Memorable Lines: Sei Shonagon
“One is in a hurry to leave, but one’s visitor keeps chattering away. If it is someone of no importance, one can get rid of him by saying, “You must tell me all about it next time”; but, should it be the sort of visitor whose presence commands one’s best behaviour, the situation is hateful indeed.
One finds that a hair has got caught in the stone which one is rubbing one’s inkstick, or again that gravel is lodged in the inkstick, making a nasty, grating sound.
…One is just about to be told some interesting piece of news when a baby starts crying.
…One has gone to bed and is about to doze off when a mosquito appears, announcing himself in a reedy voice. One can actually feel the wind made by his wings and, slight though it is, one finds it hateful in the extreme.”
from “Hateful Things” by Sei Shonagon
Sei Shonagon
Tags: Essayists, Essays, Memorable Lines
June 8th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Yes, mosquitoes are just like that. Swarms of them are bad, but it’s that single mosquito in the bedroom after dark that really drives you mad.