The Peacock’s Lament

On a cold winter evening, a writer would rather gaze into the darkness than begin his work. His younger sister and her friend insist that he tell them a new story. Looking at a peacock painted on a gold folding screen, he imagines a brilliant country where beauty, music, and longing seem to dissolve the ordinary world.

A weeping peacock princess leads the girls away, while the storyteller follows in alarm. Her account of celestial dancers, a golden harp, and the desire for an ever more beautiful life becomes entangled with his own distractions. The girls’ impatient comments keep interrupting the spell, and an unrhymed poem gives sorrow a voice of its own.

Serialized in 1920, Makino Shin’ichi’s playful story reflects on imagination, dissatisfaction, and the happiness available close at hand. This new English translation presents the complete supplied text, including The Valley of Lamentation, the narrator’s digressions, and the final return to the family room. Fifteen notes clarify cultural references, mythology, and textual peculiarities.