In this place; if I stir the hate of those
With means, how helpless would I be! and like
A blind man who had lost his walking-stick.
A crippled man am I, and yet I dared
Unreasonable words to use in wrath.
Forgive I pray!
KAGEKIYO
Blind are my eyes and yet--
CHORUS
Blind are my eyes and yet I surely know
Another’s thought hid in a single word.
And if upon the mountains blows the wind
Against the pine trees, I can tell its source,
Whether it comes from snow or unseen flowers,--
Flowers only seen in dreams from which to wake
Is to regret! Again if in the bay
Upon the rough sea beaches dashing waves
Are heard, then I well know the evening tide
Is rising. Aye, to the great Taira clan
I do belong, and so to pleasure them
I’d give recitals of those olden days.
KAGEKIYO
How now, I wish to say a word to thee,
For it has troubled me that I just now
Used such quick-tempered words. For what I said
I pray thee pardon me.
VILLAGER
Well, that is naught.
So never mind it. And, has no one come,
To make inquiries here before I came?
KAGEKIYO
No, no. Except thy calling, none has been.
VILLAGER
Ho! ’Tis a lie thou sayest. Certainly
Did Kagekiyo’s noble daughter come.
Wherefore dost thou conceal? It is because
I feel her story is so pitiful
That I’ve come here with her.
[_To HITOMARU_]
So now at once
Meet with your father, see him face to face
[_KAGEKIYO keeps silence_]
HITOMARU
Pray, it is I, I who have come to you.
Cruel! The rain, the wind, the dew and frost
I minded not along that distant road,
While coming to you! And all this, alas,
Becomes as nothing! Does a Father’s love
Depend upon the nature of the child?[37]
Ah, heartless!
KAGEKIYO
Up till now I hoped to hide,
But now I am found out I am ashamed.
To hide my fleeting[38] self there is no place.
[_To HITOMARU_]
If, in thy flowering form thou shouldst proclaim
That we are child and parent, then thy name
Thou wouldst announce,[39] and when I think on this
I am resolved we part. Pray do not feel
Thy father harsh and this mere heartlessness!
CHORUS
Ah, truly is it sad! In olden times
I welcomed even strangers when they called,
And was displeased if they should pass me by.
And now its recompense! How sad it is!
To think that I had hoped that my own child
Should not have called on me. Alas, how sad!
When in their warships were the Taira clan,
When in their warships were the Taira clan,
So many were there that their shoulders touched
And in the crowded space the knees were crossed.
There scarce was room to live[40] beneath the moon--
And Kagekiyo more than any else
Was on the flagship indispensable.
His fellow officers and all the rest
Though rich in valour and in tactic powers
He did o’ertop. And as the ship is steered
By him who holds the rudder, so did he
Lead in the army and no difference
Ever occurred between him and his men.
All envied him, but now he is most like
A Unicorn, infirm with hoary age
And rather worse than a mere useless horse.[41]
VILLAGER
How now, Kagekiyo, I’d speak with thee!
Thy daughter’s wish is there, and she would hear
Of thy heroic deeds at Yashima
So tell her the brave story. Let her hear.
KAGEKIYO
’Tis somewhat unbecoming, her request!
Yet as she came from far and for my sake,
I’ll tell the story, but when it is done
Pray send her home again immediately.
VILLAGER
That shall be done. Thy story finished, I
Will send her back at once.
KAGEKIYO
Well then. The time
Was drawing toward the end of the third month
Of the third year of _Ju-ei_,[42] and our clan
Were in their warships while upon the land
The hordes of Minamoto gathered near.
Two armies were opposed upon the coast
And each one wished a contest to decide.
Then Noritsune, Lord of Noto, spoke
To all his people--“In our last year’s fights
From Muroyama down in Harima
To Mizushima, Hiyodorigoe
And all, we never had one victory.
To Yoshitsune’s[43] tactics this was due.
“By some means or another we must slay
This Kuro, and suggestions we desire
Of some good plan;” he deigned to say to them.
Then Kagekiyo in his mind resolved
That Hangwan was no devil nor a god,
So if I throw away my life for his,
I thought, it will be easy, so that this
To Noritsune was my last farewell.
And as I landed the Gen warriors
Did dash towards me to destroy my life.
CHORUS
This Kagekiyo saw,
This Kagekiyo saw, and crying out
“How clamorous!” He struck out with his sword
That in the evening sun flashed brilliantly.
Th’ opposing warriors at once gave way,
And he pursued, that they should not escape.
KAGEKIYO
This is deplorable for every one--
CHORUS
This is deplorable for every one!
’Tis mutual shame alike for the Gen clan
And for the Hei clan to look upon
So shouted I--thinking to stop one man
Is easy, and so underneath my arm
Carrying my sword--“A warrior am I
Of the great Hei clan, Kagekiyo
Some call the Boisterous,” and thus crying out
To seize them I pursued them. Then I caught
On Mihonoya’s helmet, but it slipped.
Again I caught, but once again it slipped
And thus three times did he escape, though I
Determined that he should not flee, for he,
He was the foe that I had chosen.
Eiya! As with the whole strength of my arms
I pulled, and as I hauled the cape broke off,
And part stayed in my hand,[44] but he escaped.
When at some distance from me, he turned back
And said, “Now thou art mighty strong of arm
Although thou didst allow me to escape.”
Then Kagekiyo answered back, “The strength
Lies in the neck bone of Mihonoya.”
So smiling, did we part to left and right.[45]
He who has told the tale of olden days--
Days ne’er forgotten--is now sadly waned
And e’en confused in mind. Ah, what a shame!
The end of all this woe of life is near,
For in this world at most my time is short.
At once return,[46] and when I am no more
I pray thee deign to offer prayers for me.
That in dark places there shall be a light
For this blind man, and over evil roads
A bridge. So will I look upon thy prayers.
“I stay,” said he, and she “I go,”
His ears retained but her one word “I go.”
And thus between the parent and the child
This was the legacy at last exchanged--
Between the parent and the child exchanged.
END OF “KAGEKIYO”
FOOTNOTES:
[29] Page 53--Kagekiyo’s full name is _Aku-Shichibioe Kagekiyo_.
_Aku_--literally means “wicked”; but sometimes has a special meaning of
“wild” or “boisterous,” as in the present case, where it intimates that
the man is rough in manners and strong in arms.
[30] I have put this all in one metre, making no difference between the
“words” and “song.” (See p. 33.)
[31] Page 56--In the original it reads, “Kamegaegayatsu in Kamakura”;
but as this will not fit into any possible metre the first word is left
out.
[32] Page 56--_Taira_ becomes _Hei_ when compounded with a following
character; thus Taira House is _Hei-Ke_. Similarly “Minamoto” becomes
_Gen_, thus _Gen-ji_ is the Minamoto family.
[33] Page 57--_Tōtōmi_, the name of one of the provinces through which
they came, means “distant bay.” Also _to_ or _tou_ with a different
ideagraph means “to ask.” _Mikana_, the name of another province
through which they passed, means “three rivers,” which leads to the
idea of bridges. But more than that, Mikana is noted for its eight
bridges, spanning over the streams which branch off like the legs
of a spider, which is _kumo_ in Japanese; and this idea leads on to
that of “clouds,” which are pronounced _kumo_, though written with a
different ideagraph. The idea of “clouds” leads on, finally, to that
of the “capital,” where only those of high rank “above the clouds” are
dwelling.
[34] Page 59--Kagekiyo takes up Hitomaru’s words, originally used in a
simple, physical sense, and applies them to the spiritual world. It is,
nevertheless, not supposed to be a dialogue; each is soliloquising.
[35] Page 60--And therefore could play no part in his warlike schemes.
[36] Page 63--The Chinese character for the name of the province means
“facing the sun.”
[37] Page 65--Meaning that if she had been a boy he would have welcomed
her; but now he takes no account of her hardships and difficulties in
reaching him.
[38] The words used give a suggestion of dew-like.
[39] Page 65--Proclaiming herself the child of an exile and beggar, to
her social detriment.
[40] Page 66--The word _sumu_, “to live,” also signifies “clear,” which
is associated in poetry with the moon, which in its turn leads to the
thought of shadow, _Kage_ leading to Kagekiyo.
[41] Page 66--A mythical animal, of which the nearest translation is
perhaps the unicorn. There is a proverb which states that though it is
the king of beasts, when old it is worse than a useless horse.
[42] Page 67--That is in the year 1185.
[43] Page 67--Yoshitsune’s complete name was _Kurō Hang wan
Yoshitsune_. One of these, or all three names may be applied to him. As
the three names make an impossible encumbrance for a line I only give
him one, even where the Japanese original calls him by his full name.
[44] Page 68--The jointed cape of his opponent’s armour.
[45] Page 68--The Minamoto clan were victorious, and when in power they
banished Kagekiyo as a specially dangerous enemy.
[46] The Chorus here speaks for Kagekiyo to Hitomaru.
TAMURA
RÉSUMÉ OF TAMURA
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
_Shite_: The Spirit of TAMURAMARU, a renowned warrior, in the first
part appearing as a youth, and in the second as a warrior.
_Waki_: A Travelling Priest.
_Chorus._
SCENE
The temple ground of Kiyomizu in Kioto, in March. The shrine of
Tamuramaru is erected in this ground.
There are only two actors in this piece, and it is even less dramatic
than the preceding. As it does not lend itself so well to complete
translation, I shall give the piece merely as a _résumé_, with a few
of the more beautiful lines rendered _in extenso_. This drama is
an admirable example of the use of a delicately toned, flower-like
foreground, as a setting for the warlike figure who recites tales of
his strenuous life, which is so characteristic of the construction of
the _Nō_.
* * * * *
The PRIEST enters first, and, as is often the case at the beginning of
a _Nō_, he recites an account of his hurried journey in the spring,
past the provincial capitals to the “nine-fold capital of the Emperor”
(Kioto). He speaks of the mild sky of the spring with the sun shrouded
by soft haze, and announces that he has now arrived at the Temple of
Kiyomizu (meaning clear water) with its peaceful waterfalls.
The YOUTH (Tamuramaru) now appears with a broom in his hand. He says:
“The spring has returned, and the flowers in their prime beauty make
natural offerings for the Goddess of the Temple. Though there are
many places famous for their blossoms they do not equal these, which
are illuminated by the light of Kannon’s[47] mercy, and this divine
mercy, bright as the autumn moon, even penetrates the village of the
ten evils and shines upon the lake of the five vices. These flowers
look like snow in the garden of the gods or white sand on the shore of
heaven’s sea, in which the mist and the clouds are all buried. So many
of them there are, and all are cherry flowers, some eight-fold, some
single-fold, as is the way in the spring of the nine-fold capital. And
all the mountains far and near likewise reflect the season of flowers.”
Beholding the Youth sweeping the petals, the PRIEST asks him if he is
the flower keeper. To this the YOUTH replies in the affirmative, saying
that he serves the Goddess of the Temple and that as he always sweeps
the petals in the season he may be looked on as the flower keeper, or
at any rate as one in the service of the Temple.
The PRIEST then asks him to relate minutely the history of the Temple.
Into this narrative the Youth plunges directly, stating that the Temple
was built in the second year of Daido[48] and founded by the wish of
Tamuramaru of Sakanoue. He continues to relate that there was once a
priest called Kenshin who had a great desire to behold the real form
of Kannon, and after his prayer he once saw a golden-coloured light
on the upper stream of the river Kotsu. He followed it and found an
old man, who said that he was Gyoe-Koji and told Kenshin to discover
a patron who would found a magnificent temple. But this so-called
Gyoe-Koji was really Kannon herself, and Tamuramaru was the patron of
whom she spoke. The CHORUS then speaks, for the Youth, of the universal
benevolence of Kannon, symbolised by her thousand merciful hands, every
one of which is ready to be extended to those in need, in answer to
their prayers.
The PRIEST declares that he has met an interesting person, and asks for
further information about the famous places around, questioning the
Youth about one to the south, where a mound is to be seen, and then
one to the north, whence an evening bell is heard. The YOUTH, after
replying that the one is the Seikan Temple and the other the Temple of
Washinowo, both famous in poetry, calls the attention of the Priest
to the moon rising from behind the Otowa mountain, and observes that
as the moon casts its peaceful light upon the cherry blossoms it is a
sight truly worth seeing.
The PRIEST says--
This is a season to be prized indeed,
This passing moment of a heartless Time
That flies so swiftly in the midst of Spring.
The YOUTH and the PRIEST both repeat: “A precious moment indeed!” Then
together they recite an old poem: “As precious as a thousand pieces of
gold is one moment of a spring evening with flowers of pure perfume and
the moon of silver brightness,” the YOUTH adding, “Ay, more precious
still is this very moment!”
The CHORUS chants in further praise of the flowers in the Temple
ground--
The moon between the cherry trees shines clear
And petals softly falling in the breeze
Dance in the air like gleaming flakes of snow
And make our hearts dance with them, light and glad.
A second chant of the CHORUS enlarges on the beauty of the flowers,
the greenness of foliage, the softness of the breeze and the charm of
the waterfall of Otowa, and concludes by referring once more to the
merciful light of the Goddess of the Temple, which is extended even to
inanimate objects, such as trees, and which accounts for the exquisite
scenery of the surroundings.
The CHORUS then asks (for the Priest) the name of the Youth, who does
not appear to be an ordinary person. To this the YOUTH replies: “A
nameless man am I, but if thou wishest to know who I am, observe where
I am going.” The CHORUS explains that the Youth then opens the door
of the Shrine of Tamuramaru, which is brightly lit by the moon, and
disappears within.
The second part of the Play opens with the PRIEST saying: “Under the
shadow of a cherry tree all through the night I stand, the petals fall
and dance in the air, the moon shines brilliant and clear, and in these
beautiful surroundings I say the midnight prayer.”
TAMURAMARU then appears in the form of a warrior, saying: “How thankful
am I to hear the voice of prayer, the midnight prayer from a passing
stranger! ’Tis Kannon’s mercy, her help. Oh, how grateful I am!”
The PRIEST observes how strange it is that he sees a manly figure in
the light of the glittering flowers, and asks who it is.
To this TAMURAMARU replies that he has now nothing to conceal, and
begins to tell the story of his life by stating that in the reign of
Emperor Heize[49] he was Tamuramaru of Sakanoue, who was to conquer the
Eastern barbarians, the fiends, and that by the help of the Goddess
of this Temple he had power to do it. The story is then told by the
CHORUS, who recounts that, according to the Emperor’s declaration, the
powerful and rebellious fiends in Seishu must be put down and peace
must be restored. Tamuramaru collected the army, and when ready to
start he came to this Temple and prayed to Kannon that he might gain
the victory. “There was a strange but good omen,” breaks in TAMURAMARU,
and the CHORUS goes on to recount with what exultation he set out at
once to strike at the rebels.
Another chant of the CHORUS describes the march of Tamuramaru and
his army to the seat of the rebels. They travelled far, going over
the mountain pass of Ōsaka and through the forest of Awazu; stopping
to adore the Temple of Ishiyama, noted for its mirage, where also
Kannon is enshrined; and crossing over the long bridge of Seta, which
resounded gallantly as horses trotted over it. At last they reached
the province of Isé (or Seishu), and, convinced of their victory, for
they were waging a just war, were more encouraged than ever, every one
of them desiring to show his bravery and strike the first blow at the
rebels. Happily, moreover, with the help of Kannon, the fiends, though
they were numerous, were unconscious of their arrival.
With thundering voice, which shook trees and rivers, even the
mountains, and which echoed through the heavens and reached to the
deepest earth, TAMURAMARU then spoke thus: “You, fiends, hear what I
say. In older times there was once a rebel called Chikata, and the
heavenly punishment descended upon him and the fiends who served him,
and they were at once defeated.”
The CHORUS then describes how the fiends came on in battle, raising
thick clouds and pouring down iron-fire, and by their magic art
creating thousands of armed men. They looked like the sea of Isé, or
the forest of Ano, so mighty were they and so numerous!
TAMURAMARU breaks in: “There behold, how astonishing!” and the
CHORUS goes on to explain that over his own army the light of the
thousand-handed Kannon appeared, flying in space, with a bow of mercy
and arrows of wisdom in each of her thousand hands, so that the arrows
poured down like rain and hail over the enemy till all were struck and
not one was left alive. Hence it was by Kannon’s power that the victory
was gained, and to her should be rendered eternal gratitude.
The play, which was written essentially in praise of the virtues and
powers of Kannon, is attributed to Motokiyo, the author of Kagekiyo
(see p. 53).
END OF “TAMURA”
FOOTNOTES:
[47] Or Kwannon, the Goddess of Mercy, one of the principal deities in
the popular religion of Japan to-day.
[48] = 807 A.D.
[49] The reign of Emperor Heize = 806-809 A.D.
THE SUMIDA RIVER
Authorship of the Play
The play is attributed to _Motomasa_, who was a grandchild of the
famous Kiyotsugu (see p. 7) and who died in 1459. The exact date of its
composition is uncertain, but it was most likely within the first half
of the fifteenth century.
Outline of the Story
A little child, the only son of his widowed mother (and owing to the
laws regarding the continuation of families in Japan that means much
more there than it does in Europe), was kidnapped from his home. The
play opens a year after this had happened, and we meet the mother
hurrying toward the Sumida river, which she crosses in the ferry. She
has had a long journey from the City Royal (Kioto) in her search for
the child. While she is in the ferry, the ferryman tells the passengers
of a festival to be held in the place that evening in memory of a
little lad who died on the road just a year ago. The mother questions
him, and learns that it is _her_ child for whom the villagers are about
to meet in prayer. The ferryman prevails on her to join in the prayers,
and for a moment the ghost of the little one appears and speaks with
her.
[Illustration: PLATE 7.
SUMIDAGAWA
_This illustration from a Japanese coloured woodcut is not so good as
could be desired, but was the only one available. It shows the Mother
on the left, and reveals the simple, open way in which the actor wears
the woman’s mask. The little rectangular instrument at her feet is that
used for striking the gong of prayer (+see p. 92+). The small
figure to the right is the ghost of the little son who died, and whom
she has set out to seek. Notice his entirely unnatural wig of hair. In
the square insets above him are representations of the “Birds of the
City Royal” (+see p. 83+) spoken of so much in the text, and the
words “I adore the Eternal Buddha” in Chinese ideographs._ ]
Comments on the Play
In this _Nō_ there is much greater expression of tender, human
sentiment than is common in the pieces. It contains also several
charming descriptions of Nature, sometimes with a deeper meaning
beneath them. For example--
If one but waits
The wind vibrates
The branches of the pine trees till they speak.
Throughout the piece also there are very many allusions to and plays
upon classical verses, particularly in relation to the “Bird of the
City Royal” and Narihira’s poems (see p. 83).
The predominating thought in the piece, however, is the Buddhistic
conception of the transitoriness of human life, and of the frail nature
even of the bond that unites a loving mother and her child.
Fleeting as are the gleaming drops of dew,
Desolate as the moor of Makuzu
In autumn, is this world of lost delight.
THE SUMIDA RIVER
A TRANSLATION OF THE JAPANESE _NŌ, SUMIDA GAWA_
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
The Mother _Shite_
The Ferryman _Waki_
A Traveller.
Spirit of the Child.
The Chorus.
SCENE
The banks of the Sumida River in the province of Musashi, toward
evening.
FERRYMAN [_Words_]
I am he who plies the ferry in the province of Musashi,
Over Sumida, the river, known to many far and wide.
And to-day my boat must hurry with its many loads of people,
For our village holds a festival of universal prayer.
On this day both priest and layman with no thought of their
distinction
Will remember this great matter and assemble one and all.
TRAVELLER [_Song_]
The goal of my long journey is the East,
The goal of my long journey is the East,
Far Azuma,[50] and like its distance stretch
My days of travel, long in weary thought.
[_Words_]
From the capital I travel,[51] I who now am speaking to you,
And I journey on to Azuma to visit there a friend.
[_Song_]
Behind me rise the mountains I have passed
Faint in the distance as the clouds and mists.
Behind me rise the mountains I have passed
Faint in the distance as the clouds and mists.
O’er many a mountain path my way has lain,
Wide province after province have I crossed.
Before me now lies the great Sumida,
The river of renown, and at my feet
The waiting ferry do I now behold,
The waiting ferry do I now behold.
[_Words_]
I have hurried, for already, ’tis the ferry of the river,
And behold, the boat is leaving, I must enter it at once.
What ho! Boatman! stay a moment. I would travel in your boat.
FERRYMAN [_Words_]
Very good, sir! Now at once though, may it please you to get in.
Yet I first would like to ask you, what is that loud noise behind you,
There behind, whence you have travelled. What’s the matter, may I ask?
TRAVELLER [_Words_]
’Tis a woman who is coming from the capital and acting
Like a mad thing in a queer ecstatic way. I saw her there.
FERRYMAN [_Words_]
Oh, in that case let us tarry till the mad thing can o’ertake us,
We can stay the boat a little, for this way she’ll surely come.
THE MOTHER [_Song_][52]
Darkness entire can never hold its sway
Within a mother’s heart, and yet for love
Of her sweet child she is a wanderer.
Ah! painfully I know for the first time
The bitter truth contained within these words.
I ask all those who pass
Along the snowy way[53]
To Azuma to say
Where lies my little love.
There is no news. Alas!
No answer can I find.
Shall I then ask the wind
That blows unseen above?
CHORUS
If one but waits
The wind vibrates
The branches of the pine trees till they speak.
If one stays still
He often will
Have brought to him the tidings he does seek.[54]
THE MOTHER [_Song_]
Fleeting as are the gleaming drops of dew,
Desolate as the moor of Makuzu
In autumn, is this world of lost delight.
CHORUS
Fretted with sorrow pass her day and night.
THE MOTHER [_Song_]
I am a woman who had lived for years
At Kitajirikawa in the capital;
When suddenly I lost my only child,
Lured from me by a man who kidnapped him.
They told me that beyond Ōsaka’s pass[55],
Far to the East, to Azuma, he went.
And since I heard it I have felt my mind
Losing its hold on ordinary things,
Set only, full of love, upon the way
The child did follow. Tracing out the marks
Of his dear feet, I wander here and there.
CHORUS
I
Thousands of miles the journey is in length,
Yet never does the parent’s heart forget
The child she loves and seeks. So do we hear.
CHORUS
II