The Pillow Book (Penguin Classics) by Shonagon Sei

Author:Shonagon, Sei [Shonagon, Sei]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2006-11-29T23:00:00+00:00

[172]* One day in the ninth month, at a certain place, a gentleman who, though not exactly a court noble, was renowned at that time as a man of marvellous charm, taste and sensibility, pays a visit to Lady Someone. Dawn is breaking, thick mists diffuse the light of a glorious moon, and he bends all his powers to the task of producing words that will leave her heart aglow with memories of their night together. Ah, now he departs – she sits on and on, gazing into the distance after him. A scene of inexpressibly resonant beauty.

He makes as if to go on his way, but surreptitiously turns and retraces his steps to secrete himself by the lattice fence. Seeing her deep reluctance to rise and leave, he bethinks himself to say something further to her of what is in his heart, but now he hears her murmur softly to herself the lines:

‘though there in the dawn sky

the moon hangs bright’. 1

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