PROLOGUE
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Tokyo, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their gruesome death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
SCENE I. Tokyo. A public place.
Enter Kohaku and Manten, of the house of Higurashi, armed with samurai swords and bucklers, and a tad drunk
Kohaku
Manten, o' good Lord man, we'll not carry coals.
Manten
No, for then we should be colliers.
Kohaku
I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw.
Manten
Ay, while you live, draw your neck out o' the collar.
Kohaku
I strike quickly, being moved.
Manten
But thou art not quickly moved to strike.
Kohaku
A dog of the house of Inushima moves me.
Manten
To move is to stir; and to be valiant is to stand:
therefore, if thou art moved, thou runn'st away.
Kohaku
A dog of that house shall move me to stand: I will
take the wall of any man or maid of Inushima.
Manten
That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes
to the wall.
Kohaku
True; and therefore women, being the weaker vessels,
are ever thrust to the wall: therefore I will push
Inushima's men from the wall, and thrust his maids
to the wall.
Manten
The quarrel is between our daimyos and us their men.
Kohaku
'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I
have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the
maids, and cut off their heads.
Manten
The heads of the maids?
Kohaku
Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads;
take it in what sense thou wilt.
Manten
They must take it in sense that feel it.
Kohaku
Me they shall feel while I am able to stand: and
'tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.
Manten
'Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou
hadst been poor John. Draw thy tool! here comes
two of the house of the Inushimas.
Kohaku
My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.
Manten
How! turn thy back and run?
Kohaku
Fear me not.
Manten
No, marry; I fear thee!
Kohaku
Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.
Manten
I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as
they list.
Kohaku
Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them;
which is a disgrace to them, if they bear it.
Enter Jaken and Hakkaku
Jaken
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Kohaku
I do bite my thumb, sir.
Jaken
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?
Kohaku
Aside to Manten Is the law of our side, if I say
ay?
Manten
No.
Kohaku
No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I
bite my thumb, sir.
Manten
Do you quarrel, sir?
Jaken
Quarrel sir! no, sir.
Kohaku
If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you.
Jaken
No better.
Kohaku
Well, sir.
Manten
Say 'better:' here comes one of my master's kinsmen.
Kohaku
Yes, better, sir.
Jaken
Bullshit.
Kohaku
Draw, if you be men. Manten, remember thy swashing blow.
They fight
Enter Hiten
Hiten
Part, fools!
Put up your swords; you know not what you do.
Beats down their swords
Enter Naraku
Naraku
What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?
Turn thee, Hiten, look upon thy death.
Hiten
I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these men with me.
Naraku
What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Inushimas, and thee:
Have at thee, coward!
They fight
Enter, several of both houses, who join the fray; then enter Citizens, with clubs
First Citizen
Clubs, bills, and partisans! strike! beat them down!
Down with the Higurashi clan! down with the Inushima clan!
Enter Higurashi in his gown, and Lady Higurashi
Higurashi
What noise is this? Give me my Tokyjin, ho!
Lady Higurashi
A crutch, a crutch! why call you for a sword?
Higurashi
My sword, I say! Old Inushima is come,
And flourishes his blade in spite of me.
Enter Inushima and Lady Inushima
Inushima
Thou villain Higurashi,--Hold me not, let me go.
Lady Inushima
Thou shalt not stir a foot to seek a foe.
Enter Sesshoumaru, with Attendants
Sesshoumaru
Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace,
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel,--
Will they not hear? What, ho! you men, you beasts,
That quench the fire of your pernicious rage
With purple fountains issuing from your veins,
On pain of torture, from those bloody hands
Throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground,
And hear the sentence of your moved prince.
Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word,
By thee, old Higurashi, and Inushima,
Have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets,
And made Tokyo's ancient citizens
Cast by their grave beseeming ornaments,
To wield old partisans, in hands as old,
Canker'd with peace, to part your canker'd hate:
If ever you disturb our Nihon streets again,
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
For this time, all the rest depart away:
You Higurashi; shall go along with me:
And, you Inushima, come you this afternoon,
To know our further pleasure in this case,
To old Free-town, our common judgment-place.
Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.
Exeunt all but Inushima, Lady Inushima, and Hiten
Inushima
Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?
Hiten
Here were the servants of your adversary,
And yours, close fighting ere I did approach:
I drew to part them: in the instant came
The fiery Naraku, with his sword prepared,
Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears,
He swung about his head and cut the winds,
Who nothing hurt withal hiss'd him in scorn:
While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,
Came more and more and fought on part and part,
Till the prince came, who parted either part.
Lady Inushima
O, where is Inuyasha? saw you him to-day?
Right glad I am he was not at this fray.
Hiten
Madam, an hour before the worshipp'd sun
Peer'd forth the golden window of the east,
A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;
Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
That westward rooteth from the city's side,
So early walking did I see your son:
Towards him I made, but he was ware of me
And stole into the covert of the wood:
I, measuring his affections by my own,
That most are busied when they're most alone,
Pursued my humour not pursuing his,
And gladly shunn'd who gladly fled from me.
Inushima
Many a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning dew.
Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs;
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the furthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora's bed,
Away from the light steals home my heavy son,
And private in his chamber pens himself,
Shuts up his windows, locks far daylight out
And makes himself an artificial night:
Black and portentous must this humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.
Hiten
My noble uncle, do you know the cause?
Inushima
I neither know it nor can learn of him.
Hiten
Have you importuned him by any means?
Inushima
Both by myself and many other friends:
But he, his own affections' counsellor,
Is to himself--I will not say how true--
But to himself so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery,
As is the bud bit with an envious worm,
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow.
We would as willingly give cure as know.
Enter Inuyasha
Hiten
See, where he comes: so please you, step aside;
I'll know his grievance, or be much denied.
Inushima
I would thou wert so happy by thy stay,
To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away.
Exeunt Inushima and Lady Inushima
Hiten
Good-morrow, cousin.
Inuyasha
Is the day so young?
Hiten
But new struck nine.
Inuyasha
Ay me! sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
Hiten
It was. What sadness lengthens Inuyasha's hours?
Inuyasha
Not having that, which, having, makes them short.
Hiten
In love?
Hiten
Out--
Hiten
Of love?
Inuyasha
Out of her favour, where I am in love.
Hiten
Alas, that love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
Inuyasha
Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still,
Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will!
Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here?
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O any thing, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire,
sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Dost thou not laugh?
Hiten
No, coz, I rather weep.
Inuyasha
Good heart, at what?
Hiten
At thy good heart's oppression.
Inuyasha
Why, such is love's transgression.
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate, to have it prest
With more of thine: this love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with lovers' tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.
Hiten
Soft! I will go along;
An if you leave me so, you do me wrong.
Inuyasha
Tut, I have lost myself; I am not here;
This is not Inuyasha, he's some other where.
Hiten
Tell me in sadness, who is that you love.
Inuyasha
What, shall I groan and tell thee?
Hiten
Groan! why, no.
But sadly tell me who.
Inuyasha
Bid a sick man in sadness make his will:
Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill!
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.
Hiten
I aim'd so near, when I supposed you loved.
Inuyasha
A right good mark-man! And she's fair I love.
Hiten
A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
Inuyasha
Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hit
With Cupid's arrow; she hath Dian's wit;
And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd,
From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold:
O, she is rich in beauty, only poor,
That when she dies with beauty dies her store.
Hiten
Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?
Inuyasha
She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,
For beauty starved with her severity
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair:
She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.
Hiten
Be ruled by me, forget to think of her.
Inuyasha
O, teach me how I should forget to think.
Hiten
By giving liberty unto thine eyes;
Examine other beauties.
Inuyasha
'Tis the way
To call hers exquisite, in question more:
These happy masks that kiss fair ladies' brows
Being black put us in mind they hide the fair;
He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost:
Show me a mistress that is passing fair,
What doth her beauty serve, but as a note
Where I may read who pass'd that passing fair?
Farewell: thou canst not teach me to forget.
Hiten
I'll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.
Exeunt