the soul of the far east-第19章

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Sometimes；　instead　of　a　company　of　friends；　a　man　will　take　his　family；　wife；　babies；　and　all；　on　such　an　outing；　but　the　details　of　his　holiday　are　much　the　same　as　before。　　For　the　scenery　is　still　the　centre　of　attraction；　and　in　the　attendant　creature　comforts　Far　Eastern　etiquette　permits　an　equal　enjoyment　to　man；　woman；　and　child。

This　love　of　nature　is　quite　irrespective　of　social　condition。　All　classes　feel　its　force；　and　freely　indulge　the　feeling。　　Poor　as　well　as　rich；　low　as　well　as　high；　contrive　to　gratify　their　poetic　instincts　for　natural　scenery。　　As　for　flowers；　especially　tree　flowers；　or　those　of　the　larger　plants；　like　the　lotus　or　the　iris；　the　Japanese　appreciation　of　their　beauty　is　as　phenomenal　as　is　that　beauty　itself。　　Those　who　can　afford　the　luxury　possess　the　shrubs　in　private；　those　who　cannot；　feast　their　eyes　on　the　public　specimens。　　From　a　sprig　in　a　vase　to　a　park　planted　on　purpose；　there　is　no　part　of　them　too　small　or　too　great　to　be　excluded　from　Far　Oriental　affection。　　And　of　the　two　〃drawing…rooms〃　of　the　Mikado　held　every　year；　in　April　and　November；　both　are　garden…parties：　the　one　given　at　the　time　and　with　the　title　of　〃the　cherry　blossoms；〃　and　the　other　of　〃the　chrysanthemum。〃

These　same　tree　flowers　deserve　more　than　a　passing　notice；　not　simply　because　of　their　amazing　beauty；　which　would　arrest　attention　anywhere；　but　for　the　national　attitude　toward　them。　　For　no　better　example　of　the　Japanese　passion　for　nature　could　well　be　cited。　If　the　anniversaries　of　people　are　slightingly　treated　in　the　land　of　the　sunrise；　the　same　cannot　be　said　of　plants。　　The　yearly　birthdays　of　the　vegetable　world　are　observed　with　more　than　botanic　enthusiasm。　　The　regard　in　which　they　are　held　is　truly　emotional；　and　it　not　actually　individual　in　its　object；　at　least　personal　to　the　species。　　Each　kind　of　tree　as　its　season　brings　it　into　flower　is　made　the　occasion　of　a　festival。　　For　the　beauty　of　the　blossoming　receives　the　tribute　of　a　national　admiration。　From　peers　to　populace　mankind　turns　out　to　witness　it。　　Nor　are　these　occasions　few。　　Spring　in　the　Far　East　is　one　long　chain　of　flower　fetes；　and　as　spring　begins　by　the　end　of　January　and　lasts　till　the　middle　of　June；　opportunities　for　appreciating　each　in　turn　are　not　half　spoiled　by　a　common　contemporaneousness。　　People　have　not　only　occasion　but　time　to　admire。　　Indeed；　spring　itself　is　suitably　respected　by　being　dated　conformably　to　fact。　　Far　Orientals　begin　their　year　when　Nature　begins　hers；　instead　of　starting　anachronously　as　we　do　in　the　very　middle　of　the　dead　season；　much　as　our　colleges　hold　their　commencements；　on　the　last　in　place　at　on　the　first　day　of　the　academic　term。　　So　previous　has　the　haste　of　Western　civilization　become。　　The　result　is　that　our　rejoicing　partakes　of　the　incongruity　of　humor。　　The　new　year　exists　only　in　name。　　In　the　Far　East；　on　the　other　band；　the　calendar　is　made　to　fit　the　time。　　Men　begin　to　reckon　their　year　some　three　weeks　later　than　the　Western　world；　just　as　the　plum…tree　opens　its　pink　white　petals；　as　it　were；　in　rosy　reflection　of　the　snow　that　lies　yet　upon　the　ground。　　But　the　coldness　of　the　weather　does　not　in　the　least　deter　people　from　thronging　the　spot　in　which　the　trees　grow；　where　they　spend　hours　in　admiration；　and　end　by　pinning　appropriate　poems　on　the　twigs　for　later　comers　to　peruse。　　Fleeting　as　the　flowers　are　in　fact；　they　live　forever　in　fancy。　　For　they　constitute　one　of　the　commonest　motifs　of　both　painting　and　poetry。　　A　branch　just　breaking　into　bloom　seen　against　the　sunrise　sky；　or　a　bough　bending　its　blossoms　to　the　bosom　of　a　stream；　is　subject　enough　for　their　greatest　masters；　who　thus　wed；　as　it　were；　two　arts　in　one；the　spirit　of　poesy　with　pictorial　form。　This　plum…tree　is　but　a　blossom。　　Precocious　harbinger　of　a　host　of　flowers；　its　gay　heralding　over；　it　vanishes　not　to　be　recalled；　for　it　bears　no　edible　fruit。

The　next　event　in　the　series　might　fairly　be　called　phenomenal。　Early　in　April　takes　place　what　is　perhaps　as　superb　a　sight　as　anything　in　this　world；　the　blossoming　of　the　cherry…trees。　　Indeed；　it　is　not　easy　to　do　the　thing　justice　in　description。　　If　the　plum　invited　admiration；　the　cherry　commands　it；　for　to　see　the　sakura　in　flower　for　the　first　time　is　to　experience　a　new　sensation。　　Familiar　as　a　man　may　be　with　cherry　blossoms　at　home；　the　sight　there　bursts　upon　him　with　the　dazzling　effect　of　a　revelation。　　Such　is　the　profusion　of　flowers　that　the　tree　seems　to　have　turned　into　a　living　mass　of　rosy　light。　　No　leaves　break　the　brilliance。　　The　snowy…pink　petals　drape　the　branches　entirely；　yet　so　delicately；　one　deems　it　all　a　veil　donned　for　the　tree's　nuptials　with　the　spring。　　For　nothing　could　more　completely　personify　the　spirit　of　the　spring…time。　　You　can　almost　fancy　it　some　dryad　decked　for　her　bridal；　in　maidenly　day…dreaming　too　lovely　to　last。　　For　like　the　plum　the　cherry　fails　in　its　fruit　to　fulfil　the　promise　of　its　flower。

It　would　be　strange　indeed　if　so　much　beauty　received　no　recognition；　but　it　is　even　more　strange　that　recognition　should　be　so　complete　and　so　universal　as　it　is。　　Appreciation　is　not　confined　to　the　cultivated　few；　it　is　shown　quite　as　enthusiastically　by　the　masses。　　The　popularity　of　the　plants　is　all…embracing。　　The　common　people　are　as　sensitive　to　their　beauty　as　are　the　upper　classes。　　Private　gratification；　roseate　as　it　is；　pales　beside　the　public　delight。　　Indeed；　not　content　with　what　revelation　Nature　makes　of　herself　of　her　own　accord；　man　has　multiplied　her　manifestations。　　Spots　suitable　to　their　growth　have　been　peopled　by　him　with　trees。　Sometimes　they　stand　in　groups　like　star…clusters；　as　in　Oji；　crowning　a　hill；　sometimes；　as　at　Mukojima；　they　line　an　avenue　for　miles；　dividing　the　blue　river　on　the　one　hand　from　the　blue…green　rice…fields　on　the　other；a　floral　milky　way　of　light。　　But　wherever　the　trees　may　be；　there　at　their　flowering　season　are　to　be　found　throngs　of　admirers。　　For　in　crowds　people　go　out　to　see　the　sight；　multitudes　streaming　incessantly　to　and　fro　beneath　their　blossoms　as　the　time　of　day　determines　the　turn　of　the　human　tide。　To　the　Occidental　stranger　such　a　gathering　suggests　some　social　loadstone；　but　none　exists。　　In　the　cherry…trees　alone　lies　the　attraction。

For　one　week　out　of　the　fifty…two　the　cherry…tree　stands　thus　glorified；　a　vision　of　beauty　prolonged　somewhat　by　the　want　of　synchronousness　of　the　different　kinds。　　Then　the　petals　fall。　What　was　a　nuptial　veil　becomes　a　winding…sheet；　covering　the　sod　as　with　winter's　winding…sheet　of　snow；　destined　itself　to　disappear；　and　the　tree　is　nothing　but　a　common　cherry…tree　once　more。

But　flowers　are　by　no　means　over　because　the　cherry　blossoms　are　past。　　A　brief　space；　and　the　same　crowds　that　flocked　to　the　cherry　turn　to　the　wistaria。　　Gardens　are　devoted　to　the　plants；　and　the　populace　greatly　given　to　the　gardens。　　There　they　go　to　sit　and　gaze　at　the　grape…like　clusters　of　pale　purple　flowers　that　hang　more　than　a　cubit　long　over　the　wooden　trellis；　and　grow　daily　down　toward　their　own　reflections　in　the　pond　beneath；　vying　with　one　another　in　Narcissus…like　endeavor。　　And　the　people；　as　they　sip　their　tea　on　the　veranda　opposite；　behold　a　doubled　delight；　the　flower　itself　and　its　mirrored　image　stretching　to　kiss。

After　the　wistaria　comes　the　tree…peony；　and　then　the　iris；　with　its　trefoil　flowers　broader　than　a　man　may　span；　and　at　all　colors　under　the　sky。　　To　one　who　has　seen　the　great　Japanese　fleur…de…lis；　France　looks　ludicrously　infelicitous　in　her　choice　of　emblem。

But　the　list　grows　too　long；　limited　as　it　is　only　by　its　own　annual　repetition。　　We　have　as　yet　reached　but　the　first　week　in　June；　the　summer　and　autumn　are　still　to　come；　the　first　bringing　the　lotus　for　its　crown；　and　the　second　the　chrysanthemum。　　And　lazily　grand　the　lotus　is；　itself　the　embodiment　of　the　spirit　of　the　drowsy　August　air；　the　very　essence　of　Buddha…like　repose。　　The　castle　moats　are　its　special　domain；　which　in　this　its　flowering　season　it　wrests　wholly　from　their　more　proper　occupantthe　water。　　A　dense　growth　of　leather…like　leaves；　above　which　rise　in　majestic　isolation