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A review by minniesmiscellanies
The Diary of Lady Murasaki by Murasaki Shikibu
5.0
5*
Another unexpected favourite! So much so that I'm putting it on my physical wishlist. I read it as a kind of appetiser for The Tale of Genji to see if Murasaki's writing style was to my taste before committing to 1.200 pages of Heian prose, and while I'm still to start The Tale of Genji, the diary is actually so beautiful that even if that one should turn out to be a flop, the author has already earned a place in my heart.
A good introduction is absolutely necessary to understand what's going on here, and Bowring has done a superb job without being too extensive. The first half is dedicated to a general overview of power, gender and social status in Heian Japan, followed by little spotlights on themes that are prevalent in the diary - poetry, religious rituals, architecture, fashion, court titles. The latter half contains a very short biography (Murasaki is similar to Shakespeare in that we know barely anything about her but have a fairly large body of work that people have been tempted to mine for autobiographical references) and discussions about the date of composition and the very likely possibility that what survives is only a fragment of the original diary.
As someone who knows barely enough about contemporary Japanese culture, let alone its history, I found the information very well-delivered and absolutely sufficient in helping me understand the diary. Bowring might perhaps have added a short sentence clarifying that Their Majesties are the imperial pair and Their Excellencies are the parents of the Empress, because I've seen some reviewers being confused about who is meant by those titles, but to me it was clear enough. On the point of translation I am hardly qualified to pass any kind of judgement, but the text was fluid to read and felt very immediate (the best kind of translation is when you feel like the author is speaking directly to you, not whispering the words into someone else's ear to pass it on to you). The only thing that tripped me up sometimes was the use of the title "bishop", which for me at least has exclusively Christian connotations and seemed out of place in a Japanese diary; but perhaps there is no good equivalent for the Japanese title in English and this is the best approximation Bowring could come up with.
While Murasaki's accounts of court rituals are without a doubt extremely interesting (especially her detailed descriptions of the ladies' dresses, though I can see how some people might find that exhausting in the long run), my favourite parts were actually the sudden self-reflecting passages interspersed throughout. Murasaki was obviously weighed down by something from her past that she never specified in her diary, but I imagine she must have been suffering a lot for her to become so melancholy on the most trivial of occasions. For example, shortly after the much-awaited birth of the Crown Prince, elaborate preparations begin for the arrival of the Emperor, part of which were of course flower decorations.
What is she trying to forget? What is this misery that is haunting her? Are the cut flowers and the delay of their decay any clues? I really would have liked to find out, to hear her confide what was obviously weighing her down so much.
Another unexpected favourite! So much so that I'm putting it on my physical wishlist. I read it as a kind of appetiser for The Tale of Genji to see if Murasaki's writing style was to my taste before committing to 1.200 pages of Heian prose, and while I'm still to start The Tale of Genji, the diary is actually so beautiful that even if that one should turn out to be a flop, the author has already earned a place in my heart.
A good introduction is absolutely necessary to understand what's going on here, and Bowring has done a superb job without being too extensive. The first half is dedicated to a general overview of power, gender and social status in Heian Japan, followed by little spotlights on themes that are prevalent in the diary - poetry, religious rituals, architecture, fashion, court titles. The latter half contains a very short biography (Murasaki is similar to Shakespeare in that we know barely anything about her but have a fairly large body of work that people have been tempted to mine for autobiographical references) and discussions about the date of composition and the very likely possibility that what survives is only a fragment of the original diary.
As someone who knows barely enough about contemporary Japanese culture, let alone its history, I found the information very well-delivered and absolutely sufficient in helping me understand the diary. Bowring might perhaps have added a short sentence clarifying that Their Majesties are the imperial pair and Their Excellencies are the parents of the Empress, because I've seen some reviewers being confused about who is meant by those titles, but to me it was clear enough. On the point of translation I am hardly qualified to pass any kind of judgement, but the text was fluid to read and felt very immediate (the best kind of translation is when you feel like the author is speaking directly to you, not whispering the words into someone else's ear to pass it on to you). The only thing that tripped me up sometimes was the use of the title "bishop", which for me at least has exclusively Christian connotations and seemed out of place in a Japanese diary; but perhaps there is no good equivalent for the Japanese title in English and this is the best approximation Bowring could come up with.
While Murasaki's accounts of court rituals are without a doubt extremely interesting (especially her detailed descriptions of the ladies' dresses, though I can see how some people might find that exhausting in the long run), my favourite parts were actually the sudden self-reflecting passages interspersed throughout. Murasaki was obviously weighed down by something from her past that she never specified in her diary, but I imagine she must have been suffering a lot for her to become so melancholy on the most trivial of occasions. For example, shortly after the much-awaited birth of the Crown Prince, elaborate preparations begin for the arrival of the Emperor, part of which were of course flower decorations.
As the day for the imperial visit to the mansion approached, everything was repaired and polished. Rare chrysanthemums were ordered and transplanted. As I gazed out at them through the wraiths of morning mist - some fading to varying hues, others yellow and in their prime, all arranged in various ways - it seemed to me that old age might indeed be conquered. But then for some strange reason - if only my appetites were more mundane, I might find more joy in life, regain a little youth, and face it all with equanimity - seeing and hearing these marvellous, auspicious events only served to strengthen my yearnings. I felt downcast, vexed that nothing was turning out as I had hoped and that my misery simply seemed to increase.
"But why?" I asked myself. "Now surely is the time to forget. It does me no good to fret, and besides, it will only make matters worse."
As day dawned, I looked outside and saw the ducks playing about on the lake as if they had not a care in the world:
Can I remain indifferent to those birds on the water?
I too am floating in a sad uncertain world.
They looked as though they were enjoying life but must suffer greatly, I thought.
What is she trying to forget? What is this misery that is haunting her? Are the cut flowers and the delay of their decay any clues? I really would have liked to find out, to hear her confide what was obviously weighing her down so much.