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Jul. 26th, 2016 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thewidewideworldThere is a story, a legend of sorts, for the Nara period, in the time of Ten'ō. The legend tells of a pale Spirit who came to the Island of Sun's Origin with an Envoy from Tang. A Spirit spun from gold and pearl, and blessed with great magics. In some versions of the tale, the Spirit is ryousei both man and woman; while others say the Spirit was seibetsu no nai unsexed. But every story holds one truth above all things – that the Spirit was beautiful. Beyond all telling of poetry and art.
The Spirit and the Envoy came to Nippon in a time went the Emperor was touring the lands, so leaving their entertainment to the Imperial Princes. It was the Spirit’s fond wish to learn more of the teachings of Buddha and to see the temples to the east of island, to be as near to the new born sun as men may come.
The elder prince was gentle and wise. He greeted the Envoy and the Spirit with dignity, amiable to their requests in his father’s name. But his duties as the Emperor’s proxy kept him from leaving the capital.
The younger prince, Saga Kamino was not so wise. He was called the Dragon Prince. For his nature was martial and ruthless.
But most of all, Saga was covetous. When his desire lighted upon a thing, he would stop at nothing to have it. He wore armour of dragon’s seed jade. His sword was made by the finest sword makers who lived for he could not bear to have anything but the best of all things. And so too it was with the Spirit. For the Dragon Prince had never seen one so beautiful, nor wanted to own a thing so badly as he wanted the Spirit for himself.
The Dragon Prince, in an act of seeming kindness, offered to take the Spirit and the Envoy to Nosappu-Misaki, the eastern most place where the sun first touched the earth.
Elated by this offer and trusting in the prince’s word, the Spirit consented gladly to travel with him.
All the journey, the Dragon Prince courted the Spirit, trying to tempt the Spirit with riches and pleasures untold. The Spirit was flattered but declined with gentle words and soft kindnesses. It was the joy of the rising sun and the wisdoms of the Buddha the Spirit sought, not earthly pleasures.
By the time they reached Nosappu-Misaki the Dragon Prince was sick with wanting and grew wrathful with his servants and attendants. He wanted the Spirit, more than he had wanted any one thing in all his life.
The Envoy saw this mounting avarice and worried for his companion, warning the Spirit not to trust the Dragon Prince’s seeming benevolence.
But the warning came too late. The Dragon Prince made great of some small trespass by the Envoy’s men. A tiny blunder of protocol any man would forgive a traveller but the Dragon Prince seized upon it to punish and imprison the Envoy.
Worried for the Envoy, who was dear to the Spirit’s heart, the Spirit asked with the Dragon Prince for mercy. The Dragon Prince refused.
For seven days and nights, the Spirit reasoned and argued for the Envoy and his men.
And for seven days and seven nights, the Dragon Prince refused. And waited.
On the eighth day, the Spirit begged.
Only then did the Dragon Prince offered terms.
For a year and a day, the Spirit would share the Dragon Prince’s bed to serve his pleasure. For that was the price of the Envoy’s life and the lives of his men.
The Spirit balked, afraid to become a slave again. For the Spirit had been slave to an Emperor far to the west and feared to return to that unhappy state.
Seeing the Spirit’s resistance, the Dragon Prince turned his anger on the Envoy, causing him to be tortured until the Spirit relented.
A year and a day, the Spirit would belong to the Dragon Prince and in exchange, the Envoy and his men would go free.
But for all the Dragon Prince’s desire, he could not touch the Spirit’s skin. And Imperial Prince’s body was sacred, descended from the gods and no unclean thing could touch him until it had be purified and sanctified.
And that could be done by the Emperor’s personal priests alone.
The Dragon Prince turned his party around and marched them with great haste to where the Emperor was summering.
But he could not wait to have the Spirit. He had broken to Spirit’s will and would have the Spirit’s body.
The next night, he had his servants strip the Spirit, scrub the Spirit’s body clean and have the Spirit brought to his tent.
Although he could not touch the Spirit’s skin, clad in fine leather gloves, thin silk and a phallus of dragon’s seed jade, the Dragon Prince used the Spirit’s body.
But the Dragon Prince felt nothing. Not the heat of Spirit’s body, nor the silk of his skin.
Frustrated, the Dragon Prince took the Spirit again the next night. And the night after.
And all the time he felt nothing.
He grew rougher and rougher as they travelled towards the summer court, beating and using the Spirit in the most unkind ways. But even as the Spirit wept, the Dragon Prince felt nothing but his own frustration.
A whole moon passed as they travelled and the Spirit grew weaker. The gold and lustre of the Spirit’s being dimmed, the flame within guttering like the last breath of a candle.
On the last night before they reached the summer palace, the Dragon Prince called for the Spirit to be brought to him once more.
Weak with pain and waning in body and heart, the Spirit reached out to the Dragon Prince, seeking some sign of kindness. The Spirit’s hand slipped between the folds of the Dragon Prince’s silks and found his skin.
And the Dragon Prince felt the Spirit’s touch. Felt as he had never felt before. Warmth flooded his heart and suffused his being.
He looked down on what he had done to the Spirit, the pain he had caused and he wept.
The Spirit held him, speaking soothing words that melted the ice in the Dragon Prince’s heart.
True to his word, the Prince took the Spirit to the eastern most temple; there to heal under the loving warmth of the new born sun.
And true to their pact, the Spirit stayed with the Dragon Prince a year and a day. In the temples of the Island of Sun's Origin, they studied together the teaching of Buddha and those of the old gods.
And more than that, they found affection in each other’s company. Under the Spirit’s guiding hand, the prince set aside his armour of dragon seed jade and grew gentle and thoughtful.
When his father died and his brother sickened, Saga stepped forward to become a wise and good Emperor. He opened much trade with the Tang, bringing his people prosperity and knowledge.
But with the trade, came news from the west. News that had travelled half the world to reach the Spirit. The one who had driven the Spirit from the lands that had once been home was dead. The Spirit was free to return without fear, for it was fear that had driven him east.
Saga held the Spirit in his arms, gentle as the lover he had become and let the Spirit weep tears of relief. “It is time you went home, my love.” Saga whispered, stroking the Spirit’s golden hair. “Here the sun will always rise for you and guard your back as your journey.”
Saga richly furnished the Spirit with all that might be needed for the journey and ship to carry the Spirit west. On the docks of Naniwa Saga bade farewell to the Spirit who broke his armour and gave warmth to his heart.
It is not known what became of the Spirit but for every dawn of his reign, Emperor Saga gave thanks, and begged the sun to watch over the Phoenix Spirit who was the fire of his heart.
The Spirit and the Envoy came to Nippon in a time went the Emperor was touring the lands, so leaving their entertainment to the Imperial Princes. It was the Spirit’s fond wish to learn more of the teachings of Buddha and to see the temples to the east of island, to be as near to the new born sun as men may come.
The elder prince was gentle and wise. He greeted the Envoy and the Spirit with dignity, amiable to their requests in his father’s name. But his duties as the Emperor’s proxy kept him from leaving the capital.
The younger prince, Saga Kamino was not so wise. He was called the Dragon Prince. For his nature was martial and ruthless.
But most of all, Saga was covetous. When his desire lighted upon a thing, he would stop at nothing to have it. He wore armour of dragon’s seed jade. His sword was made by the finest sword makers who lived for he could not bear to have anything but the best of all things. And so too it was with the Spirit. For the Dragon Prince had never seen one so beautiful, nor wanted to own a thing so badly as he wanted the Spirit for himself.
The Dragon Prince, in an act of seeming kindness, offered to take the Spirit and the Envoy to Nosappu-Misaki, the eastern most place where the sun first touched the earth.
Elated by this offer and trusting in the prince’s word, the Spirit consented gladly to travel with him.
All the journey, the Dragon Prince courted the Spirit, trying to tempt the Spirit with riches and pleasures untold. The Spirit was flattered but declined with gentle words and soft kindnesses. It was the joy of the rising sun and the wisdoms of the Buddha the Spirit sought, not earthly pleasures.
By the time they reached Nosappu-Misaki the Dragon Prince was sick with wanting and grew wrathful with his servants and attendants. He wanted the Spirit, more than he had wanted any one thing in all his life.
The Envoy saw this mounting avarice and worried for his companion, warning the Spirit not to trust the Dragon Prince’s seeming benevolence.
But the warning came too late. The Dragon Prince made great of some small trespass by the Envoy’s men. A tiny blunder of protocol any man would forgive a traveller but the Dragon Prince seized upon it to punish and imprison the Envoy.
Worried for the Envoy, who was dear to the Spirit’s heart, the Spirit asked with the Dragon Prince for mercy. The Dragon Prince refused.
For seven days and nights, the Spirit reasoned and argued for the Envoy and his men.
And for seven days and seven nights, the Dragon Prince refused. And waited.
On the eighth day, the Spirit begged.
Only then did the Dragon Prince offered terms.
For a year and a day, the Spirit would share the Dragon Prince’s bed to serve his pleasure. For that was the price of the Envoy’s life and the lives of his men.
The Spirit balked, afraid to become a slave again. For the Spirit had been slave to an Emperor far to the west and feared to return to that unhappy state.
Seeing the Spirit’s resistance, the Dragon Prince turned his anger on the Envoy, causing him to be tortured until the Spirit relented.
A year and a day, the Spirit would belong to the Dragon Prince and in exchange, the Envoy and his men would go free.
But for all the Dragon Prince’s desire, he could not touch the Spirit’s skin. And Imperial Prince’s body was sacred, descended from the gods and no unclean thing could touch him until it had be purified and sanctified.
And that could be done by the Emperor’s personal priests alone.
The Dragon Prince turned his party around and marched them with great haste to where the Emperor was summering.
But he could not wait to have the Spirit. He had broken to Spirit’s will and would have the Spirit’s body.
The next night, he had his servants strip the Spirit, scrub the Spirit’s body clean and have the Spirit brought to his tent.
Although he could not touch the Spirit’s skin, clad in fine leather gloves, thin silk and a phallus of dragon’s seed jade, the Dragon Prince used the Spirit’s body.
But the Dragon Prince felt nothing. Not the heat of Spirit’s body, nor the silk of his skin.
Frustrated, the Dragon Prince took the Spirit again the next night. And the night after.
And all the time he felt nothing.
He grew rougher and rougher as they travelled towards the summer court, beating and using the Spirit in the most unkind ways. But even as the Spirit wept, the Dragon Prince felt nothing but his own frustration.
A whole moon passed as they travelled and the Spirit grew weaker. The gold and lustre of the Spirit’s being dimmed, the flame within guttering like the last breath of a candle.
On the last night before they reached the summer palace, the Dragon Prince called for the Spirit to be brought to him once more.
Weak with pain and waning in body and heart, the Spirit reached out to the Dragon Prince, seeking some sign of kindness. The Spirit’s hand slipped between the folds of the Dragon Prince’s silks and found his skin.
And the Dragon Prince felt the Spirit’s touch. Felt as he had never felt before. Warmth flooded his heart and suffused his being.
He looked down on what he had done to the Spirit, the pain he had caused and he wept.
The Spirit held him, speaking soothing words that melted the ice in the Dragon Prince’s heart.
True to his word, the Prince took the Spirit to the eastern most temple; there to heal under the loving warmth of the new born sun.
And true to their pact, the Spirit stayed with the Dragon Prince a year and a day. In the temples of the Island of Sun's Origin, they studied together the teaching of Buddha and those of the old gods.
And more than that, they found affection in each other’s company. Under the Spirit’s guiding hand, the prince set aside his armour of dragon seed jade and grew gentle and thoughtful.
When his father died and his brother sickened, Saga stepped forward to become a wise and good Emperor. He opened much trade with the Tang, bringing his people prosperity and knowledge.
But with the trade, came news from the west. News that had travelled half the world to reach the Spirit. The one who had driven the Spirit from the lands that had once been home was dead. The Spirit was free to return without fear, for it was fear that had driven him east.
Saga held the Spirit in his arms, gentle as the lover he had become and let the Spirit weep tears of relief. “It is time you went home, my love.” Saga whispered, stroking the Spirit’s golden hair. “Here the sun will always rise for you and guard your back as your journey.”
Saga richly furnished the Spirit with all that might be needed for the journey and ship to carry the Spirit west. On the docks of Naniwa Saga bade farewell to the Spirit who broke his armour and gave warmth to his heart.
It is not known what became of the Spirit but for every dawn of his reign, Emperor Saga gave thanks, and begged the sun to watch over the Phoenix Spirit who was the fire of his heart.
