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61 " I feel such poignancy when I look back and see this image of myself, this unworldly young woman, trying so hard to please, yet not wanting anyone to come near. "
― Mineko Iwasaki , Geisha, a Life
62 " En Gion Kobu no nos referimos a nosotras mismas como geishas (que significa "artistas"), sino que usamos un término más específico: geiko o "mujer del arte". Una clase de geiko, famosa en el mundo entero como símbolo de Kioto, es la joven bailarina conocida como maiko o "mujer de la danza". "
63 " Una geiko de categoría es maestra en el arte de crear un ambiente de distensión y esparcimiento, sin embargo, yo no disfruto en particular con la compañía de otros. Una geiko de renombre nunca está sola, pero yo siempre he amado la soledad.¿No es extraño? Parece que hubiese escogido de forma deliberada el camino que entrañaba para mí mayores dificultades, una senda que me obligase a afrontar y superar mis limitaciones personales. "
64 " fiction has served to propagate the notion that courtesans ply their trade in the area and that geiko spend the night with their customers. Once an idea like this is planted in the general culture it takes on a life of its own. I understand that there are some scholars of Japan in foreign countries who also believe these misconceptions to be true. But "
65 " empezó a comer sin decir el tradicional itadakimasu, que significa "recibo estos alimentos con humilde gratitud". Es una forma de reconocer los esfuerzos que han hecho los granjeros y otros proveedores para que la comida llegue a la mesa. "
66 " Without thinking, I took one of the black velvet ribbons from my hair, wrapped it around my neck, pulled as hard as I could, and tried to kill myself. It didn’t work. "
67 " It was a test. Would I come back stronger? Or would I give up and quit? I don’t think this is a particularly enlightened educational philosophy, but, in my case at least, it always had the desired effect. "
68 " —Los quimonos son nuestra vida. Lléveselo si lo desea, pero tendrá que llevarme también a mí. ¡Puede ocupar mi país, pero jamás ocupará mi alma! "
69 " At that moment, I couldn’t have agreed with her more. I would have given anything to exchange my life for his. "
70 " Entonces, las geiko iniciaban su trabajo y recopilaban información acerca de las personas a quienes tendrían que entretener. Si uno de los clientes era un político, la geiko en cuestión estudiaba la legislatura que aquél defendía; si se trataba de una actriz, leía algún artículo sobre ella en una revista; si era un cantante, escuchaba sus discos. O leía su novela. O estudiaba el país de donde procedía "
71 " Cuando yo debuté como maiko pesaba cuarenta kilos y mi quimono, veintidós. Tenía que sostenerme con todo el atuendo y de manera impecable sobre unas sandalias de madera de doce centímetros de altura. Un solo elemento fuera de lugar hubiera podido ocasionar una desgracia. "
72 " I figured if I was enjoying myself, then the customers were probably enjoying themselves as well, and didn’t go out of my way to try to please them. "
73 " The dance had become my life, and I couldn’t imagine giving it up for anything or anyone. The reason I decided to become an Iwasaki was so that I could continue learning to dance. "
74 " I looked at him and said, “I’ve died. "
75 " No, Mineko, beauty is universal. There is an absolute principle in this world that underlies the appearance and disappearance of all phenomena. That is what we call karma. It is constant and immutable, and gives rise to universal values like beauty and morality. "
76 " You have only to see what you see and feel what you feel. "
77 " One might think that living in an all-female society would have prepared me for this eventuality. But the opposite was true. No one ever discussed intimate matters. I didn’t have the faintest idea of what was happening to me. "
78 " I had unwittingly crossed a line. Not only was Hikari-chan an outcast, but she was also a half-breed, fathered out of wedlock by an American GI. It was all too much for Auntie Oima, who couldn’t contain her fear that I would be contaminated by association. Keeping my reputation unsullied was one of her major preoccupations. "
79 " As soon as I walked through the door I went straight into the closet. I rocked myself and chanted, “I’m sorry. Forgive me. I’ll never do it again,” over and over again in my head, like a mantra. "
80 " I wonder why I was so hard on myself. It was something about my father, something about feeling so alone. I completely believed that the answer to everything was self-discipline. I believed that self-discipline was the key to beauty. "