Tuesday, August 21, 2007

IKKAKU SENNIN
The Holy Hermit Unicorn

A Japanese Noh Play
by KOMPARU ZENPO MOTOYASU (1453-1532)

Music
by JACEK MACZYNSKI

Read
by JACEK MACZYNSKI (a.k.a YASEKU MOTO)




SHINDA:
(Prolog)

The prince I serve is a great prince, he is the emperor of Barana who rules a kingdom of India, with many lands along the Ganges. Now, in the country of this prince there lives a hermit and he is a wizard. He was born from the womb of a deer, and he has a horn, one single long horn, a horn that sprouts out of is forehead, and therefore we have named this wizard Ikkaku Sennin, holy hermit unicorn. Once Ikkaku Sennin and the great dragon gods had an affair of honor, and the wizard won out, the holy hermit unicorn used his magic to undo the dragon gods, he drove them into a cave and made them stay inside. Away in that cave, for many years they could not cause rain to fall. Since then, my prince has come to grieve, he sees that his whole countryside is dry, and so now he knows he has to free those dragon gods.
Listen, this is a prince’s plan, this is a beautiful young girl who is going to go up into the mountains, there where the wizard lives, the holy hermit unicorn, and he may make a mistake and think she’s lost her way. Then he may fall in love, he may say this young girl is so beautiful, he has lost his heart and art and all the magic that he used to use. It may work out that way, that’s what the prince is hoping for, and so we’re going to carry her up to the unicorn.

ATTENDANTS:

Mountains and mountains, and mountains, mists that cover over all the weary travelers, cold winds that blow through the open woods, as wee keep going, no sleep on the mountain side, no sweet dreams for us. Dew that drops like rain, dew that drops like rain, like rain, on the deep ravine so that even the lowest leaves receive water, change to strange autumn colors. We are kept so cold as we keep climbing, climbing, climbing on our way. The road goes through so much mist, through clouds on high hills. How do we know where we are? Up in the mountains we do not know where we are, we wander around wondering where does this road go this road we’re on, does anyone know anything about this road?

SHINDA:

Day after day we’ve hurried on our way, traveling on this old road that no one knows about now we are lost, we are all worn out. Look there are many rocks, they are lying on the ground and piled up in mound, I wonder why? How sweet the breezes as they blow over the rock pile, I can tell the smell of pine. Perhaps this is where the wizard lives, the holy hermit unicorn, perhaps this is the place. We could keep quiet and get close to it, slowly, slowly, get close so we can see if the wizard is hiding inside.

Gracious lady, if your patience will permit it, we would like to stay right here.

IKKAKU SENNIN:

I scoop water from deep streams with my magic gourd, I call forth all my art, I lift up clouds that have folded over forests, and I make them boil swiftly, then I play music. But I plane alone. The mountains rise up high above riverbanks. Green leaves suddenly become the color of blood. I play my music and I play alone in autumn.

SHINDA:

Listen to me, listen, this is a traveler, we have lost our way and we want to speak to you.

IKKAKU SENNIN:

Who’s there? – I thought I would be free in these mountains, I thought I would be able to escape from the human race, and now someone comes – O please leave, please leave as fast as you can.

SHINDA:

No, listen to me, listen, we are travelers and we are lost, and the sun is setting, and the road is dark, so won’t you let us spend the night right here?

IKKAKU SENNIN:

No no, I told you to go, this is no place for you to stay, so go, I say you should go far from here.

SHINDA:

You say this is no place for us to stay, and is that because the holy hermit unicorn lives here? Come out, I say so we can see your face!

IKKAKU SENNIN:

I am getting up, I am coming out of here, I am going to show myself to all these travelers!

CHORUS:

He takes the great grass gate and swings it to one side, he takes the great grass gate and swings it to one side, now he is aroused - look, look at his face! Black hair snarled on his proud brow, a single long sprouting out of his forehead. See how he stands here – if he disappeared we would still see him stand here, strange and wonderful!

SHINDA:

Are you the hermit we have heard about, which they call the holy hermit unicorn?

IKKAKU SENNIN:

I am ashamed to say it but I am he, Ikkaku Sennin. Tell me who is this beautiful young girl, and tell me, why is one so fair on this rough road? She should be found at court, some sort of princess – O the grace that gazes from her smiling eyes, she is like the silent sky, or like the sweet peace of the deep sea, she is not like the people of this world. Travelers, you must tell me, who are you and why have you come here?

SHINDA:

O no, we are no one you would ever notice, we are only strangers who got lost. Here is some sake, which we brought along with us, to cheer us up on our long journey. My lady kindly offers it to you, so do take a cup of this fine wine!

IKKAKU SENNIN:

We hermits prefer to eat the needles of pine trees, the clothes we wear are made of moss, and we do not drink anything but dew. Year after year, we do not age, we do not change, we do not even die. And that is why I say I do not want your sake.

SHINDA:

You say you do not want our sake, but then would you take just a little if my lady asks it as a special favor?

LADY SENDA:

The young girl rises, rises to pour out some wine.

IKKAKU SENNIN:
(Unable to resist her beauty and charm)

When travelers ask a favor, how can anyone refuse? – impossible, only the devil would say no.

CHORUS:

A cup of wine is like the moon in the night sky, a cup of wine is like the moon in the night sky. The hermit reaches out and takes the cup of wine, just as a hermit once plucked a chrysanthemum, the dew dropped down to the ground. O that was so long ago, so long ago, but I will love you for that long.

IKKAKU SENNIN:

O blessed ecstasy, the cup of wine!

CHORUS:
(Lady Senda’s dance of seduction)

O blessed ecstasy, the cup of wine! – it is like the moon that circles in the night sky, red leaves on the autumn hills, see the silk sleeves. Two leaves moves, like two sleeves that are dancing together, dancing in a great court dance, blessed ecstasy.

Dance to the music of flutes, dance to the flute music.
Dance to the music of flutes, dance to the flute music.

Pass the cup around, around, pass the cup around, around.

The hermit has fallen in love, he has fallen in love. See, his feet have grown weak, and see how the hermit is beginning to falter and fall, he keeps turning in circles, now he wraps his sleeve around him and he sleeps. The beautiful young girl is pleased, she tells everyone to come away and they all go down the mountain, they go down the rough mountain road, until they already at the court of the prince.

CHORUS:

Rumble, rumble, rumble, where is it coming from? Rumbles thunder from deep inside the cave, rumbles cause earthquakes and make all creation shake.

IKKAKU SENNIN:

Why have I been sleeping, sleeping all this while? – it was the wine, it was the beautiful young girl, it was the need for some sleep. Rumble, rumble, rumble something’s wrong, there’s thunder coming from inside the cave, there where the dragon gods are kept captive. Rumble, rumble, rumble, something’s wrong. What is it?

DRAGON GODS:

Holy hermit unicorn, you were dancing with humans, and you let yourself get lost in lust and you confused your mind with wine. No wonder now you do not know you are undone, no wonder now you have no power. Unicorn, you are about to lose the magic that you used to use.

CHORUS:

Listen, listen to the wind, to the wind whistle. Listen, listen to the wind, to the wind whistle. See the darkness of the sky. Earthquake breaks the cave, breaks the cave, boulder stones thrown down to the ground. Rocks that block the great cave are all cast aside in a landslide. Behold O holy hermit, here are the great dragon gods!

IKKAKU SENNIN:

Now, holy hermit unicorn, I do not know what to do.

CHORUS:

Now holy hermit unicorn, he does not know what to do. He takes a sword and he goes toward the great dragon gods. The dragon gods are in the armor of their own real rage. They create a few naked blades to use on the unicorn. Now they hit and hit and hit, and now it is all over. Holy hermit has now lost his heart and art and all his magic. He goes round and round ‘til he drops down on the ground. Now the great dragon gods call together all the rain clouds. Now there is rumbling thunder, now there is brightness of lightning, and it rains and rains and rains, the great dragon gods make it rain. Then they fly through the sky and over the ocean. Then they fly through the sky and over the ocean.
The great dragon gods return to their great dragon home.



THE END