Ge E3 (LP2)
Ge E3 (LP2)
Ge E3 (LP2)
2 | Great Books 14
The first author of literature in the world, known by name, was the high-priestess
of Ur, Enheduanna (2285-2250 BCE) who wrote hymns in praise of the Sumerian goddess Inanna.
Much of the early literature from Mesopotamia concerns the activities of the gods but, in time, hu-
mans came to be featured as the main characters. For the purposes of study, Literature is divided in-
to the categories of fiction or non-fiction today but these are often arbitrary decisions as ancient liter-
ature, as understood by those who wrote the tales down, as well as those who heard them spoken or
sung pre-literacy, was not understood in the same way as it is in the modern-day.
Unlike the heroes of Greek or Celtic mythology, the hero of The Epic of Gilgamesh was an actual
historical figure, a king who reigned over the Sumerian city-state of Uruk around 2700 B.C. Long af-
ter his death, people worshipped Gilgamesh, renowned as a warrior and builder and widely cele-
brated for his wisdom and judiciousness. One prayer invokes him as “Gilgamesh, supreme king,
judge of the Anunnaki” (the gods of the underworld). Called Erech in the Bible, Uruk was one of the
great cities of ancient Mesopotamia. The historical King Gilgamesh probably raised its walls, which
archaeologists have determined had a perimeter of six miles. Today its ruins rest near the town of
Warka, in southern Iraq, about a third of the way from Basra to Baghdad. A team of German archae-
ologists recently announced that they’d detected a buried structure there that might be Gilgamesh’s
tomb. Though the military actions of 2003 stopped their work before excavations could begin, their
claim has aroused considerable interest.
Dozens of stories about Gilgamesh circulated throughout the ancient Middle East. Archaeolo-
gists have discovered the earliest ones, inscribed on clay tablets in the Sumerian language before
2000 B.C. Other tablets tell stories about him in the Elamite, Hurrian, and Hittite tongues. Over time,
many of those stories were consolidated into a large, epic work. The most complete known version
of this long poem was found in Nineveh, in the ruins of the library of Assurbanipal, the last great
king of the Assyrian empire. Assurbanipal was undoubtedly a despot and a warmonger, but he was
also a tireless archivist and collector—we owe much of our knowledge about ancient Mesopotamia
to his efforts.
The Epic of Gilgamesh is written in Akkadian, the Babylonians’ language, on eleven tablets, with
a fragmentary appendix on a twelfth. The tablets actually name their author, Sin-Leqi-Unninni,
whose name translates to “Moon god, accept my plea.” This poet/editor must have completed his
work sometime before 612 B.C., when the Persians conquered the Assyrian Empire and destroyed
Nineveh.
The Story of the Flood is found on Book XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh realizes that
the old man is Utnapishtim, the very person he has been seeking. So he poses the question that he
has traveled so far and suffered so much to ask: How did Utnapishtim, a mortal man, become a god?
How had he eluded death? And can Gilgamesh ever hope to do the same? Utnapishtim, the survivor
of the flood that almost wiped out humankind, tells his story.
2
2 | Great Books 15
Y ou know the city Shurrupak, it stands on the banks of Euphrates? That city grew old and
the gods that were in it were old. There was Anu,-lord of the firmament, their father, and
warrior Enlil their counsellor, Ninurta the helper, and Ennugi watcher over canals; and
with them also was Ea. In those days the world teemed, the people multiplied, the world bel-
lowed like a wild bull, and the great god was aroused by the clamour. Enlil heard the clamour
and he said to the gods in council, "The uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer
possible by reason of the babel." So the gods agreed to exterminate mankind. Enlil did this, but
Ea because of his oath warned me in a dream. He whispered their words to my house of reeds,
"Reed-house, reed-house! Wall, O wall, hearken reed-house, wall reflect; O man of Shurrupak,
son of Ubara-Tutu; tear down your house and build a boat, abandon possessions and look for
life, despise worldly goods and save your soul alive. Tear down your house, I say, and build a
boat. These are the measurements of the barque as you shall build her: let her beam equal her
length, let her deck be roofed like the vault that covers the abyss; then take up into the boat the
seed of all living creatures."
“When I had understood I said to my lord, "Behold, what you have commanded I will
honour and perform, but how shall I answer the people, the city, the elders?" Then Ea opened
his mouth and said to me, his servant, "Tell them this: I have learnt that Enlil is wrathful against
me, I dare no longer walk in his land nor live in his city; I will go down to the Gulf to dwell with
Ea my lord. But on you he will rain down abundance, rare fish and shy wild-fowl, a rich harvest
-tide. In the evening the rider of the storm will bring you wheat in torrents."
‘In the first light of dawn all my household gathered round me, the children brought
pitch and the men whatever was necessary. On the fifth day I laid the keel and the ribs, then I
made fast the planking. The ground-space was one acre, each side of the deck measured one
hundred and twenty cubits, making a square. I built six decks below, seven in all, I divided
them into nine sections with bulkheads between.
I drove in wedges where needed, I saw to the punt poles, and laid in supplies. The carri-
ers brought oil in baskets, I poured pitch into the furnace and asphalt and oil; more oil was con-
sumed in caulking, and more again the master of the boat took into his stores. I slaughtered
bullocks for the people and every day I killed sheep. I gave the shipwrights wine to drink as
though it were river water, raw wine and red wine and oil and white wine. There was feasting
then as -there is at the time of the New Year's festival; I myself anointed my head. On the sev-
enth day the boat was complete.
Then was the launching full of difficulty; there was shifting of ballast above and below till
two thirds was submerged. I loaded into her all that 1 had of gold and of living things, my fami-
ly, my kin, the beast of the field both wild and tame, and all the craftsmen. I sent them on board,
for the time that Shamash had ordained was already fulfilled when he said, "in the evening,
when the rider of the storm sends down the destroying rain, enter the boat and batten her
down." The time was fulfilled, the evening came, the rider of the storm sent down the rain. I
looked out at the weather and it was terrible, so I too boarded the boat and battened her down.
All was now complete, the battening and the caulking; so I handed the tiller to Puzur-Amurri
3
2 | Great Books 16
‘With the first light of dawn a black cloud came from the horizon; it thundered within where Adad,
lord of the storm was riding. In front over hill and plain Shullat and Hanish, heralds of the storm, led
on. Then the gods of the abyss rose up; Nergal pulled out the dams of the nether waters, Ninurta the
war-lord threw down the dykes, and the seven judges of hell, the Annunaki, raised their torches,
lighting the land with their livid flame.
A stupor of despair went up to heaven when the god of the storm turned daylight to darkness,
when he smashed the land like a cup. One whole day the tempest raged, gathering fury as .it went, it
poured over the people like the tides of battle; a imam could not see his brother nor the people be
seen from heaven. Even the gods were terrified at the flood, they fled to the highest heaven, the fir-
mament of Ann; they crouched against the walls, cowering like curs. Then Ishtar the sweet-voiced
Queen of Heaven cried out like a woman in travail: "Alas the days -of old are turned to dust because
I commanded evil; why did I command this evil in the council of all the gods? I commanded wars to
destroy the people, but are they not my people, for I brought them forth? Now like the spawn of fish
they float in the ocean." The great gods of heaven and of hell wept, they covered their mouths.
‘For six days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and tempest and flood overwhelmed the world,
tempest and flood raged together like warring hosts. When the seventh day dawned the storm from
the south subsided, the sea grew calm, the, flood was stilled; I looked at the face of the world and
there was silence, all mankind was turned to clay. The surface of the sea stretched as flat as a roof-
top; I opened a hatch and the light fell on my face. Then I bowed low, I sat down and I wept, the tears
streamed down my face, for on every side was the waste of water. I looked for land in vain, but four-
teen leagues distant there appeared a mountain, and there the boat grounded; on the mountain of
Nisir the boat held fast, she held fast and did not budge. One day she held, and -a second day on the
mountain of Nisir she held fast and did not budge.
A third day, and a fourth day she held fast on the mountain and did not budge; a fifth day and
a sixth day she held fast on the mountain. When the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let her
go. She flew away, but finding no resting-place she returned. Then I loosed a swallow, and she flew
away but finding no resting-place she returned. I loosed a raven, she saw that the waters had retreat-
ed, she ate, she flew around, she cawed, and she did not come back.
T hen I threw everything open to the four winds, I made a sacrifice and poured out a liba-
tion on the mountain top. Seven and again seven cauldrons I set up on their stands, I
heaped up wood and cane and cedar and myrtle. When the gods smelled the sweet sa-
vor, they gathered like flies over the sacrifice. Then, at last, Ishtar also came, she lifted her necklace
with the jewels of heaven that once Anu had made to please her. "O you gods here present, by the
lapis lazuli round my neck I shall remember these days as I remember the jewels of my throat; these
last days I shall not forget. Let all the gods gather round the sacrifice, except Enlil. He shall not ap-
proach this offering, for without reflection he brought the flood; he consigned my people to destruc-
tion."
‘When Enlil had come, when he saw the boat, he was wrath and swelled with anger at the
gods, the host of heaven, "Has any of these mortals escaped? Not one was to have survived the de-
struction." Then the god of the wells and canals Ninurta opened his mouth and said to the warrior
Enlil, "Who is there of the gods that can devise without Ea? It is Ea alone who knows all things." Then
Ea opened his mouth and spoke to warrior Enlil, "Wisest of gods, hero Enlil, how could you so sense-
lessly bring down the flood?
Lay upon the sinner his sin,
Lay upon the transgressor his transgression,
Punish him a little when he breaks loose,
Do not drive him too hard or he perishes,
Would that a lion had ravaged mankind
Rather than the flood,
Would that a wolf had ravaged mankind
Rather than the flood,
Would that famine had wasted the world
Rather than the flood,
Would that pestilence had wasted mankind
Rather than the flood.
4
2 | Great Books 17
It was not I that revealed the secret of the gods; the wise man learned it in a dream. Now take
your counsel what shall be done with him." ‘Then Enlil went up into the boat, he took me by the hand
and my wife and made us enter the boat and kneel down on either side, he standing between us. He
touched our foreheads to bless us saying, "In time past Utnapishtim was a mortal man; henceforth he
and his wife shall live in the distance at the mouth of the rivers." Thus it was that the gods took me and
placed me here to live in the distance, at the mouth of the rivers.'
Oedipus the King or Oedipus Rex is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, first
performed in about 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles‘ three Theban plays to be produced, but it
comes first in the internal chronology. It follows the story of King Oedipus of Thebes as he discovers
that he has unwittingly killed his own father, Laius, and married his own mother, Jocasta. Over the
centuries, it has come to be regarded by many as the Greek tragedy par excellence and certainly as the
summit of Sophocles’ achievements.
In the world of Greek theater, Sophocles was king. It is thought that he won the first
prize at the Athenian festival eighteen times. Far from being a tortured artist working at
the fringes of society, Sophocles was among the most popular and well-respected men of
his day. Like most good Athenians, Sophocles was involved with the political and mili-
tary affairs of Athenian democracy. He did stints as a city treasurer and as a naval of-
ficer, and throughout his life he was a close friend of the foremost statesman of the day,
Pericles. At the same time, Sophocles wrote prolifically. He is believed to have authored
123 plays, only seven of which have survived.
Sophocles lived a long life, but not long enough to witness the downfall of Athens. To-
ward the end of his life, Athens became entangled in a war with other city-states jealous
of its prosperity and power, a war that would end the glorious century during which
Sophocles lived. This political fall also marked an artistic fall, for the unique art of Greek
theater began to fade and eventually died. Sophocles’ work, however, has proven to be
some of the most enduring in the history of literature.
2 | Great Books 18
“The Iliad” is an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer, which recounts some of
the significant events of the final weeks of the Trojan War and the Greek siege of the
city of Troy. Written in the mid-8th Century BCE, “The Iliad” is usually considered to
be the earliest work in the whole Western literary tradition, and one of the best
known and loved stories of all time. Through its portrayal of the epic subject mat-
ter of the Trojan War, the stirring scenes of bloody battle, the wrath
of Achilles and the constant interventions of the gods, it explores themes of
glory, wrath, homecoming and fate, and has provided subjects and stories
for many other later Greek, Roman and Renaissance writings.
Thus, did he stand and ponder, but Achilles came up to him as it were Mars himself,
plumed lord of battle. From his right shoulder he brandished his terrible spear of Pelian
ash, and the bronze gleamed around him like flashing fire or the rays of the rising sun.
Fear fell upon Hector as he beheld him, and he dared not stay longer where he was but
fled in dismay from before the gates, while Achilles darted after him at his utmost speed.
As a mountain falcon, swiftest of all birds, swoops down upon some cowering dove—the
dove flies before him but the falcon with a shrill scream follows close after, resolved to
have her—even so did Achilles make straight for Hector with all his might, while—Hector
fled under the Trojan wall as fast as his limbs could take him.
“Alas,” said he, “my eyes behold a man who is dear to me being pursued round the walls
of Troy; my heart is full of pity for Hector, who has burned the thigh-bones of many a heifer
Troy;
and now I see noble Achilles in full pursuit of him round the city of Priam. What say you? Con-
sider among yourselves and decide whether we shall now save him or let him fall, valiant
though he be, before Achilles, son of Peleus.”
Then Minerva said, “Father, wielder of the lightning, lord of cloud and storm, what
mean you? Would you pluck this mortal whose doom has long been decreed out of the
jaws of death? Do as you will, but we others shall not be of a mind with you.”
I will let you have your way. Do without let or hindrance as you are minded.” Thus did he
6
2 | Great Books 19
Thus spoke Minerva. Achilles obeyed her gladly, and stood still, leaning on his bronze- point-
ed ashen spear, while Minerva left him and went after Hector in the form and with the voice of
Deiphobus. She came close up to him and said, “Dear brother, I see you are hard pressed by Achil-
les who is chasing you at full speed round the city of Priam, let us await his onset and stand on our
defense.”
Thus, did Minerva inveigle him by her cunning and when the two were now close to one an-
other great Hector was first to speak. “I will no loner fly you, son of Peleus,” said he, “as I have been
doing daring to withstand you, but now, let me either slay or be slain, for I am in the mind to face
you. Let us, then, give pledges to one another by our gods, who are the fittest witnesses and
guardians of all covenants; let it be agreed between us that if Jove vouchsafes me the longer stay
and I take your life, I am not to treat your dead body in any unseemly fashion, but when I have
stripped you of your armor, I am to give up your body to the Achaeans. And do you likewise.”
2 | Great Books 20
for your own part avoid my spear if you can—would that you might receive the whole of it into
your body; if you were once dead the Trojans would find the war an easier matter, for it is you who
have harmed them most.”
He poised his spear as he spoke and hurled it. His aim was true for he hit the middle of Achil-
les’ shield, but the spear rebounded from it, and did not pierce it. Hector was angry when he saw
that the weapon had sped from his hand in vain, and stood there in dismay for he had no second
spear. With a loud cry he called Deiphobus and asked him for one, but there was no man; then he
saw the truth and said to himself, “Alas! The gods have lured me on to my destruction. I deemed
that the hero Deiphobus was by my side, but he is within the wall, and Minerva has inveigled me;
death is now indeed exceedingly near at hand and there is no way out of it—for so Jove and his son
Apollo the far-darter have willed it, though heretofore they have been ever ready to protect me. My
doom has come upon me; let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first
do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.”
H
2 | Great Books 21
The Analects are a collection of the teachings and thoughts of Confucius; they also con-
tain fragments of dialogues between the great Chinese philosopher and his disciples.
The name in English derived from the word "analect" which means a fragment or ex-
tract of literature, or a collection of teachings. In Chinese, the book is literally called
"discussion on the words [of Confucius]." The Analects are believed to have been col-
lected by the disciples of Confucius and not by the sage himself. Written during the
Period of Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period (ca. 479 BC - 221 BC), the An-
alects are considered among the most representative works of Confucian thought, and
still have a great influence on Chinese culture and East Asia.
Pre-reading Activity
1. What is your concept of the Golden Rule?
2. What are your thoughts on the following
statement?
“Education is a ceaseless process of self-realization.”
IV
(1) The Master said: “Love makes a spot beautiful: who chooses not to dwell in love, has he got wis-
dom?”
(2) The Master said: “Loveless men cannot bear need long, they cannot bear fortune long. Loving
heart find peace in love; clever heads finds profit in it.”
(3) The Master said: “Love can alone love others, or hate others.”
(4) The Master said: “A heart set on love will do no wrong.”
(5) The Master said: “wealth and honor are what men desire; but abide not in them by help of
wrong. Lowliness and want are hated of men; but forsake them not by help of wrong.”
(6) The Master said: “A friend to love, a foe to evil, I have yet to meet. A friend to love will set noth-
ing higher. In love’s service, a foe to evil will let no evil touch him. Were a man to give himself to
love, but for one day, I have seen no one whose strength would fail him. Such men there may be,
but I have not seen one.”
(7) The Master said: “A man and his faults are of piece. By watching his faults we learn whether love
be his.”
(8) The Master said: “To learn the truth at daybreak and die at eve were enough.”
(9) The Master said: “A scholar in search of truth who is ashamed of poor clothes and poor food it is
idle talking to.”
(10) The Master said: “A gentlemen has no likes and no dislikes below heaven. He follows right.”
(11) The Master said: “Gentlemen cherish worth, the vulgar cherish dirt. Gentlemen trust in justice,
the vulgar trust in favor.”
9
2 | Great Books 22
2 | Great Books 23
(12) The Master said: “Heaven planted worth in me; what harm can come of Huan T’ui?” (an army
officer who sent men to kill Confucius).
(13) The Master said: “My boys, do you think that I hide things from you? I hide nothing. One who
keeps from his boys ought that he does, such is Ch’iu.” (Confucius himself.
(14) The Master taught about four things: culture, conduct, faithfulness, and truth.
(15) The Master said: “A holy man I shall not live to see, enough could I find a gentlemen! A good
man I shall not live to see; enough could I find a steadfast one! But when nothing poses as some-
thing, cloud as substance, want as riches, steadfastness must be rare.”
(16) The Master said: “There may be men who act without understanding, why, I do not. To listen to
such, pick out he good and follow it; to see much and ponder it: this comes next to understand-
ing.
On his way from court to pay one of his calls at Rokujo, Genji stopped to inquire after his old nurse,
Koremitsu's mother, at her house in Gojo. Gravely ill, she had become a nun. The carriage entrance was
closed. He sent for Koremitsu and while he was waiting looked up and down the dirty, cluttered street.
Beside the nurse's house was a new fence of plaited cypress. The four or five narrow shutters above had
been raised, and new blinds, white and clean, hung in the apertures. He caught outlines of pretty foreheads
beyond. He would have judged, as they moved about, that they belonged to rather tall women. What sort
of women might they be? His carriage was simple and unadorned and he had no outrunners. Quite
certain that he would not be recognized, he leaned out for a closer look. The hanging gate, of something
like trelliswork, was propped on a pole, and he could see that the house was tiny and flimsy. He felt a little
sorry for the occupants of such a place--and then asked himself who in this world had more than a tem-
porary shelter. A hut, a jeweled pavilion, they were the same. A pleasantly green vine was climbing a
board wall. The white flowers, he thought, had a rather self-satisfied look about them.
I needs must ask the lady far off yonder,'" he said, as if to himself. An attendant came up, bowing
deeply. "The white flowers far off yonder are known as 'evening faces,'" he said." A very human Sort of
name--and what a shabby place they have picked to bloom in. "It was as the man said. The neighbor-
hood was a poor one, chiefly of small houses. Some were leaning precariously, and there were "evening
faces" at the sagging eaves.
11
2 | Great Books 24
"A hapless sort of flower. Pick one off for me, would you?" The man went inside the raised gate
and broke off a flower. A pretty little girl in long, unlined yellow trousers of raw silk came out through a
sliding door that seemed too good for the surroundings. Beckoning to the man, she handed him a heavily
scented white fan.
"Put it on this. It isn't much of a fan, but then it isn't much of a flower either." Koremitsu, coming out
of the gate, passed it on to Genji. "They lost the key, and I have had to keep you waiting. You aren't likely
to be recognized in such a neighborhood, but it's not a very nice neighborhood to keep you waiting in."
Genji's carriage was pulled in and he dismounted. Besides Koremitsu, a son and a daughter, the former an
eminent cleric, and the daughter's husband, the governor of Mikawa, were in attendance upon the old
woman. They thanked him profusely for his visit.
The old woman got up to receive him. "I did not at all mind leaving the world, except for the
thought that I would no longer be able to see you as I am seeing you now. My vows seem to have given
me a new lease on life, and this visit makes me certain that I shall receive the radiance of Lord Amitabha
with a serene and tranquil heart." And she collapsed in tears. Genji was near tears himself. "It has worried
me enormously that you should be taking so long to recover, and I was very sad to learn that you have
withdrawn from the world. You must live a long life and see the career I make for myself. I am sure that
if you do you will be reborn upon the highest summits of the Pure Land. I am told that it is important to rid
oneself of the smallest regret for this world."
Koremitsu reported back. "I am unable to identify her. She seems determined to hide herself from
the world. In their boredom her women and girls go out to the long gallery at the street, the one with the shut-
ters, and watch for carriages. Sometimes the lady who seems to be their mistress comes quietly out to join
them. I've not had a good look at her, but she seems very pretty indeed. One day a carriage with outrun-
ners went by. The little girls shouted to a person named Ukon that she must come in a hurry. The captain
was going by, they said. An older woman came out and motioned to them to be quiet. The passage from
the main house is by a sort of makeshift bridge. She was hurrying and her skirt caught on something,
and she stumbled and almost fell off. They told her that the man in the carriage was wearing casual court
dress and that he had a retinue. They mentioned several names, and all of them were undeniably Lord To
no Chujo's guards and pages."
"I wish you had made positive identification." Might she be the lady of whom To no Chujo had spo-
ken so regretfully that rainy night? Koremitsu went on, smiling at this open curiosity. "I have as a matter
of fact made the proper overtures and learned all about the place. I come and go as if I did not know that
they are not all equals. They think they are hiding the truth and try to insist that there is no one there but
them- selves when one of the little girls makes a slip." "Let me have a peep for myself when I call on
your mother."
Even if she was only in temporary lodgings, the woman would seem to be of the lower class for
which his friend had indicated such contempt that rainy evening. Yet something might come of it all. Deter-
mined not to go against his master's wishes in the smallest detail and himself driven by veryconsiderable
excitement, Koremitsu searched diligently for a chance to let Genji into the house. But the details are tire-
some, and I shall not go into them.
Genji did not know who the lady was and he did not want her to know who he was. In very shab-
by disguise, he set out to visit her on foot. He must be taking her very seriously, thought Koremitsu, who
offered his horse and himself went on foot. "Though I do not think that our gentleman will look very
good with tramps for servants." To make quite certain that the expedition remained secret, Genji took with
him only the man who had been his intermediary in the matter of the "evening faces" and a page whom
no one was likely to recognize. Lest he be found out even so, he did not stop to see his nurse.
The lady had his messengers followed to see how he made his way home and tried by every
means to learn where he lived; but her efforts came to nothing. For all his secretiveness, Genji had grown
fond of her and felt that he must go on seeing her. They were of such different ranks, he tried to tell himself,
and it was altogether too frivolous. Yet his visits were frequent. In affairs of this sort, which can muddle the
senses of the most serious and honest of men, he had always kept himself under tight control and avoided
any occasion for censure. Now, to a most astonishing degree, he would be asking himself as he returned
in the morning from a visit how he could wait through the day for the next. And then he would rebuke
12
2 | Great Books 25
himself. It was madness, it was not an affair he should let disturb him. She was of an extraordinarily
gentle and quiet nature. Though there was a certain vagueness about her, and indeed an almost childlike
quality, it was clear that she knew something about men. She did not appear to be of very good family.
What was there about her, he asked himself over and over again, that so drew him to her?
He took great pains to hide his rank and always wore travel dress, and he did not allow her to see his
face. He came late at night when everyone was asleep. She was frightened, as if he were an apparition
from an old story. She did not need to see his face to know that he was a fine gentle- man. But who might
he be? Her suspicions turned to Koremitsu. It was that young gallant, surely, who had brought the strange
visitor. But Koremitsu pursued his own little affairs unremittingly, careful to feign indifference to and ig-
norance of this other affair. What could it all mean? The lady was lost in unfamiliar speculations.
Genji had his own worries. If, having lowered his guard with an appearance of complete unre-
serve, she were to slip away and hide, where would he seek her? This seemed to be but a temporary resi-
dence, and he could not be sure when she would choose to change it, and for what other. He hoped that he
might reconcile himself to what must be and forget the affair as just another dalliance; but he was not con-
fident.
On days when, to avoid attracting notice, he refrained from visiting her, his fretfulness came near
anguish. Suppose he were to move her in secret to Nijo. If troublesome rumors were to arise, well, he could
say that they had been fated from the start. He wondered what bond in a former life might have produced
an infatuation such as he had not known before. "Let's have a good talk," he said to her, "where we can be
quite at our ease. "It's all so strange. What you say is reasonable enough, but what you do is so strange.
And rather frightening. "Yes, she might well be frightened. Something childlike in her fright brought a
smile to his lips. "Which of us is the mischievous fox spirit? I wonder. Just be quiet and give yourself up to
its persuasions." Won over by his gentle warmth, she was indeed inclined to let him have his way. She
seemed such a pliant little creature, likely to submit absolutely to the most outrageous demands…. life
might have produced an infatuation such as he had not known before. "Let's have a good talk," he said to
her, "where we can be quite at our ease. "It's all so strange. What you say is reasonable enough, but what
you do is so strange. And rather frightening. "Yes, she might well be frightened. Something childlike in
her fright brought a smile to his lips. "Which of us is the mischievous fox spirit? I wonder. Just be quiet
and give yourself up to its persuasions." Won over by his gentle warmth, she was indeed inclined to let
him have his way. She seemed such a pliant little creature, likely to submit absolutely to the most outra-
geousdemands….
The bright full moon of the Eighth Month came flooding in through chinks in the roof. It was not
the sort of dwelling he was used to, and he was fascinated. Toward dawn he was awakened by plebeian
voices in the shabby houses down the street. "Freezing, that's what it is, freezing. There's not much busi-
ness this year, and when you can't get out into the country you feel like giving up. Do you hear me, neigh-
bor?" He could make out every word. It embarrassed the woman that, so near at hand, there should be
this clamor of preparation as people set forth on their sad little enterprises. Had she been one of the stylish
ladies of the world, she would have wanted to shrivel up and disappear. She was a placid sort, howev-
er, and she seemed to take nothing, painful or embarrassing or unpleasant, too seriously. Her manner ele-
gant and yet girlish, she did not seem to know what the rather awful clamor up and down the street might
mean. He much preferred this easygoing bewilderment to a show of consternation, a face scarlet with em-
barrassment. As if at his very pillow, there came the booming of a foot pestle, more fearsome than the
stamping of the thunder god, genuinely earsplitting. He did not know what device the sound came
from, but he did know that it was enough to awaken the dead. From this direction and that there came the
faint thump of fulling hammers against coarse cloth; and mingled with it--these were sounds to call forth
the deepest emotions--were the calls of geese flying overhead. He slid a door open and they looked out.
They had been lying near the veranda. There were tasteful clumps of black bamboo just outside and the
dew shone as in more familiar places. Autumn insects sang busily, as if only inches from an ear used to
wall crickets at considerable distances. It was all very clamorous, and also rather wonderful. Countless
details could be overlooked in the singleness of his affection for the girl. She was pretty and fragile in a
soft, modest cloak of lavender and a lined white robe. She had no single feature that struck him as espe-
cially beautiful, and yet, slender and fragile, she seemed so delicately beautiful that he was almost
afraid to hear her voice. He might have wished her to be a little more assertive, but he wanted only to
be near her, and yet nearer.
13
2 | Great Books 26
"Let's go off somewhere and enjoy the rest of the night. This is too
much." "But how is that possible?" She spoke very quietly. "You
keep taking me by surprise."
There was a newly confiding response to his offer of his services
as guardian in this world and the next. She was a strange little
thing. He found it hard to believe that she had had much experi-
ence of men. He no longer cared what people might think. He
asked Ukon to summon his man, who got the carriage ready. The
women of the house, though uneasy, sensed the depth of his feel-
ings and were inclined to put their trust in him. Dawn approached.
No cocks were crowing. There was only the voice of an old man
making deep obeisance to a Buddha, in preparation, it would seem, for a pilgrimage to Mitake. He
seemed to be prostrating himself repeatedly and with much difficulty. All very sad. In a life itself like
the morning dew, what could he desire so earnestly?
"Praise to the Messiah to come," intoned the voice. "Listen," said Genji. "He is thinking of another world”
The moon was low over the western hills. She was reluctant to go with him. As he sought to per-
suade her, the moon suddenly disappeared behind clouds in a lovely dawn sky. Always in a hurry to be
off before daylight exposed him, he lifted her easily into his carriage and took her to a nearby villa. Ukon
was with them. Waiting for the caretaker to be summoned, Genji looked up at the rotting gate and the
ferns that trailed thickly down over it. The groves beyond were still dark, and the mist and the dews were
heavy. Genji's sleeve was soaking, for he had raised the blinds of the carriage.
"This is a novel adventure, and I must say that it seems like a lot of trouble. I am afraid."
She did seem frightened, and bewildered. She was so used to all those swarms of people, he thought
with a smile. The carriage was brought in and its traces propped against the veranda while a room was
made ready in the west wing. Much excited, Ukon was thinking about earlier adventures. The furious
energy with which the caretaker saw to preparations made her suspect who Genji was. It was almost
daylight when they alighted from the carriage. The room was clean and pleasant, for all the haste with
which it had been readied.
"There are unfortunately no women here to wait upon His Lordship." The man, who addressed him
through Ukon, was a lesser steward who had served in the Sanjo mansion of Genji's father-in-law.
"Shall I send for someone?"
"The last thing I want. I came here because I wanted to be in complete solitude, away from all possible visi-
tors. You are not to tell a soul."
The man put together a hurried breakfast, but he was, as he had said, without serving women to help
him. Genji told the girl that he meant to show her a love as dependable as "the patient river of the loons."
He could do little else in these strange lodgings. The sun was high when he arose. He opened the shutters.
All through the badly neglected grounds not person was to be seen. The groves were rank and over-
grown. The flowers and grasses in the foreground were a drab monotone, an autumn moor. The pond
was choked with weeds, and all in all it was a forbidding place. An outbuilding seemed to be fitted with
rooms for the caretaker, but it was some distance away.
"It is a forbidding place," said Genji. "But I am sure that whatever devils emerge will pass me by."
He was still in disguise. She thought it unkind of him to be so secre- tive, and he had to agree that their rela-
tionship had gone beyond such furtiveness….
"I hid my name from you because I thought it altogether too unkind of you to be keeping your name from
me. Do please tell me now. This silence makes me feel that something awful might be coming."
"Call me the fisherman's daughter." Still hiding her name, she was like a child.
"I see. I brought it all on myself? A case of warekara?"
talked the hours away. Koremitsu had found them out and brought provisions. Feeling
a little guilty about the way he had treated Ukon, he did not come near. He thought it amusing that
Genji should thus be wandering the streets, and concluded that the girl must provide sufficient cause. And
he could have had her himself, had he not been so generous. Genji and the girl looked out at an evening
sky of the utmost calm. Because she found the darkness in the recesses of the house frightening, he raised
the blinds at the veranda and they lay side by side. As they gazed at each other in the gathering dusk, it
14
2 | Great Books 27
all seemed very strange to her, unbelievably strange. Memories of past wrongs quite left her. She was
more at ease with him now, and he thought her charming. Beside him all through the day, starting up in
fright at each little noise, she seemed delightfully childlike. He lowered the shutters early and had
lights brought.
"You seem comfortable enough with me, and yet you raise difficulties."
At court everyone would be frantic. Where would the search be directed? He thought what a strange
love it was, and he thought of the turmoil the Rokujo lady [his previous mistress] was certain to be in. She
had every right to be resentful, and yet her jealous ways were not pleasant. It was that sad lady to whom his
thoughts first turned. Here was the girl beside him, so simple and undemanding; and the other was so im-
possibly forceful in her demands. How he wished he might in some measure have his freedom. It was
past midnight. He had been asleep for a time when an exceedingly beautiful woman appeared by his pil-
low.
"You do not even think of visiting me, when you are so much on my mind. Instead you go running off
with someone who has nothing to recommend her, and raise a great stir over her. It is cruel, intolera-
ble." She seemed about to shake the girl from her sleep. He awoke, feeling as if he were in the power of
some malign being. The light had gone out. In great alarm, he pulled his sword to his pillow and awak-
ened Ukon. She too seemed frightened.
"Go out to the gallery and wake the guard. Have him bring a light." "It's much too dark."
He forced a smile. "You're behaving like a child."
He clapped his hands and a hollow echo answered. No one seemed to hear. The girl was trembling vio-
lently. She was bathed in sweat and as if in a trance, quite bereft of her senses.
"She is such a timid little thing," said Ukon, "frightened when there is nothing at all to be frightened of. This
must be dreadful for her."
Yes, poor thing, thought Genji. She did seem so fragile, and she had spent the whole day gazing up at the
sky.
"I'll go get someone. What a frightful echo. You stay here with her." He pulled Ukon to the girl's side.
The lights in the west gallery had gone out. There was a gentle wind. He had few people with him, and
they were asleep. They were three in number: a young man who was one of his intimates and who was
the son of the steward here, a court page, and the man who had been his intermediary in the matter of the
"evening faces." He called out. Someone answered and came up to him.
"Bring a light. Wake the other, and shout and twang your bowstrings. What do you mean, going to sleep
in a deserted house? I believe Lord Koremitsu was here."
"He was. But he said he had no orders and would come again at dawn."
An elite guardsman, the man was very adept at bow twanging. He went off with a shouting as of a fire
watch. At court, thought Genji, the courtiers on night duty would have announced themselves, and the
guard would be changing. It was not so very late. He felt his way back inside. The girl was as before, and
Ukon lay face down at her side.
"What is this? You're a fool to let yourself be so frightened. Are you worried about the fox spirits that come
out and play tricks in deserted houses? But you needn't worry. They won't come near me." He pulled
Ukon to her knees. He reached for the girl. She was not breathing. He lifted her and she was limp in
his arms. There was no sign of life. She had seemed as defenseless as a child, and no doubt some evil
power had taken possession of her. He could think of nothing to do. A man came with a torch. Ukon was
not prepared to move, and Genji himself pulled up curtain frames to hide the girl. "Bring the light closer."
It was a most unusual order. Not ordinarily permitted at Genji's side, the man hesitated to cross the
threshold. "Come, come, bring it here! There is a time and place for ceremony."
In the torchlight he had a fleeting glimpse of a figure by the girl's pillow. It was the woman in his
dream. It faded away like an apparition in an old romance. In all the fright and honor, his confused
thoughts centered upon the girl. There was no room for thoughts of himself. He knelt over her and called
out to her, but she was cold and had stopped breathing. It was too horrible. He had no confidant to
whom he could turn for advice. It was the clergy one thought of first on such occasions. He had been so
15
2 | Great Books 28
brave and confident, but he was young, and this was too much for him. He clung to the lifeless body.
"Come back, my dear, my dear. Don't do this awful thing to me." But she was cold and no longer seemed
human. The first paralyzing terror had left Ukon. Now she was writhing and wailing. "She can't possibly
be dead." He found the strength to speak sharply. "All this noise in the middle of the night--you must try to
be a little quieter." But it had been too sudden. He turned again to the torchbearer. "There is someone
here who seems to have had a very strange seizure. Tell your friend to find out where Lord Koremitsu is
spending the night and have him come immediately. If the holy man is still at his mother's house, give
him word, very quietly, that he is to come too. His mother and the people with her are not to hear. She
does not approve of this sort of adventure."
He spoke calmly enough, but his mind was in a turmoil. Added to grief at the loss of the girl was hor-
ror, quite beyond describing, at this desolate place. It would be past midnight. The wind was higher and
whis- tled more dolefully in the pines. There came a strange, hollow call of a bird. Might it be an owl? All
was silence, terrifying solitude. He should not have chosen such a place--but it was too late now. Trem-
bling violently, Ukon clung to him. He held her in his arms, wondering if she might be about to follow
her lady. He was the only rational one present, and he could think of nothing to do. The flickering light
wandered here and there. The upper parts of the screens behind them were in darkness, the lower parts fit-
fully in the light. There was a persistent creaking, as of someone coming up behind them. If only Ko-
remitsu would come. But Koremitsu was a nocturnal wanderer without a fixed abode, and the man had
to search for him in numerous places. The wait for dawn was like the passage of a thousand nights. Fi-
nally he heard a distant crowing. What legacy from a former life could have brought him to this mortal
peril? He was being punished for a guilty love, his fault and no one else's, and his story would be remem-
bered in infamy through all the ages to come. There were no secrets, strive though one might to have
them. Soon everyone would know, from his royal father down, and the lowest court pages would be
talking; and he would gain immortality as the model of the complete fool.
Finally, Lord Koremitsu came. He was the perfect servant who
did not go against his master's wishes in anything at any time; and
Genji was angry that on this night of all nights he should have
been away, and slow in answering the summons. Calling him in-
side even so, he could not immediately find the strength to say what
must be said. Ukon burst into tears, the full horror of it all coming
back to her at the sight of Koremitsu. Genji too lost control of him-
self. The only sane and rational one present, he had held Ukon in his
arms, but now he gave himself up to his grief. "Something very
strange has happened," he said after a time. "Strange--
'unbelievable' would not be too strong a word. I wanted a priest--
one does when these things happen--and asked your reverend brother to come."
"He went back up the mountain yesterday. Yes, it is very strange indeed. Had there been anything wrong
with her?" "Nothing." He was so handsome in his grief that Koremitsu wanted to weep. An older man
who has had everything happen to him and knows what to expect can be depended upon in a crisis; but
they were both young, and neither had anything to suggest. Koremitsu finally spoke. "We must not let
the caretaker know. He may be dependable enough himself, but he is sure to have relatives who will talk.
We must get away from this place." "You aren't suggesting that we could find a place where we would
be less likely to be seen?" "No, I suppose not. And the women at her house will scream and wail when
they hear about it, and they live in a crowded neighborhood, and all the mob around will hear, and that
will be that. But mountain temples are used to this sort of thing. There would not be much danger of attract-
ing attention." He reflected on the problem for a time. "There is a woman I used to know. She has gone in-
to a nunnery up in the eastern hills. She is very old, my father's nurse, as a matter of fact. The district seems
to be rather heavily populated, but the nunnery is off by itself."
It was not yet full daylight. Koremitsu had the carriage brought up. Since Genji seemed incapable of the
task, he wrapped the body in a covering and lifted it into the carriage. It was very tiny and very pretty, and
not at all repellent. The wrapping was loose and the hair streamed forth, as if to darken the world before
Genji’s eyes.
He wanted to see the last rites through to the end, but Koremitsu would not hear of it. "Take my
horse and go back to Nijo, now while the streets are still quiet." He helped Ukon into the carriage and
himself proceeded on foot, the skirts of his robe hitched up. It was a strange, bedraggled sort of funeral pro-
cession, he thought, but in the face of such anguish he was prepared to risk his life. Barely conscious, Genji
made his way back to Nijo….
16
2 | Great Books 29
In due time, Sultan Shahriar took a beautiful woman to be his Sultana. He decked her up in the
choicest of precious jewels. He loved his Sultana more than his own life. But after some years Sultan
Shahriar came to know that his wife had been unfaithful to him. She was also a very disloyal woman.
As he was a just king like his own father, he followed the just way. So he sentenced his wife to death
as was the custom of the land. He ordered his Wazir to carry out this cruel task. For many days after
that, the Sultan mourned of his wife. Then, in his anger, he decided that all women of the world are
disloyal. To avenge himself, he started a cruel practice. Everyday he wed a new girl and put her to
death the next morning. Each time the Wazir was appointed for this task and he had to obey the Sul-
tan's order half-heartedly. All the citizens of the Sultan's kingdom were angry and grieved with this.
One day, the Wazir's elder daughter Sheherazade said, "Father, the Sultan's cruel ritual is not
liked by anyone. I think I can put an end to it." Dear, that would be wonderful! All of the women and
even the people of the city will be ever grateful to you. But how will you do this?" asked the Wazir.
"By marrying the Sultan." Sheherazade declared. The Wazir was shocked. Then tears welled up in his
eyes. "Dear daughter, you know what fate awaits you the morning after the wedding. I can't kill my
daughter with my own hands." But Sheherazade persisted and the Wazir gave in though with a heavy
heart. The Wazir went to the Sultan and told him that his daughter wished to be his wife. The Sultan
was surprised but agreed to the marriage because he knew Sheherazade was a very beautiful girl.
The next day, the Sultan married Sheherazade in grand fan fare. As a gift in marriage, Sheheraza-
de asked her father to let her sister Dinarzade accompany her to the palace. At night, Sheherazade ad-
dressed Dinarzade, "Dear sister, I'll ask the Sultan to let you stay with me tonight. Just before dawn,
you must wake me up and ask me to tell you a story. Then I'll start my plan."
"But how will that save your life?" asked Dinarzade.
"Just wait and see," said Sheherazade with a smile.
17
2 | Great Books 30
When the Sultan came, Sheherazade said, "Your Majesty! tonight is the last night of my life. I re-
quest you to let my dear sister Dinarzade, sleep with me."
The Sultan agreed. Early before dawn, Dinarzade woke up Sheherazade and said, "Dear sister,
one last time will you tell me one of those fascinating stories you know?" "A story," exclaimed the Sul-
tan. "Yes, I know many stories. Please let me tell a story as my last wish." the Sultan agreed again.
Sheherazade then started telling stories which went on for one thousand and one nights. They were so
interesting that the Sultan could not kill his wife before learning what happened next.
Thus, the clever Sheherazade began her story.
2.3 References
Bascara, L. (2003) World Literature (A Tertiary Textbook For Literature II Under The New Curriculum). Rex
Book Store Inc.
Lacia, F.C. (2003) The Literature of the World. (L. Libunao, Ed.). Rex Bookstore.
Nem Singh, R. P. (2011) Anthology of World Literature for Colleges. Anvil Publishing.
Sialongo, Erlinda B. (2013) Literatures of the World. Rex Bookstore Inc.
Images taken from:
https://www.google.com/search?
q=sophocles+image&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwifqL7434vvAhVSBaYKHSaVCOcQ2-cCegQIABA
https://www.google.com/search?
q=homer+picture&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiZ0tvN4YvvAhWixIsBHdzrD9AQ2-cCegQIABAA
https://www.google.com/search?
q=tale+of+genji+images&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiPi8_U4YvvAhUNhZQKHYByDPQQ2-cCegQIABA
https://www.google.com/search?
q=tale+of+genji+illustration+death+of+the+lady&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjGl7as4ovvAhVK0IsBHfXuD
https://www.google.com/search?
q=shahryar+and+scheherazade+image&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwilj6HS4ovvAhXvxIsBHaZ9B2YQ2-cCe
Rubrics
https://www.google.com/search?q=journal+writing+rubric+comprehensive&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjrsNS-
https://www.rcampus.com/rubricshowc.cfm?code=E493CB&sp=yes&
file:///C:/Users/ASUS/Documents/College-Level-Writing-Rubric.pdf
2.4 Acknowledgment
The images tables, tables, figures and information contained in this module were taken from the
references cited above.
18
2 | Great Books 31
APPENDICES
19
2 | Great Books 31
Very little detail but some Some detail attempted Detail added along with
Picture Completion No detail/coloring included coloring added along with minimal coloring effective coloring
Describes images but is not Simple but does not ex- In logical sequence with
Story: logical sequence No logical sequence a logical story sequence plain/include all images as images explained/included
depicted in the story in the story
2 | Great Books 32