Prevod

This too is a tale of long ago. One expects a certain amount of foolery from the accompanying musicians, but this was a performance such as the world had never seen. In the reign of Emperor Horikawa, on the night of the sacred kagura at the palace sanctuary, His Majesty commanded that something unusual be performed. An official summoned Ietsuna and conveyed the command to him. Wondering what he might do, Ietsuna beckoned his younger brother Yukitsuna into a corner. “Since we have been given this command, I have thought of something. What do you think of it?” “What are you planning to do?” asked Yukitsuna. Ietsuna replied, “With the courtyard fire blazing brightly, I shall hitch my trousers high and bare my skinny shanks, then run around the fire three times or so, chanting, ‘Later and later the night grows, colder and colder the wind blows! Swing them about, warm them throughout—let’s give these balls a roast!’ What do you think?” Yukitsuna said, “That might do. But before His Majesty, would it not be rather unseemly to bare your skinny shanks and talk of roasting your balls?” “You are quite right,” said Ietsuna. “Then I shall do something else. It was wise of me to consult you.” Since the courtiers and others knew of the imperial command, they waited eagerly to see what he would do that night. When the leader of the dancers called, “Ietsuna!” he came forward, did nothing remarkable, and withdrew. His Majesty, too, was thinking that there had been nothing much to it when the leader stepped forward again and called, “Yukitsuna!” Yukitsuna appeared looking thoroughly chilled. Hitching his clothes up above his knees to expose his skinny shanks, he chanted in a shivering, miserable voice, “Later and later the night grows, colder and colder the wind blows! Swing them about, warm them throughout—let’s give these balls a roast!” Then he ran around the courtyard fire ten times or so. Everyone, from His Majesty down, roared with laughter. Ietsuna hid in a corner. “The wretch has played a cruel trick on me!” he said. The brothers fell out and for a time would not even look at one another. Eventually Ietsuna thought, “I resent being tricked, but I cannot let matters rest like this.” He said to Yukitsuna, “Enough of this affair. Whatever happened, we brothers must not remain estranged forever.” Delighted, Yukitsuna became friendly with him again. At the kagura performed on the return from the Kamo Special Festival, Yukitsuna said to Ietsuna, “When the leader calls me out, I shall go over to the bamboo enclosure and rustle about there. Call out to me, ‘What is that creature doing?’ Then I shall say, ‘A bamboo leopard! A bamboo leopard!’ and give a full imitation of a leopard.” “Nothing could be easier,” Ietsuna assured him. “I shall call out at just the right moment.” Presently the leader stepped forward and called, “Yukitsuna!” Yukitsuna rose quietly, went over to the bamboo enclosure, and began crawling about. He waited for Ietsuna to ask, “What is that creature doing?” so that he could answer, “A bamboo leopard!” Instead, Ietsuna called out, “What is that bamboo leopard doing?” Since the very words on which his whole performance depended had already been spoken, Yukitsuna had nothing left to say. He abruptly fled and ran back inside. His Majesty heard about the affair, and it proved all the more wonderfully entertaining. They say this was Ietsuna’s revenge for the trick Yukitsuna had played on him.