Epics3 as they are understood in Europe do not exist in either China or Japan, although orientals claim that name for poems which we would term idyls.
A romantic tale, which passes as an epic2 in both countries, was written in Chinese verse by Professor Inouye, and has been rendered in classical Japanese by Naobumi Ochiai. It is entitled "The Lay of the Pious4 Maiden5 Shirakiku," which is The White Aster.
The first canto7 opens with an exquisite8 description of an autumn sunset and of the leaves falling from the trees at the foot of Mount Aso. Then we hear a temple bell ringing in a distant grove9, and see a timid maiden steal out weeping from a hut in the extremity10 of the village to gaze anxiously in the direction of the volcano, for her father left her three days before to go hunting and has not returned. Poor little White Aster fears some harm may have befallen her sire, and, although she creeps back into the hut and kindles12 a fire to make tea, her heads turns at every sound in the hope that her father has come back at last. Stealing out once more only to see wild geese fly past and the rain-clouds drift across the heavens, White Aster shudders13 and feels impelled14 to start in quest of the missing man. She, therefore, dons a straw cloak and red bamboo hat, and, although night will soon fall, steals down the village street, across the marsh15, and begins to climb the mountain.
Here the steep path winds with a swift ascent16
Toward the summit:—the long grass that grew
In tufts upon the slopes, shrivelled and dry,
Lay dead upon her path;—hushed was the voice
Of the blithe17 chafers.—Only sable18 night
Yawned threatening from the vale.
While she is searching, the rain ceases and the clouds part, but no trace of her missing father does she find. Light has gone and darkness has already invaded the solitude19, when White Aster descries20 a faint red gleam through the trees and hears the droning voice of a priest chanting his prayers. Going in the direction of light and sound, White Aster soon approaches a ruined temple, standing21 in the midst of a grove of cypress22 and camphor trees, amid bleached23 bones and mouldering24 graves overhung by weeping-willows.
Her light footfall on the broken steps, falling upon the ear of the recluse25, makes him fancy some demon26 is coming to tempt27 him, so seizing a light he thrusts it out of the door, tremblingly bidding the "fox ghost" begone. In the East foxes being spirits of evil and having the power to assume any form they wish, the priest naturally takes what seems a little maiden for a demon. But, when he catches a glimpse of White Aster's lovely innocent face and hears her touching28 explanation, he utterly29 changes his opinion, muttering that she must belong to some noble family, since her eyebrows30 are like twin "half-moons."
"'Tis clear she comes of noble family:
Her eyebrows are as twin half-moons: her hair
Lies on her snowy temples, like a cloud:
In charm of form she ranks with Sishih's self,
That pearl of loveliness, the Chinese Helen."
Taking his visitor gently by the hand, he leads her into the sanctuary31, where he seats her at Buddha32's feet, before inquiring who she is and what she is doing at night in the wilderness33. White Aster timidly explains that, although born in one of the southern islands and cradled in a rich home, the pleasant tenor34 of her life was suddenly interrupted by the outbreak of war. Her home sacked and destroyed, she and her mother barely escaped with their lives. Taking refuge near a ruined temple, they erected35 a booth to shelter them, where the girl who had always been lapped in luxury had to perform all kinds of menial tasks. But even under such circumstances her life proved pleasant compared to what she suffered when news came that her father had rebelled against the king, and that he and his adherents36 had been crushed in the war. No poppy-draught could enable the two poor women to forget such terrible tidings, and it is no wonder the poor mother pined away.
As the stream
Flows to the sea and nevermore returns,
So ebbed37 and ebbed her life. I cannot tell
What in those days I suffered. Nature's self
Seemed to be mourning with me, for the breeze
Of Autumn breathed its last, and as it died
The vesper-bell from yonder village pealed38
A requiem39 o'er my mother. Thus she died,
But dead yet lives—for, ever, face and form,
She stands before my eyes; and in my ears
I ever seem to hear her loving voice,
Speaking as in the days when, strict and kind,
She taught me household lore,—in all a mother.
Having carefully tended her mother to the end, poor little White Aster lived alone, until one day her father suddenly appeared, having found at last a way to escape and rejoin them. He was, however, broken-hearted on learning of his wife's death, and, hoping to comfort him, White Aster paid him all manner of filial attentions. She could not, however, restore happiness or peace to the bereaved40 man, who, besides mourning his wife, keenly regretted the absence of his son Akitoshi, whom he had driven from home in anger when the youth proved wild and overbearing.
During this artless narrative41 the recluse had exhibited signs of deep emotion, and, when White Aster mentioned the name of her brother, he clasped his hands over his face as if to conceal42 its expression. After listening to her tale in silence, he kindly43 bade White Aster tarry there until sunrise, assuring her it would not be safe for her to wander in the mountain by night. Little White Aster, therefore slept at Buddha's feet, shivering with cold, for her garments were far too thin to protect her from the keen mountain air. As she slept she dreamt of her father, whose wraith44 appeared to her, explaining that a false step had hurled45 him down into a ravine, whence he has vainly been trying to escape for three days past!
The second canto opens with a description of a beautiful red dawn, and of the gradual awakening46 of the birds, whose songs finally rouse the little maiden, who again sets off on her quest.
Now the red dawn had tipped the mountain-tops,
And birds, awaking, peered from out their nests,
To greet the day with strains of matin joy;
The while, the moon's pale sickle47, silver white,
Fading away, sunk in the western sky.
Clear was the air and cloudless, save the mists
That rolled in waves upon the mountain-tops.
Or crept along the gullies.
Skirting the trunks of mighty48 trees, stealing beneath whispering pines, White Aster threads different parts of the solitude, where she encounters deer and other timid game, seeking some trace of her father. She is so intent on this quest that she does not mark two dark forms which gradually creep nearer to her. These are robbers, who finally pounce49 upon White Aster and drag her into their rocky den6, little heeding50 her tears or prayers; and, although the maiden cries for help, echo alone reiterates51 her desperate calls.
The brigands52' lair53 is beneath an overhanging cliff, where they have erected a miserable54 booth, whose broken thatch55 has to be supplemented by the dense56 foliage57 of the ginkgo tree overshadowing it. In front of this hut runs a brawling58 stream, while the rocks all around are hung with heavy curtains of ivy59, which add to the gloom and dampness of the place.
Here the sun
Ne'er visits with his parting rays at eve,
But all is gloom and silence save the cry
Of some belated bird that wakes the night.
Having brought their prisoner safely into this den, the robbers proceed to eat and drink, dispensing60 with chopsticks, so wolfish is their hunger. Meantime they roughly jeer61 at their captive, who sits helpless before them, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. Having satisfied their first imperious craving62 for food and drink, the brigands proceed to taunt63 their prisoner, until the captain, producing a koto or harp64, bids her with savage65 threats make music, as they like to be merry.
"Sit you down,
And let us hear your skill; for I do swear
That, if you hesitate, then with this sword
I'll cut you into bits and give your flesh
To yonder noisy crows. Mark well my words."
So proficient66 is our little maiden on this instrument, that her slender fingers draw from the cords such wonderful sounds that all living creatures are spellbound. Even the robbers remain quiet while it lasts, and are so entranced that they fail to hear the steps of a stranger, stealing near the hut armed with sword and spear. Seeing White Aster in the brigands' power, this stranger bursts open the door and pounces67 upon the robbers, several of whom he slays69 after a desperate conflict. One of their number, however, manages to escape, and it is only when the fight is over that White Aster—who has covered her face with her hands—discovers that her rescuer is the kind-hearted recluse. He now informs her that, deeming it unsafe for her to thread the wilderness alone, he had soon followed her, intending to tell her he is her long-lost brother! Then he explains how, after being banished70 from home, he entered the service of a learned man, with whom he began to study, and that, perceiving at last the wickedness of his ways, he made up his mind to reform. But, although he immediately hastened home to beg his parents' forgiveness, he arrived there only to find his native town in ruins. Unable to secure any information in regard to his kin11, he then became a recluse, and it was only because shame and emotion prevented his speaking that he had not immediately told White Aster who he was.
Much then my spirit fought against itself,
Wishing to tell my name and welcome you,
My long-lost sister: but false shame forbade
And kept my mouth tight closed.
His tale ended, the recluse and his small sister leave the robbers' den, and steal hand in hand through the dusk, the forest's silence being broken only by the shrill71 cries of bands of monkeys. They are just about to emerge from this dark ravine, when the robber who managed to escape suddenly pounces upon the priest, determined72 to slay68 him so as to avenge73 his dead comrades. Another terrible fight ensues, which so frightens poor little White Aster that she runs off, losing her way in the darkness, and is not able to return to her brother's side in spite of all her efforts.
The third canto tells how, after wandering around all night, White Aster finally emerges at dawn on the top of a cliff, at whose base nestles a tiny village, with one of the wonted shrines74. Making her way down to this place, White Aster kneels in prayer, but her attitude is so weary that an old peasant, passing by, takes pity upon her and invites her to join his daughter in their little cottage. White Aster thus becomes an inmate75 of this rustic76 home, where she spends the next few years, her beauty increasing every day, until her fame spreads all over the land. Hearing of her unparalleled loveliness, the governor finally decides to marry her, although she is far beneath him in rank, and sends a matrimonial agent to bargain for her hand. The old rustic, awed77 by the prospect78 of so brilliant an alliance, consents without consulting White Aster, and he and the agent pick out in the calendar a propitious79 day for the wedding.
When the agent has departed, the old man informs his guest how he has promised her hand in marriage, adding that she has no choice and must consent. But White Aster exclaims that her mother, on her way to the temple one day, heard a strange sound in the churchyard. There she discovered, amongst the flowers, a tiny abandoned girl, whom she adopted, giving her the name of the blossoms around her.
"Once," she said,
"Ere morn had scarce begun to dawn, I went
To worship at the temple: as I passed
Through the churchyard 'twixt rows of gravestones hoar,
And blooming white chrysanthemums80, I heard
The piteous wailing81 of a little child.
Which following, I found, amidst the flowers,
A fair young child with crimson-mouthing lips
And fresh soft cheek—a veritable gem82.
I took it as a gift that Buddha sent
As guerdon of my faith, and brought it up
As my own child, to be my husband's joy
And mine: and, as I found thee couched
Amidst white-blooming asters, I named thee
White Aster in memorial of the day."
The little maiden adds that her adopted mother made her promise never to marry any one save her so-called brother, and declares she is bound in honor to respect this maternal83 wish. The governor, anxious to secure this beautiful bride, meantime sends the agent hurrying back with a chest full of gifts, the acceptance of which will make the bargain binding84. So the clever agent proceeds to exhibit tokens, which so dazzle the old peasant that he greedily accepts them all, while admiring neighbors gape85 at them in wonder.
Poor little White Aster, perceiving it will be impossible to resist the pressure brought to bear upon her, steals out of the peasant's house at midnight, and, making her way across damp fields to the river, climbs up on the high bridge, whence she intends to fling herself into the rushing waters. She pauses, however, to utter a final prayer, and, closing her eyes, is about to spring when a hand grasps her and a glad voice exclaims she is safe! Turning around, White Aster's wondering eyes rest upon the recluse, who ever since he escaped from the brigand's clutches has vainly been seeking her everywhere. He declares they shall never part again and tenderly leads her home, where she is overjoyed to find her father, who still mourns her absence.
Thankful for the return of his child, the father relates how, having fallen into a ravine,—where he found water and berries in plenty,—he vainly tried to scale the rocks, to escape from its depths and return home. All his efforts having proved vain, he was almost ready to give up in despair, when a band of monkeys appeared at the top of the cliff and by grimaces86 and sounds showed him how to climb out by means of the hanging vines. Trusting to these weak supports, the father scaled the rocks, but on arriving at the summit was surprised to discover no trace of the monkeys who had taught him how to escape. He remembered, however, that while hunting one day he had aimed at a mother monkey and her babe, but had not injured them because the poor mother had made such distressing87 sounds of despair. He adds it was probably in reward for this act of mercy that the monkeys saved his life.
"I spared her life;
And she, in turn, seeing my sorry plight88,
Cried to me from the rocks, and showed the way
To flee from certain death."
Thus, this epic ends with a neat little moral, and with the comforting assurance that White Aster, her father, and husband lived happy ever afterward89.
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1
aster
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| n.紫菀属植物 | |
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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epics
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| n.叙事诗( epic的名词复数 )；壮举；惊人之举；史诗般的电影（或书籍） | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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canto
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| n.长篇诗的章 | |
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8
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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kindles
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的第三人称单数 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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13
shudders
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| n.颤动，打颤，战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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14
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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17
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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19
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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20
descries
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| v.被看到的，被发现的，被注意到的( descried的现在分词 ) | |
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21
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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cypress
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| n.柏树 | |
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bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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24
mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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recluse
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| n.隐居者 | |
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26
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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27
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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28
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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29
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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30
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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31
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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32
Buddha
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| n.佛；佛像；佛陀 | |
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33
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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tenor
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| n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意 | |
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35
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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37
ebbed
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的过去式和过去分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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38
pealed
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| v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
requiem
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| n.安魂曲，安灵曲 | |
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40
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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41
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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42
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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43
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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wraith
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| n.幽灵；骨瘦如柴的人 | |
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45
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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46
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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sickle
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| n.镰刀 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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50
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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51
reiterates
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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52
brigands
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| n.土匪，强盗( brigand的名词复数 ) | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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dispensing
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| v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药） | |
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jeer
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| vi.嘲弄，揶揄；vt.奚落；n.嘲笑，讥评 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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taunt
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| n.辱骂，嘲弄；v.嘲弄 | |
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harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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pounces
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的第三人称单数 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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slays
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的第三人称单数 ) | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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73
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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74
shrines
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| 圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 ) | |
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75
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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76
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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77
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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79
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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80
chrysanthemums
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| n.菊花( chrysanthemum的名词复数 ) | |
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81
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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82
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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83
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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84
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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85
gape
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| v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视 | |
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86
grimaces
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| n.（表蔑视、厌恶等）面部扭曲，鬼脸( grimace的名词复数 )v.扮鬼相，做鬼脸( grimace的第三人称单数 ) | |
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87
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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88
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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89
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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