Taga site
NARROW
ROADS TO INNER LANDS SCENE NINE
This
scene is a reflection on time, the past and the inevitable passing of
outer things. The site of these reflections is famous both for its
historical nature and for being a part of Bashō’s journey.
Taga-jō
was a fort in Tōhoku established during the campaigns against the
Emishi in the eighth century. It was located in what is now the
modern city of Tagajō, Miyagi Prefecture. It served as the
administrative centre of Mutsu Province. Bashō tells of his visit to
the site in Oku no Hosomichi. The ruins of Taga-jō and its former
temple have been designated a Special Historic Site.
From Wikipedia
Taga Site present day
NARROW
ROADS TO INNER LANDS SCENE NINE
On
the road. At the site of the vanished Taga castle- a stone monument,
six feet tall and three feet wide marks the place. It is half-hidden
in grass. Enter Bashō and Sora with walking sticks and packs. They
pause.
BASHŌ
(pulling
out a drawing and examining it)
We've
passed that spot with clusters of tall reeds,
The
home of famed, sedge-woven mats of Tofu,
A
present from our friend, good Kaemon,
This
drawing was so artfully conceived
For
us at Sendai with a painter’s skill...
And
from its image here I see that we
Are
close to Matsushima's offshore islands.
(Bashō
hands the drawing to Sora)
SORA
(examining
it)
That’s
so indeed. With ease I think we shall
Reach
shelter at the town of Shiogama
By
coming nightfall.
BASHŌ
Let
us rest a little.
(Bashō
and Sora settle themselves by the roadside.)
BASHŌ
(with
a smile)
A
priest I met upon another journey,
All
black-robed like a crow and brandishing
A
long, gnarled staff, stepped out ahead as if
He
had received a free pass to the world
Beyond
the Gateless Gate. I fear, however,
I'm
not so confident a traveller
In
this world or beyond. Still journeying,
Still
shaking off attachments to this life,
I'm
neither such a priest of purity
Or
shadow-grasping, plain man of this world.
I
waver endlessly, just like a bat,
That
at first glance appears an eerie bird
But
at a nearer view more like a mouse.
(with
a slight sigh)
For
ever understanding that I seek
Somehow
eludes a limited perception.
As
I once wrote, returning from a journey-
Oh,
shedding all else,
Yet
some summer road lice still
Crawl
upon my robes.
(Bashō
and Sora pause, musing. Sora suddenly notices the monument.)
SORA
(pointing)
I
wonder, Bashō, sir, what's that large stone,
Half-hidden
by the grasses of the wayside?
It
seems too straightly-sided for the work
Of
nature by just alone…and yet it seems
So
old… as though it has been standing here
For
just so many seasons, lost to counting,
And
yet I'm sure it bears the shaping craft
Of
human hands.
BASHŌ
Let's
go and view it closely.
Perhaps
it has some writing on its face.
(Bashō
and Sora go over to the stone.)
Yes,
there are characters upon the stone;
Engraved,
still visible through layered moss.
Above,
I read directed distances
From
here to many, varied provinces,
Both
neighbouring and far away. Yet what
Is
seen beneath speaks far more fascination.
This
stone is marking that same spot where stood
The
long-gone Taga castle, famed in story,
And
founded in first year of Jinki, then
Remodelled
in the reign of Emperor Shomu.
SORA
(musingly)
That
makes this monument most ancient.
BASHŌ
Yes,
Astonishingly
old. In all of this,
This
ever-changing world where all we view
Is
bound by ceaseless powers of time's passing;
Where
even steep, stone-sided mountains crumble,
Where
rushing streams and winding rivers change
Their
courses as the years and years flow by,
Defiant
rocks are buried by the decades,
Where
tall, old trees yield place to fresh, young shoots,
Where
all that's past is scattered and decays,
It
is a wonder that this monument
Survived
the distance of a thousand years,
The
ceaseless battering of elements,
To
claim a bare existence in our present.
SORA
A
bare existence truly, yet still a state
Reminding
us of those most ancient times.
BASHŌ
(with
a sigh)
Yes,
Sora, that is true. It makes me feel
That
all I write is but like battered leaves,
The
golden dross of autumn, soon to be
Swift-borne
away by winter’s heartless winds.
SORA
I’m
certain that won’t work as way for all
The
words of life that you have written, sir.
BASHŌ
Well,
be that as it will, it’s sure such thoughts
Are
not the gifting of this moment, for
This
witness written, this solid memory
Of
those who breathed and thought in distant ages
Is
blessing on such pilgrimage as ours.
It's
here for living eyes (this instant seeing)
As
sense of ages past, a sudden feeling
Of
presence that is vanished people's lives.
Forgetting
all the aches and troubles on
The
long and journeyed road I just rejoice
In
this most singular and moving moment
And
find deep sense of meditation in my heart.
(Bashō
pauses, contemplating the monument. Then he gestures to Sora who
takes out his writing pad. As Bashō speaks Sora writes down the
haiku.)
Much,
much of the past
Is
brought to mind, standing here.
Long
grass by this stone.
(Bashō
and Sora remain standing. Lights fade.)
