Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Classical Prose
Classical Japanese prose of the Heian court in English translation, beginning with Arthur Waley's version of The Tale of Genji.
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Texts
The Pillow-Book of Sei Shōnagon — Arthur WaleyArthur Waley’s 1928 English translation of about a quarter of the Pillow-Book of Sei Shōnagon, lady-in-waiting to the Empress Sadako at the Heian court from 991 to 1000, set within his own essay on tenth-century Japan and his account of her life, with his notes, a genealogical table and tables keyed to the sections of the Japanese original.The Tale of Genji — Arthur WaleyArthur Waley’s 1925 English translation of the first nine chapters of Lady Murasaki’s eleventh-century Japanese court novel, from Kiritsubo to Aoi, with his preface, list of persons, genealogical tables, notes, and appendices on Murasaki’s dates and on the Virgins of Ise and Kamo.