Sagi Musume
鷺娘
| [Genre] | Nagauta |
| [Also Known As] | The White Heron Maiden |
| [Composed] | Shamisen - 1762 |
History:
| Composed by Kineya Shojiro, this example of kabuki nagauta dance music was first performed in 1762 by an onnagata (female impersonator), Segawa Kikunojo, and was restaged in 1886 by Ichikawa Danjuro IX. It is also the oldest surviving example of a quick-change (hengemono) dance and is credited as being the first dance to use a revolving stage. The dance revolves around the tale of a heron that became human and fell in love only to be rejected and sent to hell. It is a major challenge for both the dancer and musicians as there are many tempi and a host of images and thoughts must be portrayed. |
Poem :
| On this hazy night clouded by attachment to this world, my heart, lost in love, endures the pain of longing on Mount Shinobu. Seeds of quarrels blow through the winds of love. Now snow piles on my umbrella as thoughts of you collect in my heart. But these thoughts collect like the delicate snow that melts on the ephemeral road of love. My heart is filled with longing. Darkened in the sadness of dusk, in drifting snow, the heron stands, dampened and despondent yet lovely. The thin path of my bewildered heart is like drops of water that dry and disappear even from the legs of a heron accustomed to making her way through water. My sleeves remain wet even after my tears have dried. I tried to forget the loving moonlight nights recalling when we spoke together. How shameful is the happiness and bounteous love bestowed on us by the god who bound our fates together as shy lovers. It is even more difficult to dip into the depths of someone's heart than to dip into the salt of the Suma Sea. I know how true it is. Really how true it is. Folding hakama is more difficult than passing through his heart. Believe me, I know. Really, I can tell the truth. The white heron's wings scatter the snow like swirling blossoms one sees in a scene. They blow away thought in flurries. They even blow away snow. How upsetting. A heart by love worn down. Thoughts loaded with a blizzard of flowers. This umbrella and these sleeves don't want to brush them away. Umbrella, if I must open you as a parasol, give me shade from the sun like the flowers that fade, change colors. Then we shall see flowers at Mount Yoshino. The sweet-smelling cherry blossoms will shade us from the sun and time, turning, like the twirling umbrella. This was the beginning of the rumors about us. Without really being husband and wife, you are taken by the cruel sword of fate. Even in this world, I have met with sorrow and grief of Hell's Mount Tsurugi. Under the sheltering tree, even in just one curse Hell's fury can be felt. I am condemned to one of the hells. It is as if the iron rod of Emma, Judge of Hell, condemns me to a hell of perpetually renewed death, the realm of beasts, the hell of the human world, the hell of waiting, the hell of wailing. The aggressive drums of Shura beat increasingly. The devils who torment the world are gathering everywhere. Raising their steel rods and grinding their teeth, they drive the inhabitants of hell day and night, around and around they chase them. Before you know it, one is tormented so that one's bones feel as if they are being crushed. Feel pity for this wretched being. Even as I tell my story, my tears flow. |
Sagi Musume appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
 | Art of the Japanese Bamboo Flute, The |
Shinobue : Ōsaka Hideo |
| Art of the Japanese Bamboo Flute, The (Olympic) | ||
| Melody of Japan - Stillness of Winter |
Koto : Yui Ensemble Shamisen : Sugiura Hirokazu |