Moonlight

Kōjō no Tsuki

In keeping with the spirit of lunar eclipse in mid-Scorpio, I chose one of my favorite Japanese songs that speaks to the moonlight and its disappearance. Taki Rentaro was one of first Japanese musicians to study abroad. He composed in a sort of mixed Japanese and Western style. Kōjō no Tsuki is one of his most famous songs and dates to 1901. It is about moonlight over the ruins of Oka Castle. Some people may recognize the song because a seriously jazzed up version was popularized by Thelonious Monk and later a keyboard version by George Winston was included in his Montana: A Love Story album.

As always, choosing a particular performance was challenging. This version with flute and harp is elegant and is deeply emotional. It also carries the feeling of the traditional shakuhachi and koto. The flutist is Jean-Pierre Rampal and Lily Laskine plays the harp. Neither are still among us, which speaks to the Scorpio association with death. Their music, however, lives on!

Flowery feast in spring high up in the castle
Cups of sake were passed around
Lit by the moonlight through the old pine branches
Where is that old moonlight now?

Encampment in autumn was white covered with frost
A number of geese honked as they flew across the sky
The moonlight shined on the swords thrusted upright into the ground
Where is that old moonlight now?

Now at midnight the moon is right above
For whom does it shine like in the past?
Nothing remains on the rampart but some ivy
Nothing to hear but the rustle of pine branches in the storm

Up in the sky the moon and the stars remain unchanged
But in the earthly life, rises and falls come and go
Does the moon hang there to reflect those changes?
Ah! the midnight moon over the ruined castle

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Image Credit:

Moonlight: Melpomenem | Dreamstime.com

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