FLOWER-FEAST
Towards the end of February the cherry flowers at the front of the
Southern Palace were coming into blossom, and a feast was given to
celebrate the occasion. The weather was most lovely, and the merry
birds were singing their melody to the charms of the scene. All the
Royal Princes, nobles and _literati_ were assembled, and among them
the Emperor made his appearance, accompanied by the Princess Wistaria
(now Empress) on the one side, and the Niogo of Kokiden, the mother of
the Heir-apparent on the other; the latter having constrained herself
to take part with her rival in the _fête_, in spite of her uneasiness
at the recent promotion of that rival.
When all the seats were taken the composing[75] of poems, as was the
custom, commenced, and they began picking up the rhymes. The turn came
in due course to Genji, who picked up the word spring. Next to Genji,
Tô-no-Chiûjiô took his.
Many more followed them, including several aged professors, who had
often been present on similar occasions, with faces wrinkled by time,
and figures bowed by the weight of years. The movements and
announcements[76] both of Genji and his brother-in-law were elegant
and graceful, as might be expected; but among those who followed there
were not a few who showed awkwardness, this being more the case with
scholars of ordinary accomplishments, since this was an epoch when the
Emperor, the Heir-apparent and others of high distinction were more or
less accomplished in these arts.
Meanwhile, they all partook of the feast; the selected musicians
joyfully played their parts, and as the sun was setting, "The
Spring-lark Sings" (name of a dance) was danced. This reminded those
present of Genji's dance at the maple _fête_, and the Heir-apparent
pressed him to dance, at the same moment putting on his head a wreath
of flowers. Upon this Genji stood up, and waving his sleeves, danced a
little. Tô-no-Chiûjiô was next requested by the Emperor to do the same
thing, and he danced the "Willow Flower Gardens" most elaborately, and
was honored by the Emperor with a present of a roll of silk. After
them, many young nobles danced indiscriminately, one after another,
but we cannot give an opinion about them as the darkness was already
gathering round. Lamps were at length brought, when the reading of the
poems took place, and late in the evening all present dispersed.
The palace grounds now became quite tranquil, and over them the moon
shone with her soft light.
Genji, his temper mellowed by _saké_, was tempted to take a stroll to
see what he could see. He first sauntered round Fuji-Tsubo (the
chamber of Wistaria) and came up by the side of the corridor of
Kokiden. He noticed a small private door standing open. It seems that
the Niogo was in her upper chamber at the Emperor's quarters, having
gone there after she retired from the feast. The inner sliding door
was also left open, and no human voice was heard from within.
"Such are occasions on which one often compromises one's self,"
thought he, and yet slowly approached the entrance. Just at that
moment he heard a tender voice coming toward him, humming, "Nothing so
sweet as the _oboro_[77] moon-night." Genji waited her approach, and
caught her by the sleeve. It made her start. "Who are you?" she
exclaimed. "Don't be alarmed," he replied, and gently led her back to
the corridor. He then added, "Let us look out on the moonlight
together." She was, of course, nervous, and would fain have cried out.
"Hush," said he; "know that I am one with whom no one will interfere;
be gentle, and let us talk a little while." These words convinced her
that it was Prince Genji, and calmed her fears.
It appears that he had taken more _saké_ than usual, and this made him
rather reckless. The girl, on the other hand, was still very young,
but she was witty and pleasantly disposed, and spent some time in
conversing with him.
He did not yet know who she was, and asked, "Can't you let me know
your name? Suppose I wish to write to you hereafter?" But she gave no
decided answer; so Genji, after exchanging his fan with hers, left her
and quietly returned to his apartments.
Genji's thoughts were now directed to his new acquaintance. He was
convinced that she was one of the younger sisters of the Niogo. He
knew that one of them was married to a Prince, one of his own
relations, and another to his brother-in-law, Tô-no-Chiûjiô. He was
perfectly sure that his new acquaintance was not either of these, and
he presumed her to be the fifth or sixth of them, but was not sure
which of these two.
"How can I ascertain this?" he thought. "If I compromise myself, and
her father becomes troublesome, that won't do; but yet I must know."
The fan which he had just acquired was of the color of cherry. On it
was a picture representing the pale moon coming out of a purple cloud,
throwing a dim light upon the water.
To Genji this was precious. He wrote on one side the following, and
kept it carefully, with a longing for the chance of making it
useful:--
"The moon I love has left the sky,
And where 'tis hid I cannot tell;
I search in vain, in vain I try
To find the spot where it may dwell."
Now, it so happened that on a certain day at the end of March, an
archery meeting was to be held at Udaijin's, in which numerous noble
youths were to be present, and which was to be succeeded by the
Wistaria flower-feast. The height of the flower season was past, but
there were two cherry-trees, besides the Wistaria in the gardens,
which blossomed later. A new building in the ground, which had been
decorated for the occasion of the Mogi[78] of the two Princesses, was
being beautifully arranged for this occasion.
Genji also had been told one day at Court by Udaijin that he might
join the meeting. When the day came Genji did not arrive early.
Udaijin sent by one of his sons the following haughty message to
Genji, who was at the time with the Emperor:--
"If the flowers of my home were of every-day hue,
Why should they so long a time have tarried for you?"
Genji at once showed this to the Emperor, asking whether he had better
go. "Ah!" said the latter, smiling, "This is from a great personage.
You had better go, I should think; besides there are the Princesses
there."
Thereupon he prepared to go, and made his appearance late in the
afternoon.
The party was very pleasant, although the archery-match was almost
finished, and several hours were spent in different amusements. As
twilight fell around, Genji affected to be influenced by the _saké_ he
had taken, left the party, and went to that part of the Palace where
the Princesses lived. The Wistaria flowers in the gardens could also
be seen from this spot, and several ladies were looking out on them.
"I have been too much pressed. Let me take a little quiet shelter
here," said Genji, as he joined them. The room was nicely scented with
burning perfume. There he saw his two half-sisters and some others
with whom he was not acquainted. He was certain that the one he wished
to ascertain about was among them, but from the darkness of the
advancing evening he was unable to distinguish her. He adopted a
device for doing so. He hummed, as he looked vacantly around, the
"Ishi-kawa,"[79] but instead of the original line, "My belt being
taken," artfully, and in an arch tone, substituted the word "fan" for
"belt."
Some were surprised at this change, while others even said, "What a
strange Ishi-kawa!" One only said nothing, but looked down, and thus
betrayed herself as the one whom he was seeking, and Genji was soon at
her side.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 75: Composing poems in Chinese was a principal part of the
feast. The form of it is this, a Court scholar selects in obedience to
Imperial command, the subject, and then writes different words on
pieces of paper and places them on a table in the gardens, folded up.
Two of these are first picked out for the Emperor, and then each one
after another, according to precedence, goes to the table, takes one,
and these words form their rhymes.]
[Footnote 76: It was also the custom, when each had taken his paper,
to read it aloud, and also to announce his particular title or
station.]
[Footnote 77: "Oboro" is an adjective meaning calm, and little
glaring, and is specially attributed to the moon in spring. The line
is from an old ode.]
[Footnote 78: The ceremony of girls putting on a dress marking the
commencement of womanhood, corresponding to the Gembuk in the case of
boys. These princesses were the daughters of the Niogo of Kokiden. It
was the custom that royal children should be brought up at the home of
the mother.]
[Footnote 79: Name of a well-known ballad.]