The Pillow Book

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Japanese book. For the Peter Greenaway film of the same name, see The Pillow Book (film).

Sei Shōnagon in a later 17th century drawing

Sei Shōnagon, illustration from an issue of Hyakunin Isshu (Edo period)

The Pillow Book (枕草子, Makura no Sōshi^?) is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Sadako during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002.

In it she included lists of all kinds, personal thoughts, interesting events in court, poetry and some opinions on her contemporaries. While it is mostly a personal work, Shōnagon's writing and poetic skill makes it interesting as a work of literature, and it is valuable as a historical document. Part of it was revealed to the Court by accident during Shōnagon's life. The book has been translated into English by Ivan Morris in 1967 and in 2006 by Meredith McKinney.

More generally, a pillow book is a collection of notebooks or notes which have been collated to show a period of someone or something's life. Eleanor Bron and Heather Mallick have both used this form to collect essays. Aidan Chambers' novel This Is All, the Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn is based on the concept of the pillow book. In the case of the fictional character Cordelia Kenn, it shows her life and thoughts so that her daughter can relive her past.

There is a 1996 film of the same name by writer/director Peter Greenaway, which tells a modern story but references Sei Shōnagon's literary work. The film stars Vivian Wu and Ewan McGregor.

1 Opening sentences
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Opening sentences

Japanese	English
春はあけぼの。やうやうしろくなりゆく山ぎはすこしあかりて、紫だちたる雲の細くたなびきたる。夏は夜。月のころはさらなり。闇もなほ、ほたるの多く飛びちがひたる。また、ただ一つ二つなど、ほのかにうち光りて行くもをかし。雨など降るもをかし。秋は夕ぐれ。夕日のさして、山の端いと近うなりたるに、烏の寝どころへ行くとて、三つ四つ、二つ三つなど飛び急ぐさへあはれなり。まいて、雁などのつらねたるが、いと小さく見ゆるはいとをかし。日入りはてて、風の音・虫のねなど、はた言ふべきにあらず。冬はつとめて。雪の降りたるは、いふべきにもあらず、霜のいと白きも、またさらでも、いと寒きに、火など急ぎおこして、炭もてわたるもいとつきづきし。昼になりて、ぬるくゆるびもていけば、火桶の火も、白き灰がちになりてわろし。	In spring, it is dawn. The sky at the edge of the mountains slowly starts to brighten with the approach of day, and the thinly trailing clouds nearby are tinted purple. In summer, it is night. It is of course delightful when the moon is out, but no less so on dark nights when countless fireflies can be seen mingling in flight. One even feels charmed when just one or two pass by, giving off a gentle glow. Rainy nights, too, are delightful. In autumn, it is evening. As the setting sun draws closer to the mountains, the crows hastily fly back to their nests in threes and fours and twos. Even more delightful is the sight of a line of geese flying far overhead. Then, after the sun has set, the crying of insects and the sound of the wind have a charm that goes without saying. In winter, it is early morning. Of course it is delightful when snow is falling, but even when there is a pure-white frost -- or in the freezing cold without either snow or frost -- the way the fire is hurriedly stirred up and coals carried to all the rooms seems most suited to the season. As the day wears on and the cold gradually loses its bite, the braziers go untended and the coals become disagreeably coated with white ash.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Sei Shōnagon & McKinney (translator), Meredith (2006), The Pillow Book, London, UK: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-140-44806-3
Sei Shōnagon & Morris (translator), Ivan (1971), The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, London, UK: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-140-44236-7 . Originally published in 1967 by Columbia University Press.