The Sound Of Waves
(YUKIO MISHIMA)
Shinji is a poor fisherman, while Hatsue, recently returned
from training as a pearl diver, is the daughter of the richest man in the
village. When they fall in love, they encounter malicious gossip and Hatsue is
forbidden to see Shinji. But she withstands menaces, he shows his worth and
outshines his rival, and all ends happily.
The Sound of Waves is a simple, lyrical love story, set on the island of Uta-Jima, which has about fourteen
hundred inhabitants and a coastline of something under three miles. The
protagonists and a few other characters are nicely rendered, but Mishima
devotes just as much attention to the island, giving such detailed descriptions
of locations that one could almost paint or map them. And various scenes depict
the daily life of the islanders: fishermen catching octopus, a pedlar selling
wares to women diving for abalone, fetching water from a spring, men relaxing
in a bath-house, meetings of the Young Men''s Association, and so forth. This is
romanticized ? the women are attractive and the men strong and virile, while
the perils of diving and the deprivations of poverty are passed over quickly ?
but fascinating just the same.
With its classical simplicity and unpretentious charm, The Sound of
Waves is an entrancing tale.
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