Sanuki no Suke’s Diary (15)

 

     When I arrived, I saw the Chancellor, the Minister of the Interior, and others.  They suggested the Emperor to summon Priest Kensen (1029-1113), the 41st head priest of Enryaku-ji Temple, saying, "Retired Emperor Shirakawa said, 'It would be appropriate for the Emperor to receive the precepts.'"  They made various preparations.  Since the dawn would break when the precepts were received, I told the Emperor, "I visited the Empress at the request of her, and she said this and that."

     The Emperor said weakly,

"The road is cramped, isn't it?"  He seemed worried.  The Chancellor also said, "I would like her to come and meet the Emperor."  I also thought, "I would like to have the Empress come to his side while she can, before things get too chaotic."

     When the Empress arrived at the palace, the Chancellor instructed, "It would be bad to have none by the Emperor’s side," and must have explained this to the Empress.  The Chancellor came back and said, "Just Suke should be by the side of the Emperor."  I came into the Emperor’s bedroom.  Fujiwara Moroko, the wife of the Minister of the Interior, was there.  The Chancellor and the Minister of the Interior were in a political rivalry against each other.  All the ministers, that is all the men, left through the sliding doors.  A four-foot folding screen was set up at the edge of the room.  Lamps were lit at the Emperor’s bedside, shining brightly, and I groveled beside the Emperor.  It was embarrassing, but I couldn't move away.  "The Empress has arrived," I told him, and he asked,

"How near?  Where?"

     I felt sad, thinking, "He couldn’t sense what’s happening around him at all."

     "She's by the screen," I replied.

"Which way?" he asked, and had the edge of the screen pulled up.

     The Empress then said, “Here I am.”

     "Maybe she has something to say," I thought, and I quietly moved on my knees to his feet.  As I moved away, the Empress climbed up to the bedside and spoke for a while.

     I heard the Chancellor's voice say, "This has taken quite a while.  It is about time to serve the Emperor some porridge."

     The Empress heard this and,

"Now, then, let me go home.  I will be back tomorrow night too," she said, and departed.