Lunar Eclipse
There was a lunar eclipse the night before last. Did you see it? I was in a deep sleep. At any rate, it was not a total eclipse from here, but it was a beautiful full moon.
There is a 10th century Japanese folktale; Princess Kaguya, also known as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari). The story is this: One day, the old man went to bamboo forest and found a mysterious shining bamboo tree. Cutting it, he found a lovely baby girl inside. He and his wife raised her as their own child.
Thereafter, she became a beautiful woman, and many young men proposed to her, especially five princes who were eager to marry her. But she didn’t want to marry and said she would marry the prince who brings her the special item she wants. It was an impossible task and nobody succeeded.
After that, the Emperor also hoped to marry her. Her parents were pleased, but she continued to rebuff his proposal. Every night, she looked at the moon and cried sadly. Finally she confessed her secret to her parents that she came from the capital city of the moon, and had to go back. The Emperor sent thousands of guards to her house, trying to prevent her from returning to the moon; but when the moon people came to collect her, the guards were blinded by a bright light, preventing them from doing anything. The girl returned to the moon, and her parents and the emperor were sad.
Honestly I have no idea of what this story is trying to convey. The original has more detail, of course. There are several theories around as to the meaning of the myth, but I think nothing really stands out. I can tell you one thing for sure - that the moon has been mysterious for all generations, all over the world and has influence on the individual’s emotions.
There is a 10th century Japanese folktale; Princess Kaguya, also known as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Taketori Monogatari). The story is this: One day, the old man went to bamboo forest and found a mysterious shining bamboo tree. Cutting it, he found a lovely baby girl inside. He and his wife raised her as their own child.
Thereafter, she became a beautiful woman, and many young men proposed to her, especially five princes who were eager to marry her. But she didn’t want to marry and said she would marry the prince who brings her the special item she wants. It was an impossible task and nobody succeeded.
After that, the Emperor also hoped to marry her. Her parents were pleased, but she continued to rebuff his proposal. Every night, she looked at the moon and cried sadly. Finally she confessed her secret to her parents that she came from the capital city of the moon, and had to go back. The Emperor sent thousands of guards to her house, trying to prevent her from returning to the moon; but when the moon people came to collect her, the guards were blinded by a bright light, preventing them from doing anything. The girl returned to the moon, and her parents and the emperor were sad.
Honestly I have no idea of what this story is trying to convey. The original has more detail, of course. There are several theories around as to the meaning of the myth, but I think nothing really stands out. I can tell you one thing for sure - that the moon has been mysterious for all generations, all over the world and has influence on the individual’s emotions.
