The Sacred Tree: Being the Second Part of 'The Tale of Genji'

The Sacred Tree: Being the Second Part of 'The Tale of Genji'

THE Tale of Genji was probably written about 10011015 a.d. We know the titles of a good many earlier stories and romances. About a dozen are mentioned in the Tale itself. But only three actual works of fiction survive, The Bamboo-cutter, The Hollow Tree (Utsubo), and the Room Below Stairs (Ochikubo). Besides these there are a few works which, though belonging to a rather different category, throw some light on the development of fiction and will be mentioned in due course. The Bamboo-cutter dates from about 860870. It is a harmless little fairy-story. An old peasant finds a minute child in a bamboo-stem. She grows up into a woman of surpassing beauty, is courted by numerous lovers to whom she sets a series of grotesque tasks which they entirely fail to perform. Finally celestial messengers arrive and carry her away to the sky. The Hollow Tree cannot be much earlier than 980. No doubt in this interval of more than a hundred years much was written that is now lost. But it cannot be said that The Hollow Tree shows much sign of progress. As it exists to-day it is a very long bookmore than half as long as Genji. But it is not quite certain whether, of the fourteen chapters which we now possess, any but{16} the first (called Toshikage) is really earlier than Genji. Toshikage is the story of a man who on the way from Japan to China, regardless of geographical probabilities, gets wrecked on the coast of Persia. In this country he falls in with supernatural beings from whom he obtains thirty miraculous zitherns and the knowledge of enchanted tunes. After a distinguished career on the Continent he returns to Japan with ten zitherns which he distributes among the grandees of the Court, keeping one for his small daughter, to whom alone he teaches the marvellous Persian tunes. He and his wife die, the daughter marries unhappily and is finally left with no possessions save the marvellous zithern and a little son of twelve. They take refuge in a hollow tree, but soon discover to their consternation that their new home is the den of a bear who, returning from his days hunting, is about to devour them, when the little boy makes a speech of several pages. The bear is so much moved that, far from molesting the intruders, it puts the hollow tree at their disposition and trots off to look for another home. Finally the wicked husband repents, takes back the wife and child whom he had deserted and all ends happily. The child embarks upon its career as an infant prodigy and at the age of eighteen takes part victoriously in a musical competition at Court. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 67111
Author: Murasaki Shikibu, 978?-
Release Date: Jan 6, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Publication Date: 1926
Publisher Country: United States

Contributors

Translator: Waley, Arthur, 1889-1966