Published by Dial Press, 1971, hardcover, illustrated, index, 159 pages, condition: very good.
Born at the height of the Heian period, the pseudonymous Lady Sarashina reveals much about the Japanese literary tradition in this haunting self-portrait. Born in 1008, Lady Sarashina was a lady-in-waiting of Heian-period Japan. Her work stands out for its descriptions of her travels and pilgrimages and is unique in the literature of the period, as well as one of the first in the genre of travel writing.
"Night after night I lie awake, listening to the rustle of the bamboo leaves, and a strange sadness fills my heart"...She walked on Earth 1,000 years ago, looking at the beauty of the Moon shining brightly in the heavens illuminating the land, viewing the exquisite flowers as they blossomed in many shades, seeing the magnificent snow-capped white mountain top of Mount Fuji and the purplish color below its summit, the prettiness of a blue lake ( Biwa) still there as waves flowed by their boat, the green hills of the rolling countryside spreading out to infinity , the rainbow brightness of a sunset when the Sun sinks slowly under the horizon, the sweet sounds of birds passionately singing in trees to each other ...still her real name is unknown today....Called Lady Sarashina by some now, an alias the woman never heard in her short life 1008-1059, in the busy old capital of Kyoto, Japan, population 175,000 now 1.5 million . As a lady-in -waiting to a Princess a daughter of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, she didn't even live in the main palace, in a lesser one but the job was not glamorous, babysitting a girl of four a thankless occupation . Unimportant women were known by nicknames then, she was the " daughter of Takasue no Musume " a sometimes governor of not very prestigious provinces. A shy girl who loved reading...writing poems to friends and relatives and receiving back more, devouring the Tales of Genji as they came out chapter by chapter in 1021, all 54, dreams were her reality "I live in the dream world", she felt comfortable in a state of unconsciousness, when awakening making notes quickly about them good or bad so not to forget...they were prophecies of the future, she believed. Hypersensitive, crying as people succumbed, even strangers she never met a gloomy , timid, melancholic nature not suited for this society. Her devoted middle class father worries , his daughter ( they are quite close) having reached the ancient age of 31, unmarried just beginning her career as a lowly servant to a royal child, she must stop daydreaming and become serious. Pilgrimages to Buddhist shrines start to occupy her time, crushed by the death of her dear sister, visiting famous temples, praying for good fortune, days on end, talking to the priests and nuns, but something is missing she lacks the proper belief , however nature the beauty of it , the mysterious atmosphere that is different. Getting away from her husband and children, two boys, one girl ( Lady Sarashina at long last marries at 36)...be free of responsibilities, observe the surroundings, the majestic tapestry of a simple river roaring through, a bird flying high above and falling until the last second, soaring again, the thrill of looking at countless stars in the night sky, the rains bringing life and snow making a winter pretty...Autumn leaves changing their pigment to brilliant reds, yellows, oranges, purples, blues, browns...she must write about this for posterity...A wonderful, vivid description of the golden age of Japan. the Heian period at its height, a superb book with a short, thoughtful poem or two on each page.
