Page:The Spirit of Japanese Poetry (Noguchi).djvu/68

64 things apart from the aristocratic writing encouraged by the Kyoto court in the former age, being democratic in sentiment, though not in the style of the lines and phrases, which are in truth the noblest expression of poetry, and might be compared with the magnificent dresses of stiff brocade the actors wear as they move along to the deep cadence of music; there are no better examples of epic poetry in our Japanese literature than the No plays; it is not too much to say that there is not a phrase, an image, an incident too much or too little, not a false note of atmosphere or feeling; they are exquisite and deathless, these most proud, most living, most unwasted rhythms of human song and heart-cries.

This No, already strongly encouraged by the said Hideyoshi (many new pieces were added, in his time, to the already large repertory, and alterations were made to those already in practice) had become the most important factor of the nation’s life, when the time came down to the Tokugawa feudal age. To recite lines from the No, and to act on the stage if possible, was regarded to be one of a gentleman’s accomplishments; the No play, in contrast to the common theatre, held the most noble, dignified place of entertainment. And so it is to-day. It was