Read Online The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata, Edward G. Seidensticker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Yasunari Kawabata, Edward G. Seidensticker
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to Eiko: ‘Show me where Shuichi’s woman lives.’
He had been thinking the possibility over as he talked to the callers. Eiko was taken by surprise.
With a gesture as of resistance, she frowned briefly; then she seemed to wilt. Yet she answered coolly, her voice restrained and distant. ‘And what will you do if I take you there?’
‘Nothing that will embarrass you.’
‘Do you mean to see her?’
Shingo had not gone so far as to think of seeing her today.
‘Can’t you wait and have Shuichi take you?’ Still she spoke calmly.
Shingo felt a certain contempt in her voice.
She remained silent even after they were in the cab.
He was unhappy with himself for having imposed upon her, and he felt that he was shaming both himself and his son.
He had imagined himself settling matters while Shuichi was away; but he suspected that he would stop at imagining.
‘I think that if you are to talk to someone it should be the other lady.’
‘The one you say is so pleasant?’
‘Yes. Shall I have her come to the office?’
‘I wonder.’
‘He has much too much to drink at their house, and he gets violent and orders the other lady to sing. She has a very good voice. And then Kinu * starts crying. If it makes so much difference to her, then I imagine she listens to what the other lady says.’
It was a somewhat confused way of expressing herself. Kinu must be Shuichi’s woman.
Shingo had not known that Shuichi had taken to drink.
They got out by the University and turned up a narrow lane.
‘If Shuichi hears about this, I’ll have to leave the office,’ said Eiko softly. ‘I’ll have to ask to be let go.’
A chill passed over Shingo.
Eiko had stopped. ‘You turn by the stone fence there, and it’s the fourth house. You’ll see the name Ikeda on the gate. They’ll see me. I can’t go any farther.’
‘Let’s give it up, then, if it embarrasses you so.’
‘Why, when you’ve come this far? You have to go ahead. It means peace in your family.’
He felt a certain malice in this defiance.
Eiko had called it a stone fence, but it was actually concrete. He turned past a large maple. There was nothing remarkable about the house, small and old, that carried the name Ikeda. The entrance faced north and was dark. The glass doors upstairs were closed. The house was silent.
There was nothing further to catch his eye.
Disconsolately, he walked on.
What sort of life did his son live behind that door? He was not ready to put in an unannounced appearance.
He turned up another street.
Eiko was not where he had left her. Nor was she to be seen on the main street from which they had turned up the lane.
Back at home, he avoided Kikuko’s eye. ‘Shuichi came by the office for a few minutes and then left,’ he said. ‘I’m glad he has good weather.’
Exhausted, he went to bed early.
‘How many days did he take off?’ Yasuko was in the breakfast room.
‘I didn’t ask,’ he answered from bed. ‘But all he has to do is bring Fusako back. I imagine it will be two or three days.’
‘I helped Kikuko change the wadding in the quilts today.’
Fusako would be coming home with two children. Shingo thought how difficult things would be now for Kikuko.
Shuichi should take a separate house, he said to himself. He thought of the house in Hongo.
And he thought of the defiant Eiko. He was with her every day, and he had not until today witnessed such an outburst.
He had never seen Kikuko give vent to her emotions. Yasuko had said that she controlled her jealousy out of consideration for Shingo himself.
He was soon asleep. Awakened by Yasuko’s snoring, he took her nose between his fingers.
‘Do you suppose Fusako will have that kerchief again?’ said Yasuko, as if she had been awake all the time.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised.’
They had nothing more to say to each other.
A Dream of Islands
1
A stray bitch dropped puppies under the floor of Shingo’s house.
‘Dropped puppies’ is a
He had been thinking the possibility over as he talked to the callers. Eiko was taken by surprise.
With a gesture as of resistance, she frowned briefly; then she seemed to wilt. Yet she answered coolly, her voice restrained and distant. ‘And what will you do if I take you there?’
‘Nothing that will embarrass you.’
‘Do you mean to see her?’
Shingo had not gone so far as to think of seeing her today.
‘Can’t you wait and have Shuichi take you?’ Still she spoke calmly.
Shingo felt a certain contempt in her voice.
She remained silent even after they were in the cab.
He was unhappy with himself for having imposed upon her, and he felt that he was shaming both himself and his son.
He had imagined himself settling matters while Shuichi was away; but he suspected that he would stop at imagining.
‘I think that if you are to talk to someone it should be the other lady.’
‘The one you say is so pleasant?’
‘Yes. Shall I have her come to the office?’
‘I wonder.’
‘He has much too much to drink at their house, and he gets violent and orders the other lady to sing. She has a very good voice. And then Kinu * starts crying. If it makes so much difference to her, then I imagine she listens to what the other lady says.’
It was a somewhat confused way of expressing herself. Kinu must be Shuichi’s woman.
Shingo had not known that Shuichi had taken to drink.
They got out by the University and turned up a narrow lane.
‘If Shuichi hears about this, I’ll have to leave the office,’ said Eiko softly. ‘I’ll have to ask to be let go.’
A chill passed over Shingo.
Eiko had stopped. ‘You turn by the stone fence there, and it’s the fourth house. You’ll see the name Ikeda on the gate. They’ll see me. I can’t go any farther.’
‘Let’s give it up, then, if it embarrasses you so.’
‘Why, when you’ve come this far? You have to go ahead. It means peace in your family.’
He felt a certain malice in this defiance.
Eiko had called it a stone fence, but it was actually concrete. He turned past a large maple. There was nothing remarkable about the house, small and old, that carried the name Ikeda. The entrance faced north and was dark. The glass doors upstairs were closed. The house was silent.
There was nothing further to catch his eye.
Disconsolately, he walked on.
What sort of life did his son live behind that door? He was not ready to put in an unannounced appearance.
He turned up another street.
Eiko was not where he had left her. Nor was she to be seen on the main street from which they had turned up the lane.
Back at home, he avoided Kikuko’s eye. ‘Shuichi came by the office for a few minutes and then left,’ he said. ‘I’m glad he has good weather.’
Exhausted, he went to bed early.
‘How many days did he take off?’ Yasuko was in the breakfast room.
‘I didn’t ask,’ he answered from bed. ‘But all he has to do is bring Fusako back. I imagine it will be two or three days.’
‘I helped Kikuko change the wadding in the quilts today.’
Fusako would be coming home with two children. Shingo thought how difficult things would be now for Kikuko.
Shuichi should take a separate house, he said to himself. He thought of the house in Hongo.
And he thought of the defiant Eiko. He was with her every day, and he had not until today witnessed such an outburst.
He had never seen Kikuko give vent to her emotions. Yasuko had said that she controlled her jealousy out of consideration for Shingo himself.
He was soon asleep. Awakened by Yasuko’s snoring, he took her nose between his fingers.
‘Do you suppose Fusako will have that kerchief again?’ said Yasuko, as if she had been awake all the time.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised.’
They had nothing more to say to each other.
A Dream of Islands
1
A stray bitch dropped puppies under the floor of Shingo’s house.
‘Dropped puppies’ is a
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