|
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
differently. Even here there are people who dare to think in other ways. Lady Maruyama, for instanceàö Kaede's voice went even quieter. ôThe Hiddenàö ôWhat do you know about the Hidden?ö Shizuka said, laughing softly. ôYou told me about them, a long time ago, when you first came to me at Noguchi Castle. You said they believed everyone was created equal by their god. I remember that I thought you, and they, must have been mad. But now when I learn that even the Enlightened One speaks badly of womenùor at least his priests and monks doùit makes me question why it should be so.ö ôWhat do you expect?ö Shizuka said. ôIt's men who write histories and sacred textsùeven poetry. You can't change the way the world is. You have to learn how to work within it.ö ôThere are women writers,ö Kaede said. ôI remember hearing their tales at Noguchi Castle. But Father says I should not read them, that they will corrupt my mind.ö Sometimes she thought her father selected works for her to read simply because they said such harsh things about women, and then she thought perhaps there were no other works. She particularly disliked K'ung Fu-Tzu, whom her father admired intensely. She was writing the thoughts of the sage to her fathers dictation one afternoon, when a visitor arrived. The weather had changed in the night. The air was damp with a cold edge to it. Wood smoke and mist hung together in the valleys. In the garden the heavy heads of the last chrysanthemums drooped with moisture. The women had spent the last weeks preparing the winter clothes, and Kaede was grateful for the quilted garments she now wore under her robes. Sitting writing and reading made her hands and feet cold. Soon she would have to arrange for braziers: She feared the onset of winter for which they were still so unprepared. Ayame came bustling to the door and said in a voice tinged with alarm, ôLord Fujiwara is here, sir.ö Kaede said, ôI will leave you,ö placed the brush down, and stood. ôNo, stay. It will amuse him to meet you. No doubt he's come to hear whatever news you may have brought from the East.ö Her father went to the doorway and stepped out to welcome his guest. He turned and beckoned to Kaede and then dropped to his knees. The courtyard was filled with men on horseback and other attendants. Lord Fujiwara was descending from a palanquin that had been set down beside the Page 39 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html huge flat rock that had been transported to the garden expressly for that purpose; Kaede remembered the day from her childhood. She marveled briefly that anyone should so travel by choice, and hoped guiltily that the men had brought their own food with them. Then she dropped to her knees as one of the attendants loosened the nobleman's sandals and he stepped out of them and into the house. She managed to look at him before she cast her eyes downward. He was tall and slender, his face white and sculpted like a mask, the forehead abnormally high. His clothes were subdued in color, but elegant and made of exquisite fabric. He gave out a seductive fragrance that suggested boldness and originality. He returned her father's bow graciously and responded to his greeting in courteous, flowery language Kaede remained motionless as he stepped past her into the room, the scent filling her nostrils. ôMy eldest daughter,ö her father said casually as he followed his guest inside. ôOtori Kaede.ö ôLady Otori,ö she heard him say, and then: ôI would like to look at her.ö ôCome in, daughter,ö her father said impatiently, and she went in on her knees. ôLord Fujiwara,ö she murmured. ôShe is very beautiful,ö the nobleman remarked. ôLet me see her face.ö She raised her eyes and met his gaze. ôExquisite.ö In his narrowed appraising eyes she saw admiration but no desire. It surprised her, and she smiled slightly but unguardedly. He seemed equally surprised, and the sternly held line of his lips softened. ôI am disturbing you,ö he apologized, his glance taking in the writing instruments and the scrolls. Curiosity got the better of him. One eyebrow went up. ôA lesson?ö ôIt's nothing,ö her father replied, embarrassed. ôA girl's foolishness. You will think me a very indulgent father.ö ôOn the contrary, I am fascinated.ö He picked up the page she had been writing on. ôMay I?ö ôPlease, please,ö her father said. ôQuite a fine hand. One would not believe it to be a girl's.ö Kaede felt herself blush. She was reminded again of her boldness in daring to learn men's affairs. ôDo you like K'ung Fu-Tzu?ö Lord Fujiwara addressed her directly, confusing her even more. ôI'm afraid my feelings toward him are mixed,ö she replied. ôHe seems to care so little for me.ö ôDaughter,ö her father remonstrated, but Fujiwara's lips moved again into something approaching a smile. ôHe cannot have anticipated such a close acquaintance,ö he replied lightly. ôYou have arrived lately from Inuyama, I believe. I must confess, my visit is partly to find out what news there is.ö ôI came nearly a month ago,ö she replied. ôNot directly from Inuyama, but from Terayama, where Lord Otori is buried.ö ôYour husband? I had not heard. My condolences.ö His glance ran over her form. Nothing escapes him, she thought. He has eyes like a cormorant. ôIida brought about his death,ö she said quietly, ôand was killed in turn by the Otori.ö Fujiwara went on to express his sympathy further, and she spoke briefly of Arai and the situation at Inuyama, but beneath his formal elegant speech she thought she discerned a hunger to know more. It disturbed her a little, but at the same time she was tempted by it. She felt she could tell him anything and that nothing would shock him, and she was flattered by his obvious interest in her. ôThis is the Arai who swore allegiance to the Noguchi,ö her father said, returning with anger to his main grudge. ôBecause of his treachery I found myself fighting men from the Seishuu clan on my own landùsome of them my own Page 40 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |
Podobne
|