Part 2
“ As the autumn season approaches the Tsuchimikado becomes inexpressibly smile-giving ”
八月二十余日のほどよりは、上達部、殿上人ども、さるべきはみな宿直がちにて、橋の上、対の簀子などに、みなうたた寝をしつつ、はかなう遊び明かす。琴、笛の音などには、たどたどしき若人たちの、読経あらそひ、今様歌どもも、所につけてはをかしかりけり。
宮の大夫<斉信>、左の宰相中将<経房>、兵衛の督、美濃の少将<済政>などして、遊びたまふ夜もあり。わざとの御遊びは、殿おぼすやうやあらむ、せさせたまはず。
年ごろ里居したる人びとの、中絶えを思ひ起こしつつ、參り集ふけはひ騒がしうて、そのころはしめやかなることなし。
二十六日、御薫物合せ果てて、人びとにも配らせたまふ。まろがしゐたる人びと、あまた集ひゐたり。
上より下るる道に、弁の宰相の君の戸口をさし覗きたれば、昼寝したまへるほどなりけり。萩、紫苑、色々の衣に、濃きが打ち目、心ことなるを上に着て、顏は引き入れて、硯の筥に枕して臥したまへる額つき、いとらうたげになまめかし。絵に描きたるものの姫君の心地すれば、口おほひを引きやりて、
「物語の女の心地もしたまへるかな。」
といふに、見上げて、
「もの狂ほしの御さまや。寝たる人を心なく驚かすものか。」
とて、すこし起き上がりたまへる顏の、うち赤みたまへるなど、こまかにをかしうこそはべりしか。
大方もよき人の、折からに、又こよくなくまさるわざなりけり。
九日、菊の綿を兵部のおもとの持て来て、
「これ、殿の上の、とり分きて。『いとよう、老い拭ひ捨てたまへ』と、のたまはせつる。」
とあれば、
菊の露若ゆばかりに袖触れて 花のあるじに千代は譲らむ
とて、返したてまつらむとするほどに、「あなたに帰り渡らせたまひぬ」とあれば、用なさにとどめつ。
その夜さり、御前に参りたれば、月をかしきほどにて、端に、御簾の下より裳の裾など、ほころび出づるほどほどに、小少将の君、大納言の君などさぶらひたまふ。御火取りに、ひと日の薫物取う出て、試みさせたまふ。御前のありさまのをかしさ、蔦の色の心もとなきなど、口々聞こえさするに、例よりも悩ましき御けしきにおはしませば、御加持どもも参るかたなり、騒がしき心地して入りぬ。
人の呼べば局に下りて、しばしと思ひしかど寝にけり。夜中ばかりより騒ぎたちてののしる。
十日の、まだほのぼのとするに、御しつらひ変はる。白き御帳に移らせたまふ。殿よりはじめたてまつりて、君達、四位五位どもたち騒ぎて、御帳の帷子かけ、御座ども持てちがふほど、いと騒がし。
日一日、いと心もとなげに起き臥し暮らさせたまひつ。御もののけども駆り移し、限りなく騒ぎののしる。月ごろ、そこらさぶらひつる殿のうちの僧をば、さらにもいはず、山々寺々を尋ねて、験者といふかぎりは残るなく参り集ひ、三世の仏もいかに翔りたまふらむと思ひやらる。陰陽師とて、世にあるかぎり召し集めて、八百万の神も、耳ふりたてぬはあらじと見えきこゆ。御誦経の使、立ち騒ぎ暮らし、その夜も明けぬ。
御帳の東面は、内裏の女房参り集ひてさぶらふ。西には、御もののけ移りたる人びと、御屏風一よろひを引きつぼね、局口には几帳を立てつつ、験者あづかりあづかりののしりゐたり。南には、やむごとなき僧正、僧都、重りゐて、不動尊の生きたまへるかたちをも呼び出で現はしつべう、頼みみ恨みみ、声みな涸れわたりにたる、いといみじう聞こゆ。
北の御障子と御帳とのはさま、いと狹きほどに、四十余人ぞ、後に数ふればゐたりける。いささかみじろぎもせられず、気あがりてものぞおぼえぬや。今、里より参る人びとは、なかなかゐこめられず。裳の裾、衣の袖、ゆくらむかたも知らず、さるべきおとななどは、忍びて泣きまどふ。
Since the twentieth of the Eighth month, the more favored court nobles and officers have been on night duty, passing the nights in the corridor, or on the mats of the veranda idly amusing themselves. Young men who are unskilled in koto or fue amuse themselves with tonearasoi and imayo, and at such a time this is entertaining. Narinobu, the Queen's Grand Chamberlain, Tsunefusa, the Lieutenant-General of the Left Bodyguard and State Councillor, and Narimasa, the Major-General of the Bodyguard and Governor of Mino, passed the night in diversions. The Lord Prime Minister must have been apprehensive, for he has forbidden all public entertainment. Those who have long retired from the court have come in crowds to ask after the Queen's welfare, so we have had no peace.
Twenty-sixth day. We finished the preparation of perfume and distributed it to all. A number of us who had been making it into balls assembled together. On my way from Her Majesty's chamber, I peeped into Ben Saisho's room. She was sleeping. She wore garments of hagi and shion over which she had put a strongly perfumed lustrous robe. Her face was hidden behind the cloth; her head rested on a writing-case of gold lacquer. Her forehead was beautiful and fascinating. She seemed like a princess in a picture. I took off the cloth which hid her mouth and said, "You are just like the heroine of a romance!" She blushed, half-rising; she was beauty itself. She is always beautiful, but on this occasion, her charm was wonderfully heightened.
Dear Lady Hyoé brought me some floss silk for chrysanthemums. "The wife of the Prime Minister favors you with this present to drive away age, carefully use it and then throw it away."
May that lady live one thousand years who guards the flowers!
My sleeves are wet with thankful tears
As though I had been walking
In a garden of dewy chrysanthemums.
I wanted to send it, but as I heard that she had gone away, I kept it.
The evening I went to the Queen's chamber. As the moon was beautiful, skirts overflowed from beneath the misu. By and by, there came Lady Koshosho and Lady Dainagon. Her Majesty took out some of the perfume made the other day and put it into an incense burner to try it. The garden was admirable—"When the ivy leaves become red!" they were saying—but our Lady seemed less tranquil than usual. The priests came for prayers, and I went into the inside room but was called away and finally went to my own chamber. I wanted only to rest a few minutes, but fell asleep. By midnight, everybody was in great excitement.
Tenth day of the Long-moon month.
When day began to dawn, the decorations of the Queen's chamber were changed, and she removed to a white bed. The Prime Minister, his sons, and other noblemen made haste to change the curtains of the screens, the bed cover, and other things. All day long, she lay ill at ease. Men cried at the top of their voices to scare away evil spirits. There assembled not only the priests who had been summoned here for these months, but also itinerant monks who were brought from every mountain and temple. Their prayers would reach to the Buddhas of the three worlds. All the soothsayers in the world were summoned. Eight million gods seemed to be listening with ears erect for their Shinto prayers. Messengers ran off to order sutra-reciting at various temples; thus the night was passed. On the east side of the screen, there assembled the ladies of the Court. On the west side, there were lying the Queen's substitutes possessed with the evil spirits. Each was lying surrounded by a pair of folding screens. The joints of the screens were curtained, and priests were appointed to cry sutras there. On the south side, there sat in many rows abbots and other dignitaries of the priesthood, who prayed and swore till their voices grew hoarse, as if they were bringing down the living form of Fudo. The space between the north room and the dais was very narrow, yet when I thought of it afterwards, I counted more than forty persons who were standing there. They could not move at all and grew so dizzy that they could remember nothing. The people now coming from home could not enter the main apartment at all. There was no place for their flowing robes and long sleeves. Certain older women wept secretly.