Reading Notes Chunqin Copy The sorrow of others, my joy

The Copy of the Spring Qin depicts a poignant and thrilling love story between a rich blind girl and a servant.

The harukin was the jewel of Osaka's wealthy pharmaceutical merchants, who lost his sight due to an eye disease and worked hard to learn Xi shamisen. Sasuke was originally a servant who guided Harukoto, and later also studied with Haruqin. In order to stay by the side of Harukoto, who was disfigured for some reason, Sasuke finally blinded himself in the end.

Most people may think that this is a typical Japanese freak love story, but Junichiro Tanizaki's calm narration lurks a lot of mysteries.

Chunqin was born around 1829 and died in 1886 at the age of 58.

Sasuke was born around 1825 and died in 1911 at the age of 83.

Harukin and Sasuke's apprentice in her later years, Terumu, who is now about seventy years old, comes to their grave once or twice a year to pay her respects.

I" explained, and "I" came across a booklet of Chunqin's biography. He speculated that the pamphlet was dictated by Sasuke three years after Harukoto's death and had it written by someone else. Taking this as an opportunity, "I" wanted to learn about the story of Chunqin decades ago.

It should be pointed out here that this book paraphrases Sasuke's Haruka in the tone of "I", sometimes interspersed with "I" reasoning. "I's" "commentary" helps the reader see through the bias in Sasuke's narrative and guess the twists and turns of this relationship.

But Sasuke's subjective perspective and "I" objective perspective are arbitrarily transformed, we are all "played in the palm of the hand" by Junichiro Tanizaki, the story is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, history and the present are indistinguishable, Haruqin and Sasuke may not be the real Haruqin and Sasuke.

Let's first divide "Chunqin Copy" into three stages, with Chunqin's blindness and disfigurement as the dividing point.

Chunqin was born in Osaka, a wealthy merchant of medicinal herbs, and was the second daughter in the family. She has been "enlightened since childhood, with a beautiful and elegant appearance, no one can compare". At the age of four, he began to Xi dance, and his dancing style was beyond the reach of Maiko;Learn Xi way of reading and writing, and make rapid progress, "Lovely and delicate in words and deeds, cheerful personality, and considerate to servants." ”

I feel that Sasuke's praise is too biased, "I" cited other people's comments and Chunqin's middle-aged **, Chunqin has the temperament of a businessman's wife, her appearance is really beautiful, and because the blind man closes his eyes and sits quietly, he looks extraordinarily gentle and elegant, faint and compassionate.

Chunqin was blind at the age of nine, so she had to give up dancing and concentrate on practicing. As for the reason for her blindness, it was said that it was an eye disease, and it was implied that the nurse of the younger sister was jealous of Chunqin's favor and held a grudge.

I" again pointed out that Sasuke had never met young Harukin, and his thoughts were too wishful thinking, so "I" did not agree with "Hint".

However, "I" cited the words of the old lady, Chunqin learned the piano since she was five or six years old, and practiced very hard when she was Xi, which shows that the way of music may have been her talent. It's just that after losing her sight, she has no other thoughts, and she goes to the end. The suffering of blindness may have been the opportunity for her to enter the art path.

With all her talent and enthusiasm, Chunqin far surpassed others at the age of fifteen, and was recognized by strict teachers early.

The Sasuke family has been the apprentice of the Haruqin family for generations, and Sasuke is four years older than Haruqin and came to be an apprentice at the age of thirteen. The Chunqin he saw was already the Chunqin after he lost his sight. But he didn't regret it, Chunqin's pale, delicate, and delicate appearance deeply attracted him. Instead, he was afraid that he would find that Chunqin's appearance before her blindness was not as perfect as that after she lost her sight. Sasuke, a young man from the countryside, deeply admires the rich lady, but he sticks to his identity and never wants to cross the class gap.

After losing her sight, Chunqin gradually became gloomy and heavy, stubborn and willful, no longer laughing cheerfully, and was extremely sensitive to the reactions of others. Chunqin no longer directly expresses her thoughts, but only hints with words. Only Sasuke can understand her subtle hints, and cooperate everywhere, as if he were like a glutton, without complaint.

Harukin felt that Sasuke was obscure, considerate and honest. In this way, 14-year-old Sasuke became Harukoto's regular guide, touching her hand almost every day. Feeling such a "gift", Sasuke was more cautious and considerate.

While accompanying Haruqin to practice, Sasuke also became interested in the piano. If Harukan is a gifted type, Sasuke is a diligent type.

Sasuke saved up money to buy a handful of shamisen, and every night when his companions were asleep, he hid in the closet and began to practice, studying and pondering by himself, regardless of cold or heat, day after day.

Maybe Sasuke did become interested in the art of the piano, but he never thought of taking the art of the piano as a serious career, nor did he think of using the piano to please Harukoto. He knew that he would only "inherit his father's business" in the future, and learning the piano was a luxury for the rich, so he was even more cautious and careful not to let others find out that he was practicing.

But learning the piano is also an act born out of worship and yearning for the spring qin. Sasuke practiced in the dark, imagining how Harukoto, who was blind, practiced it, which was the supreme pleasure for him.

It is no accident that a non-blind man desires to experience the same suffering as a blind man, and that what he did later is not accidental. It's just that for Sasuke, the blind man is Haruko, and he can't love it, so he has to get close to his loved one by "wanting to be".

Sasuke was finally discovered secretly practicing the piano, and under the deliberate arrangement of Harukoto's family, the eleven-year-old Haruqin became the fifteen-year-old Sasuke's piano teacher. Chunqin's personality at that time was already very willful and difficult, and her family hoped that the game of "pretending to be a school" would make her happier. From then on, they were called master and apprentice, but Sasuke's future as an apprentice was interrupted, and his life would be inseparable from Harukoto.

After two or three years, their piano lessons became more and more serious, and Chunqin's teaching style was very cruel and harsh, beating and scolding at every turn, often scolding Sasuke, giving Sasuke huge psychological pressure, and Sasuke often cried. In the face of the persuasion of others, Chunqin refuted it with majesty, and even accused Sasuke of being too weak, so Sasuke didn't dare to cry anymore.

When Haruto was sixteen years old and Sasuke was twenty years old, the family repeatedly mentioned that they should get married, but Haruqin sternly refused. But a year later, Chunqin became pregnant, and after the child was born, she found that she looked like Sasuke, but she still categorically denied that Sasuke was the father of the child, and gave the child away, insisting on celibacy.

When Chunqin was twenty years old, her teacher died. She was listed as a teacher, opened a class to teach apprentices, and Sasuke followed her. They still treat each other as if they were masters and apprentices.

"I think that a place like Osaka is very particular about family background, assets, and status, and has a strong feudal heritage. A daughter like Chunqin, it is inevitable that Sasuke, who looks down on the servants of the past generations. In addition, Harukin has a paranoid temper and a strong nature, and thinks that accepting Sasuke as her husband is an insult to herself. But because he has a physical relationship with Sasuke, he will pretend to be indifferent and alienated on his face.

After Harukin set up her own door, she lived with Sasuke. Chunqin has a habit of cleanliness, and is picky about everything in daily life, which is extremely cumbersome and elegant. Only Sasuke can satisfy her. Sasuke is responsible for washing his hands, trimming his nails, and even taking a bath. Meals are also served by Sasuke, and deboning and meat are also routine. Sasuke is happy with it, and often praises Harukoto's smooth and soft skin.

Sasuke receives a meager allowance, but bears a huge workload of serving Harukoto. If he is not careful, Chunqin will reprimand him for disrespecting himself and fooling himself, but he still has no complaints, everything just wants Chunqin to be happy.

Chunqin also has a penchant for raising yellow warblers. The chicks of the yellow warbler are caught alive, Xi with other yellow warblers, and carefully raised, so that they can sing beautifully, "This is a competition between the craftsman and the natural scenery and its beauty, and the secret of the music is also in it." In addition to the yellow warbler, Chunqin also likes larks, and when the larks fly freely into the air, the cry that is transmitted back to the ground is very beautiful.

Chunqin's family often sends living expenses, and the teaching income is actually dispensable. But Chunqin's piano skills are indeed second to none, which has been recognized by everyone. Her voice has a masculine quality, clear and crisp, and beautiful and varied. Most of her students admired her.

It's just that Chunqin advocates luxury and luxury, generous shots, generous rewards, and is charming and charming. Strict internally, extremely stingy and greedy, in addition to detaining people, but also sneering at poor students. Her teaching was as brutal as she had been when she had taught Sasuke.

I "think that her willful pride has led her to make too many enemies, burying her talent, and combined with everything that comes after, it is a bit self-inflicted."

Chunqin at this time:From a lady in the sky to a blind girl who serves in everything, the gap is too big, and she is resentful. Sasuke's obedience to her family, the praise of others, and her wealthy family background that can act willfully and recklessly make her resentful grow and turn into a bad temper, compensating for her blindness by abusing others. Therefore, she does not care about the feelings of others, is picky in everything, and does her own thing. Even enjoy the thrill of being above others through teaching.

And she is very talented, thinks very highly of herself, and is paranoid and strong. Even if she is blind, the most important appearance and talent of a woman, she is not willing to be left behind.

Coupled with the feudal mentality, she looks down on Sasuke and thinks that Sasuke should serve her. But Chunqin is actually very inferior, she doesn't want to admit that she does rely on Sasuke and needs Sasuke, but she is worried that she is only because of her beauty and attractiveness, and the able-bodied Sasuke will leave her sooner or later, and she has a strong sense of insecurity, so she constantly tortures Sasuke, and through the unconditional obedience of Sasuke after "tossing", she gets love and reliable proof.

Although Chunqin is already talented, it may be out of the psychology and paranoid mentality of being unwilling to be left behind, so he practiced Xi hard, and he was not sure whether he really liked the piano.

Sasuke at this time:

Sasuke came from a humble background and was submissive in everything since he was a child, and he would treat everything that the upper class had given him as a favor and be deeply grateful.

He bowed to Chunqin's beauty, and while enduring the torture, he also felt the unique skin kiss that belonged to him.

While he loves Chunqin, he wants to experience everything about his lover, and puts his lover to the supreme position, and there are some reasons for learning the piano.

Art at this time:

A person who entered the palace of art because of blindness, because of his love and talent, but because of the personality changes caused by blindness, it is difficult to go further, and it is difficult to get along with his lover on an equal footing.

One entered the palace of art because of his lover and achieved good results because of his hard work, but because of his background and low character, art and his lover stagnated.

Chunqin takes advantage of Sasuke's "love but can't" to firmly control him, Sasuke is like a yellow warbler who was taken away and domesticated when he was young, and he willingly accepts Chunqin's domestication and never wants to step into the outside world again.

Of course, Haruqin and Sasuke actually have a lot in common, and it is mentioned later that Sasuke will take Haruqin to touch foreign objects, even if it is a rough and ugly plum trunk. The same love for art is the basis of their common language, but under the incomprehensible behavior of others, they also have tenderness in their hearts that is difficult for them to experience.

The disfigurement occurred when Chunqin was thirty-seven years old, and "I" proposed two possible perpetrators.

First, the rich young master who took a fancy to Chunqin's beauty, and was beaten by Chunqin with a piano in class.

The second is the father of the girl who was supposed to be trained as a geisha, but was injured by the harp with the harp.

But "I" can't give a definite guess. This attack, in addition to hurting Harukoto, also made Sasuke even more painful. Therefore, it may also be out of jealousy of Sasuke's doing, or it may be Haruqin's peer **. Chunqin has too many enemies, and it is not surprising that there is such an attack.

In "The Legend of Harukoto", it is said that Harukoto's injury has little effect on her appearance, and Sasuke is blind from sudden cataracts. This is obviously Sasuke's pen, and it took two months for Harukoto's wound to heal.

It was like this, after Harukin was attacked, Sasuke immediately rushed over and gave Harukin a vague look at his disfigured face. After Harukin regained consciousness, she was most worried that Sasuke would see her face. Sasuke stabbed the needle in his eyes. After the stabbing, he groped his way to Chunqin's room and told her that he was blind. Chunqin asked if it was true, and fell silent.

These silent minutes were the happiest minutes of Sasuke's life, and he felt that Harukin seemed to tremble with joy when he asked this. Chunqin hinted at him, finally pulled him into the same dark world, and never left her again, at this time Chunqin had only gratitude in her heart.

This was the first time they had a heart-to-heart connection, and the two became one. And Sasuke was also happy to find that only when he was blind could he be in the same world as Chunqin, as if he was in a pure land of bliss. He can feel the grace of Chunqin's body and the crispness of his voice with his sense of touch. The beautiful Chunqin before the disfigurement in his memory will only become more and more beautiful and affectionate in the mellow memories.

In this way, they built the last wall of their world, and since then they will never leave this world, and no one else can enter this world.

Finally, the author cites Teruo's perspective. Sasuke still takes care of Harukin all the time, and all the troubles in life have turned into the enjoyment of subtle love.

After losing his vision, Sasuke realized the immaturity of his piano sound, practiced Xi harder, became a teacher, and took care of the family's livelihood, but he and Chunqin still did not get married, but more strictly adhered to the etiquette of master and apprentice.

If Sasuke used to love Harukoto, who was a mortal, I'm afraid it's not anymore. For him, the current Chunqin, as noble as a Buddha statue, is the embodiment of beauty and love in his heart, and Chunqin must be high up, accept Sasuke's admiration and worship, and never marry her and lead her to the mortal world.

For Chunqin, she has always been pampered, she doesn't know the hard work and humiliation, only by tasting the bitterness and bitterness, hovering on the edge of life and death, can she understand the true meaning of art. Later, Chunqin's skills became more profound. Her "Spring Oriole", every time it sounds, it sounds as if you are in the wilderness, mountains and forests, babbling streams, and the fragrance of flowers, telling the hearts of birds.

If Sasuke is like a yellow warbler, Chunqin is like a lark, breaking out of the shackles of family and vision in order to get a breakthrough in talent.

Haruqin and Sasuke are still happily living in their own world, their children have been given to others, and they don't want to recognize their grown children. After Harukoto's early death, Sasuke enjoyed spending time with the beautiful Harukoto in his memory, as if there was no particular pain in dying goodbye. In the end, he was celibate until death.

A Zen master commented on this story: "It can cut off the inside and outside in an instant, and turn the ugly back into beauty. ”

This story seems simple, but there are too many opposing factors, master and servant, teacher and student, noble and low, beautiful and ugly, genius and mortal, innate and acquired, talent and hard work, pride and humility. All kinds of factors are interlocking, one after the other, one after the other, forming a triangular balance of mysterious character, love and art, and also a balance between secular tragedy and personal comedy.

Junichiro Tanizaki borrowed the mouth of others, it was originally a biography, but it was not credible everywhere, it was speculation, but it was somewhat credible, "I" saw through it but did not say it, and there was a huge imagination space hidden in the blank. Junichiro Tanizaki fills the corners of these spaces with dense and complex long sentences, and builds a utopia that belongs to only two people in the entanglement.

We, the worldly people, have to go back and forth between believing and not believing, pondering these extremely vague and ambiguous hints, and how the story has come to this point.

Movie version

Here are a few last words about the movie version of "Chunqin Copy".

Between 1935 and 1976, "The Manuscript of the Spring Qin" was put on the screen as many as five times. The most well-known version is filmed by Katsumi Nishikawa in 1976 and starring the golden boy and girl Momoe Yamaguchi and Tomokazu Miura.

The film and television adaptation of "Chunqin Copy" is not easy, although the film restores the style of the time as much as possible in terms of service, the story is too gentle and beautified. Haruqin would even beg Sasuke not to leave her, which would never have happened in **.

The movie is only a preliminary restoration of the original work, restoring the general story, and the subtle and terrifying emotions are difficult to restore.