> Doubtless it had cost her some -trouble to communicate with him in secret; moreover the poem itself -was not at all displeasing. Genji detained the messenger, and going -to his desk opened the drawer where he kept his Chinese writing-paper -and chose the prettiest piece he could find. Mending his pen with -the greatest care, he indited a note so elegant even in its outside -appearance that on its arrival there was quite a stir among the ladies -who were at her side. Who could be the sender of such a missive? -Significant glances were exchanged. ‘I have for some while, for reasons -about which it would be useless to speak, been in the last depths of -depression.’ So he wrote and to this he added the poem: ‘Why, think -you, fell the rains of autumn yet faster than of yore? It was my tears -that swelled them, my tears because we could not meet.’ He told her too -that if the path of their friendship were but clear, he should soon -forget the rain and his depression and all that was amiss in the world. -He took much pains with this letter. There were several other people -who had written to complain of his neglect, but though he sent them all -encouraging replies there were some of them about whom he did not feel -very strongly one way or the other.</p> - -<p>On the anniversary of the Emperor’s death, in addition to the usual -ceremonies, he caused the Service of the Eight Recitals<a id="FNanchor_X_36" href="#Footnote_X_36" class="fnanchor">36</a> to be -celebrated with particular magnificence. The day of national mourning -was the first of the eleventh month. A heavy snow was falling. He sent -to Fujitsubo the poem: ‘Though once again the time of his departure has -come back, not yet dare hope we for the day when we shall meet.’<a id="FNanchor_X_37" href="#Footnote_X_37" class="fnanchor">37</a> It -happened that on that day she felt in utter despair, seeing no hope of -happiness on any side.<span class="pagenum"><i>{76}</i></span> She answered: ‘Though sad to have outlived -him for so long, yet in this day’s return found I some peace; it was as -though the world again were in his rule.’</p> - -<p>It was not written with very great display of penmanship, but there was -(or Genji fancied that there was) a peculiar distinction and refinement -in the writing. It was not quite in the fashion of the moment; but that -did not matter, for she had a style that was completely of her own -invention.</p> - -<p>But this, he remembered, was the day of the great masses for his -father’s soul. He must put Fujitsubo out of his thoughts; and wet -through by the perpetual downpour of rainy snow, he played his part in -the elaborate rituals and processions.</p> - -<p>The Service of the Eight Recitals was to be celebrated in Fujitsubo’s -house on the tenth of the twelfth month and the four succeeding -days. She was at great pains to render the ceremony as impressive as -possible. The tents to be used on each of the five days were wound -on rods of ivory; they were backed with thin silk and laid in cases -of woven bamboo. All was ordered with a splendour such as had seldom -been seen before. But under her management even the most trivial daily -arrangements became invested with a singular beauty and completeness. -It did not therefore surprise Genji that the Recitals were carried -out with unequalled impressiveness and dignity. The adornments of the -Buddha, the coverings of the flower-altars, all were of a beauty that -made him dream he was indeed a dweller in Amida’s Land of Bliss.</p> - -<p>The first day’s Recital was dedicated to the memory of her father;<a id="FNanchor_X_38" href="#Footnote_X_38" class="fnanchor">38</a> -the next was on behalf of her mother, the deceased Empress; the third -day was in memory of her husband, the late ex-Emperor. It is on this -day that the fifth book is read; despite the disapproval of Kōkiden -and<span class="pagenum"><i>{77}</i></span> her flatterers, the ceremony was attended by the greater -part of those about the Court. The readers of this third day had been -chosen with especial care, and when they came to the passage: ‘Then he -gathered sticks for firewood and plucked wild berries and the fruit of -the mountains and trees,’ the words that all had heard so many times -before took on a strange significance. It fell to the lot of the dead -man’s sons to officiate at the altar, circling it with gold and silver -dishes held aloft in their hands, and these dishes piled high with -offerings of many kinds. This rite was performed by Genji with a grace -and deftness that was not equalled by any of his companions. You will -say that I have noted this superiority many times before; that is true, -and I can only plead in excuse that people were actually struck by it -afresh each time they saw him.</p> - -<p>The last day’s Recital was on behalf of her own salvation. To the -astonishment of all present it was announced that she herself wished -to take this opportunity of abandoning the world, and had desired the -clergy to intimate her renunciation to the Lord Buddha. It may well be -imagined with what consternation both Prince Hyōbukyō her brother and -Genji himself received this utterly unexpected announcement. It was -made in the middle of the service, and Hyōbukyō, without waiting for -the Recital to end, left his seat and went at once to her side. But all -his pleading was in vain. At the end of the service she sent for the -Head of the Tendai Sect<a id="FNanchor_X_39" href="#Footnote_X_39" class="fnanchor">39</a> and told him that she was ready to receive -the Rules forthwith. Her uncle the High Priest of Yogawa thereupon -ascended the daïs and shaved her head. A murmur of horror ran through -the hall; there was a sound of sobbing. There is something strangely -moving in the spectacle of such a renunciation, even when<span class="pagenum"><i>{78}</i></span> some -decrepit old woman decides at last that it is time to take her vows. -But here a lady in the prime of her beauty, who till now had given the -world no inkling of her intention, was suddenly casting herself away. -Her brother found himself weeping with the rest; and even strangers -who had come merely for the sake of the service felt, under the spell -of the reader’s solemn voice and of this sudden declaration, that a -personal calamity had befallen them. The sons of the late Emperor who -remembered her proud bearing at their Father’s Court were particularly -distressed, and all of them intimated their regret at the step which -she had taken. Only Genji stood rooted to the spot in speechless horror -and dismay. At last he realized that his behaviour must be attracting -attention, and when all the princes had left her he made his way to her -daïs.</p> - -<p>Most of the people had cleared off and only a few ladies-in-waiting, -all of them on the verge of tears, sat here and there in small -disconsolate groups. An unclouded moon heightened the sparkling -radiance of the fresh snow which lay around the house. Old memories -crowded to his mind and for a moment he feared that he would break -down. But at last controlling himself he said very quietly ‘What made -you suddenly decide to do this?’ ‘I have been meaning to for a long -while, but so many things were happening and I had not time to think -about it quietly....’ He was standing outside her curtains-of-state. -This answer was not spoken directly to him, but was brought by Ōmyōbu, -her maid. Within the curtains he knew that her favourites were gathered -round her. He could hear a faint, reiterated rustling, as though a -company of silent mourners were swaying in inconsolable grief. How well -he understood their utter despair! From the hanging incense-burner -behind her curtain-of-state there rose a heavy perfume of<span class="pagenum"><i>{79}</i></span> -<i>kurobo</i>,<a id="FNanchor_X_40" href="#Footnote_X_40" class="fnanchor">40</a> carried through the room by the fierce snow-wind which -had blown since dusk; and with it mingled a faint remnant of the holy -incense which the priests had that day been burning in the house. Add -to this the princely scent which Genji wore and you may well imagine -that the night air was fragrant as the winds of Paradise.</p> - -<p>A messenger came from the Heir Apparent’s household. There rose before -her mind the memory of the child’s pretty speeches and ways, that last -morning in the Palace. It was more than she could bear, and lest she -should break down altogether she left the message unanswered. Seeing -the messenger go away empty-handed, Genji wrote a few words on her -behalf. It was now time for him to take his leave; but both he and she -were in a state of agitation which they could barely control, and he -dared not utter the thoughts that were at that moment passing through -his mind. Through Ōmyōbu he sent her this poem: ‘Though fain I too -would seek that stainless tract whither the moon has climbed, yet how -unguided in the darkness should those small feet not go astray?’<a id="FNanchor_X_41" href="#Footnote_X_41" class="fnanchor">41</a> -He spoke of his regret at the step she had taken, but only in formal -terms, for he knew that she was not alone. Of the tumultuous thoughts -which surged through his brain there was not one to which he could at -such a time give vent. And answer came: ‘Though now upon life and all -its sorrow I have looked my last, yet are there certain earthly things -I shall not soon forget....’ ‘The stain of the world clings fast to -me....’ This and much else was in the answer; but he guessed that a -great part of it had been supplied by those who were about her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{80}</i></span></p> - -<p>There was no more to be done, and heavy at heart he left the house. -At the Nijō-in he lay alone upon his bed, never once closing his -eyes. He was now firmly convinced that if it were not for his duty to -Fujitsubo’s son he would certainly retire from the world. The late -Emperor had hoped that by investing Lady Fujitsubo with definite -public rank he would assure the boy’s future. But now, by becoming a -nun, she had upset all his calculations; for it was almost certain -that she would not continue to hold her present position in the State. -Were Genji also now to desert the child, what would become of him? -These were the thoughts that still perplexed him when morning came. He -remembered that Fujitsubo would now have to provide herself with such -articles as appertain to a nun’s life. In this matter at least he could -assist her, and he hastened to send to her palace before the end of -the year a suitable provision of rosaries, prayer-desks and the like. -He heard that Ōmyōbu also had renounced the world that she might keep -her mistress company, and to this gentlewoman he sent a message of -affectionate condolence. In this letter he touched on many incidents of -their common past, and a correspondence ensued, of such length that it -would not be possible to record it. As was natural on so affecting an -occasion many poems were exchanged between them, and as these were of -considerable merit I regret that they must be omitted.</p> - -<p>Now that Fujitsubo had definitely embraced the religious life she felt -that there was less impropriety in her receiving him, and on several -occasions she no longer conversed through an intermediary, but actually -admitted him to her presence. His feelings towards her were absolutely -unchanged, but now that there could be no question of intimacy between -them he could face her with some degree of tranquillity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{81}</i></span></p> - -<p>The close of that year ended the period of Court mourning, and the New -Year was celebrated at the Palace with the usual festivities, including -the Imperial Banquet and the Dance Songs.<a id="FNanchor_X_42" href="#Footnote_X_42" class="fnanchor">42</a> But of these things no -echo reached Fujitsubo’s house. Day after day was spent in prayers, -penances and meditations on the life to come, and he who had been at -once her comfort and despair no longer found any place in her thoughts. -She continued to use the old palace-chapel for her daily observances; -but for the celebration of more elaborate rites she built a new chapel -in front of the west wing, but at some distance from the house.</p> - -<p>He visited her on New Year’s Day. Nowhere was there a sign of renewal -or rejoicing. The house was very quiet and seemed almost deserted. -Here and there stood a few of her most devoted retainers, looking (or -was it only his fancy?) very downcast and depressed. Of the usual New -Year offerings from the Palace only the white horse<a id="FNanchor_X_43" href="#Footnote_X_43" class="fnanchor">43</a> had this year -arrived. The gentlewomen of the house could not but remember how at -this season in former years princes and courtiers had thronged these -halls. Now they drove straight past, making one and all for the great -palace in the next Ward.<a id="FNanchor_X_44" href="#Footnote_X_44" class="fnanchor">44</a></p> - -<p>This was under the circumstances perfectly natural and Fujitsubo had -fully expected it. Yet when it happened she became very depressed. But -now the arrival of one whom she would not have exchanged for a thousand -visitors put all this chagrin out of her head.</p> - -<p>So great were the changes that had taken place since he was last in -her room that for a while he could do nothing but stare about him in -bewilderment.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{82}</i></span></p> - -<p>The canopy of her daïs and the hangings of her screen-of-state were now -of dark blue; here and there behind the curtains he caught a glimpse of -light grey and jasmine-coloured sleeves. The effect was not displeasing -and he would gladly have studied it more closely.</p> - -<p>The ice on the lake was just beginning to break up. The willows on the -banks showed a faint tinge of green; they at least remembered that -a new season had begun. These and other portents of the approaching -spring he watched till it grew dark. From behind the curtains Fujitsubo -gazed at him as he sat singing softly to himself the song: ‘Happy the -fisher-folk<a id="FNanchor_X_45" href="#Footnote_X_45" class="fnanchor">45</a> that dwell ...’; she thought that in all the world -there could be no one so beautiful.</p> - -<p>She remained all the while behind her curtains, but a great part of the -room was taken up by images and altars, so that she was obliged to let -him sit very near the daïs and he did not feel wholly cut off from her.</p> - -<p>A number of elderly nuns were installed at her side, and fearing lest -in their presence his parting words might betray too great an emotion -he stole in silence from the room. ‘What a fine gentleman he has grown -up to be!’ they exclaimed after Genji’s departure. ‘One might have -thought that it would have spoiled him always having things his own -way as he did in his Father’s time, and being first in everything. -How little can he then have guessed that he would ever come to know -the world’s ingratitude! But you can see that he bears his troubles -manfully, though there is a graver look in his face now than there was -in the old days. Poor gentleman, it makes one’s heart bleed to see him -so sad!’ So the old ladies whispered together, shaking their heads -and calling blessings upon him, while to Fujitsubo herself came many -painful recollections.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{83}</i></span></p> - -<p>It was the time when the yearly distribution of honours took place. -Fujitsubo’s kinsmen and retainers were entirely passed over. This was -quite natural and she did not resent it; but she noticed that even the -usual bounties were withheld, and promotions which had always been -taken as a matter of course were in many cases not granted. There was a -great deal of disappointment and annoyance. Moreover on the ground that -she would shortly have to give up her official rank and would not then -be able to maintain so large an establishment,<a id="FNanchor_X_46" href="#Footnote_X_46" class="fnanchor">46</a> many other changes -and readjustments were made.</p> - -<p>All this she had expected. It was indeed the inevitable consequence -of her retirement from secular life; but when she saw her former -pensioners and retainers going about with dismal faces and in many -instances left without proper support, she was very much upset. But -above all her thoughts were centred on one persistent desire; that, -even though she herself should come to utter ruin, the Heir Apparent -might in due course come peacefully to the Throne, and it was to this -end that she caused perpetual services to be celebrated in the chapel -attached to her house.</p> - -<p>To what secret peril was the young prince’s life exposed? Those who -were called upon to officiate at these incessant litanies could -themselves form no conjecture. But her own prayers were more explicit. -Again and again she called upon the Buddha to save the young prince -from the ruin which would immediately overtake him should the true -story of his birth be known; and she prayed with all her heart that, -if retribution must needs come, it might fall upon herself rather than -upon the child. These prayers had at least the effect of bringing her -to a calmer state<span class="pagenum"><i>{84}</i></span> of mind. Genji, for his part, regarded them as -by no means superfluous.</p> - -<p>His own servants and retainers had in the recent distribution of -honours fared little better than hers and were in very ill humour. -Thoroughly discontented with the march of public affairs both they and -their master henceforward appeared but seldom at Court. About this -time the Minister of the Left decided to send in his resignation. -The changes in his home as well as the decline of his own political -influence had recently told very much upon his spirit and he no -longer felt equal to his charge. The Emperor remembered the unbounded -confidence which his father had placed in this Minister’s sagacity, and -how in his last hours the old Emperor had said that to dispense with -such a man’s counsel must needs endanger the security of the Throne. He -was therefore very reluctant to give this resignation effect and for -a while attempted to ignore it. But the Minister stuck to his point -and, though his retirement had not been formally accepted, no longer -appeared at Court.</p> - -<p>Henceforward the whole government of the country fell into the hands of -a single family, that of Kōkiden’s father, the Minister of the Right. -The powerful influence of the retired Minister had indeed been the last -check upon the complete dominance of this ascendant faction, and his -withdrawal from public affairs was regarded with grave apprehension -both by the young Emperor himself and by all right-thinking people.</p> - -<p>The late Minister’s sons, who had hitherto enjoyed a consideration -in the world somewhat beyond that to which their own abilities would -have entitled them, were mortified to discover that they could no -longer have everything their own way. The most crestfallen of them all -was Tō no Chūjō, who through his connexion<a id="FNanchor_X_47" href="#Footnote_X_47" class="fnanchor">47</a> with the family which -<span class="pagenum"><i>{85}</i></span> was now dominant, might have been expected to fare rather better -than the rest. Unfortunately he was still on very bad terms with his -wife, and his neglect of her had deeply offended the Minister, who no -longer received Chūjō as a son-in-law. No doubt as a punishment for -his misdemeanour, his name had been altogether omitted from the list -of New Year honours and promotions. Such things however did not much -interest him and he was not nearly so disappointed as the Minister had -hoped. He could indeed hardly expect to enjoy much influence when even -Genji’s fortunes were so obviously on the decline, and leaving public -business to look after itself he would go off to Genji’s palace, where -the two of them spent the time in the study of music and letters. Often -they would remind one another of the many absurd exploits in which -they had once been rivals; and even in their present quiet pursuits -the old rivalry continued. Genji was much occupied with the readings -of Holy Scripture which are appointed for spring and autumn, and with -the performance of various other annual observances.<a id="FNanchor_X_48" href="#Footnote_X_48" class="fnanchor">48</a> He also -gathered round him a number of scholars who seemed, no doubt owing to -the present state of public affairs, to be out of employment, and put -them to writing Chinese poems and essays. He also spent many hours in -playing literary games such as rhyme-covering and the like. He soon -became so interested in these trivial pursuits that for a month on -end he never once set foot in the palace. This incivility, together -with his enthusiasm for what were considered frivolous and undignified -occupations, was commented upon very unfavourably in many quarters.</p> - -<p>The summer rains had set in, and one day when a steady downpour made -other amusements impossible Chūjō arrived<span class="pagenum"><i>{86}</i></span> at the palace with a -great pile of books. Genji too opened his library, and after exploring -several cases which had not been unlocked for a long time he produced -some very remarkable collections of ancient Chinese poetry. There -happened to be with him that day several friends who, though they were -not scholars by profession, had a very considerable knowledge of such -matters. From among these gentlemen and the learned doctors who were -present Genji picked sides, and ranging them to left and right of the -room instituted a grand competition with very handsome prizes. In -the course of the rhyme-covering contests they came across some most -unusual and puzzling rhyme-words, and even well-known scholars were -occasionally at a loss. More than once Genji was able to come to their -rescue. They were astonished at his knowledge. How, they wondered, -did he find time to pick up so many accomplishments? There seemed to -be no art or pastime in which he did not show the same marvellous -proficiency. The ‘right’ won easily and it fell to Chūjō’s lot to -provide the winners with a feast. This took place on the following day. -It was not an elaborate affair, but consisted of a collation served in -elegant luncheon boxes.</p> - -<p>Various prizes were also given and when this was over the doctors of -literature were again called upon to divert the company with essays. -The rose-trees at the foot of the steps were in full bloom and coming -as they did in a somewhat dull season, when the brightness of spring is -over and the riot of autumn colours has not yet begun, these flowers -gave Genji an especial pleasure.</p> - -<p>Chūjō’s son, a little boy of eight or nine who had only that year been -introduced at Court, was present that day. He sang well and could play -the <i>shō</i>. Genji was very fond of him and they used often to practise -together. He was Chūjō’s second son by his wife, the sister of Kōkiden, -and<span class="pagenum"><i>{87}</i></span> as grandson of the all-powerful Minister of the Right he was -treated by every one at Court with great deference. But he was also not -only handsome but extremely intelligent, and in the present company his -performance received so much encouragement that he was soon singing -that rather noisy song the <cite>Ballad of Takasago</cite>, which he got through -with great credit and applause. As a reward for this song Genji laid -his own cloak on the boy’s shoulders, and as he sat flushed with the -excitement of the party and wearing only an unlined shirt of thin gauze -that showed the delicate texture of his skin beneath, the old doctors -of literature stared at him with delight and amazement from the distant -part of the room where they had respectfully taken up their stand; -and many of them shed tears of wonder and delight. At the close of -the stanza: ‘May I be there where lilies bloom’ Chūjō picked up the -wine-bowl and handed it to Genji, reciting as he did so the poem: ‘Not -the first rose that but this morning opened on the tree, with thy fair -face would I compare.’ Laughing, Genji took the cup and whispered the -poem: ‘Their time they knew not, the rose-buds that to-day unclosed. -For all their fragrance and their freshness the summer rains have -washed away.’ Then Chūjō, who had become somewhat excited, accused -Genji of toying with the wine-bowl and forced him to drink what he -considered a proper draught.</p> - -<p>Much else happened before the banquet closed. But to describe in detail -all that was said and done on an occasion such as this would, I think, -be very unfair to the persons concerned. I will therefore observe -Tsurayuki’s warning and refrain from tiring you with any further -particulars. Suffice it to say that the company made a great many -poems both in Chinese and Japanese, all of them containing flattering -references to their host, and Genji soon began to feel in very good -humour with himself. He could not<span class="pagenum"><i>{88}</i></span> help thinking of the passage -in Chinese history where the Duke of Chou boasts that he is ‘the son -of King Wen and the brother of King Wu.’ These were very good names -and fitted his case exactly. ‘Son of King Wen, brother of King Wu.’ -Suddenly, as he murmured these words, he remembered that the Chinese -duke had added ‘and uncle of King Ch’ēng.’ But here he was on difficult -ground; something seemed to have gone wrong with the parallel. The -‘King Ch’ēng’<a id="FNanchor_X_49" href="#Footnote_X_49" class="fnanchor">49</a> of his case, though something more than a nephew, was -still a very long way from being a king!</p> - -<p>Prince Sochi no Miya<a id="FNanchor_X_50" href="#Footnote_X_50" class="fnanchor">50</a> frequently joined these gatherings, and as he -was not only a man of taste and fashion but also an excellent performer -on various instruments, his presence added greatly to the pleasure of -the company.</p> - -<p>About this time Princess Oborozuki left the Court for a while and went -to stay at her father’s house. She had for some time been suffering -from slight attacks of malaria and it was thought that she could be -treated for this illness more conveniently at her home than amid the -bustle of the Court. Priests were summoned and their incantations were -at once effective. Among the many people who wrote to congratulate -her upon her recovery Genji was naturally one, and as both of them -happened for the moment to have a good deal of time on their hands, a -correspondence ensued which led in the end to his paying her a somewhat -reluctant visit. This was followed by others and he was soon seeing -her every night. She was well made, tending even to plumpness, so -that the slight pallor and thinness which had ensued from her recent -indisposition only enhanced her charm. It happened that<span class="pagenum"><i>{89}</i></span> at the -time Kōkiden was also staying in the house. This made Genji’s visits -particularly imprudent, but it was just this added risk which attracted -him and induced him to repeat them. It was not of course long before -several inmates of the house became aware that something of this kind -was going on, but they were too frightened of Kōkiden to say anything -to her about it, nor had the Minister of the Right any suspicion -whatever.</p> - -<p>One night when Genji was with her a violent storm suddenly came on. -The rain fell in such torrential floods as to be quite alarming -and just after midnight tremendous crashes of thunder began. -Soon the whole place was astir. The young princes and Kōkiden’s -gentlemen-in-attendance seemed to be wandering all over the house, -while the ladies-in-waiting, terrified by the thunderstorm, were -clinging to one another hysterically in the passage just outside. There -were people everywhere and Genji began to wonder how he was ever going -to escape.</p> - -<p>It was now broad daylight. Oborozuki’s maids had entered the room -and seemed to be crowding round the great curtained bed. Genji was -appalled by the situation. Among these ladies there were two who knew -the secret, but they quite lost their heads in this emergency and were -unable to be of any use. The thunderstorm was over and the rain was -now less violent. The Minister was now up and about. He first paid his -elder daughter a visit, and then, just at a moment when the rain was -falling rather heavily, stepped lightly and briskly into Oborozuki’s -room. The rain was making such a noise that they did not hear him and -it was not till a hand was thrust through the bed-curtains that they -realized what had happened. ‘We have had a very bad thunderstorm,’ he -said, pulling the curtain slightly aside as he spoke. ‘I thought of you -in the night and had half a mind to come round and see how you were -getting<span class="pagenum"><i>{90}</i></span> on, but somehow or other I didn’t. Your brothers were on -duty at the Palace last night. Just fancy....’ So he went on, speaking -in an excited inconsequent manner which, even in his present quandary, -Genji could not help contrasting with the gravity and good-sense of -that other Minister, Aoi’s father, and he smiled to himself. Really if -he had so much to say he had better come right inside and have done -with it. Oborozuki, determined to screen her lover if she could, now -crept to the edge of the bed and issued cautiously from between the -curtains. Her face was so flushed and she looked so very ill at ease -that her father was quite alarmed. ‘What have you been doing?’ he said, -‘you are not looking at all well. I am afraid we stopped the treatment -too soon. These attacks are very troublesome to get rid of....’ As he -spoke his eye suddenly fell upon a man’s pale violet-coloured belt that -had got mixed up with her clothes, and at the same time he noticed a -piece of paper with writing upon it lying near the bed. How did these -things come to be in his daughter’s room? ‘Whose is this?’ he asked, -pointing at the paper. ‘I think you had better give it to me; it may -be something important. I shall probably know the writing.’ She looked -where he was pointing. Yes, there was Genji’s paper lying conspicuously -upon the floor. Were there no means of heading her father away from it? -She could think of none and did not attempt to answer his question. It -was evident that she was acutely embarrassed, and even though she was -his own child he ought to have remembered that she was now a lady of -some consequence, whose feelings, however reprehensible might be her -conduct, he was bound in some measure to respect. Unfortunately there -was not in his nature a particle either of moderation or restraint. He -stooped to pick up the paper, and as he did so, without the slightest -hesitation<span class="pagenum"><i>{91}</i></span> or compunction he opened the bed-curtains and peered -right in. There full length upon the bed and apparently quite at -his ease lolled a charming young man, who when the curtain stirred -merely rolled quietly over and hid his face in the pillows. Enraged, -astonished as the Minister was, even he had not quite the courage to -press the discovery home. Blind with fury he thrust the paper into his -pocket and rushed out of the room.</p> - -<p>Genji was indeed extremely concerned about the consequences of this -incident, coming as it did in the wake of so many other indiscretions. -But his first care was to comfort his companion, which he did as best -he could.</p> - -<p>Self-restraint had never been a characteristic of the lady’s father -and now that he was getting old he found it more than ever impossible -to keep anything to himself. It was therefore only to be expected that -without considering the consequences or turning the matter over in -his mind for a single moment, he went and told the whole story to his -daughter Kōkiden.</p> - -<p>‘Well there it is,’ he wound up, ‘and you will not be surprised to hear -that the handwriting was that of no less a person than Prince Genji! -Of course I know quite well that this affair has been going on for a -long time. A good deal of licence is allowed to people in his position -and unfortunately I was weak-minded enough to let the matter pass. -Then came the death of his wife, and it seemed certain that he would -now legitimize his relations with your sister. Instead of doing so he -suddenly abandoned her in the most heartless and disgraceful fashion. -I was very uneasy about what had happened, but there was nothing to do -except to make the best of a bad business, and I sent her to Court, -fully trusting that His Majesty would not regard this one escapade as -a fatal objection. Unfortunately he looked upon her as still more or -less<span class="pagenum"><i>{92}</i></span> betrothed to Genji and left her severely alone. One would -have thought she had suffered enough already! It is really disgusting, -after what has happened, that he should have the face to start the -thing all over again. You may say that a young man is bound to have his -fling; but this Prince Genji goes a great deal too far. I hear that he -has been behaving very badly with the Vestal Virgin of Kamo, carrying -on a secret correspondence with her, and according to some people -going a good deal further than that. If he has no respect for her holy -calling he might at least realize that this kind of thing does his own -reputation no good. How anyone holding an important and responsible -position in the State can bring himself to behave in this way I simply -cannot imagine....’ Kōkiden had always detested Genji and she now burst -out angrily: ‘They call him their Emperor, but from the very beginning -they have gone out of their way to heap every sort of indignity upon -him. Even before he came to the Throne they had already begun to treat -him abominably. Remember how the Minister of the Left behaved about the -marriage of his cherished only daughter! He insisted forsooth in giving -her to this wretched Prince Genji instead of to my son, though my boy -was older and had already been proclaimed Heir Apparent, while Genji -did not count as a member of the royal family at all and was so young -that the wedding took place on the same day as his Initiation! We too, -you may remember, were planning to give my sister to Genji when we were -outwitted by this hasty wedding, of which till the last minute no one -was given the slightest intimation. Every one was indeed astonished -that we should allow ourselves to be tricked in this unscrupulous -fashion. We should all much have preferred to see her married to this -young man, but when that fell through there was nothing for it but to -do the best<span class="pagenum"><i>{93}</i></span> we could for her at Court. It is really extraordinary -that after all the painful experiences she has had with this wretch she -should still imagine she can make a permanent conquest of him. I have -no doubt he is treating the Vestal Virgin in just the same way; and -his behaviour in this matter, as indeed in many others, is causing His -Majesty the greatest anxiety; which is not to be wondered at, seeing -that the heir to the Throne is entirely in this Prince Genji’s hands.’</p> - -<p>She went on in this strain for so long and with so much rancour that -her father, who never remained angry for more than a short time, soon -began to sympathize with Genji rather than with her and was sorry that -he had mentioned the matter at all. ‘I think that for the present,’ -he said, ‘you had better not speak of this to anyone, not even to His -Majesty your son. Prince Genji’s conduct is certainly outrageous; but -you are very fond of your sister and you cannot denounce him without -getting her too into trouble. Leave the matter to me. I intend to -speak to her very seriously, and if this has no effect, then we shall -have done our best and she must take the consequences.’ But it was too -late to mend matters; she was indeed only further exasperated by his -attempt to conciliate her. That Genji should have been carrying on this -intrigue in her own house, and that too at a time when he knew she -was in residence, showed an impudent contempt for her authority which -deeply wounded her, and all that she now thought of was how best she -might use this discovery to his undoing.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_1" href="#FNanchor_X_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Rokujō was still uncertain whether it was her jealousy that had -killed Yūgao. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_2" href="#FNanchor_X_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - Torii. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_3" href="#FNanchor_X_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - The <i>sakaki</i>, a species of evergreen oak, is planted at Shintō -shrines. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_4" href="#FNanchor_X_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - In allusion to the old song ‘My home is at the foot of Miwa Hill. -If you like me, come some day to visit me. You will know the house by -the cedar which grows at the gate.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_5" href="#FNanchor_X_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - Princes used rich scents forbidden to commoners. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_6" href="#FNanchor_X_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - Used in making offerings to Shintō gods. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_7" href="#FNanchor_X_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - An allusion to the poem (<cite>Kokinshū</cite> 701) ‘Can even the God of -Thunder whose footfall echoes in the sky put those asunder whom love -has joined?’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_8" href="#FNanchor_X_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - In reality an appeal to the Virgin (representative of the Gods) to -dissuade her mother from accompanying her. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_9" href="#FNanchor_X_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - Before departing for Ise the Virgin was presented to the Emperor -and formally invested. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_10" href="#FNanchor_X_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - 4 p.m. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_11" href="#FNanchor_X_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - Prince Zembō, her father, was at that time Heir Apparent. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_12" href="#FNanchor_X_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - A river in the Province of Ise. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_13" href="#FNanchor_X_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - ‘Ōsaka’ means Hill of Meeting; a gentle slope on the road from -Kyōto to Ōtsu. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_14" href="#FNanchor_X_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - I.e. to Murasaki. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_15" href="#FNanchor_X_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - Genji’s son by Fujitsubo; supposed to be the Emperor’s child. He -was now four years old. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_16" href="#FNanchor_X_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - In which they packed the costumes they wore while on duty at the -palace. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_17" href="#FNanchor_X_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> - Her relations with Genji. See vol. i, p. 241. She had now become -the Emperor’s mistress. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_18" href="#FNanchor_X_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> - The neglected step-child who in the end triumphs over her pampered -rivals is a favourite theme in Japanese stories. Cf. the <cite>Sumiyoshi -Monogatari</cite> and the <cite>Ochikubo</cite>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_19" href="#FNanchor_X_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> - See vol. i, pp. 68 and 252. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_20" href="#FNanchor_X_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> - A ritual in honour of the Five Mysterious Buddhas of the Tantric -Sect, to wit: Gōsanze, Gundari, Dai-itoku, Kongō-yasha and Fudō. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_21" href="#FNanchor_X_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> - See vol i, pp. 241 <i>seq</i>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_22" href="#FNanchor_X_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> - Genji was Commander of the Imperial Guard. The soldiers of the -Guard had to report at 4 a.m. to the senior officer of the Guard who -happened on that night to be in the Palace. They had really come to -report to some subordinate officer who happened to be lodging close by. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_23" href="#FNanchor_X_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> - I.e. 4 a.m. They had to go on calling the hour till their officer -replied ‘So be it’ to show that he had heard them. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_24" href="#FNanchor_X_24" class="fnanchor">24</a> - There is a play of words on <i>aku</i> ‘enough’ and <i>aku</i> ‘dawn’; in -the next poem between <i>aku</i> ‘enough’ and <i>aku</i> ‘open.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_25" href="#FNanchor_X_25" class="fnanchor">25</a> - Wife of the young Emperor Suzaku. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_26" href="#FNanchor_X_26" class="fnanchor">26</a> - I.e. in a monastery. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_27" href="#FNanchor_X_27" class="fnanchor">27</a> - Who, after the death of her lover, the Chinese Emperor Kao Tsu, -was tortured and mutilated (c. <span class="smcap">b.c.</span> 200) by his wife. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_28" href="#FNanchor_X_28" class="fnanchor">28</a> - Genji’s child by Fujitsubo: supposed by the world to be the late -Emperor’s son. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_29" href="#FNanchor_X_29" class="fnanchor">29</a> - The Unrinin, near Kyōto. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_30" href="#FNanchor_X_30" class="fnanchor">30</a> - Books on monastic discipline, and morality in general. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_31" href="#FNanchor_X_31" class="fnanchor">31</a> - Princess Asagao. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_32" href="#FNanchor_X_32" class="fnanchor">32</a> - The canonical book of the Tendai Sect. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_33" href="#FNanchor_X_33" class="fnanchor">33</a> - The Court was still in mourning and music was not allowed. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_34" href="#FNanchor_X_34" class="fnanchor">34</a> - The Crown Prince sent an assassin to murder the King of Ch‘in; -whereupon the above phenomenon was observed and the Crown Prince felt -convinced that the plot would fail. The young courtier vaguely hints -that Genji is meditating treason. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_35" href="#FNanchor_X_35" class="fnanchor">35</a> - I.e. the late Emperor. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_36" href="#FNanchor_X_36" class="fnanchor">36</a> - Of the Hokkekyō. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_37" href="#FNanchor_X_37" class="fnanchor">37</a> - Ostensibly the poem refers to the late Emperor, but it has a -hidden reference to the meeting of Fujitsubo and Genji. There is a pun -on <i>yuki</i>, ‘snow,’ and <i>yuki</i>, ‘go.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_38" href="#FNanchor_X_38" class="fnanchor">38</a> - Of whom we are vaguely told that he was ‘a former Emperor.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_39" href="#FNanchor_X_39" class="fnanchor">39</a> - The bishop of the Enryakuji on Mount Hie. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_40" href="#FNanchor_X_40" class="fnanchor">40</a> - An incense made of sandal-wood, cloves, etc. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_41" href="#FNanchor_X_41" class="fnanchor">41</a> - I should like to become a priest, but I must stay and look after -the child. There is an allusion to the famous poem on the death of a -child: ‘Because in Death’s dark land he will not know the way, I will -make offerings to the Guardian of Souls that on his shoulders he may -carry him.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_42" href="#FNanchor_X_42" class="fnanchor">42</a> - Performed by girls on the 16th day and by young men on the 14th -and 15th days of the first month. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_43" href="#FNanchor_X_43" class="fnanchor">43</a> - Twenty-one white horses were offered to the Emperor on the 7th -day, and afterwards distributed by him among members of his family. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_44" href="#FNanchor_X_44" class="fnanchor">44</a> - The residence of the Minister of the Right, Kōkiden’s father. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_45" href="#FNanchor_X_45" class="fnanchor">45</a> - <i>Ama</i>, ‘fishermen,’ also means ‘nun.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_46" href="#FNanchor_X_46" class="fnanchor">46</a> -The State grant allowed to an ex-Empress was sufficient to maintain -2,000 dependants. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_47" href="#FNanchor_X_47" class="fnanchor">47</a> - His wife was the fourth daughter of the Minister of the Right. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_48" href="#FNanchor_X_48" class="fnanchor">48</a> - Such as Buddha’s birthday, Māyā’s birthday, Buddha’s Nirvāna day, -etc. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_49" href="#FNanchor_X_49" class="fnanchor">49</a> - The Heir Apparent, Genji’s son by Fujitsubo, supposed to be the -old Emperor’s child. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_X_50" href="#FNanchor_X_50" class="fnanchor">50</a> - One of Genji’s step-brothers. -</div> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_94"><i>{94}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="larger">THE VILLAGE OF FALLING FLOWERS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE outlook was very black. Not only were his private affairs in a -state of grievous entanglement, but also his position at Court was -being made every day more difficult. So despondent did he become that -he had serious thoughts of giving everything up and quitting the -Capital. But this was by no means easy now that so many persons were -dependent upon him. For example there was Lady Reikeiden, a lady of his -father’s Court. She had no children to look after her and had, since -the old Emperor’s death, been living in very bad circumstances. But -for Genji’s assistance she would never have pulled through. With her -lived a sister much younger than herself with whom he had once had a -fugitive affair when both of them were living at the Palace. He never -forgot anyone to whom he had stood, even for the briefest period, in -such a relation as this. Their friendship had never been resumed; but -he had reason to suppose that on her side the attachment was still as -strong as ever. During the period of emotional tumult through which -he had just passed he had many times brooded upon his relations with -this lady. At last he felt that he could neglect her no longer, and the -rains of the fifth month having given place to an enchanting spell of -fine warm weather, he set out for her sister’s house. He went without -any outriders and took care that there should be nothing to distinguish -his coach<span class="pagenum"><i>{95}</i></span> from that of an ordinary individual. As he was nearing -the Middle River he noticed a small house standing amid clumps of -trees. There came from it the sound of some one playing the zithern; a -well-made instrument, so it seemed, and tuned to the eastern mode.<a id="FNanchor_XI_1" href="#Footnote_XI_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> -It was being excellently played. The house was quite near the highway -and Genji, alighting for a moment from the carriage, stood near the -gate to listen. Peeping inside he saw a great laurel-tree quavering -in the wind. It reminded him of that Kamo festival long ago, when -the dancers had nodded their garlands of laurel and sun-flower.<a id="FNanchor_XI_2" href="#Footnote_XI_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -Something about the place interested him, seemed even to be vaguely -familiar. Suddenly he remembered that this was a house which he had -once visited a long while before. His heart beat fast.... But it had -all happened too long ago. He felt shy of announcing himself. All the -same, it seemed a pity to pass the house without a word, and for a -while he stood hesitating. Just when he was about to drive away, a -cuckoo flew by. Somehow its note seemed to be an invitation to him to -stay, and turning his chariot he composed the following poem, which he -gave into Koremitsu’s hands: ‘Hark to the cuckoo’s song! Who could not -but revisit the hedge-row of this house where once he sung before?’ -There seemed to be several people sitting together in a room on the -left. This must be the lady’s own apartment. Several of the voices -Koremitsu thought he could remember having heard before. He made a -slight noise to attract attention and delivered the poem. He could -hear it being discussed within by a number of young women who seemed -somewhat puzzled by it. Presently a reply was brought: ‘That to my -garden Cuckoo has returned, his song proclaims. But how, pray, should I -see him, caged behind the summer<span class="pagenum" id="page_96"><i>{96}</i></span> rain?’ Koremitsu made sure that -they were only pretending not to know who their visitor was. The lady -indeed, though she hid her feelings from the rest, was very loath to -send Koremitsu away with this hollow message. But so long a time had -elapsed since her adventure with Genji that she may very well have had -good reasons for doing so. Suddenly, as he drove away, there came into -his mind a picture of this lady dancing with four others at the Palace. -Yes, that was who she was. She had been one of the Gosechi dancers one -winter long ago. How much he had admired her! And for a moment he felt -about her exactly as he had felt before. It was this strange capacity -of his for re-creating in its full intensity an emotion suspended -for months or even years and overlaid by a thousand intervening -distractions, that gained for him, faithless though he was, so large a -number of persistent admirers.</p> - -<p>At last he arrived at Lady Reikeiden’s house. Noting that it wore an -aspect fully as cheerless and deserted as he had feared, he hastened -at once to the elder lady’s room. They talked much of old times and -the night was soon far advanced. It was the twentieth day and the moon -had now risen, but so tall were the surrounding trees that the garden -still looked dark and gloomy as before. The lady herself sat in a room -pervaded by the fragrance of orange-trees. She was no longer young, -but still preserved much dignity and charm. Though she had never been -singled out as a particular favourite with the late Emperor, they had -been on very familiar terms and she was able to entertain Genji with -many intimate recollections of his father’s life and habits. Indeed so -vivid a picture of those old days soon rose before his mind that the -tears came into his eyes. A cuckoo was suddenly heard in the garden -outside, perhaps the very same that had sung when he was waiting<span class="pagenum"><i>{97}</i></span> -at the gate of the little house; its note at any rate seemed strangely -similar. Had it followed him? Pleased with this idea he sang softly to -himself the old song ‘Knows the cuckoo when he sings?’ Presently he -handed to her this poem: ‘“It is the scent of orange-trees that draws -the cuckoo to the village of falling flowers.” I knew you would remind -me of many things that I would not gladly forget; that is why I made my -way straight to your room. Though life at Court gives me much both to -think of and to feel, there are often times when I should like to have -about me people who would talk of the past, and now that the world has -given its allegiance to new powers such people are hard to find. But -if I, amid the bustle of the town, feel this deprivation, how much the -more must you in your long hours of tedious inactivity!’</p> - -<p>His prospects had indeed changed very much for the worse since she had -first known him, and he certainly seemed to feel those changes deeply. -But if her heart went out to him it was perhaps rather because of his -youth and beauty than because she regarded his position in the world -as calling for any particular commiseration. She answered him with -the poem: ‘To these wild gardens and abandoned halls only the scent -of orange-trees could draw the traveller’s steps!’ She said no more -and he took his leave. Yes, despite the fact that greater beauties had -overshadowed her at his father’s Court, this lady had a singular charm -and distinction of her own.</p> - -<p>Her sister was living in the western wing. He did not hide from her -that he was only calling upon her on his way from Lady Reikeiden’s -rooms. But in her delight at his sudden arrival and her surprise at -seeing him under circumstances so different she forgot to take offence -either at his having visited her sister first or having taken so -long in making up his mind to come at all. The time that they<span class="pagenum"><i>{98}</i></span> -spent together was in every way successful and agreeable, and she can -scarcely have thought that he did not care for her.</p> - -<p>It was often thus with those whom he met only in this casual way. -Being women of character and position they had no false pride and saw -that it was worth while to take what they could get. Thus without any -ill will on either side concerning the future or the past they would -enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company, and so part. However, if -by chance anyone resented this kind of treatment and cooled towards -him, Genji was never in the least surprised; for though, as far as -feelings went, perfectly constant himself, he had long ago learnt that -such constancy was very unusual. The lady in the little house by the -road-side was clearly an example of the latter class; she had resented -the infrequence of his visits and no longer felt disposed to receive -him.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XI_1" href="#FNanchor_XI_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - I.e. as a <i>wagon</i> or Japanese zithern, not in the Chinese style. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XI_2" href="#FNanchor_XI_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - See vol. i, p. 257. -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_99"><i>{99}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="larger">EXILE AT SUMA</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE intrigue against him was becoming every day more formidable. It was -evident that he could not in any case go on living much longer where he -was, and by a voluntary withdrawal he might well get off more lightly -than if he merely allowed events to take their course.</p> - -<p>There was Suma. It might not be such a bad place to choose. There had -indeed once been some houses there; but it was now a long way to the -nearest village and the coast wore a very deserted aspect. Apart from -a few fishermen’s huts there was not anywhere a sign of life. This did -not matter, for a thickly populated, noisy place was not at all what he -wanted; but even Suma was a terribly long way from the Capital, and the -prospect of being separated from all those whose society he liked best -was not at all inviting. His life hitherto had been one long series of -disasters. As for the future, it did not bear thinking of! Clearly the -world held in store for him nothing but disappointment and vexation. -But no sooner had he proved to himself convincingly that he was glad -to leave the Capital than he began to recollect a thousand reasons for -remaining in it. Above all, he could not imagine what would become of -Murasaki if he were to leave her. Even when for one reason or another -he was obliged to pass a few days away from his palace, he spent so -much of the time wondering how she was getting on without him that he -<span class="pagenum"><i>{100}</i></span> never really enjoyed himself and in the end dreaded even these -short absences almost as much as she did. Now he was going away not -for a fixed number of days or even years, but for a huge, incalculable -period of time; perhaps (for who knew what might not happen either to -him or her?) forever. The thought that he might never see her again -was unendurable and he began to devise a scheme for hiding her in his -retinue and secretly taking her with him. He soon saw however that this -was quite impracticable. First there was the difficult sea-journey; and -then, at Suma, the total lack of amusements and society. The waves and -winds of that desolate shore would make poor companions for one used -to the gaieties of a fashionable house. It would moreover be utterly -impossible in such a place to make adequate provision for the comfort -of a fastidious and delicately-nurtured lady. Her presence would soon -involve him in all sorts of difficulties and anxieties. She herself -felt that she would rather face every danger, every hardship, than -be left behind at the Nijō-in, and that he should doubt her courage -wounded her deeply.</p> - -<p>The ladies at the ‘village of falling flowers,’ though in any case they -saw him but seldom, were dismayed at the news of his departure, not -for personal reasons only, but also because they had come to depend -in numerous ways on his patronage and support. Many others whose -acquaintance with him was very slight, were, though they would not have -confessed it, shattered at the prospect of his disappearance from the -Court. The abbess<a id="FNanchor_XII_1" href="#Footnote_XII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> herself feared that if she showed him any open -mark of sympathy at this turn in his fortunes she would give new life -to rumours which had already been used against him by his enemies. But -from the time when his decision was first announced she contrived to -send him constant secret messages. He<span class="pagenum"><i>{101}</i></span> could not help reflecting -with some bitterness that she might sometimes have shown an equal -concern while it was still possible for her to console him in more -concrete ways. But it seemed to be fated that throughout all this long -relationship each, however well disposed, should only cause torment to -the other. He left the City about the twentieth day of the third month. -The date of his departure had not been previously disclosed and he -left his palace very quietly, accompanied only by some seven or eight -intimate retainers. He did not even send formal letters of farewell but -only hasty and secret messages to a few of those whom he loved best, -telling them in such words as came to him at the moment what pain it -cost him to leave them. Those notes were written under the stress of -deep emotion and would doubtless interest the reader; but though some -of them were read to me at the time, I was myself in so distracted a -state of mind that I cannot accurately recall them. Two or three days -before his departure he paid a secret visit to Aoi’s father. He came -in a rattan-coach such as women use, and heavily disguised. When they -saw that it was indeed Prince Genji who had stepped out of this humble -equipage the people at the Great Hall could hardly believe that this -was not some strange dream. Aoi’s old room wore a dismal and deserted -air; but the nurses of his little boy and such of Aoi’s servants as -were still in the house soon heard the news of his unexpected arrival -and came bustling from the women’s quarters to gaze at him and pay him -their respects. Even the new young servants who had not seen him before -and had no reason to take his affairs particularly to heart were deeply -moved at this farewell visit, which brought home to them so vividly the -evanescence of human grandeurs. The little prince recognized him and -at once ran up to him in the prettiest and most confiding way. This -delighted Genji; taking the child on<span class="pagenum"><i>{102}</i></span> his knee he played with -it so charmingly that the ladies could hardly contain their emotion. -Presently the old Minister arrived: ‘I have often meant,’ he said, -‘during these last months when you have been living so much at home, -to come round and talk over with you various small matters connected -with the past; but first I was ill and for a long time could not attend -to my duties, and then at last my resignation was definitely accepted. -Now I am merely a private person, and I have been afraid that if I came -to see you it would be said that it must be to promote some personal -intrigue that I was bestirring my aged bones. As far as I am concerned -I am out of it all, and have really nothing to be afraid of. But these -new people are very suspicious and one cannot be too careful.... I -am distressed beyond measure that you should be obliged to take the -course which you are now contemplating; I would gladly not have lived -to witness such a day. These are bad times, and I fully expected to see -a great deal of mischief done to the country. But I confess I did not -foresee that you would find yourself in such a situation as this, and -I am heart-broken about it, utterly heart-broken....’ ‘We are told,’ -answered Genji, ‘that everything which happens to us in this life is -the result of our conduct in some previous existence. If this is to be -taken literally I suppose I must now accept the fact that in a previous -incarnation I must have misbehaved myself in some way. It is clear, at -any rate, that I am in bad odour at Court; though, seeing that they -have not thought it necessary to deprive me of my various offices and -titles, they cannot have very much against me. But when the Government -has shown that it mistrusts a man, he is generally considered much to -blame if he continues to flaunt himself at Court as though nothing -were amiss. I could cite many instances in the history both of our own -<span class="pagenum"><i>{103}</i></span> and other countries. But distant banishment, the penalty which -I hear is contemplated in my case, has never been decreed except as -the penalty of scandalous and open misdemeanour. My conscience is of -course perfectly clear; but I see that it would be very dangerous to -sit down and await events. I have therefore decided to withdraw from -the Capital, lest some worse humiliation should befall me.’ He gave -the Minister many further details of his proposed flight. The old man -replied with a multitude of reminiscences, particularly of the late -Emperor, with anecdotes illustrating his opinions and policies. Each -time that Genji tried to go his father-in-law gripped his sleeve and -began a new story. He was indeed himself deeply moved by these stories -of old days, as also by the pretty behaviour of his little son, who -while they were talking of policies and grave affairs constantly ran up -to one or the other with his absurd, confiding prattle. The Minister -continued: ‘Though the loss of my dear daughter is a sorrow from which -to my dying day I shall not recover, I find myself now quite thankful -that she did not live to see these dreadful days. Poor girl, she would -have suffered terribly. What a nightmare it all is! More than anything -else I am distressed that my grandson here should be left with us -elderly people and that for months or even years to come you will be -quite cut off from him.</p> - -<p>‘As you say, exile has hitherto been reserved as a punishment for -particularly grave offences. There have indeed been many cases both -here and in China of innocent persons being condemned to banishment, -but always in consequence of some false charge being made against them. -But against you a threat of exile seems to have been made without any -cause being alleged. I cannot understand it....’</p> - -<p>Tō no Chūjō now joined them and wine was served. It was very late, but -Genji showed no signs of going, and<span class="pagenum"><i>{104}</i></span> presently all the gentlewomen -of the household collected round him and made him tell them stories. -There was one among them, Chūnagon by name, who, though she never spoke -of it, had always cared for Genji far more deeply than did any of her -companions. She now sat sad and thoughtful waiting to say something to -him but unable to think of anything to say. He noticed this and was -very sorry for her. When all the rest had gone to their rooms he kept -her by him and talked to her for a long while. It may perhaps have -been for her sake that he stayed so long. Dawn was beginning to come -into the sky and the moon, which had not long risen, darted its light -among the blossom of the garden trees, now just beyond their prime. -In the courtyard leafy branches cast delicate half-shadows upon the -floor, and thin wreaths of cloud sank through the air till they met the -first flicker of the white grass-mists which, scarcely perceptible, now -quivered in the growing light.</p> - -<p>He hung over the balustrade outside the corner room and for a while -gazed in silence at this scene, which transcended even the beauty of -an autumn night. Chūnagon, that she might watch him go, had opened the -main door and stood holding it back. ‘I shall return,’ Genji said, ‘and -we shall surely meet again. Though indeed, when I think about it, I can -find no reason to suppose that I shall ever be recalled. Oh, why did I -not make haste to know you in better days, when it would have been so -easy for us to meet?’ She wept but made no answer.</p> - -<p>Presently Aoi’s mother sent a message by Saishō, the little prince’s -nurse: ‘There are many things that I want to talk over with you, but -my mind is nowadays so clouded and confused that I hesitate to send -for you. It is kind of you to have paid us so long a visit and I would -ask you to come to me; but I fear that to talk with you would remind -me too much of all that is now so changed. However,<span class="pagenum"><i>{105}</i></span> pray do not -leave the house till your poor little son is awake.’ He answered with -the poem: ‘To a shore I go where the tapering smoke of salt-kilns -shall remind me of the smoke that loitered by her pyre.’ He wrote no -letter to go with the poem, but turning to the nurse he said: ‘It is -sad at all times to leave one’s friends at dawn. How much the more -for one such as I, who goes never to return!’ ‘Indeed,’ she answered, -‘“farewell” is a monster among words, and never yet sounded kindly in -any ear. But seldom can this word have had so sinister an import as to -all of us on this unhappy morning.’</p> - -<p>Touched by her concern at his departure he felt that he must give her -what she evidently expected,—some further message for her mistress, -and he wrote: ‘There is much that I should like to say, but after -all you will have little difficulty in imagining for yourself the -perplexity and despair into which my present situation has plunged me. -I should indeed dearly like to see the little prince before I go. But -I fear that the sight of him might weaken my resolution to forsake the -fleeting world, and therefore I must force myself to leave this house -without further delay.’</p> - -<p>The whole household was now awake and every one was on the watch to -see him start. The moon shone red at the edge of the sky, and in its -strange light he looked so lovely, yet so sad and thoughtful, that the -hearts of wolves and tigers, nay of very demons, would have melted at -the sight of him. It may be imagined then with what feelings those -gentlewomen watched him drive away, many of whom had known and loved -him since he was a child. But I had forgotten to say that Aoi’s mother -replied with the poem: ‘Seek not another sky, but if you love her,<a id="FNanchor_XII_2" href="#Footnote_XII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -stay beneath these clouds with which her soul is blent.’ When he<span class="pagenum"><i>{106}</i></span> -reached his own palace he found that none of the gentlewomen there had -slept a wink. They were sitting a few here, a few there, in frightened -groups, looking as though they would never lift their heads again. -Those officers of his household and personal retainers who had been -chosen to go with him to Suma were busy preparing for their departure -or saying good-bye to their friends, so that the retainers’ hall was -absolutely deserted; nor had the gentlewomen whom he was leaving -behind dared to present themselves on the occasion of his departure, -for they knew that any demonstration of good will towards an enemy of -those in power would be remembered against them by the Government. So -that instead of his doors being thronged, as once they had been, by -a continual multitude of horsemen and carriages, he found them that -morning utterly deserted and realized with bitterness how frail is the -fabric of worldly power. Already his great guest-tables, pushed against -the wall, were looking tarnished and dusty; the guest-mats were rolled -up and stowed away in corners. If the house looked like this now, what -sort of spectacle he wondered would it present when he had been absent -for a few months?</p> - -<p>On reaching the western wing he found the partition door still open. -Murasaki had sat there watching till dawn. Some of the little boys -who waited upon her were sleeping on the verandah. Hearing him coming -they now shook themselves and rose with a clatter. It was a pleasant -sight to see them pattering about in their little pages’ costumes; but -now he watched them with a pang at his heart, for he could not help -remembering that while he was away they would grow up into men and in -the end have to seek service elsewhere. And indeed during those days -he looked with interest and regret on many things which had never -engaged his attention before. ‘I am so sorry about last night,’ he -said. ‘One thing happened after another,<span class="pagenum"><i>{107}</i></span> and by the time I was -free to come back it would not have been worth while. You must have -thought it horrid of me. Now that there is so little time left, I hate -to be away from you at all. But my departure from the Court naturally -involves me in many painful duties, and it would be quite impossible -for me to remain shut up here all the time. There are other people, -some of whom I may very likely never see again, who would think it -unkind of me if I did not even bid them good-bye....’ ‘It is your going -away that matters,’ she answered; ‘nothing else is of any consequence -now....’ She said no more, but sat staring before her in an attitude of -the profoundest despair. And indeed, as Genji realized, she had every -possible reason to dread his departure. Her father Prince Hyōbukyō had -never put himself out for her, and since Genji’s disgrace he stopped -writing and no longer even enquired about her. She was ashamed of his -worldly caution and dreaded lest others should notice it. For her part -she was resolved that, since he showed no interest in her, she would -be the last to remind him of her existence. Some one told her that -her step-mother<a id="FNanchor_XII_3" href="#Footnote_XII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> went about saying: ‘This is what comes of trying -to get on too quickly in the world. Look how she has been punished! -All her relatives expire and now her lover takes flight!’ She was -deeply distressed and felt that she could not ever communicate with -her step-mother again. There was indeed no one to whom she could turn -for help, and her position was likely to be in every way unhappy and -difficult. ‘I promise,’ said Genji to comfort her, ‘that if my exile -seems likely to last for a considerable time, I will send for you to -join me, even if I can offer you nothing better to live in than a hole -in the rocks. But it would be considered most improper for me to take -you with me now. People who are disapproved of<span class="pagenum" id="page_108"><i>{108}</i></span> by the Government -are expected to creep about miserably in the dark, and if they try to -make themselves happy and comfortable it is considered very wicked. -I have not of course done anything wrong, but my misfortune must -certainly be due to some sin in a previous life, and I am sure that if -I did anything so unusual as to take my lady into exile with me, fate -would find some yet more cruel way to punish me for the presumption.’</p> - -<p>He then lay down and slept till noon. Later in the day his half-brother -Prince Sochi no Miya and Tō no Chūjō called and offered to help him -dress. He reminded them that he had resigned his rank and they brought -him a cloak of plain silk without any crest or badge. This costume had -an informal air which became him better than they had expected. When -he went to the mirror that his servants might do his hair he could not -help noticing how thin his face had lately grown, and he said ‘What a -fright I look! Can I really be such a skeleton as this? It is indeed -a bad business if I am.’ Murasaki, her eyes full of tears, came and -peeped at the mirror. To distract her he recited the poem: ‘Though I -wander in strange lands and far away, in this mirror let me leave my -image, that it may never quit your side.’ ‘That, yes, even so little as -that, would comfort me, if indeed this mirror might hold the image of -your distant face.’ So she answered, and without another word sank into -a seat behind the roof-pillar, that her tears might not be seen. His -heart went out to her, and he felt at this moment that among all the -women he had known she was indeed the most adorable.</p> - -<p>His step-brother now fell to reminding him of scenes in their common -childhood, and it was already growing dark when he left Genji’s room. -The lady at the ‘village of falling flowers’ had written to him -constantly since she heard the news of his approaching departure. He -knew<span class="pagenum"><i>{109}</i></span> that she had many reasons for dreading his absence and it -seemed unfeeling not to pay her one more visit before he left. But if -he spent another evening away from his palace Murasaki would be very -disappointed, and he therefore did not start till late in the night. -He went first to the room of Princess Reikeiden, who was flattered and -delighted beyond measure that hers should be the only house to which he -paid the honour of a farewell visit. But what passed between them was -not of sufficient interest to be recorded. He remembered that it was -only through his help and protection that she had managed to overcome -the difficulties and anxieties of the last few years. Now matters would -go from bad to worse. In the house nothing stirred. The moon had risen -and now shimmered faintly through the clouds. The lake in front of -the building was large and wild, and dense thickets of mountain-trees -surrounded it. He was just thinking that there could hardly in all the -world be a lovelier, stranger place, when he remembered the rocky shore -of Suma,—a thousand times more forbidding, more inaccessible!</p> - -<p>The younger sister had quite made up her mind that Genji was going -to leave the house without visiting her, and she was all the more -surprised and delighted when at last, more lovely than ever by -moonlight and in the grave simplicity of his exile’s dress, he stole -into her room. At once she crept towards the window and they stood -together gazing at the moonlight. They talked for a while, and found -to their astonishment that it was nearly day. ‘How short the night has -been,’ said Genji. ‘Yet even such a hasty meeting as this may never be -ours again. Why did I not know you better in all those years when it -would have been so easy to meet? Never have such misfortunes befallen -an innocent man before, nor ever will they again. I go from torment to -torment. Listen ...’ and he was<span class="pagenum"><i>{110}</i></span> beginning to recount to her the -disasters and miscalculations of the past when the cock crowed, and -fearing detection he hastened away.</p> - -<p>The moon was like last night, just on the point of setting; it seemed -to him a symbol of his own declining fortunes. Shining through the dark -purple of her dress the moonlight had indeed, as in the old poem, ‘the -leaden look of those who weep,’ and she recited the poem: ‘Though to -the moonlight my sleeve but narrow lodging can afford, yet might it -dwell there for ever and for ever, this radiance<a id="FNanchor_XII_4" href="#Footnote_XII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> of which my eyes -can never tire.’ He saw that she was deeply moved by this parting and -in pity sought to comfort her with the poem: ‘In its long journeying -the moon at last shall meet a clearer sky; then heed not if for a while -its light be dimmed.’ ‘It is foolish,’ he added, ‘to spoil the present -with tears for sorrows that are still to come,’ and with that he -hurried away, that he might be out of the house while it was still dark.</p> - -<p>At home he had a great many things to arrange before his departure. -First of all he had to give instructions concerning the upkeep of -his palace to the few faithful retainers who had taken the risk of -remaining in his service. When these had at last all been assigned -their functions, difficulties arose about some of the attendants who -were to have gone with him into exile, and a fresh choice had to -be made. Then there was the business of deciding how much luggage -he should take with him to his mountain fastness. Some things were -obviously indispensable; but even when he cut down his equipment to -the barest possible necessities there were still all kinds of odds and -ends, such as writing-materials, poems, Chinese books, which all had to -be fitted into the right sort of boxes. And then there was his zithern; -he could not leave that behind. But he took<span class="pagenum"><i>{111}</i></span> no large objects -of furniture nor any of his more elaborate costumes, having resigned -himself to the prospect of a completely bucolic existence. Finally he -had to explain to Murasaki all the arrangements he had made about the -servants who were to stay behind, and a hundred other matters. Into -her charge too he put all the documents concerning his various estates -and grazing-lands in different parts of the country. His granaries -and store-houses he put into the keeping of the nurse Shōnagon whose -vigilance and reliability he had often noted, giving her the help -of one or two trusted household officers. And here again there were -numerous arrangements to be made.</p> - -<p>With the gentlewomen of his palace he had never been on intimate terms. -But he kept them in a good humour by sending for them occasionally to -talk with him, and he now summoned them all, saying to them: ‘I am -afraid it will be rather dull here while I am away. But if any of you -care to stay in my service on the chance that I may one day return to -the Court, which if I live long enough is indeed certain to happen -sooner or later,—please consider yourselves at the disposition of -the Lady in the western wing.’ So saying he sent for all the other -servants, high and low, and distributed suitable keepsakes among them.</p> - -<p>No one was forgotten; to the nurse of Aoi’s little son and even to the -servants at the ‘village of falling flowers’ he sent tokens of his -appreciation, chosen, you may be sure, with the greatest taste and care.</p> - -<p>To Oborozuki, despite a certain reluctance, he wrote at last: ‘That -after what happened between us you should have ceased to communicate -with me was both natural and prudent. But I would now have you know -that the unparalleled ferocity of my enemies has at last driven me from -the Court. “The rising torrent of your reproachful tears has carried me -at last to the flood-mark of exile and<span class="pagenum"><i>{112}</i></span> disgrace.” I cannot forget -that this folly alone was the instrument of my undoing.’ There was some -danger that the letter might fall into wrong hands before it reached -its destination, and for that reason he made it brief and vague.</p> - -<p>The lady was heart-stricken, and though she strove to hide her tears, -they flowed in a torrent that her sleeve was not broad enough to dam. -She sent him the poem: ‘Long ere I reach the tide of your return shall -I, poor scum upon the river of tears, be vanished out of sight.’ She -was weeping violently when she wrote it, and there were many blotches -and mistakes, but her writing was at all times elegant and pleasing. He -would very much have liked to see her once more before his departure, -and he many times thought of arranging it. But she was too intimately -connected with just those people who had been chiefly responsible for -his undoing, and somewhat regretfully he put the idea aside.</p> - -<p>On the evening of the day before his departure he went to worship at -his father’s tomb on the Northern Hills. As the moon did not rise till -after midnight he found himself with time on his hands, and went first -to visit the Abbess Fujitsubo. She allowed him to stand close up to -her curtain, and on this occasion spoke to him with her own mouth. -She naturally had many questions to talk over concerning the future -of her son, which was now more than ever uncertain. But apart from -this, two people who had once lived on such terms as this prince and -princess, could not now fail to have much to say to one another of a -far more intimate and tender character. He thought her every bit as -charming and graceful as in old days, and this made him allude with -bitterness to her heartless treatment of him. But he remembered in time -that her present state made any such complaints in the highest degree -unseemly and inappropriate. He was allowing his feelings to get out -<span class="pagenum" id="page_113"><i>{113}</i></span> of hand, and withdrawing for a while into his own thoughts, he -said at last: ‘This punishment has come upon me quite unexpectedly, -and when I try to account for it, one possible explanation of a most -alarming character presents itself to my mind. I am not thinking of the -danger to myself should a certain fact be known, but of the disastrous -consequences of such a disclosure upon the career of the young prince, -your son....’ The same possibility had of course occurred to her. Her -heart beat wildly, but she did not answer. The many painful scenes in -which he had recently taken part had broken his spirit and he now wept -unrestrainedly. ‘I am going to the Royal Tombs,’ he said at last. ‘Have -you any message?’ She answered with the poem: ‘He that was, is not; and -he that is, now hides from the afflictions of the world. What increase -but of tears did my renunciation bring?’</p> - -<p>At last the moon rose, and he set out. Only five or six attendants were -with him, men of low rank, but all of them deeply attached to him. -Genji himself rode on horseback like the rest. This was quite natural -on such an occasion, but his companions could not help contrasting -this melancholy cavalcade with the splendours of his retinue in former -days. Among them the most downcast was Ukon,<a id="FNanchor_XII_5" href="#Footnote_XII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> who had formed part of -his special escort on the occasion of the Kamo festival a few years -ago. This gentleman had since that time seen himself repeatedly passed -over at the annual distribution of honours, and finally his name -disappeared altogether from the lists. Being without employment he had -been obliged to go into service, and was now acting as Genji’s groom. -As they rode along Ukon’s eye lighted on the Lower Shrine of Kamo which -lay quite near their road, and remembering that wonderful day of the -festival he leapt from his horse and<span class="pagenum" id="page_114"><i>{114}</i></span> holding Genji’s bridle he -recited the verse: ‘Well I remember how, crowned with golden flowers, -we rode together on that glorious day! Little, alas, they heed their -worshippers, the churlish gods that in the Shrine of Kamo dwell.’</p> - -<p>Genji well knew what was passing through the man’s mind. He remembered -with indignation and pity how Ukon had been the gayest, the most -resplendent figure among those who had ridden with him on that day. -Genji too alighted from his horse and turning his face towards the -Shrine repeated this parting poem: ‘Thou who art called the Righter -of Wrongs, to Thee I leave it to clear the name that stays behind me, -now that I am driven from the fleeting haunts of men.’ Ukon was a very -impressionable youth, and this small episode thrilled and delighted him -beyond measure.</p> - -<p>At last they reached the Tombs. Genji’s mind was full of long-forgotten -images. He saw his father seated on the throne in the days of his -prime, the pattern of a kindly yet magnificent king. Who could then -have guessed that death would in an instant deface all memory of that -good and glorious reign? Who could have foreseen that the wise policies -which, with tears in his eyes, he had time and again commended to those -about him, would in an instant be reversed, and even his dying wishes -contemptuously cast aside? The path to the Royal Tomb was already -overgrown with tall thick grass, so that in pressing his way along it -he became soaked with dew. The moon was hidden behind clouds, dank -woods closed about him on either hand, such woods as give one the -feeling one will never return through them alive. When at last he knelt -at the tomb, his father’s face appeared so vividly before him that he -turned cold with fear. Then murmuring the verse: ‘How comes it that thy -vanished image looms before me, though the bright moon, symbol of thy -high fortunes, is<span class="pagenum"><i>{115}</i></span> hidden from my sight?’ he set out towards the -town, for it was now broad daylight. On his return he sent a message -to the Heir Apparent. Ōmyōbu had taken charge of the child since -Fujitsubo’s retirement and it was through her that Genji now addressed -his son: ‘I leave the City to-day. That I have been unable to visit -you once more is the greatest of my many vexations. You indeed know -better than I can tell what thoughts are mine in this extremity, and I -beg you to commend me to your little master in such terms as you deem -best.’ With this letter he enclosed a spray of withered cherry-blossoms -to which was tied the poem: ‘When again shall I see the flowers of -the City blossoming in Spring, I whom fortune has cast out upon the -barren mountains of the shore?’ This she passed on to the boy who, -young though he was, quite well understood the import of the message, -and when Ōmyōbu added ‘It is hard at present to say when he will -return...!’ the young prince said sadly ‘Even when he stays away for a -little while I miss him very much, and now that he is going a long way -off I do not know how I shall get on.... Please say this to him for me.’</p> - -<p>She was touched by the simplicity of his message. Ōmyōbu often -called to mind all the misery which in past days had grown out of -her mistress’s disastrous attachment. Scene after scene rose before -her. How happy they might both have been, if only.... And then she -would remember that she and she alone had been the promoter of their -ruin. She had pleaded for Genji, arranged those fatal meetings! And -a bitter remorse filled her soul. She now sent the following reply: -‘His Highness dictated no formal answer. When I informed him of your -departure, his distress was very evident....’ This and more she wrote, -somewhat incoherently, for her thoughts were in great confusion. With -the letter was the poem: ‘Though sad<span class="pagenum"><i>{116}</i></span> it is to mark how swift -the flowers fall, yet to the City Spring will come again and with it, -who can tell....’ ‘Oh if that time were come!’ she added, and spent -the hours which followed in recounting such moving tales of Genji’s -wisdom and kindness that every one in the Palace was soon dissolved -in tears. If these people who but seldom caught sight of him were -distressed at the prospect of his departure, it may be imagined what -were the feelings of those whose duties brought them constantly into -his presence. At the Nijō-in every one down to the mere scullery-maids -and outdoor servants, who could never hope to exchange a single word -with him and had thought themselves very lucky if they obtained an -occasional glance or smile, had always been in despair when it was -known that he would be absent from the palace even for a few days. -Nor was his downfall by any means welcome in the country at large. -Since his seventh year he had enjoyed the privilege of running in and -out of the old Emperor’s rooms just as he felt inclined. Everything -he asked for had been granted without question, and there were few -who had not at one time or another found themselves beholden to his -boundless good-nature and generosity. Even among the great nobles and -Ministers of the Crown there were some who owed their first promotion -to Genji’s good offices; and countless persons of less importance knew -quite well that they owed everything to him. But such was their dread -of the present Government, with its ruthless methods of persecution -and suppression, that not one of them now came near him. Expressions -of regret were everywhere heard; but it was only in the secrecy of -their own hearts that these sympathizers dared blame the Government for -happenings which they universally deplored. After all, what was the -good of risking their own positions by showing to the exiled prince -civilities which could be of no real use<span class="pagenum"><i>{117}</i></span> to him? There was some -sense in this, but on Genji their prudence made a most painful and -dispiriting impression. He suddenly felt the world was inhabited by a -set of mean and despicable creatures, none of whom were worth putting -oneself out for in any way at all.</p> - -<p>He spent the whole of that day quietly with Murasaki at his palace. -He was to start soon after midnight. She hardly knew him as he stood -before her dressed in his queer travelling clothes. ‘The moon has -risen,’ he said at last. ‘Come out to the door and see me start. I -know that at the last minute I shall think of all kinds of things I -meant to say to you to-day. Even when I am only going away for a few -nights, there are always so many things to remember....’ He raised the -curtain-of-state behind which she was sitting and drew her with him -towards the portico. She was weeping bitterly. Her feet would not obey -her and she stumbled haltingly at his side. The moonlight fell straight -upon her face. He looked down at her tenderly. The thought came to him -that he might die at Suma. Who would look after her? What would become -of her? He was indeed no less heart-broken than she; but he knew that -if he gave way to his feelings her misery would only be increased and -he recited the verse: ‘We who so long have sworn that death alone -should part us, must suffer life for once to cancel all our vows.’ He -tried to speak lightly, but when she answered: ‘Could my death pay to -hold you back, how gladly would I purchase a single moment of delay,’ -he knew that she was not speaking idly. It was terrible to leave her, -but he knew that by daylight it would be harder still, and he fled from -the house. All the way down to the river her image haunted him and it -was with a heart full to bursting that he went aboard the ship. It was -a season when the days are long, and meeting with a favourable wind -they found themselves<span class="pagenum"><i>{118}</i></span> at Suma between three and four o’clock in -the afternoon.<a id="FNanchor_XII_6" href="#Footnote_XII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> It was indeed a trifling journey, but to Genji, who -had never crossed the sea before, the experience was somewhat alarming, -though his fears were mingled with wonder and delight. As they came -in sight of that wild and lonely headland where stands the Hall of -Ōye<a id="FNanchor_XII_7" href="#Footnote_XII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> marked by its solitary pine, he recited the verse: ‘A life more -outcast shall be mine among these hills than all those exiles led -whose sufferings the books of Kara<a id="FNanchor_XII_8" href="#Footnote_XII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> have rehearsed.’ He watched the -waves lapping up over the sands and then creeping back again. It put -him in mind of the ancient song: ‘Oh would that like the tides I went -but to return!’ Those who were with him knew the song well enough, but -never before had it moved them as now when Genji murmured to himself -the long-familiar words. Looking back he saw that the mountains behind -them were already melting into the hazy distance, and it seemed to him -that he had indeed travelled the classical ‘three thousand leagues’ -of which the Chinese poets so often speak. The monotonous dripping -of the oars now became almost unendurable. ‘Now is my home hid from -me by the mist-clad hills, and even the sky above me seems not the -lovely cloudland that I knew.’ So he sang, being for the moment utterly -downcast and dispirited.</p> - -<p>His new home was quite close to the place where in ancient days Ariwara -no Yukihira<a id="FNanchor_XII_9" href="#Footnote_XII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> once lived in exile, ‘trailing his water-buckets along -the lonely shore.’ At this<span class="pagenum"><i>{119}</i></span> point the sea bends back, forming a -shallow inlet, encompassed by desolate hills.</p> - -<p>He proceeded to inspect the hut which had been prepared for his -reception. Never had he seen such a place before. Even the hedge was -built in quite a different way from what he was used to; and the hut -itself, with its thatched roof and wide-spreading gables covered with -wattled bull-rushes, seemed to him the most extraordinary place to -live in. But he could not help admiring the ingenuity with which it -was constructed, and he knew that if he had come there under different -circumstances the prospect of staying in such a cottage would have -fascinated and delighted him. How, in the old days, he had longed for -such an experience!</p> - -<p>Many repairs and alterations were necessary, and Genji sent at once for -the bailiffs of some of his estates which lay in the neighbourhood. -They and their workmen, directed by the faithful Yoshikiyo, soon -carried out Genji’s plans, and the place began to assume a much more -habitable air. The pond was dredged and deepened, plantations were -laid out. Soon he settled down to his new life in a way that he would -never have dreamed to be possible. The Governor of the province had -formerly been attached to his household, and though he did not dare -to give him a public welcome, he made it clear in private that his -sympathies were on Genji’s side. Thus even in this remote spot he was -not entirely deprived of society; but there was no one with whom he was -really intimate and such conversation as he could get was of the most -superficial and uninteresting kind. He felt almost as isolated as if -he had been cast up on a desert island, and the prospect of spending -months, nay years, buried away amid these uncivilized surroundings -still appalled him. He was just beginning to reconcile himself a little -to his rustic employments when the summer rains<span class="pagenum"><i>{120}</i></span> set in. During -this tedious period of inactivity he thought much of his friends at -the Capital. Often he called to mind the picture of Murasaki’s misery -in those last hours, of the Heir Apparent’s infant beauty or the -heedless antics of Aoi’s little son. He determined to send a courier -to the City, and began writing letters to everybody. While he wrote to -the Lady of his palace and again while he wrote to Fujitsubo in her -cloister he wept so bitterly that the letters had many times to be put -aside. To Oborozuki he dared not write direct, but as he had sometimes -done before enclosed a message to her in a letter to Lady Chūnagon, -with the acrostic poem: ‘That I, though cast like weed upon the barren -margin of the sea, am unrepentant still, how should they guess,—these -fisherfolk that tend their salt-kilns on the shore?’ To the retired -Minister and to Nurse Saishō he sent many instructions concerning the -upbringing of the child. It may well be imagined that the arrival of -his post-bag in the City set many hearts a-flutter.</p> - -<p>The condition of Murasaki after his departure had gravely alarmed her -attendants. She lay for many days utterly overcome by the shock of his -departure. Every effort to cheer her was in vain. The sight or mention -of things which she connected with him, a zithern which he had once -played, the perfume of a dress which he had left behind, threw her at -once into a new paroxysm of grief. She behaved indeed for all the world -as though he were not merely exiled but already in his grave. At last -Shōnagon, becoming seriously alarmed, sent for her uncle the priest -and begged his aid. The liturgy of intercession which he conducted -had for its aim both the recovery of Lady Murasaki from her present -prostration and the early recall of Genji himself. For a while she -was somewhat calmer and began to go about the house again. She spent -much<span class="pagenum"><i>{121}</i></span> time at her devotions, praying fervently that he might soon -return and live with her as before. She sent him sleeping-clothes and -many other comforts which she feared he might not otherwise be able to -secure. Among the garments which she packed were a cloak and breeches -of plain homespun. She folded them with a sigh, remembering his Court -apparel with its figured silks and glittering badges. And there was his -mirror! He had left it behind as in his poem he had jestingly promised -to do; but his image he had taken with him, and much good was a mirror -that reflected another face than his! The places where he used to walk, -the pinewood pillar against which he used to lean,—on these she could -still never look without a bitter pang. Her situation might well have -dismayed even a woman long inured to the world; for an inexperienced -girl the sudden departure of one who had taken the place of both father -and mother, to whom she had confided everything, to whom she had looked -on every occasion for comfort and advice, was a blow from which it -could hardly be expected that she would quickly recover. Deep down in -her heart there was the haunting fear that he might die before his -recall. But apart from this dread (which did not bear thinking of), -there was the possibility that gradually, at such a distance as this, -his affection for her would cease. True, she could write to him, and -had his absence been fixed at a few weeks or months she would have had -no great anxiety. But as it was, year might follow year without the -slightest change in his prospects, and when he found that this was so -who knew what might not come...?</p> - -<p>The Lady Abbess too was at this time in great distress. The sin of -the Heir Apparent’s birth was a constant weight upon her heart. She -felt that she had up to the present escaped more lightly than her -<i>karma</i> in any degree warranted and that a day of disastrous reckoning -might still be<span class="pagenum"><i>{122}</i></span> at hand. For years she had been so terrified -lest her secret should become known that she had treated Genji with -exaggerated indifference, convinced that if by any sign or look she -betrayed her partiality for him their attachment would at once become -common knowledge at Court. She called to mind countless occasions when, -longing for his sympathy and love, she had turned coldly away. The -result of all her precautions did indeed seem to be that, in a world -where everything that anyone knows sooner or later gets repeated, this -particular secret had, so far as she could judge by the demeanour of -those with whom she came in contact, remained absolutely undivulged. -But the effort had cost her very dear, and she now remembered with pity -and remorse the harshness which this successful policy had involved. -Her answer to the letter which he sent from Suma was long and tender; -she sought indeed to explain and expiate her seeming heartlessness in -former days.</p> - -<p>An answer also came from Oborozuki: ‘Not even to fishers that on the -shore of Suma their faggots burn must we reveal the smouldering ashes -of our love.’ ‘More I have no heart to write,’ she added in the margin -of this poem, which was on a tiny strip of paper discreetly hidden -between the pages of a note from Lady Chūnagon. In her own letter -this lady gave a most melancholy account of her mistress’s condition. -All these tales of woe made the arrival of Genji’s return post-bag a -somewhat depressing event.</p> - -<p>Murasaki’s letter was full of the tenderest allusions and messages. -With it was the poem: ‘Look at the sleeves of the fisherfolk who trail -salt-water tubs along the shore: you will not find them wetter than -mine were on the night you put out to sea.’ The clothes and other odds -and ends which she sent him were all of the most delicate make and -colour. She had evidently taken immense trouble, and he<span class="pagenum"><i>{123}</i></span> reflected -that she could now have little indeed to employ her. No doubt she had -in her loneliness deliberately prolonged this task. Day and night her -image floated before him and at last, unable to endure any longer -the idea of her remaining by herself in that dull lonely palace, he -began to make fresh plans for bringing her out to join him. But after -further reflection he changed his mind. Such a step would at once bring -down upon him the full retribution of his offences, and putting the -idea out of his head he took to prayer and fasting, in the hope that -Buddha would have pity on him and bring his exile to a speedy end. He -was also somewhat distressed at being separated from Aoi’s son. But -here the case was different from that of older people. There was every -probability that he would eventually see the child again, and meanwhile -he had the comfort of knowing that it was in excellent hands.</p> - -<p>But stay! There has been so much to tell that one important matter had -quite escaped me. I ought to have told you that before his departure -he sent a message to Ise with a letter informing Lady Rokujō of the -place at which she must in future address him. An envoy now arrived at -Suma with her reply. It was long and intimate. Both the handwriting -and mode of expression showed just that extraordinary distinction and -fineness of breeding which he had always admired in her. ‘I find it -impossible,’ she wrote, ‘to conceive of you in such a place as that -at which you bid me to address you. Surely this must be some long, -fantastic dream! I cannot but believe that I shall soon hear of you -as again at the Capital; alas, even so it will be far longer before -<em>my</em> fault is expiated and we can meet face to face. “Forget not those -who for salvation dredge their misery by Ise’s shore, while you with -fisherfolk drag dripping buckets to the kiln.”’ This and much more was -written, not as it seemed at one time, but bit by bit as fresh<span class="pagenum"><i>{124}</i></span> -waves of feeling prompted her. There were altogether four or five large -sheets of white Chinese paper, and there were many passages which in -the handling of the ink were quite masterly. This woman, whom he once -so passionately admired, had, after the fatal outcome of her jealousy, -become utterly distasteful to him. He knew well enough that she was not -to blame for what had occurred and that his own feelings towards her -were utterly unreasonable, and now that he was himself suffering the -penalty of exile he felt more than ever ashamed of having driven her -away by his sudden coldness. Her present letter moved him so deeply -that he detained the messenger for several days, questioning him upon -every detail of the life at Ise. The man was a young courtier of good -family and was enchanted at the opportunity of living in the company of -this famous prince at such close quarters as the limited accommodation -of the cottage made necessary. In his reply Genji said: ‘Had I known -that I was to be driven from the Court, I might have done well to join -you in your journey. “Were I but in the little boat that the men of Ise -push along the wave-tops of the shore, some converse would at least be -mine.”... Now, alas, there is less prospect even than before that we -shall ever meet again....’</p> - -<p>He had now acquitted himself of all his epistolary duties, and no one -had any right to complain. Meanwhile a letter arrived from the lady -in the ‘village of falling flowers,’ or rather a journal in which she -had from time to time noted down her impressions since his departure. -The manner in which she recorded her despondency at his absence was -both entertaining and original. The letter was a great distraction -and aroused in him a quite new interest in this lady. It had come to -his ears that the summer rains had done considerable damage to the -foundations of her house and he sent word to his people at the Capital -to get materials from<span class="pagenum"><i>{125}</i></span> such of his farms as were nearest to the -ladies’ home and do whatever was necessary in the way of repairs.</p> - -<p>The Emperor still showed no signs of summoning Princess Oborozuki to -his side. Her father imagined that she felt her position and, since she -was his favourite daughter, was most anxious to get matters put right. -He spoke about it to Kōkiden, begging her to use all her influence, -and indeed went so far as to mention his daughter’s disappointment to -the Emperor himself. It was hoped that he might be prevailed upon to -instal her, if not as a regular mistress, at any rate in some dignified -capacity in his immediate entourage. The Emperor had hitherto neglected -her solely because of her supposed attachment in another direction. -When at last, yielding to the persuasion of her relatives, he summoned -her to him, she was as a matter of fact more than ever absorbed in her -unlucky passion. She moved into the Inner Palace during the seventh -month. As it was known that the Emperor had previously been very much -in love with her, no surprise was felt when he began immediately to -treat her as a full lady-in-waiting. From the first he showered upon -her a multitude both of endearments and reproaches. He was by no means -distasteful to her either in person or character, but a thousand -recollections crowded to her mind and continuously held her back. He -did not fail to notice this, and once when they were at music together -he said to her suddenly: ‘I know why you are unhappy. It is because -that man has gone away. Well, you are not the only one who misses him; -my whole Court seems to be plunged in the darkest gloom. I see what it -is; I ought never to have let him go. The old Emperor on his death-bed -warned me of all this, but I took no notice, and now I shall suffer -for it.’ He had become quite tearful. She made no comment, and after a -while he continued: ‘I get very little pleasure<span class="pagenum"><i>{126}</i></span> out of my life. I -am fast realizing that there is no point in any of the things I do. I -have the feeling that I shall probably not be with you much longer.... -I know quite well that you will not be much upset; certainly much less -than you were recently. That poet was a fool who prayed that he might -know what happened to his mistress after he was gone. He cannot have -cared much about her, or he would certainly rather not have known.’ He -really seemed to set such store by her affection and spoke in so bitter -and despondent a tone that she could bear it no longer and burst into -tears. ‘It is no good your crying like that,’ he said peevishly, ‘I -know well enough that your tears are not in any way connected with me.’ -For a while he was silent. Then he began again: ‘It is so depressing -not to have had any children. Of course I shall keep Lady Fujitsubo’s -son as my Heir Apparent, since the old Emperor desired it. But there is -sure to be a great deal of opposition, and it is very inconvenient....’</p> - -<p>In reality, the government of the country was not in his hands at -all; at every turn he saw his own wishes being violated and a quite -contrary policy pursued by men who knew how to take advantage of his -inexperience and weakness of character. All this he deplored but was -powerless to alter.</p> - -<p>At Suma autumn had set in with a vengeance. The little house stood -some way back from the sea; but when in sudden gusts the wind came -‘blowing through the gap’ (the very wind of Yukihira’s poem<a id="FNanchor_XII_10" href="#Footnote_XII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a>) it -seemed as though the waves were at Genji’s door. Night after night he -lay listening to that melancholy sound and wondering whether in all the -world there could be any place where the sadness of autumn was more -overwhelming. The few attendants who shared the house with him had all -gone to rest. Only Genji lay<span class="pagenum"><i>{127}</i></span> awake, propped high on his pillow, -listening to the storm-winds which burst upon the house from every -side. Louder and louder came the noise of the waves, till it seemed to -him they must have mounted the fore-shore and be surging round the very -bed on which he lay. Then he would take up his zithern and strike a few -notes. But his tune echoed so forlornly through the house that he had -not the heart to continue and, putting the zithern aside, he sang to -himself the song:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">“The wind that waked you,</div> - <div class="i0"> Came it from where my Lady lies,</div> - <div class="i0"> Waves of the shore, whose sighs</div> - <div class="i0"> Echo my sobbing?”</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p class="noindent">At this his followers awoke with a start and listened to his singing -with wonder and delight. But the words filled them with an unendurable -sadness, and there were some whose lips trembled while they rose and -dressed.</p> - -<p>What (Genji asked himself) must they think of him? For his sake they -had given up their homes, parents, brothers, friends from whom they -had never been absent for a day; abandoned everything in life which -they had held dear. The thought that these unfortunate gentlemen should -be involved in the consequences of his indiscretion was very painful -to him. He knew that his own moodiness and ill humour had greatly -contributed to their depression. Next day he tried to cheer them with -jokes and amusing stories; and to make the time pass less tediously he -set them to work to join strips of variegated paper into a long roll -and did some writing practice, while on a piece of very fine Chinese -silk he made a number of rough ink sketches which when pasted on to a -screen looked very well indeed. Here before his eyes were all those -hills and shores of which he had so often dreamed since the day long -ago when they had been shown to him from a far-off height.<a id="FNanchor_XII_11" href="#Footnote_XII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> He -now<span class="pagenum"><i>{128}</i></span> made good use of his opportunities and soon got together a -collection of views which admirably illustrated the scenery of this -beautiful coast-line. So delighted were his companions that they were -anxious he should send for Chiyeda and Tsunenori<a id="FNanchor_XII_12" href="#Footnote_XII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> and make them -use his sketches as models for proper-coloured paintings. His new -affability soon made them forget all their troubles, and the four or -five retainers who habitually served him felt that the discomforts of -exile were quite outweighed by the pleasure of waiting upon such a -master.</p> - -<p>The flowers which had been planted in front of the cottage were -blooming with a wild profusion of colour. One particularly calm and -delightful evening Genji came out on to the verandah which looked -towards the bay. He was dressed in a soft coat of fine white silk with -breeches of aster-colour. A cloak of some dark material hung loosely -over his shoulders. After reciting the formula of submission (‘Such a -one, being a disciple of the Buddha Śākyamuni, does obeisance to him -and craves that in the moonlit shelter of the Tree of Knowledge he may -seek refuge from the clouds of sorrow and death’) he began in a low -voice to read a passage from the Scriptures. The sunset, the light -from the sea, the towering hills cast so strange a radiance upon him -as he stood reading from the book, that to those who watched he seemed -like some visitant from another world. Out beyond the bay a line of -boats was passing, the fishermen singing as they rowed. So far off were -these boats that they looked like a convoy of small birds afloat upon -the high seas. With the sound of oars was subtly blended the crying of -wild-geese, each wanderer’s lament swiftly matched by the voice of his -close-following mate. How different his lot to theirs!<span class="pagenum" id="page_129"><i>{129}</i></span> And Genji -raised his sleeve to brush away the tears that had begun to flow. As he -did so the whiteness of his hand flashed against the black wooden beads -of his rosary. Here indeed, thought those who were with him, was beauty -enough to console them for the absence of the women whom they had left -behind.</p> - -<p>Among his followers was that same Ukon who had gone with him to the old -Emperor’s tomb. Ukon’s father had become Governor of Hitachi and was -anxious that he should join him in his province. He had chosen instead -to go with Genji to Suma. The decision cost him a bitter struggle, but -from Genji he hid all this, and appeared to be quite eager for the -journey. This man, pointing to the wild-geese above, now recited the -poem: ‘Like flocks that unafraid explore the shifting highways of the -air, I have no fear but that my leader should outwing me in the empty -sky.’</p> - -<p>About this time the Secretary to the Viceroy came back to Court. As -he was travelling with his wife, daughters and a very large staff of -attendants he preferred to make the whole journey by water. They were -proceeding in a leisurely fashion along the coast and had intended to -stop at Suma which was said to be the most beautiful bay of all, when -they heard that Genji was living there. The giddy young persons in the -boat were immediately in the wildest state of excitement, though their -father showed no signs of putting them ashore. If the other sisters, -who did not know Genji, were in a flutter, it may be imagined what a -commotion was going on in the breast of Lady Gosechi.<a id="FNanchor_XII_13" href="#Footnote_XII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> She could -indeed hardly restrain herself from cutting the tow-cord, and when the -boat put in so near the shore that a faint sound of string-music could -be heard floating down from Genji’s cottage, the beauty of the shore, -the proximity<span class="pagenum"><i>{130}</i></span> of so interesting a personage and the interrupted -strains of the tune combined to make a powerful impression upon the -imaginations of these young people, and the tears came into their eyes. -The Secretary sent the following letter ashore: ‘I had hoped that after -my long absence it would be from your lips that I should first hear all -the gossip of the Capital. I now learn to my intense surprise and, if -you will allow me to say so, to my deep regret, that you are at present -living in retirement in this remote place. As we are a large and mixed -party, I must excuse myself from troubling you, but I hope to have the -pleasure of your society upon some other occasion.’ This letter was -brought by his son the Governor of Echizen, a nobleman who had been -one of Genji’s equerries and had been treated by him with particular -kindness. He was distressed at his former master’s ill fortune and did -not wish to seem ungrateful; but he knew that there were persons in his -father’s train who had their eye upon him and would, if he lingered -in Genji’s company, denounce him to the authorities. He therefore -handed in the letter and at once hurried away. ‘You are the first of my -friends to visit me since I left the Capital,’ said Genji. ‘I cannot -sufficiently thank you for sparing me so much of your time....’ His -reply to the Viceroy’s letter was couched in much the same terms. The -young Governor returned in very low spirits, and his account of what he -had seen and heard provoked loud expressions of sympathy not only from -the ladies of the party but also from the Viceroy himself. Lady Gosechi -contrived to send a short message on her own account, together with the -poem: ‘Little you guessed that at the sound of your distant lute one -hand was near indeed to severing the tow-cord of the boat.’ ‘Do not -think me forward if under these strange circumstances I have ventured -once more to address you,’ she added. He smiled as he read the letter. -<span class="pagenum"><i>{131}</i></span> She seemed to have become very demure. ‘Had you in truth been -minded to visit me, what easier than to cut the cable that drags you -past this shore?’ So he wrote and again: ‘You are a little taken aback, -I think, to find me “among the fishers at their toil.”’ So much did -he long for some distraction that he would indeed have been delighted -if she had found courage to come ashore; nor is this strange when we -remember how not far away from this same place a mighty exile<a id="FNanchor_XII_14" href="#Footnote_XII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> found -solace in the company of an ostler.</p> - -<p>In the Capital Genji’s absence was still universally deplored. His -step-brothers and some of the noblemen with whom he was most intimate -had in the early days of his exile sent sometimes to enquire about -him and had composed elegies in his honour, to which he had replied. -This soon reached Kōkiden’s ears. She was furious at this proof of -his continued popularity: ‘It is unheard of,’ she burst out angrily, -‘that a man condemned of offences against the Government of his country -should be allowed to live as he pleases and even share in the literary -pastimes of the Court. There he sits (by the way I hear he has got a -very pretty house!) railing all day at the Government, and no doubt -experimenting on loyal servants of the Crown for all the world like -that man in the History Book who declared that a stag was a horse.’<a id="FNanchor_XII_15" href="#Footnote_XII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> -Henceforward Genji received no letters from Court.</p> - -<p>The lady at the Nijō-in remained inconsolable. The servants in the -eastern wing had at first been somewhat reluctant to transfer their -services to her; but after a while<span class="pagenum"><i>{132}</i></span> her charming manners and -amiable disposition completely won their hearts, and none of them -showed any signs of seeking service elsewhere. Their employment had -given them opportunity of observing, albeit at a distance, most of -the great ladies of the Court. They were soon willing to allow that -in beauty of character Murasaki far excelled them all, and they well -understood why Genji had singled her out to be his pupil.</p> - -<p>He, meanwhile, longed more and more to have her with him. But apart -from the fact that the roughness of life at Suma would be utterly -unsuited to her, he knew that his sending for her would be regarded as -an impudent challenge to those who had achieved his downfall.</p> - -<p>They were within easy distance of Akashi, and Yoshikiyo naturally -thought of the strange lady whom he had once courted there, daughter -of the eccentric recluse<a id="FNanchor_XII_16" href="#Footnote_XII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> who had made his home near the bay. He -wrote to her several times, but received no reply. Finally a note -came not from her but from her father, saying that he had something -to tell Yoshikiyo and would be glad if he could find time to call. It -was quite clear what this meant. The old man merely wanted to tell him -that his suit was unwelcome. Yoshikiyo saw no point in going to the -house on purpose to be snubbed, and left the letter unanswered. As a -rule provincial governors seem to think that there are no reputable -families in the land except those of other provincial governors, and -it would never occur to them to marry their daughters into any other -class. But this ex-Governor was a man who not only had ideas of his own -but clung to them with passionate obstinacy. For years past, the sons -of provincial officials had been courting his daughter, and one and -all he had sent them about their business. His own notion of a husband -was very different.<span class="pagenum"><i>{133}</i></span> Then came Genji’s arrival at Suma. So soon -as he heard of it, the ex-Governor said to his wife: ‘I hear that Lady -Kiritsubo’s boy, Prince Hikaru Genji, has got into some sort of trouble -with the authorities and has come to live at Suma. I confess I am -delighted to hear it. What a splendid opportunity for our girl....’</p> - -<p>‘You must be mad!’ broke in the mother. ‘I have been told by people -at Court, that he already keeps several ladies of the highest rank as -his mistresses; and not content with that, it appears that he has now -got into trouble about some lady in the Imperial Household. I cannot -imagine why you suppose that a coxcomb of this kind is likely to take -any interest in a simple, country girl....’ ‘You know nothing whatever -about it,’ interrupted the father testily. ‘I have very good reasons -for thinking as I do, and I must trouble you to fall in with my plans. -I intend to invite Prince Genji over here at the earliest possible -opportunity.’ He now spoke in a gentler tone, but it was evident that -he meant to have his own way, and to his wife’s consternation he began -to make the most lavish preparations for Genji’s entertainment.’ I -cannot imagine,’ she said, ‘why you are so set upon marrying our -daughter to this man. However exalted his position may once have been, -that does not alter the fact that he has now been expelled from the -City as a criminal. Even if by any chance he did take a fancy to her, -the idea of accepting such a person as our son-in-law is one which -you cannot surely entertain even as a joke....’ ‘What is all this -about criminals?’ he growled. ‘Surely you know that some of the most -distinguished men in history both here and in China have been forced at -one time or another to retire from Court. There is nothing disgraceful -about it. Just consider for a moment who this prince is. His mother was -the daughter of my own uncle, the late Inspector of<span class="pagenum"><i>{134}</i></span> Provinces, -who having made a name for himself by his public services was able -to obtain for her a position in the Imperial Palace. Here she at -once became the idol of our beloved Monarch, and although the very -exceptional favour with which she was treated aroused a good deal of -jealousy and in the end brought about her undoing, her career cannot be -considered unsuccessful, since she became the mother of His Majesty’s -most cherished son. In short, the family with which his august father -was not ashamed to ally himself is surely good enough for this young -prince, and though our daughter is a country-bred girl, I do not think -you will find he turns up his nose at her....’</p> - -<p>The young woman in question was not remarkably handsome, but she had -considerable distinction and charm. Indeed many of the greatest ladies -at Court had, so far as good looks went, far less to boast of. She was -painfully conscious of her own deficiencies and had made up her mind -that no one of good position would ever take any notice of her. Men of -her own rank in life she knew that she had no opportunity of meeting. -Sooner or later her parents would die, and then she would either become -a nun or else drown herself in the sea; she was not sure which. Her -father brought her up with extreme strictness, and her only outings -were pilgrimages to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi, whither he brought her -regularly twice a year, secretly hoping that the God would be moved to -assist his ambitious designs.</p> - -<p>The New Year had begun. The days were growing longer and already there -was a faint show of blossom on the cherry-trees which Genji had planted -in his garden at Suma. The weather was delightful, and sitting idly in -the sunshine he recalled a thousand incidents that were linked in his -mind with former springs. The twentieth day of the second month! It was -just a year ago that he left the Capital. All those painful scenes of -farewell came back vividly to his<span class="pagenum"><i>{135}</i></span> mind, bringing with them a new -access of longing. The cherry-trees of the Southern Hall must now be in -full bloom. He remembered the wonderful Flower Feast of six years ago, -saw his father’s face, the elegant figure of the young Crown Prince; -and verses from the poems which he had himself made on that occasion -floated back into his mind.</p> - -<p>All this while Tō no Chūjō had been living at the Great Hall, with -very little indeed to amuse him. He had been put down again into the -Fourth Rank and was very much discouraged. It was essential to his -prospects that he should not come under any further suspicion, but he -was an affectionate creature and finding himself longing more and more -for Genji’s society, he determined, even at the cost of offending the -Government, to set out at once for Suma. The complete unexpectedness -of his visit made it all the more cheering and delightful. He was -soon admiring Genji’s rustic house, which seemed to him the most -extraordinary place to be living in. He thought it more like some -legendary hermit’s hut in a Chinese book than a real cottage. Indeed -the whole place might have come straight out of a picture, with its -hedge of wattled bamboo, the steps of unhewn stone, the stout pine-wood -pillars and general air of improvisation. Chūjō was enchanted by the -strangeness of it all. Genji was dressed in peasant style with a grey -hunting-cloak and outer breeches over a suit of russet-brown. The way -in which he played up to this rustic costume struck Chūjō as highly -absurd and at the same time delighted him. The furniture was all of -the simplest kind and even Genji’s seat was not divided off in any -way from the rest of the room. Near it lay boards for the games of -<i>go</i> and <i>sugaroku</i>, and chessmen, with other such gear as is met with -in country houses. The meals, which were necessarily of a somewhat -makeshift character, seemed to Chūjō positively exciting. One day some -fishermen<span class="pagenum"><i>{136}</i></span> arrived with cockles to sell. Genji sent for them and -inspected their catch. He questioned them about their trade and learned -something of the life led year in and year out by those whose homes -were on this shore. It was a story of painful unremitting toil, and -though they told it in a jargon which he could only half understand, he -realized with compassion that their feelings were, after all, very much -like his own. He made them handsome presents from his wardrobe and they -felt that these shells had indeed been life-giving.<a id="FNanchor_XII_17" href="#Footnote_XII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a></p> - -<p>The stable was quite close by and in full view of the cottage. It -amused Chūjō to watch the labourers fetching rice-husks from a queer -building which seemed to be a sort of store-house or granary and using -them as provender for the horses; and he would sing the ballad: ‘Sweet -is the shade....’<a id="FNanchor_XII_18" href="#Footnote_XII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a></p> - -<p>He had of course a great deal to tell to his friend, and it was -sometimes with laughter, sometimes with tears that they went step by -step over all that had happened in the long months of their separation. -There were many stories of Aoi’s little son, happily still too young -to understand what was going on in the world around him, of the old -Minister, who now was sunk into a state of unremitting melancholy, and -of a thousand other happenings at the Great Hall and Court, which could -not possibly be recounted in full and would lose all interest if told -incompletely. Neither of them had any inclination to sleep, and at dawn -they were still exchanging Chinese odes.</p> - -<p>Though Chūjō had said that he no longer cared what the authorities -thought of him, he was reluctant to aggravate<span class="pagenum"><i>{137}</i></span> his offence by -lingering on this forbidden shore, and he now announced that he must -start for home again immediately. This was a terrible blow to Genji -who knew that so short a visit would leave him even more wretched -than before. Wine was brought and as they drank the farewell cup they -murmured in unison the words of Po Chü-i’s parting poem:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">“Chin on hand by the candle we lay at dawn</div> - <div class="i0"> Chanting songs of sadness, till the tears had splashed</div> - <div class="i0"> Our cup of new-made wine....”</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p>Chūjō had brought with him some delightful presents from the Capital. -With many apologies Genji offered him in return a black colt, saying as -he did so: ‘I fear that it may be embarrassing for you to receive even -so poor a gift as this from one in my position. But I beg of you to -accept it as a symbol of my longing to return, for in the <cite>Old Poem</cite> it -is written:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">“The Tartar horse neighs into the northern wind;</div> - <div class="i0"> The bird of Yueh nests on the southern bough.”</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p class="noindent">It was in fact a magnificent horse and could hardly have been matched -in all the kingdom. Among the presents brought by Chūjō was a -celebrated flute which had long been in his possession, and many other -small but beautiful objects such as could easily be secreted and would -serve as tokens of his affection without exciting troublesome comment.</p> - -<p>The morning was well advanced before Chūjō set out. He could hardly -believe that the long-dreamed-of meeting was already over and looked -back again and again to where his friend was standing. The sight of -Genji gazing after him as the boat drew away made it more difficult -than ever to endure so speedy a parting, and he cried out ‘When, when -shall we meet again? I cannot think that they will<span class="pagenum"><i>{138}</i></span> let you go on -much longer....’ At which Genji answered him with the poem: ‘O crane, -who travellest at will even to the very margin of the Land on High, -look well upon me, whether in intent I be not cloudless as this new day -of Spring.’<a id="FNanchor_XII_19" href="#Footnote_XII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> ‘Sometimes for a while I have hope,’ he added; ‘but of -those who before have been in my case even the most grave and virtuous -have seldom managed to repair their fortunes. I fear I shall not see -the precincts of the Capital again.’ ‘Hapless in cloudland shall your -crane’s solitary voice re-echo till with his lost friend, wing to wing -again, he can renew his flight.’ This was the poem that Chūjō now -recited as his boat left the shore.</p> - -<p>The third month was now beginning and some one who was supposed to be -well up in these matters reminded Genji that one in his circumstances -would do well to perform the ceremony of Purification on the -coming Festival Day.<a id="FNanchor_XII_20" href="#Footnote_XII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> He loved exploring the coast and readily -consented. It happened that a certain itinerant magician was then -touring the province of Harima with no other apparatus than the crude -back-scene<a id="FNanchor_XII_21" href="#Footnote_XII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> before which he performed his incantations. Genji now -sent for him and bade him perform the ceremony of Purification. Part -of the ritual consisted in the loading of a little boat with a number -of doll-like figures and letting it float out to sea. While he watched -this, Genji recited the poem: ‘How like these puppets am I too cast -out to dwell amid the unportioned fallows of the mighty sea....’ These -verses he recited standing out in the open with nothing but the wind -and sky around him, and the magician, pausing to watch him, thought -that he had never in his life encountered a creature of such beauty. -Till now there had not been the least ripple on the face of the sea. -<span class="pagenum"><i>{139}</i></span> Genji, wondering what would in the end become of him, began to -review the whole course of his past life and the chances of better -fortune in the future. He gazed on the quiet aspects of both sky and -sea. ‘The Gods at least, the myriad Gods look kindly on my fate, -knowing that sinful though I be, no penalty have I deserved such as I -suffer in this desolate place.’ As he recited these words, the wind -suddenly rose; the sky grew dark and without waiting to finish the -ceremony every one began hastily preparing to make for home. Just when -they had decided to return as quickly as possible, a squall of rain -commenced, beginning so unexpectedly that there was no time even to -put up umbrellas. The wind was now blowing with unparalleled violence -and things which the calmness of the morning had tempted them to -leave carelessly lying about the shore were soon scattered in every -direction. The sea too was rapidly advancing and they were obliged to -run for their lives. Looking back they saw that the whole surface of -the bay was now covered with a blanket of gleaming white foam. Soon the -thunder was rolling and great flashes of lightning fell across the sky. -It was all they could do to make their way home. The peasants had never -witnessed such a gale before. ‘It blows pretty stormy sometimes,’ they -said; ‘but you can generally see it coming up a long while before.’ -Of such a storm as this, coming on without a moment’s warning, they -could make nothing at all. Still the thunder crashed, and the rain -fell with such violence that each shaft struck deep into the earth. It -seemed indeed as though the end of the world were come. Some of Genji’s -servants became very restless and uneasy; but he himself settled -quietly in his chair and read out loud from the Scriptures. Towards -evening the thunder became less violent, but the wind remained very -high all night. It was soon apparent that if the wind did not change, -the waves<span class="pagenum"><i>{140}</i></span> would carry away their house. Sudden high tides had -often before done great damage on the coast, but it was agreed that -such a sea as this had never been seen before. Towards dawn every one -went off to get a little rest. Genji too began to doze a little. There -appeared to him in his dream a vague and shadowy figure who said: ‘I -have come from the Palace to fetch you. Why do you not follow me?’ He -tried to obey the command, but suddenly awoke. He realized that the -‘Palace’ of his dream did not mean, as he had at first supposed, the -Palace of the Emperor, but rather the dwelling of the Sea God. The -whole import of the dream was that the Dragon King<a id="FNanchor_XII_22" href="#Footnote_XII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> had taken a -fancy to him and wished to detain him yet longer on the shore of his -domains. He became very depressed and from this time onwards took a -dislike to the particular part of the coast in which he had chosen to -reside.</p> - - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_1" href="#FNanchor_XII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Fujitsubo. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_2" href="#FNanchor_XII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - The dead Aoi, Genji’s first wife. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_3" href="#FNanchor_XII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - Hyōbukyō’s wife. Murasaki was his illegitimate daughter. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_4" href="#FNanchor_XII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - Genji. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_5" href="#FNanchor_XII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - See vol. i, pp. 253 seq. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_6" href="#FNanchor_XII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - The distance is about 60 miles. It could, says Moto-ori, in no -circumstances have been covered in one day. He therefore concludes that -the travellers spent a night at Naniwa (the modern Ōsaka) on the way. A -much more probable solution is that Murasaki was herself rather vague -about the time which such a journey would take. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_7" href="#FNanchor_XII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - Near Naniwa. It was here that the returning Vestals of Ise lodged -on their way back to the Capital. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_8" href="#FNanchor_XII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - China. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_9" href="#FNanchor_XII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - For the story of his exile, see the Nō play <cite>Matsukaze</cite> in my <cite>Nō -Plays of Japan</cite>, p. 268. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_10" href="#FNanchor_XII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - See <cite>Nō Plays of Japan</cite>, p. 268. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_11" href="#FNanchor_XII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - See vol. i, pp. 137 seq. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_12" href="#FNanchor_XII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - Tsunenori was a famous painter, c. 950 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> So presumably was -Chiyeda. Some people say Chiyeda was a name used by Tsunenori. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_13" href="#FNanchor_XII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - See above, p. <a href="#page_96">96</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_14" href="#FNanchor_XII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - The great statesman Sugawara no Michizane, 845–903. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_15" href="#FNanchor_XII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - Chao Kao was plotting to overthrow the Second Emperor (3rd cent. -<span class="smcap">b.c.</span>). He brought his majesty a stag, telling him it was a horse. The -Emperor laughed, but some of the Courtiers were so much afraid of Chao -Kao that they sided with him and insisted that it was indeed a horse. -Then Kao knew that they feared him more than the Emperor and definitely -decided to revolt. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_16" href="#FNanchor_XII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - See vol. i, p. 138. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_17" href="#FNanchor_XII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> - There is here a play on words. The other meaning is: ‘That life -was indeed worth living.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_18" href="#FNanchor_XII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> - ‘Sweet is the shade, the lapping waters cool, and good the pasture -for our weary steeds. By the well of Asuka, here let us stay.’ See vol. -i, p. 46. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_19" href="#FNanchor_XII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> - I.e. You have access to the Emperor, put in a word on my behalf. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_20" href="#FNanchor_XII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> - The third day of the third month. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_21" href="#FNanchor_XII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> - <i>Zeshō</i>, a screen or in some cases curtain with a pine-tree -painted on it used as a background to sacred performances. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XII_22" href="#FNanchor_XII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> - Sovereign of the Ocean. -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_141"><i>{141}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br /> -<span class="larger">AKASHI</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE bad weather continued; day after day nothing but rain, wind and -repeated thunderstorms, bringing with them countless troubles and -inconveniences. So depressing was the past to look back upon and so -little hope did the future hold out for him that, try as he might, -Genji could no longer keep up even the appearance of cheerfulness. His -prospects were indeed dark. It was just possible that he might some day -be permitted to return to the Capital. But with the dominant faction -at Court still working against him he would be subject to unendurable -slights and vexations. He thought more than once of withdrawing from -the coast and seeking shelter at some point well back among the inland -hills. But he knew that if he did so it would be said he had been -scared away by a few days of foul weather. The smallest actions of -people in his position are recorded, and he did not care to figure in -the history-books as the Prince who ran away from a storm. Night after -night he had the same dream of a messenger summoning him to the realms -below the sea. It seemed as though the Dragon of the Ocean had indeed -set his heart upon him.</p> - -<p>Day followed day without the least break showing in the sky. It was -now a long time since he had heard any news from the Capital, and -he was becoming very anxious. To be immured for weeks on end in his -small house was to<span class="pagenum"><i>{142}</i></span> the last degree enervating and depressing; -but in this villainous weather there was no question of so much as -even sticking one’s head out of doors for two minutes. Needless to say -no one came to visit him. At last a pitifully bedraggled figure hove -into view, fighting its way through the storm. A messenger from the -Nijō-in. So he announced himself; but the journey had reduced him to -such a plight that Genji would scarce have known that this tattered, -dripping mass was a human being at all. He was indeed a common peasant, -such a one as in old days would have been unceremoniously bundled out -of Genji’s path. Now Genji found himself (not without some surprise at -the degree of condescension to which his misfortunes had brought him) -welcoming the fellow as an equal, and commiserating with him upon his -plight.</p> - -<p>In her letter Murasaki said: ‘In these odious days when never for a -single instant has the least gleam or break pierced our sodden sky, -the clouds have seemed to shut you off from me and I know not behind -which part of this dark curtain to look for you. “How fiercely must -the tempests be blowing on your shore, when even here my sleeves are -drenched with ceaseless spray!”’</p> - -<p>The letter was full of sad and tender messages. He had no sooner opened -it than a darkness spread before his eyes and tears fell in floods, -‘belike to swell the margin of the sea.’</p> - -<p>He learnt from the messenger that at Kyōto too the storm had raged with -such violence and persistency that it had been proclaimed a national -Visitation, and it was said that the great Service of Intercession<a id="FNanchor_XIII_1" href="#Footnote_XIII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> -had been held in the Palace. So great were the floods that the officers -of the<span class="pagenum"><i>{143}</i></span> Court were unable to reach the Inner City, and all -business was at a standstill. He told his story confusedly and in a -broken jargon that was very hard to follow. But what matter? Such as it -was, his news came from Kyōto, from the City, and that in itself was -enough to make Genji catch eagerly at every word. He had the messenger -brought to his own room and was soon plying him with questions. It -seemed that the same continuous downpour had gone on day after day -without a moment’s break, varied only by occasional hurricanes of wind. -Thunder they had not had, nor the alarming hailstorms which along the -coast were of such violence that the hailstones had penetrated far down -into the earth. Such horror came into the man’s face as he recalled the -scenes through which he had passed, and so lamentable was his present -condition that even those who had taken the storm somewhat lightly -now began to feel seriously alarmed. It seemed indeed as though a -continuance of the present deluge must speedily wash the world away; -but worse was to come, for next day, from dawn onwards, an even more -violent wind raged, causing a tremendous flood-tide along all the -shore. Soon the breakers were crashing with a din so stupendous that -you would have thought the rocks, nay the very hills, could not long -resist them. Suddenly a blaze of lightning, inexpressibly fierce and -dazzling, rushed earthward. They realized that something must have -been struck, and there was now no longer anyone who even pretended to -take the situation lightly. Each of Genji’s servants was wondering in -his heart what he had done to deserve at the hand of Fate so hideous -an experience. Here, it seemed, they were all to die; never again to -meet mother or father, far from the pitying faces of wife, of children, -or of friends. Genji himself had no desire to end his existence on -this inhospitable shore, but he managed to control his feelings<span class="pagenum"><i>{144}</i></span> -and did his best to introduce some order among his followers. This -proved to be by no means easy. At last he set them to offering up -prayer-strips and ribbons to the God of Sumiyoshi and himself called -upon the God to save from calamity a shore that was so near his own -Holy Abode and, if indeed he were a Present Deity, to prove it now by -his aid. So he prayed, with many other vows and supplications. And -his servants, as they heard him, forgot for a while the peril that -threatened their own lives, and could think only of the calamity which -would befall their country should such a prince be lost amid the waters -of this deserted shore. Then one, who was of greater courage than the -rest and had now somewhat regained the use of his faculties and better -feelings, began to call upon the God to take his life and welcome, so -be it Genji were saved. And after this, all began in chorus to invoke -both Buddhas and Gods of their own land; and presently one said: -‘Though nurtured in a palace of princes and inured from infancy to -softness and delights, our master has not hidden his face from common -men; for in every corner of the Eight Islands his patience and kindness -are known. How many that were downcast and obscure has he not helped -upward to greatness? Tell us now, Heaven, tell us, Earth, of what crime -has he been guilty, that he should be cast away, a victim to the winds -and seas? Guiltless he has been punished, has been robbed of rank and -office, has been torn from home and country, nor has been suffered to -be at peace either by day or night....’ Genji himself prayed again to -the gods, saying: ‘With such sights and sounds about us we cannot but -wonder whether the end of our days is come. Do ye now, O Powers, put -an end to this grievous visitation, whether it be the fruit of <i>karma</i> -or the punishment of present crimes; lest we should doubt if Gods and -Buddhas can indeed make manifest their will.’ Then turning in the<span class="pagenum"><i>{145}</i></span> -direction of the Sumiyoshi Shrine he uttered many further prayers to -that God, to the Dragon King of the Ocean and to a thousand and one -other Gods and Spirits. Suddenly, however, while he was in the midst -of these prayers, there was a louder thunder-clap than ever, and at -the same time lightning struck a pent-house which actually adjoined -Genji’s room. Flames shot up and that part of the building was soon in -ashes. His men were now without exception in such a state of panic that -they could do nothing. Finally Genji got them to move his things into -a sort of shed at the back of the house, which had sometimes been used -as a kitchen. Here, huddled with all his followers and grooms, he spent -the rest of the day, wearied by their ceaseless lamentations, which -indeed bid fair to out-din the thunder. The sky was still black as ink -when night fell. However, the wind began to subside and presently the -rain grew a little less heavy; and at last an occasional star began to -twinkle. The thought of their master spending the night in so strange -and undignified a situation was very perturbing to his attendants and -they began trying to make his proper bedroom habitable again. This, -however, did not prove to be feasible, for although a great part of -it had not been actually touched by the fire, ‘the Storm God in his -boisterous passage’ had left a terrible havoc behind him and the -room was strewn with the tattered wreckage of furniture, screens and -bedding. It was agreed that nothing could be done till next day.</p> - -<p>Genji said his prayers and began to consider the situation. It was -indeed sufficiently alarming. So high had the tide risen that, now -the moon was up, the fine of the incoming waves was plainly visible -from his house, and standing at the open wicker door he watched the -fierce breakers plunge and recoil. Such conditions of storm and tide -had not occurred in recent times and no one was prepared to say<span class="pagenum"><i>{146}</i></span> -how far matters were likely to go. This being the only gentleman’s -house in the neighbourhood many of the fishing people and peasants who -lived along the shore had now collected in front of it. Their queer, -clipped dialect and the rustic topics of their conversation were alike -very strange to him; but he would not suffer them to be driven out of -earshot. ‘If this wind does not go down,’ one of them was saying, ‘we -shall have the sea right on top of us before the tide turns. God’s -help alone can save us.’ It may be imagined that these predictions -were far from disposing the townsmen towards a quiet night’s rest. A -brisk sea wind was again driving onward the swollen tide, and though he -tried to reassure his men Genji was himself in considerable anxiety; -when suddenly and quite unexpectedly he fell into a doze and dreamed -that his father, looking exactly as in the old days when he was on -the throne, stood beside the crazy bed which had been improvised for -him in this disordered place. ‘How comes it that you are sleeping in -such a place as this?’ the vision asked, and taking his hand made as -though to drag him from the bed. And again, ‘Put your trust in the God -of Sumiyoshi. Leave this place, take to your ship and He will show you -where to go.’ What joy it was to hear that voice once more! ‘Father,’ -Genji answered, ‘since your protection was taken from me nothing but -sorrow and ill-fortune have befallen me, and now I am fully expecting -to perish miserably upon this forsaken shore.’ ‘It is not to be thought -of,’ answered the Emperor. ‘Your offence was not so great that you must -needs be driven to such a place as this. Unfortunately I myself am at -present expiating a few small offences (such as it is indeed impossible -to avoid; for the Judges of the Dead have not managed to prove that -during my whole reign I did serious harm to anyone). However, for -the present this expiation keeps me very busy,<span class="pagenum"><i>{147}</i></span> and I have not -been able to keep an eye upon what is happening here. But your late -misfortunes have been such as I could not bear to think of, and though -it cost me great labour, I have made my way through the depths of -ocean and up again on to the shore, that I might be with you in your -suffering. Yet this time I must not stay longer, but will go straight -to the Palace and tell these things to him who is now Ruler there.’ So -he spoke, and turned to fly away. ‘Let me go with you. Do not leave -me!’ cried Genji in his dream. But looking up he found that there was -no one there at all. The full-faced moon stared down at him, cold -and un-dreamlike; a cloud trailed across the sky, shaped to the dim -semblance of a figure in flight.</p> - -<p>It was many years since he had dreamed of his father, though in his -waking hours he had never ceased to mourn for him and long for his -company. This sudden vision which, though so brief, had all the -vividness of a real encounter, brought him great comfort. The thought -that at the hour of his greatest despair, nay when death itself seemed -close at hand, his father’s spirit had hastened through the air to -succour him, made him almost glad that Fate had brought him to the -extremity which had moved his father’s compassion. So full was he of -new hope and comfort that in his exultation he utterly forgot the -perils that encompassed him, and lay trying to recall stray fragments -of his father’s dream-speech which had faded from his waking mind. -Thinking that the dream might be repeated, he tried to sleep again; but -this time all his efforts were in vain, and at daylight he was still -awake.</p> - -<p>Next morning there landed at a point in the bay opposite to Genji’s -house a little boat with two or three persons aboard her. It proved on -enquiry that they had come from the Bay of Akashi and that the boat -belonged to the ex-Governor of the province, now turned lay-priest. -The<span class="pagenum"><i>{148}</i></span> messenger explained that his master was himself aboard and -desired to have a word in private with the Genshōnagon<a id="FNanchor_XIII_2" href="#Footnote_XIII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> Yoshikiyo, -if he were at present to be found at Suma. Yoshikiyo thought this very -peculiar. The ex-Governor was perfectly well aware of all that went -on in the district; but though he had been acquainted with Yoshikiyo -for years, he had not during all the while they had been at Suma paid -the slightest attention to him. It seemed indeed (thought Yoshikiyo) -as if he were definitely in the old man’s bad books. And now, in the -middle of an atrocious storm, he took it into his head to pay a call. -It was all very queer. But Genji, who saw in this new happening a -possible fulfilment of his dream, said at once ‘You had better go,’ -and Yoshikiyo accordingly accompanied the messenger back to the boat. -How they had ever managed to launch it at all, under the conditions -which must have prevailed at the time they left Akashi, was a complete -mystery to him. ‘On the first day of this month,’ the old man began, -‘I had a most singular and interesting dream. What it portended seemed -to me at the time very improbable; but part of the dream was that if -I wished to see the promise fulfilled, I must get ready a boat and on -the thirteenth day, so soon as there was the slightest lull in the -storm, make straight for this coast. As this injunction was several -times repeated I had the boat manned and at the appointed time waited -for a chance of getting to sea. There was a fearful gale blowing; -rain was falling in torrents and a thunderstorm was in progress. It -certainly did not seem a very good moment to start. But there are -many instances in foreign history of people saving a whole country -from peril by obeying an apparently senseless<span class="pagenum"><i>{149}</i></span> dream. I feared -that if I delayed my departure beyond the day which had been named my -journey would be of no service to anyone. And so, determined that you -should know of the divine indication which had been vouchsafed to me, -I launched my boat. What was my surprise to discover that we had a -quite moderate wind blowing nicely in our wake! We had this wind behind -us all the way, and I cannot but regard the whole affair as a clear -instance of divine intervention. It is possible that on your side too -there has been some warning or message which fits in to the revelations -which I have received. I am very sorry to disturb His Highness; but I -should be obliged if you would tell him of what has passed.’ Yoshikiyo -accordingly went back to Genji and told him the whole story. The matter -needed some consideration. Here was a chance which it would not be -wise to let pass. Both actual events, such as the destruction of his -bedroom, and a general restlessness induced by his own singular dream, -with its warning to quit this place, inclined him to make use of the -ex-Governor’s visit. No doubt that if he retired to Akashi his move -would become the subject of a great many scurrilous jokes<a id="FNanchor_XIII_3" href="#Footnote_XIII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a>; but on -the other hand he would look even more foolish if it turned out that -he had not availed himself of a genuine warning from the Gods. And -this must be a very dangerous thing to do; for even human beings are -extremely annoyed if one disregards their advice. His situation could -hardly be worse than it was already. The old Governor was many years -his senior; was even, as things went now, his superior in rank, and was -certainly viewed by the authorities in a very different light from that -in which Genji was regarded. In fact it would be most unwise not to -take advantage of his visitor’s evident friendliness and desire to be -connected<span class="pagenum"><i>{150}</i></span> with him. To go to Akashi would be to beat a retreat. -But a wise man<a id="FNanchor_XIII_4" href="#Footnote_XIII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> of ancient times has told us that ‘to retreat is no -disgrace.’ And then there was his own dream, in which his father had -begged him to leave this place. He had made up his mind about it. He -would ask if he might go back with them to Akashi. He therefore sent a -message to his visitor saying: ‘Though I am living in a strange land, -under circumstances in the highest degree painful and depressing, from -the direction of my own home there does not come a single message of -enquiry or condolence. Here all is unfamiliar to me; save the stars and -sun there is not one being or thing that recalls to me the life I used -to know. You can imagine then with what joy I saw your fishing-boat -draw near. Tell me, is there not on your shore some corner where I -could hide myself and be at peace?’</p> - -<p>This was just what the old gentleman wanted, and in high delight he -hastened to welcome Genji’s suggestion. A great bustle commenced; but -before daybreak all Genji’s effects had been stowed away in the boat -and, with his usual band of chosen retainers, he at last set sail. The -wind had veered and was behind them on the return journey too, so that -the little ship flew to Akashi like a bird. The distance is of course -not great and the voyage does not in any case take more than a few -hours. But so assiduously did the wind follow them on this occasion -that it really seemed as though it were doing it on purpose.</p> - -<p>Akashi was evidently a very different sort of place. Indeed his first -impression was that, if anything, it would be difficult here to find -seclusion enough. The ex-Governor’s estate comprised not only the -foreshore, but<span class="pagenum"><i>{151}</i></span> also a considerable extent of mountain-land -behind. And everywhere, in creeks and hill-folds and on river-shores, -were felt-roofed huts so situated that the old recluse might not lack -an agreeable place of retirement at any season of the year.</p> - -<p>On all sides there rose groups of substantial granaries and barns, -which looked as though they must contain rice and corn enough to last -for the rest of his present existence. But though so careful to provide -for his earthly needs, he had by no means forgotten the life to come. -On a site which, commanding as it did a magnificent panorama, was -calculated to inspire him with the sublimest thoughts, he had built a -handsome temple, where part of his time was spent in the performance of -penances and mystic meditations.</p> - -<p>During the recent storms he had moved his wife and daughter to a lodge -on the hill-side and was therefore able to place his seaside residence -entirely at Genji’s disposal. It was still dark when they left the -boat; but as they drove along the shore, the growing daylight at -last gave him an opportunity of taking a good look at his guest. So -delighted was he by the young man’s appearance and by the rapid success -of his expedition that his usually severe and formidable countenance -relaxed into a perfect efflorescence of smiles and affability. But -even in this state of preoccupation and excitement he did not forget -to offer up a prayer of thankfulness to the God of Sumiyoshi. To the -old man it was as though the sun and moon had been taken down from -the sky and entrusted to his keeping. It may easily be imagined that -he left no stone unturned to make Genji comfortable and contented. -Not only was the place one of great natural beauty, but it had been -laid out with unusual taste and skill. Copses had been planted, -rock-gardens constructed and flower-beds made,—all this around<span class="pagenum"><i>{152}</i></span> -the mouth of a little creek that ran in from the sea. The charms of -the place were such as a very skilful landscape-painter might possibly -manage to convey; to describe them in words would, I fear, be quite -useless. The contrast with the uncomfortable quarters where he had been -cooped up for months was immense. The house was equipped with every -possible elegance and convenience; it scarcely fell short of the great -mansions which he had been used to frequent at the Capital; and indeed -in many respects surpassed them. Thus admirably served and lodged -Genji began to regain some of his equanimity and was soon engaged in -writing letters to his friends at the Capital. The messenger who had -brought Murasaki’s letter was far too much shaken by his previous -experiences to be sent back immediately to the City and Genji had left -him behind at Suma. He now sent for him and entrusted to him a letter -in which he described all that he had recently been through and with -many tender messages explained the reasons which had led him to his -new abode. He also sent private intimation of his whereabouts and -present condition to various holy men who were charged to pray for -his welfare. To Fujitsubo he sent an account of the thunderstorm and -his own almost miraculous escape from harm. He had tried to write an -answer to Murasaki’s letter during the melancholy period when he was -still at Suma, but had never managed to finish it, for his tears fell -so fast that he was forever putting the letter aside. And it was indeed -a piteous sight to see him stop again and again to wipe away the tears -that soiled his page. In this letter he said: ‘More than once my misery -has become so intense that I was fully determined to give up my career -and end my days in some cloister cell. But then I always remembered -your little poem<a id="FNanchor_XIII_5" href="#Footnote_XIII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a>: and felt that it was impossible<span class="pagenum"><i>{153}</i></span> to leave the -world, at least till I had seen you once again.</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">“Swift as before</div> - <div class="i0"> My thoughts fly back to thee,</div> - <div class="i0"> Though now from unknown shore</div> - <div class="i0"> To stranger and more distant shores I flee....”</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p class="noindent">Forgive this letter which, written as in a dream, may well say -much which a waking mind can scarcely apprehend.’ It was written -distractedly and with a shaking hand: but those who were with him could -not forbear from peeping a little as he wrote, such was their curiosity -to know what he would say to one who held so great a sway over his -affections. And presently, having seen what they could, his servants -too began their own letter-writing, each of them having some dear one -at the City from whom he was anxious to obtain news.</p> - -<p>The bad weather in which for so many weeks there had not been a single -break, had now completely vanished. Out came all the fishing boats, -eager to make up for lost time. The complete desertedness of Suma, -which apart from a few fishermen who lived in caves under the cliff, -had no inhabitants at all, was very depressing. Akashi could certainly -not be complained of on that score; indeed, he feared at first that it -might prove somewhat too populous. But the beauty of the place was so -great and afforded him so many surprises that he was soon perfectly -contented. His host seemed to be exclusively absorbed in religious -exercises. Only one other matter occupied his thoughts; it was clear -from stray allusions in his conversation that he lived in a state of -continual agitation about his only daughter, to whom he was evidently -attached with an almost morbid degree of concentration. Genji had not -forgotten the favourable account of this lady which had been given -him some years ago. Her presence had of course been no part<span class="pagenum"><i>{154}</i></span> of -his reason for coming to this place; but the fact that accident had -finally brought him so near her was in a way intriguing. However, his -misfortunes were still weighing heavily upon his mind and he was in a -mood for prayer and fasting rather than for any gallant diversions. -Moreover his thoughts were, for the time being, more than ever turned -towards the City, and he would not have dreamed of doing anything that -the girl whom he had left in his palace might feel to be a betrayal -of his promises. He was therefore careful not to show the slightest -interest in the topic to which his host so often returned. But various -indications had already convinced him that the lady in question was -a person of very unusual and attractive qualities, and despite this -assumed indifference he could not help feeling a certain curiosity with -regard to her. The ex-Governor showed himself to be an ideal host. He -stationed himself at the far end of the house, in a wing which was -completely cut off from Genji’s quarters. Here he was always to be -found when wanted, but never obtruded himself. The self-effacement was -the more remarkable seeing that he was all the time longing to be in -Genji’s company, and he was continually praying Gods and Buddhas for -guidance as to how he might best win the confidence of his exalted -guest. Although he was not much over sixty a constant habit of watching -and fasting had told much upon him, so that in appearance he was -wizened and almost decrepit. But he was by no means a dull companion, -for owing to the influential circles in which his youth had been passed -he was extremely well-informed concerning all the principal events of a -period which had hitherto lain outside Genji’s ken, and his anecdotes -were a considerable source of distraction. Genji found indeed that he -had started a veritable landslide of information about a generation -which his own distractions, both social and political, had<span class="pagenum"><i>{155}</i></span> never -left him time to study. So pleased was he both with his host and with -his new place of residence that he thought with horror how easily it -might never have occurred to him to pay this visit.</p> - -<p>Though he had now become so intimate with his guest, the old man was -still daunted by a certain reserve and distance in Genji’s manner -towards him; and whereas in the first few days of their acquaintance he -had sometimes mentioned his daughter, he now hardly ever referred to -her. But all the while he was trying to discover some way of unfolding -his project and his complete failure to do so distressed him beyond -measure. He was obliged at last to confess to his wife that he had -made no progress; but she was not able to offer him any useful advice. -The girl herself had been brought up in a neighbourhood where there -was not a single male of any description whom she could possibly think -of as a lover. At last she had a chance of convincing herself that -such creatures as men of her own class did actually exist. But this -particular one was such an exalted person that he seemed to her in -his way quite as remote as any of the local people. She knew of her -parents’ project, which indeed distressed her greatly, for she was -convinced they were merely making themselves ridiculous.</p> - -<p>It was now the fourth month. A dazzling summer outfit was supplied -for Genji’s use; magnificent fresh hangings and decorations were put -up in all his apartments. The attentions of his host were indeed so -lavishly bestowed that they would have proved embarrassing, had not -Genji remembered that he was in the hands of an eccentric, whose -exalted notions were notorious and must, in a man of such distinction, -be regarded with indulgence. About this time he began to have a fresh -distraction; for messengers again began to arrive from the Capital, -and came indeed in a pretty constant stream. One quiet moonlit night, -when a<span class="pagenum"><i>{156}</i></span> cloudless sky stretched over the wide sea, Genji stood -looking out across the bay. He thought of the lakes and rivers of his -native land. This featureless expanse of sea awakened in him only a -vague and general yearning. There was no intimate mark round which his -associations might gather, no bourne to which his eyes instinctively -turned. In all the empty space before him only the island of Awaji -stood out solidly and invited attention. ‘Awaji, from afar a speck of -foam,’ he quoted, and recited the acrostic verse: ‘Oh, foam-flecked -island that wast nothing to me, even such sorrow as mine is, on this -night of flawless beauty thou hast power to heal!’</p> - -<p>It was so long since he had touched his zithern that there was a -considerable stir among his followers when they saw him draw it out -of its bag and strike a few random notes. Presently he began trying -that piece which they call the ‘Kōryō’<a id="FNanchor_XIII_6" href="#Footnote_XIII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> and played the greater part -of it straight through. The sound of his zithern reached the house on -the hillside near by, mingled with the sighing of pine-woods and the -rustling of summer waves. The effect of all this upon the imagination -of the impressionable young lady in the house above may well be -guessed. Even gnarled old peasants, whom one would not have expected -to make head or tail of this Chinese music, poked their noses out of -their cottage-doors and presently came to take an airing along the -shore. The Governor could not contain himself, and breaking off in the -middle of his prayers, hastened to Genji’s rooms. ‘How this brings -back to me the old days at Court, before I turned my back on all the -pleasures of the world,’ he exclaimed: ‘But surely the enchantment of -such music as this is not all earthly! Does it not turn our thoughts -towards those celestial strains which will greet us<span class="pagenum"><i>{157}</i></span> when we come -at last to the place of our desires?’ To Genji too the sound of the -zithern brought recollections of many music-makings at the Capital. He -remembered with just what turns and graces such a one had played the -zithern at a particular banquet or another had played the flute. The -very intonations of some singer’s voice came back to him from years -ago. He remembered many an occasion of his own triumph or that of his -friends; the acclamations, the compliments and congratulations of the -Court, nay, the homage of everyone from the Emperor downwards; and -these shadowy memories imparted to his playing a peculiar tinge of -melancholy and regret. The old recluse was deeply moved and sent to his -house on the hill for his own lute and large zithern. Then, looking -for all the world like a <i>biwa</i> priest,<a id="FNanchor_XIII_7" href="#Footnote_XIII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> he played several very -admirable and charming pieces. Presently he handed the large zithern -to Genji, who struck a few chords, but was soon overcome by the tender -memories which this instrument<a id="FNanchor_XIII_8" href="#Footnote_XIII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> evoked. The poorest music may gain -a certain interest and beauty from the circumstances in which it is -performed. It may be imagined then how enchanting was the effect of -Genji’s touch as the notes sped across the bay. Nor indeed could any -flowering groves of spring nor russet winter woods have made a better -setting for his music than this huge space of open sea. Somewhere in -the region of soft, vague shadows along the shore, shrike were making -that strange tapping sound with their bills. It sounded as though -some one had been locked out and were rapping, rapping, rapping in -the desperate hope that those within might at last relent of their -unkindness. The old recluse then played so delightfully on both -instruments that Genji was<span class="pagenum"><i>{158}</i></span> fascinated. ‘This large zithern,’ he -said to the old man presently, ‘is usually supposed to be a woman’s -instrument and requires a very delicate, fluttering touch.’ He meant -this quite generally, and not as an apology for his own playing; but -the old man answered with a deprecatory smile: ‘I cannot imagine a -touch more suitable to this instrument than yours. This zithern was -originally a present from the Emperor Engi<a id="FNanchor_XIII_9" href="#Footnote_XIII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> and has been in my family -for three generations. Since my misfortunes and retirement I have had -little taste for such distractions as this, and have lost what small -skill I ever possessed. But in times of great spiritual stress or deep -depression I have occasionally turned to this instrument for solace and -support. And indeed there is in my household one who from watching me -at such times has herself developed a strange proficiency, and already -plays in a manner which would not, I venture to think, displease those -departed princes to whom the zithern once belonged. But perhaps by -now, like the mountain-hermit in the old story, I have an ear that is -better attuned to the rushing of wind through the tree-tops than to -the music of human hands. Nevertheless I wish that, yourself unseen, -you might one day hear this person’s playing’; and his eyes moistened -in fond paternal recollection. ‘I had no idea,’ answered Genji, ‘that -I was in the neighbourhood of genius such as you describe. I fear my -playing will have sounded to you indeed as a mere “rushing of wind -through the tree-tops,” and he hastened to put back the zithern in the -old priest’s hands. ‘It is indeed a curious fact,’ Genji continued, -‘that all the best players of this instrument have been women. You will -remember that the Fifth Princess became, under the instruction of her -father the Emperor Saga,<a id="FNanchor_XIII_10" href="#Footnote_XIII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> the most famous performer of<span class="pagenum"><i>{159}</i></span> her -whole generation. But none of her descendants seems to have inherited -her talent. Of all the players who in our own time have achieved a -certain reputation in this line, there is not one who is more than -an intelligent amateur. That in this remote place there should be -some one who is really a skilled performer excites me beyond measure. -Do please lose no time in arranging....’ ‘As for that,’ the priest -answered, ‘I do not see why there should be any great difficulty about -it, even if it meant bringing the player down here to meet you. Was not -one that had sunk into ignominy and made herself a merchant’s drudge -once summoned to a great man’s<a id="FNanchor_XIII_11" href="#Footnote_XIII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> side, because she could still play -upon her lute the music that long ago he had loved? And speaking of -the lute, I should tell you that the person to whom I refer is also -a remarkable lute-player, though this instrument too is one which is -very rarely mastered completely. Such absolute fluency, such delicacy -of touch, I assure you! And such certainty, such distinction of style! -Shut away for so long on this shore, where one hears no sound but the -roaring of the sea, I sometimes fall a prey to dark and depressing -thoughts; but I have only to listen for a while to this delightful -performer and all my sorrows disappear.’ He spoke with so much -enthusiasm and discernment that Genji was charmed with him and insisted -upon his playing something on the large zithern. The old man’s skill -was astonishing. True, his handling of the instrument was such as is -now considered very old-fashioned, and his fingering was all entirely -in the discarded ‘Chinese’ style, with the left-hand notes heavily -accentuated. But when (though this was not the sea of Ise) he played -the song ‘Let us gather shells along the clean sea-shore,’ getting one -of his servants, who had an excellent voice, to sing the words, Genji -enjoyed the performance so much that he could<span class="pagenum"><i>{160}</i></span> not refrain from -beating the measure and sometimes even joining in the words. Whereupon -the priest would pause in his playing and listen with an expression of -respectful rapture.</p> - -<p>Fruit and other refreshments were then served, all with the greatest -taste and elegance. The old priest insisted upon every one present -drinking endless cups of wine, though the night itself was of a beauty -so intoxicating that the dull realities of life had long ago faded -from their minds. As the night wore on a cool wind began to blow among -the trees, and the moon, who in her higher course had been somewhat -overcast, now at her setting shone out of a cloudless sky. When the -company was grown a little quieter, the priest began gradually to tell -the whole story of his life on this shore, together with his reasons -for settling there and a voluminous account of his vows and religious -observances; when without difficulty he led the conversation towards -the topic of his daughter. She certainly sounded very interesting, -and despite the old man’s volubility Genji found himself listening -with pleasure at any rate to this part of the discourse. ‘It seems -a strange thing to say,’ his host went on, ‘but I sometimes wonder -whether, humble old cleric though I be, my own prayers are not really -responsible for your Highness’s excursion to these remote parts! You -will say that if this is so I have done you a very bad turn.... But -let me explain what I mean. For the last eighteen years I have put -myself under the special protection of the God of Sumiyoshi. From my -daughter’s earliest childhood I have been very much exercised in mind -regarding her future, and every year in the spring and autumn I have -taken her with me to the shrine of that deity, where praying day and -night I have performed the offices of the Six Divisions,<a id="FNanchor_XIII_12" href="#Footnote_XIII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> with -no other desire at<span class="pagenum"><i>{161}</i></span> heart save that, whether I myself should -be re-born upon a Lotus Throne or no, to her at least all might be -given that I asked. My father, as you know, was a Minister of State; -while I, no doubt owing to some folly committed in a former life, am -become a simple countryman, a mere yokel, dwelling obscurely among the -hills. If the process continued unchecked and my daughter was to fall -as far below me in estate as I am now below my illustrious father, -what a wretched fate, thought I, must be in store for her! Since the -day of her birth my whole object has been to save her from such a -catastrophe, and I have always been determined that in the end she -should marry some gentleman of good birth from the Capital. This has -compelled me to discourage many local suitors, and in doing so I have -earned a great deal of unpopularity. I am indeed, in consequence of my -efforts on her behalf, obliged to put up with many cold looks from the -neighbouring gentry; but these do not upset me at all. So long as I am -alive to do it, I am determined to afford her what little protection my -narrow sleeve can give. When I am no longer there to watch over her, -she will no doubt do as she thinks best. But I confess I would rather -hear she were drowned in the sea than that she had settled herself in -the sphere of life to which my folly has for the time reduced her.’ -He went on thus for a long while, pausing now and again to shed a few -tears; but most of what he said would not be worth repeating. Genji was -for various reasons also in a very emotional and discursive mood, and -presently he interrupted: ‘I could never make out why I had suddenly -fallen into disgrace and been compelled to live in these remote -regions; for I have certainly done nothing in my whole life to deserve -so stern a punishment as this. But at last you have furnished me with -the explanation, and I am perfectly well satisfied. No doubt it was, as -you suggest, entirely in<span class="pagenum"><i>{162}</i></span> answer to your prayers that all this has -happened to me. I only regret that, since you must all the time have -been aware of this, you did not think fit to tell me about it a little -sooner. Since I left the City I have been so much obsessed by the -uncertainty of human life that I have felt no inclination towards any -save religious employments. I am now so worn out by months of penance -and fasting that no worldly impulse or desire is left in any corner -of my being. I had indeed been told long ago that a grown-up daughter -lived here with you; but I knew nothing more, and assumed that the -society of a disgraced and exiled man could only be distasteful to one -of her birth and breeding. But since you thus encourage me, I ask for -nothing better than to make her acquaintance as soon as possible. I do -not doubt that her company will prove a solace to my loneliness.’ His -prompt acceptance was more than the old man had dared to expect and in -high delight he answered with the verse: ‘You too have learnt to know -it, the loneliness of night upon Akashi shore, when hour and listless -hour must yet be filled before the dawn can come.’ ‘And when you -consider the anxiety in which I have for all these years been -living...’, the old man added: and though he trembled somewhat -affectedly at the recollection of what he had been through, Genji was -willing to concede that to have lived all one’s life in such a place -must indeed have been very disagreeable. However he would not be too -sympathetic and answered: ‘You at any rate have the advantage of being -used to the coast...’, and he recited the poem: ‘What know you of -sorrow, who wear not the traveller’s cloak, nor on an unaccustomed -pillow rest, groping for dreams till dawn?’ For the first time Genji was -treating him without the slightest formality or reserve. In his -gratitude and admiration the old man poured out an endless stream of -inconsequent but flattering remarks,<span class="pagenum"><i>{163}</i></span> which would be wearisome to read. I -am conscious indeed that the whole of this section is rather a bundle of -absurdities. But how else could I display the vanity and eccentricity -of the old recluse?</p> - -<p>At last everything seemed to be turning out just as he desired. He -was already beginning to breathe more freely when, to crown his -satisfaction, very early on the morning of the next day a messenger -from Prince Genji arrived at the house on the hill. The letter which -he carried was written with a certain embarrassment, for the lady had -grown up in very different surroundings from those whom he was used to -address. But the very fact of discovering such talent and charm hidden -away in a place where one would least have expected it was enough to -kindle his fancy. He took unusual pains with the letter, writing it on -a <i>kurumi-iro</i><a id="FNanchor_XIII_13" href="#Footnote_XIII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> paper from Korea. In it was the poem: ‘Long wandered -my lonely gaze with nought to rest on save the drifting pathways of the -clouds, till the mists divided and I saw the tree-tops by your house.’ -‘Love has vanquished discretion...’, he ended, quoting from the old -song.</p> - -<p>Anxious to be on the spot in case such a letter arrived, the old -priest had already installed himself in the mansion on the hill before -the messenger started. He imagined that his presence in the house -was entirely unsuspected. But Genji’s man, had he not already been -perfectly well aware that the old recluse had preceded him, would -certainly have guessed it by the almost embarrassing attentions which -were paid to him when he reached the house. Despite the distracting -refreshments with which he was being regaled the messenger could not -but wonder why the lady was taking such an immense while in composing -her reply. The truth was that though her father had gone through<span class="pagenum"><i>{164}</i></span> -into the women’s apartments and was giving her all the assistance -in his power, she found herself utterly at a loss to frame a reply. -Despite the trouble that Genji had taken with his letter, there was an -uneasiness about it which made her feel that it was not spontaneous; -and even had she known in what terms to reply there was still the -question of hand-writing. She guessed that in this matter he would be a -severe critic and felt utterly incapable of pleasing him. No! The gulf -between them was too great. Pretending that she was unwell she sank -helplessly upon a couch. There was nothing for it but to reply in her -stead, and the old priest wrote as follows: ‘You will think it very -peculiar that I should answer your letter in my daughter’s stead. Pray -attribute her inability to frame a reply not to any want of gratitude -or respect, but rather to the bashfulness engendered by country -breeding; pray reflect also that she has never yet had the privilege of -finding herself in your company. She has however ventured to compose -the following poem, which she bids me communicate to you: “That I too -for long years have gazed upon these selfsame pathways of the sky is -token of some strange kinship in the course of our desires.” She is, as -you will observe, deeply affected by the arrival of your message. Pray -do not think her answering poem impertinently bold.’</p> - -<p>This was written on Michinoku paper, and although the style of the -writing was quite out of fashion it had a certain dignity and elegance -of its own. The poem did strike Genji as somewhat forward in tone, and -this surprised him.</p> - -<p>He sent back the messenger loaded with handsome stuffs for dresses. -Next day he wrote to her again protesting that he was not used to -receive, in reply to a private letter, an answer dictated as though to -a Palace Secretary. And he added the verse: ‘This surely is a dismal -and outrageous thing, to greet a passer-by and get no friendly nod -nor<span class="pagenum"><i>{165}</i></span> “Say, how goes the world with you?”’ This time he wrote on -a very soft thin paper, with great delicacy and care. The appearance -of the letter was such that a young girl who did not admire it must -needs have been rustic, nay brutish indeed. The lady to whom it was -addressed was by no means insensible; but she felt that the writer -of it was too far removed from her in rank and influence for any -interchange of affection to be thinkable. The discovery that a world -existed which was populated by such dazzling creatures, so far from -giving her pleasure, merely left her more unhappy and discontented -than before. Again she found herself utterly at a loss how to reply, -and it was only the persistence of her father which forced her at last -to indite the poem: ‘“How goes the world?” is said to friends. That -one whom you have never seen should greet more stiffly, can do small -outrage to the feelings of your heart.’ It was written in sharply -contrasted light and heavy strokes on a deep-brown paper, in a masterly -style which would not have disgraced a lady of the Court. Genji was -naturally very pleased; but he did not want it to be reported at the -Capital that he had committed himself to a fresh entanglement. He was -therefore careful henceforward always to leave several days’ interval -between his letters to her. He wrote in fact only when it chanced that -the evening hours hung heavy on his hands, or upon the pretext of some -particularly beautiful sunrise or other natural effect; at such times -in short as he guessed that she might be under the influence of the -same impressions as himself. In such a correspondence it seemed to him -that there could not be any impropriety. He had heard so much about -her pride that he felt sorely tempted to put it to the test. But he -remembered that his retainer Yoshikiyo had spoken of her very much -as though she were his own property. Should Genji now by any chance -succeed where<span class="pagenum"><i>{166}</i></span> the devotion of years had brought no reward, he -would certainly feel that he had treated his gentleman very badly and -suffer the discomfort of remorse. But on reflection he decided that as -she had been so reluctantly thrust upon his notice, there could be no -harm in pursuing a guarded correspondence with her. She did indeed turn -out in the course of this correspondence to be possessed of a pride and -aloofness which rivalled that of the greatest princesses whom he had -known and, on such occasions as he pitted his own pride against hers, -it was generally she who came out on top.</p> - -<p>Though now yet another range of hills separated him from the Capital, -his mind was more constantly than ever occupied with thoughts of his -friends at home. His longing for Murasaki often became unendurable. -What was there to be done? In such moments he could not resist making -plans for bringing her secretly from the Capital. But quiet reflection -would show him that it was unlikely he would go on living for more than -a year or two longer at Akashi and no step was worth while which might -merely provoke a fresh outburst on the part of his adversaries.</p> - -<p>That year the Court was troubled by a succession of disquieting -portents and apparitions. On the thirteenth day of the third month, -during a night marked by violent thunderstorms and a fierce wind -with torrents of rain, the Emperor dreamed that he saw His Majesty -the late Emperor standing at the foot of the step before his throne, -wearing an expression of extreme displeasure, indeed glaring at him, -as it seemed, with an angry and astonished eye. The Emperor having -assumed an attitude of respectful attention, the apparition proceeded -to deliver a long discourse, part of which was concerned with Genji’s -present plight. The Emperor was very much frightened, and being in -any case somewhat uneasy at Genji’s prolonged absence, he hastened to -communicate his dream to Kōkiden. She was not at all<span class="pagenum"><i>{167}</i></span> sympathetic. -‘These stormy nights are very disturbing,’ she said. ‘It is quite -natural that you should have had bad dreams; the rain alone would -have accounted for it. You must not allow such trifles to upset you.’ -About this time the Emperor began to suffer from a pain in his eyes. -Remembering his dream, he could not get out of his head the idea -that this pain was in some way caused by the wrathful glance of the -apparition which had rebuked him. His sufferings became more and more -acute, despite the fact that continual services of intercession were -held both in the Palace and at Kōkiden’s house.</p> - -<p>Next came the death of Kōkiden’s father, the Grand Minister of the -Right. There was nothing unexpected in this, for he had reached a -very great age. But coming as it did on top of various other public -calamities it caused widespread consternation. Kōkiden herself, though -she had no definite malady, was also very far from well. As time went -on she seemed gradually to lose strength. A general gloom spread -over the Court. It was felt that if, as was alleged by his friends, -Prince Genji had indeed been banished without any sufficient cause, -the present misfortunes of the nation might well have been sent as -punishment for this injustice. Again and again the Emperor thought of -restoring Genji to his previous rank and appointments; but whenever he -mentioned this project to Kōkiden, that lady would answer: ‘To do so -would be to incur the public charge of inconsequence and frivolity. He -was banished and if, when less than three years have elapsed, he is -suddenly recalled to the Capital, a pretty figure you and I shall cut -in history!’ She spoke with such fierce conviction that the Emperor was -completely overawed. So the months went by, and meantime both he and -Kōkiden were gradually sinking under the burden of their respective -maladies.<span class="pagenum"><i>{168}</i></span></p> - -<p>At Akashi, as frequently happens in autumn, heavy winds were blowing -in the bay. Genji began to find the long evenings very monotonous -and depressing. Sometimes he would allow the priest to come and talk -to him, and in the course of one of these conversations Genji said: -‘I am longing for a little diversion. Could you not manage, without -attracting too much attention, to bring your daughter here one day -to see me?’ It seemed somehow to be accepted that for Genji to pay -a visit to the house on the hill was entirely out of the question. -Unfortunately the lady herself was equally averse to making any move. -She knew that gentlemen who visited the provinces on Government -business would often take up with some wretched peasant girl and, for -so long as they happened to be in the district, carry on a purely -frivolous affair with her. The Lady of Akashi was convinced that -Genji regarded her in just such a light. To accept his advances could -only render her in the end more wretched than before. Her parents, -she knew, were still clinging to the idea that all those long years -of watchfulness and isolation had at last borne fruit. To them the -inevitable disillusion would be a crushing blow. Her mind was quite -made up; so long as this prince remained at Akashi she would continue -to correspond with him, but further than that she would not go.</p> - -<p>His name had been known to her for years past, and she had sometimes -wondered whether it would ever fall to her lot to meet, even in the -most superficial way, some such magnificent personage as he. Now, -astonishing though it seemed, he was actually living a stone’s throw -away. She could not be said exactly to have met him, but she constantly -caught glimpses of him, heard his inimitable zithern-playing, and knew, -one way and another, all that there was to know about his daily comings -and goings.<span class="pagenum"><i>{169}</i></span> That such a person should even be aware of her -existence was more than, as an inhabitant of this remote fishing-town, -she had any right to expect. As time went on it seemed to her less -than ever possible that any closer relationship should be established -between them. Meanwhile her parents were far less confident about the -situation than she supposed. They felt that in their anxiety to see the -prayers of half a lifetime at last fulfilled they had perhaps acted -somewhat precipitately. If Genji did not after all seem to regard their -daughter as ‘counting,’ her feelings would have been upset for nothing. -True he was a great catch and was worth certain risks; but that only -made it harder to lose him. They had an uneasy feeling that while they -had been placing all their trust in ‘Gods whom no eye seeth’ they had -paid too little attention to the dispositions of the human beings for -whose future they had schemed.</p> - -<p>‘A little music,’ said Genji to the old priest one evening, ‘would -mingle pleasantly with the sound of these autumn waves. It is only as a -background to music that the sound of the sea is tolerable.’</p> - -<p>The time for action had come. The old priest looked in his calendar, -chose a lucky day, and despite the misgivings of his wife began to -prepare the house on the hill for Genji’s visit. Not even to his most -intimate acolytes and disciples did he explain the object of these -elaborate preparations. The visit was to take place on the thirteenth -day of the month. It turned out to be a resplendent moonlit night. -The old man came to Genji’s room and recited the line: ‘Is this a -night to lose?’ Genji at once understood that this was an invitation -to the house on the hill. Suddenly what had seemed impossible became -perfectly simple. He set his cloak to rights and left the house. His -host had provided him with a magnificent coach, but the narrow lanes -would have made its use inconvenient and Genji preferred<span class="pagenum"><i>{170}</i></span> to go -on horseback. He was accompanied only by Koremitsu and one or two of -his other trusted servants. The house stood a little way back from the -shore and while he climbed to it he was all the time looking down over -the bays that spread out on every side. He remembered the verse: ‘Would -that to one who loves what I love I now might show it, this moon that -lies foundered at the bottom of the bay!’ For the first time since he -had agreed to set out upon this excursion he remembered the lady at his -palace far away, and at that moment he could hardly resist turning his -horse’s head and riding straight to the Capital. ‘O thou, my milk-white -pony, whose coat is as the moon-beams of this autumn night, carry me -like a bird through the air that though it be but for a moment I may -look upon the lady whom I love!’ So he murmured as he approached the -house, which was thickly girt with an abundance of fine timber. It -was indeed a house impressively situated and in many ways remarkable; -but it had not the conveniences nor the cheerful aspect of the house -on the shore. So dark and shut-in an appearance did it present as he -drew near, that Genji soon began to imagine all its inhabitants as -necessarily a prey to the deepest melancholy and felt quite concerned -at the thought of what they must suffer through living in so cheerless -a place. The Hall of Meditation stood close by and the sound of its -bell blent mournfully with the whispering of the pine-trees that on the -steep uneven ground grew precariously out of a ledge of rock, their -roots clutching at it like some desperate hand. From the plantations in -front of the house came a confused wailing of insect voices.</p> - -<p>He looked about him. That part of the house which he knew to be -occupied by the lady and her servants wore an air of festive -preparation. Full in the moonlight a door stood significantly ajar. He -opened it. ‘I wish to rest for a few minutes,’ he said; ‘I hope you -have no objection<span class="pagenum"><i>{171}</i></span> to my coming in?’ She had in fact the greatest -objection, for it was against just such a meeting as this that she had -resolutely set her face. She could not actually turn him away; but she -showed no signs of making him welcome. He thought her in fact the most -disagreeable young person whom he had ever met. He was accustomed to -see women of very much greater consequence than this girl show at any -rate a certain gratification at being thought worthy of his attentions. -She would not, he felt, have dared to treat him so rudely but for the -present eclipse of his fortunes. He was not used to being regarded -so lightly, and it upset him. The nature of the circumstances was -obviously not such that he could carry off the situation with a high -hand. But though violence was out of the question, he would certainly -cut a very ridiculous figure in the eyes of the girl’s parents if he -had to admit that she showed no signs of wanting to be acquainted -with him. He felt embarrassed and angry. Suddenly one of the cords -of the screen-of-state behind which she was sitting fell across her -zithern, making as it did so a kind of casual tune. As she bent over -the instrument he saw her for an instant just as she must have looked -before his entry had made her stiffen; just as she must look when -carelessly and at ease she swept an idle plectrum over the strings. -He was captivated. ‘Will you not even play me something upon this -zithern of which I have heard so much?’ he added, and he recited the -poem: ‘Were it but from your zithern that those soft words came which -your lips refuse, half should I awaken from the wretched dream wherein -I am bemused.’ And she: ‘A night of endless dreams, inconsequent and -wild, is this my life; none more worth telling than the rest.’ Seen -dimly behind her curtains she recalled to him in a certain measure the -princess<a id="FNanchor_XIII_14" href="#Footnote_XIII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> who was now in Ise. It was soon evident<span class="pagenum"><i>{172}</i></span> that though -she had answered his poem she was no nearer than before to treating his -visit as otherwise than an impertinence. She had been sitting there -so comfortable and happy, when suddenly this tiresome person burst in -upon her without apology or warning. However, the remedy lay in her -own hands, and rising to her feet she fled into a neighbouring closet, -fastening the door behind her with ostentatious care. You might have -supposed that this was the end of the matter, for she had evidently -no mind to return, nor he any intention of forcing bolts and bars. -Curiously enough, however, this was not the end of the matter. The -difficulties that ensued may well be imagined if we remember the lady’s -unusual shyness and pride. Suffice it to say that from this night’s -meeting, which seemed at first to have been forced upon him by chance -and other people’s intrigues, sprang an intimacy which was grounded -in the deepest feeling. The night, generally so long and tedious at -Akashi, passed on this occasion all too quickly. It was essential that -he should leave unobserved, and at the first streak of dawn, with many -last endearments and injunctions, he crept stealthily from the room. -His next day’s letter was sent very secretly, for he was haunted by the -fear that some story of this adventure might find its way back to the -Capital. The lady for her part was anxious to show that she was to be -trusted, and deliberately treated Genji’s messenger without ceremony -of any kind, as though he were bound on some errand of merely domestic -import. He paid many subsequent visits to the house on the hill, always -with the greatest secrecy. Unfortunately the way there led nowhere -else, and knowing that fisher-folk are notorious gossips he began -to fear that his addiction to this particular road would be noticed -and commented upon. His visits now became far less frequent, and the -lady began to think that her early fears were soon to be fulfilled. -The<span class="pagenum"><i>{173}</i></span> old priest’s thoughts were, if the truth must be told, for -the time being much more frequently occupied with the coming of Genji -than with the coming of Amida.<a id="FNanchor_XIII_15" href="#Footnote_XIII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> He could not make out what had gone -wrong, and was in a terrible state of agitation. To make matters worse -he knew that such earthly considerations ought to leave him quite -unmoved and he was ashamed to discover how little his pious observances -had availed to render him indifferent to the blows of fortune.</p> - -<p>Genji would not for all the world have had the news of his latest -adventure reach Murasaki as a piece of current gossip, even though it -were represented in the most harmless light. Her hold upon him was -indeed still strong as ever, and the mere idea of such a story reaching -her, of her feeling that she had been superseded, of a possible quarrel -or estrangement, filled him with shame and dismay. She was not indeed -given to jealousy; but more than once she had shown plainly that his -irregularities, so far from passing unobserved, were indeed extremely -distressing to her. How bitterly he now regretted those trivial -gallantries, so profitless to him, yet to her so miserably disquieting! -And even while he was still visiting the lady of the hillside, since -there was no other way of quieting his conscience concerning Murasaki, -he wrote to the Nijō-in more frequently and more affectionately than -ever before. At the end of one of these letters he added: ‘How it -grieves me to remember the many occasions when I have spoilt our -friendship for the sake of some passing whim or fancy in which (though -you could not believe it) my deeper feelings were not at all engaged. -And now I have another matter of this kind to confess, a passing dream, -the insignificance of which you can guess by the fact that I tell you -of it thus unasked. “Though with the shining seaweed of<span class="pagenum"><i>{174}</i></span> the shore -the fisherman a moment toys, yet seeks he but assuagement of a sorrow -that long ere this has filled his eye with burning tears.”’</p> - -<p>Her answer showed no resentment and was couched in the tenderest terms. -But at the end, in reference to his disclosure, she wrote: ‘As regards -the “dream” which you could not forbear telling me, I have experience -enough in that direction to enable me to draw several conclusions. “Too -downrightly, it seems, have I obeyed it, our vow that sooner would the -Isle of Pines by the sea-waves be crossed....”’ But though her tone was -good-humoured, there was in all her letter an undercurrent of irony, -which disturbed him. He carried it about with him for a long while and -constantly re-read it. During this time his secret nocturnal excursions -were entirely abandoned, and the Lady of Akashi naturally imagined that -all her fears had now come true. He had amused himself to his fill and -had no longer any interest in what became of her. With no support, save -that of parents whose advanced age made it improbable that they could -much longer be of any assistance, she had long ago given up hope of -taking her place in the world with those of equal rank and attainments. -But she did now bitterly regret the waste of all those empty months and -years during which she had been so conscientiously guarded and kept—for -what? At last she had some experience of the usages which prevailed in -the ‘grand world’ outside, and she found them even less to her liking -than she had anticipated. She indulged however in no outburst of spleen -or disappointment, nor in her letters did she ever reproach him for -his long absence. He had indeed as time went on become more and more -attached to her, and it was only his desire to be able to allay the -anxiety of one who had after all a prior claim upon him that induced -him to suspend his visits to the lady on the hill.<span class="pagenum"><i>{175}</i></span> Henceforward -his nights at Akashi were again spent in solitude.</p> - -<p>He amused himself by making sketches upon which he afterwards scribbled -whatever thoughts happened to be passing through his mind. These he -sent to Murasaki, inviting her comments. No method of correspondence -could have been better calculated to move and interest her. The -distance between them seemed in some sort to have been annihilated. -She too, at times when she was feeling out of spirits or at a loss for -employment, would also make sketches of the scenes around her, and at -the same time she jotted down all that was happening to her day by day -in the form of a commonplace book or diary.</p> - -<p>What, she wondered, would she have to write in her diary? And he in his?</p> - -<p>The New Year had come. At the Palace nothing was now talked of save the -Emperor’s illness, and the Court was full of restless speculation. The -only child of the present Emperor was a boy born to him by Princess -Jōkyōden, daughter of the new Minister of the Right. But he was -only two years old and therefore of no particular account. The Heir -Apparent, Fujitsubo’s son, was also a minor. The Emperor was fully -determined to resign the Throne to him at the earliest opportunity, -but should he do so it would be necessary to appoint a regent. There -were so few people to whom it would be in any way possible to entrust -the affairs of government that it seemed a pity Genji should be out -of the running. His presence was indeed becoming in every way more -and more imperative, and at last the Emperor decided to recall him, -whether Kōkiden approved or not. Since the end of the year her illness -had taken a more serious turn.<a id="FNanchor_XIII_16" href="#Footnote_XIII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> The Emperor<span class="pagenum"><i>{176}</i></span> too—although for -a time thanks to the immense efforts made on his behalf in consequence -of certain disastrous omens which had engendered something in the -nature of a natural panic, although for a time his eyes showed some -improvement—was soon in as bad a way as ever, and feeling very -uncertain of the future, he dictated an edict in which Genji was -commanded to return to the Capital by the end of the seventh month. -That sooner or later there would be a turn in his fortunes Genji had -always been convinced. But the shortness and <a id="typo_2"></a><ins title="Original has ‘uncertainity’.">uncertainty</ins> of life made -him little inclined to settle down quietly and wait for events to take -their course. This swift recall came therefore as an intense relief. -And yet, for one reason at any rate, he was by no means anxious to -leave the coast so soon. The priest too had never expected that Genji -would be with him very long; but the news of his immediate departure -came as something of a shock. However, it was a consolation to feel -that Genji was now definitely re-embarking upon the path of prosperity, -and that his partiality, should it continue, would be in the future -even more valuable than before. Genji now began again to visit the -upper house almost every evening. Since the beginning of the sixth -month the Lady of Akashi had been slightly indisposed and it was now -certain that she was with child. No sooner had a definite term been put -to their friendship than Genji’s feeling for her redoubled: surely in -those last days she was more charming than she had ever been before! -Here indeed, rash though his courtship had been, was one whom under no -circumstances he would ever feel that he had loved and cherished beyond -her deserts? She for her part sat in absolute silence before him, lost -in her own thoughts. Poor soul, he could not blame her.</p> - -<p>When three years ago he had set out so reluctantly upon that miserable -journey to Suma, his only consolation had<span class="pagenum"><i>{177}</i></span> been to imagine the -joy and excitement with which on some far distant yet inevitable day -he would retrace his steps to the City. Now that day had come, and -to be returning was indeed very pleasant. But all the while, mingled -with delightful anticipations, was the strange fear that he might -never be able to re-visit the place of his banishment! His servants -however were all in high spirits, and this, combined with the bustle of -numerous friendly deputations from the Capital, created an atmosphere -of general liveliness and excitement, despite the obvious depression -that all these signs of departure brought to the host under whose roof -the numerous visitors were lodged. The seventh month had begun, and -the summer weather was even more delightful than usual. Why, wondered -Genji, was he, who took such pleasure in quiet and harmless pursuits, -doomed on every occasion to find himself involved in the most harrowing -and disastrous situations? It had not indeed escaped the notice of -those who knew him best that a fresh complication, of the kind they -already knew only too well, had arisen in his life. For several months -on end he had never once mentioned the lady’s name, and they began to -hope that the affair had run its course. But the curiously subdued -state of his spirits on the very eve of departure told them only too -plainly that this hope was premature. It was whispered that all this -trouble had arisen from Yoshikiyo’s indiscreet eloquence upon the -occasion when after Genji’s cure they had climbed the mountain summit -and looked down towards the western seas.<a id="FNanchor_XIII_17" href="#Footnote_XIII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> Yoshikiyo himself, as -indeed he had every reason to be, was very much irritated by the whole -affair.</p> - -<p>Two days before his departure Genji visited the house on the hill some -hours earlier than was his wont. He had<span class="pagenum"><i>{178}</i></span> never before seen the -lady by full daylight, and her beauty astonished him. Such dignity -of bearing, such an air of proud decision he had not in the least -expected. This fresh discovery of her, this last-hour revelation filled -him with new longings and regrets. Must he lose her? Could not some -excuse be formed for bringing her to the Capital, for installing her -at Court? And to ease his feelings he began to discuss with her the -wildest plans as though they had been perfectly simple and practicable.</p> - -<p>The austerities which he had practised during the earlier days of his -exile had left him still looking somewhat worn and thin. Yet such -was his beauty that while, touched by her misery, he sat beside her -and with tears in his eyes whispered the tenderest words of pity and -endearment, for a moment she felt that even if there had been but one -such night as that and after it he had disappeared forever, she would -still feel his love for her to have been the greatest happiness of her -life.</p> - -<p>But for all his kindness he was a prince,—the inhabitant of a world -peopled not by creatures like herself, but by a remote and superior -order of beings. Such was the thought that even at moments like this -would obtrude itself with painful persistency. Oddly enough, though the -promise that she would play to him had been the excuse for his first -visit, she had never once touched her zithern since he had known her. -For this he had often scolded her, and now he determined to make a last -attempt. ‘Will you not play one small tune, so that I may carry it away -in my head to remember you by,’ he said, and sent to the lower house -for the zithern which he had brought with him from the Capital. He -tuned it with special care, and the few chords that he struck while he -did so floated with a strange distinctness through the still midnight -air. The old priest heard these sounds, and unable to contain himself -came<span class="pagenum"><i>{179}</i></span> bustling round to the women’s quarters with his Chinese -zithern in his arms and deposited it in the room where his daughter was -receiving her guest. Then he discreetly withdrew. Genji now renewed -his entreaties and at last she could resist no longer. He guessed at -once, by the way that she handled and tuned the instrument, that she -would prove to be a remarkable performer. Lady Fujitsubo used generally -to be considered the best zithern-player of the day, and though the -applause of the fashionable world was in part a tribute to her rank and -beauty, she was without question a very fine musician. But the Lady of -Akashi, in addition to a complete command of her instrument, played -with an intensity of feeling and a power of expression utterly unknown -to the princess. Such indeed was her playing that even he, who could -now so seldom get from music a pleasure that he had not experienced -many times before, was utterly taken aback. He could have listened -forever, and his only regret was that he had not forced her to play -to him months ago. Of course he must not lose her! And handing to her -his own zithern he begged her to keep it for him till they should -play together again. She answered with an acrostic poem in which she -prophesied that this loan was likely to remain forever on her hands. -And he, in indignation—‘Steadfast am I as the middle strings<a id="FNanchor_XIII_18" href="#Footnote_XIII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> of -this my zithern that I leave with you until we meet.’ ‘Who knows that -it may not be soon,’ he added; ‘Perhaps before these very strings have -fallen out of tune.’ Thus he sought to comfort her; but to her mind -one thought only was present,—that he was going away. She began to sob -bitterly.</p> - -<p>On the day of his departure he was up long before sunrise. The setting -out of so large a party (for the house was now full of friends who had -come to escort him back to the<span class="pagenum"><i>{180}</i></span> City) occasioned a tremendous -bustle. Genji too was much preoccupied, but in the midst of these -distractions he found time to send her a message: ‘Because they have -left the sea behind them, the rising waves creep listlessly across the -sand. But I, a sinking wave, cast back disconsolate thoughts towards -the shore whence I retreat.’ And she: ‘My cabin by the shore the winds -have sheltered, and gladly now amid the receding wreckage of the -storm would I drift out to sea.’ His friends from the Capital noticed -that he was in great distress, and could only suppose that, despite -the untoward circumstances which had brought him to this place, he -had in the course of years become so attached to it that the actual -moment of parting was somewhat of a wrench. But they could not help -thinking that such a display of emotion was very excessive. On the -other hand Yoshikiyo and the rest saw their worst fears confirmed. -This was evidently a serious business, and they foresaw all kinds of -complications that might arise from it. These gentlemen were delighted -to be going home, but when it came to the actual moment of departure -they felt a certain regret at leaving this extremely agreeable coast, -and there were naturally many among them who had on their own account -to face somewhat painful scenes of farewell. Many affecting poems were -written and tearful speeches made; but what use would it be to record -them all?</p> - -<p>In his preparations for the departure of the travellers the old -priest had surpassed himself. For every single person connected with -the expedition, down to the humblest carriers and menials, the most -sumptuous equipment was provided. It was indeed hard to imagine how -in these few weeks such elaborate preparations could possibly have -been made. The arrangements for Genji’s own comfort were of the most -extraordinary ingenuity; in fact the luxuries forced upon him filled so -many boxes that it required quite<span class="pagenum"><i>{181}</i></span> an army of porters to carry all -his luggage. Genji was indeed equipped more like a traveller setting -out from the Capital than like one returning from the provinces. There -seemed to be no imaginable contingency which the old priest had not -thought of. To the travelling cloak which had been specially designed -for that day’s journey the Lady of Akashi attached the poem: ‘That this -cloak of travel, cut and folded by the salt sea-shore, should bear a -stain or two of spray, you will not take amiss!’ Despite the noise and -confusion of departure, he found a moment in which to write the answer: -‘Though for a while I must wear it in remembrance, yet soon as certain -days and months are safely passed, once more no garment shall divide -us.’ This message he sent privately, and when he put on the new cloak -he was at pains to tell those about him that it was a present from the -old priest and worn at his especial desire. The cloak which he had -previously been wearing he sent to the house on the hill, where for -long afterwards the sight of it and the smell of the rare scent with -which it was perfumed awakened tantalizing memories in those from whose -thoughts he would in any case seldom have been absent.</p> - -<p>The priest excused himself from accompanying the expedition even so -far as the frontier of the province, saying that in his present state -of grief and agitation he did not feel equal to so great an exertion. -‘Pray do not think me impertinent,’ he added, ‘but I ought perhaps to -remind you ... in fact, we none of us doubt for an instant.... But -quite at your own time and convenience, of course!’ He did not dare go -beyond these brief, disjointed hints, but Genji, so far from taking -offence, was extremely sorry for the old man, who, it was evident, -had taken the business to heart in the most unfortunate way. ‘There -is now a particular reason why I should cherish and<span class="pagenum"><i>{182}</i></span> remember -her,’ said Genji presently; ‘you may be sure that in a very little -while I shall see to it that she has her due. To leave you all at such -a moment grieves me more than I can say. But what would you have me -do?’ The lady herself was in a strange state of mind. She was still -convinced that the difference in rank between them precluded any -lasting union and was certain that in the long run she had no more -chance of happiness at the City than she had if left behind here in the -wilds. But when it came to his actually starting, she could not bear -to be left behind. Try as she might, she could not control herself. -His image perpetually haunted her and every effort to banish it ended -in a wild fit of sobbing. ‘It would have saved the poor girl untold -misery,’ said the mother, having in vain tried every means to distract -her, ‘if this wretched business had never begun. And how unnecessary it -all is! Nothing of the kind need ever have entered the child’s head, -but for the odious and perverse advice which certain people....’ ‘Hold -your tongue,’ the old priest said angrily. ‘This will all come right -in the end; he has told me so himself. He knows about her condition -and will do all that he can for her.’ ‘Come, child,’ he said, bringing -her a basin of hot water in his own hands; ‘you must get up at once -and let yourself be dressed. You really must not go on like this. -It is terrible, you know, terrible,’ and he stood at the corner of -the bed looking at her encouragingly. Not only the mother, but the -girl’s old nurse and most of the confidential servants were in a state -of indignation against their master and went about saying that his -misguided promptings had brought them all into this terrible trouble. -But the old man’s evident misery soon dismissed their anger. He went -about muttering to himself: ‘To think that I should have waited all -these years for a chance to do something that would help her! And just -when I thought everything was<span class="pagenum"><i>{183}</i></span> going so well, I find I have only -made the poor thing unhappy....’</p> - -<p>So much did his mistake (for such he was now convinced that it was) -afflict the old man, that he became a little queer in the head. During -the day he did little but doze; but at night he would suddenly get -up and seated in an attitude of prayer would fumble with his hands -as though he had forgotten even how to use his rosary. One night his -disciples managed to persuade him to go for a walk in the moonlight. -Mumbling prayers as he went and quite unaware of his surroundings he -stumbled and fell headlong into the moat. He was soon fished out; but -in falling he had caught his leg against a large stone and done himself -considerable injury. During the illness which followed, his mind, -strangely enough, seemed to be somewhat easier and he appeared to be -worrying less about the unfortunate situation of his daughter.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Genji was on his homeward way. At Naniwa he halted to perform -the customary ceremony of Purification. He did not on this occasion -go to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi himself but sent a messenger to inform -the authorities that he was intending to perform his devotions there -quietly on some future occasion. He was now travelling so hurriedly -and with so large a retinue that a personal visit was impossible. -Apart from the halt at Naniwa he made no unnecessary discursions or -digressions, but pressed on with all possible speed to the Capital.</p> - -<p>Upon his arrival the Nijō-in presented an extraordinary spectacle. The -friends who had accompanied him on the journey were here joined by -numerous others who had awaited him in the City. All of them now surged -in wild excitement through the Palace, some hurraying lustily, some -weeping with joy, and the scene soon became one of indescribable noise -and disorder.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{184}</i></span></p> - -<p>And now Murasaki, who at the moment of his departure had vowed in her -poem that ‘could it but purchase an hour of respite, life itself was a -price she would not grudge to pay,’ was glad that the gift which in her -despair she had bartered so lightly, had not indeed been taken from her!</p> - -<p>In these three years she had grown even handsomer than before. At -first he could not make out in what way it was that her appearance was -altered. But when they were alone together he noticed that her hair, -which even before he went away had begun to be almost too thick, had -been cleverly thinned out. He had to confess that this new way of -wearing it became her very well. But suddenly, while he watched her -with fond satisfaction, the pleasant thought that she would always be -near him was interrupted by a very different image. There rose before -his mind the figure of the lady whom he had left behind in that sad -mansion above the bay. Plainly as though she were with him he saw her -loneliness, her misery, her despair. Why was it that time after time -he of all people should find himself in this odious position? Lest -Murasaki should feel that things were passing through his mind which he -must hide from her, he began telling her about the lady of the shore. -But he took such evident pleasure in dilating upon this subject that -his frankness had the effect of convincing her that the matter was -a far more serious one than she had before supposed. ‘It is not for -myself I mind,’<a id="FNanchor_XIII_19" href="#Footnote_XIII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> she quoted, only half meaning him to understand. -How terrible that he had lost three whole years of her company, and -lost them, too, in punishment for those very infidelities which he -would now have given so much to undo!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{185}</i></span></p> - -<p>Soon after his return all his original titles were restored and he -was accorded the rank of supernumerary President of Council; while -his supporters were re-established in offices equivalent to those of -which they had been deprived. Indeed so wide an amnesty was proclaimed -that the Court soon wore the aspect of a withered tree that one spring -morning suddenly begins to sprout again.</p> - -<p>A message came summoning Genji to the Palace. Great excitement -prevailed among the Court attendants. It seemed to them that he looked -more handsome and flourishing than ever. Had he really spent the last -three years under such harrowing conditions as rumour had reported? -Among the gentlewomen present were some who had served the old Emperor -his father and these old ladies, who had always taken his side, now -pressed round him chattering and weeping. The Emperor had been somewhat -nervous about this interview. Anxious to make a good impression, he -had spent an immense while over his toilet. On this particular day -he was feeling somewhat stronger; but for a long while he had been -seriously out of health and he was looking sadly altered. They talked -quietly till nightfall. It was the fifteenth day of the month. The -weather was calm and fine and, as he sat in the moonlight, such a host -of memories crowded to the young Emperor’s mind that he shed a few -tears. He was indeed at that time full of the darkest forebodings. -‘Nothing entertaining has happened here,’ he said at last. ‘I used to -like it when you played to me; but of course it is a long time since -you did that....’ Genji answered with the poem: ‘For as many years as -the leech-baby<a id="FNanchor_XIII_20" href="#Footnote_XIII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> could not stand upon its feet have I been set adrift -upon the wide plains of the sea.’ The Emperor, who felt the sting of -this allusion, skilfully parried the thrust<span class="pagenum"><i>{186}</i></span> with the verse: -‘Round the Palace Pillar<a id="FNanchor_XIII_21" href="#Footnote_XIII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> long enough have we played hide-and-seek; -let us forget the rancour of wasted springtimes that we in amity might -better have employed.’</p> - -<p>After this visit Genji’s first care was to perform the ceremonial Eight -Readings of the Lotus Sūtra in memory of his father the late Emperor. -He next visited the Crown Prince and found him grown almost beyond -recognition. The child was surprised and delighted to recover his old -playmate, whom he perfectly well remembered. Genji was relieved to -discover that the boy was unusually quick at his studies and promised, -so far as could at present be judged, to make a very satisfactory -successor to the Throne.</p> - -<p>His agitation upon being admitted to Fujitsubo was not indeed such as -it would have been some years ago; but the meeting was an affecting one -and they had much to discuss together. One thing I had almost forgot: -by one of the priest’s servants who had come with them all the way -to the Capital he sent a number of letters to Akashi; among them a -long one to the priest’s daughter, in which, as he was able to convey -it to her secretly, he did his best, by dint of tender messages and -allusions, to comfort and console her. In it was the poem: ‘At Akashi -is all night spent<a id="FNanchor_XIII_22" href="#Footnote_XIII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> in weeping? And do the mists of morning hide the -long-looked-for light of day?’</p> - -<p>At last Lady Gosechi,<a id="FNanchor_XIII_23" href="#Footnote_XIII_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> who silently and unknown to all the world -had been grieving bitterly at Genji’s exile, was able to relieve her -feelings by taking action. It was natural and proper that she should -write to congratulate him upon<span class="pagenum"><i>{187}</i></span> his recall. She did so, but left -him to guess from whom the letter came. With it was the poem: ‘A -seafarer that with reluctant heart floated past Suma’s shore would -fain you saw her sleeve that since that day has never once grown dry.’ -Her fine handwriting at once betrayed her and he replied: ‘With better -cause might I make tearful plaint, to whom you steered so close, yet -would not stay your course.’ Brief as their meeting had been, he still -preserved the happiest recollections of it and this sudden reminder of -her made him for a moment hope that their friendship might one day be -renewed. But what was he thinking of! Now and henceforward there were -to be no more frivolities of that kind. Thus he cautioned himself, and -the result was that even the Lady at the Village of Falling Flowers -received only a formal intimation of his return. To know that he was -to be seen and not to see him was worse than his being utterly out of -reach, and the poor lady was unhappier than ever now that he was again -at the Nijō-in.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_1" href="#FNanchor_XIII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Instituted in China in the 6th century. It centred round the -reading of the <cite>Jēn Wang Ching</cite> (Nanjio No. 17) in which Buddha -instructs the great kings of the earth how to preserve their countries -from calamity. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_2" href="#FNanchor_XIII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - A Court title. Yoshikiyo was son of the Governor of Harima and -had courted the Lady of Akashi. See vol. i, p. 138, where, following -another text, I have called him Yoshizane. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_3" href="#FNanchor_XIII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - It would be said that he was running after the Lady of Akashi, the -old recluse’s daughter. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_4" href="#FNanchor_XIII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - Lao Tzŭ, say the commentators; but this saying does not occur in -the <cite>Tao Tē Ching</cite>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_5" href="#FNanchor_XIII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - The mirror-poem, p. <a href="#page_108">108</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_6" href="#FNanchor_XIII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - Evidently a Chinese tune. Attempts to identify it have hitherto -been very unconvincing. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_7" href="#FNanchor_XIII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - Priests who collected money for their community by going round -playing the <i>biwa</i> at street-corners. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_8" href="#FNanchor_XIII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - Which he had taught to Murasaki. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_9" href="#FNanchor_XIII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - 898–930. Sixtieth Emperor of Japan. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_10" href="#FNanchor_XIII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - 810–823. Fifty-second Emperor of Japan. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_11" href="#FNanchor_XIII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - Po Chü-i. The reference is to his poem <cite>The Lute Girl’s Song.</cite> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_12" href="#FNanchor_XIII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - A service performed at dawn, sunrise, midday, sunset, dusk and -nightfall. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_13" href="#FNanchor_XIII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - A double paper; light blue on a white ground. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_14" href="#FNanchor_XIII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - Rokujō. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_15" href="#FNanchor_XIII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - Buddha. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_16" href="#FNanchor_XIII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - There is some doubt about the punctuation of this and the -following sentence. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_17" href="#FNanchor_XIII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> - See vol. i, pp. 137 seq. Some texts call Yoshikiyo ‘Yoshizane,’ as -I have done in vol. i. See above, p. <a href="#page_113">113</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_18" href="#FNanchor_XIII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> - Which remained unaltered whatever tuning was adopted. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_19" href="#FNanchor_XIII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> - ‘It is not for myself I mind; but since the Gods are just, for him -who is forsworn I am indeed afraid.’ No. 38 of the <cite>Hundred Poems</cite>; it -is by Lady Ukon, 10th century. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_20" href="#FNanchor_XIII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> - The Royal Gods Izanagi and Isanami bore a leech-child; as at the -age of three it could not stand they cast it adrift in a boat. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_21" href="#FNanchor_XIII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> - After a sort of game of hide-and-seek round the Pillar of the -Palace of Heaven these Gods met face to face and Izanagi exclaimed: ‘I -have met a lovely maiden’; whereupon they became husband and wife and -bore the leech-child. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_22" href="#FNanchor_XIII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> - <i>Akashi</i> means ‘spending the whole night.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIII_23" href="#FNanchor_XIII_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> - See p. <a href="#page_129">129</a>. -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_188"><i>{188}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br /> -<span class="larger">THE FLOOD GAUGE</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">SINCE the night of his so vivid and disquieting dream, the late Emperor -had been constantly in Genji’s thoughts. He longed to succour his -father’s soul, weighed down as it was (if the words of that nightly -apparition were indeed to be trusted) by a load of earthly sin. Now -that he was back in the City he was anxious to lose no time, and the -great ceremony of the Eight Readings, for which he had begun to make -arrangements soon after his return, was duly carried out in the Godless -Month.<a id="FNanchor_XIV_1" href="#Footnote_XIV_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> The manner in which this function was attended showed that -Genji had fully regained his former ascendancy.</p> - -<p>Ill though she was, Kōkiden still had sufficient interest in what went -on about her to be furious at this recrudescence of a force which she -confidently supposed herself to have annihilated. But the Emperor, much -as he stood in awe of her, was now obsessed by the idea that if he -again disobeyed the late Emperor’s injunction some terrible calamity -would overtake him. The feeling that he had successfully insisted -upon Genji’s recall quite braced him, and the pain in his eyes, which -had till recently been very troublesome, now began to show signs of -improvement. But he did not somehow feel that he was likely to be very -much longer on the Throne. There were many matters which he desired -to see satisfactorily settled while he was<span class="pagenum"><i>{189}</i></span> still capable of -attending to them, and he constantly summoned Genji to the Palace to -consult him upon the most confidential affairs of policy and state. In -doing so he was but following his real inclination; this was very well -understood in the country and the public at large was delighted to see -the Emperor once more asserting himself.</p> - -<p>As the time drew near when he intended to renounce the Throne, the -Emperor became increasingly concerned with regard to the effect -that this step would have upon Lady Oborozuki’s career. ‘My poor -grand-father, the late Chief Minister, is gone,’ he said to her one -day; ‘and it does not look as though my mother<a id="FNanchor_XIV_2" href="#Footnote_XIV_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> would be with us -much longer. I myself have no intention of remaining on the Throne. I -am afraid you will be left in a most tiresome position. I know that -there is some one whom you have always liked better than me. But I do -not think anyone could possibly be more attached to you than I am, and -it distresses me continually to think what will become of you when -I am gone. Even if your former friend is willing to look after you -again, however kind he is to you, I am quite certain he will take far -less trouble about you than I do.’ The colour rushed to her cheeks and -her eyes filled with tears. He saw that he had wounded her and, moved -to sudden pity by the spectacle of her humiliation and remorse, he -forgot all her misdeeds and continued in a gentler tone: ‘What a pity -that we have never had any children! I am sure you and he will have -some later on, and it will be a pity that they are his and not mine, -because they will only be commoners, you know.’ He went on for some -while discussing what would happen after he was dead, her distress and -remorse increasing at every word. Her charm was such that, despite his -jealousy, the Emperor had grown steadily more attached<span class="pagenum"><i>{190}</i></span> to her in -the years that had passed. But though his partiality had raised her to -a position of undisputed pre-eminence at Court, she had not at any time -been happy. At first she brooded incessantly upon Genji’s comparative -indifference towards her, but later, as her sense of responsibility -increased, she marvelled more and more at the childish recklessness -which had led her into that miserable adventure and, besides destroying -her own good name, had reacted so disastrously upon her seducer.</p> - -<p>In the second month of the new year the Initiation Ceremony of the -Crown Prince was performed. He was only eleven years old but was big -for his age, and it was already apparent that he was developing an -extraordinary resemblance to his guardian, Prince Genji. In this the -world saw nothing to complain of; their future monarch could not, they -felt, have chosen a better model. But the Lady Abbess, his mother, -watched the growing resemblance with very different feelings and could -not but imagine that it was arousing the blackest suspicions.</p> - -<p>The Emperor himself was greatly relieved to see that the boy was -shaping so well, and he now began to prepare Lady Kōkiden for the -news that he intended to vacate the Throne. His actual resignation -came suddenly, indeed before the end of the second month, and Kōkiden -was very much upset. To put matters right he assured her that his -abdication had but one motive: namely, that he might be free to devote -his poor abilities to looking after her. At this she was naturally -somewhat mollified.</p> - -<p>Fujitsubo’s son accordingly became Emperor under the title Ryōzen, and -Lady Jōkyōden’s little son became Crown Prince. The new regime bore -somewhat the character of a Restoration and was marked by a return -to all the gaieties and festivities of the old Emperor’s reign. From -being President of Council, Genji became Palace Counsellor;<span class="pagenum"><i>{191}</i></span> it -was intended that he should fulfil the functions of Chief Minister, and -it was only because the two ministerial posts were already filled that -this less imposing title was given him. Genji however professed himself -quite unable to cope with the duties of so arduous a function, and -proposed that Aoi’s father, the Minister of the Left, should be asked -to assume control. But the old man pointed out that illness had long -ago obliged him to forgo the executive part of his duties. Since then -he had not grown any younger, and feared that his head was no longer -clear enough to deal with complicated affairs. Genji replied that in -the Other Land,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_3" href="#Footnote_XIV_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> at times of change and uncertainty, even those who -had retreated far away among the hills had sometimes been prevailed -upon to return and lend their aid to a government that showed itself -to be well-disposed. Nor had such men ever considered that their white -hairs constituted a bar, but had come forward gladly to take office -under the new regime. And indeed for doing so they had always been -deemed true paladins of wisdom. ‘It is my desire,’ Genji concluded, -‘and that of the Council that you should resume the position which you -held before your health obliged you to withdraw, and we feel that in -doing so you may be sure of incurring no hostile criticism from any -quarter.’ It was quite true that retired Ministers had sometimes been -known to resume their functions. The old man withdrew his opposition -and allowed them to make him Grand Minister with Plenary Powers. He was -now sixty-three. Since the decline of his public influence, his whole -family had lived very much under a cloud. But now that he was again -in the ascendant they began to resume their old place in society. His -sons were soon once more entrusted with positions of great importance; -in particular, Tō no Chūjō became Privy Counsellor of the<span class="pagenum"><i>{192}</i></span> Second -Class. Chūjō’s daughter, who was now twelve years old, was being -trained for the Court, whither she was to be sent as soon as she was -old enough. The boy who had sung the Ballad of Takasago so prettily -some years ago, was already installed as one of the Emperor’s pages and -was thought to be doing very well. Besides these he had a number of -other children, all of them very promising, and Genji, whose exiguous -progeny was of small comfort to him, quite envied Chūjō the size and -prosperity of his young family.</p> - -<p>Yūgiri, Genji’s son by Aoi, was a fine little fellow. He was already -attached to the suite of the new Crown Prince. The princess, Aoi’s -mother, remained entirely unmoved by the renewed good fortunes of her -husband and family. Indeed, this return to happier days only served -to awaken fresh memories of the daughter whose loss had marked the -beginning of all their troubles. Her one consolation had been that -by her death Aoi had been spared the torture which Genji’s disgrace -and banishment would have inflicted upon her proud and fastidious -nature. Now that he was restored to his former glories not even this -consideration remained valid. Genji continued to show her the same -attentions as before his exile and lost no opportunity of going over to -the Great Hall. Yūgiri’s old nurse and other members of the household -had during all these years remained faithfully at their posts, and -Genji contrived, in one way and another, to show each of them how much -he appreciated her patience and fidelity. The recipients of these small -favours were in a state of rapturous gratitude and delight.</p> - -<p>He was also deeply touched by the conduct of the gentlewomen at -the Nijō-in, in whom he had formerly shown so little interest. He -determined henceforward to take more pains about them. He soon found -himself so much occupied<span class="pagenum"><i>{193}</i></span> in paying small attentions to Miss -Chūjō, Madam Nakatsukasa and other good ladies of his household, that -he scarcely ever had time to leave the house. He was also much taken up -with the rebuilding of a lodge which stood to the east of his palace, -on an estate which had belonged to his father. He took great trouble -over the work and had the place put in splendid order, for it was his -intention to lend it to unfortunate or unprotected persons, such as the -lady at ‘the village of falling flowers,’ whom he could best assist if -he had them near at hand.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile he often wondered how the Lady of Akashi was faring, but -he was at this time so much occupied both with private and national -affairs that he could not get news of her as often as he would have -liked to do. He reckoned that her delivery was likely to take place -early in the third month, and about that time he contrived to send a -secret courier to Akashi and learnt that the event had already taken -place sixteen days ago. It was a girl, and everything had gone well. -This was Genji’s first daughter, and he felt quite excited. But how -callous he had been to let her go through all this alone! Why had he -not brought her with him to the City and looked after her while this -was happening? He felt, indeed, a sudden outburst of tenderness towards -her and of remorse at his own hardness of heart.</p> - -<p>Astronomers had once told him that he would have three children, of -whom the eldest and youngest would eventually ascend the Throne, while -the middle one would rise to be Chief Minister. They had further -said it would be the lowest-born of the three mothers who would give -birth to the future Empress. All that had happened so far fitted in -very well with their prognostications. The prophecy that his children -would attain Imperial rank and lead the Government of the country had -been repeatedly made by<span class="pagenum"><i>{194}</i></span> sign-readers of all kinds; but during -the difficult times from which Genji had just emerged it appeared to -be wildly improbable that any of these hopes would be fulfilled. But -now the safe accession of Ryōzen to the Throne made him feel that -everything would happen as the soothsayers had foretold. That he -himself was not destined to achieve such honours had been generally -recognized and he had long ago given up regarding such a thing as -within the bounds of possibility. So well had this been recognized by -his father, the old Emperor, that although Genji was his favourite son -he had given special instructions that he was to remain a commoner. -As regards Ryōzen, it was not of course recognized in the world that -His Majesty was Genji’s son; but that, after all, did not in any way -invalidate the truth of the sign-readers’ prognostications.</p> - -<p>But if this new child were really going to be empress it seemed almost -disrespectful to have allowed her to be born at so strange a place. He -must make amends to this future sovereign, and that he might soon be -able to lodge both mother and child in proper comfort, he ordered his -bailiffs to push through the rebuilding of the eastern lodge as rapidly -as possible.</p> - -<p>It occurred to him that it would be very difficult for her to secure -a suitable wet-nurse at Akashi. He chanced to hear of a young woman, -a child of the old Emperor’s Lady-in-Attendance, who had recently, -under distressing circumstances, been left with an infant on her hands. -Both the Lady-in-Attendance and her husband, who had been one of the -Royal Chamberlains, were dead, and the girl had been left entirely to -her own devices; with the result which I have mentioned above. His -informant undertook to interview the girl and, if possible, persuade -her to take service at Akashi. She did not in point of fact need very -much persuasion. She was young and<span class="pagenum"><i>{195}</i></span> thoughtless and thoroughly -tired of sitting all day in a large tumble-down house with nothing to -do but stare in front of her. She could not imagine any service which -she would better like to enter than his, and at once agreed to go. -Genji was of course delighted; though he felt somewhat uncomfortable -at sending away a young girl to a place where she would enjoy so few -distractions. There were certain matters which it was necessary to -talk over with her, and in complete secrecy, with many precautions -against his absence being noticed at home, he contrived to visit the -young woman’s house. She did not actually withdraw her consent; but -she was now feeling very nervous about the whole business. Genji, -however, took so much trouble in explaining to her what she had to do -and in removing all her doubts and apprehensions that in the end she -put herself entirely at his disposal. It happened to be a lucky day, -and with many apologies for giving her so little time he asked her to -get ready for the journey. ‘It seems very hard,’ Genji said, ‘that you -should be packed off to the country like this to look after some one -else’s child. But I am particularly anxious that some one should be -there. I know by experience that it will be rather dull; but you must -make up your mind to put up with it for a time, just as I did.’ Having -thus encouraged her, he gave a detailed description of the place and -all that belonged to it.</p> - -<p>She had sometimes done service at the Palace and this was not the first -time Genji had seen her. But her misfortunes had brought her very low -and she looked years older than when he saw her last. The house was -in a hopeless state of disrepair and its vast size, together with the -carefully planned copses and avenues which surrounded it, made the -place only the more depressing. How had she contrived to hold out -there so long? His sympathy was<span class="pagenum"><i>{196}</i></span> aroused. The charm of youth had -not after all entirely deserted her, and she was intelligent. He felt -inclined to prolong the interview and said laughing: ‘Now that it is -all arranged I feel quite sorry that you have agreed to go. What do -you feel about it?’ She felt indeed that if she were destined to enter -Genji’s service at all, it would have been agreeable to find herself -consigned to a rather less remote part of his household. He now recited -the verse: ‘Can this one moment of farewell indeed have been the sum -of all our friendship, whose separation seems now like the parting of -familiar friends?’ Smiling she answered him: ‘Your chagrin, I suspect, -is not that I must leave you, but springs from envy that <em>I</em> not <em>you</em> -should go whither your heart is set.’ Her quickness delighted him -and, whatever truth there may have been in her ironic exposure of his -feelings, he was really sorry that she was going.</p> - -<p>He sent her as far as the boundary of the City in a wheeled -carriage,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_4" href="#Footnote_XIV_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> under the care of his most trusted personal servants, upon -whom he had enjoined absolute silence concerning this affair. Among the -baggage was a vast number of presents, from the Guardian Sword<a id="FNanchor_XIV_5" href="#Footnote_XIV_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> down -to the most trifling articles such as might possibly be useful to the -Lady of Akashi at this crisis; upon the young nurse too he lavished -every small attention which his ingenuity could devise, determined to -mitigate so far as was possible the discomfort of her long journey. -It amused him to picture to himself the extravagant fuss which the -old priest, at all times so comically preoccupied with his daughter’s -fortunes, must be making in this latest crisis. Not but what he was -himself filled with the tenderest concern for the Lady’s welfare. Above -all, he must not let her feel<span class="pagenum"><i>{197}</i></span> at such a minute that there was now -or ever could be any obstacle to his fulfilling the promises concerning -which she herself had always been so sceptical, and in the letter which -he now sent he spoke in the most definite manner of his intentions -towards the child and his plans for her future life at the Capital.</p> - -<p>The travellers proceeded as far as the borders of Settsu by boat, and -thence on horseback to Akashi with all possible speed, where their -arrival was welcomed by the old recluse with boundless gratitude and -delight. With raised hands he solemnly made obeisance in the direction -of the Capital, and the mother and child, marked henceforward with this -new and unhoped-for sign of princely favour, became invested in his -eyes with an almost alarming degree of sanctity. The child was indeed a -most exquisite creature, and the young nurse felt, from the moment it -was presented to her, that Genji’s care and anxiety on its behalf were -by no means ill-bestowed. In an instant the discomforts and perils of -her long journey seemed like an evil dream, from which she had suddenly -awaked to find this pretty and enticing infant lying in her arms. -Henceforward she had no thought but how best to tend and succour it.</p> - -<p>The mother, it seemed, had for many months past been in very low -spirits. Her confinement had left her in a condition of extreme -weakness, and she was herself convinced that she would not recover. -These fresh tokens of Genji’s affection and concern could not fail -somewhat to revive her. For the first time she raised her head from -the pillows and received the messengers with every sign of interest -and delight. They informed her that they had been ordered to return -to the Capital without a moment’s delay. She contrived to write a few -hasty lines, in which little indeed could appear of all that at that -moment she was thinking and feeling. Yet these few words made an<span class="pagenum"><i>{198}</i></span> -impression upon their recipient the violence of which surprised and -disquieted him.</p> - -<p>He had not himself told Murasaki about the birth of his child at -Akashi, nor was it likely that anyone else would in so many words have -done so. But he feared that some inkling of the matter might reach -her, and he finally made up his mind that it would be better for her -to know all about it. ‘I had far rather that this had not happened. It -is all the more irritating because I have for so long been hoping that -you would have a child; and that, now the child has come, it should be -some one else’s instead is very provoking. It is only a girl, you know, -which really makes it rather a different matter. It would perhaps have -been better from every point of view if I had left things as they were, -but this new complication makes that quite impossible. I think, indeed, -of sending for the child. I hope that when it arrives you will not feel -ill-disposed towards it.’ She flushed: ‘That is just the sort of thing -you always used to say,’ she answered. ‘It seems to me to show a very -strange state of mind. Of course I ought to put up with it, but there -are certain things which I do not see how I can be expected to get -used to....’ ‘Softly, softly,’ he answered, laughing at her unwonted -asperity, ‘who is asking you to get used to anything? I will tell you -what you are doing. You are inventing all sorts of feelings for me such -as I have never really had at all, and then getting cross with me for -having them. That is not a very amiable proceeding, is it?’ And having -gone on in this strain for some while, he became quite cheerful.</p> - -<p>She thought of how they had longed for one another during the years of -his exile, of his constant letters and messages. This whole affair at -Akashi—what had it been but a pastime, a momentary distraction in the -midst of<span class="pagenum"><i>{199}</i></span> his disappointments and troubles? ‘You will understand -then,’ Genji continued, ‘that I was anxious to hear how things were -going on. I sent to enquire and have just heard that everything is -still as well as one can hope for. But if I start telling you about it -now I know we shall soon be at cross purposes again....’ ‘She is of -course very charming,’ he added presently, ‘but I think my feeling for -her had a good deal to do with the place and the circumstances....’ He -began to describe how exquisitely the smoke from the salt-kilns had -tapered across the evening sky; he spoke of the poems which they had -exchanged, of his first glimpse of her by night, of her delightful -playing on the zithern. Upon all these themes he enlarged with evident -satisfaction. Murasaki while she listened could not but remember how -particularly unhappy she had been just at the very time when the -episodes which Genji was now recalling with such relish were taking -place at Akashi. Even if this affair were, as he represented it to be, -a mere pastime of the moment, it was clear that he had been singularly -successful in his search for distraction. ‘Come,’ he said at last, -‘I am doing my best to show you that I am fond of you. You had best -be quick, if you are ever going to forgive me at all; life does not -last forever. Here am I trying so hard just now not to give you the -slightest cause for one speck of jealousy or suspicion. And now just -because of this unfortunate affair....’ So saying he sent for his large -zithern and tried to persuade her to play it with him as they were used -to do. But Murasaki could not help remembering his enthusiasm for the -playing of the Lady at Akashi. With such virtuosity she did not care to -compete, and say what he would he could not persuade her to play a note.</p> - -<p>It sometimes happened that her usual good temper and gentleness would -thus all at once desert her, giving place<span class="pagenum"><i>{200}</i></span> to a fit of wild -jealousy and resentment. To Genji these outbursts were by no means -unattractive.</p> - -<p>It occurred to him that the fifth day of the fifth month would be the -fiftieth day of the child’s life, and he knew that his absence from -the Prayers which would be held on that day would be extremely painful -to the mother. If only he had them with him in the Capital, what a -delightful affair he could make of this Fiftieth Day Ceremony! It was -really too bad that a daughter of his should have come into existence -in such an outlandish place as this. He ought never to have allowed -it. And this was his first daughter. If it had been a boy he did not -think he would have minded nearly so much. But this girl seemed very -important, for he felt that in a sense all his misfortunes had come to -him as a preliminary to her birth, and had, if one could put it so, no -other goal or object. He lost no time in sending a messenger to Akashi -with strict injunctions to arrive there on the fifth day without fail. -The messenger duly arrived, bearing with him the most touching and -gratifying tokens of Genji’s anxiety for the welfare of his friends. To -the Lady of Akashi he sent an acrostic poem, lamenting that he should -have left her to dwell, like the pine-tree that grows beneath the -northern cliff, in a place of shadows, to which not even the rejoicings -of the Fiftieth Day would bring an altering gleam. ‘My anxiety for you -both,’ his letter continued, ‘is becoming too great a torment for me to -bear. Things cannot go on like this and I have quite decided to bring -you to the Capital. Do not however think that my care for you will end -merely with that....’ She told her father of Genji’s decision, and this -time at any rate the old man had good cause for that mixture of joy and -weeping to which he was at all times prone. Looking round at Genji’s -Fiftieth Day presents which lay about in astonishing<span class="pagenum"><i>{201}</i></span> profusion -she realized how dark a day this would have been for her but for the -coming of this messenger from the City. As a second consolation she had -for the first time, in the nurse whom Genji had sent to her, some one -to whom she could confide the affairs of her heart, and this changed -her whole life. Her father had gathered about her, picking them up one -by one as opportunity offered, a collection of dames who, as regards -birth and upbringing, were quite the equals of the new nurse. But the -mountain solitudes of Akashi did not offer much scope for choice and -the poor ladies were one and all the most tottering and antiquated -relics of bygone Courts. Among them the new arrival felt incredibly -brisk and smart and in this gloomy company her opinion of herself went -up by leaps and bounds. She had endless stories about life at the -Capital; and when these failed, she had only to describe some occasion -at which Genji had figured or some incident showing the affection in -which he was held or the extent of the power which he now wielded -(subjects to which she continually returned with remarkable zest): -at once the Lady of Akashi’s cheeks would glow with pride. She ought -indeed to be happy that such a Prince as this should deign even to undo -and abandon her, leaving nothing to show for their love save the child -that had been begotten of it. The nurse was allowed to read Genji’s -letters, and though she did so with passionate interest, she could not -but feel somewhat jealous of her mistress’s strange and unforeseen good -fortune. At such times it would seem to the nurse that to her alone of -all mankind nothing good ever happened, till suddenly in Genji’s letter -she would come across some reference to herself: ‘What about the nurse? -How is she turning out?’ and so forth, or sometimes even more personal -enquiry about her health and spirits. Then for a long while the girl, -usually so despondent, would feel perfectly happy and contented.<span class="pagenum"><i>{202}</i></span></p> - -<p>To Genji’s Fiftieth Day letter the Lady of Akashi sent the following -reply: ‘Alas that to the little crane who calls to you from among the -numberless islands of the deep, you do not come, though the Fiftieth -Day<a id="FNanchor_XIV_6" href="#Footnote_XIV_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> be come.’ ‘I am for a thousand reasons,’ she continued, ‘in -great despondency concerning our future; and for that very reason -occasional kindnesses such as you have to-day shown to me are all the -more precious. As for myself I do not rightly know what will become of -me. But I earnestly hope that our daughter at any rate may live to be a -consolation to you rather than an embarrassment and anxiety.’</p> - -<p>Genji carried this letter about with him and constantly re-read it half -aloud to himself, pausing over every sentence with fond deliberation; -Murasaki could not fail to notice his preoccupation and once, hearing -him thus employed, she murmured the song: ‘Far from me have you drifted -as those boats that, starting from Mikuma shore, now row far out at -sea.’ She had not meant him to hear. But he looked up and said sharply: -‘Do you really think that it is so bad as that! I should have thought -you would understand exactly what such a letter as this must mean -to me. It is perfectly natural that I should be interested, deeply -interested in an occasional budget of news from a place where I spent -so long a time, and if in reading it I come across references which -remind me suddenly of some interesting event or experience of those -days, I think it is quite natural that I should occasionally break out -into an exclamation, or something of that sort. It would be much better -if you simply pretended not to hear. But here is the letter.’ He held -it out to her, but in such a way that she could only see the outer fold -upon which the address was written. Examining the writing she saw at -once that<span class="pagenum"><i>{203}</i></span> it was a flawless hand, such as the greatest lady in -the land would have had no cause to disown. From that moment she knew -what was in store for her; this would assuredly prove no fleeting fancy.</p> - -<p>In spite of these preoccupations his thoughts sometimes turned towards -the Lady in the Village of Falling <a id="typo_3"></a><ins title="Original has ‘Fowers’.">Flowers</ins> and he realized with dismay -that he had not once been near her since his return to the Capital. For -one thing, his new position in the Government had given him so much -business to look after and was attended by formalities and restrictions -which made it more than ever difficult for him to go about as he chose. -Part of the fault however was certainly hers; for, inured to a life -that offered few novelties or distractions, she was willing to accept -without ill-temper or complaint such treatment as others would have -found insufferable. But the fifth month at last brought him a little -leisure. Once more he thought of his obligation, and this time he -actually managed to slip away and make the long-deferred visit. It was -a comfort that here at least he was certain of not being treated to any -exhibition of fashionable tantrums, coquettishly withering glances or -well-calculated resentment; for he knew that, seldom as she saw him, -his interest in her was by far the most important fact in her life, -and a visit from him was not lightly to be sacrificed to some useless -outburst of jealousy or irritation.</p> - -<p>The house had in these last years grown rapidly more and more -dilapidated and had indeed become a most melancholy-looking place. -After paying his respects to the elder sister he hastened to the main -entrance of the western wing and stood in the porch. It was near -midnight; the moon had sunk behind a bank of light clouds. It was with -feelings of inexpressible joy and agitation that she suddenly saw his -figure dimly outlined in the darkness.<span class="pagenum"><i>{204}</i></span> She had been sitting at -the lattice and, in her shyness, did not rise when she saw him. They -continued to converse thus, he in the porch and she at her window, but -there was in her manner no hint of unfriendliness or reprobation. What -a relief to encounter at last a disposition so grateful and unexacting! -Some water-fowl were clamouring quite close to the house. She recited -the verse: ‘Dare I admit you to a house so desolate that even the -shy water-birds regard it as their home?’ Her voice died away to a -whisper as she reached the last words in a way which he found strangely -alluring. What a lot of nice people there seemed to be in the world, -thought Genji. And the odd part of it was that it was just this very -fact which made life so difficult and fatiguing. He answered with the -verse: ‘If the cry of the water-fowl brings you always so promptly to -your door, <em>some</em> visitor there must be whom it is your pleasure to -admit.’ This was of course mere word-play. He did not for a moment -suppose that any such agreeable adventures ever fell to her lot; nor -indeed that she would welcome them. For though she had had to wait -years for this visit, he felt confident that her fidelity had never -once wavered. She reminded him of his poem: ‘Gaze not into the sky....’ -and of all that had befallen at that farewell scene on the eve of -his departure for Suma. ‘It seems strange,’ she said at last, ‘that I -of all people should so much have minded your being away, considering -how seldom I see you when you are here!’ But even this was said with -perfect gentleness and good humour. His reply to this charge was, you -may be sure, both prompt and conciliatory, and it was not long before -he had managed, by kindness of one sort or another, to make her, for -the moment at any rate, as happy as it is possible for any woman to be.</p> - -<p>He often thought during these days of Lady Gosechi,<span class="pagenum"><i>{205}</i></span> and would -very much have liked to see her again; but the difficulties seemed too -great and he did not attempt it. Her parents saw plainly enough that -she had not got over her unfortunate attachment and did their best to -settle her future in some other way. But she for her part declared she -had given up all thought of lovers or marriage. ‘If only I had some -large convenient building,’ thought Genji, ‘where I could house these -friends of mine and be able to keep an eye not only on them, but on -any babies that might chance to get born, how much simpler life would -be!’ The new eastern wing was indeed promising to prove a very handsome -affair and thoroughly in the style of the moment. He was impatient to -get it finished, and now appointed special foremen to superintend the -different branches of the work and get it put through as quickly as -possible.</p> - -<p>Not infrequently something would happen to remind him of the Lady -Oborozuki and despite all that had happened a fresh wave of longing -would beset him. She for her part had not only suffered but learnt -her lesson and utterly refused to have any dealings with him, which -made him feel very irritated and depressed. Now that the ex-Emperor -Suzaku was relieved of the cares of Government, he became somewhat more -animated and showed a certain amount of interest in music and other -Court diversions. It was curious that among all his Ladies-in-Waiting -and Ladies-of-the-Wardrobe it was to Lady Jōkyōden, the mother of the -Crown Prince, that he paid the least attention. Not even the singular -chance which made her mother of the Heir Apparent seemed able to -restore to her any particle of the ascendancy which she had lost when -Lady Oborozuki was taken into favour. She had indeed left the Emperor’s -Palace and now lived in apartments attached to those of the Crown -Prince, her son. Genji’s rooms at Court were in the old Shigeisa; the -Crown Prince was occupying the<span class="pagenum"><i>{206}</i></span> Nashitsubo, which was not far -away. Thus Genji, as a near neighbour, was constantly consulted by the -Prince’s staff and was often able to be of considerable assistance to -them.</p> - -<p>As Fujitsubo had become a nun, her full rank could not be restored; but -she received a Royal Grant equivalent to that of an Empress Mother,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_7" href="#Footnote_XIV_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> -together with the services of such State officers as usually wait -upon an ex-Empress. The whole of these additional resources went in -the celebration of those religious functions which had now become her -whole employment in life. For many years she had felt that it was -impossible for her to appear at Court and to her great distress her -son, the present Emperor, had grown up a stranger to her. Now that he -was safely on the Throne she could come and go as she pleased; and -indeed her constant presence at Court now became the greatest grievance -of her old rival Kōkiden, who saw in it the frustration of all the -schemes to which her whole life had been devoted. Genji bore Kōkiden -no malice and, without thrusting his services upon her, did what he -could to help her. The fact that these magnanimous overtures were met -with unrelenting hostility was observed by all at Court and made a most -painful impression.</p> - -<p>Prince Hyōbukyō had treated Genji with marked coldness in the period -before his exile. Now that Genji’s fortunes were again on the ascendant -he appeared anxious to renew their former friendship; but Genji felt -little inclined to do so. That at a time when so many animosities were -in abeyance and so many broken friendships had been renewed Genji and -her brother should be on these very indifferent terms was to Fujitsubo -a source of great disappointment and anxiety.</p> - -<p>Power was now pretty equally divided between Genji<span class="pagenum"><i>{207}</i></span> himself -and his father-in-law, the old Minister at the Great Hall. In the -eighth month of this year Tō no Chūjō’s daughter came to Court. -Her grandfather, the old Minister, was a conspicuous figure at the -Presentation and saw to it that the ceremony should lack no jot of its -traditional grandeur. It was well known that Prince Hyōbukyō would very -much have liked to see his second daughter in a similar position. But -Genji did not feel sufficiently friendly towards him to second this -design, particularly as there were many other young ladies who were -quite as well qualified to fill the post. Prince Hyōbukyō saw nothing -for it but to submit.</p> - -<p>In the autumn Genji made his pilgrimage to the Shrine of Sumiyoshi, -where, as will be remembered, he had various vows to fulfil. The -occasion was made one of public importance and the splendour of his -cortège, in which all the greatest noblemen and courtiers of the day -vied with one another to take part, made a deep impression throughout -the kingdom. The Lady of Akashi had been unable to pay her accustomed -visit to the Shrine either last autumn or during the spring of this -year. She determined to renew the practice, and it so happened that she -arrived by boat at Sumiyoshi just as Genji’s magnificent procession -was passing along the shore. She saw throngs of servitors, laden with -costly offerings; she saw the Eastern Dancers,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_8" href="#Footnote_XIV_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> in companies of ten, -riding by on horseback, men of picked stature, conspicuous in their -strange blue-striped dress. Not a word concerning Genji’s visit to -Sumiyoshi had reached her, and turning to some one who was standing -near she asked what procession this might be. ‘What procession?’ the -man exclaimed in astonishment. ‘Why,<span class="pagenum"><i>{208}</i></span> the Chief Minister’s!’ and a -shout of laughter went up at the notion that there could possibly exist -anybody in the world who had not heard of this all-important event, -laughter in which a number of rough scallawags who were standing by -joined as heartily as the rest.</p> - -<p>She was confounded. That after all these long months of waiting it -should be thus she met him showed indeed to what a different world -he really belonged! Yet after all they were not quite strangers, he -and she. She was at least of more account in his eyes than these -wretches who had scoffed at her ignorance, than all this rabble who -cared nothing for him and had come here only that they might boast -of having shared in his triumph. How cruel an irony that she who -thought of him and him only, who painfully gathered together every -scrap of intelligence concerning his health and movements, should all -unwittingly have chosen this disastrous day for her journey, while all -the rest of the world resounded with the news of his coming; she hid -her face and wept. The procession moved on its way—innumerable green -cloaks, with here and there a scarlet one among them, bright as an -autumn maple-tree amid a grove of pines. In cavalcade after cavalcade -the varying colours flashed by, now dark, now light.<a id="FNanchor_XIV_9" href="#Footnote_XIV_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> Among the -officers of the Sixth Grade there was one whose sheriff’s coat of -gold and green made him conspicuous; this was Ukon, the gentleman who -upon the occasion of Genji’s visit to the Imperial Tombs had recited -the verse: ‘Little, alas, they heed their worshippers....’<a id="FNanchor_XIV_10" href="#Footnote_XIV_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> He had -become captain of the Quiver Bearers, and as such was attended by -more numerous officers than any other of the sheriffs. Among these -attendants was Yoshikiyo, who in a<span class="pagenum"><i>{209}</i></span> resplendent crimson cloak, -worn with an air of the utmost nonchalance, was perhaps the handsomest -figure in all the throng.</p> - -<p>Here, prosperous and happy, were all the knights and gentlemen whom she -had seen at Akashi; then a pitiable band, now scattered amongst a vast -cohort of partisans and retainers. The young princes and courtiers who -rode with the procession had vied with one another in the magnificence -of their accoutrement. Such gorgeous saddles and trappings had rarely -been seen; and it may be imagined how they dazzled the eye of a country -girl, fresh from her hillside retreat. At last came Genji’s coach. -She could catch but a momentary glimpse of it; and of the face for -which she yearned with so ardent a longing she could see nothing at -all. Imitating the example of the great Tōru<a id="FNanchor_XIV_11" href="#Footnote_XIV_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> he was attended by -boy outriders. They were charmingly dressed, their hair looped at the -sides and tied with purple ribbons. The ten of them were arranged -according to their height, and a very pretty sight they were as they -filed past in their dainty costumes. A boy rode by, clad in the dress -of a Court page, a person of some consequence evidently, for he was -obsequiously watched over and assisted, while a posse of boy grooms, -each differently dressed, yet forming between them a carefully designed -pattern, rode in his train. She was told that this was Prince Yūgiri, -Genji’s son by Lady Aoi. She thought of her own daughter for whom so -different a fate seemed to be reserved, and in sad submission bowed her -head towards the Shrine. The Governor of the Province had now appeared, -his arrival being attended by greater pomp than had ever before marked -his intercourse with a Minister on pilgrimage. The Lady of Akashi saw -clearly that even should she succeed in forcing her way through the -crowd, there was little<span class="pagenum"><i>{210}</i></span> chance that in the midst of all these -excitements the God would pay any attention to her insignificant -offering. She was on the point of going home again, since there seemed -to be no object in staying any longer, when it occurred to her that -she might at any rate row over to Naniwa and perform the ceremony of -Purification. This she did, while Genji, still unaware that she had -been so near him, spent the rest of the evening preforming his vows -within the Shrine. At last, thinking that by now the God ought to be -thoroughly content, Genji determined to enjoy himself a little into -the bargain; and the rest of the night was spent by the whole company -in the most lively fashion imaginable. Koremitsu and the rest made a -mental note that for certain kinds of religious observance there was -much to be said. It happened that Genji went outside for a little while -and Koremitsu, who was with him, recited an acrostic verse in which he -hinted that beneath the pine-trees of Sumiyoshi a less solemn stillness -now prevailed than when the Gods first ruled on earth. This could not -be denied, and indeed to Genji too a joyful time had succeeded to an -age of sadness. He therefore answered with the verse: ‘That from wild -waves whose onslaught drove me from my course this God delivered me, -I shall not soon forget.’ Koremitsu then went on to tell him how the -boat from Akashi, dismayed by the crowds that flocked the Shrine, had -put out again to sea. He hated to think that she had been there without -his knowing it; besides, he felt now that it was this very God of -Sumiyoshi who had given her to him for a bride. He could not let her go -back without a word from him to cheer her. To think that she had come -and gone without his even hearing that she was at hand would certainly -grieve her worst of all. But for the moment she had gone further up the -coast and there was nothing to be done.<span class="pagenum"><i>{211}</i></span></p> - -<p>After leaving Sumiyoshi he visited several places in the neighbourhood. -At Naniwa he too underwent the ceremony of Purification, together with -other ceremonies, particularly the Ablution of the Seven Streams. -As he passed the estuary of Horiye he murmured ‘Like the Tide-gauge -at Naniwa...,’<a id="FNanchor_XIV_12" href="#Footnote_XIV_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> hardly knowing why the lines had come into his -head. Koremitsu, who was near his coach, overheard these words, and -regarding them as a command to him to produce writing materials (a -duty for which he was often in request) he whipped out a short-handled -pen from the folds of his dress and as soon as Genji’s coach came to a -standstill handed it in to him. Genji was amused by his promptness and -on a folded paper wrote the lines: ‘That once again our love to its -flood-mark shall rise, what better presage than this chance meeting -by the tide-gauge of the shore?’ This he sent across to Naniwa by the -hand of an underling who, from conversation with her servants, knew at -what address she was to be found. Much as she had suffered at seeing -him pass her by, it needed only this trifling message to allay all her -agitation. In a flutter of gratitude and pride she indited the answer: -‘How comes it<a id="FNanchor_XIV_13" href="#Footnote_XIV_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> that to the least of those who bide as pilgrims in -this town you bear a love that mounts so high upon the flood-gauge -of your heart?’ She had that day been bathing in the Holy Waters at -the Shrine of Rain-coat Island, and she sent him her poem tied to a -prayer-strip which she had brought from the Shrine. When the message -reached Genji it was already growing dark; the tide was full, and the -cranes along the river-mouth had with one accord set up their strange -and moving cry. Touched by<span class="pagenum"><i>{212}</i></span> the beauty of the place and hour, he -suddenly lost all patience with the crowds that surged around him. -Could he but banish them all from his sight and find himself with only -the writer of this diffident poem at his side!</p> - -<p>The journey back to the City was enlivened by many excursions and -entertainments, but all the while his thoughts continually returned -to the strange coincidence of that unhappy meeting. Quantities of -dancing-girls had attached themselves to his retinue. Despite their -total lack of sense or breeding, their company appeared to afford a -vast deal of satisfaction to the hot-blood young gentlemen who formed -Genji’s escort. This seemed to him very strange. One cannot enjoy -beautiful scenery or works of art in the company of any but the right -person; and surely if, in such matters as that, one is so easily put -off by commonness or stupidity, it must make some difference <em>whom</em> one -chooses as partner in these far more intimate associations? He could -not indeed contrive to take the slightest interest in these creatures. -They on their side quickly perceived that they were not being a -success, and at once redoubled their efforts; with the consequence that -he found them only the more repulsive.</p> - -<p>Next day was marked a ‘good day’ in the calendar, and Genji’s party -being safely on its way back to the Capital, the Lady of Akashi was -able to return to Sumiyoshi and pursue her devotions in peace, now at -last finding occasion to fulfil the many vows that had accumulated -since her last visit to the Shrine. Her recent glimpse of Genji in -all his glory had but increased the misgivings which day and night -beset her: amid such surroundings as that it was impossible that -so insignificant a person as herself should not rapidly sink into -obscurity and contempt. She did not expect to hear from him again till -he was back at Court. She was counting the days, when<span class="pagenum"><i>{213}</i></span> to her -surprise a messenger appeared. In a letter, which had evidently been -written during the journey, he named the actual date at which he should -send for her to the City. Once more he sought to dispel all her doubts -and anxieties; she could rely upon him implicitly; her position in his -household would, he besought her to believe, be neither equivocal nor -insecure. Nevertheless, she felt that she was embarking upon a perilous -voyage under skies which, however promising an aspect they might now -be wearing, might at any moment change to the threat of a hideous -disaster. Her father too, when it came to the prospect of actually -releasing her from his care, was exceedingly perturbed; indeed he -dreaded her departure for the Capital even more than he had feared the -prospect of her remaining forever buried in her rustic home. Her answer -to Genji was full of reservations and misgivings concerning her fitness -for the position which he promised her.</p> - -<p>The retirement of the Emperor Suzaku had necessitated the appointment -of a new Vestal at Ise, and Lady Rokujō had brought her daughter back -again to the City. Genji had written the usual congratulations and -this had given her immense pleasure; but she had no desire to give -him the opportunity of once more distracting her as he had done in -those old days, and she had answered only in the most formal terms. -Consequently he had not, since her return, made any attempt to visit -her. He did indeed make some vague suggestion of a meeting; but these -hints were very half-hearted and it was a relief to him that they -were not taken. He had recently decided not to complicate his life by -outside relationships even of the most harmless kind: he simply had -not time. And particularly in a case of this sort he saw no object in -forcing his society upon some one who did not desire it. He was however -<span class="pagenum"><i>{214}</i></span> extremely curious to see how the Vestal Virgin, now known as Lady -Akikonomu, had grown up. Rokujō’s old palace in the Sixth Ward had been -admirably repaired and redecorated, and life there was in these days -by no means intolerable. Rokujō herself had gifts of character and -intelligence which the passage of years had not obliterated. Her own -personality and the unusual beauty of many of her gentlewomen combined -to make her house a meeting place for men of fashion, and though she -was herself at times very lonely, she was leading a life with which -she was on the whole by no means ill-contented, when her health gave -way. She felt at once that there was no hope for her, and oppressed -by the thought that she had for so long been living in a sinful -place,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_14" href="#Footnote_XIV_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> she resolved to become a nun. This news was a great blow -to Genji. That he would ever again meet her as a lover, he had long -felt to be impossible. But he thought of her as a friend whose company -and conversation would always be among his greatest pleasures. That -she should have felt it necessary to take this solemn and irrevocable -step was a terrible shock, and on hearing what had happened he at once -hastened to her palace. It proved to be a most harrowing visit. He -found her in a state of complete collapse. Screens surrounded her bed; -his chair was placed outside them, as near as possible to her pillow, -and in this manner they conversed. It was evident that her strength was -rapidly failing. How bitterly he now repented that he had not come to -her sooner; had not proved, while yet there was time, that his passion -for her had never expired! He wept bitterly, and Rokujō on her side, -amazed to realize from the very intensity of his grief that during all -the years when she had imagined herself to be forgotten, she had never -been wholly absent from his thoughts, in a moment<span class="pagenum"><i>{215}</i></span> discarded all -her bitterness, and seeing that his distress was unendurable began with -the utmost tenderness to lead his thoughts to other matters. She spoke -after a while about her daughter, Lady Akikonomu, the former Virgin -of Ise, begging him to help her on in the world in any way he could. -‘I had hoped,’ she said, ‘having cast the cares of the world aside, -to live on quietly at any rate until this child of mine should have -reached an age when she could take her life into her own hands....’ Her -voice died away. ‘Even if you had not mentioned it, I should always -have done what I could to help her,’ answered Genji, ‘but now that you -have made this formal request to me, you may be sure that I shall make -it my business to look after her and protect her in every way that -lies in my power. You need have no further anxiety on that score....’ -‘It will not be so easy,’ she answered. ‘Even a girl whose welfare -has been the sole object of devoted parents often finds herself in a -very difficult position if her mother dies and she has only her father -to rely upon. But your task will, I fear, be far harder than that of -a widowed father. Any kindness that you show the girl will at once -be misinterpreted; she will be mixed up in all sorts of unpleasant -bickerings and all your own friends will be set against her. And this -brings me to a matter which is really very difficult to speak about. -I wish I were so sure in my own mind that you would <em>not</em> make love -to her. Had she my experience, I should have no fear for her. But -unfortunately she is utterly ignorant and indeed is just the sort of -person who might easily suffer unspeakable torment through finding -herself in such a position. I cannot help wishing that I could provide -for her future in some way that was not fraught with this particular -danger....’ What an extraordinary notion, thought Genji. How could she -have got such a thing into her<span class="pagenum"><i>{216}</i></span> head? ‘You are thinking of me as I -was years ago,’ he answered quickly. ‘I have changed a great deal since -then, as you would soon discover if you knew more about me....’</p> - -<p>Out of doors it was now quite dark. The room where he was sitting -was lit only by the dim glow that, interrupted by many partitions, -filtered through from the great lamp in the hall. Some one had entered -the room. He peeped cautiously through a tear in one of the screens -which surrounded the bed. In the very uncertain light he could just -distinguish Rokujō’s form. Her hair was cropped, as is customary with -novices before the final tonsure; but elegantly and with taste, so that -her head, outlined against the pillows, made a delicate and charming -picture. On the far side of the bed he could distinguish a second -figure. This surely must be Lady Akikonomu. There was a point at which -the screens had been carelessly joined, and looking through this gap he -saw a young girl sitting in an attitude of deep dejection with her chin -resting on her hand. So far as he could judge from this very imperfect -view she was exceedingly good-looking. Her hair that hung loose to the -ground, the carriage of her head, her movements and expression,—all -had a singular dignity and grace; yet despite this proud air there was -something about her affectionate, almost appealing. But was he not -already beginning to take just that interest in her person against -which her mother had a few moments ago been warning him? He hastily -corrected his thoughts. Lady Rokujō now spoke again: ‘I am in great -pain,’ she said, ‘and fear that at any moment my end may come. I would -not have you witness my last agonies. Pray leave me at once.’ This she -said with great difficulty, her women supporting her on either side. -‘How glad I should have been,’ said Genji, ‘if my visit had made you -better. I am afraid it<span class="pagenum"><i>{217}</i></span> has only made you worse. I cannot bear to -leave you in such pain. Tell me what it is that hurts so much?’ And -so saying he made as though to come to her side. ‘Do not come to me!’ -she cried out in terror, ‘I am grown hideous; you would not know me. -Does what I say seem to you very strange and disjointed? It may be that -my thoughts wander a little, for I am dying. Thank you for bearing -patiently with me at such a time. I am much easier in my mind now that -I have had this talk with you. I had meant to for a long time....’ ‘I -am touched,’ replied Genji, ‘that you should have thought of me as -a person to whom you could confide these requests. As you know, my -father the late Emperor had a very large number of sons and daughters; -for my part, I am not very intimate with any of them. But, when his -brother died, he also regarded Lady Akikonomu here as though she were -his own child and for that reason I have every right to regard her as -my sister and help her in just those ways which a brother might. It is -true that I am a great deal older than she is; but my own family is -sadly small,<a id="FNanchor_XIV_15" href="#Footnote_XIV_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> and I could well afford to have some one else to look -after....’</p> - -<p>After his return he sent incessantly to enquire after her progress and -constantly wrote to her. She died some eight days later. He was deeply -distressed, for a long while took no interest in anything that happened -and had not the heart to go even so far as the Emperor’s Palace. The -arrangements concerning her funeral and many other matters about which -she had left behind instructions fell entirely upon him, for there was -no one else to whom her people could apply. Fortunately the officers -who had been attached to Lady Akikonomu’s suite while she was at Ise -still remained in her service and they were able to give her a certain -<span class="pagenum"><i>{218}</i></span> amount of assistance. Before the funeral Genji called in person -and sent in a note to the bereaved lady of the house. A housekeeper -(one of the people from Ise) brought back word that her mistress was -completely overwhelmed by her loss and could not reply to him. He -sent in a second message reminding Lady Akikonomu that her mother had -solemnly committed her to his care and begging her not to regard him -as an alien intruder into her affairs. He then sent for the various -members of the household and gave them their instructions. He did so -with an air of confidence and authority which surprised those who -remembered for how long he had absented himself from that house. The -funeral was carried out with the utmost pomp, the bier being attended -not only by her servants, but by all Genji’s servants and retainers.</p> - -<p>For a long while afterwards he was immersed in prayers and penances -and but seldom emerged from the seclusion of a thickly curtained -recess. To Lady Akikonomu he sent many messages of enquiry, to which -she now answered in her own hand. She had at first been too shy to do -so; much to the dismay of her old nurse, who explained to her that -not to answer letters is considered very uncivil. One day as he sat -watching the wild storms of sleet and snow that were sweeping in a -confused blizzard across the land, he could not help wondering how -Lady Akikonomu was faring in this rough weather and sent a messenger -to her palace. ‘I wonder how you like this storm,’ he wrote, and added -the poem: ‘I see a house of mourning; dark tempests threaten it, and -high amid the clouds hovers a ghost with anxious wing.’ It was written -on light blue paper tinged with grey; the penmanship and make-up of -the note were indeed purposely intended to be such as would impress a -young girl. So much did this elegant missive dazzle her inexperienced -eye that she again felt utterly unable<span class="pagenum"><i>{219}</i></span> to reply, and it was only -when one member of her household after another reproached her for such -rudeness and ingratitude that she at last took up a sheet of heavily -scented dark-grey paper and in brush-strokes so faint as to be scarcely -distinguishable wrote the poem: ‘Would that like the snow-flakes when -they are weary of falling I might sink down upon the earth and end my -days.’ There was nothing very remarkable about the writing, but it -was an agreeable hand and one which bore unmistakable traces of the -writer’s lineage. He had formed a high opinion of her at the time when -she first went to Ise and had very much regretted her withdrawal from -the world. Now she was an ordinary person again, and, if he wished to -cultivate her acquaintance, entirely at his disposal; but this very -fact (as was usual with him) caused a revulsion of feeling. To go -forward in the direction where fewest obstacles existed seemed to him -to be taking a mean advantage. Although he was, in his attentions to -Lady Akikonomu, merely fulfilling her mother’s request, he knew quite -well how every one at Court was expecting the story to end. Well, for -once in a way their expectations would be disappointed. He was fully -determined to bring her up with the utmost propriety and, so soon as -the Emperor reached years of discretion, to present her at Court; in -fact, to adopt her as his daughter,—a thing which, considering the -smallness of his family, it was natural for him to do. He constantly -wrote her letters full of kindness and encouragement, and occasionally -called at her palace. ‘What I should really like,’ he said one day, -‘would be for you to look upon me, if you will forgive my putting it in -that way, as a substitute for your dear mother. Can you not sometimes -treat me as though I were an old friend? Can you not trust me with -some of the secrets you used to confide to her?’ Such appeals merely -embarrassed<span class="pagenum"><i>{220}</i></span> her. She had lived so secluded a life that to open -her mouth at all in a stranger’s presence seemed to her a terrible -ordeal, and her gentlewomen were in the end obliged to make such -amends as they could. It was a comfort that many of her officers and -gentlewomen were closely connected with the Imperial Family and would, -if his project for installing her in the Palace did not come to naught, -be able to help her to assert herself. He would have been glad to know -more about her appearance, but she always received him from behind -her curtains, and he neither felt justified in taking the liberties -that are accorded to a parent nor did he feel quite sure enough of -himself to wish to put his parental feelings to the test. He was -indeed very uncertain with regard to his own intentions, and for the -present mentioned his plans about her to nobody. He saw to it that the -Memorial Service was carried out with great splendour, devoting to the -arrangement of it a care that deeply gratified the bereaved household. -Life there was becoming more and more featureless and depressing as the -weeks went by. One by one Lady Akikonomu’s servants and retainers were -finding other employment. The Palace stood at the extreme outer edge -of the Sixth Ward, in a district which was very little frequented, and -the melancholy bells which went on tolling and tolling in innumerable -adjacent temples reduced her every evening to a state of abject -misery. She had always been used to spend a great deal of time in her -mother’s company, and even when she was sent to Ise, though no parent -had ever before accompanied the Vestal Virgin, they still remained -unseparated. It can be imagined then that her mother’s loss left her -peculiarly helpless and desolate; and the thought that Rokujō, who -had travelled so far for her sake, should now set out upon this last -journey all alone, caused her unspeakable pain. Many suitors both high -and low, under cover<span class="pagenum"><i>{221}</i></span> of paying attentions to one or other of her -gentlewomen, now began to frequent the house. Genji however had in his -best fatherly style exacted a promise from the lady’s old nurse that -she would allow no matchmaking to go on in the house. Above all he -feared that some of her women might wish for their own ends to keep -these gentlemen hanging about the premises. It soon however became -apparent that there was no danger of this. The ladies concerned knew -that their doings would probably reach Genji’s ears, and they were far -too anxious to stand well with him to dream of abusing their position. -The suitors soon found that their advances were not met with the -slightest encouragement.</p> - -<p>It will be remembered that at the time of Lady Akikonomu’s departure -for Ise the retired Emperor Suzaku had, when presiding at the -magnificent farewell ceremony in the Daigoku Hall, been greatly struck -with her beauty. This impression had remained with him, and on her -return to the Capital he begged Rokujō to let her daughter come to him, -promising that she should take her place as the equal of his sister, -the former Vestal of Kamo, and the other princesses, his sisters and -kinswomen whom he sheltered under his roof. This proposal did not -please her. She feared that where so many exalted personages were -gathered together her daughter would be likely to receive but scant -attention. Moreover Suzaku was at the time in very bad health, and if -he should fail to recover, his dependants might be left in a precarious -position. Now that her mother was dead it was all the more desirable -to establish her in a manner which offered some prospect of security. -When therefore Suzaku repeated his invitation, this time in somewhat -insistent terms, Lady Akikonomu’s friends were placed in an awkward -position. Genji’s private plan of affiancing her to the boy-Emperor -would, now that Suzaku had displayed so marked an inclination towards -her, be difficult<span class="pagenum"><i>{222}</i></span> to pursue without too deeply offending his -brother. Another consideration weighed with him: he was becoming more -and more fascinated by the girl’s beauty and he was in no hurry to -commit her to other hands. Under the circumstances he thought the best -thing he could do was to talk the matter over with Lady Fujitsubo. -‘I am in great difficulties over this business,’ he said. ‘As you -know, the girl’s mother was a woman of singularly proud and sensitive -temperament. I am ashamed to say that, following my own wanton and -selfish inclinations, I behaved in such a way as to do great injury to -her reputation, with the consequence that henceforward she on her side -harboured against me a passionate resentment, while I on mine found -myself branded not only by her but also by the world at large as a -profligate and scamp. Till the very last I was never able to recover -her confidence; but on her death-bed she spoke to me of Akikonomu’s -future in a way which she would never have done had she not wholly -regained her good opinion of me. This was a great weight off my mind. -Even had these peculiar relations not existed between us, her request -was one which even to a stranger I could hardly have refused. And as it -was, you may imagine how gladly I welcomed this chance of repairing, -even at this late hour, the grievous wrong which my light-mindedness -had inflicted upon her during her lifetime. His Majesty is of course -many years younger than Akikonomu;<a id="FNanchor_XIV_16" href="#Footnote_XIV_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> but I do not think it would be -a bad thing if he had some older and more experienced person in his -entourage. However, it is for you to decide....’ ‘I am of the same -opinion,’ Fujitsubo replied. ‘It would of course be very imprudent -to offend the retired Emperor. But surely the mother’s wishes are a -sufficient excuse. If I were you I should pretend you know nothing -about the<span class="pagenum"><i>{223}</i></span> retired Emperor’s inclination towards her and present -her at the Palace without more ado. As a matter of fact, Suzaku now -cares very little about such matters. What energy he still possesses -is spent on prayers and meditation. I do not think you will find that -he minds very much one way or the other....’ ‘All the same, I think it -will be best under the circumstances if the request for Akikonomu’s -Presentation came from you,’ said Genji. ‘I could then seem merely to -be adding my solicitations to yours. You will think that in weighing -the pros and cons of the matter with such care I am over-scrupulous; -and indeed I fear that you have found me rather tedious. It is simply -that I am extremely anxious people should not think me lacking in -respect towards my brother....’ It soon became apparent that, in -accordance with Fujitsubo’s advice, he had decided to disregard the -retired Emperor’s wishes. But it was in Genji’s own palace and not, for -the moment at any rate, in the Emperor’s household that Lady Akikonomu -was to be installed. He explained the circumstances to Murasaki. -‘She is just about your age,’ he said, ‘and you will find her a very -agreeable companion. I think you will get on famously together....’ -Murasaki at once took to the idea and was soon busy with preparations -for the reception of the visitor.</p> - -<p>Fujitsubo was all this while extremely exercised in mind concerning -the future of her niece, the youngest daughter of Prince Hyōbukyō, for -Genji’s estrangement from the father seemed to block every avenue of -advancement. Tō no Chūjō’s daughter, as the grandchild of the Senior -Minister, was treated on all sides with the utmost deference and -consideration, and she had now become the Emperor’s favourite playmate. -‘My brother’s little girl is just the same age as the Emperor,’ said -Fujitsubo one day; ‘he would enjoy having her to play at dolls with -him sometimes,<span class="pagenum"><i>{224}</i></span> and it would be a help to the older people who -are looking after him.’ But quite apart from affairs of state, Genji -had (as Fujitsubo knew) such a multiplicity of private matters to -attend to and was plagued from morning till night by such a variety of -irritating applications and requests that she had not the heart to keep -on bothering him. It was something that a person like Lady Akikonomu -would soon be at the Emperor’s side; for Fujitsubo herself was in very -poor health and, though she sometimes visited the Palace, she could -not look after her son’s education as she would have liked to do. It -was necessary that there should be some one grown up to keep an eye on -him, and though she would dearly like to have seen her niece installed -as his playmate, she was extremely glad of the arrangement whereby a -sensible creature like Lady Akikonomu was to have him in her constant -care.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_1" href="#FNanchor_XIV_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Tenth month. The Shintō gods become inaccessible during this month; -but the Buddhas are, apparently, still available. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_2" href="#FNanchor_XIV_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - Lady Kōkiden. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_3" href="#FNanchor_XIV_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - China. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_4" href="#FNanchor_XIV_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - As opposed to a Sedan-chair. A carriage drawn by oxen is meant; -this was a great luxury. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_5" href="#FNanchor_XIV_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - Used at the birth-ceremonies of a Princess. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_6" href="#FNanchor_XIV_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - <i>Ika</i>—Fiftieth Day; but also ‘Why do you not come?’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_7" href="#FNanchor_XIV_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - The taxes paid by 2,000 households. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_8" href="#FNanchor_XIV_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - These men accompanied a Minister of State on pilgrimages to the -great Shintō shrines, danced in front of the shrine and afterwards took -part in horse-races round it. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_9" href="#FNanchor_XIV_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - The higher officers wore cloaks of deeper hue, i.e. dipped more -often in the dye and therefore more costly. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_10" href="#FNanchor_XIV_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - See above, p. <a href="#page_114">114</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_11" href="#FNanchor_XIV_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - For the extravagances of this statesman, see <cite>Nō Plays of Japan</cite>, -p. 293. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_12" href="#FNanchor_XIV_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - ‘As to the tide-gauge at Naniwa that now lies bare, so to our love -the flood tide shall at last return.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_13" href="#FNanchor_XIV_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - Pun on Naniwa, name of town and <i>nani wa</i> ‘How comes it?’ Here -and in the preceding poem there is also a play on <i>miozukushi</i> = -tide-gauge, and <i>mi wo tsukushi</i> = with all one’s heart and soul.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_14" href="#FNanchor_XIV_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - A Shintō shrine, offensive to Buddha. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_15" href="#FNanchor_XIV_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - Aoi’s son Yūgiri was his only acknowledged child. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XIV_16" href="#FNanchor_XIV_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - Akikonomu was now nineteen; the boy-Emperor Ryōzen, seven. -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_225"><i>{225}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br /> -<span class="larger">THE PALACE IN THE TANGLED WOODS</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">WHILE Genji, like Yukihira of old, ‘dragged his leaky pails’ along -the shore of Suma, his absence had been mourned, in varying ways -and degrees, by a very large number of persons in the Capital. Even -those who stood in no need of patronage or protection and had through -his departure lost only the amenities of a charming friendship were -deeply distressed. For some of them, such as Murasaki, this sad time -was mitigated by constant messages from his place of exile; some were -privileged to busy their needles upon such garments as his altered -state prescribed, or were allowed the consolation of rendering him -other small services such as in his present difficulties he was likely -to require. But there were others who, though they had received his -favours, had done so unknown to the world, and these ladies now learned -of Genji’s last hours at the Capital from the casual gossip of some -friend who had no idea that the matter was of any particular concern -to them. Needless to say they feigned a like indifference; but such -concealment costs one dear and not a few hearts were broken in the -process.</p> - -<p>Among those who fared worst during his absence was the lady at the -Hitachi Palace.<a id="FNanchor_XV_1" href="#Footnote_XV_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> During the period after her father’s death there -had been no one to take care of her and she had for a while led a very -wretched existence.<span class="pagenum"><i>{226}</i></span> But then came the unexpected apparition of -Genji. His letters and visits, which to him in the crowded days of his -glory were insignificant acts of courtesy, implying no more than a very -mild degree of interest and affection, were to their recipient, with -her narrow and unvarying life, like the reflection of a star when it -chances to fall into a bowl of water. It was but natural, she thought, -that when the outcry against him began Genji should no longer find time -for an attachment which had in any case played only a very subordinate -part in his life, particularly as the attacks upon him were part of a -widespread movement which could not but be causing him the greatest -anxiety. Then came his exile and at last his triumphant return. But -still she heard no word from him.</p> - -<p>In old days when she heard nothing from him for a week or two she -would become a little tearful it is true, but she still managed to -carry on her ordinary existence. Now months, years had passed; long -ago she had given up all hope, and sank into a condition of settled -apathy and gloom. ‘Poor princess!’ said the elderly gentlewomen who -waited upon her. ‘Really she has had the worst possible luck! To see -this glorious apparition suddenly descending upon her like a God or -Buddha out of the sky—not that he meant very much by it; but she, -poor lady, could never get over the surprise of his noticing her at -all—and then for him to disappear without a word! She knows of course -that it is not from her that he has run away to Suma; it all comes of -this new government! But still, one cannot help being very sorry for -the poor young creature.’ She had indeed during the time after her -father’s death become gradually inured to a life of extreme monotony -and isolation; but Genji’s visits had awakened in her quite new -ambitions; for the first time in her life she began to feel herself -drawn towards the world<span class="pagenum"><i>{227}</i></span> of taste and fashion. This made her -renewed state of poverty and isolation all the more difficult to bear. -The fact that Genji frequented the house had for the time being induced -a certain number of other visitors to present themselves. But since -his departure one visitor after another, having grown more and more -remiss in his attentions, finally ceased to come at all. Her father’s -ladies-in-waiting were all very advanced in years and every now and -then one of them would die; the other servants, both indoors and out, -were continually seeking better service, and hardly a month passed -but some member of her staff either died or drifted away. The palace -grounds, which had for long years past been allowed to sink into a sad -state of neglect, had now become a mere jungle. Foxes had made their -lairs in the garden walks, while from the ornamental plantations, now -grown into dank and forbidding woods, the voice of the screech-owl -sounded day and night alike; so little was there now any sign of -human habitation in that place, so dim was the daylight that pierced -those tangled thickets. The few servants who still lingered on in -the midst of all this desolation began to declare that tree-spirits -and other fearsome monsters had established themselves in the palace -grounds and were every day becoming more open and venturesome in their -habits. ‘There is no sense in continuing to live like this,’ one of -these ladies said. ‘Nowadays all the government officials are building -themselves handsome houses. Several of them have for a long time past -had their eye on all your timber and have been making enquiries in the -neighbourhood whether you might not be prevailed upon to part with -it. If only you would consent to do so, you might with the proceeds -easily buy some newer place that would be less depressing to live in. -You are really asking too much of the few servants that remain with -you....’<span class="pagenum"><i>{228}</i></span> ‘Hush, how can you suggest such a thing!’ answered the -princess. ‘What would people think if they heard you? So long as I -am alive no such disrespect to my poor Father’s memory shall ever be -committed. I know quite well that the grounds have become rather wild -and dismal; but this was his home, his dear spirit haunts the place, -and I feel that so long as I am here I am never far off from him. That -has become my only comfort....’ She broke off in tears, and it was -impossible to allude to the subject again. Her furniture too, though -entirely out of fashion, was much of it very beautiful in an old-world -way, and enquiries were constantly coming from those who made it their -business to understand such matters and had heard that she possessed -a work by such and such a master of some particular time and school. -Such proposals she regarded merely as an ill-bred comment upon her -poverty and indeed complained of them bitterly to the aforementioned -gentlewoman. ‘But, Madam,’ the lady protested, ‘it is not at all -an unusual thing....’ And to convince her mistress that funds must -somehow or other be procured she began to call her attention to various -dilapidations, the repair of which could not safely be deferred for a -single day. But it made no difference. The idea of selling any of her -possessions seemed to the princess utterly untenable. ‘If he had not -meant me to keep them, he would not have put them here,’ she said; ‘I -cannot bear to think of them becoming ornaments in ordinary, worldly -people’s houses. I do not think he would wish me to...,’ and that was -all that could be got out of her.</p> - -<p>Visitors and even letters were now absolutely unknown at the Hitachi -Palace. True, her elder brother the Zen priest on the rare occasions -when he came up to the Capital, usually visited the palace. But he did -little more than poke his head in and go away. He was a particularly -vague<span class="pagenum"><i>{229}</i></span> and unpractical sort of man, who even among his fellow -clerics ranked as unusually detached from all worldly considerations. -In fact he was a saint, and consequently very unlikely to notice that -the whole place was overgrown with weeds and bushes, still less to -suggest any means of clearing them away.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, the state of affairs was becoming very acute. The once -elegant courtyard was thickly overgrown with weeds; and lusty hemlock -clumps were fast destroying the gables and eaves of the roof. The main -eastern and western gates of the park were barricaded by huge masses -of mugwort and it was impossible to open them. This might have given -the inhabitants of the palace a certain comforting sense of security, -had it not been for the fact that the walls which surrounded the estate -were everywhere either broken down or upon the point of falling. Horse -and oxen from the neighbouring pastures soon found their way through -these gaps, and when the summer came they began to make free with -the palace lawns in a way which scandalized the little herd-boys who -were in charge of them. At the time of the autumn equinox there were -very heavy gales, and one day the main roof of the servants’ wing -was blown right away, leaving only a ceiling of thin match-boarding, -a mere shell, which would not have withstood the mildest shower of -rain. At this the under-servants left in a body. Henceforward the few -inhabitants of the palace led a pitiable existence, not even getting -enough to eat, for there was no one to make up the fires or prepare -their food. Thieves and vagabonds had the place completely at their -mercy; but fortunately it never occurred to them to go near it. -How could so desolate a ruin contain anything worth meddling with? -They shook their heads and trudged on. But strangely enough, had -he penetrated those savage thickets, an enterprising burglar would -have<span class="pagenum"><i>{230}</i></span> found, amid a tangled mass of wreckage, a drawing-room<a id="FNanchor_XV_2" href="#Footnote_XV_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -perfectly appointed in every detail, each ornament, each screen and -article of furniture still standing exactly where the late prince had -left it. True, there was no longer anyone to dust this last-surviving -room, and it needed dusting badly. Never mind, it was a real room; -not just a living-place, but a noble apartment with everything in it -handsome and dignified just as it ought to be. And here, year in and -year out, her whole life was spent.</p> - -<p>Solitary people with a great deal of time on their hands seem usually -to turn to old ballads and romances for amusement and distraction, -but for such employments the princess showed little inclination. Even -in the lives of those who have no particular interest in poetry there -are usually periods of inactivity during which they take to exchanging -verses with some sympathetic correspondent—verses which, if they are -young, generally contain affecting references to various kinds of plant -and tree. But the princess’s father had imbued her with the belief -that all outward display of emotion is undignified and ill-bred; she -felt that what he would really have liked best would have been for her -to communicate with no one at all, and she had long given up writing -even to the few relations with whom she might have been expected -occasionally to correspond.</p> - -<p>At rare intervals she would open an old-fashioned chest and fiddle for -a while with a number of ancient picture-scrolls, illustrations of such -stories as <cite>The Chinese Prefect</cite>, <cite>The Mistress of Hakoya</cite>, <cite>Princess -Kaguya</cite><a id="FNanchor_XV_3" href="#Footnote_XV_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> and the like.<span class="pagenum"><i>{231}</i></span> Then there were some poems which, though -all of very ancient date, were excellently chosen, with the names of -the poets and the titles of the poems written in a nice clear hand at -the side, so that one could really tell what one was reading. They were -written on the best Kanya and Michinoku papers, now grown somewhat -puffy with age,<a id="FNanchor_XV_4" href="#Footnote_XV_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> and though it cannot be supposed that she could -derive much pleasure from reading the same familiar pages over and over -again, yet it was noticed that in her hours of deepest depression she -would often sit with the books spread open before her. As for reading -the Sūtras or performing those Buddhist ceremonies which have now -become so indispensable an element in fashionable life, she would have -shuddered at the thought, and would not have dreamed of so much as -touching a rosary, even though no one was there to see. Such was the -arduous standard of conduct which this lady imposed upon herself.</p> - -<p>Of her old servants only Jijū, the daughter of her foster-nurse, had -survived the general exodus of the last few years. Jijū’s friend, the -former Vestal of Kamo, whose company had been one of her distractions, -was dead, and the poor lady’s existence had become such as no one could -reasonably be expected to endure. A sister of the princess’s mother -had fallen on evil days and ended by marrying a provincial official. -She now lived at the Capital, and as she had daughters, together with -a bevy of unusually agreeable young waiting-women, Jijū occasionally -visited the house, where indeed she was quite at home, for both her -parents had been friends of the family. But the princess herself, with -her usual unsociability, absolutely refused to hold any communication -with her aunt’s household. ‘I<span class="pagenum"><i>{232}</i></span> am afraid the princess looks upon -me as a very vulgar person,’ the aunt said to Jijū one day. ‘She still -thinks, despite the wretched manner in which she now lives, that to -have such relations as we is a disgrace to her. At any rate I suppose -that is why she is so careful never to come near us.’ It was in this -somewhat malicious tone that she always discussed her niece’s behaviour.</p> - -<p>I have noticed that people of quite common origin who have risen in -the world can in a very short time achieve a perfect imitation of -aristocratic importance. And similarly, if through some accident an -aristocrat falls into low company, he generally exhibits a meanness -so thorough-going that it is hard to believe he has been at any pains -to acquire it. Of this second tendency the princess’s aunt was a good -example. She knew that after her unfortunate marriage the people at the -Hitachi Palace had regarded her as a disgrace to the family. Now that -the prince was dead and Suyetsumu herself was in circumstances of such -difficulty, there seemed to be quite a good chance that the princess -might eventually have to take shelter under her aunt’s roof. This was -what the aunt herself was looking forward to. It was her revenge. -She saw the princess installed as a dependant, fetching and carrying -for her daughters. And what an ideal drudge she would make, being so -priggish and strait-laced that it would never be necessary to keep an -eye upon her! ‘You ought to bring her round to see us sometimes,’ the -aunt would say to Jijū, ‘and if you could get her to bring her zithern, -so much the better; we have heard so much about her playing.’ Jijū did -her best, and the princess, docile as usual, admitted that there was -everything to be said in favour of paying an occasional visit. But when -it came to the point, panic overwhelmed her. She would do anything, -anything that Jijū asked; but she would not make<span class="pagenum"><i>{233}</i></span> friends. And so, -greatly to the aunt’s discomfiture, the matter was dropped.</p> - -<p>About this time her uncle was appointed treasurer to a provincial -district. He intended to take his family with him, and was anxious to -equip his daughters with attendants whom it would be pleasant to name -in the ears of provincial visitors. The chance of being able to exhibit -a real princess as a member of their staff was not to be thrown away -and the aunt returned once more to the attack. ‘I am very worried at -having to go so far away from you,’ she sent word by Jijū. ‘We have not -had the pleasure of seeing you much lately; but it was a great comfort -to me to feel that I was near at hand and could help you if anything -went wrong. I am most anxious that, if possible, we should not be -separated....’ All this had no effect whatever. ‘The conceited little -fool! I have no patience with her,’ the aunt cried out at last. ‘She -may have these grand ideas about herself if she chooses; but no one -else is going to take much notice of a creature that goes on year after -year living in the hole-and-corner way that she does; least of all this -famous Prince Genji, with whom she pretends to be so intimate.’</p> - -<p>At last came Genji’s pardon and recall, celebrated in every part of the -kingdom by riotous holiday-making and rejoicing. His friends of either -sex were soon vying with one another in demonstrations of good will and -affection. These testimonies to his popularity, pouring in from persons -of every rank and condition in life, naturally touched him deeply, -and in these stirring days it would have been strange indeed if many -minor affairs had not escaped his memory. But for her the time of his -restoration was far harder to bear than that of his exile. For whereas -she had before confidently looked forward to his return, counting upon -it as we count upon the winter trees to bud again in spring,<span class="pagenum"><i>{234}</i></span> this -glorious home-coming and restoration, when at last they came, brought -joy to every hut and hovel in the land, but to her only a hundredfold -increase of her former misery. For of what comfort to her were his -triumphs, if she must hear of them from other lips?</p> - -<p>The aunt had the satisfaction of seeing her prophecies fulfilled. -It was of course out of the question that anyone would own to an -acquaintance with a person living in such miserable squalor as now -surrounded the princess. There are those, says the <cite>Hokkekyō</cite>,<a id="FNanchor_XV_5" href="#Footnote_XV_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> -whom even Buddha and his saints would have hard work to redeem; and -certainly this lady had allowed her affairs to drift into a disorder -which the most generous patron would shrink from attempting to set -straight. This contempt for all the rest of the world, this almost -savage unsociability, was of course no invention of her own; it was -merely an attempt to perpetuate the haughty demeanour of the late -prince and princess, her parents. But this did not make the young -princess’s attitude any less irritating and ridiculous. ‘There is still -time to change your mind,’ said her aunt one day. ‘A change of scene—a -journey through the mountains, for example, is often very beneficial -to people who have some trouble on their minds. I am sure you think -that life in the provinces is very uncomfortable and disagreeable, but -I can assure you that while you are with us you will never have to -stay anywhere quite so higgledy-piggledy....’ The wretched old women -who still dragged on their existence in the palace eagerly watched the -princess’s face while their fate was being decided. Surely she would -not throw away this opportunity of escape! To their consternation they -soon saw that her aunt’s appeal was not making the slightest impression -upon her. Jijū, for her part, had recently become engaged to a young -cousin of<span class="pagenum"><i>{235}</i></span> the provincial treasurer’s, who was to accompany him -to his province, and she was therefore pledged to go down to Tsukushi, -whether the princess joined the party or not. She was however deeply -attached to her mistress and very loath indeed to leave her in her -present condition. She therefore discussed the matter with her again, -and did everything in her power to persuade the princess to accompany -them; only to make the extraordinary discovery that Suyetsumu was still -from day to day living in the hope that the visitor from whom she -had for all those years had no word would suddenly reappear and put -everything to rights again. ‘He was very fond of me,’ she said. ‘It is -only because he has been unhappy himself that he has not remembered -to write to me. If he had the slightest idea of what is happening -to us here, he would come at once....’ So she had been thinking for -years, and though the general structure of the house fell every day -into a more fantastic state of dilapidation, she still persisted as -obstinately as ever in retaining every trifling article of furniture -and decoration in exactly the place where it had always been. She spent -so much of her time in tears that a certain part of her face had now -become as red as the flower which the hillman carries over his ear; so -that her appearance, particularly when she showed her face in profile, -would have struck a casual visitor as somewhat forbidding. But of -this I will say no more; it is perhaps always a mistake to enter into -matters of that kind.</p> - -<p>As the cold weather came on, existence at the Hitachi Palace rapidly -became more and more difficult. The princess sat staring in front of -her, plunged in unbroken gloom. Meanwhile Genji celebrated the ritual -of the Eight Readings, in memory of his father, the old Emperor. He -took great trouble in choosing the priests for this ceremony and -succeeded finally in assembling a notable band of dignitaries.<span class="pagenum"><i>{236}</i></span> -Among them none was more renowned for the sanctity of his life and -the wide range of his studies than Princess Suyetsumu’s brother, the -Abbot of Daigoji. On his way back from the ceremony, he looked in for a -moment at the Hitachi Palace. ‘I have just been celebrating the Eight -Readings in Prince Genji’s palace,’ he said; ‘a magnificent ceremony! -It is a pleasure to take part in such a service as that! I cannot -imagine anything more beautiful and impressive. A veritable paradise—I -say it in all reverence—a veritable paradise on earth; and the -prince himself, so calm and dignified, you might have thought him an -incarnation of some holy Buddha or Bodhisat. How came so bright a being -to be born into this dim world of ours?’ So saying, he hurried off to -his temple. Unlike ordinary, worldly men and women he never wasted -time in discussing sordid everyday affairs or gossiping about other -people’s business. Consequently he made no allusion to the embarrassed -circumstances in which his sister was living. She sometimes wondered -whether even the Saints whom he worshipped would, if they had found -some one in a like situation, really have succeeded in behaving with so -splendid an indifference.</p> - -<p>She was indeed beginning to feel that she could hold out no longer, -when one day her aunt suddenly arrived at the palace. This lady was -quite prepared to meet with the usual rebuffs; but having on this -occasion come in a comfortable travelling coach stored with everything -that the princess could need during a journey she did not for an -instant doubt that she would gain her point. With an air of complete -self-confidence she bustled towards the front gate. No sooner had the -porter begun trying to open it than she realized into what a pitch of -decay her niece’s property had fallen. The doors were off their hinges, -and as soon as they were moved tottered over sideways, and<span class="pagenum"><i>{237}</i></span> it -was not till her own menservants come to the rescue that, after a -tremendous shouldering and hoisting, a passage was cleared through -which she could enter the grounds. What did one do next? Even such a -heap of gimcrack ruins as this presumably had some apertures which -were conventionally recognized as doors and windows. A lattice door -on the southern side of the house was half open and here the visitors -halted. It did not seem possible that any human being was within hail; -but to their astonishment, from behind a smoke-stained, tattered -screen-of-state the maid Jijū suddenly appeared. She was looking very -haggard, but though age and suffering had greatly changed her, she was -still a well-made, pleasing woman; ‘at any rate far more presentable -than her mistress,’ thought the visitors. ‘We are just starting,’ cried -out the aunt to the lady of the house, who, as she guessed, was seated -behind this sooty screen: ‘I have come to take Jijū away. I am afraid -you will find it very difficult to get on without her, but even if -you will not deign to have any dealings with us yourself, I am sure -you will not be so inconsiderate as to stand in this poor creature’s -way....’ She put in so moving a plea on behalf of Jijū that there -ought by rights to have been tears in her eyes. But she was in such -high spirits at the prospect of travelling as a provincial governor’s -wife that a smile of pleasant anticipation played upon her lips all -the while. ‘I know quite well,’ she continued, ‘that the late prince -was not at all proud of his connexion with us, and I am sure it was -quite natural that when you were a child you should pick up his way -of thinking and feeling. But that is a long time ago now. You may say -that it was my fault we did not meet. But really while celebrities such -as Prince Genji were frequenting the house I was not at all sure that -humble people like ourselves would be welcome. However, one of the -advantages<span class="pagenum"><i>{238}</i></span> of being of no importance is that we humdrum creatures -are not subject to the same violent ups and downs as you exalted -people. I for my part was very sorry to see your fortunes declining -so rapidly as they have done of late, but so long as I was near at -hand I was quite happy about you and did not consider it my duty to -interfere. But now that I am going away to another part of the country, -I confess I feel very uneasy....’ ‘It would be delightful to go with -you. Most people would be very glad indeed.... But I think that as long -as the place holds together at all I had better go on as I am....’ -That was all that could be got out of her. ‘Well, that is for you to -decide,’ said the aunt at last, ‘but I should not think that anyone -has ever before buried himself alive in such a god-forsaken place. I -am sure that if you had asked him in time Prince Genji would have been -delighted to put things straight for you; indeed, with a touch here -and there no doubt he would soon have made the place more sumptuous -than the Jade Emperor’s<a id="FNanchor_XV_6" href="#Footnote_XV_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> Palace. But unfortunately he is now entirely -preoccupied with this young daughter of Prince Hyōbukyō, and will do -nothing for anyone else. He used to lead a roving life, distributing -his favours in all sorts of directions. But now that has all stopped, -and under these circumstances it is very unlikely to occur to him that -a person living buried away in the middle of such a jungle as this, -is all the time expecting him to rush round and take her affairs in -hand.’ The princess knew that this was only too true and she now began -to weep bitterly. Yet she showed no signs of changing her mind, and -the Chancellor’s wife, after wasting the whole afternoon in tormenting -her, exclaimed at last: ‘Well then, I shall take Jijū. Make haste, -please, please; it is getting late!’ Weeping and flustered Jijū drew -her mistress back<span class="pagenum"><i>{239}</i></span> into the alcove: ‘I never meant to go,’ she -whispered, ‘but this lady seems so very anxious to take me. I think -perhaps I will travel with them part of the way and then come back -again. There is a great deal of truth in all that she has been saying. -But then, on the other hand, I do not like to upset you by leaving. It -is terrible to have to decide so quickly....’ So she whispered; but -though the princess loved her dearly and was stung to the quick that -even this last friend should be making ready to desert her, she said -not a word to encourage Jijū to stay, but only sobbed more bitterly -than before. She was wondering what she could give to her maid to keep -in remembrance of her long service in the family. Perhaps some cloak -or dress? Unfortunately all her clothes were far too worn and soiled -to give away. She remembered that somewhere in the house was a rather -pretty box containing some plaited strands of her own hair, her fine -glossy hair that grew seven feet long. This would be her present, -and along with it she would give one of those boxes of delicious -clothes-scent that still survived from the old days when her parents -were alive. These she handed to Jijū together with an acrostic poem in -which she compared her departure to the severing of this plaited tress -of hair. ‘Your Mama told me always to look after you,’ she said, ‘and -whatever happened to me I should never dream of sending you away. I -think however that you are probably right to go, and only wish that -some one nicer were taking charge of you....’ ‘I know Mama wished me to -stay with you,’ said Jijū at last through her tears. ‘But quite apart -from that, we have been through such terrible times together in these -last years that I cannot bear to go off heaven knows where and leave -you here to shift for yourself. But, Madam, “By the Gods of Travel to -whom I shall make offering upon my way, I swear that never can <em>I</em> -be shorn from you like this<span class="pagenum"><i>{240}</i></span> tress of severed hair.”’ Suddenly -the voice of the aunt broke in upon them shouting impatiently: ‘What -has become of Jijū? Be quick, now, it is getting quite dark!’ Hardly -knowing what she did, Jijū climbed into the coach and as it drove away -stared helplessly at the dilapidated house.</p> - -<p>So at last Jijū had left her; Jijū who for years past, though in sore -need of a little pleasure and distraction, had never once asked for -a single day’s holiday! But this was not the end of the princess’s -troubles; for now even the few old charwomen who still remained in the -house—poor doddering creatures who could never have persuaded anyone -else to employ them—began threatening to leave. ‘Do you think I blame -her?’ said one of them, speaking of Jijū’s departure. ‘Not I! What had -she to stay for, I ask you. And come to that, I should like to know -why we go on putting up with it all.’ And they began with one accord -remembering influential patrons who had at one time or another promised -to employ them. No, decidedly they would not stay in the place any -longer.</p> - -<p>These conversations, which took place in the princess’s hearing, had -the most disquieting effect upon her. The Frosty Month<a id="FNanchor_XV_7" href="#Footnote_XV_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> had now -come. In the open country around, though snow and hail frequently -fell, they tended to melt between-whiles. But in the wilderness that -surrounded the Hitachi Palace vast drifts of snow, protected by the -tangled overgrowth from any ray of sunlight, piled higher and higher, -till one might have fancied oneself in some valley among the Alps of -Koshi. Through these arctic wastes not even the peasants would consent -to press their way and the palace was for weeks on end entirely cut off -from the outer world.</p> - -<p>The princess sat staring at the snow. Life had been dull enough before, -but at any rate she had some one at hand<span class="pagenum"><i>{241}</i></span> whose chatter at -times broke in upon her gloom. But now Jijū’s laughter, Jijū’s tears -were gone, and as she lay day and night alike behind her crumbling -curtains-of-state the princess was consumed by a loneliness and misery -such as she had never known before.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, at the Nijō Palace, Genji remained wholly absorbed in the -girl from whom he had so long been separated, and it was only a few -very particular friends who heard any news of him at all. He did -sometimes think of the Hitachi Palace and wondered whether the princess -could still be living there all alone. But he was in no great hurry to -discover, and the New Year passed without his having taken any steps -about her. In the fourth month he decided to call upon the ladies -in the Village of Falling Flowers, and having obtained Murasaki’s -permission he set out one evening, clad in his usual disguise. For days -it had rained unceasingly. But now, just at the moment when the heavy -rain stopped and only a few scattered drops were falling, the moon -rose; and soon it was one of those exquisite late spring nights through -whose moonlight stillness he had in earlier years so often ridden out -on errands of adventure. Busy with memories of such excursions he had -not noticed where he was driving, when suddenly looking up he saw a -pile of ruined buildings surrounded by plantations so tangled and -overgrown that they wore the aspect of a primeval jungle. Over a tall -pine-tree a trail of wisteria blossoms was hanging; it quivered in the -moonlight, shaken by a sudden puff of wind that carried with it when -it reached him a faint and almost imperceptible odour of flowers. It -was for orange-blossom that he had set out that night; but here too -was a flower that had a fragrance worth enjoying. He leaned out of the -carriage window. They were passing by a willow whose branches swept -the ground; with the crumbling away of<span class="pagenum"><i>{242}</i></span> the wall which had once -supported it the tree had fallen forward till its trunk was almost -prostrate. Surely he had seen these grounds before? Why, yes, this must -be—suddenly it all came back to him. Of course it was that strange -lady’s house. He was driving past the Hitachi Palace. Poor creature, he -must discover at once what had become of her; and stopping his carriage -and calling to Koremitsu, who as usual on occasions of the kind was in -attendance upon him, he asked him whether this was not indeed Princess -Suyetsumu’s place. ‘Why certainly!’ said Koremitsu. ‘In that case,’ -said Genji, ‘I should like to find out whether the same people are -still living there. I have not time to pay a personal visit now, but -I should like you to go in and enquire. Make sure that you discover -exactly how things stand. It looks so silly if one calls on the wrong -people.’</p> - -<p>After a particularly dismal morning spent in staring blankly in front -of her the princess had fallen asleep and dreamed that her father, the -late prince, was still alive and well. After such a dream as that she -woke up more miserable than ever. The window side of the room had been -flooded in the recent rains; but taking a cloth she began mopping up -the water and trying to find a place where she could put her chair. -While she did so the stress of her sufferings stirred her to a point -of mental alertness which she did not often reach. She had composed -a poem, and suddenly she recited the lines: ‘To the tears I shed in -longing for him that is no more, are added the ceaseless drippings that -patter from my broken roof!’</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Koremitsu had made his way into the house and was wandering -this way and that looking for some sign of life. He spent a long while -in poking into all sorts of corners and at last concluded that the -place had been abandoned as uninhabited. He was just setting out to -<span class="pagenum"><i>{243}</i></span> report this to Genji when the moon came out from behind a cloud, -lighting up the front of the house. He then noticed a trellis roll-door -which was half pulled up. A curtain behind it moved. It almost seemed -as though some one were there. Koremitsu, feeling oddly enough quite -nervous, turned back and approached this door, clearing his throat -loudly as he did so. In answer to this signal a very aged, decrepit -voice answered from within the room. ‘Well, what is it? Who are you?’ -‘It is Koremitsu,’ he answered, ‘could you tell Jijū that I should like -to speak to her?’ ‘Jijū?’ the aged voice answered, ‘you cannot speak -to her, she has gone away. But would not I do just as well?’ The voice -was incredibly ancient and croaking, but he recognized it as that of -one of the gentlewomen whom he used to meet here in former days. To -those within, inured as they were to years of absolute isolation, the -sudden apparition of this figure wrapped in a great hunting cloak, was -a mystery so startling and inexplicable that for a while it did not -occur to them that their visitor could be other than some fox-spirit -or will-o’-the-wisp masquerading in human form. But the apparition -behaved with reassuring gentility and coming right up to the doorway -now addressed them as follows: ‘I must make it my business to find -out exactly how matters stand. If you can assure me that, on your -mistress’s side, nothing has changed since the time when we used to -come here, then I think you will find His Highness my master no less -ready to help you than he was in days gone by. Can I trust you to let -her know that we halted here to-night? I must be able to report to my -master that his message is in safe hands....’ The old lady and her -companions burst out laughing. ‘Listen to him!’ they cried, ‘asking -whether Madam has altered her way of life, whether she has taken to -new friends! Do you suppose, young man,<span class="pagenum"><i>{244}</i></span> that if she were not -waiting day and night for this famous prince of yours, she would still -be living in this wilderness? Why, if there had been a soul in the -world to help us, we should have shifted from these tumbledown quarters -a long while ago. Just let Prince Genji have a look at the place for -himself; he’ll soon know how things stand! Yes, and we have been living -like this for years; I shouldn’t think anyone in the world has ever -been through such times as we have in this house. I tell you it’s a -wonder we’ve been able to bear it for so long, such a life as we and -our poor young lady have been leading....’ They soon got launched upon -a recital of their sufferings and misfortunes, which wandered so far -from the purpose in hand that Koremitsu, growing impatient, at last -interrupted them. ‘Enough, enough,’ he cried; ‘that will do to go on -with. I will go to Prince Genji at once and tell him of this.’</p> - -<p>‘What a long time you have been!’ exclaimed Genji, when Koremitsu -finally reappeared. ‘Are things in the palace much as they used to be? -The whole place is so overgrown with creepers and bushes that I hardly -recognize it.’ Koremitsu described how he at last discovered signs of -life in the house and finally recognized the voice of Shōshō, Jijū’s -old aunt, who had told him the lamentable tale which he now repeated.</p> - -<p>Genji was horror-stricken at what he heard. How she must have suffered, -buried away month after month amid all this disorder and decay! He was -appalled at his own cruelty. How was it conceivable that he should have -left her all this while to her own devices? ‘Now then, what am I to -do?’ he said at last. ‘If I am to visit the poor lady I had much rather -it was not at this time of night; but if I do not go in now, I may not -get another chance for a long while. I am afraid that what the old -ladies said is only too true; if she were not counting upon my return, -<span class="pagenum"><i>{245}</i></span> she would scarcely have gone on living such a life as you have -just heard described....’ He was about to go straight into the house, -but suddenly he hesitated. Would it not be better first of all to send -in a very nice friendly note and discover whether she really insisted -upon seeing him? But then he remembered the extraordinary difficulty -with which she penned an answer. If she had not very much improved in -this respect since his last dealings with her, he might easily spend -the rest of the night waiting for his messenger to return with her -reply. He had just dismissed that idea as impracticable when Koremitsu -broke in: ‘Pardon me, you have no notion how difficult it is to force -a way through the brambles. Let me go first and shake the dew off the -long branches. Then you will not get quite so wet.’</p> - -<p>Accordingly Koremitsu went in front lashing the bushes with his -riding-whip. But when they got under the trees such showers shook -down on them from the branches (for the woods were still wet with the -recent rains) that Koremitsu was obliged to go and fetch his master’s -umbrella, quoting as he held it aloft the old song about the dense -forests of Miyagi-no, where ‘the drippings from wet boughs are worse -than rain.’ Even so, the ends of Genji’s trousers became dripping -wet before he reached the house. It was by no means easy even in old -days to distinguish which was supposed to be the front door. By now -such architectural features as doors and lobbies had long ago become -merged in the general dilapidation. Genji’s entry, though effected -by a somewhat undignified scramble, had at any rate the advantage of -being completely private and unobserved. At last, just as she had -always predicted, Genji had come back! But in the midst of her elation -a sudden panic seized her. How could she meet him in the miserable -dress that she was wearing? All seemed lost,<span class="pagenum"><i>{246}</i></span> when she remembered -the clothes that her aunt had brought for her to travel in. She had -thought at the time that her father would have considered them very -unsuitable and had put them aside after a mere hasty glance. The -servants had packed them in a scented Chinese trunk and now brought -them out, smelling deliciously fragrant. She could not receive him in -what she was wearing and she had nothing else to change into. Much as -she disapproved of her aunt’s taste, what could she do but let them -dress her in these new-fangled clothes? Thus equipped she took her seat -behind the smoky curtains-of-state and waited. Presently Genji entered -the room. ‘It is a long time since we have held any communication, is -it not?’ he said, ‘but on my side at any rate that does not mean that -there has been any change of feeling. I was all the while expecting to -hear from you and was determined that I would not be the first to give -a sign of life. At last however the sight of the familiar tree-groups -by your gate overcame this resolution and I could not forbear....’ So -saying he lifted one corner of the curtains that surrounded her daïs -and peeped in. As in old days she was utterly overcome by confusion, -and sat for some while unable to make any kind of rejoinder. At last, -almost inaudibly, she murmured something about its being ‘kind of him -to have found his way ... through all those wet bushes ... such a -scramble!’</p> - -<p>‘I am afraid you have been having a very dull time,’ he went on; -‘but pray give me credit for to-night’s persistence. It showed some -devotion, did it not, that I should have forced my way into the heart -of this tangled, dripping maze, without a word of invitation or -encouragement? I am sure you will forgive me for neglecting you for so -long when I tell you that for some while past I have seen absolutely -no one. Not having received a word of<span class="pagenum"><i>{247}</i></span> any kind from you, I -could not suppose that you were particularly anxious to see me. But -henceforward I am going to assume, whether you write to me or no, that -I shall not be unwelcome. There now! After that, if I ever behave badly -again you will really have some cause to complain.’ So unhappy was he -at the thought of all that she must have suffered during those years -of penury and isolation that, in his desire to make amends, he soon -began saying things which he did not quite mean. He even had thoughts -of giving up his intended excursion and staying here for the night. But -the princess seemed to be so painfully conscious of the deficiencies -in her domestic arrangements and in general so completely overwhelmed -by the presence of a visitor, that after passing some time in rather -unsuccessful efforts to make further conversation, he began looking -for an opportunity to slip quietly away. There came into his mind -the old song: ‘The tree I planted spreads its boughs so high.’<a id="FNanchor_XV_8" href="#Footnote_XV_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> He -had not indeed planted those great pine-trees that closed about the -ruined palace on every side, but it seemed to him that they had shot up -surprisingly since he first visited the place. How quickly the years -had sped! And from the thought of what she must have been through -during all this time he passed naturally to the recollection of his own -misfortunes and adventures. ‘Yes, when one comes to think of it, it is -indeed a long time,’ he said at last. ‘At Court there have been great -changes, many of them for the worse. Some day when I have plenty of -time I must tell you of my exile and the strange outcast life we led -on those deserted shores. You too, no doubt, have much to tell of all -that has befallen you in these last dull and dreary days. I could wish -indeed that you had many friends to whom<span class="pagenum"><i>{248}</i></span> you could confide your -sorrows. But if for the moment I am the only one, make what use of me -you can. You will find that, whatever my faults may be, as a listener I -have much to recommend me.’</p> - -<p>The moon was now sinking. The main western door stood wide open, and -as the covered gallery which had formerly run along that side of -the house had now completely crumbled away, the moonlight streamed -unimpeded into the room where they were sitting. Looking about him he -recognized one after another the familiar fittings and ornaments. Not -a thing was missing from its place. It was strange indeed to contrast -the absolutely unchanged aspect of this corner of the house with the -surrounding wreckage and desolation. He remembered the old story of -the unfilial son who so much enjoyed pulling down the pagoda which his -poor father had erected. The princess could not indeed prevent the -outward fabric of her father’s palace from falling into decay; but it -was astonishing how little trace the passage of time had left upon the -inner room in which he had once taken such pride.</p> - -<p>Genji’s thoughts returned to the princess herself. She was the shyest, -the most awkward creature he had ever met; and yet there was something -extraordinarily distinguished about her movements and bearing. She -interested him, as indeed she had always done; so much so that he had -fully intended not to lose sight of her. How should he ever forgive -himself for allowing her affairs to drift into this deplorable -condition? The truth was, he had been entirely absorbed in his own -troubles and projects. But that was no excuse.</p> - -<p>Had his ultimate destination that night been some scene of lively -modern entertainment, the contrast would have been fatal. But the -Village of Falling Flowers struck him on this occasion as particularly -staid and dreary, and he<span class="pagenum"><i>{249}</i></span> left with the impression that the latter -hours of the night had been by no means more agreeably spent than the -former.</p> - -<p>The time of the Kamo Festival had come. On the eve of the festival-day -Genji was to undergo the ritual of Purification and the presents which -are customary in connexion with this occasion began pouring in thick -and fast. Much of his time was spent in acknowledging them; but he did -not forget his promise to the lady at Hitachi. The first thing to do -was to make her palace habitable; and sending for his most reliable -bailiffs he explained to them what he wanted done. Soon a host of -workmen were clearing away the undergrowth, while carpenters went -round with planks and stays, here patching a hole, there shoring up -a tottering wall or replacing some rotten beam, till at last all was -tolerably weather-tight and secure. The mere fact that Genji’s men -were at work upon the building at once set the gossips talking and the -most absurd stories were circulated. Somewhat embarrassed by all this -Genji himself remained at a distance, but he wrote a long letter to the -princess, telling her of the new rooms which he was now adding to his -palace and offering her accommodation in them, so soon as the place was -ready. ‘You had better be looking round for a few nice young maids and -pages to bring with you,’ he told her. Nor did he forget to enquire -individually after each of the queer old waiting-ladies, an attention -which put them into such high spirits that the old palace had hardly -room enough to hold them, as now gazing up at the sky, now staring in -the direction from which the messenger had come, they gave unbridled -vent to their gratitude and admiration. It was well known in society -that Genji took little interest in the common run of women. Even the -mildest flirtation with such persons seemed to hold no attraction -for him; their<span class="pagenum"><i>{250}</i></span> conversation would have bored him and indeed he -scarcely seemed to notice their existence. Those few favoured persons -with whom he was generally known to have been on terms of intimacy were -in every case women of entirely exceptional qualities. That one who in -general showed such discrimination should single out as the recipient -of his attentions a creature who could not lay claim to a single merit -either of person or intellect, caused universal astonishment. This much -at any rate was agreed, that though no one had heard anything about it, -the affair must in reality be of very long standing.</p> - -<p>The retainers and dependants who, thinking that the Hitachi Palace -would never see better days, had a short while ago been in such a -hurry to seek other employment, now one after another came begging to -re-enter the princess’s service. She at any rate knew how to behave -towards those who waited upon her—treated them even with perhaps an -exaggerated consideration. Whereas in the houses to which they had -betaken themselves, belonging for the most part to wholly uncultured -and undistinguished members of the petty bureaucracy, their experiences -had been such as they would never have imagined to be possible; and -they made no secret of the fact that they heartily repented of their -recent experiment.</p> - -<p>Prince Genji’s influence was now greater than it had ever been in the -days before his disaster. The mere fact that he was known to take an -interest in the Hitachi Palace was enough to invest the place with a -certain glamour. Visitors began to make their appearance, and soon the -once deserted hills presented quite a busy and animated scene. One -thing which had made the house so depressing was the fact that it was -wholly shut in by bushes and trees. This jungle Genji now ordered to -be reduced to tolerable dimensions; he had the ponds cleared and<span class="pagenum"><i>{251}</i></span> -pleasant streams were made to run in and out among the flower-beds. All -this work was performed with remarkable despatch, for even the lowest -labourers and serfs knew that it was in their interest to please a lady -who, for whatever reason it might be, evidently stood high in Genji’s -esteem.</p> - -<p>She lived for two years more in the old palace, at the end of which -time she moved into the new Eastern Wing that Prince Genji had been -building. He did not spend much time in her company, but she was -well content merely to feel that they inhabited the same domain, and -whenever he had occasion to visit that part of the house he would look -in upon her for a few minutes, that she might not feel she was wholly -neglected. Her aunt’s astonishment when in due time she returned to the -Capital—Jijū’s delight at her mistress’s good fortune and shame at the -thought that she had not held out a little longer in the princess’s -service—all this remains yet to be told. I would indeed have been glad -to carry my story a little further, but at this moment my head is -aching and I am feeling very tired and depressed. Provided a favourable -opportunity presents itself and I do not forget to, I promise I will -tell you all about it on some future occasion.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_1" href="#FNanchor_XV_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Suyetsumuhana. See vol. i, ch. vi. I shall henceforward call her -Suyetsumu. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_2" href="#FNanchor_XV_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - Such a term must only be taken as a rough equivalent. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_3" href="#FNanchor_XV_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - Of these three romances the first is quite unknown; the second -must have been a Taoist fairy story, for ‘Hakoya’ is the ‘Miao-ku-shē’ -of Chuang Tzŭ, Chapter I,—a divine mountain inhabited by mysterious -sages. The third is either identical with the <i>Taketori Monogatari</i> -(‘The Bamboo-cutter’s Story’) or at any rate treated the same theme. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_4" href="#FNanchor_XV_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - Kanya River (‘Paper-makers’ River’) is between Hirano and Kitano, -near Kyōto. Michinoku paper, from the province of that name, was made -of spindle-wood. These stout Japanese papers become thick and fluffy -with age. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_5" href="#FNanchor_XV_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - The <cite>Saddharmapundarika Sūtra</cite>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_6" href="#FNanchor_XV_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - The sovereign divinity of the Chinese Taoists. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_7" href="#FNanchor_XV_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - Eleventh month. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XV_8" href="#FNanchor_XV_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - ‘I knew it not, but an old man must I be indeed; the pine-tree that -with my hands I planted spreads its boughs so high.’ -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_252"><i>{252}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="larger">A MEETING AT THE FRONTIER</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IT will be remembered that the year after the old Emperor’s death -Iyo no Suke<a id="FNanchor_XVI_1" href="#Footnote_XVI_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> was sent as governor to a distant province and that -his wife, the lady of the Broom-tree episode, was prevailed upon to -accompany him. Vague rumours reached her concerning Genji’s banishment; -it was said that he was in disgrace and was living somewhere along the -shores of Suma. Though obliged to feign indifference, she was indeed -naturally very much distressed and longed to write to him. But though -‘the wind sometimes blew across the Tsukubane hills’<a id="FNanchor_XVI_2" href="#Footnote_XVI_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> she dared not -trust her secret to so fickle a breeze, and while she waited for some -securer messenger the months and years went swiftly by. It had at one -time seemed as though Genji’s banishment might last indefinitely, -far longer in any case than Iyo no Suke’s short term of office. But -in the end it so turned out that Genji had already been back in the -Capital for a year when Iyo’s governorship expired. By an odd chance -it happened that on the very day when the ex-governor and his party -were to enter the Barrier at Ōsaka, Genji was to pass through this same -barrier on his way to Ishiyama where he was to attend a service in the -Temple of Kwannon. Ki no Kami and various other friends and relations -of the ex-governor had come out from<span class="pagenum"><i>{253}</i></span> the City to meet him, and -from them the returning provincials learnt that Genji with a vast -ceremonial procession would shortly be passing along their road. Iyo -no Suke, wishing to reach the Barrier while things were still quiet, -set out with his party long before daylight. But his wagons crowded -with women and their luggage jolted along so slowly that when daylight -came they were still trailing along the coast-road at Uchi-ide. News -now came that Genji’s procession had crossed the Awata Road. Already -his first outriders were in sight. So dense was even this vanguard of -the great procession that to press past it was out of the question. -Accordingly, at the foot of the Frontier Hill Iyo called a halt. The -wagons were drawn up along the wayside, and the oxen released from the -yoke were soon browsing here and there among the fir-trees. Meanwhile -the travellers sat in the shelter of a neighbouring copse, waiting for -the procession to pass.</p> - -<p>Although this was but a portion of Iyo no Suke’s train, for he had -sent some wagons on in advance while others were still to follow, it -seemed a very large party; no less than ten coaches, with such a blaze -of shawls, scarves and gaily coloured favours protruding from their -windows that they looked more like the coaches from which ladies of -fashion view the departure of Vestals to Ise or Kamo than the workaday -vehicles in which rustic persons are usually conveyed to the Capital.</p> - -<p>In honour of Genji’s return to public life the pilgrimage to Ishiyama -was on this occasion carried out with unusual solemnity, and at the -head of the procession rode vast throngs of noblemen and courtiers, -most of whom stared with considerable curiosity at this cluster of gay -equipages drawn up along the roadside.</p> - -<p>It was the last day of the ninth month, and autumn leaves in many -tints of red and brown stood out against<span class="pagenum"><i>{354}</i></span> a dull background of -colourless winter grass. Suddenly from behind the frontier guardhouse -there burst forth a blaze of many-coloured travelling cloaks, some -richly embroidered, some batik-dyed, of every pattern and hue. Genji’s -coach was passing. He too scanned the party by the roadside, but -instantly lowered the carriage blind. He had recognized, among those -who had come out to meet the travellers, his page and message-carrier -Utsusemi’s brother—a child in those old days but now Captain of the -Guard. He bade one of his equerries call this young man to his side and -when he arrived said to him laughingly: ‘I hope your sister notices how -attentive I am to her. It is not often that I go all the way to the -Barrier to meet my friends!’ He spoke lightly, but his heart beat fast -and there rose up in his mind a host of tender memories to which in -this hasty message it would have been useless to allude.</p> - -<p>It was years since Utsusemi had spoken of Genji; yet she had never -forgotten what had passed between them and it needed only these few -words from him to renew all the misery in which her yearning for him -had plunged her long ago.</p> - -<p>When Genji returned from Ishiyama, Utsusemi’s brother, the Captain -of the Guard, came out towards the Barrier to meet him and made his -excuses for having taken a day’s leave in honour of his sister’s -return. As a boy he had been very good-looking and Genji had taken a -great fancy to him. But despite the fact that he owed everything to -Genji, without whose patronage he would never have been able to enter -the Imperial Guard at all, still less to obtain promotion, no sooner -had his master’s fortunes begun to decline than this young man, fearing -to offend those in power, entered the service of his brother-in-law, -the provincial governor. Genji, though he showed no resentment<span class="pagenum"><i>{255}</i></span> -at the time, found this dereliction very hard to forgive. Their old -relations were never resumed; but the Captain was still numbered among -the favourite gentlemen of his household. Iyo no Suke’s son, Ki no -Kami, had become governor of Kawachi and was consequently no longer -on the spot. The younger son, Ukon no Jō, had, as will be remembered, -followed Genji into exile and now stood very high in his favour. His -position was envied not only by this young Captain of the Guard but by -many another who in the days of Genji’s adversity had thought it wiser -to leave him to his fate.</p> - -<p>Soon after this Genji sent for the Captain<a id="FNanchor_XVI_3" href="#Footnote_XVI_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> and gave him a letter to -be taken to his sister. ‘So was this affair, which he thought had come -to an end long ago, still dragging on after all these years?’ the young -man asked himself as he carried the letter to Iyo no Suke’s house. ‘Did -not our meeting of the other day seem almost as though it had been -arranged by Fate? Surely you too must have felt so.’ With the letter -was the acrostic poem: ‘Though on this lake-side Fate willed that we -should meet, upon its tideless shore no love-shell<a id="FNanchor_XVI_4" href="#Footnote_XVI_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> can we hope to -find.’ ‘How bitterly I envied the Guardian of the Pass,’<a id="FNanchor_XVI_5" href="#Footnote_XVI_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> he added.</p> - -<p>‘I hope you will send an answer,’ said the Captain. ‘He has got it into -his head that I behaved badly to him some time ago. I should be very -glad if I could get back on to the old terms with him. I do not myself -see much point in correspondences of this kind; but when anyone writes -to me such a letter as I suppose this to be, I take care to write a -civil answer. No one blames me for that; and still less is a woman -thought the worse of for showing<span class="pagenum"><i>{256}</i></span> that a little harmless flattery -does not altogether displease her.’</p> - -<p>She was still the same shy, inexperienced girl of years ago; her -brother’s tone profoundly shocked her and she had no intention of -carrying on a flirtation for his benefit. But naturally enough she -<em>did</em> feel flattered at the reception of such a note and in the end -consented to reply. With her letter was an acrostic poem in which she -said that the Barrier of Ōsaka had been no barrier to her tears, nor -the Hill of Ōsaka a true hill of meeting.<a id="FNanchor_XVI_6" href="#Footnote_XVI_6" class="fnanchor">6</a></p> - -<p>She was connected in his mind with the most delightful and also -perhaps the most painful moment in his life. Hence his thoughts tended -frequently to recur to her, and he continued to write to her from time -to time.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Iyo no Suke, who was now a very old man, began to decline -in health, and feeling that his end was near, he called his sons to -him and discussed with them the disposition of his worldly affairs. -But what evidently concerned him above all was the future of his young -wife. They must promise him to yield to her wishes in everything and -to treat her exactly as they had done during his lifetime. Still -unsatisfied by their assurances he sent for them over and over again -at every hour of the night and day and exacted fresh promises. But -Utsusemi, after all that she had suffered already, could not believe -that happiness of any kind could ever be in her fate. She saw herself, -so soon as her husband was dead, bandied about unwanted from one -relation’s house to another, and the prospect appalled her. Iyo knew -only too well what was passing in her mind. He desired so persistently -to comfort and protect her that, could life be prolonged by mere -anxiety to live, he would never have deserted her. For her indeed -<span class="pagenum"><i>{257}</i></span> he would gladly have forgone the joys of Paradise that his ghost -might linger on earth and keep her from all harm. Thus, profoundly -distrusting the intention of his sons and full of the blackest -forebodings, he died at last after a bitter struggle against fate, and -only when his will could no longer hold out against the encroachments -of sickness and old age.</p> - -<p>For a while, with their father’s dying injunctions fresh in their ears, -the step-sons treated her with at any rate superficial kindness; but -this soon wore off and she began to find her position in the house -exceedingly unpleasant. This no doubt lay rather in the nature of -the circumstances themselves than in any particular ill-will on the -part of her guardians. But she felt herself to be the object of a -deliberate persecution and her life became one continual succession -of tears and lamentations. The only one of the brothers who seemed to -have any sympathy with her was Ki no Kami: ‘Please keep nothing back -from me,’ he said. ‘My father was so anxious that I should help you -and how can I, unless you entrust your secrets to me?’ Then he took to -following her about. She remembered how amorous he had always been. -Soon his intentions became perfectly apparent. She had suffered enough -already in her life; why should she sit down and wait quietly for the -fresh miseries which fate had now in store for her? Without a word to -anybody she sent for her confessor and took the vows of a nun. Her -waiting-women and servants were naturally aghast at this sudden step. -Ki no Kami took it as a personal affront. ‘She did it simply to spite -me,’ he told people; ‘but she is young yet and will soon be wondering -how on earth she is going to support such an existence for the rest -of her life,’—sagacity which did not impress his hearers quite as he -intended.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_1" href="#FNanchor_XVI_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Utsusemi’s husband. See vol. i, chapters 2 and 3. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_2" href="#FNanchor_XVI_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - ‘The wind that blows across the ridge, that blows across the hills, -would that it might carry a message to him that I love.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_3" href="#FNanchor_XVI_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - Utsusemi’s brother; the ‘boy’ of vol. i, ch. 3. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_4" href="#FNanchor_XVI_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - <i>Kai-nashi</i> = ‘no shell’; but also ‘no profit.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_5" href="#FNanchor_XVI_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - I.e. Iyo no Suke. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVI_6" href="#FNanchor_XVI_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - Ō-saka means ‘Hill of Meeting’; <i>seki</i> means a barrier, but also a -flood-dam. See above, p. <a href="#page_25">25</a>. -</div> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_258"><i>{258}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br /> -<span class="larger">THE PICTURE COMPETITION</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">IT will be remembered that after Rokujō’s death Genji decided that her -daughter Princess Akikonomu had best come and live with him till the -time came for her Presentation at Court. At the last minute, however, -he altered his mind, for such a step seemed too direct a provocation to -Princess Akikonomu’s admirer, the young ex-Emperor Suzaku. But though -he did not remove her from her palace in the Sixth Ward he felt his -responsibilities towards this unfortunate orphan very keenly and paid -her many lengthy visits. He had now definitely arranged with Fujitsubo -that Akikonomu was soon to enter the Emperor’s Palace; but he was -careful not to betray in public any knowledge of this plan, and to the -world at large he seemed merely to be giving the girl such general -guidance and support as might be expected from a guardian and family -friend.</p> - -<p>Suzaku was indeed bitterly disappointed at the intelligence that the -Princess had been handed over to a mere infant such as the present -Emperor. He often thought of writing to her but at the same time -dreaded the scandal which would ensue if his attachment became known. -When however the day of Presentation at last arrived his caution -suddenly deserted him, and he sent to Akikonomu’s palace an assortment -of the most costly and magnificent gifts which his treasury could -supply—comb-boxes, scrap-boxes, cases for incense-jars; all of the most -exquisite workmanship<span class="pagenum"><i>{259}</i></span> and material; with these was a supply of -the most precious perfumes both for burning and for the scenting of -clothes, so that the bales in which these gifts arrived scented the -air for a full league on every side. This extravagant magnificence, -besides relieving Suzaku’s feelings, had another very definite object. -It was particularly intended to annoy the lady’s guardian, to whom, as -Suzaku very well knew, the contents of these packages would immediately -be shown. It so happened that Genji was actually at Akikonomu’s palace -when the scented bales arrived; her servants at once showed them to him -and told him whence they came. He picked up at random one of a pair of -comb-boxes; it was a work of fascinating elegance and delicacy. Near -it was a box for combs such as are worn in the hair, decorated with a -pattern of flowers. In the very centre of one petal was an inscription. -Looking closer he read the poem:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">‘Come not again!’<a id="FNanchor_XVII_1" href="#Footnote_XVII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> Because it fell to me,</div> - <div class="i0"> Who least would have it so,</div> - <div class="i0"> At Heaven’s command your exile to ordain;</div> - <div class="i0"> To others, not to me who bade you go,</div> - <div class="i0"> You come again!</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p class="noindent">Somehow or other, in cases of this kind, Genji could never help -imagining what he himself would feel if he were in the same position. -Supposing that he had fallen in love with some one all those years ago -and that the beloved person had gone away immediately to some far-off -place; and suppose that he, instead of forgetting all about her as -might have been expected, had waited patiently year after year and, -when at last she returned, had been told that she was to be handed -over to some one else—he saw on reflection that the situation was -really very painful. Judging from his own experience he knew that -Suzaku’s<span class="pagenum"><i>{260}</i></span> complete lack of employment, now that he had resigned -all his official duties, would gravely aggravate the case. Yes, he -must indeed be passing through a period of terrible agitation! He was -now extremely sorry that he had ever suggested the Presentation of the -young Princess. He had indeed in the past good reason to resent his -brother’s conduct towards him. But lately Suzaku had shown nothing -but affability.... He stood for a long while lost in thought. It was -all very perplexing. Turning at last to Akikonomu’s gentlewomen who -were inspecting these magnificent presents, he asked whether their -mistress had already composed her answering poem. ‘And surely a letter -must also have come with these things?’ he added. There was indeed a -letter and the gentlewomen had read it, but they very much doubted -whether it was fit for Genji’s eyes and made no offer to produce it. -The princess herself was distressed by this exhibition of devotion -on the part of one with whom she could no longer have any dealings. -What answer could she possibly contrive? But her maids were pressing -round her, insisting that it would be intolerably rude to allow the -messengers to depart without handing to them a word of thanks, and -Genji was telling her that not to reply was out of the question; a -few words would suffice. No doubt they were right. She felt very much -embarrassed by Suzaku’s attentions; but she remembered distinctly how -handsome, how distinguished he had seemed to her on that day of the -farewell ceremony. There had been tears in his eyes, and though it all -happened so many years ago she could recall as distinctly as if it -were yesterday the vague feelings of childish sympathy and admiration -which her meeting with the young Emperor had aroused in her on that -last morning when she went to the Palace for her Crowning. With these -memories were blended others; thoughts, for example, of her mother Lady -<span class="pagenum"><i>{261}</i></span> Rokujō and of the long exile which they had shared. She wrote no -letter, but only the poem:</p> - -<div class="poem-container"> - <div class="poem"> - <div class="stanza small_92"> - <div class="i0">“Come not again!” I wept to hear those words,</div> - <div class="i0"> Thinking you willed it so,</div> - <div class="i0"> When Heaven’s command my exile did ordain;</div> - <div class="i0"> Now hearing that it grieved you I should go,</div> - <div class="i0"> I weep again.</div> - </div><!--end stanza--> - </div><!--end poem--> -</div><!--end container--> - -<p>The messengers who had brought the presents were richly rewarded and -sent upon their way. Genji would very much have liked to see her reply, -but she refused to show it to him.</p> - -<p>She was small and frail. How well Suzaku, with his almost girlish -beauty, would have suited her; while as for the Emperor, he was years -her junior, scarcely out of the nursery. Did she too (though she -certainly breathed no word of complaint) secretly resent the steps -which he had taken for her worldly advancement? This idea troubled him -sorely; but it was by now far too late to undo the arrangement, and the -best he could do was to stay with her for a little while and advise her -as kindly and discreetly as possible how to conduct herself in the new -life that was before her. He then interviewed the Court chamberlains -who were to arrange her Presentation, and having settled everything -satisfactorily with them he made his way to the Inner Palace. He did -not wish it to appear that he was himself standing sponsor for the new -arrival nor that he was in the Palace as her relative or guardian. He -therefore gave his coming the appearance of an ordinary ceremonial -visit.</p> - -<p>Princess Akikonomu’s palace was famous for the unusual number of -good-looking gentlewomen who were in service there. Many of these -had recently been living at their homes, but they now assembled in -full force, and arriving with their mistress at Court created a most -dazzling<span class="pagenum"><i>{262}</i></span> impression. Were Rokujō alive, with what solicitude -would she be watching over that day’s momentous proceedings, thought -Genji, as he saw the procession arrive; and remembering her singular -gifts and lively intelligence, he felt how great a loss she was not to -himself only, but to the whole life of the Court. So rare indeed (as it -now seemed to him) was her perfection both of mind and person that he -seldom encountered among his acquaintance talent or accomplishment of -any kind without immediately recalling how slender these attainments -would seem if set beside those of Lady Rokujō.</p> - -<p>On the day of the Presentation Fujitsubo was at the Palace. When she -told the Emperor that some one new was coming to see him, he listened -very earnestly and attentively. He was an intelligent and lively child, -very forward for his age. After telling him all about the princess, -‘So you see she is rather an important lady,’ Fujitsubo continued, -‘and when she comes this evening you must be very polite to her and -not play any of your tricks....’ The Emperor said nothing, but he -thought to himself that if the lady were indeed so grown up and so -important, far from wanting to tease her he would be very frightened -of her indeed. Great was his delight then when very late that evening -there arrived at the Palace a very shy, shrinking girl, very small and -fragile, not indeed looking like a grown-up person at all. He thought -her very pretty; but he was much more at his ease with Chūjō’s little -daughter, who had lived at the Palace for some while and was very -sociable and affectionate, while the new princess was terribly silent -and shy. Still, though he found her rather difficult to get on with, -he felt, partly owing to the deference with which, as Prince Genji’s -ward, she was treated by every one else at Court, and partly owing to -the magnificence with which she was served and apparelled—he<span class="pagenum"><i>{263}</i></span> felt -that she was in some way which he did not understand a person of very -great importance. In the evenings indeed he allowed the one to wait -upon him as often as the other; but when he wanted a partner in some -game or some one to amuse him in the early part of the day, it was -seldom Akikonomu for whom he sent.</p> - -<p>Tō no Chūjō had presented his daughter at Court with the express -intention that she should one day share the Throne. The presence -of this formidable rival at the Palace could not fail to cause him -considerable anxiety.</p> - -<p>The poem with which Princess Akikonomu had acknowledged the -ex-Emperor’s gifts had but served to increase his agitation. He knew -that he must now banish all thought of her from his mind; but it was -hard indeed to do so. He was brooding now over his loss, when Genji -arrived on a visit. They talked for a long while about many different -matters, and in the course of this conversation mention was made of the -ceremonies upon the occasion of Lady Akikonomu’s departure for Ise. -This was a subject which they had often discussed before; but now, -as on previous occasions, the conversation terminated without Suzaku -making the slightest allusion to the real reason why this topic so -much interested him. Genji naturally did not betray his knowledge of -the secret; but he was envious to know exactly how far this mysterious -passion went, and he could not restrain himself from experimenting upon -his brother with various anecdotes concerning the lady in question -and her recent admission to the Emperor’s suite. It was apparent in a -moment that Suzaku suffered acutely while these subjects were being -discussed, and Genji, ashamed of his unkindness, hastily turned the -conversation to other matters.</p> - -<p>At such a ceremony as that of the crowning of the Vestal the Emperor -meets the lady whom he is to initiate face<span class="pagenum"><i>{264}</i></span> to face and during -the whole proceedings no curtain or screen divides them. Suzaku must -therefore at least know what Princess Akikonomu looked like; which -was more than Genji did, for she had till this day never received him -except in an unlighted room or behind her curtains-of-state. In what -exactly did her charm consist? What was it that had kindled in the -ex-Emperor’s heart a passion that had survived the lapse of so many -years? The problem intrigued him and he almost envied his brother -the knowledge which he must possess on the subject. She was indeed -evidently of a very melancholy, indolent disposition. If only she would -sometimes forget herself, show a little of the impetuosity of youth, -then in course of time he might hope for a moment to catch a glimpse -of her as she really was! But while her gravity and reticence seemed -to become every day more pronounced, all his dealings with her tended -only to confirm his conviction that underneath all this reserve was -concealed an interesting and admirable character.</p> - -<p>Now that all the Emperor’s time was divided between the two princesses -of his retinue, Prince Hyōbukyō had given up all idea of presenting -his second daughter at Court. Perhaps an opportunity would occur later -on when the Emperor was of an age to perceive for himself that such a -match was by no means to be despised. Meanwhile his favour seemed to -be pretty equally divided between the two existing claimants. He was -particularly interested in pictures and had as a result of this taste -<a id="typo_4"></a><ins title="Original has ‘himslf’.">himself</ins> acquired considerable skill. It happened that Lady Akikonomu -painted very charmingly, and so soon as he discovered this the Emperor -began constantly sending for her to paint pictures with him. Among -the serving-women in the Palace he had always taken an interest in -any who were said to be fond of pictures; and it was natural that -<span class="pagenum"><i>{265}</i></span> when he discovered painting to be the favourite occupation of -the pretty princess he should become very much attached to her. Hers -were not solemn pictures, but such clever, quick sketches; so that -just to watch her do them was an exciting game. And when, sitting so -charmingly beside him on the divan, she paused and held her brush in -the air for a moment wondering where to put the next stroke, she looked -so daring that the little Emperor’s heart was completely captivated. -Soon he was going to her rooms at all hours, and Tō no Chūjō became -seriously alarmed lest his own daughter should lose her primacy. -But he was determined not to be outdone, and being of an extremely -ingenious and resourceful nature he soon had a plan for putting an end -to this menacing situation. He sent for all the most skilful painters -in the land and under strict bond of secrecy set them to work upon a -collection of pictures which was to be like nothing that had ever been -seen before. They were to be illustrations to romances, which would -be preferable to purely ingenious subjects, the significance being -more easily grasped by a young mind and all the most interesting and -exciting stories were chosen. In addition to these illustrations there -was to be a set of ‘Months,’ a very attractive subject, with texts -specially written for the occasion. In due time Princess Chūjō<a id="FNanchor_XVII_2" href="#Footnote_XVII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> -showed them to the Emperor, who was naturally very much interested -and soon afterwards asked for them again, saying that he thought -Princess Akikonomu would like to see them. At this Princess Chūjō -began to make difficulties, and though His Majesty promised to show -them to no one else and carry them with the greatest care straight to -the other princess’s apartments, she refused to part with them.<span class="pagenum"><i>{266}</i></span> -Genji heard of this and was amused to see that Tō no Chūjō could still -throw himself into these absurd conspiracies with the same childish -excitement as in their young days. ‘I am very sorry,’ he said to the -Emperor, ‘to hear that Princess Chūjō hides her pictures from you and -will not let you take them away and study them at your ease. It seems, -too, that she was quite cross and quarrelsome about it, which was most -reprehensible. But I have some very nice pictures, painted a long while -ago. I will send them to you.’</p> - -<p>At the Nijō-in there were whole cupboards full of pictures both old -and new. Taking Murasaki with him he now inspected their contents -and together they went through the whole collection, putting on one -side those which were most likely to appeal to modern taste. There -were naturally many illustrations of the <cite>Everlasting Wrong</cite><a id="FNanchor_XVII_3" href="#Footnote_XVII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> and -the story of Wang Chao-chün,<a id="FNanchor_XVII_4" href="#Footnote_XVII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> both of them very interesting and -moving subjects, but unfortunately quite inappropriate to the present -occasion. These therefore had to be excluded. But it occurred to Genji -that his own sketches made during his sojourn at Suma and Akashi might -be of interest, and sending for the box in which they were kept he took -advantage of this occasion to go through them with Murasaki. Even some -one seeing them without any knowledge of the circumstances under which -they were painted would, if possessed of the slightest understanding -of such matters, have at once been profoundly moved by these drawings. -It may be imagined then with what emotion they were examined by one to -whom each scene came as an answer to the questionings and anxieties -of some evil dream from which it seemed there could be no awakening. -<span class="pagenum"><i>{267}</i></span> She told him more of what she had suffered in those unforgettable -days than she had ever done before. Why had he not sometimes sent such -pictures as these? How they would have comforted and reassured her. -And she recited the verse: ‘Better had it been for me when I was alone -to look at pictures of the realms where fishers dwell, than stare at -nothing, as I did all day long!’ Genji was deeply moved and with tears -in his eyes he answered with the verse: ‘It was an evil time; yet never -once in all those days was my heart sore as now when, hand in hand, we -view the pictured past.’</p> - -<p>To one other person only had he shown them—the ex-Empress Fujitsubo. -Going through the whole collection sketch by sketch, in order to choose -out the best and also to give as good an idea as possible of the -different estuaries and bays, he could not help wondering all the time -how things were faring in the house of his host at Akashi.</p> - -<p>On hearing of the preparations that were taking place at the Nijō-in, -Tō no Chūjō went through his pictures again and had them all fitted out -with the most elegant ivory-rollers, backings and ribbons.<a id="FNanchor_XVII_5" href="#Footnote_XVII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> It was -about the tenth day of the third month. The weather was delightful, -things were looking at their best and every one was in a good temper; -moreover it was a time at which no particular fêtes or ceremonies -occupied the Court, so that uninterrupted attention could be now given -to those lighter pastimes in which the Emperor so much delighted, -and whole days were spent unrolling painting after painting. The one -ambition of every one at Court was to rout out and bring to the Palace -some picture which should particularly catch the young Emperor’s fancy. -Both Akikonomu’s partisans and those of Lady Chūjō had brought forward -vast numbers of scrolls. On the whole, illustrated romances proved to -<span class="pagenum"><i>{268}</i></span> be the most popular. Akikonomu’s side was strongest in ancient -works of well-established reputation; while Lady Chūjō patronized all -the cleverest modern painters, so that her collection, representing as -it did all that most appealed to the fashionable tastes of the moment, -made at first sight a more dazzling impression. The Emperor’s own -ladies-in-waiting were divided in opinion. Some of the most intelligent -were on the side of the ancients; others favoured the present day. But -on the whole modern works tended to win their approval.</p> - -<p>It happened that Fujitsubo was paying one of her periodical visits to -the Court, and having given a casual inspection to the exhibits of both -parties she decided to suspend her usual religious observances and -devote herself to a thorough study of all these works, for painting was -a matter in which she had always taken a deep interest. Hearing the -animated discussions which were taking place between the supporters -of modern and ancient art, she suggested that those present should be -formed into two teams. On Lady Akikonomu’s side the principal names -were Heinaishi no Suke, Jijū no Naishi, Shōshō no Myōbu; on Lady -Chūjō’s,—Daini no Naishi no Suke, Chūjō no Myōbu and Hyōye no Myōbu. -These were considered the cleverest women of the day, and Fujitsubo -promised herself very good entertainment from such an interchange of -wit and knowledge as their rivalry was likely to afford.</p> - -<p>In the first contest that archetype and parent of all romances, <cite>The -Bamboo Cutter’s Story</cite>,<a id="FNanchor_XVII_6" href="#Footnote_XVII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> was matched against the tale of Toshikage -in <cite>The Hollow Tree</cite>. The partisans of antiquity defended their choice -as follows: ‘We admit that this story, like the ancient bamboo-stem in -which its<span class="pagenum"><i>{269}</i></span> heroine was found, has in the course of ages become a -little loose in the joints. But the character of Lady Kaguya herself, -so free from all stain of worldly impurity, so nobly elevated both in -thought and conduct, carries us back to the Age of the Gods, and if -such a tale fails to win your applause, this can only be because it -deals with matters far beyond the reach of your frivolous feminine -comprehensions.’ To this the other side replied: ‘The Sky Land to which -Lady Kaguya was removed is indeed beyond our comprehensions, and we -venture to doubt whether any such place exists. But if we regard merely -the mundane part of your story, we find that the heroine emanated from -a bamboo joint. This gives to the story from the start an atmosphere -of low life which we for our part consider very disagreeable. We are -told that from the lady’s person there emanated a radiance which lit up -every corner of her foster-father’s house. But these fireworks, if we -remember aright, cut a very poor figure when submitted to the august -light of his Majesty’s Palace. Moreover the episode of the fireproof -ratskin ends very tamely, for after Abe no Ōshi<a id="FNanchor_XVII_7a" href="#Footnote_XVII_7a" class="fnanchor">7</a> had spent thousands -of gold pieces in order to obtain it, no sooner was it put to the test -than it disappeared in a blaze of flame. Still more lamentable was -the failure of Prince Kuramochi<a id="FNanchor_XVII_7b" href="#Footnote_XVII_7b" class="fnanchor">7</a> who, knowing that the journey to -Fairyland was somewhat difficult, did not attempt to go there but had a -branch of the Jewel Tree fabricated by his goldsmith; a deception which -was exposed at the first scratch.’</p> - -<p>The picture was painted by Kose no Ōmi<a id="FNanchor_XVII_8" href="#Footnote_XVII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> and the text was in the hand -of Ki no Tsurayki.<a id="FNanchor_XVII_9" href="#Footnote_XVII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> It was on Kanya<span class="pagenum"><i>{270}</i></span> paper backed with Chinese -silk. The cover was of a reddish violet tinge, the rollers being of -sandal-wood,—by no means an extraordinary get-up. The moderns then -proceeded to defend their own exhibit; ‘Toshikage,’<a id="FNanchor_XVII_10" href="#Footnote_XVII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> they said, -‘though buffeted by wind and wave, pitched headlong into a stormy sea -and in the end cast up upon an unknown shore, pursued, undaunted by -suffering and disaster, the purpose which he had set before him, and -succeeded at last in displaying, both at the foreign Court<a id="FNanchor_XVII_11" href="#Footnote_XVII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> and in -our own country, the marvellous talent which it had cost him so much to -acquire. The adventures of so dauntless a character, affording as they -do a comparison between the manners of the Land Beyond the Sea and of -our own Land of Sunrise, cannot fail to be of interest; moreover the -same contrast has been maintained in the style of the pictures as in -the matter of the text.’</p> - -<p>It was painted on thick white paper such as poem-slips are made of, the -outer cover was of blue paper and the roller of yellow jade. The artist -was Tsunenori;<a id="FNanchor_XVII_12" href="#Footnote_XVII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> the scribe, Onō no Michikaze,<a id="FNanchor_XVII_13" href="#Footnote_XVII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a>—a combination -that could hardly have been more dazzling in its fashionableness -and modernity. Against such claims as these the partisans of the -antique were quite unable to prevail and Lady Chūjō’s side scored the -overwhelming victory.</p> - -<p>In the next contest the <cite>Tales of Ise</cite><a id="FNanchor_XVII_14" href="#Footnote_XVII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> were pitted against the -story of Shō Sammi.<a id="FNanchor_XVII_15" href="#Footnote_XVII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> A long discussion ensued; but<span class="pagenum"><i>{271}</i></span> here -again the fact that <cite>Shō Sammi</cite> deals with persons in a comfortable -and prosperous situation, presents scenes of Court life and shows the -world as we know it to-day could not fail to render this work far more -attractive to the majority of these young critics. An opposite opinion -was voiced by Heinaishi, who recited the verse: ‘Shall we leave the -deep heart of Ise’s waters unexplored till time shall have effaced -their secret, like a footprint that the tide washes from the shore?’ -‘Shall the fame of Narihira,’<a id="FNanchor_XVII_16" href="#Footnote_XVII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> she added, ‘be eclipsed by modern -tittle-tattle dressed up in the finery of a specious style?’ To this -Daini no Naishi no Suke replied with the verse: ‘Upon the topmost -regions of the sky<a id="FNanchor_XVII_17" href="#Footnote_XVII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> our hero’s heart is set; with scorn he views -your shoals, upon which, heavy as a thousand watery fathoms, the ages -rest.’</p> - -<p>‘Well,’ said Fujitsubo, ‘ambition such as that of Prince Hyōye<a id="FNanchor_XVII_18" href="#Footnote_XVII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> is -no doubt a very valuable quality; but I sincerely hope that admiration -for him and his like will never cause us to let the fame of Captain -Laigo<a id="FNanchor_XVII_19" href="#Footnote_XVII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> sink into decay!’ And she recited the verse: ‘Has the old -fisherman of Ise shore, like seaweed that the ebbing tide reveals, so -long been flattered by the public eye, only to sink at last beneath the -rising sea of scorn?’</p> - -<p>These feminine discussions are capable of continuing, more or less at -cross-purposes for an indefinite length of time. It would indeed be -impossible to record all the arguments and counter-arguments that were -expended over even one of these pictures. Moreover the younger and -less considered of the gentlewomen present, though any one<span class="pagenum"><i>{272}</i></span> of -them would have given her eyes not to miss any of the paintings that -were being unrolled, were hustled into the background, even though -they belonged to the Emperor’s own or to Lady Fujitsubo’s household, -and were scarcely able to see anything at all. This occasioned much -jealousy and heart-burning.</p> - -<p>Presently Genji arrived at the Palace and was greatly diverted by the -spectacle of this disorderly and embittered combat. ‘If you will get -up another competition,’ he said, ‘I will arrange for the Emperor to -be present and will myself make the awards.’ In preparation for this -event, which he had indeed been contemplating for some time, he made a -further selection from the pictures which he had recently put aside, -and having done so he could not resist inserting among them the two -scrolls of his sketches made at Suma and Akashi. Tō no Chūjō meanwhile, -determined not to be outdone, was straining every nerve in preparation -for the new contest. It was indeed a moment in the history of our -country when the whole energy of the nation seemed to be concentrated -upon the search for the prettiest method of mounting paper-scrolls. In -arranging the conditions of the contest Genji had said: ‘My idea is -that it should be confined to paintings already in existence; we do not -want a lot of new work hurriedly executed for this special purpose....’ -But Tō no Chūjō could not resist the temptation to set some of his -favourite masters to work, and improvising a little studio with a -secret door he strove to steal a march on his rivals. The secrecy was -not however as well maintained as he could have desired; even Suzaku, -in his secluded apartments, heard the story and determined to put his -own collection at the service of Princess Akikonomu. He had a series of -‘Festivals All the Year Round,’ painted by various famous old masters; -texts explaining these pictures had been added by no less a hand<span class="pagenum"><i>{273}</i></span> -than that of the Emperor Daigo.<a id="FNanchor_XVII_20" href="#Footnote_XVII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> Why should he not order a series -of paintings illustrating the principal events of his own reign? Among -these subjects one would naturally be the crowning of the Vestal at -the Daigoku Hall upon the day of her departure for Ise. He entrusted -this scene to Kose no Kimmochi<a id="FNanchor_XVII_21" href="#Footnote_XVII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> and it may be imagined with what -care and insistence he discussed every detail of a work so dear to his -heart. It was encased in a delicately fretted box of aloes-wood. The -pattern on the wrappings and decorations of the roll was a heart-shaped -crest formed by leaves of the same tree. Nothing could have been more -delightfully up-to-date. He sent it by the hand of the Captain of the -Senior Bodyguard, who was one of his retainers. There was no message, -save for a poem written on the picture just by where the Vestal was -shown arriving in her litter at the Daigoku Hall: ‘Though I no longer -within the Circle of the Gods a place may take, yet unforgotten is the -concourse which in those hours with bright Divinities I held.’</p> - -<p>To return no answer would show too great a disrespect towards one who -had once occupied the Throne, and though these attentions distressed -her she broke off a piece of the ritual comb which he had fastened -in her hair on that day long ago, and tying to it the verse ‘Not yet -forgotten is that high converse, and once again within the Precinct of -the Gods oh were it but my lot to stray!’ she wrapped the broken comb -in Chinese paper of deep colour and gave it to the messenger, whom she -rewarded with many handsome presents. The ex-Emperor when he opened -the packet was deeply moved, and for the first time regretted that he -had so soon resigned the Throne. Not unnaturally<span class="pagenum"><i>{274}</i></span> he was feeling -somewhat bitterly against Prince Genji; but he realized that he had -himself, in past days, deserved none too well at his brother’s hands. -Most of the ex-Emperor’s pictures had belonged to his mother, the -Empress Kōkiden; unfortunately a considerable part of her collection -had however come into the possession of Lady Chūjō, who was her -grand-daughter.</p> - -<p>The ex-Emperor’s wife, Lady Oborozuki, was also extremely interested -in painting and had shown the utmost discrimination in forming her -collection.</p> - -<p>When the great day came, though there had not been much time for -preparation everything was arranged in the most striking and effective -manner. The ladies-in-waiting belonging to the two sides stood drawn up -in line on either side of the Imperial Throne; the courtiers, very much -on the alert, were ranged up in the verandah of the small back room. -Lady Chūjō’s party (the left) exhibited their pictures in boxes of -purple sandal-wood mounted on sapan-wood stands, over which was thrown -a cover of Chinese brocade worked on a mauve ground. The carpet on -which the boxes stood was of Chinese fine-silk, dyed to the colour of -grape-juice. Six little girls were in attendance to assist in handling -the boxes and scrolls; they were dressed in mantles with white scarves -lined with pink; their tunics were of scarlet, worn with facings blue -outside and light green within.</p> - -<p>Akikonomu’s boxes were of aloes-wood arranged on a low table of similar -wood, but lighter in colour. The carpet was of Korean brocade on a -blue-green ground. The festoons hanging round the table and the design -of the table-legs were carefully thought out and in the best taste. -The little girls in attendance wore blue mantles, with willow-coloured -scarves; their tunics, brown outside and yellow within. When all the -boxes were duly arranged on their<span class="pagenum"><i>{275}</i></span> stands, the Emperor’s own ladies -took up their places, some with Lady Chūjō’s supporters, some with the -opposing side. At the summons of the herald Genji and Tō no Chūjō now -appeared and with them Genji’s half-brother, Prince Sochi no Miya, -who among the various arts which he cultivated was particularly fond -of painting. He had received no official summons on this particular -occasion, but had in the end yielded to Genji’s entreaties that he -would come and help him in his difficult task. Prince Sochi was at once -called to the Emperor’s side and appointed part-umpire in the coming -contest. An amazing collection of paintings had been assembled and -assuredly the task of the judges was no light one. A great impression -was made when Akikonomu’s side produced the famous series of ‘Four -Seasons’ by noted masters of antiquity. Both the charming fancy -displayed in the choice of episodes for illustration and the easy, -flowing character of the brush-strokes rendered these works highly -attractive; and the modern paintings on paper, being necessarily -limited in size, sometimes, especially in landscape, made a certain -impression of incompleteness. Yet the far greater richness both of -brushwork and invention gave even to the more trivial of these modern -works a liveliness which made them compare not unfavourably with the -masterpieces of the past. Thus it was very difficult indeed to reach -any decision, save that to-day, as on the previous occasion, both sides -had produced many works of absorbing interest.</p> - -<p>The sliding-screen of the breakfast-room was now pushed aside and Lady -Fujitsubo entered. Remembering how learned she was in these matters -Genji felt somewhat shy, and contented himself henceforward as exhibit -after exhibit was produced with an occasional comment or suggestion, -discreetly thrown in only when some point of especial<span class="pagenum"><i>{276}</i></span> difficulty -threatened an indefinite delay. The contest was still undecided when -night fell.</p> - -<p>At last the moment arrived when there was only one more picture to -show on each side. Amid intense excitement Princess Akikonomu’s side -produced the roll containing Genji’s sketches at Suma. Tō no Chūjō was -aghast. His daughter’s side too had reserved for their last stroke -one of the most important works at their disposition; but against the -prospect of so masterly a hand working at complete leisure and far -from the distracting influences which beset an artist in town, Lady -Chūjō’s supporters at once knew that they could not hope to prevail. -An additional advantage was given to Genji’s paintings by the pathos -of the subject. That during those years of exile he had endured a -cheerless and monotonous existence those present could well conjecture. -But when they saw, so vividly presented, both the stern manner of his -life and in some sort even the feelings which this rustic life had -aroused in one used to every luxury and indulgence, they could not but -be deeply moved, and there were many (Prince Sochi no Miya among them) -who could scarcely refrain from tears. Here were presented in the most -vivid manner famous bays and shores of the Suma coast, so renowned in -story yet to these city folk so utterly unknown and unimagined. The -text was written in cursive Chinese characters, helped out here and -there with a little native script, and unlike the business day-to-day -journals that men generally keep it was varied by the insertion of an -occasional poem or song. The spectators now clamoured only for more -specimens of Genji’s handiwork, and it would have been impossible at -that moment to interest them in anything else. It seemed to them as -though all the interest and beauty of the many pictures which they -had been examining had in some strange manner accumulated and<span class="pagenum"><i>{277}</i></span> -attached themselves to this one scroll. By universal and ungrudging -consent Princess Akikonomu’s side was awarded the victory.</p> - -<p>It was already nearing the dawn when Genji, feeling somewhat -discursive, sent round the great tankard and presently began telling -stories to the company. ‘From my earliest childhood,’ he said at last, -‘I have always been fond of books; and my father the late Emperor, -fearing that I might become wholly absorbed in my studies, used to say -to me: “Perhaps learning carries with it inevitably so great a share -of the world’s esteem that, to redress the balance, the scholar, once -he advances beyond a certain stage of learning, is doomed to pay for -his enviable attainments either by ill health or poverty. Those who -are born to greatness may be certain that, whether they exert their -minds or not, the advantages of noble birth will suffice to distinguish -them from their fellows; and for you of all men the acquisition of -such ill-starred accomplishments would be entirely superfluous. I -sincerely hope that you will not allow them to occupy too much of your -time.” He arranged that most of my lessons should be in practical -subjects connected with national administration and economy. I got on -fairly well, but there was no branch in which I showed any particular -aptitude. It was only in painting, which my preceptors considered a -very trivial and unbecoming pastime, that I displayed any unusual -talent. Often I used to wonder whether I should ever get the chance of -using this gift to the full, for the time allotted to these lighter -distractions was very short. At last, with my unexpected retirement -to a remote shore, the longed-for opportunity arrived. On every side -the great sea spread about me; I began to learn its secrets, became -so intimate with its every mood and aspect that where these sketches -fail it is not for lack of understanding, but because there<span class="pagenum"><i>{278}</i></span> came -at last a point where my brush could no longer keep pace with the -visions that beset my brain. Not having previously had any opportunity -of showing these sketches to His Majesty, I took advantage of this -occasion to display them. But I fear that my action in using them for -this competition will when reflected upon provoke very unfavourable -comments....’ The conversation was carried on by Prince Sochi no Miya: -‘I know, of course,’ he said, ‘that mere industry will not carry one -far in any art; his heart must be in the matter. But all the same there -is a great deal which can simply be learnt from masters; so that a -man, without any understanding of what is really important, will often -easily succeed in imitating the outward forms and procedures of an art. -But painting and draughts demand an extraordinary degree of natural -equipment and also furnish us with the strangest surprises; for some -apparently half-witted fellow, who does not seem capable of any useful -activity, will turn out to be a genius at draughts or painting! On the -other hand I have occasionally come across instances where intelligent -children of good family have possessed what I may term a general -superiority, showing an unusual capacity in every form of art and -learning.</p> - -<p>‘My father the late Emperor gave personal attention to the training -of all his children, both girls and boys, in every imaginable art and -accomplishment. But it was in your education, Genji, that he took by -far the greatest interest, and it was to you, whom he considered most -likely to profit by it, that he was at pains to hand on the great -store of information which in the course of his long life he had -here and there acquired. In literature of course you were far ahead -of any of us; just as you were in other less important matters, such -as playing upon the zithern, which was indeed perhaps your principal -accomplishment. But<span class="pagenum"><i>{279}</i></span> I remember that, in addition to this, you -played reasonably well on the flute, guitar, and great zithern; as -indeed your father often mentioned with wonder. These talents of -yours were well known at Court, and I for my part had heard that -you occasionally amused yourself with brushes and paints. But I had -always supposed that this was a mere pastime, and I confess that -the masterpieces which you have exhibited before us to-day took me -completely by surprise. I assure you that even the great ink-painters -of antiquity would feel no small uneasiness should their works be set -beside these sketches of yours. You are indeed a prodigy!’ He spoke -rather thickly and indistinctly, for he was already a little bit -fuddled with wine; and being for the same reason somewhat lachrymose, -when mentioning his late father’s name he suddenly burst into tears.</p> - -<p>It was towards the end of the month and the late moon had at last -risen. The rooms where they were assembled were still dark, but the -sky outside was already aglow with dawn. The Keeper of Books and -Instruments was asked to bring out the zitherns. Tō no Chūjō took the -<i>wagon</i>,<a id="FNanchor_XVII_22" href="#Footnote_XVII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> which he played, if not so well as Genji, at any rate in -a very distinguished manner. Sochi no Miya took the great-zithern and -Genji the <i>kin</i>.<a id="FNanchor_XVII_23" href="#Footnote_XVII_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> The lute was played by Akikonomu’s gentlewoman -Shōshō no Myōbu. There was a certain courtier who had a genius for -beating time; he was now sent for and a most agreeable concert ensued. -Dawn was spreading fast. Colour began to come into the flowers, and the -features of those sitting by became dimly discernible in the growing -light. The birds were singing lustily; a pleasant morning had begun.</p> - -<p>Presents were now distributed to the guests by Lady Fujitsubo on behalf -of the Emperor; Prince Sochi no Miya<span class="pagenum"><i>{280}</i></span> received in addition the -special tribute of a cloak from the wardrobe, in recognition of his -services as umpire.</p> - -<p>Genji gave instructions that the Suma scroll should be left with -Fujitsubo. Hearing that it was only one of a series, she begged to be -shown the rest. ‘You shall see them all in good time,’ Genji said; -‘there are far too many of them to go through at one sitting.’ The -little Emperor, too, seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the proceedings, -which was a great comfort to those who had engineered them.</p> - -<p>When Tō no Chūjō saw with what zest Genji supported his ward Princess -Akikonomu even in such trifling matters as this contest he again -became a little uneasy about Lady Chūjō’s position. But observing the -situation closely, he noted that the young Emperor, who certainly began -by being very deeply attached to his little playmate, after the first -excitement of recognizing this new companion with her interesting -grown-up accomplishments had passed away, settled down again quite -happily to his old love. For the present at any rate there was no need -for anxiety.</p> - -<p>Genji had a strong presentiment the Court ceremony and festivals of the -reign were destined to be taken as a model in future times. It was for -this reason that even in the matter of private pastimes and receptions -he took great pains that everything should be carried out in the most -perfectly appropriate and pleasurable manner. Hence life at Court -during this period became one long series of exquisitely adjusted pomps -and festivities.</p> - -<p>Genji was still haunted by the impermanence of worldly things, and now -that the Emperor was beginning to reach years of discretion he often -thought quite seriously of embracing a monastic life. It seemed to him -that in history one so often reads of men who at an immature age rose -to high position and became conspicuous figures<span class="pagenum"><i>{281}</i></span> in the world only -to fall, after a very short time, into disaster and ignominy. With -regard to himself he had felt since his exile that if the position in -which he now found himself was beyond that to which he was properly -entitled, this was only fate’s kind compensation for the indignities to -which in his early life he had suddenly been exposed. But now the debt -which fortune owed him was fully discharged and he could not believe -that he was far from the brink of some fresh disaster. He would have -liked to shut himself away in some retired corner and devote himself to -meditations upon the life to come; he did indeed choose a quiet site on -a hill near the City and build a hermitage there, which he even went -so far as to furnish with images and holy books. But so many questions -arose concerning the education of his children and their future at -Court, that there could be no question of his actually taking his vows, -at any rate for some considerable time; and what exactly he had in mind -when he began building this hermitage it would be hard to say.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_1" href="#FNanchor_XVII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - The formula with which the Emperor despatches the Vestal of Ise. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_2" href="#FNanchor_XVII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - Chūjō’s daughter. Actually she is called Kōkiden, but this is a -name of another character in the book, and as the use of it would lead -to confusion, I have given her a name which links her to her father. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_3" href="#FNanchor_XVII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - The story of Ming Huang and Yang Kuei-fei; a long poem by Po Chū-i. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_4" href="#FNanchor_XVII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - A Chinese princess given to a Tartar king in marriage and carried -away into the north. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_5" href="#FNanchor_XVII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - For tying up the rolls. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_6" href="#FNanchor_XVII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - A 9th-century story about a fairy who was found in a bamboo-stem, -set various fantastic ordeals to her lovers and finally disappeared in -the Land Above the Sky. It is written in a rather disjointed style. -Translated by Victor Dickins in <cite>Japanese Texts</cite>. See above, p. <a href="#page_15">15</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_7a" href="#FNanchor_XVII_7a" class="fnanchor">7</a> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_7b" href="#FNanchor_XVII_7b" class="fnanchor">7</a> - One of the suitors. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_8" href="#FNanchor_XVII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - Also called Aimi. Successor of Kose no Kanaoka, who founded the -Kose school in the 9th century. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_9" href="#FNanchor_XVII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - 883–946 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> Editor of the <cite>Kokinshū</cite>, the first official anthology -of poetry. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_10" href="#FNanchor_XVII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - Having set out from Japan to China he was wrecked on the coast -of Persia, where he acquired a magic zithern and the knowledge of -unearthly tunes, armed with which he won great fame as a musician in -China and Japan. See Aston’s <cite>History of Japanese Literature</cite>, p. 76, -and above, p. <a href="#page_16">16</a>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_11" href="#FNanchor_XVII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - China. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_12" href="#FNanchor_XVII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - Asukabe Tsunenori, flourished about 964 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_13" href="#FNanchor_XVII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - Also called Ono no Dōfū, the most celebrated calligraphist of -Japan. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_14" href="#FNanchor_XVII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - A collection of short love-episodes, each centring round a poem or -poems. See Aston’s <cite>History of Japanese Literature</cite>, p. 80. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_15" href="#FNanchor_XVII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - Already lost in the 15th century. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_16" href="#FNanchor_XVII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - Hero of the <cite>Tales of Ise</cite>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_17" href="#FNanchor_XVII_17" class="fnanchor">17</a> - I.e., upon promotion at Court. Courtiers were called ‘men above -the clouds.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_18" href="#FNanchor_XVII_18" class="fnanchor">18</a> - Presumably the hero of the tale of Shō Sammi. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_19" href="#FNanchor_XVII_19" class="fnanchor">19</a> - Narihira, hero of the <cite>Tales of Ise</cite>. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_20" href="#FNanchor_XVII_20" class="fnanchor">20</a> - 898–930, a great patron of literature, and himself an important -poet and calligrapher. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_21" href="#FNanchor_XVII_21" class="fnanchor">21</a> - Grandson of the great Kose no Kanaoka. Flourished about 960 <span class="smcap">a.d.</span> -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_22" href="#FNanchor_XVII_22" class="fnanchor">22</a> - Japanese zithern. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVII_23" href="#FNanchor_XVII_23" class="fnanchor">23</a> - Chinese zithern. -</div> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="page_282"><i>{282}</i></span></p> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> -<span class="larger">THE WIND IN THE PINE-TREES</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p class="drop-cap">THE new quarters which Genji had built to the east of his palace were -now ready and the lady from the Village of Falling Flowers was duly -installed there. The western wing and connecting galleries of the -Nijō-in had been arranged in offices for the clerks whom he employed -in his capacity as Grand Minister. In the eastern wing he intended to -establish the Lady of Akashi. The women’s quarters at the back of the -palace he enlarged considerably, making several sets of very agreeable -and comfortable apartments; these he destined for those ladies who -having in the past received some mark of favour which, though fleeting, -had generally been coupled with handsome promises, now looked to him -for recognition and support. He kept the Grand Bedchamber of the Palace -open, and though he lived chiefly in the new building, he continued to -use the other from time to time and none of the necessary furniture was -removed.</p> - -<p>He wrote frequently to Akashi and many times begged her to come up -to the Capital. But she had heard so many stories of how others had -suffered at his hands,—how he had again and again toyed with the -affections not only of humble creatures such as herself, but of the -greatest ladies in the land, only to cast them aside a few months later -with the most callous indifference. Surely it would be foolish not -to take warning? If this was his conduct towards persons of rank and -influence, what sort of treatment could she, a friendless girl, expect? -What part could she hope to play save the humiliating one of a foil -to the young princess<span class="pagenum"><i>{283}</i></span> who was Genji’s lawful bride? Suppose she -accepted his offer, suppose she let him instal her in this new house, -how often would he come near her? Sometimes perhaps on his way to -Murasaki’s room he might look in casually for a moment; more she could -not expect. She saw herself the butt of every lewd wit in his palace. -No; she would never consent.</p> - -<p>But there were other considerations. Should she continue to bring up -her baby daughter in this sequestered spot, how could the child ever -hope to take its place among the princes and princesses of the Blood? -Little as she trusted Genji, she must not cut off her child from all -possibility of an ultimate transference to the Capital. Her parents too -realized with dismay that her prospect at the City was none too bright; -but on the whole they inclined towards a move.</p> - -<p>There was a certain estate near the Ōi River<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_1" href="#Footnote_XVIII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> which her mother -had inherited (it had belonged to Nakatsukasa no Miya, the mother’s -paternal grandfather). Successive heirs failed to claim it and for two -years the place had been falling into decay. A fresh plan had occurred -to the old recluse and his wife. They summoned the caretaker of the -place, a descendant of the man whom Nakatsukasa had originally left -in charge and said to him: ‘We had intended to quit the world forever -and end our earthly days in this inaccessible retreat. But certain -unexpected events in our family have made it necessary that we should -again seek a residence within easy reach of the Capital. After our long -absence from the Court we should feel utterly lost and bewildered were -we to plunge straight into the bustle of the town, and it occurred -to us that while we are looking for some quiet, old house to live in -permanently, it might be a good thing to use this place at Ōi which you -have been looking after for us!’ ‘I am afraid you will be very<span class="pagenum"><i>{284}</i></span> -disappointed when you see it,’ said the man. ‘For years past no one -has been in possession and everything is tumbling to pieces. I have -been making shift myself to live in a room which has indeed a kind of -ceiling, but no roof! And since the spring they have been building -this new hermitage for Prince Genji close by, and this has changed the -whole character of the district. The place is crowded with workmen; -for the hermitage, by what I can make out, is going to be a very grand -affair. If what you are looking for is a quiet, unfrequented spot you -will certainly be badly disappointed.’ His remarks had the opposite -effect to that which he had intended. To learn that at Ōi they would be -living as it were under Genji’s very wing was an astonishing piece of -news. He ordered the man to put the large repairs in hand at once; what -wanted setting to rights indoors they could see to at leisure later -on. This did not at all suit the caretaker. ‘If you want to know,’ he -said sulkily, ‘I reckon this place belongs to me as much as to anyone. -I have been living there quietly all these years and this is the first -I have heard of anybody putting in a claim to it. When I first took -things in hand the pastures and rice-fields were all running to waste, -and his lordship Mimbu no Tayū told me before he died that I could -have them for my very own and do what I could with them as payment of -certain sums which he then owed me.’ What he was really frightened of -was that, if the family came into residence, they would lay claim to -some of the live stock and grain that their land had produced. He had -suddenly grown very red in the face, his voice quivered with anger and -his whole aspect was so grim and even menacing that the old recluse -hastened to reassure him: ‘I am not in any way interested in the farm -or its produce,’ he said; ‘with regard to them please go on just as -before. As a matter of fact I <em>have</em> got the title-deeds somewhere -here,<span class="pagenum"><i>{285}</i></span> but it is a long time since I attended to business matters -of any kind and it might take me a long while to find these papers. I -will remember to look into the question and see how it stands....’ The -steward soon cooled down. He noted that the old priest was evidently -on friendly terms with Genji. This decided him to be civil. And after -all, even if the presence of his masters might for the moment be rather -inconvenient, he would later on have plenty of opportunities for -reimbursing himself. Mollified by these reflections he set the repairs -in hand at once.</p> - -<p>Genji meanwhile had no notion of what was afoot and could not -understand why, after all his entreaties, the Lady of Akashi still hung -back. He did not at all like the idea of their child being brought up -amid such uncivilized surroundings. Moreover, if the story afterwards -became known, it would certainly seem as though he had been reluctant -to acknowledge the child and had behaved with great heartlessness in -making no proper provision for it or for the mother.</p> - -<p>But at last the house at Ōi was ready and a letter came from Akashi -describing how, with no idea that he was building in the district, they -had suddenly remembered the existence of the place and were making -plans for living there. He understood quite well the object of this -move. The Lady of Akashi was determined that if their intercourse was -to be resumed it must be in a place where she would not be subjected to -a humiliating contact with her rivals. To avoid this she was evidently -prepared to make every conceivable sacrifice. He was curious to know -more about her future plan of retreat and sent Koremitsu, who was -always employed in confidential missions of this kind, to investigate -the place a little and let him know if there was anything he could -do to assist the new-comers at Ōi. Koremitsu reported that the house -was in a very agreeable situation which somehow reminded one of the -seaside. ‘It sounds<span class="pagenum"><i>{286}</i></span> just the place for her,’ said Genji. The -hermitage which he was building was to the south of Daikakuji, which -temple, in the beauty of its groves and cascades, it even bid fair -to rival. The house where the family from Akashi was coming to live -was right on the river, among the most delightful pine-woods, and the -unpretentious way in which it was planned, in one long building without -galleries or side-wings, gave it rather the air of a farmhouse than of -a gentleman’s mansion. As regards furniture Koremitsu told him what was -most needed and he saw to it that these wants were supplied.</p> - -<p>A member of Genji’s personal servants now arrived at Akashi to assist -the family in their removal. When she found herself actually faced -with the prospect of leaving these shores and inlets, near which so -great a part of her life had been spent, the Lady of Akashi was filled -with consternation. The present plan was that her father should stay -on at Akashi alone, and the idea of leaving him made her very unhappy. -Looking back over the whole affair, with all its consequences, she was -amazed to think that she had ever drifted into this miserable union, -which had brought nothing but trouble and confusion upon herself and -those for whom she cared. She found herself envying those whose fortune -it had been never to cross this prince’s path. Her father, seeing the -house full of the servants and retainers whom Genji had sent from the -Capital, could not deny to himself that here indeed was the fulfilment -of his every dream and prayer. He had secured his daughter’s future. -But what about his own? How would his life be endurable without her? -He brooded on this night and day, but never showed what was passing -in his mind, save for saying once or twice to his wife: ‘Do you think -even if I went with you I should see much of the little girl<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_2" href="#Footnote_XVIII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a>?’ The -mother was also much distressed. For<span class="pagenum"><i>{287}</i></span> years past her husband had -slept in his little hermitage and had lived an entirely separate life, -engrossed in his meditations and devotions. There was little reason -to suppose that, even should she stay behind, he would give her very -much of his society, and virtually she would be living without any -companionship or support. But though he was a spectator of their lives -rather than a participator in them, his casual exits and entrances had -become the rock in which her whole <a id="typo_5"></a><ins title="Original has ‘existance’.">existence</ins> was rooted; the prospect -of separation appalled her. He was a strange creature; but she had long -ago given up expecting him to play in any sense a husband’s part. His -odd appearance, his eccentric opinions, their lonely life,—all these -she had learnt to tolerate in the belief that this at any rate was the -last stage of her disillusionment, the final and unalterable ordeal -which death alone would end. Suddenly she found herself face to face -with this undreamed-of parting, and her heart shrank. The wet-nurse -and other young persons whom at the time of the child’s birth Genji -had sent from the Capital were beginning to become very restive and -the prospect of the coming journey delighted them. Yet even the most -frivolous among them could not leave these creeks and sandy bays -without a pang; and there were some who, knowing that it might never be -their lot to visit such scenes again, came near to adding the salt of -tears to sleeves already splashed by the breakers of the rising tide.</p> - -<p>Autumn had begun and the country was at its loveliest. At dawn upon -the day fixed for their departure a chill wind was blowing and insects -filled the air with their interminable cry. The Lady of Akashi, already -awake, kept going to her window and looking out across the sea. Her -father had returned early from celebrating the night service in his -chapel; it was with trembling lips that he had performed the familiar -ceremonies. But now that the day of parting<span class="pagenum"><i>{288}</i></span> had come no words -of sorrow or ill-omen must be spoken. So each was determined, but it -was no easy matter to keep things going. The child was brought in, -its infant beauty shining like a jewel in the greyness of the dawn. -The grandfather never wearied of holding it in his arms and, young as -it was, an understanding seemed to have grown up between them. He was -indeed astonished by the readiness with which the child accepted a -companion whose appearance and manners, so different from those of its -regular attendants, might have been expected to have alarmed it in the -highest degree. Moreover there seemed something inappropriate, almost -sinister in their alliance. Yet for long he had scarcely let it be a -minute out of his sight. How should he live without it? He did not -want to spoil the journey by an outburst of unrestrained grief; yet -utterly silent he could not remain, and reciting the verse: ‘While for -good speed upon their road and happiness to come I pray, one thing the -travellers will not deny me, an old man’s right to shed a foolish tear -or two,’ he tried to hide his tears with his sleeve, exclaiming: ‘No, I -ought not to; I should not do it!’</p> - -<p>His wife stood weeping at his side; there was one thing that she could -not disguise from herself: after long years both of his life and her -own that had been spent in an unceasing protest against the pleasures -and frivolities of the world, it was to those same frivolities and in -pursuit of the most worldly ambitions that her husband was sending -her away from him: ‘Together we left the city,’ she cried; ‘how all -alone shall I re-find the paths down which you led me over heath and -hill?’ The Lady of Akashi also recited a poem in which she said that -even to those who seem to have parted forever, life with its turns -and chances brings strange reunions to pass. She besought her father -to come at least part of the way with them; but he seemed to<span class="pagenum"><i>{289}</i></span> -regard it as utterly impossible that he should venture away from his -seaside retreat, and it was evident that he regarded the negotiation -even of the short road down to the sea as the most venturesome and -nerve-racking business.</p> - -<p>‘When I first put worldly ambitions aside,’ said the old man, ‘and -contented myself with a mere provincial post, I made up my mind -that, come what might, you, my dear daughter, should not suffer from -my having sacrificed my own prospects; and how best, despite the -remoteness of our home, to fit you for the station of life to which you -properly belonged became my one thought and care. But my experience as -Governor taught me much; I realized my incapacity for public affairs, -and knew that if I returned to the City it would only be to play the -wretched part of ex-Governor. My resources were much diminished and -were I to set up house again at the Capital it would be on a very -different scale from before. I knew that I should be regarded as a -failure both in my private and public life, a disgrace to the memory of -my father who occupied the highest station in the State; moreover my -acceptance of a provincial governorship had everywhere been regarded -as the end of my career, and as for myself, I could not but think that -it was indeed best it should be so. But you were now growing up and -your future had to be thought of. How could I allow you to waste your -beauty in this far corner of the earth like a brocade that is never -taken from the drawer? But no better prospect seemed to present itself, -and in my despair I called upon Buddha and all the gods to help me. -That, living as we did, any fresh acquaintances should ever be formed -by us seemed out of the question. Yet all the time I believed that -some strange chance would one day befall us. And what indeed could -have been more utterly unforeseen than the circumstance which at last -brought so distinguished a guest to our home?<span class="pagenum"><i>{290}</i></span> In this I could -not but see the hand of Heaven, and my only anxiety was lest too great -an inequality of rank should divide you. But since the birth of this -child, that fear has not so much troubled me, for I feel that your -union is fated to be a lasting one. A child of Royal Blood cannot, we -must allow, pass all its days in a village by the sea, and though this -parting costs me dear I am determined never again to tamper with the -world that I have renounced. Princes are the lamps that light this -world, and though they may for a time be destined to cast confusion -upon the quiet of rusticity, soon they must perforce return to their -true firmament; while those whom they have left smile back, as I do -now, into the lowly Sphere<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_3" href="#Footnote_XVIII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> from whence they sprang. Should you hear -that I am dead, do not tease yourselves concerning the welfare of my -soul, and above all, while less than death divides us, do not worry -over what may be befalling me.’ Thus he poured out all that was passing -through his mind and at last he added in conclusion: ‘You may be sure -that each of the six times of Prayer, till the day when the smoke rises -from my pyre, I shall pray with all my heart for the happiness of the -little princess....’</p> - -<p>Hitherto he had spoken with great self-possession; but now his face -began to pucker.</p> - -<p>There was so much baggage to be transported that a vast quantity of -wagons would have been required had the whole party proceeded by road. -To send some of the stuff by road and the rest by sea was in many ways -inconvenient; moreover Genji’s retainers did not wish to be recognized -on the journey, and for all these reasons it seemed best that the -whole party should proceed by water. They set sail at the hour of the -Dragon, and soon their ship, like that of the old poet’s story,<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_4" href="#Footnote_XVIII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> -was lost amid the morning mists far out<span class="pagenum"><i>{291}</i></span> across the bay. The old -priest stood gazing after it lost in a bewildered trance of grief -from which it seemed as though he would never awake. The wind was -fresh and favourable, and they arrived at the City punctually at the -hour they had announced. Wishing to attract no notice they left their -large baggage on board and travelled inland as quickly as possible. -The house at Ōi at once took their fancy and was, as Koremitsu had -noticed, in some curious way very reminiscent of the seaside, so that -they soon felt quite at home. The mother had known this place as a -girl and moving recollections crowded to her mind at every turn. By -Genji’s orders a covered gallery had been added to the house, which was -a great improvement, and the course of the stream had also been very -successfully altered. Much still remained to be done, but for the most -part only such small jobs as could easily be finished off later on, -when they had got things straight and settled in. On their arrival they -found that entertainment had been prepared for them at Genji’s command -by one of his confidential servants. He intended to come himself at the -earliest opportunity, but many days passed before he could contrive -an excuse for slipping away. The Lady of Akashi had made sure that he -would be there to welcome her. She therefore spent the first days at Ōi -in the deepest depression, regretting her old home and quite at a loss -how to occupy her time. At last she took out the zithern which Genji -had given to her at Akashi. She was feeling at the moment particularly -desperate, and as she had the part of the house where she was sitting -entirely to herself she gave vent to her feelings in a somewhat wild -improvisation, which soon startled her mother from the couch where she -was lying and brought her to the player’s side. With the music of the -zithern was blended the sighing of the wind in the great pine-woods -that lay behind the house. ‘An altered and a lonely<span class="pagenum"><i>{292}</i></span> woman to -this my native village I return. But still unchanged the wind blows -music through the trees.’ So the mother sang, and the daughter: ‘Far -off is now the dear companion of my happier days, and none is here who -comprehends the broken language of my lute.’</p> - -<p>While things were going thus dismally at Ōi, Genji was feeling very -uneasy. To have established the people from Akashi so close to the -Capital and then neglect them entirely was indeed a monstrous way to -behave; but circumstances made it very difficult for him to escape -unobserved. He had not said anything to Murasaki about the move to -Ōi, but such things have a way of getting round, and he decided that -it would be better not to explain his absence in a note. He therefore -wrote to her one morning as follows: ‘There are various matters at -Katsura<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_5" href="#Footnote_XVIII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> which I ought to have looked into a long while ago; but I -did not at all want the bother of going there and have kept on putting -it off. Some people whom I promised to visit have settled near by and I -am afraid I shall have to go and see them too. Then I ought to go over -to my hermitage at Saga and see the Buddha there before it is painted. -So I am afraid I shall have to be away for two or three days.’</p> - -<p>Some faint echo of the business at Ōi had reached her, but in a very -garbled form. She heard that Genji was hurriedly building a large new -mansion on his estate at Katsura. This was of course quite untrue. -Murasaki at once concluded that the mansion at Katsura was intended -for the Lady of Akashi and depressed by this she wrote in answer: -‘Do you know the story of the woodman<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_6" href="#Footnote_XVIII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> who waited so long that -leaves sprouted from the handle of his axe? Do<span class="pagenum"><i>{293}</i></span> not imagine that -I shall be quite so patient as that....’ It was evident that she was -out of humour with him! ‘How crotchety you are!’ he said. ‘In the past -you did indeed have some excuse; but now I have entirely changed my -habits. Anyone who knows me would tell you as much.’ It took the whole -morning to coax her back into a reasonable frame of mind. At last -very secretly, with no outriders of any kind save for a few intimate -personal attendants, and taking every precaution lest he should be -spied on or followed, he set out for Ōi and arrived there just as it -was growing dark. Even when dressed in the plain hunting clothes that -he wore at Akashi he had seemed to the Lady of the Shore a figure of -unimaginable brilliance; and now when he appeared in full Court dress -(he had indeed made himself as splendid as possible for the occasion) -she was completely overwhelmed by his magnificence and soon, in -contemplating this dazzling spectacle, the whole household recovered -from the gloom into which they had been plunged. The little princess -had of course to be fetched and it was naturally with considerable -emotion that he now saw his child for the first time. It was indeed a -pity that he should make its acquaintance in this belated manner. What -nonsense people talk about children, he thought. Every one used to make -such a fuss about Yūgiri, Princess Aoi’s child, and pretend it was so -remarkably handsome. Such people were mere time-servers and flatterers. -If it had not been the Prime Minister’s grandchild no one would have -seen anything remarkable about it at all. But here was a very different -story. If this little creature did not grow up into a woman of quite -exceptional beauty, he was indeed very much mistaken. The child smiled -at him with such innocent surprise and had such a perfect little face -and air that he at once took an immense fancy to it. The nurse who when -he had first sent her to Akashi was already<span class="pagenum"><i>{294}</i></span> losing her looks, -had now grown quite middle-aged. He asked her many questions about -her experiences in these last months, to which she replied frankly -and without any shyness. He felt sorry that he had sent her to waste -the last hours of her vanishing youth in so dull a place and now said -sympathetically: ‘Here too you are a long way from everything and it -is not at all easy for me to come over. I wish you would persuade your -mistress to make use of the apartments I originally offered her....’ -‘We must see how we get on,’ the Lady of Akashi interposed.</p> - -<p>That night at least she had no reason to complain of neglect and day -came only too swiftly. During the morning he gave fresh instructions -to the retainers who were responsible for the redecoration of the -house, and presently a number of people who farmed on and around his -Katsura estate came to pay their respects, having heard beforehand that -he was about to visit his properties in this neighbourhood. As they -were there, he thought he had better make them useful and set them -to work repairing some places in the Lodge where the shrubs had been -trodden down. ‘I see,’ he said, ‘that some of the artificial rocks -have rolled over and almost disappeared under the grass. I must get my -people to hoist them up again into some position in which they will -not look quite so pointless. However this is not the kind of garden -that looks the better for too much trouble being taken with it; and you -may not be staying here very long. It will not do to make everything -here too nice or it will soon be as hard to go away from here as it -was to leave Akashi.’ Soon they fell to talking of those old days, -now laughing, now weeping, but all the time divinely happy. Once her -mother came and peeped at them as they sat talking and the sight of -their happiness made her forget that she herself was old, was wretched. -Wreathed in smiles she hobbled away from the room. A<span class="pagenum"><i>{295}</i></span> little later -she was watching him standing in his shirt-sleeves instructing the -workmen how to utilize the little spring of water that issued near the -gallery of the eastern wing. He had no idea that he was being watched, -till happening to come across a tray for flower-offerings and other -religious gear lying about the house, he suddenly thought of the pious -old lady and said to his companion: ‘By the way, did your mother come -with you? I had quite forgotten she might be here or I should not be -going about the house dressed in this fashion.’ He sent for his cloak -and going up to the curtain-of-state behind which he was told the old -lady would probably be sitting, he said in a gentle tone: ‘Madam, I -have come to thank you; for it is your doing that the little girl -thrives so well. Your prayers and devotions it is that have lightened -the load of her <i>karma</i> and caused her to grow up so fine and healthy -a child. I know well enough what it must have cost you to leave the -house which had become your sanctuary and mingle once more with the -follies of this transitory world. I know too what anxiety you must be -in, concerning the husband whom you have left.... For this and much -else, Madam, I have come to thank you....’ ‘That you should guess how -dear it cost me to come back to the turmoil of the world, and that in -these kind words you should tell me my exertions have not been made in -vain, is in itself sufficient reward for all that I have endured, and -justifies a life drawn out beyond the allotted span.’ So the pious old -lady spoke and then continued, weeping: ‘I have been in great anxiety -concerning this ‘twin-leaved pine,’<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_7" href="#Footnote_XVIII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> and while we dwelt under the -shadow of those wild cliffs I scarce dared hope that it would at last -find room to spread and grow. But now I pray more confidently,—though -still afraid that from roots<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_8" href="#Footnote_XVIII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> so lowly no valiant stem can ever -spring....’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{296}</i></span></p> - -<p>There was in her speech and bearing a courtly dignity which pleased -him, and he led her on to talk of the time when her grandfather, the -old Prince, was living at the house. While she spoke the sound of -running water reached them. It came from the buried spring near the -eastern wall of the house; the workmen had just finished clearing it. -It seemed like the voice of one suddenly aroused from lethargy by the -mention of old familiar names. ‘I, that was mistress here, scarce know -the way from room to room; only this crystal spring remembers still and -meditates the ancient secrets of the house.’ She murmured this poem -softly to herself and did not know that he had heard what she said. But -it had not escaped him; indeed, he thought it by no means lacking in -beauty and power of expression.</p> - -<p>As he stood looking down at her, full of interest and compassion, the -aged lady thought him more beautiful than anything she could have ever -dreamed would exist in the world. He now drove over to his hermitage at -Saga and arranged for the Reading of the <cite>Samantabhadra Sūtra</cite> and the -meditations on Amitābha and Shākyamuni to take place every month on the -fourteenth, fifteenth and last days respectively, together with other -rituals for which he now made the final arrangements. The decoration -of the Buddha Hall and the provision of the necessary altars and -furniture was then discussed and various duties assigned to those in -charge of the place. He returned to Ōi by moonlight. It was strangely -like those nights of old when he used to visit her at the house on the -hill. It seemed natural enough that, as in those days, she should bring -out a zithern (it was indeed his own, which he had given her), and -soon, stirred by his presence and the beauty of the night, she began -to finger the instrument. He noticed at once that true to her promise -she had not altered the tuning since that last night at Akashi, and it -seemed as though all<span class="pagenum"><i>{297}</i></span> that had happened since were obliterated and -he were still listening to that farewell tune.</p> - -<p>He was conscious of no inequality between herself and him. Despite -her mixed descent and rustic upbringing there was about her an air of -personal distinction which made ample amends for her lack of breeding -and worldly experience. Her looks had indeed greatly improved since he -knew her, and as he gazed, now at her, now at the lovely child, he felt -that both of them were destined to occupy henceforward a very large -share of his attention. But what was he to do? It would indeed be a -great pity that the child should grow up in an obscure country-house. -Most people would no doubt think him perfectly justified in taking it -away with him to the Nijō-in and bringing it up in whatever way he -chose. But he knew that this would be a terrible blow to the mother and -could not bring himself to suggest it. He sat watching the two of them -with tears in his eyes. The little creature had at first been rather -shy with him. But now it was quite at its ease, prattled and laughed in -his face and in fact showed every sign of wanting to make friends with -him. The infant in this expansive mood seemed to him more entrancing -than ever. He took it up in his arms, and watching the tenderness with -which he held it the mother felt that its fortunes were indeed secure. -Next day he was to return to the Capital. He therefore returned to -rest for a while; but the news that he was shortly to leave this house -spread with disconcerting rapidity to his tenants at Katsura and the -anterooms were soon full of visitors waiting to escort him on his -journey. A number of courtiers had also discovered his whereabouts and -were waiting to pay their respects. While he was being dressed, Genji -said petulantly: ‘This is intolerable. If I am being tracked down even -to such a place as this, where can I ever hope to hide my head?’<span class="pagenum"><i>{298}</i></span> -And with a mob of visitors pressing round him he was swept away to -his carriage. At a window by which they had to pass, stationed there -as though by accident, was the child’s nurse with the infant in her -arms. Stroking its face tenderly as he passed, Genji said to her: ‘I -should have been sorry not to see this child. But it has all been so -hurried.... Better than nothing perhaps.... But “your village is so far -away”....’<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_9" href="#Footnote_XVIII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> ‘We shall expect rather more from your Highness than -we did in the old days when we really were a long way off,’ the nurse -replied. The little princess stretched out her hand as though trying to -hold him back. Pausing for a while he turned and said: ‘It is terrible -to have such a sentimental disposition as mine. I cannot bear to part -from those I am fond of even if it be only for a single day. But where -is your mistress? Why did not she too come to bid me good-bye? Tell her -that it is barbarous....’ The nurse smiled and withdrawing into the -house delivered the message. But so far from being unconcerned at his -departure, the Lady of Akashi was so much agitated that she had sunk -helpless upon her bed, and it was some while before she could muster -enough strength to rise. At last, after Genji, not knowing what was -amiss, had in his heart passed severe censure upon her coyness, she -arrived in the front-room supported by her ladies and sank into a seat -where, though she was partly hidden by a curtain, he got a fair view -of her face. Such delicacy of feature, such distinction, such grace -would not he thought have done discredit to an Emperor’s daughter. -He went up to the window, pulled aside the curtain and whispered a -few words of farewell. Then he hastened to rejoin his companions; but -looking back for an instant over his shoulder he saw that, though -all this time she had<span class="pagenum"><i>{299}</i></span> remained motionless and silent, she was -following him intently with her eyes. He had in old days been somewhat -too slender for his height; now he had filled out a little and she -found this slightly robuster air very becoming. He must indeed have -expended considerable thought upon his appearance, every detail down -to the elegantly adjusted billowing of his wide, puffy trousers being -calculated with the nicest eye for effect. Such at any rate was her -impression as he passed out of sight that morning,—a view perhaps -somewhat coloured by partiality.</p> - -<p>Ukon, the brother of Ki no Kami, had relinquished his office of -Treasurer, and having been appointed Quiver-bearer to His Majesty had -this year been formally invested as an officer of the 5th rank. He -now came to relieve Genji of his sword, and looking in the direction -from which his master had come saw the Lady of Akashi’s form dimly -outlined at the window. He had himself formed some slight acquaintance -with her during the period of Genji’s exile and wished to discover -whether she still had a liking for him. He therefore drew one of her -maids-of-honour aside and said: ‘I have not forgotten those hours of -pleasant intercourse, but fear to give offence. Sometimes when, waking -before the dawn, I hear the rustling of the wind among the trees, I -think for a moment that I am back at Akashi, or listening again to -the waves that beat upon the shore. At such moments I long to break -the silence with some message or token; but till now no proper means -has come to hand....’ He purposely spoke in such a way that she might -not understand him unless she were already aware of his feelings -towards her mistress. ‘The clouds that hang eight-fold about this -lonely hillside screen us from the world no less securely than the -mist-wreaths of that sequestered bay. I for my part thought that of -my friends in those days “none save the ancient<span class="pagenum"><i>{300}</i></span> pine-tree”<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_10" href="#Footnote_XVIII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> -remembered me, and it is good news indeed to hear that by you at -least....’ She could not have been wider of the mark!<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_11" href="#Footnote_XVIII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> He was -now very sorry that he had in old days so scrupulously avoided all -reference to this attachment. He would have explained himself further, -but Genji was waiting; and calling out with an assumed cheerfulness -‘Let us talk of this another time,’ he hastened to rejoin his master. -Already the outriders were clearing intruders from the road and amid -great clatter and bustle the procession started on its way. Two -officious gentlemen, the Captain of the Guard and a certain Hyoye no -Kami, rode at the back of Genji’s coach. ‘I object to being tracked -down like this,’ said Genji wearily, ‘when I go to pay a quiet visit -to private friends.’ ‘The moonlight was so exquisite last night,’ they -said in self-defence, ‘that we could not bear having been left behind, -and this morning we groped our way through the early mist to find you. -The maple-leaves in the Capital are not yet quite at their best; but -in the open country the colours are marvellous. We should have been -here sooner, had we not become involved in a hawking party that one of -the chamberlains has got up.’ ‘I must go back to Katsura first,’ said -Genji; and accordingly the party set out in that direction. It was no -easy matter on the spur of the moment to provide entertainment for -so large a number of persons. However, the cormorant-fishers who ply -their trade on the Katsura river were hastily sent for, and promised -to secure food enough for the whole party. Their strange, clipped talk -reminded Genji of the fishermen at Suma and greatly diverted him. The -falconers, who had decided to camp in the open country, sent a present -of small snipe, each bird tied to a bunch of sedge-leaves. They played -at the game<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_12" href="#Footnote_XVIII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> of floating wine-cups<span class="pagenum"><i>{301}</i></span> down the stream. So many -times were the cups set afloat and so steep were the banks of the -stream that the game proved somewhat dangerous. But the wine made them -reckless and they were still shouting out their couplets long after -it grew dark. At last the moon rose and it was time for the music to -begin. The most skilful performers on zithern, lute, <i>wagon</i>, and -various wind instruments were called upon and were soon playing such -tunes as were best suited to the place and hour. A gentle breeze blew -down the stream blending its whisperings with the music of pipe and -string. Higher and higher the moon rose above them; never had night -been so radiant and still. It was already very late when a band of four -or five courtiers made their appearance. They had come straight from -the Palace where the Emperor had been giving a concert. ‘This is the -first of the Six Fast Days,’ His Majesty had suddenly exclaimed. ‘I -expected that Genji would be here. What has become of him?’ Some one -then informed His Majesty of Genji’s present whereabouts and messengers -were at once despatched to Katsura bearing a letter in which the -Emperor declared himself envious of the pleasant excursion in which his -Minister had found time to indulge. With this letter was the poem: ‘How -pleasantly the shadow of the laurel-tree must fall upon the waters in -the village beyond the stream!’<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_13" href="#Footnote_XVIII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> Genji answered with due humility -and respect. The messengers found this moonlight concert even more -agreeable than the one which they had left and had soon settled down -to drink and listen for the second time that night. When at last they -rose it was proper that they should not be sent away empty-handed. As -there was nothing here to give to them Genji sent a note to Ōi: ‘Have -you anything that would do to give to some messengers from the Court?’ -After looking round for a little they sent<span class="pagenum"><i>{302}</i></span> such objects as they -could lay hands on. There were two boxes full of clothes. For the chief -messenger, who was now anxious to return to the Palace, he selected a -lady’s dress of very handsome stuff.</p> - -<p>The company now became extremely animated. Poem followed poem in a -swift exchange, and even Genji’s conversation, usually equable and -restrained, began to take so extravagant a turn that his hearers would -gladly have kept him talking thus till the end of the time. As for -things at home, he reflected,—the harm was already done. The rishi’s -axe must by now have blossomed, aye, and withered too. Why not one more -day? But no; that would never do; and the party broke up hastily.</p> - -<p>They set out for the Capital, each wearing on his head the -bright-coloured scarf with which, according to his rank and station, -he had been presented the night before and with these gay patches that -bobbed up here and there in the morning mist blended the colours of the -flowers in the gardens through which they passed.</p> - -<p>There was with them a certain member of the Night Watch famous for -his singing of ancient ballads, and to cheer the company he now sang -with great spirit the ballad ‘Ho, my pony’; whereupon his companions -doffed their scarves and wound them round the singer’s head. The -wind fluttered through the many-coloured ends that dangled about his -shoulders, weaving as gay a brocade as that with which the storms of -autumn carpet a forest floor.</p> - -<p>The news of his swift return or at least some faint echo of it reached -the Lady of Akashi in her chamber, making her feel more than ever -desolate. To Genji it suddenly occurred that he had never written -the customary<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_14" href="#Footnote_XVIII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> letter. Other things had indeed been occupying his -attention; but he wished he had remembered.</p> - -<p>On his return to the Nijō-in he rested for a little while<span class="pagenum"><i>{303}</i></span> and -then went to tell Murasaki about his country visit ‘I am very sorry -that I was away longer than I led you to expect,’ he said; ‘those -wretched fellows hounded me down and, try as I might, I could not get -rid of them. I am very tired this morning. I think, if you will excuse -me, I must get some more sleep,’ and so saying he retired to his own -room. When they met later he saw that things were not going well, but -for a time pretended not to notice. At last she became so tiresome that -he said somewhat sharply: ‘This is ridiculous. You know quite well -that there can never be any comparison between her position and yours. -Surely you had better drop this absurd affectation and make the best of -me now I am here.’</p> - -<p>He had promised to be at the Palace before nightfall, and now rose -to go. But before he left the room she saw him go into a corner and -scribble a hasty note. She guessed at once to whom it was addressed. -What a long time it was taking! He seemed to have a great deal to -say. Her women saw him giving it to a messenger with many whispered -instructions and they were duly indignant.</p> - -<p>He was supposed to be on duty all night at the Palace. But he was -impatient to put matters right, and though it was very late indeed -before he could get away he hurried back to Murasaki at the first -opportunity of escape. While he was with her, the messenger returned -from Ōi with an answer in his hand. Genji read it without any attempt -at concealment, and finding it to be of the most harmless description, -he handed it to her saying: ‘Please tear it up when you have read -it, and do not leave the pieces lying about; pieces make such a bad -impression! In my position one has to be so careful.’</p> - -<p>He came and sat by her couch; but he was thinking all the time of the -Lady at Ōi and wishing he could be with her. For a long while he sat -gazing into the lamp and did not speak a word.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><i>{304}</i></span></p> - -<p>The letter which he had handed to Murasaki was spread open before her; -but she was not reading it. ‘I am sure you have been peeping,’ he said -at last. ‘That way of reading letters is very tiring,’ and he smiled -at her with such evident affection that the tears welled to her eyes. -‘There is something I want to talk to you about,’ he said, bending over -her; ‘I have seen the little girl and, as a matter of fact, taken a -great fancy to her. I naturally want to do as well for her as I can, -but under the circumstances that is far from easy, and I am rather -worried about it. I want you to think about the matter a little, and -see if you cannot help me. What can be done? For example, would you be -willing to have her here and bring her up as your own child? She is -almost three years old, and at that age they are so pretty and innocent -that it is very hard indeed to harden one’s heart against them. It is -getting to be time that she came out of her long clothes. Would you be -very much upset if I asked you to take charge of the ceremony?’<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_15" href="#Footnote_XVIII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> ‘I -was cross just now,’ she said; ‘but I knew you were thinking all the -while about other things, and there seemed to be no use in pretending -we were friends if we were not. I should love to look after the little -girl. She is just the age I like best.’ She laughed with joy at the -thought of having such a creature in her arms, for she was passionately -fond of children. Should he try to secure the child? Genji was still -very doubtful. Visits to Ōi were very difficult to arrange, and he -seldom contrived to get there except on the two days in each month when -he went over to hear the service at his chapel near Saga.</p> - -<p>Thus though the Lady of Akashi fared considerably better than the -Weaving Lady<a id="FNanchor_XVIII_16" href="#Footnote_XVIII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> in the story and though her expectations were of the -most moderate description, it would have been strange had these hurried -visits contented her.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_1" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_1" class="fnanchor">1</a> - Also called the Katsura River. Runs near Saga (to the east of -Kyōto) where Genji was building his hermitage. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_2" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_2" class="fnanchor">2</a> - The Lady of Akashi’s child. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_3" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_3" class="fnanchor">3</a> - The metaphor is of souls sinking back into lower incarnations. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_4" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_4" class="fnanchor">4</a> - See Waley, <cite>Japanese Poetry</cite> (Oxford, 1920), p. 56. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_5" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_5" class="fnanchor">5</a> - Where Genji had an estate. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_6" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_6" class="fnanchor">6</a> - A Chinese named Wang Chih. He watched a couple of hermits playing -chess in a cave. The game absorbed his attention so completely that it -seemed to him to last only a few minutes; but when it was over he found -that years had elapsed and leaves had actually sprouted from the wood -of his axe. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_7" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_7" class="fnanchor">7</a> - Two-year-old child. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_8" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_8" class="fnanchor">8</a> - Referring to the Lady of Akashi’s comparatively humble birth. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_9" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_9" class="fnanchor">9</a> - Quoting the old song: ‘Your village is so far away that I must go -back almost as soon as I come. Yet short as our meetings are perhaps we -should be still unhappier without them.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_10" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_10" class="fnanchor">10</a> - Allusion to an old poem. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_11" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_11" class="fnanchor">11</a> - The lady was unaware that he had been in love with her mistress -and imagined it was of his feelings for herself that Ukon was speaking. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_12" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_12" class="fnanchor">12</a> - Each competitor had to improvise a verse before the cup reached -him. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_13" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_13" class="fnanchor">13</a> - Many puns. <i>Katsura</i> = ‘laurel.’ Also, a <i>katsura</i>-tres was -supposed to grow in the moon. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_14" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_14" class="fnanchor">14</a> - The ‘next morning’ letter. -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_15" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_15" class="fnanchor">15</a> - The <i>mogi</i> or ‘First Putting On of the Skirt.’ -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> -<a id="Footnote_XVIII_16" href="#FNanchor_XVIII_16" class="fnanchor">16</a> - The two stars, Weaving Lady and Plough Boy, meet only on the -seventh day of the seventh month. -</div> - -<div class="transnote chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="tnotes">Transcriber’s Notes.</h2> - -<p>Text notes:</p> - - -<ol> - <li>Footnotes have been renumbered and placed at the end of each - chapter.</li> - <li>The bastard-title page prior to the main title page and the - half-title page preceding the main text have both been omitted. - They contained the words “THE SACRED TREE”.</li> - <li>For the HTML version, page numbers of the original printed text - are displayed within braces to the side of the text.</li> - <li>The original landscape orientation of the genealogical tables - has been changed to a portrait orientation by the transcriber in - order to provide a better view for eReaders. The Inkscape program - was used to produce a SVG image that was then converted to a - PNG image. The image is placed in the public domain.</li> - <li>In order to facilitate word wrapping, ellipses in the middle of - a sentence have been replaced with a group of three periods. This - group has a leading and, unless a comma is present, trailing blank - space added. Ellipses at the end of a sentence do not have a - leading blank space, but closing punctuation has been added if - needed.</li> - <li>Missing periods and quotation marks silently added.</li> - <li>Except as mentioned above and in the Change List that follows, every - effort has been made to replicate this first-edition text as - faithfully as possible, including non-standard punctuation, - inconsistently hyphenated words, and other inconsistencies.</li> -</ol> - - - - -<p>Change List:</p> - - -<ul class="errors"> - <li>Page 17<br /> - earliers writers lack <i>changed to</i><br /> - <a href="#typo_1">earlier</a> writers lack</li> - - <li>Page 176<br /> - uncertainity <i>changed to</i><br /> - <a href="#typo_2">uncertainty</a>.</li> - - <li>Page 203<br /> - Village of Falling Fowers <i>changed to</i><br /> - Village of Falling <a href="#typo_3">Flowers</a>.</li> - - <li>Page 264<br /> - himslf <i>changed to</i><br /> - <a href="#typo_4">himself</a>.</li> - - <li>Page 287<br /> - existance <i>changed to</i><br /> - <a href="#typo_5">existence</a>.</li> -</ul> -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SACRED TREE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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