谷崎潤一郎『少将滋幹の母』(全)その１後編

In this second part of Chapter One, we follow Heichū—the infamous courtly lover—as he finds himself helplessly enchanted by a woman known only as the Lady of the Chamber (侍従の君). Drawn to her beauty and mystery, he returns night after night to the residence of the powerful Left Minister, Fujiwara no Shihei, seeking just a glimpse of her. But her presence remains elusive. Not even the child attendants he bribes with letters can secure him a response. The more he longs for her, the more distant she becomes. In this quiet courtly world, affection is never declared aloud. And rejection does not come in the form of harsh words—but silence. This is desire in its most refined, most painful form: beautiful, restrained, and unreachable. Tanizaki’s narration lingers in these shadows of longing, where comedy and sorrow gently intertwine. It is a world where poetry does not resolve feelings—but preserves them. 📖 This reading is delivered in the original Japanese, one sentence at a time, with careful attention to the rhythm and quiet nuance of the text.