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"They say a lot of men have gone to a lot of trouble for this Kaguyahime, but she refuses to marry. Would you go see just what kind of woman she really is?"
Fusako went to the bamboo cutter's house and had herself announced. The old woman came out to meet her.
"I have come on the emperor's instructions to see if Kaguyahime's appearance is indeed superior. He told me to take a good look, and so I have come here."
The old woman said she would inform Kaguyahime, and went back to her daughter's rooms.
"Hurry! Come meet the imperial messenger!"
"I'm in no state for that. I don't want to see her."
"Don't make things difficult. You don't want to be rude to an imperial messenger, do you?"
"Just because the imperor tells someone to do something, it doesn't make that person anyone special."
And so she refused to go meet the court lady. The Old woman loved Kaguyahime as much as if she had given birth to her. She was very embarrassed that Kaguyahime would refuse her request so directly, but she couldn't force her to go out. So she went back to Fusako alone.
"Unfortunately the girl is very strong-willed, and she will not come out to you."
"He has ordered me to meet her-- how can I go back to the palace without having seen her? When a sovereign gives a command, no person living should refuse to obey. It is completely immoral!"
The old woman was again embarrassed to hear such frank speech, and that made Kaguyahime all the more unwilling to come out. Finally Fusako said all those who would not obey their sovereign should not remain alive, and she returned to the palace.
Back at the palace she told the emperor all that had happened. He just said that if Fusako had her way a lot of men would be dead, and dismissed the matter.
But he could not stop thinking of Kaguyahime and tried to come up with another plan. Finally he called in the old bamboo cutter.
"Please bring me this Kaguyahime you have. I have been told her looks are very good, and I sent someone to see the other day, but she couldn't get a look. Should you raise her to be so rude?"
"If I may reply, this girl really is not suited for court service. But I will go home and tell her of your highness's words."
"If you have brought her up, how could she do anything contrary to your wishes? When you bring her to me, I will promote you to the fifth rank at court."
The old man happily returned home and told Kaguyahime what had happened.
"So please do as the emperor asks. You do want to serve the emperor, don't you?"
"I certainly don't want to go into that kind of court service. If you force me into service, I will disappear completely. Your getting court rank will mean my dying."
"That's not what I want, of course. How could I accept court rank if it meant not seeing my child again? But why don't you want to go into court service? And why would you have to die?"
"If you don't believe me, then just send me to court, and see if I don't die. Everyone says my desires are unusual and cannot be achieved. I would be ashamed to have people hear that I have agreed to do what the emperor wants."
"People are always saying one thing or another. The important thing is to just keep you out of danger. So I'll go to court and say you don't want to serve there."
Miyakkomaro, the old bamboo cutter, did go to the palace and spoke to the emperor.
"I hardly dare say this, but when I told the girl I would like her to go to court, she said that if she were sent into court service she would die. She is not a child born to me. I found her in the mountains long ago. That must be why here feelings are not those of an ordinary person."
"Miyakkomaro, your home is at the foot of the mountains. Perhaps if I were to go there hunting I would be able to meet her."
"That's an excellent idea! If your highness would come on a hunting trip sometime when she is distracted, it would surely be possible to see her."
The emperor set a date immediately. When the day came to go hunting, he set out for Kaguyahime's house. He went in and saw a beautiful woman with light shining all around her. Realizing it was Kaguyahime, he tried to go nearer, but she fled toward her private rooms. When he caught her by the sleeve she covered her face. But the emperor was able to get a good look at her first, and he knew there was no one so beautiful anywhere else.
"Come with me! I won't let you get away."
"If I had been born in this country I could give myself up to your commands. But it's not possible for me to go with you."
"Why do you say that? Of course you can come."
The emperor pulled her toward his carriage, but Kaguyahime quickly disappeared. The emperor was disappointed, but what could he do? He realized that Kaguyahime was not an ordinary person.
"All right, I won't take you back as a companion. But please let me see you. If I can just see you, I'll go on back."
Kaguyahime returned. The emperor thought whe was wonderful, and he had a hard time controlling his emotions. He then thanked Miyakkomaro for letting him see her. And the old man gave a great feast for the many officials who had come with the emperor.
The emperor hated to go back to the palace without Kaguyahime, but there was no other choice. Very distracted, he prepared to leave. But as he climbed into his carriage, he looked back over his shoulder.
As I go to my home
My heart will not accompany me;
I leave hit here behind.
And turn my back on it today
As she has turned her back on me.
Kaguyahime replied:
Having lived this long
In this poor weed-covered house,
How could I now leave.
Fine as your abode must be,
I don't even dare to look.
When he saw this poem, the emperor didn't know how he could bear to leave. Just the same, there was no way he could spend the night there, so he went back to the palace. As he looked at the women who usually served him, he could see they couldn't come close to Kaguyahime. Although he had considered them unusually beautiful, compared with her they seemed quite ordinary. He began to sit alone all day thinking only of Kaguyahime. He was discouraged, and never went to see any of the court ladies.
The he sent a letter to Kaguyahime. Although she had refused his request, she answered his letters politely, perhaps even warmly. This delighted the emperor, and he sent her poems about all sorts of things.
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