The Soul of the Great Bell

“The Soul of the Great Bell” by Lafcadio Hearn Hear n LAFCADIO HEA! Lafcadio Hearn "ay be the "o#t intere#tin$ indi%idual I &rite about thi# "onth' and that(# includin$ fictional character#) Born on the Gree* i#land Lef*ada to an Iri#h Ser$eant Ser$eant +a,or and a Gree* noble&o"an' he &a# rai#ed in Dublin) Dublin) At the a$e of -. he "o%ed to Cincinnati &here he beca"e a ,ournali#t) He "o%ed to !e& Orlean# in hi# late /0#' &here he #1ent ten year# re1ortin$ on local culture' 1articularly Creole culture and %oodoo reli$ion) In -2.0 he "o%ed to 3a1an' &here he a11arently found hi# life(# callin$) Intere#t in 3a1ane#e culture fro" an a11ro1riati%e 1er#1ecti%e &a# $ro&in$ in the Occident and Hearn(# &ritin$# on thi# culture filled a %acuu") He beca"e #o"ethin$ of an 4in#ider( 4in#ider( to to 3a1ane#e culture' teachin$ in 3a1an' ta*in$ on the na"e 5oi6u"i 7a*u"o 7a*u"o after "arryin$ 5oi6u"i Set#u and beco"in$ beco "in$ nationali6ed' and thi# 1er#1ecti%e allo&ed hi" to &rite about 3a1ane#e culture &ith a 1er#1ecti%e uni8uely "ultinational) Intere#tin$ly' Intere#tin$ly' to thi# day he i# con#idered by "any to be #o"ethin$ of a fi$ure of 3a1ane#e nationali#"9 for a culture nor"ally re$arded a# %ery :eno1hobic' turn;of;the;century 3a1an #ee"# to ha%e ado1ted hi" &hole#ale) Thi# i#n(t to under1lay hi# #*ill# a# a &riter9 hi# 1articular &ritin$# beca"e #o reno&ned throu$h hi# #*ill at recordin$ and con%eyin$ 3a1ane#e culture' treatin$ it &ith re#1ect &ithout lo#in$ the #en#e of 4Oriental( otherne## that #o entertained ?' he na"ed it 5&aidan after Hearn(# collection of $ho#t #torie#' rather than 5aidan' the "ore 1honetic renderin$ of the &ord for $ho#t #tory) #tory) It(# fortunate that 3a1ane#e culture #o &hole#ale ado1ted hi"9 thi# a%oid# the e"barra##"ent of an e:tranational Brother# Gri"" for 3a1an) @nfortunately' &e aren(t loo*in$ at Hearn(# 5&aidan' an e:cellent boo* that I read la#t year around thi# ti"e9 &e(re loo*in$ at the "uch #horter So"e Chine#e Gho#t#) I don(t *no& if Hearn i# le## co"fortable co"fortable &ritin$ about Chine#e culture full di#clo#ure I(" certainly le## co"fortable' #ince I(%e been #tudyin$ 3a1ane#e culture for year#' but a" nearly totally obli%iou# about Chine#e culture or he &a# ,u#t off hi# $a"e &hen he 1ut thi# to$ether' but thi# collection i# #i$nificantly le## intere#tin$ intere#tin$ and le## in#1ired) It(# %ery #hort=only #hort=only #i: tale#=  and yet "ana$e# to be 8uite re1etiti%e) re1etiti%e) Gone are fa#cinatin$ #torie# li*e the headle## or #ha1e#hiftin$ #ha1e#hiftin$ $ho#t# of 5&aidan9 the #1iritual 1re#ence here i# #ubtler in in a "ore borin$ fa#hion) That(# not to #ay it(# not an en,oyable boo*' 1articularly at it# #hort len$th' but after 5&aidan it(# it(# a definite di#a11oint"ent) di#a11oint"ent) So let(# loo* at the fir#t #tory of the collection and #ee &hat a Chine#e $ho#t #tory a# Hearn 1re#ent# it loo*# li*e) THE SO@L OF THE GEAT BELL Hearn lo%e# to ,u"1 into it &ith de#cri1ti%e lan$ua$e that i# al"o#t a 1ro#e 1oe"' and he doe# that here “The &ater;cloc* "ar*# the hour h our in the Ta;chun$ Ta;chun$ #64' =in the To&er To&er of the Great Bell no& the "allet i# lifted to #"ite the li1# of the "etal "on#ter' =the %a#t li1# in#cribed &ith Buddhi#t te:t# fro" the #acred Fa;h&a; 5in$' fro" the cha1ter# of the holy Lin$;yen;5in$ Hear the $reat bell re#1ondin$=ho& re#1ondin$=ho& "i$hty her %oice' thou$h ton$uele##=5O;!GAI” The o1enin$ $oe# on li*e thi# for for a &hile) So"e 1eo1le "i$ht find thi# *ind of lan$ua$e tediou#' but the %i$or really ca1ture# "e' and I thin* it(# ea#y to #ee ho& Hearn enra1tured
5ouan;7u i# a #*illed and de%oted &or*er' and he doe# e% erythin$ a# it #hould be done to 1roduce #uch a de#ired re#ult' but' ala#' “&hen the "etal had been ca#t' and the earthen "ould #e1arated fro" the $lo&in$ ca#tin$' it &a# di#co%ered that' de#1ite their $reat labor and cea#ele## care' the re#ult &a# %oid of &orth9 for the "etal# had rebelled one a$ain#t the other)” 5ouan;7u trie# a$ain' but a$ain “the "etal# ob#tinately refu#ed to  blend one &ith the other” and thi# ti"e the E"1eror $et# 1i##ed and #end# a "e##en$er to 5ouan;7u to let hi" *no& he ha# one "ore #hot=or it(# hi# head) “!o&' 5ouan;7u had a dau$hter of da66lin$ lo%eline##' &ho#e na"e=5o;!$ai=&a# e%er in the "outh# of  1oet#' and &ho#e heart &a# e%en "ore beautiful than her face)” A# you &ould e:1ect' #he find# out about the "e##a$e fro" the E"1eror and $oe# to an a#trolo$er for ad%ice) The a#trolo$er re1lie#' “Gold and bra## &ill ne%er "eet in &edloc*' #il%er and iron ne%er e"brace' until the fle#h of a "aiden be "elted in the crucible9 until the blood of a %ir$in be "i:ed &ith the "etal# in their fu#ion)” So on the day of the third ca#tin$ i# to be done' 5o;!$ai call# out “For thy #a*e' O "y Father” and ,u"1# “into the &hite flood of "etal” and di#a11ear# in the fla"e#) Her father i# horrified but there i# nothin$ he can do) “And the #er%in$;&o"an of 5o;!$ai' di66y and #1eechle## for 1ain' #tood before the furnace' #till holdin$ in her hand# a #hoe' a tiny' dainty #hoe' &ith e"broidery of 1earl# and flo&er#'=the #hoe of her beautiful "i#tre## that &a#) For #he had #ou$ht to $ra#1 5o;!$ai by the foot a# #he lea1ed' but had only been able to clutch the #hoe' and the 1retty #hoe ca"e off in her hand9 and #he continued to #tare at it li*e one $one "ad)” I lo%e the detail# here9 &hether fro" the ori$inal tale or Hearn(# retellin$ I don(t *no&' but it ca#t# the "ythical act of #elf;#acrifice into a real;&orld conte:t' &here 1eo1le react in $enuine #hoc* and horror at thi# 1er#on &ho ha# ,u#t flun$ her#elf into "olten "etal) 7et de#1ite the reali#tic 1#ycholo$y' there i# no reali#tic "eltin$ body9 it ha# di#a11eared in the "etal' &hich no& “#ee"ed 1urer and &hiter than before)” The #u1ernatural' &ith it# "ythical lo$ic' encounter# the reali#tic 1#ycholo$y of the charac ter# and they "u#t boy before it9 &hen the ca#tin$ i# "ade' it i# “found that the bell &a# beautiful to loo* u1on' and 1erfect in for"' and &onderful in color  abo%e all other bell#)” And the #ound the bell rin$# out i# “li*e #o"e %a#t %oice utterin$ a na"e' a &o"an(# na"e'=the na"e of 5o;!$ai” 7et' bet&een the #tro*e#' “there i# a lon$ lo& "oanin$ heard” that #ound# li*e “ Hiai!” and “all the Chine#e "other# in all the "any;colored &ay# of e;*in$ &hi#1er to their little one# 4 Listen! that is Ko-Ngai crying for her shoe!4” a$e /  Acti%ty +a*e a ten #entence #u""ary of the #tory