The tale of Genji
only, and the more he thought the less could he find a single trace of
those shortcomings and excesses which, so his friends had declared,
were common to all women. ‘There is no one like her’ he thought,
and his heart was very full. The conversation indeed had not brought
them to a definite conclusion, but it had led to many curious
anecdotes and reflections. So they passed the night, and at last, for
a wonder, the weather had improved. After this long residence at the
Palace Genji knew he would be expected at the Great Hall and set out
at once. There was in Princess Aoi’s air and dress a dignified
precision which had something in it even of stiffness; and in the very
act of reflecting that she, above all women, was the type of that
single-hearted and devoted wife whom (as his friends had said last
night) no sensible man would lightly offend, he found himself
oppressed by the very perfection of her beauty, which seemed only to
make all intimacy with her the more impossible.
He turned to Lady Chūnagon, to Nakatsukasa and other attendants of the
common sort who were standing near and began to jest with them. The
day was now very hot, but they thought that flushed cheeks became
Prince Genji very well. Aoi’s father came, and standing behind the
curtain, began to converse very amiably. Genji, who considered the
weather too hot for visits, frowned, at which the ladies-in-waiting
tittered. Genji, making furious signs at them to be quiet, flung
himself on to a divan. In fact, he behaved far from well.
It was now growing dark. Someone said that the position of the Earth
Star[14] would make it unlucky for the Prince to go back to the Palace
that night; and another: ‘You are right. It is now set dead against
him.’ ‘But my own palace is in the same direction!’ cried Genji. ‘How
vexing! where then shall I go?’ and promptly fell asleep. The
ladies-in-waiting however, agreed that it was a very serious matter
and began discussing what could be done. ‘There is Ki no Kami’s
house’ said one. This Ki no Kami was one of Genji’s gentlemen in
waiting. ‘It is in the Middle River’ she went on; ‘and delightfully
cool and shady, for they have lately dammed the river and made it flow
right through the garden.’ ‘That sounds very pleasant’ said Genji,
waking up, ‘besides they are the sort of people who would not mind
one’s driving right in at the front gate, if one had a mind to.’[15]
He had many friends whose houses lay out of the unlucky direction. But
he feared that if he went to one of them, Aoi would think that, after
absenting himself so long, he was now merely using the Earth Star as
an excuse for returning to more congenial company. He therefore
broached the matter to Ki no Kami, who accepted the proposal, but
stepping aside whispered to his companions that his father Iyo no
Kami, who was absent on service, had asked him to look after his young
wife.[16] ‘I am afraid we have not sufficient room in the house to
entertain him as I could wish.’ Genji overhearing this, strove to
reassure him, saying ‘It will be a pleasure to me to be near the lady.
A visit is much more agreeable when there is a hostess to welcome us.
Find me some corner behind her partition...!’ ‘Even then, I fear you
may not find ...’ but breaking off Ki no Kami sent a runner to his
house, with orders to make ready an apartment for the Prince. Treating
a visit to so humble a house as a matter of no importance, he started
at once, without even informing the Minister, and taking with him only
a few trusted body-servants. Ki no Kami protested against the
precipitation, but in vain.
The servants dusted and aired the eastern side-chamber of the Central
Hall and here made temporary quarters for the Prince. They were at
pains to improve the view from his windows, for example by altering
the course of certain rivulets. They set up a rustic wattled hedge and
filled the borders with the choicest plants. The low humming of
insects floated on the cool breeze; numberless fireflies wove
inextricable mazes in the air. The whole party settled down near where
the moat flowed under the covered bridge and began to drink wine.
Ki no Kami went off in a great bustle, saying that he must find them
something to eat. Genji, quietly surveying the scene, decided this was
one of those middle-class families which in last night’s conversation
had been so highly commended. He remembered that he had heard the lady
who was staying in the house well spoken of and was curious to see
her. He listened and thought that there seemed to be people in the
western wing. There was a soft rustling of skirts, and from time to
time the sound of young and by no means disagreeable voices. They did
not seem to be much in earnest in their efforts to make their
whispering and laughter unheard, for soon one of them opened the
sliding window. But Ki no Kami crying ‘What are you thinking of?’
crossly closed it again. The light of a candle in the room filtered
through a crack in the paper-window. Genji edged slightly closer to
the window in the hope of being able to see through the crack, but
found that he could see nothing. He listened for a while, and came to
the conclusion that they were sitting in the main women’s apartments,
out of which the little front room opened. They were speaking very
low, but he could catch enough of it to make out that they were
talking about him.
‘What a shame that a fine young Prince should be taken so young and
settled down for ever with a lady that was none of his choosing!’
‘I understand that marriage does not weigh very heavily upon him’
said another. This probably meant nothing in particular, but Genji,
who imagined they were talking about what was uppermost in his own
mind, was appalled at the idea that his relations with Lady Fujitsubo
were about to be discussed. How could they have found out? But the
subsequent conversation of the ladies soon showed that they knew
nothing of the matter at all, and Genji stopped listening. Presently
he heard them trying to repeat the poem which he had sent with a
nose-gay of morning-glory to Princess Asagao, daughter of Prince
Momozono.[17] But they got the lines rather mixed up, and Genji began
to wonder whether the lady’s appearance would turn out to be on a
level with her knowledge of prosody.
At this moment Ki no Kami came in with a lamp which he hung on the
wall. Having carefully trimmed it, he offered Genji a tray of fruit.
This was all rather dull and Genji by a quotation from an old
folk-song hinted that he would like to meet Ki no Kami’s other guests.
The hint was not taken. Genji began to doze, and his attendants sat
silent and motionless.
There were in the room several charming boys, sons of Ki no Kami, some
of whom Genji already knew as pages at the Palace. There were also
numerous sons of Iyo no Kami; with them was a boy of twelve or
thirteen who particularly caught Genji’s fancy. He began asking whose
sons the boys were, and when he came to this one Ki no Kami replied
‘he is the youngest son of the late Chūnagon, who loved him dearly,
but died while this boy was still a child. His sister married my
father and that is why he is living here. He is quick at his books,
and we hope one day to send him to Court, but I fear that his lack
of influence....’
‘Poor child!’ said Genji. ‘His sister, then, is your step-mother, is
that not so? How strange that you should stand in this relationship
with so young a girl! And now I come to think of it there was some
talk once of her being presented at Court, and I once heard the
Emperor asking what had become of her. How changeable are the fortunes
of the world.’ He was trying to talk in a very grown-up way.
‘Indeed, Sir’ answered Ki no Kami, ‘her subsequent state was humbler
than she had reason to expect. But such is our mortal life. Yes, yes,
and such has it always been. We have our ups and downs—and the women
even more than the men.’
_Genji:_ ‘But your father no doubt makes much of her?’
_Ki no Kami:_ ‘Makes much of her indeed! You may well say so. She
rules his house, and he dotes on her in so wholesale and extravagant a
fashion that all of us (and I among the foremost) have had occasion
before now to call him to order, but he does not listen.’
_Genji:_ ‘How comes it then that he has left her behind in the house
of a fashionable young Courtier? For he looks like a man of prudence
and good sense. But pray, where is she now?’
_Ki no Kami:_ ‘The ladies have been ordered to retire to the common
room, but they have not yet finished all their preparations.’
Genji’s followers, who had drunk heavily, were now all lying fast
asleep on the verandah. He was alone in his room, but could not get to
sleep. Having at last dozed for a moment, he woke suddenly and noticed
that someone was moving behind the paper-window of the back wall.
This, he thought, must be where she is hiding, and faintly curious
he sauntered in that direction and stood listening. ‘Where are you?’ I
say ‘Where are you?’ whispered someone in a quaint, hoarse voice,
which seemed to be that of the boy whom Genji had noticed earlier in
the evening. ‘I am lying over here’ another voice answered. ‘Has the
stranger gone to sleep yet? His room must be quite close to this; but
all the same how far off he seems!’ Her sleepy voice was so like the
boy’s, that Genji concluded this must be his sister.
‘He is sleeping in the wing, I saw him to-night. All that we have
heard of him is true enough. He is as handsome as can be’ whispered
the boy. ‘I wish it were to-morrow; I want to see him properly’ she
answered drowsily, her voice seeming to come from under the bed
clothes. Genji was rather disappointed that she did not ask more
questions about him. Presently he heard the boy saying ‘I am going to
sleep over in the corner-room. How bad the light is’ and he seemed to
be trimming the lamp. His sister’s bed appeared to be in the corner
opposite the paper-window. ‘Where is Chūjō?’ she called. ‘I am
frightened, I like to have someone close to me.’ ‘Madam’ answered
several voices from the servants’ room, ‘she is taking her bath in the
lower house. She will be back presently.’ When all was quiet again,
Genji slipped back the bolt and tried the door. It was not fastened on
the other side. He found himself in an ante-room with a screen at the
end, beyond which a light glimmered. In the half-darkness he could see
clothes boxes and trunks strewn about in great disorder. Quietly
threading his way among them, he entered the inner room from which the
voices had proceeded. One very minute figure was couched there who, to
Genji’s slight embarrassment, on hearing his approach pushed aside the
cloak which covered her, thinking that he was the maid for whom she
had sent. ‘Madam, hearing you call for Chūjō[18] I thought that I
might now put at your service the esteem in which I have long secretly
held you.’ The lady could make nothing of all this, and terrified out
of her wits tried hard to scream. But no sound came, for she had
buried her face in the bed clothes.
‘Please listen’ said Genji. ‘This sudden intrusion must of course seem
to you very impertinent. You do not know that for years I have waited
for an occasion to tell you how much I like and admire you, and if
to-night I could not resist the temptation of paying this secret
visit, pray take the strangeness of my behaviour as proof of my
impatience to pay a homage that has long been due.’ He spoke so
courteously and gently and looked so kind that not the devil himself
would have taken umbrage at his presence. But feeling that the
situation was not at all a proper one for a married lady she said
(without much conviction) ‘I think you have made a mistake.’ She spoke
very low. Her bewildered air made her all the more attractive, and