Chapter XXXIV
that he was made Commander of the Bodyguard at the age of twenty-one. He is now twenty-two.
[2] Genji’s son by Fujitsubo (supposed by the world to be the Emperor’s child) had been made Heir Apparent.
[3] An Emperor upon his succession was obliged to send one unmarried daughter or grand-daughter to the Shintō Temple at Ise, another to the Shintō Temple at Kamo. See Appendix II.
[4] She was seven years older than Genji.
[5] a Daughter of Prince Momozono. See above, p. 68.
[6] We learn later that he was a son of Iyo no Kami.
[7] Father of Princess Asagao; brother of the ex-Emperor and therefore Genji’s paternal uncle.
[8] The clash of coaches took place at the Purification. The actual _matsuri_ (Festival) takes place some days later.
[9] I.e. astrologically.
[10] _Kokinshū_ 509.
[11] The clash of the chariots at the Festival of Purification. Probably a quotation.
[12] The jealous person is unconscious of the fatal effects which his jealousy is producing.
[13] Members of the Imperial family were not allowed to leave the Capital without the consent of the Emperor.
[14] A temporary building erected afresh for each new Virgin a few miles outside Kyoto. She spent several years there before proceeding to Ise.
[15] The Chinese version of the Sanskrit _Saddharma Pundarika Sutra_; see _Sacred Books of the East_, Vol. 21.
[16] The lying-in jacket.
[17] These presents (_ubuyashinai_) were given on the third, fifth and ninth nights.
[18] The ceremony of investing the newly elected officials.
[19] Had she corresponded with someone who was in mourning, she would herself have become unclean and been disqualified from attending upon her daughter the Vestal Virgin.
[20] Used in writing to people who were in mourning.
[21] See p. 182.
[22] Winter clothes are begun on the first day of the tenth month.
[23] From a poem to a dead lady, by Liu Yü-hsi (A.D. 772–842).
_I saw you first standing at the window of Yü Liang’s tower;_ _Your waist was slender as the willow-trees that grow at Wu-ch‘ang._ _My finding you and losing you were both like a dream;_ _Oh tell me if your soul dwells in the rain, or whether in the clouds above!_
[24] A husband in mourning may not wear winter clothes. The mourning lasts for three months.
[25] Fujitsubo.
[26] Murasaki quotes the line in the form in which it occurs in Japanese MSS. of Po Chü-i’s poem. The Chinese editions have a slightly different text. Cf. Giles’s translation, _History of Chinese Literature_, p. 172.
[27] On the Day of the Boar in the tenth month it was the custom to serve little cakes of seven different kinds, to wit: Large bean, mungo, dolicho, sesamun, chestnut, persimmon, sugar-starch.
[28] On the third night after the first cohabitation it was the custom to offer up small cakes (all of one kind and colour) to the god Izanagi and his sister Izanami.
[29] First, because the Rat comes at the beginning of the series of twelve animal signs; secondly, because ‘Rat’ is written with a character that also means ‘baby.’
[30]The phrase which I have translated ‘Divide by three’ also means ‘One of three’ i.e. of the Three Mysteries (Birth, _Marriage_, Death). That is why Koremitsu was ‘no longer in any doubt.’ But many other explanations of the passage have been given. It is indeed one of the three major difficulties enumerated by the old-fashioned Genji teachers.
[31] Oborozukiyo. See above, p. 242.
[32] I.e. become a concubine of the Emperor.
[33] In addition to the one hanging on the frame.
[34] _Kiteba_, ‘were he to come,’ also means ‘should he wear it.’
APPENDIX I
A.D. 978 (?) Murasaki born.
A.D. 994 (?) Marries Fujiwara no Nobutaka.
A.D. 1001 Nobutaka dies.
A.D. 1005 (?) She becomes lady-in-waiting to the Empress Akiko, then a girl of sixteen.
A.D. 1007–1010 Keeps a diary, which survives.
A.D. 1008 Book I of the _Tale of Genji_ read to the Emperor.
A.D. 1025 Murasaki still at Court.
A.D. 1031 Murasaki no longer at Court and perhaps dead.
APPENDIX II
The Vestal Virgins of Ise and Kamo.
So important a part do these ladies play in the Tale of Genji that the reader may perhaps wish to know exactly what they were. I may say at the outset that I have used the term ‘vestal’ merely for convenience. These Virgins were not guardians of a sacred fire.
_Ise_.—Upon the accession of a new Emperor, a princess of the Imperial House (preferably a daughter of the Emperor) was sent to be priestess of the great Shintō shrines at Ise. According to the _Nihongi_ (Bk. V; Emperor Sūjin 6th year[1]) ‘The gods Amaterasu and Ōkunidama were formerly both worshipped in the Emperor’s Palace Hall. But the Emperor Sūjin was frightened of having so much divine power concentrated in one place. Accordingly he entrusted the worship of Amaterasu to the Princess Toyosuku-iri, bidding her carry it out in the village of Kasanui in Yamato.’ Subsequently Amaterasu expressed a desire to be moved to Ise.
The Virgin was usually about twelve years old at the time of her appointment. Cases however are recorded in which she was an infant of one year old; or again, a woman of twenty-eight. Her office lasted till
(1) The Emperor died or resigned (2) She herself died or became disabled (3) Either of her parents died (4) She misconducted herself.
Thus in A.D. 541 the Vestal, a certain Princess Iwane, misconducted herself with Prince Mubaragi and was replaced. The process of preparing the Virgin for her office lasted three years. She was first of all, after a preliminary purification in running water handed over to the City guards. Meanwhile, just outside the Capital, a special place of purification was built for her, called the Palace-in-the-Fields. After a second River Purification she took up her residence in this temporary Palace and stayed there till the time came for her to settle at Ise. Before the journey to Ise she was again purified in the River, and she appeared at the Imperial Palace to receive at the Emperor’s hands the ‘Comb of Parting.’ No Virgin of Ise was appointed after 1342.
_Kamo_.—The Virgin of Kamo, first instituted in A.D. 818 was a replica of the Ise Virgin. She too had her Palace-in-the-Fields, three years of purification, etc. The practice of sending a Virgin to Kamo was discontinued in 1204.
Upon both Virgins curious speech-taboos were imposed. Thus they called
death, ‘recovery’ illness, ‘taking a rest’ weeping, ‘dropping salt water’ blood, ‘sweat’ to strike, ‘to fondle’ a tomb, ‘an earth heap’ meat, ‘vegetables’
All words connected with Buddhism were taboo. Thus Buddha himself was called ‘The Centre’; Buddhist scriptures were called ‘stained paper’; a pagoda, ‘araragi’ (meaning unknown); a temple, ‘a tile-covered place’; a priest (ironically), ‘hair-long’; a nun, ‘female hair-long’; fasting, ‘partial victuals.’
To both Virgins was attached an important retinue of male officials. These were appointed by the Emperor and no doubt acted as his agents and informers in the districts of Ise and Kamo.
Probably the Ise Virgin was a very ancient institution which later proved useful for political ends. The Virgin of Kamo, who does not appear on the scene till the ninth century, was presumably instituted simply as a means of spreading Court influence.
[1] 92 B.C. according to the usual chronology, which is however purely fictitious.
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 TALE OF GENJI”.
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. 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.
Change List:
Page 7 of ‘governess changed to of ‘governess’
Page 9 PREFACE 9 changed to PREFACE 7
Page 69 lack of influence... changed to lack of influence....’
Page 95 reason’ said Gengi. changed to reason’ said Genji.
Page 102 joins Mount Katsuragi and Mount Kombu changed to joins Mount Katsuragi and Mount Kombu.
Page 114 steward’s son, and tell changed to steward’s son, ‘and tell
Page 130 There could be on harm in this interchange changed to There could be no harm in this interchange
Page 137 and that blurr of shimmering changed to and that blur of shimmering
Page 179 it was very diasppointing to lose changed to it was very disappointing to lose
Page 228 off the scent. And this opinion changed to off the scent.’ And this opinion
Page 232 modern Wu-ch’ang in Hupeh. changed to modern Wu-ch‘ang in Hupeh.
Page 242 ‘Oh, how you frightened me? she cried. changed to ‘Oh, how you frightened me,’ she cried.
Page 263 consent of the Emperor changed to consent of the Emperor.
Page 275 deep-dyed robe, and he recited the poem: changed to deep-dyed robe,’ and he recited the poem:
Page 293 sickening for some strange illness. changed to sickening from some strange illness.
Page 294 her father Prince Hyōbukyo changed to her father Prince Hyōbukyō