The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter E-Book

anonymous

• Herausgeber: Lebooks Editora
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 83

Beschreibung

  Taketori Monogatari, or "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter," is a story dating back to the 10th century, making it over a thousand years old. However, its significance goes beyond its historical value. It is a beautiful and captivating tale, so much so that Yasunari Kawabata, one of Japan's greatest novelists and a Nobel Prize winner in Literature, released his modern version in 1998. The central character is Kaguya-hime, a stunning princess who was found as a baby by an old bamboo cutter. Her beauty captivates men, and in an attempt to marry her, her guardian selects five suitors for her. The indifferent Kaguya-hime, reluctant to marry, imposes impossible tasks on them, leading to an unexpected conclusion. This work is part of the collection "1001 Books to Read Before You Die."

Leseprobe

Anonymous

THE TALE OF BAMBOO CUTTER

Original Title:

“竹取物語”

Contents

INTRODUCTION

THE TALE OF BAMBOO-CUTTER

THE STORY OF URASHIMA TARO, THE FISHER LAD

THE HAPPY HUNTER AND THE SKILLFUL FISHER

INTRODUCTION

The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter (竹取物語, Taketori Monogatari) is considered the oldest narrative work in Japan and tells the story of Kaguya-hime, a celestial princess discovered inside a bamboo stalk by an elderly bamboo cutter. The tale, which blends mythological and folkloric elements, explores themes such as love, sacrifice, and the fleeting nature of human life.

The story also subtly critiques the power structures and social expectations of its time. Through the impossible tasks that Princess Kaguya imposes on her suitors, it reveals the futility of human desires and the unattainable perfection that society often expects from women. The work questions the power dynamics between men and women, as well as worldly aspirations in contrast to the divine and celestial.

Since its creation, The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter has inspired numerous adaptations, including films, anime, and theater, due to its cultural significance and its exploration of universal themes. Princess Kaguya has become a symbol of beauty and mystery, and the work continues to be admired for its poetic style and focus on the transience of life.

In summary, The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter is a profound reflection on human limitations and the relationships between man, nature, and the divine. Through Kaguya-hime's story, the work invites us to consider the nature of love and desire, as well as the impossibility of achieving certain ideals.

THE TALE OF BAMBOO-CUTTER

Long, long ago, there lived an old bamboo wood-cutter. He was very poor and sad also, for no child had Heaven sent to cheer his old age, and in his heart there was no hope of rest from work till he died and was laid in the quiet grave. Every morning he went forth into the woods and hills wherever the bamboo reared its lithe green plumes against the sky. When he had made his choice, he would cut down these feathers of the forest, and splitting them lengthwise, or cutting them into joints, would carry the bamboo wood home and make it into various articles for the household, and he and his old wife gained a small livelihood by selling them.

One morning as usual he had gone out to his work, and having found a nice clump of bamboos, had set to work to cut some of them down. Suddenly the green grove of bamboos was flooded with a bright soft light, as if the full moon had risen over the spot. Looking round in astonishment, he saw that the brilliance was streaming from one bamboo. The old man, full of wonder, dropped his ax and went towards the light. On nearer approach he saw that this soft splendor came from a hollow in the green bamboo stem, and still more wonderful to behold, in the midst of the brilliance stood a tiny human being, only three inches in height, and exquisitely beautiful in appearance.

“You must be sent to be my child, for I find you here among the bamboos where lies my daily work,” said the old man, and taking the little creature in his hand he took it home to his wife to bring up. The tiny girl was so exceedingly beautiful and so small, that the old woman put her into a basket to safeguard her from the least possibility of being hurt in any way.

The old couple were now very happy, for it had been a lifelong regret that they had no children of their own, and with joy they now expended all the love of their old age on the little child who had come to them in so marvelous a manner.

From this time on, the old man often found gold in the notches of the bamboos when he hewed them down and cut them up; not only gold, but precious stones also, so that by degrees he became rich. He built himself a fine house, and was no longer known as the poor bamboo woodcutter, but as a wealthy man.

Three months passed quickly away, and in that time the bamboo child had, wonderful to say, become a full-grown girl, so her foster-parents did up her hair and dressed her in beautiful kimonos. She was of such wondrous beauty that they placed her behind the screens like a princess, and allowed no one to see her, waiting upon her themselves. It seemed as if she were made of light, for the house was filled with a soft shining, so that even in the dark of night it was like daytime. Her presence seemed to have a benign influence on those there. Whenever the old man felt sad, he had only to look upon his foster-daughter and his sorrow vanished, and he became as happy as when he was a youth.

At last the day came for the naming of their new-found child, so the old couple called in a celebrated name-giver, and he gave her the name of Princess Moonlight, because her body gave forth so much soft bright light that she might have been a daughter of the Moon God.

For three days the festival was kept up with song and dance and music. All the friends and relations of the old couple were present, and great was their enjoyment of the festivities held to celebrate the naming of Princess Moonlight. Everyone who saw her declared that there never had been seen any one so lovely; all the beauties throughout the length and breadth of the land would grow pale beside her, so they said. The fame of the Princess’s loveliness spread far and wide, and many were the suitors who desired to win her hand, or even so much as to see her.

Suitors from far and near posted themselves outside the house, and made little holes in the fence, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Princess as she went from one room to the other along the veranda. They stayed there day and night, sacrificing even their sleep for a chance of seeing her, but all in vain. Then they approached the house, and tried to speak to the old man and his wife or some of the servants, but not even this was granted them.

Still, in spite of all this disappointment they stayed on day after day, and night after night, and counted it as nothing, so great was their desire to see the Princess.

At last, however, most of the men, seeing how hopeless their quest was, lost heart and hope both, and returned to their homes. All except five Knights, whose ardor and determination, instead of waning, seemed to wax greater with obstacles. These five men even went without their meals, and took snatches of whatever they could get brought to them, so that they might always stand outside the dwelling. They stood there in all weathers, in sunshine and in rain.

Sometimes they wrote letters to the Princess, but no answer was vouchsafed to them. Then when letters failed to draw any reply, they wrote poems to her telling her of the hopeless love which kept them from sleep, from food, from rest, and even from their homes. Still Princes Moonlight gave no sign of having received their verses.

In this hopeless state the winter passed. The snow and frost and the cold winds gradually gave place to the gentle warmth of spring. Then the summer came, and the sun burned white and scorching in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, and still these faithful Knights kept watch and waited. At the end of these long months, they called out to the old bamboo-cutter and entreated him to have some mercy upon them and to show them the Princess, but he answered only that as he was not her real father he could not insist on her obeying him against her wishes.

The five Knights on receiving this stern answer returned to their several homes, and pondered over the best means of touching the proud Princess’s heart, even so much as to grant them a hearing. They took their rosaries in hand and knelt before their household shrines, and burned precious incense, praying to Buddha to give them their heart’s desire. Thus, several days passed, but even so they could not rest in their homes.

So again, they set out for the bamboo-cutter’s house. This time the old man came out to see them, and they asked him to let them know if it was the Princess’s resolution never to see any man whatsoever, and they implored him to speak for them and to tell her the greatness of their love, and how long they had waited through the cold of winter and the heat of summer, sleepless and roofless through all weathers, without food and without rest, in the ardent hope of winning her, and they were willing to consider this long vigil as pleasure if she would but give them one chance of pleading their cause with her.

The old man lent a willing ear to their tale of love, for in his inmost heart he felt sorry for these faithful suitors and would have liked to see his lovely foster-daughter married to one of them. So, he went in to Princess Moonlight and said reverently:

“Although you have always seemed to me to be a heavenly being, yet I have had the trouble of bringing you up as my own child and you have been glad of the protection of my roof. Will you refuse to do as I wish?”

Then Princess Moonlight replied that there was nothing she would not do for him, that she honored and loved him as her own father, and that as for herself she could not remember the time before she came to earth.