Chapter 23 handkerchief

handkerchief Akutagawa Ryunosuke Mr. Kinzo Hasegawa, a professor at Tokyo Imperial University of Law, is sitting on a wicker chair in the corridor, reading Strindberg's "Screenwriting Law". ① Hasegawa Kinzo alludes to the Japanese thinker and agronomist Nitodo Inazō (1862-1933).Nitobe has successively served as a professor at Sapporo Agricultural School and the University of Tokyo. He believes in Christianity and advocates world pacifism.While studying in the United States, she married American Mariko. ② Strindberg (1849-1912), Swedish novelist and playwright, his works are full of naturalism and mystery. The Screenwriters Act was written between 1907 and 1910.

Mr.'s major is the study of colonialism policy.Therefore, readers may feel a little bit abrupt about Mr. reading "Screenwriting Law".However, Mr. Ren, who is famous not only as a scholar, but also as an educator, is not necessary for his research field, but in a sense, books that are related to the thoughts and feelings of modern students, as long as he has time. , he must read them one by one.In addition, according to the current situation that the students of a certain college where he is the principal are scrambling to read, Mr. even worked hard to read Oscar Wilde's "The Voice of Pain" and "Intention" and other books.Since he is such a gentleman, even if the book he is reading now is about modern European drama and actors, there is nothing particularly strange.This is nothing more than the fact that some of the students educated by Mr. Not only wrote comments on Ibsen, Strindberg and Maeterlinck, but also followed in the footsteps of modern dramatists, dedicating their lives to drama creation enthusiastic home.

③Oscar Wilde (1856-1900), a British aestheticist writer, "The Voice of Pain" (1905) is his memoir in prison, and "Intentions" (1891) is a collection of art criticism. ④ Maeterlinck (1862-1949), a Belgian playwright whose masterpiece is "The Blue Bird". After finishing reading the chapter with extraordinary intentions, Mr. put the hardcover book covered in yellow leather on his knees, and casually glanced at the Gifu lantern hanging in the corridor.Strange to say, when he saw the lantern, his mind left Strindberg and he thought of his wife who went with him to buy this lantern in Gifu.The husband got married when he was studying in the United States.The wife is of course American.However, my husband has not changed at all in his love for Japan and Japanese people.The exquisite Japanese arts and crafts made my wife even more satisfied.Therefore, the Gifu lanterns hanging on the porch are not so much my husband's favorite, but more accurate as a manifestation of my wife's Japanese taste.

①Gifu lanterns are oval-shaped, and are used by the Japanese to enjoy the cool summer night and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Whenever Mr. puts down the book, he thinks of his wife, the Gifu lanterns, and the Japanese civilization represented by the Gifu lanterns.Mr. is convinced that Japanese civilization has made considerable material progress in the last fifty years.However, spiritually, there is hardly much progress.No, in a sense it's more like going backwards.So, as an urgent task for modern thinkers, what method should be adopted when seeking a way out to save this retrogression?Mr. concluded that, only by relying on Japan's inherent Bushido.Bushido should never be regarded as the morality of narrow-minded islanders.On the contrary, there are even things in it that are consistent with the spirit of Christianity in European and American countries.According to Bushido, if we can understand the trend of modern Japanese thought, it will not only contribute to the spiritual civilization of Japan, but also help the citizens of European and American countries and Japanese people to understand each other.In other words, it can also promote international peace. ——From this point of view, Mr. Wang has been thinking about it for the past few days, and he himself will act as a bridge between East and West.For such a gentleman, it is by no means unpleasant for his wife and Gifu lanterns and the mutual harmony between them and the Japanese civilization represented by the Gifu lanterns to surface in his ideology.

However, after repeatedly obtaining this kind of satisfaction, Mr. gradually realized that although he was reading, the distance between his thoughts and Strindberg was becoming estranged.Then he shook his head a little dissatisfied, and fixed his eyes intently on the tiny type, when he happened to read this passage: When the actor has found some just means of expressing the most common affections, and has achieved success in this way, he does not care whether the time is right or not, partly because this is where the joy lies, and partly because this is where success comes from. Wherever you are, you want to use this method at every turn.And this is what is called a unique approach to acting.

The relationship between husband and art—especially drama, is always a relationship.Even Japanese dramas, he has only seen a handful of times so far. ——In a novel written by a certain student, the name Mei Xing once appeared.Although the husband prides himself on his strong memory of Expo, he doesn't know much about the name.So by the way, I found the student and asked, "What is Mei Xing you're talking about?" ① Umeyuki is the sixth-generation Umeyuki Onoe (1870-1934), a famous Japanese Kabuki actor. "Meiyuki——? The Umeyuki I'm talking about is currently an actor at the Imperial Theater in Marunouchi②, and is currently playing the role of the moral character in the tenth volume of "Taikoji"③." Say.

② Marunouchi is the economic center of Tokyo, Japan, located in the east of Chiyoda District. ③ "Taiko Ji" is a drama based on the life of Japanese general Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-1598) and the era in which he lived. ④Okura is a district in Kitakyushu City, Japan. The cloth produced here is suitable for making school uniforms and skirt pants. Therefore, Mr. Strindberg is completely unable to express his own opinions on the comments made by Strindberg on various methods of acting in a concise manner.It just reminded him of certain scenes in the drama he saw when he was studying in Europe, at best he had some interest in this scope.It can also be said that this is no different from the middle school English teacher who reads Bernard Shaw's plays in order to find idioms.But even if it is a reluctant interest, it is still an interest after all.

The unlit Gifu lantern hung from the ceiling of the corridor.Mr. Hasegawa Kinzo, sitting on a wicker chair, is reading Strindberg's "Screenwriting Law".I just write this little bit, and it is probably not hard for readers to imagine what a long early summer afternoon this is.However, just because I said this, you must not think that Mr. is bored.To interpret it in this way is a deliberate satirical misinterpretation of the mood in which I write. — Now, even Mr. Strindberg had to stop halfway, because the maid suddenly reported a visitor, which interrupted his pleasure.No matter how long the day is, it seems that the trivial matters in the world will not give up until the husband is too busy...

The gentleman put down the book and glanced at the small business card that the maid sent just now.On the white paper, the name of Atsuko Nishiyama was written with fine strokes.Among the people I have known so far, there seems to be no such person.The gentleman who had a lot of contacts stood up from the wicker chair, and for the sake of prudence, he roughly flipped through the name book in his head.However, there is still no memory of such a name.At this time, Mr. put the business card into the book as a bookmark, and put the book on the wicker chair. With a restless look, he straightened the front of the silk singlet, and glanced at the Gifu lantern in front of him.In this case, it is probably true of everyone, the host who is waiting is more restless than the guest who is waiting.Mr. is usually rigorous, let alone for such an unknown female guest today, I don't need to talk about this kind of thing.

The gentleman looked at his watch, then pushed open the door of the living room.After entering the room, the woman in her forties who was sitting on the chair stood up almost at the same time as she lowered the doorknob she was holding.The guest was beyond my husband's expectation, wearing a fine iron blue singlet and a black gauze outer dress, where the thin seam on the chest, the emerald on the buckle protruded in a cool diamond shape.Even a gentleman who does not pay attention to details can immediately see that she is wearing a bun on her head.The round face unique to the Japanese, amber skin, seems to be a good wife and mother.The gentleman took a look at the guest and felt as if he had seen it somewhere before.

①The round bun is a hairstyle worn by married Japanese women. The bun is oval and slightly flat. "I'm Hasegawa." Mr. greeted cordially.He thought that if he said this, if he had met before, the other party would tell. "I am Kenichiro Nishiyama's mother." The woman introduced herself in a clear voice and returned the salute respectfully. Speaking of Kenichiro Nishiyama, my husband still remembers it now.He was also a student who wrote comments on Ibsen and Strindberg. I remember that he was a German law major. Since he entered school, he often visited Mr. to ask ideological questions.He came down with peritonitis this spring and was admitted to the University Hospital, and the husband stopped by once or twice to see him.Therefore, it is not unfounded to say that he has seen this woman somewhere.The young man with thick eyebrows and full of energy and this woman can be described by the Japanese saying "one melon breaks two", they are strikingly similar. "Ah, Mr. Xishan's... is it?" Mr. nodded alone, pointing to the chair opposite the small table and said, "Please, please sit there." The woman first apologized to Mr. for the surprise visit, and once again bowed respectfully, and then sat down on the chair indicated.At that time, the woman took out something white from her sleeve, probably a handkerchief.When the husband saw this, he quickly handed over the Korean fan on the table, and sat down on the chair beside the table at the same time. "Sir's house is fine." The woman looked around the room a little pretentiously. "Where is it, it's just big, it's not useful at all." The gentleman who was used to socializing with this kind of words put the cold tea brought by the maid at that time in front of the guest, and at the same time turned the conversation to the other party: "Mr. Xishan How is it? There is no special change in the body, right?" "Yes." The woman humbly folded her hands on her knees, paused, and then continued calmly.She still said in a steady and fluent tone: "Actually, I came to disturb Mr. today because of my son. He has finally passed away. He was taken care of by Mr. a lot during his lifetime..." The husband thought it was polite for the woman not to drink the tea, but at this time he was taking the black tea bowl to his mouth.He felt that it would be better to persuade him rather than take the initiative to drink.However, before the teacup touched the soft moustache, the woman's words caught the husband by surprise.To drink tea, or not to drink? ——Such a thought that has nothing to do with the death of the young man troubled Mr.'s mind for an instant.But you can't just stop there with a teacup.So the husband made up his mind, drank half a glass in one gulp, frowned slightly, and said as if he was choking: "Oh!" "...When he was in the hospital, he often talked about his concern. Although I knew that my husband was very busy, I still wanted to tell him and express my gratitude to him..." "I don't dare to say anything." The gentleman put down the tea bowl, then picked up the round fan coated with white wax, and said calmly, "I finally passed away. It is at the most promising age! ... I haven't been here for a long time. Greetings from the hospital, I always thought I would get better... so when did you die?" "Yesterday happened to be the first seven." "Did he die in the hospital?" "yes." "Hey, what a surprise!" "Anyway, I did my best, and I have no choice but to resign myself to fate. In this case, even if I recall everything in the past, I can no longer complain." In the midst of this conversation, the gentleman noticed an unexpected fact.That was the attitude of this woman.His behavior was nothing like talking about his son's death, and there were no tears in his eyes.The sound is also the same as usual.At the same time, there was a smile on the corner of his mouth.If you don't listen to the conversation, but just look at the appearance, no matter who you are, you will think that this woman is talking about family affairs.Mr. thinks this is very strange. ——That was when my husband was studying abroad in Berlin.The father of the current German Kaiser, Wilhelm I, died.The husband heard the obituary in the coffee shop he frequented, and was initially only touched by it in general.So as energetic as usual, I tucked my cane under my arm and went back to the apartment.As soon as the door was opened, the two children in the apartment suddenly hugged the husband's neck and cried together.One was a twelve-year-old girl in a brown top, and the other was a nine-year-old boy in navy blue shorts.The gentleman who liked children didn't understand what was going on, and while stroking the shiny hair of the two, he kept comforting them and said, "What's the matter? What's the matter?" However, the children kept crying.Then he sobbed and said, "Your Majesty's grandfather has passed away." My husband thinks it's inconceivable that even a child is so sad when the head of state of a country dies.This must not simply be regarded as a matter of the relationship between the royal family and the people.Since arriving in Europe, the impulsive expressions of Europeans have touched Mr. Wang's eyes and ears many times.The situation I encountered now surprised Mr., who is a Japanese and a believer in Bushido.The mixed feeling of surprise and sympathy at that time is still very unforgettable. ——My husband thinks that today's situation is also so puzzling, but the difference is that this woman does not shed tears, which makes people feel very surprised. However, shortly after the first discovery, a second was made. At that time, the conversation between the host and the guest turned from the memory of the deceased youth to the trivial matters of daily life, and then returned to the memory of the youth.Just at that time, somehow, the Korean fan slipped from Mr.'s hand and fell onto the parquet floor with a bang.The conversation is naturally not so urgent that there is no need to delay it.So the gentleman bowed his upper body forward from the chair, bent over, and stretched out his hands towards the floor.The round fan fell under the little table--beside the woman's white socks in her slippers. At that time, the husband's eyes fell on the woman's knee by chance.On his knees lay hands holding handkerchiefs.Of course, just this is not a discovery.However, the husband also noticed that the woman's hands were shaking violently.He also noticed that both hands were trembling, and at the same time, probably because they were suppressing the excitement of their emotions, they were holding the handkerchief so tightly that it almost didn't tear it to pieces.At the same time he was aware of the wrinkled silk handkerchief, with its embroidered edges, trembling between trembling fingers, as if blown by a breeze. ——Although the woman had a smile on her face, she was actually crying all over her body! Picking up the round fan and looking up, the gentleman showed a new expression on his face.This is the admiration caused by seeing things that shouldn't be seen, and the satisfaction generated by this mood, and it has a somewhat dramatic, exaggerated, and extremely complicated expression. "Hey, even though I am a childless person, I understand your pain." The gentleman seemed to have seen something dazzling, turned his face a little artificially, and said this in a low, emotional tone. "Thank you! But no matter what you say from now on, people won't be able to come back..." The woman lowered her head slightly.There is still an infinite smile on that bright and cheerful face. Two hours later, Mr. took a bath, had dinner, ate the cherries after dinner, and sat happily on the wicker chair in the corridor. In the long summer evening, there is always a faint light, and the wide porch with its wide open glass windows is not easy to get dark.Under the dim light, Mr. first put his left knee on his right knee, leaned his head on the back of the wicker chair, and stared blankly at the red tassels of the Gifu lanterns.The previous Strindberg is still in my hand, but I haven't read a single page.This also makes sense. ——The mind of Mr. Atsuko is still filled with the praiseworthy behavior of Atsuko Nishiyama. While eating, the husband told his wife the story from beginning to end.At the same time, he praised that it was the Bushido of Japanese women.My wife, who loves Japan and Japanese people, certainly felt sympathetic after hearing this.The husband is satisfied to see that the wife is an eager listener.The wife, the lady from just now, and the Gifu lantern—these three are now emerging in Mr.'s consciousness with some kind of moral background. I don't know how long my husband has been immersed in this kind of happy memory.However, in the process, Mr. suddenly remembered the matter of a certain magazine's solicitation.Under the title "A Letter to Modern Youth," the magazine solicited general moral opinions from all quarters.He wanted to use today's events as a material to write and send his feelings as soon as possible. ——Sir thought so, scratching his head slightly. The hand that scratches the head is the hand that holds the book.Only then did the gentleman notice the book he had just put down. He followed the business card he had put in earlier and opened the page he had read. Just at that moment, the maid came and lit the Gifu lantern, so the fine print With fine print, it is not difficult to read.The husband had nothing else to read, so he let the moonlight carelessly fall on the book.Strindberg put it this way: When I was young, people told me about Frau Heibelck's handkerchief, probably from Paris.It was a double act of tearing the handkerchief in half with a smile on his face.We now call this pantomime. The gentleman put the book on his lap.Because the book was still open, Atsuko Nishiyama's business card was still on the page.However, the husband was no longer thinking about the woman.And neither Mrs. nor Japanese civilization, but something inexplicable that would upset these balanced harmony.The method of acting that Strindberg accuses, and the actual moral issues, are of course different.Now, however, there seemed to be something disturbing the mood of the freshly bathed and at ease Mr.Disrupting both Bushido and that unique method of acting... Mr. shook his head three or two times unhappily, at this moment he turned his eyes upward again, and began to stare closely at the bright Gifu lanterns painted with autumn flowers and plants... Written in September 1916 Translated by Lu Yuanming