Sanuki no Suke’s Diary: Memories of the Imperial Palace (6)

 

     As the mid-winter seasonal events pass one after another, the time has come for the Gosechi Festival. Because this is the special Gosechi held in the year of the new Emperor’s accession, the dancers are chosen from the highest-ranking families, making it far more grand than usual. Everyone is abuzz, saying it will be a truly spectacular occasion. The ladies-in-waiting keep crowding around me, eagerly asking one question after another:

     "I simply must see the young girls on the day the new Emperor attends the sacred court dances!"

     "On the night of the Tiger, it’s tradition for the courtiers to bare their shoulders, isn't it? From which direction should I watch?"

But I have no heart to answer them.

     My mind drifts back. Was it perhaps because it was to be his very last Gosechi that the late Emperor had shown such extraordinary excitement that year? From the very night the dancers entered the palace, he had made such a delightful fuss. The night wore on late with the girls rehearsing on stage, and the next morning, the Emperor slept in much later than usual.

     Yet, upon hearing that snow had fallen, he arose. The Empress was with him at the time, and they were writing letters to their families. Attending them in their presence, we, the ladies, prepared the decorative hikage cords together and tied them to the letters. >

Now, I find myself standing again in the grand upper chambers—which currently lie empty, without a wife for the young Emperor yet. Looking around, I am flooded with memories of those intimate days we all shared here, and I feel utterly detached, with no interest whatsoever in this year's festivities.