Fleming, Ian Bond 12 (1964) You Only Live Twice

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Dante, Cervantes, Goethe. And yet Basho, who lived in the seventeenth century, is the equal of any of them.'
'What did he write?'
'He was an itinerant poet. He was particularly at home with the haiku, the verse of seventeen syllables.' Tiger assumed a
contemplative expression. He intoned:
'In the bitter radish
that bites into me, I feel
the autumn wind.
'Does that not say anything to you? Or this:
'The butterfly is perfuming
its wings, in the scent
of the orchid.
'You do not grasp the beauty of that image?'
'Rather elusive compared to Shakespeare.'
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'In the fisherman's hut
mingled with dried shrimps
crickets are chirping.'
Tiger looked at him hopefully.
'Can't get the hang of that one,' said Bond apologetically.
'You do not catch the still-life quality of these verses? The flash of insight into humanity, into nature? Now, do me a favour,
Bondo-san. Write a haiku for me yourself. I am sure you could get the hang of it. After all you must have had some education?'
Bond laughed. 'Mostly in Latin and Greek. All about Caesar and Balbus and so on. Absolutely no help in ordering a cup of
coffee in Rome or Athens after I'd left school. And things like trigonometry, which I've totally forgotten. But give me a pen
and a piece of paper and I'll have a bash, if you'll forgive the bad joke.' Tiger handed them over and Bond put his head in his
hands. Finally, after much crossing out and rewriting he said, 'Tiger, how's this? It makes just as much sense as old Basho and
it's much more pithy.' He read out:
'You only live twice:
Once when you are born
And once when you look death in the face.'
Tiger clapped his hands softly. He said with real delight, 'But that is excellent, Bondo-san. Most sincere.' He took the pen
and paper and jotted some ideograms up the page. He shook his head. 'No, it won't do in Japanese. You have the wrong
number of syllables. But it is a most honourable attempt.' He looked keenly at Bond. 'You were perhaps thinking of your
mission?'
'Perhaps,' said Bond with indifference.
'It is weighing on your mind?'
'The practical difficulties are bound to do so. I have swallowed the moral principles involved. Things being as they are, I
have to accept that the end justifies the means.'
'Then you are not concerned with your own safety?'
'Not particularly. I've had worse jobs to do.'
'I must congratulate you on your stoicism. You do not appear to value your life as highly as most Westerners.' Tiger looked
at him kindly. 'Is there perhaps a reaso'n for that?'
Bond was offhand. 'Not that I can think of. But for God's sake chuck it, Tiger 1 None of your Japanese brain-washing! More
sake, and answer my question of yesterday. Why weren't those men disabled by those terrific slashes to the groin? That might
be of some practical value to me instead of all this waffle about poetry.'
Tiger ordered the sake. He laughed. 'Unfortunately you are too old to benefit. I would need to have caught you at the age of
about fourteen. You see, it is this way. You know the sumo wrestlers? It is they who invented the trick many centuries ago. It is
vital for them to be immune from damage to those parts of the body. Now, you know that, in men, the testicles, which until
puberty have been held inside the body, are released by a particular muscle and descend between the legs?'
'Yes.'
'Well the sumo wrestler will have been selected for his profession by the time of puberty. Perhaps because of his weight and
strength, or perhaps because he comes of a sumo family. Well, by assiduously massaging those parts, he is able, after much
practice, to cause the testicles to re-enter the body up the inguinal canal down which they originally descended.'
'My God, you Japanese!' said Bond with admiration. 'You really are up to all the tricks. You mean he gets them right out of
the way behind the bones of the pelvis or what not?'
'Your knowledge of anatomy is as vague as your appreciation for poetry, but that is more or less so, yes. Then, before a fight,
he will bind up that part of the body most thoroughly to contain these vulnerable organs in their hiding-place. Afterwards, in
the bath, he will release them to hang normally. I have seen them do it. It is a great pity that it is now too late for you to
practise this art. It might have given you more confidence on your mission. It is my experience that agents fear most for that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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