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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section sixteen of Genji Monogotari by Murasaki Shikibu. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain Section sixteen Yomogibu overgrown mugwort.
When Genji was an exile on the sea coast, many
people had been longing for his return. Among these was
(00:21):
the Princess Hitachi. She was, as we have seen, the
survivor of his royal father, and the kindness which she
had received from Genji was to her like the reflection
of the broad starlit sky in a basin of water.
After Genji left the capital, however, no correspondence ever passed
between them. Several of her servants left her, and her
(00:42):
residence became more lonely than ever. A fox might have
found a covert in the overgrown shrubbery, and the cry
of the owl might have been heard among the thick branches.
One might imagine some mysterious tree spirit to reign there. Nevertheless,
such grounds as these, surrounded with lofty trees, are more
tempting to those who desire to have a stylish dwelling. Hence,
(01:06):
there were several jurios local governess who had become rich
and having returned from different provinces sounded the princess to
see if she were inclined to part with her residents,
but this she always refused to do, saying that however
unfortunate she might be, she was not able to give
up a mansion inherited from her parents. The mansion contained
(01:28):
also a store of rare and antique articles. Several fashionable
persons endeavored to induce the princess to part with them,
but such people appeared only contemptible to her, and she
looked upon them as proposing such a thing solely because
they knew she was poor. Her attendants sometimes suggested to
her that it was, by no means an uncommon occurrence
(01:50):
for wonder dispose of such articles when destiny necessitated the sacrifice.
But her reply was that these things had been handed
down to her only that she might make of them,
and that she would be violating the wishes of the
dead if she consented to part with them, allowing them
to become the ornament of the dwellings of some low
born upstarts. Scarcely anyone paid a visit to her dwelling,
(02:13):
her only occasional visitor being her brother, a priest who
came to see her when he came to the capital,
but he was a man of eccentric character and was
not very flourishing in his circumstances, such being the state
of affairs with the Princess Hitachi. The grounds of her
mansion became more and more desolate and wild, the mugwort
(02:34):
growing so tall that it reached the verandah. The surrounding
walls of massive earth broke down here and there and
crumbled away, being trampled over by wandering cattle. In spring
and summer, boys would sometimes play there. In the autumn,
a gale blew down a corridor and carried away part
of the shingle roof. Only one blessing remained there. No
(02:56):
thief intruded into the enclosure, as no temptation was offered
to them for their attack. But never did the princess
lose her accustomed reserve which her parents had instilled into
her mind. Society for her had no attractions. She solaced
the hours of her loneliness by looking over ancient story
(03:17):
books and poems which were stored in the old bookshelves,
such as the Karamori, har Koya no Toji or Kakia haim.
These with their illustrations were her chief resources. Now, a
sister of the princess's mother had married Adurio and had
already borne him a daughter. This marriage had been considered
(03:39):
an unequal match by the father of the princess, and
for this reason she was not very friendly with the family. Jijiu, however,
who was a daughter of the princess's nurse and who
still remained with the princess, used to go to her.
This aunt was influenced by a secret feeling of spite,
and when Jijiu visited her, she often whispered to her
(04:01):
many things which did not become her as a lady.
It seems to me that where a lady of ordinary
degree is elevated to a higher position, she often acquires
a refinement like one originally belonging to it. But there
are other women who, when degraded from their ranks, spoil
their taste and habits, just like the lady in question.
(04:23):
She fondly hoped to revenge herself for having been formally
looked down upon by showing an apparent kindness to the
Princess Hitachi, and by wishing to take her into her
home and make her wait upon her daughters. With this view,
she told Jiju to tell her mistress to come to her,
and Jiju did so, but the princess did not comply
(04:44):
with this request. In the meantime, the lady's husband was
appointed Dini senior Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, and they
were to go down to Susi modern Kyusyu. She wished
to take the princess with her a and told her
that she felt sorry to go to such a far
off locality, leaving her in present circumstances, But the latter
(05:07):
still unhesitatingly replied in the negative and declined the offer,
whereupon her aunt tauntingly remarked that she was too proud,
and that however exalted she might think herself, no one,
not even Genji, would show her any further attention. About
this time, Genji returned, but for some while she heard
nothing from him, and only the public rejoicing of many
(05:30):
people and the news about him from the outside world
reached her ears. This gave her aunt a further opportunity
of repeating the same taunts. She said, see now who
cares for you in your present circumstances. It is not
praiseworthy to display such self importance as you did in
the lifetime of your father. And again she pressed her
(05:51):
to go with her, but the princess still clung to
the hope that the time would come when Genji would
remember her and renew his kindness. One day, quite unexpectedly,
the aunt arrived at the mansion, bringing as a present
address for the princess. Her carriage dashed into the garden
in a most pompous style and drove right up to
(06:12):
the sudden front of the building. Jujou went to meet
her and conducted her into the princess's apartment. I must
soon be leaving the capital, said the visitor. It is
not my wish to leave you behind. But she would
not listen to me. And now there is no help
but this one, this Jujou, at least I wish to
take with me. I have come to day to fetch her.
(06:33):
I cannot understand how you can be content with your
present condition. Here she manifested a certain sadness, but her
delight at her husband's promotion was unmistakable, and she continued.
When your father was alive, I was looked down upon
by him, which caused a coolness between us. But nevertheless,
I at no time entertained any ill will towards you.
(06:55):
Only you were much favored by Prince Genji, as I heard,
which made me staying from visiting you often. But fortune
is fickle, for those in a humble position often enjoy comfort,
and those that are higher in station are not quite
so well circumstanced. I do really feel sorry to leave
you behind. The princess said very little, But her answer was,
(07:18):
I really thank you for your kind attention. But I
do not think I am now fit to move about
in the world. I shall be quite happy to bury
myself under this roof. Well you may think so, but
it is simply foolish to abandon oneself and to bury
one's life under such a mass of dilapidation. Have Prince
Genji been kind enough to repair the place? It might
(07:38):
have become transformed into a golden palace, and how joyous
would it not be. But this you cannot expect. As
far as I am informed, the daughter of Prince yob
Kio is the only favorite of the prince, and no
one else shares his attention, all his old favorites being
now abandoned. How then, can you expect him to say
(07:59):
that because you have been faithful to him, he will
therefore come to you again. These words touched the princess,
but she gave no vent to her feelings. The visitor
therefore harried Juju to get ready, saying that they must
leave before the dusk. When I hear what the lady says,
says Juju, it sounds to me very reasonable. But when
(08:21):
I see how anxious the princess is, that also seems natural.
As I am puzzled between the two. Let me, however,
say this, I will only see the lady off to day. Nevertheless,
the princess foresaw that Juju was going to leave her,
and she thought of giving her some souvenir. Her own
dress was not to be thought of, as it was
(08:43):
too old. Fortunately, she had a long tress of false
hair about nine feet long, made of the hair which
had fallen from her own head. This she put into
an old casket and gave it to Juju with a
jar of rare perfume. Juju had been in a pendant
on the princess for a very long time. Besides her mother.
(09:04):
The nurse, before she died, told the princess and her
daughter that she hoped they might belong together. So the
parting with Juju was very trying to the princess, who
said to her that though she could not blame her
for leaving, she still felt sorry to lose her. To this,
Juju replied that she never forgot the wishes of her
mother and was only too happy to share joy and
(09:26):
sorrow with the princess. Yet she was sorry to say
that circumstances obliged her to leave her for some time.
But before she could say much, she was hurried away
by the visitor. It was one evening in April of
the following year that Genji happened to be going to
the Villa of the Falling Flowers and passed by the
mansion of the Princess. There was in the garden a
(09:48):
large pine tree, from whose branches the beautiful clusters of
a wistaria hung in rich profusion. A sigh of the
evening breeze shook them as they hung in the silver moonlight,
and scattered their rich fragrance towards the wayfarer. There was
also a weeping willow close by, whose pencil tresses of
new verdure touched the half broken walls of earth underneath.
(10:13):
When Genji beheld this beautiful scene from his carriage, he
at once remembered it was a place he had seen before.
He stopped his carriage and said to Koromitz, who was
with him as usual, is this not the mansion of
the Princess Hitachi? Yes, it is, replied Kromitz. Do ask
if she is still here, said Genji. This is a
good chance I will see her if she was at home.
(10:36):
Ask Kromitz entered, and, proceeding to the door, called out
an old woman from the inside demanded who he was.
Koromitz announced himself and asked if Juju was within. The
old woman replied that she was not, but that she
herself was the same as Juju. Koromitz recognized her as
an aunt of the latter. He then asked her about
(10:58):
the princess and told her of Genji's intention to his inquiries.
He soon obtained a satisfactory answer and duly reported it
to Genji, who now felt a pang of remorse for
his long negligence of one so badly circumstanced. He descended
from his carriage, but the pathway was all but overgrown
with tall mugwort, which was wet with a passing shower.
(11:22):
Sir Koramitz whisked them with his whip and led him
in inside. Meanwhile, the princess, though she felt very pleased,
experienced a feeling of shyness. Her aunt, it will be remembered,
had presented her with a suitable dress, which she had
hitherto had no pleasure in wearing, and had kept it
in a box which had originally contained perfume. She now
(11:44):
took this out and put it on. Genji was presently
shown into the room. It is a long time since
I saw you last, said Genji, but still I have
never forgotten you. Only I heard nothing from you. So
I waited till now, and here I find myself once more.
The princess, as usual, said very little, only thanking him
for his visit. He then addressed her in many kind
(12:07):
and affectionate words, many of which he might not really
have meant, and after a considerable stay, he at last
took his departure. This was about the time of the
feast in the Temple of Kamo, and Genji received several
presents under various pretexts. He distributed these presents among his friends,
such as those in the Villa of the Falling Flowers,
(12:29):
and to the princess. He also sent his servant to
the mansion of the latter to cut down the rampant mugwort,
and he restored the grounds to proper order. Moreover, he
had a wodden enclosure place all round the garden. So
far as the world hitherto knew about Genji, he was
supposed only to cast his eyes on extraordinary and pre
(12:50):
eminent beauties. But we see in him a very different character.
In the present instance, he showed so much kindness to
the Princess Hitachi, who was by no means distinguished for
her beauty, and who still bore a mark on her
nose which might remind one of a role ripened fruit
carried by mountaineers. How was this It might have been
(13:10):
preordained to be so. The princess continued to live in
the mansion for two years, and then she removed to
a part of a newly built eastern mansion belonging to Genji,
where she lived happily under the kind care of the prince,
though he had much difficulty in coming often to see her.
I would fain describe the astonishment of her aunt when
she returned from the Western Island and saw the princess's
(13:32):
happy condition, and how Judu regretted having left her too hastily.
But my head is aching and my fingers are tired.
So I shall wait for some future opportunity when I
may again take up the thread of my story. End
of section sixteen.
Section sixteen of Genji Monogotari by Murasaki Shikibu. This LibriVox
recording is in the public domain Section sixteen Yomogibu overgrown mugwort.
When Genji was an exile on the sea coast, many
people had been longing for his return. Among these was
(00:21):
the Princess Hitachi. She was, as we have seen, the
survivor of his royal father, and the kindness which she
had received from Genji was to her like the reflection
of the broad starlit sky in a basin of water.
After Genji left the capital, however, no correspondence ever passed
between them. Several of her servants left her, and her
(00:42):
residence became more lonely than ever. A fox might have
found a covert in the overgrown shrubbery, and the cry
of the owl might have been heard among the thick branches.
One might imagine some mysterious tree spirit to reign there. Nevertheless,
such grounds as these, surrounded with lofty trees, are more
tempting to those who desire to have a stylish dwelling. Hence,
(01:06):
there were several jurios local governess who had become rich
and having returned from different provinces sounded the princess to
see if she were inclined to part with her residents,
but this she always refused to do, saying that however
unfortunate she might be, she was not able to give
up a mansion inherited from her parents. The mansion contained
(01:28):
also a store of rare and antique articles. Several fashionable
persons endeavored to induce the princess to part with them,
but such people appeared only contemptible to her, and she
looked upon them as proposing such a thing solely because
they knew she was poor. Her attendants sometimes suggested to
her that it was, by no means an uncommon occurrence
(01:50):
for wonder dispose of such articles when destiny necessitated the sacrifice.
But her reply was that these things had been handed
down to her only that she might make of them,
and that she would be violating the wishes of the
dead if she consented to part with them, allowing them
to become the ornament of the dwellings of some low
born upstarts. Scarcely anyone paid a visit to her dwelling,
(02:13):
her only occasional visitor being her brother, a priest who
came to see her when he came to the capital,
but he was a man of eccentric character and was
not very flourishing in his circumstances, such being the state
of affairs with the Princess Hitachi. The grounds of her
mansion became more and more desolate and wild, the mugwort
(02:34):
growing so tall that it reached the verandah. The surrounding
walls of massive earth broke down here and there and
crumbled away, being trampled over by wandering cattle. In spring
and summer, boys would sometimes play there. In the autumn,
a gale blew down a corridor and carried away part
of the shingle roof. Only one blessing remained there. No
(02:56):
thief intruded into the enclosure, as no temptation was offered
to them for their attack. But never did the princess
lose her accustomed reserve which her parents had instilled into
her mind. Society for her had no attractions. She solaced
the hours of her loneliness by looking over ancient story
(03:17):
books and poems which were stored in the old bookshelves,
such as the Karamori, har Koya no Toji or Kakia haim.
These with their illustrations were her chief resources. Now, a
sister of the princess's mother had married Adurio and had
already borne him a daughter. This marriage had been considered
(03:39):
an unequal match by the father of the princess, and
for this reason she was not very friendly with the family. Jijiu, however,
who was a daughter of the princess's nurse and who
still remained with the princess, used to go to her.
This aunt was influenced by a secret feeling of spite,
and when Jijiu visited her, she often whispered to her
(04:01):
many things which did not become her as a lady.
It seems to me that where a lady of ordinary
degree is elevated to a higher position, she often acquires
a refinement like one originally belonging to it. But there
are other women who, when degraded from their ranks, spoil
their taste and habits, just like the lady in question.
(04:23):
She fondly hoped to revenge herself for having been formally
looked down upon by showing an apparent kindness to the
Princess Hitachi, and by wishing to take her into her
home and make her wait upon her daughters. With this view,
she told Jiju to tell her mistress to come to her,
and Jiju did so, but the princess did not comply
(04:44):
with this request. In the meantime, the lady's husband was
appointed Dini senior Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, and they
were to go down to Susi modern Kyusyu. She wished
to take the princess with her a and told her
that she felt sorry to go to such a far
off locality, leaving her in present circumstances, But the latter
(05:07):
still unhesitatingly replied in the negative and declined the offer,
whereupon her aunt tauntingly remarked that she was too proud,
and that however exalted she might think herself, no one,
not even Genji, would show her any further attention. About
this time, Genji returned, but for some while she heard
nothing from him, and only the public rejoicing of many
(05:30):
people and the news about him from the outside world
reached her ears. This gave her aunt a further opportunity
of repeating the same taunts. She said, see now who
cares for you in your present circumstances. It is not
praiseworthy to display such self importance as you did in
the lifetime of your father. And again she pressed her
(05:51):
to go with her, but the princess still clung to
the hope that the time would come when Genji would
remember her and renew his kindness. One day, quite unexpectedly,
the aunt arrived at the mansion, bringing as a present
address for the princess. Her carriage dashed into the garden
in a most pompous style and drove right up to
(06:12):
the sudden front of the building. Jujou went to meet
her and conducted her into the princess's apartment. I must
soon be leaving the capital, said the visitor. It is
not my wish to leave you behind. But she would
not listen to me. And now there is no help
but this one, this Jujou, at least I wish to
take with me. I have come to day to fetch her.
(06:33):
I cannot understand how you can be content with your
present condition. Here she manifested a certain sadness, but her
delight at her husband's promotion was unmistakable, and she continued.
When your father was alive, I was looked down upon
by him, which caused a coolness between us. But nevertheless,
I at no time entertained any ill will towards you.
(06:55):
Only you were much favored by Prince Genji, as I heard,
which made me staying from visiting you often. But fortune
is fickle, for those in a humble position often enjoy comfort,
and those that are higher in station are not quite
so well circumstanced. I do really feel sorry to leave
you behind. The princess said very little, But her answer was,
(07:18):
I really thank you for your kind attention. But I
do not think I am now fit to move about
in the world. I shall be quite happy to bury
myself under this roof. Well you may think so, but
it is simply foolish to abandon oneself and to bury
one's life under such a mass of dilapidation. Have Prince
Genji been kind enough to repair the place? It might
(07:38):
have become transformed into a golden palace, and how joyous
would it not be. But this you cannot expect. As
far as I am informed, the daughter of Prince yob
Kio is the only favorite of the prince, and no
one else shares his attention, all his old favorites being
now abandoned. How then, can you expect him to say
(07:59):
that because you have been faithful to him, he will
therefore come to you again. These words touched the princess,
but she gave no vent to her feelings. The visitor
therefore harried Juju to get ready, saying that they must
leave before the dusk. When I hear what the lady says,
says Juju, it sounds to me very reasonable. But when
(08:21):
I see how anxious the princess is, that also seems natural.
As I am puzzled between the two. Let me, however,
say this, I will only see the lady off to day. Nevertheless,
the princess foresaw that Juju was going to leave her,
and she thought of giving her some souvenir. Her own
dress was not to be thought of, as it was
(08:43):
too old. Fortunately, she had a long tress of false
hair about nine feet long, made of the hair which
had fallen from her own head. This she put into
an old casket and gave it to Juju with a
jar of rare perfume. Juju had been in a pendant
on the princess for a very long time. Besides her mother.
(09:04):
The nurse, before she died, told the princess and her
daughter that she hoped they might belong together. So the
parting with Juju was very trying to the princess, who
said to her that though she could not blame her
for leaving, she still felt sorry to lose her. To this,
Juju replied that she never forgot the wishes of her
mother and was only too happy to share joy and
(09:26):
sorrow with the princess. Yet she was sorry to say
that circumstances obliged her to leave her for some time.
But before she could say much, she was hurried away
by the visitor. It was one evening in April of
the following year that Genji happened to be going to
the Villa of the Falling Flowers and passed by the
mansion of the Princess. There was in the garden a
(09:48):
large pine tree, from whose branches the beautiful clusters of
a wistaria hung in rich profusion. A sigh of the
evening breeze shook them as they hung in the silver moonlight,
and scattered their rich fragrance towards the wayfarer. There was
also a weeping willow close by, whose pencil tresses of
new verdure touched the half broken walls of earth underneath.
(10:13):
When Genji beheld this beautiful scene from his carriage, he
at once remembered it was a place he had seen before.
He stopped his carriage and said to Koromitz, who was
with him as usual, is this not the mansion of
the Princess Hitachi? Yes, it is, replied Kromitz. Do ask
if she is still here, said Genji. This is a
good chance I will see her if she was at home.
(10:36):
Ask Kromitz entered, and, proceeding to the door, called out
an old woman from the inside demanded who he was.
Koromitz announced himself and asked if Juju was within. The
old woman replied that she was not, but that she
herself was the same as Juju. Koromitz recognized her as
an aunt of the latter. He then asked her about
(10:58):
the princess and told her of Genji's intention to his inquiries.
He soon obtained a satisfactory answer and duly reported it
to Genji, who now felt a pang of remorse for
his long negligence of one so badly circumstanced. He descended
from his carriage, but the pathway was all but overgrown
with tall mugwort, which was wet with a passing shower.
(11:22):
Sir Koramitz whisked them with his whip and led him
in inside. Meanwhile, the princess, though she felt very pleased,
experienced a feeling of shyness. Her aunt, it will be remembered,
had presented her with a suitable dress, which she had
hitherto had no pleasure in wearing, and had kept it
in a box which had originally contained perfume. She now
(11:44):
took this out and put it on. Genji was presently
shown into the room. It is a long time since
I saw you last, said Genji, but still I have
never forgotten you. Only I heard nothing from you. So
I waited till now, and here I find myself once more.
The princess, as usual, said very little, only thanking him
for his visit. He then addressed her in many kind
(12:07):
and affectionate words, many of which he might not really
have meant, and after a considerable stay, he at last
took his departure. This was about the time of the
feast in the Temple of Kamo, and Genji received several
presents under various pretexts. He distributed these presents among his friends,
such as those in the Villa of the Falling Flowers,
(12:29):
and to the princess. He also sent his servant to
the mansion of the latter to cut down the rampant mugwort,
and he restored the grounds to proper order. Moreover, he
had a wodden enclosure place all round the garden. So
far as the world hitherto knew about Genji, he was
supposed only to cast his eyes on extraordinary and pre
(12:50):
eminent beauties. But we see in him a very different character.
In the present instance, he showed so much kindness to
the Princess Hitachi, who was by no means distinguished for
her beauty, and who still bore a mark on her
nose which might remind one of a role ripened fruit
carried by mountaineers. How was this It might have been
(13:10):
preordained to be so. The princess continued to live in
the mansion for two years, and then she removed to
a part of a newly built eastern mansion belonging to Genji,
where she lived happily under the kind care of the prince,
though he had much difficulty in coming often to see her.
I would fain describe the astonishment of her aunt when
she returned from the Western Island and saw the princess's
(13:32):
happy condition, and how Judu regretted having left her too hastily.
But my head is aching and my fingers are tired.
So I shall wait for some future opportunity when I
may again take up the thread of my story. End
of section sixteen.
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