Delightful Things – Chinese Brocade and a Decorated Sword (Medetaki mono – Karanishiki kazaritachi)

Tsugomori no Tokoyami mo haya Akewataru Kamiyo no haru no Hatsu tori no koe Dawn breaks and quickly spreads Over that eternal darkness Of the last night of the year With the first rooster’s cry In the spring of the Gods —Kanryu ¯en Shizue Sakeru kara Kusa mura wo sura Kono hana wa Nokorazu oramu Sakura karu kesa Since they’ve bloomed If you go to the grass village You’ll find that the plum blossoms No longer remain— Now we hunt for cherries this morning —Zuinichien Katsuyoshi The Pillow Book was a miscellany written at the end of the tenth century by the court lady Sei Shonagon. The work scatters thematic lists among its short, autobiographical narratives, reflecting its author’s tastes and sensibilities. Others from this set include entries under lists like “things that make the heart beat faster” or “things that arouse memories of the past.” In the present example, the list of “splendid things” includes, in addition to the two in the title, the wood grain of Buddhist statues and long wisteria branches twined around pine trees. The title itself seems to provide the seeds for the image, with the beautiful woman wearing the costume of a Shirabyo ¯shi dancer, including richly colored and layered silk brocade and carrying a sword with a fancy handle and scabbard. Shirabyo ¯shi dancers dressed like men for their performances, and were frequently associated with eroticism and prostitution, but the shinto ¯ exorcising wand (gohei) tucked into her sash indicate the dancer’s ritual functions. The first poem, which suggests the primordial scene in which the Sun Goddess is drawn from her cave by music, laughter, and bawdy dance, provides some connection to the theme of the dancer. The second poem is a palindrome (kaibun), reading exactly the same from back to front in its original inscription, an overt cleverness that leads to somewhat forced wording. Palindromes were popular in New Year verse, perhaps for what they suggest about order and repetition.