I went to visit Le Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen today to see the special exhibition for Japanese art. After the visit, I bought a novel written by a Japanese author called Asada Jirô in the gift shop. The novel `Le Roman de la Cité Interdite`(Tale of the Forbidden City) has been translated into French in 2008. It recounts the intrigues in the Qing court during the Guangxu era, roughly from 1886 to 1898, told from the perspective of an intellectual from the low class named Wen-sieou, who aided Guangxu Emperor with his reform in 1898. The novel is divided into two volumes, `Le Mandat du Ciel`(The Mandate of Heaven) and `Le Dragon à Deux Têtes` (The Dragon of two heads).
It cost me 20 Euros, however, after searching on the internet, I found that there is neither Chinese nor English version for this book, thus it`s worth the money. But later, a French friend who is learning Chinese as well as a fan of China told me that he has the book and is currently reading it. Anyway, it`s always nice to have your own, especially for one like me who needs to improve the level in French.
I browsed a few pages of the book and would like to share one exerpt.
A scene in 1889, when Cixi was about to `hand over` power to Guangxu:
(Guangxu)-Mère, j`ai maintenant dix-neuf ans, l`âge qu`avait votre fils quand il a quitté ce monde. Je vous entourerai de piété filiale, puisqu`il n`a pu le faire.
(-Mother, I'm now nineteen years old, the age when your son left the world. I will revere you with filial piety as he could no longer do it)
Quel enfant innocent, songea Cixi. Il portait à merveille son titre de 'Fils du Ciel'.
(What an innocent child, thought Cixi. He wore the title ' Son of Heaven' marvellously.)
-Quand j`étais tout petit, vous m`appeliez Zaichun. Je trouvais cela étrange. Et quand j`en ai compris la raison, j`ai décidé de devenir le sosie de mon cousin.
(-When I was very young, you used to call me Zaichun. I found it strange. However, ever since I understood the reason, I had decided to become the resemblance of your son)
(Cixi) -Pourtant, je te battais. Je t`ai traité brutalement depuis ta tendre enfance, et hier encore, avant-hier même, je t`ai frappé. Pourquoi me dis-tu cela？
(-But still, I used to beat you. I have been treating you brutally since your fagile childhood. Both yesterday and the day before yesterday, I punched you. Why do you still speak to me like this? )
-Vous me frappiez sans doute parce que je ne parvenais pas à ressembler à votre fils. Tout est de ma faute. C`est à cause de mon manque de piété filiale que vous me maltratiez.
(-Undoubtedly, you punched me because I didn't manage to resemble your son. It's all my fault. It's my lack of filial piety that led to your mistreating me. )
-Non, non. J`étais seulement énervée de te voir si bon. Hier encore, quand tu m`as apporté ces magnifiques pivoines, je te les ai arrachées des mains et je t`ai frappé...Jamais mon propre fils n`aurait fait une chose pareille. Il était stupide, grossier, chaque nuit il quittait le palais en cachette pour se rendre chez les grues des bas quartiers de la capitale, tant et si bien qu`il est mort de la vérole.
(-No, no. I was only nervous to see you looking so good. Yesterday, when you brought me those magnificent peonies, I scratched your hands and punched you...My own son would never do such a thing. He was stupid and gross. Every night he left the palace in secret for the prostitutes' in the filthy districts of the capital, that's how he died of syphilis.)
-Mère! fit l`empereur en serrant Cixi contre son coeur. Arrêtez! Je suis un disciple de Confucius, il est normal que je manifeste un dévouement filial envers vous. Si vous m`ordonniez de mourir, je le ferias avec joie. Ne pleurez plus!
(-Mother! Exclaimed the emperor while holding Cixi against his heart. Stop! I'm a disciple of Confucius, thus it's normal that I show filial loyalty towards you. If you order me to die, I would be willing to die with joy. Please do not cry!
Here is the link of the book on amazon.
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