The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
[Sonezaki Shinju] by Chikamatsu Monzaemon
During the fourth moon of 1703 an assistant in the Osaka firm of Hirano committed suicide with a prostitute named Ohatsu within the grounds of the Sonezaki Shrine. Within a fortnight Chikamatsu’s play based on this incident was being performed by puppets at the Takemoto Theatre. This is the first of his plays about love suicides, and one of his greatest works. The poetry of the journey of the two lovers is particularly famous, and is in fact one of the most beautiful passages in all of Japanese literature. In this translation the parts sung by the chanter are rendered in verse with a few minor exceptions, while the parts spoken by him for the puppets are in prose.
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Scene I: The Ikutama Shrine
Narrator: A graceful young man who had served his term
As an apprentice in the firm of Hirano,
His breast burning with passion concealed
Lest billowing scandal should spread,
Given sometimes to one cup of wine,
And known for his elegant locks,
Renowned as expert in matters of love,
But now like fragrant wood buried,
A mere clerk selling sauces and oil,
And making the round of his clients
Followed by a boy who bears a dripping cask,
Now comes he to Ikutama Shrine.
From inside a teahouse, a woman’s voice
Cries, “Tokubei, Tokubei, is it not you?”
She claps her hands; he nods in recognition.
