Lady Aoi
Act 1 Stage attendant places toward the front of the stage an embroidered kosode kimono, which represents Lady Aoi on her sickbed. Teruhi, wearing a ko-omote mask, wig, gold-patterned underkimono, brocade outer kimono, and white wide-sleeved robe, and the Courtier, wearing a cavity cap, heavy silk kimono, lined hunting robe, and white wide divided skirt, appear, cross the bridgeway, and enter the stage. Teruhi sits at the waki spot, and the Courtier stands at the shite spot . Courtier : ( nanori ) I am a courtier in the service of Emperor Suzaku. The demon that has possessed Lady Aoi, daughter of the minister of the left, is intransigent. His Lordship has invited the most revered and eminent priests to perform secret and solemn rites of exorcism as well as cures. They have tried everything but to no avail. I have been ordered to call in Teruhi, a shaman, who is known far and wide for her skill in birch-bow divination. She will ascertain by the bow whether the evil spirit is that of a living or a dead person. I shall ask her.
Teruhi faces the kosode kimono and, to azusa music, chants an incantation for calling forth an evil spirit .
T ERUHI :
( unnamed ) May Heaven be cleansed,
May Earth be cleansed,
May all be cleansed within and without,
The Six Roots, may they all be cleansed.
( jo-no-ei ) Swiftly, on a dapple gray horse,
Comes a haunting spirit
Tugging at the reins.
To issei entrance music, the spirit of Lady Rokujo, wearing a mask with gold-painted eyes, long wig, serpent-scale-patterned underkimono, embroidered outer kimono in the koshimaki style, and brocade outer kimono in the tsuboori style, appears, advances along the bridgeway, and stops by the first pine .
R OKUJO :
( issei ) Riding the Three Vehicles of the Law
Others may escape the Burning House.
Mine is but a cart
In ruins like Yugao's house;
I know not how to flee my passions.
( Enters the stage and stands in the shite spot .)
( shidai ) Like an ox-drawn cart, this weary world,
Like an ox-drawn cart, this weary world
Rolls endlessly on the wheels of retribution.
( sashi ) Like the wheels of a cart forever turning
Are birth and death for all living things;
Through the Six Worlds and the Four Births
You must journey;
Strive as you will, there is no escape.
What folly to be blind
To the frailty of this life,
Like the banana stalk without a core,
Like a bubble on the water!
Yesterday's flowers are today but a dream.
How sad my fate!
Upon my sorrow others heap their spite.
Now, drawn by the birch bow's sound,
The ghost has come
To find a moment of respite.
( sage-uta ) Ah, how shameful that even now
I should shun the eyes of others
As on that festive day.
( age-uta ) Though all night long I gaze upon the moon,
Though all night long I gaze upon the moon,
I, a phantom form, remain unseen by it.
Hence, by the birch bow's upper end,
I shall stand to tell of my sorrow,
I shall stand to tell of my sorrow. ( As if listening, steps forward .)
( unnamed ) From where does the sound of the birch bow come,
From where does the sound of the birch bow come?
T ERUHI :
( ge-no-ei ) Though by the mansion gate I stand,
R OKUJO :
As I have no form, people pass me by. ( Steps back and weeps .)
T ERUHI :
( unnamed ) How strange! I see a gentle-born lady,
Though I know not who she is,
Riding in a decrepit cart,
And one who seems a waiting-maid,
Clutching the shaft of the ox-less cart
And weeping, bathed in tears.
Oh! pitiful sight! ( Speaks to the Courtier .)
( mondo ) Is this the evil spirit?
Courtier : Now I can guess who it is. Tell me your name.
( Not seeing Rokujo's spirit, turns to Teruhi .)
R OKUJO :
( kudoki-guri ) In this world
Where all passes like lightning,
There should be none for me to hate
Nor any fate for me to mourn;
Why did I leave the way of truth? ( Speaks to Teruhi .)
( kudoki ) Attracted by the birch bow's sound,
Here I now appear. Do you still not know me?
I am the spirit of Lady Rokujo.
In days of old when I moved in society,
On spring mornings I was invited
To the flower feasts at the palace,
And on autumn nights
I viewed the moon in the royal garden.
Happily thus I spent my days
Among bright hues and scents.
Fallen in life, today I am no more
Than a morning glory that withers with the rising of the sun.
My heart knows no respite from pain;
Bitter thoughts grow like fern shoots
Bursting forth in the field.
I have appeared here to take my revenge.
C HORUS :
( sage-uta ) Do you not know that in this life
Charity is not for others?
( age-uta ) Be harsh to another,
Be harsh to another,
And it will recoil upon you.
Why do you cry?
( Rokujo gets up and, gazing at the kosode kimono and stooping down, weeps. She stares at it again .)
My curse is everlasting,
My curse is everlasting.
R OKUJO :
( mondo ) Oh, how I hate you!
I will punish you.
T ERUHI :
What shame!
For Lady Rokujo, gentle born,
To seek revenge
And act as one lowborn:
Are you not ashamed?
Stop and say no more.
R OKUJO :
Say what you will, I must strike her now.
( Walks to the kosode and defiantly strikes it with the fan .)
So saying, I walk toward the bedside of Lady Aoi and strike her.
( Returns to her seat .)
T ERUHI :
Now that things have come to such a pass,
There is nothing more to do.
So saying, I walk toward Lady Aoi's feet
And torment her.
R OKUJO :
Present vengeance is the retribution
For past wrongs you did to me.
T ERUHI :
The flame of consuming anger
R OKUJO :
Scorches only my own self.
T ERUHI :
Do you not feel the fury of my anger?
R OKUJO :
You shall feel the fullness of its fury. ( Fixes her gaze on the kosode.)
C HORUS :
( dan-uta ) This loathsome heart!
This loathsome heart!
My unfathomable hatred
Causes Lady Aoi to wail in bitter agony.
But as long as she lives in this world,
Her bond with the Shining Genji will never end —
The Shining Genji, more beautiful than a firefly
That flits across the marshland.
R OKUJO :
I shall be to him
C HORUS :
A stranger, as I was once,
And I shall pass away
Like a dewdrop on a mugwort leaf.
When I think of this,
How bitter I feel!
Our love is already an old tale,
Never to be revived even in a dream.
Yet all the while my longing grows
Until I am ashamed to see my love-torn self.
Standing by her pillow,
I shall place Lady Aoi
In my wrecked cart
( Rokujo pulls the outer kimono over her and, stooping, withdraws to the stage-attendant position .)
And secretly carry her off,
And secretly carry her off.
Act 2
A Messenger of the minister of the left, wearing a striped kimono, sleeveless robe, and trailing divided skirt, is seated at the kyogen seat . Courtier : ( mondo ) Is anyone here? M ESSENGER : I am at your service. ( Comes forward in front of the Courtier .) Courtier : Lady Aoi, who is possessed by an evil spirit, is grievously ill. Go! Fetch the holy man of Yokawa. M ESSENGER ( returns to the shite spot ): ( unnamed ) I understood that Lady Aoi, though possessed by an evil spirit, was very much better. Now I am told that she is more ill than ever. Therefore I am ordered to go to Yokawa and bring the holy man back with me. I must make haste. ( Goes to the first pine and, turning toward the curtain, calls out .) I have arrived. If you please, I wish to be announced.
The Holy Man, wearing a small round cap, brocade stole, heavy silk kimono, wide-sleeved robe, and wide white divided skirt and carrying a short sword and a rosary of diamond-shaped heads, appears and advances along the bridgeway, stopping at the third pine .
H OLY M AN :
( mondo ) Before the window of the Nine Ideations,
On the seat of the Ten Vehicles
I am filled with the waters of yoga ,
Reflecting the Moon of Truth in the Three Mysteries.
Who is it that seeks admission? M ESSENGER : I am a messenger from the minister. Lady Aoi, who is possessed by an evil spirit, is grievously ill, and I am commanded to ask you to come at once and perform an exorcism. H OLY M AN : Of late I have been engaged in performing special rites and cannot leave, but since it is a request from the minister, I will go immediately. You may return at once.
M ESSENGER : I will lead the way.
I have returned, my lord, accompanied by the holy man.
The Holy Man enters the stage and stands in the shite spot, where the Courtier turns to him .
Courtier : I am much obliged to you for coming.
H OLY M AN : I received your message. Where is the lady who is ill?
Courtier : She is there in the gallery. ( Turns to the kosode.)
H OLY M AN : I shall perform the exorcism at once.
Courtier : Pray do so.
To notto music, the Holy Man moves in front of the musicians, tucks up his sleeves, and advances toward the kosode.
H OLY M AN :
( unnamed ) He now performs the healing rites,
Wearing his cloak of hemp,
In which, in the footsteps of En-no-Gyoja,
He scaled the peaks
Symbolic of the sacred spheres
Of Taizo and Kongo,
Brushing away the dew that sparkles like the Seven Jewels,
And with a robe of meek endurance
To shield him from defilements,
Fingering his reddish wooden beads,
And rubbing them together, he intones a prayer: Namaku, samanda, basarada .
The spirit of Lady Rokujo, having exchanged the golden-painted-eyes mask for a hannya mask and covered her head with her brocade outer kimono, stands behind the Holy Man with a hammer-shaped staff in her hand and fixes her gaze on him .
( Quasi dance : inori)
The Holy Man turns toward Rokujo and tries to vanquish her by his incantation, but she wraps her brocade outer kimono around her waist and takes a defiant attitude. Then she kneels, supporting herself with her hammer-shaped staff .
R OKUJO :
( kakeai ) Return at once, good monk, return at once.
Otherwise you will be burdened with regret.
H OLY M AN :
However evil the evil spirit,
The mystic power of a holy man will never fail.
With these words I once again finger my sacred rosary.
C HORUS :
( chu-noriji ) Gozanze Myoo, Wisdom Kings of the East,
R OKUJO :
Gundari-yasha Myoo of the South,
C HORUS :
Daiitoku Myoo of the West,
R OKUJO :
Kongo-yasha Myoo
C HORUS :
Of the North,
R OKUJO :
The most Wise Fudo Myoo of the Center —
C HORUS :
Namaku samanda basarada senda makaroshana sowatayauntara takamman!
Whoever hears my teaching
Shall gain profound wisdom;
Whoever knows my mind
Shall gain the purity of buddhahood.
Rokujo, subdued, drops her staff and covers her ears .
R OKUJO :
( unnamed ) How fearful is the chanting of the sutra!
My end at last has come.
Never again will this evil spirit come.
C HORUS :
( kiri ) Hearing the voice of incantation,
Hearing the voice of incantation,
The demon's heart grows gentle. ( Rokujo rises, as if rid of her curse .)
Forbearance and mercy incarnate,
The Bodhisattva comes to meet her.
She enters nirvana,
Released from the cycle of death and rebirth — Buddha be praised!
Released from the cycle of death and rebirth — Buddha be praised!
Rokujo goes to the shite spot, joins her hands in prayer, and stamps twice .
Teruhi faces the kosode kimono and, to azusa music, chants an incantation for calling forth an evil spirit .
T ERUHI :
( unnamed ) May Heaven be cleansed,
May Earth be cleansed,
May all be cleansed within and without,
The Six Roots, may they all be cleansed.
( jo-no-ei ) Swiftly, on a dapple gray horse,
Comes a haunting spirit
Tugging at the reins.
To issei entrance music, the spirit of Lady Rokujo, wearing a mask with gold-painted eyes, long wig, serpent-scale-patterned underkimono, embroidered outer kimono in the koshimaki style, and brocade outer kimono in the tsuboori style, appears, advances along the bridgeway, and stops by the first pine .
R OKUJO :
( issei ) Riding the Three Vehicles of the Law
Others may escape the Burning House.
Mine is but a cart
In ruins like Yugao's house;
I know not how to flee my passions.
( Enters the stage and stands in the shite spot .)
( shidai ) Like an ox-drawn cart, this weary world,
Like an ox-drawn cart, this weary world
Rolls endlessly on the wheels of retribution.
( sashi ) Like the wheels of a cart forever turning
Are birth and death for all living things;
Through the Six Worlds and the Four Births
You must journey;
Strive as you will, there is no escape.
What folly to be blind
To the frailty of this life,
Like the banana stalk without a core,
Like a bubble on the water!
Yesterday's flowers are today but a dream.
How sad my fate!
Upon my sorrow others heap their spite.
Now, drawn by the birch bow's sound,
The ghost has come
To find a moment of respite.
( sage-uta ) Ah, how shameful that even now
I should shun the eyes of others
As on that festive day.
( age-uta ) Though all night long I gaze upon the moon,
Though all night long I gaze upon the moon,
I, a phantom form, remain unseen by it.
Hence, by the birch bow's upper end,
I shall stand to tell of my sorrow,
I shall stand to tell of my sorrow. ( As if listening, steps forward .)
( unnamed ) From where does the sound of the birch bow come,
From where does the sound of the birch bow come?
T ERUHI :
( ge-no-ei ) Though by the mansion gate I stand,
R OKUJO :
As I have no form, people pass me by. ( Steps back and weeps .)
T ERUHI :
( unnamed ) How strange! I see a gentle-born lady,
Though I know not who she is,
Riding in a decrepit cart,
And one who seems a waiting-maid,
Clutching the shaft of the ox-less cart
And weeping, bathed in tears.
Oh! pitiful sight! ( Speaks to the Courtier .)
( mondo ) Is this the evil spirit?
Courtier : Now I can guess who it is. Tell me your name.
( Not seeing Rokujo's spirit, turns to Teruhi .)
R OKUJO :
( kudoki-guri ) In this world
Where all passes like lightning,
There should be none for me to hate
Nor any fate for me to mourn;
Why did I leave the way of truth? ( Speaks to Teruhi .)
( kudoki ) Attracted by the birch bow's sound,
Here I now appear. Do you still not know me?
I am the spirit of Lady Rokujo.
In days of old when I moved in society,
On spring mornings I was invited
To the flower feasts at the palace,
And on autumn nights
I viewed the moon in the royal garden.
Happily thus I spent my days
Among bright hues and scents.
Fallen in life, today I am no more
Than a morning glory that withers with the rising of the sun.
My heart knows no respite from pain;
Bitter thoughts grow like fern shoots
Bursting forth in the field.
I have appeared here to take my revenge.
C HORUS :
( sage-uta ) Do you not know that in this life
Charity is not for others?
( age-uta ) Be harsh to another,
Be harsh to another,
And it will recoil upon you.
Why do you cry?
( Rokujo gets up and, gazing at the kosode kimono and stooping down, weeps. She stares at it again .)
My curse is everlasting,
My curse is everlasting.
R OKUJO :
( mondo ) Oh, how I hate you!
I will punish you.
T ERUHI :
What shame!
For Lady Rokujo, gentle born,
To seek revenge
And act as one lowborn:
Are you not ashamed?
Stop and say no more.
R OKUJO :
Say what you will, I must strike her now.
( Walks to the kosode and defiantly strikes it with the fan .)
So saying, I walk toward the bedside of Lady Aoi and strike her.
( Returns to her seat .)
T ERUHI :
Now that things have come to such a pass,
There is nothing more to do.
So saying, I walk toward Lady Aoi's feet
And torment her.
R OKUJO :
Present vengeance is the retribution
For past wrongs you did to me.
T ERUHI :
The flame of consuming anger
R OKUJO :
Scorches only my own self.
T ERUHI :
Do you not feel the fury of my anger?
R OKUJO :
You shall feel the fullness of its fury. ( Fixes her gaze on the kosode.)
C HORUS :
( dan-uta ) This loathsome heart!
This loathsome heart!
My unfathomable hatred
Causes Lady Aoi to wail in bitter agony.
But as long as she lives in this world,
Her bond with the Shining Genji will never end —
The Shining Genji, more beautiful than a firefly
That flits across the marshland.
R OKUJO :
I shall be to him
C HORUS :
A stranger, as I was once,
And I shall pass away
Like a dewdrop on a mugwort leaf.
When I think of this,
How bitter I feel!
Our love is already an old tale,
Never to be revived even in a dream.
Yet all the while my longing grows
Until I am ashamed to see my love-torn self.
Standing by her pillow,
I shall place Lady Aoi
In my wrecked cart
( Rokujo pulls the outer kimono over her and, stooping, withdraws to the stage-attendant position .)
And secretly carry her off,
And secretly carry her off.
Act 2
A Messenger of the minister of the left, wearing a striped kimono, sleeveless robe, and trailing divided skirt, is seated at the kyogen seat . Courtier : ( mondo ) Is anyone here? M ESSENGER : I am at your service. ( Comes forward in front of the Courtier .) Courtier : Lady Aoi, who is possessed by an evil spirit, is grievously ill. Go! Fetch the holy man of Yokawa. M ESSENGER ( returns to the shite spot ): ( unnamed ) I understood that Lady Aoi, though possessed by an evil spirit, was very much better. Now I am told that she is more ill than ever. Therefore I am ordered to go to Yokawa and bring the holy man back with me. I must make haste. ( Goes to the first pine and, turning toward the curtain, calls out .) I have arrived. If you please, I wish to be announced.
The Holy Man, wearing a small round cap, brocade stole, heavy silk kimono, wide-sleeved robe, and wide white divided skirt and carrying a short sword and a rosary of diamond-shaped heads, appears and advances along the bridgeway, stopping at the third pine .
H OLY M AN :
( mondo ) Before the window of the Nine Ideations,
On the seat of the Ten Vehicles
I am filled with the waters of yoga ,
Reflecting the Moon of Truth in the Three Mysteries.
Who is it that seeks admission? M ESSENGER : I am a messenger from the minister. Lady Aoi, who is possessed by an evil spirit, is grievously ill, and I am commanded to ask you to come at once and perform an exorcism. H OLY M AN : Of late I have been engaged in performing special rites and cannot leave, but since it is a request from the minister, I will go immediately. You may return at once.
M ESSENGER : I will lead the way.
I have returned, my lord, accompanied by the holy man.
The Holy Man enters the stage and stands in the shite spot, where the Courtier turns to him .
Courtier : I am much obliged to you for coming.
H OLY M AN : I received your message. Where is the lady who is ill?
Courtier : She is there in the gallery. ( Turns to the kosode.)
H OLY M AN : I shall perform the exorcism at once.
Courtier : Pray do so.
To notto music, the Holy Man moves in front of the musicians, tucks up his sleeves, and advances toward the kosode.
H OLY M AN :
( unnamed ) He now performs the healing rites,
Wearing his cloak of hemp,
In which, in the footsteps of En-no-Gyoja,
He scaled the peaks
Symbolic of the sacred spheres
Of Taizo and Kongo,
Brushing away the dew that sparkles like the Seven Jewels,
And with a robe of meek endurance
To shield him from defilements,
Fingering his reddish wooden beads,
And rubbing them together, he intones a prayer: Namaku, samanda, basarada .
The spirit of Lady Rokujo, having exchanged the golden-painted-eyes mask for a hannya mask and covered her head with her brocade outer kimono, stands behind the Holy Man with a hammer-shaped staff in her hand and fixes her gaze on him .
( Quasi dance : inori)
The Holy Man turns toward Rokujo and tries to vanquish her by his incantation, but she wraps her brocade outer kimono around her waist and takes a defiant attitude. Then she kneels, supporting herself with her hammer-shaped staff .
R OKUJO :
( kakeai ) Return at once, good monk, return at once.
Otherwise you will be burdened with regret.
H OLY M AN :
However evil the evil spirit,
The mystic power of a holy man will never fail.
With these words I once again finger my sacred rosary.
C HORUS :
( chu-noriji ) Gozanze Myoo, Wisdom Kings of the East,
R OKUJO :
Gundari-yasha Myoo of the South,
C HORUS :
Daiitoku Myoo of the West,
R OKUJO :
Kongo-yasha Myoo
C HORUS :
Of the North,
R OKUJO :
The most Wise Fudo Myoo of the Center —
C HORUS :
Namaku samanda basarada senda makaroshana sowatayauntara takamman!
Whoever hears my teaching
Shall gain profound wisdom;
Whoever knows my mind
Shall gain the purity of buddhahood.
Rokujo, subdued, drops her staff and covers her ears .
R OKUJO :
( unnamed ) How fearful is the chanting of the sutra!
My end at last has come.
Never again will this evil spirit come.
C HORUS :
( kiri ) Hearing the voice of incantation,
Hearing the voice of incantation,
The demon's heart grows gentle. ( Rokujo rises, as if rid of her curse .)
Forbearance and mercy incarnate,
The Bodhisattva comes to meet her.
She enters nirvana,
Released from the cycle of death and rebirth — Buddha be praised!
Released from the cycle of death and rebirth — Buddha be praised!
Rokujo goes to the shite spot, joins her hands in prayer, and stamps twice .
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