the tales of ise
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One of the key aspects of the Tales is the celebration of language.
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Another important element is the belief in ancient Japan that words contained spirits and were therefore sacred, hence uttering celebratory words could lead to fortuitous events coming to pass. Known as kotodama shinko, this distinctive feature of the Tales also underpins the concept of kotohogu, uttering words of felicitation either before or after an auspicious event.
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One of the most difficult phrases to translate in the Tales is mukashi otoko arikeri (literally, ‘long ago, there was a man’). Donald Keene once joked to me that he gave up translating the Tales when he realized how difficult it would be to translate this apparently simple phrase, which opens many of the episodes. The words in Japanese conjure up an entire world of both poetry and romance, and for many in Japan it is synonymous with both the Tales and Narihira, the hero.
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kotodama – unul dintre cuvintele mele japo preferate de pana acum. pentru concept, idee, credinta si sentimentele din mine…
