Tuesday 18 August 2009

The birthday story

For those that can't make it to the ochaya at noon, here is the full story...

Pacing is 8 seconds between lines

+8
Konnichiwa Dear Patrons
Today I tell a tale from Japan called
“THE BAMBOO-CUTTER'S DAUGHTER” (sometime know as “THE BAMBOO PRINCESS”)
An old bamboo-cutter was going home through the shades of evening.
Far away among the stalks of the feathery bamboo he saw a soft light.
He went nearer to see what it was,
and found it came from within one of the stalks.
He opened the bamboo stalk carefully,
and found a tiny baby girl.
She was only a few inches tall,
but as beautiful as a fairy.
Indeed he wondered if she were not really a fairy.
He carried her home and told his wife how he had found her.
They were very glad for they had no child,
so they loved her as their own.
In a few years she had grown to be a young woman.
She was as sweet and kind as she was beautiful.
A soft light always seemed to follow her.
When the time came to name her they called her
The Bamboo Princess,
because she was found among the bamboo,
and because she was more beautiful than any princess.
People heard of how beautiful she was,
and many peeped through the hedge at the edge of the garden
in hopes of seeing her.
All who saw her thought she was so lovely
that they came back for another glimpse.
Among those who came often to the hedge were five princes.
Each one thought The Bamboo Princess the most beautiful woman he had ever seen,
and each wished her for his wife.
So each of the five wrote to the father of the princess asking to marry her.
It so happened that all five letters were brought to the old man at the same time.
The old man did not know which one to choose,
nor what to do.
He was afraid, too,
that if he chose one of the princes,
the other four would be angry.
But the princess had a plan.
"Have them all come here," she said,
"then we can choose better."
On a certain day the five princes came to the house of the bamboo-cutter. They were very glad to have another chance to see her,
and each one thought he would be the one she would marry.
The princess did not wish to marry any of them.
She wanted stay with her dear father and mother.
She wished to take care of them as long as they lived.
So she gave each prince something to do that she thought was impossible.
People say that far away in India
there is a stone bowl that belonged to the great god Buddha.
They also say that it gleams and sparkles
as though set with the most beautiful gems.
It is hidden deep in the darkness of a great temple.
Few have ever seen it, but those who have
can never talk enough about its beauty.
The first prince she asked to go to India and find the great stone bowl of Buddha.
The second prince was to bring her a branch from the jewelled trees
that grow on the floating mountain of Horai.
The third prince asked what he might do to show his love.
The princess said that he might bring her a robe made from the skins of the fire rats.
She asked the fourth to bring the shell that the swallows keep hidden in their nests and the fifth prince was to bring the princess a jewel from the neck of the sea dragon.
With the tasks given all the princes hurried away,
each anxious to be the first to return,
and so marry the beautiful Bamboo Princess.
# first prince
The first prince,
who promised to go to India in search of the bowl of Buddha
was a very lazy man.
At first he really meant to go,
but the more he thought about it the lazier he felt.
He asked the sailors how long it took to go to India and return.
They said it took three years.
At that he made up his mind he never would go.
The idea of spending three years looking for a bowl,
an old one too!
So he went away to another city
and stayed for three years.
At the end of that time he went into a little temple.
There he found an old stone bowl
sitting in front of the shrine.
He took this bowl
and wrapped it in a cloth of richest silk.
To this he tied a letter
telling of his long hard journey to find the bowl for her.
Then he sent it to the princess.
When the princess read the letter
she was sorry that he had suffered so much
to bring her the bowl.
Then she opened the silk wrappings
and saw the bowl of common stone.
She now saw that he had tried to deceive her,
and was very angry.
When he came she would not even see him,
but sent the bowl and letter back to him.
The prince felt very sad,
but he knew that he deserved it,
so he went home to his own house.
He kept the bowl to remind him
that you get nothing good in this world
unless you work for it.
# second prince
The second prince,
who was going for the branch of the jewel tree
was very cunning
and very rich.
He did not believe
that there was a floating mountain called Horai.
He did not believe
there were trees of gold with jewels for leaves.
However,
he said that he was going in search of it.
He said goodbye to all his friends
and went down to the seashore.
There he dismissed all but four of his servants,
for he said he wished to go quietly.
It was three years
before anybody saw or heard of him again.
Then he suddenly appeared before the princess,
bearing a wonderful branch of gold
with blossoms and leaves of all coloured jewels.
She asked the prince to tell of his journey.
He made a bow and began his story.
"I sailed away from here," he said,
"not knowing where to go.
I let the wind and the waves carry me where they wished.
We passed many beautiful cities and strange countries.
We saw the great sea dragons lying on the water,
sleeping as the waves rocked them up and down.
We saw the sea serpents playing in the bottom of the ocean.
We saw strange birds, with bodies like animals.
Sometimes we sailed on with a gentle wind,
and sometimes we floated
with no breeze to move us for days and weeks.
At times fierce storms arose.
The waves rose mountain high.
Wild winds whipped away our sails.
We were driven and hurled to unknown lands.
Again we saw great rocks
on which the waves lashed themselves in showers of white foam.
For days and weeks we had no food to eat
and no water to drink.
The great green waves lapping around us
made us long for water all the more,
but we could not drink the salt sea water.
At last,
just when I thought we would surely die,
I saw a great mountain lifting its dark head out of the morning sea.
We hastened to it.
It was the floating mountain of Horai.
We sailed around it several times
before I could find a place to land.
At last I saw a small cove and anchored there.
When I went on shore
there stood a most beautiful girl with a basket of food.
She set down the basket and immediately disappeared.
I was nearly starving,
but I did not touch the food
until I had broken off a branch
from one of the jewelled golden trees,
to bring home to you.
Then I returned to my ship.
The men were thankful for the food,
so we feasted all day.
In the morning,
when the sun rose,
the mountain had gone.
A brisk wind was blowing,
and in a few days we were home again.
I came straight from the ship to bring you this”.
Tears stood in the eyes of the princess
to think of how he had suffered
to bring her that jewel branch.
Just then three men came asking for the prince.
"Could you pay us now?" they asked.
The prince started to drive them away,
but the princess told them to stay.
"What is it you wish?" she asked them.
"For three years we have been working
to make this beautiful golden branch.
Now that it is finished we want our pay”.
"Where have you been these three years?"
"In a little house down by the seashore”.
''Has the prince been with you?"
"Yes."
The prince was angry and ashamed.
He knew that the princess would never believe in him again,
so he went far away to live in another country.
The princess gave the jewel branch to the workmen
to pay them for their years of work,
so they went away happy,
praising the princess for her kindness.
# third prince
The third prince was to bring the robe made of the fur of the fire rats. He was rich and very much loved.
He had friends in all parts of the world.
He had one very dear friend who lived in China.
To him the prince sent a messenger with a great bag full of gold,
asking him to find the robe made of the skins of fire rats.
When the friend read the letter he was very sad.
''How can I ever do this?" he said.
"Who ever heard of such a thing!
Still I would do anything for Prince Abe, so I will try."
He sent messengers all over China seeking for the wonderful robe,
but they all came back sadly,
saying that they could not find it.
He sent messengers to every temple,
inquiring of the priests if they knew anything of this robe,
and where it could be found,
but the reply was always the same.
No one had ever heard where it was,
although everyone had heard that there was such a mantle.
He sent for all the merchants
who went from place to place buying and selling.
None of them knew of it.
At last he said to himself,
"This robe that Prince Abe asks for is not to be found.
There cannot be such a thing.
Tomorrow I will return his bag of gold to him,
and tell him that I have searched my best
but cannot find what he wishes”.
The next morning,
just as he was about to send the messenger back to Japan
he heard a great noise in the street and looked out.
A great troupe of beggars was passing by.
"I will ask them if they have heard of this fire robe," he thought.
So all the beggars were brought in.
They were surprised at being taken into the house of this great lord,
and shown into the very room where he was.
He told them what he wanted,
and asked if in their wanderings they had ever heard of this fire robe,
and knew where it might be found.
They all stared at him in wonder.
Some nearly laughed in his face.
The idea of it!
That he,
one of the greatest lords in the country,
should ask them,
common beggars,
for a fire robe.
One after another told him that they had heard of it,
but it was only a story,
for there was really no such thing.
Finally all had gone but one old man.
He limped slowly up to the lord and knelt before him.
"My lord," he said,
"When I was a child
I remember hearing my grandfather tell about this fire robe.
It was kept in a temple upon the top of a certain mountain,
hundreds of miles from here."
The lord was delighted at this,
but wondered why his messengers had not found this temple.
He sent for the one who had visited the temples in that part of the country.
This man declared that there was no temple on that mountain.
"There was in my grandfather's time," said the beggar,
"for he had been there
and had seen the beautiful fire robe with his own eyes."
The lord sent messengers to search out this mountain
and find the temple at its top.
The old beggar went with them.
When they reached there they found no temple,
only a heap of stones.
They searched around a long time,
and finally found a large iron box buried under the stones.
They opened this box and found within it,
wrapped in many folds of rich silk,
a strange,
beautiful fur robe.
They carried it home joyfully to the lord,
who was very glad to receive it,
you may be sure.
He sent it as quickly as possible to the Prince Abe,
who was no less joyful to receive it than his friend had been.
He took it out of the iron box,
unfolded the rich silk wrappings,
and looked with delight on the beautiful silvery fur.
"Ah, how beautiful the Bamboo Princess will look in this!" he thought.
Then he remembered that every time this wonderful robe was put into the fire, it came out more silvery bright than before.
"It cannot be too beautiful for the lovely Bamboo Princess,
so I will put it in once more,
that it may be more beautiful for her
than it has ever been for anyone else."
So he ordered a fire brought
and laid the dazzling silver robe over the burning coals.
Like a flash the red flames leaped up,
and before he could snatch it from the fire
there was nothing left but silvery smoke drifting off on the wind,
and silvery ashes dimming the red of the coals.
Poor Prince Abe!
He was heartbroken.
He could not blame his faithful friend,
for he had done his best.
He was glad he had not taken it to the princess
before he knew it was the right one,
for then she might think he too wished to deceive her.
He could only write to her telling her all,
and then go away forever.
The princess was very sad when she knew what had happened,
for she saw that this man was true.
She sent him a note asking him to come to her,
but he had already gone away,
so she never saw nor heard of him again.
#4th prince
The fourth prince,
who was to find the shell hid in the swallows' nest
was a very proud and lordly man.
When he returned from a visit to the princess
he called his head servant to him.
"Do you know anything about the shell the swallows keep hidden in their nests?" he asked.
The man stared.
"The shell in the swallows' nests?
Which nests?"
"I don't know.
I want you to find out for me.
I want that shell."
"Perhaps the gardener would know more about it.
May I ask him?"
So he called the gardener.
"Do you know where the shell is
that the swallows keep hidden in their nest?" he asked the gardener.
"No, I have not herd it.
Did you want it?
I'll ask the water carrier if he has seen it."
So he called the water carrier.
The water carrier said he knew nothing about it,
but called another man.
This man called another,
and so on,
until all the servants had been called.
No one had ever seen the shell.
At last they asked the children.
One little boy thought that he had seen one once.
He had been up in the roof of the kitchen
looking for swallows' eggs,
and thought he saw a shell in one of the nests.
Perhaps that was the shell the prince wished.
The prince was delighted
and ordered his men to go and search the swallow nests
in the roof of the kitchen.
They went and looked,
but said they could not reach the nests,
because they were in the very top of the roof.
"But you must find a way to reach them," roared the prince,
"Search every nest
and do not come back until you have."
The men spent three days trying to climb up,
but failed.
At last they found that with a rope and a basket
a man could be drawn up
so that he could look into the nests.
They searched and searched,
but found no shell.
At last the prince grew impatient
and went down to the kitchen himself
to see what they were doing.
"Have you found the shell yet?" he asked.
"No,
there is no shell there," the men answered.
Then the prince was furious
and insisted on being pulled up himself to see.
The men tried to persuade him not to do it,
but he sprang into the basket
and commanded them to pull him up at once.
The men dared not refuse,
so they pulled him up.
When he reached the nests
the swallows began to peck at him,
for they did not care to have all their eggs broken
and their nests torn to pieces.
They flew at him so furiously
that they nearly pecked his eyes out.
"Help, help!" he screamed.
The men began to lower the basket.
Just then he remembered the shell
and thrust his hand into a nest.
There was something hard there.
He seized it,
but lost his balance and came tumbling down.
Instead of coming down in the basket
he came down thump on the hot stove.
His men lifted him off as soon as possible,
but he was badly burned
and bruised.
In his hand he held a shell,
it is true,
but it was a bit of eggshell,
and the egg was spattered all over his hands and face.
He decided that this was all he wished of the shell from the swallows' nest.
By the time his burns and bruises were healed
he had forgotten all about the princess,
and he never climbed up
to peep into the swallows' nests again.
#5th prince
Prince Lofty was the fifth prince,
who was to go to bring the dragon jewel.
He was a great boaster
and a great coward.
Of course he intended to get the dragon jewel,
but you can be sure he did not propose to take the trouble himself.
He called together a great crowd of his servants and soldiers
and told them what he wanted.
He gave them plenty of money for their needs
and told them to be gone
and not to show themselves again
until they brought him the dragon jewel.
The men took the money quickly enough and went away,
but not to find the dragon jewel.
What did they care about it?
They did not believe that there was such a thing,
and if there was,
they were very sure the old dragon was very welcome to keep it.
They did not care to try taking it away from him.
Meanwhile Prince Lofty was having a palace built for the princess.
He did not doubt for one moment that he would win her,
so he would have a house ready to receive her.
There had never been so beautiful a palace in that part of the country before. All the wood was lacquered,
carved,
or inlaid with gold and precious stones.
The walls were hung with silks
painted by the finest artists.
Then he waited for his men to bring the jewel,
but they did not come.
He waited a whole year.
Then he was angry and decided that he would go himself.
He called together a few of his servants who were left
and told them to fit up a boat.
The servants were frightened when they knew what he was going to seek. They begged him not to go,
for fear that the dragon would destroy them.
"Cowards!" cried Prince Lofty.
"COWARDS,
watch me.
Learn how to be brave from me.
Do you think I will be afraid of any dragon? "
So they started,
and all went well for two or three days.
"Don't you see that the dragon is afraid of me?" boasted the prince.
That evening a fierce storm came up.
The boat rocked and dipped.
The great waves broke in foam over the side of the boat
and they were all wet through.
The rain poured down in torrents.
The lightning flashed
and the thunder growled and roared.
Brave Prince Lofty was sure the boat would capsize.
If they did not drown he knew that the lightning would kill them.
He huddled in the bottom of the boat
seasick and frightened.
He begged the pilot and the other men to save him.
"What did you ever bring me to this place for?" he cried.
"Did you wish to kill me?
Is this all you care for the life of your great prince?
Get me out of this at once
or I shall shoot every one of you with my great bow."
The men could hardly keep from laughing,
for it was only on his account they had set sail at all.
As for shooting them,
they knew he could not lift an arrow,
much less pull the bow.
The pilot answered:
"My prince,
it must be the dragon who sends this storm.
He has heard you say that you will kill him
and take the jewel from his neck.
You had better promise him that you will not hurt him,
and then perhaps he will let us live."
Prince Lofty was willing to promise anything to have the storm stop,
so he vowed that he would never touch the dragon,
not even the least hair on the tip of his tail.
After a while the storm died down,
the lightning ceased,
and the waves were still.
Prince Lofty was too sick,
however,
to know what happened until at last they came to land.
They lifted him out of the boat and laid him under a tree.
When at last he felt firm ground under him he wept aloud,
and vowed that now he had something solid to rest on
he would never leave it.
He was on an island far from Japan,
but he would not return to a boat,
not for a hundred princesses.
So he stayed there for the rest of his life.
The beautiful palace that he built for the princess
had no one to live in it but the bats and owls,
and sometimes a stray mouse or two.
# conclusion
Years passed by
and the princess took good care
of her old father and mother.
They were very old now.
Now they saw why she had asked the five princes to do impossible things. She really wanted to stay with her parents,
and yet she knew that if she refused to marry the princes
they might be angry with her and harm her father.
Each day she grew more beautiful and more kind and gentle.
When she was twenty years old,
which is quite old for a Japanese maiden,
her mother died.
Then she seemed to grow very sad.
Whenever the full moon whitened the earth with its soft light
she would go away by herself and weep.
One evening late in summer she was sitting on a balcony
looking up at the moon,
and sobbing as though her heart would break.
Her old father came to her and said,
"My daughter,
tell me your trouble.
I know that you have tried to keep it from me lest I should grieve too,
but it will kill me to see you so sad if I cannot help you."
Then the princess said, "I weep,
dear father,
because I know that I must soon leave you.
My home is really in the moon.
I was sent here to take care of you,
but now the time comes when I must go.
I do not wish to leave you,
but I must.
When the next full moon comes they will send for me."
Her father was sad indeed to hear this, but answered:
"Do you think that I will let anyone come and take you away?
I shall go to the Emperor himself and ask his aid."
"It will be of no use.
No one can keep me when the time comes," she answered sadly.
However,
her father went to the Emperor and told him the whole story.
The great Emperor was touched by the love of the maiden
who had chosen to stay with her parents and care for them.
He promised to send a whole army to guard the house when the time came.
The old bamboo cutter went home very cheerful,
but the princess was sadder than ever.
The old moon faded away.
few nights showed only the blue of the heavens and the gold of the stars. Then a tiny silver thread showed just after sunset.
Each night it widened and brightened.
Each day the princess grew sadder and sadder.
The Emperor remembered his promise,
and sent a great army who camped about the house.
Hundreds of men were placed on the roof of the house.
Surely no one could enter through such a guard.
The first night of the full moon came.
The princess waited on her balcony for the moon to rise.
Slowly over the tops of the trees on the mountain rose the great silver ball. Every sound was hushed.
The princess went to her father.
He lay as if asleep.
When she came near he opened his eyes.
"I see now why you must go," he said.
"It is because I am going, too.
Thank you,
my daughter,
for all the happiness you have brought to us."
Then he closed his eyes and she saw that he was dead.
The moon rose higher and higher.
A line of light like a fairy bridge reached from heaven to earth.
Drifting down it,
like smoke before the wind,
came countless troops of soldiers in shining armour.
There was no sound,
no breath of wind,
but on they came.
The soldiers of the Emperor stood as though turned to stone.
The princess went forward to meet the leader of these heavenly visitors.
"I am ready," she said.
There was no other sound.
Silently he handed her a tiny cup.
As silently, she drank from it.
It was the water of forgetfulness.
All her life on earth faded from her.
Once more she was a moon maiden
and would live forever.
The leader gently laid a mantle
of gleaming snow white feathers over her shoulders.
Her old garments slipped to the earth and disappeared.
Rising like the morning mists that lie along the lake
the white company passed slowly to the top of Fuji Yama,
the sacred mountain of Japan.
On, on, up
through the still whiteness of the moonlight,
the long line passed,
until once more they reached the silver gates of the moon city,
where all is happiness and peace.
Men say that even now
a soft white wreath of smoke curls up from the sacred crown of Fuji Yama,
like a floating bridge to that fair city
far off in the sky.
And that ends my rather long tale today…

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