Lady Kaguya's Secret: A Japanese Tale

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

The legend of Kaguya, the Radiant Princess, is famous in Japanese
folklore. A baby girl is discovered in a bamboo grove by an old
woodcutter and adopted by him and his wife. She grows up to be a
beautiful young woman (reared in luxury, thanks to gold nuggets found in
the bamboo) whose beauty attracts suitors from far and wide. Five
noblemen seek her hand in marriage, are sent on difficult quests, and
eventually give up.

Finally, she is sought by the Emperor himself. They fall in love and
exchange poetry. Kaguya knows that she cannot marry; soon the Moon King
comes to make her drink the elixir of immortality and take her back to
his realm. Kaguya begs her foster parents and the Emperor to drink from
the elixir and accept immortality, but they refuse.

The deep emotional currents of this ancient Japanese tale are
beautifully captured by the author’s striking and evocative paintings.
Highly recommended.