The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Sikibu, one of the earliest women novelists in the world is one of the greatest novels that Japan is proud of. But it was not known to the Western people until the work in the 11th century was translated into English by Arthur Waley about seventy years ago. At the end of the Edo period Kendo Matuzaki translated part of The Tale of Genji into English but it was not enough literally. Twenty years ago Edward G Seindensticker translated all the chapters of The Tale of Genji accurately and literally, taking almost ten years.

Arthur Waley was the harbinger that inspired the students of Japanology of Seindesticker, Donald Keene and Ivan Morris, but Waley had never been in Japan. He studied both Chinese and Japanese by himself in the British Museum. Sometimes he asked Japanese students studying in London of what he had thought questionable. Hidetsugu Yagi and Yukio Yasiro were among them.

It was 1924 that Stanley Unwin, president of George Allen and Unwin heard of Lady Murasaki from Arthur Waley, a search worker of the British Musium. Stanley Unwin was unfamiliar with the Japanese novelist of the 11th century but he knew that Waley' talent of translation was excellent. When he saw the manuscript of The Tale of Genji, Uwin exclaimed with delight that it was a great masterpiece. As Waley thought that there would be few publishing -house to put out the unknown work to Westerns, he was glad to hear Unwin's response.

Arthur Waley was born to a rich Jew family at Tambridge, Wales on August 19, 1889. His father, graduate of Oxford University joined the Fabian Society with George Barnard Shaw and Sidney Webb and was interested in the problems raised by the Industrial Revolution. His mother's father was one of the first Jewish barristers and the first professor in the political economy of University College, London. The name of Waley originated from that of his mother's family line.

Queen Victoria reigned The Victorian Age (1837-1901), which prospered most as" the factory of the world ". On the other hand criticism against religion and anxiety gradually prevailed among people. "The Capital" written by Karl Marx was published in 1867 and "On the Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin in 1859.

After a few years of Waley' s birth, the Waleys moved to Wimbledon 13 kilometers south west of London, where was a quiet residential district. Arthur was named after his uncle, who was sent to America because he was homosexual. Homosexuality was tabooed at that time. His uncle had been dead three years before Arthur was born. They said when Arthur knew the origin of his name later, he did not like his own name.

He began to write a poem when he was ten, inspired by the collections of poems on the shelf of his father's library. He was in the dormitory of Lockers Park, a prep school from 10 to 13. He graduated at the top of the class. He started to be absorbed in reading and understanding Old Irish written on the epitaph.

In 1903 Waley won the scholarship of classics and entered the Rugby School at the age of 14. He joined the club of classic study and heard his teacher translate Latin and Greek into English naturally and fluently. He wanted to translate them as well as his teacher.

In 1906 he got the scholarship of Kings College and left Rugby and as he was too young to enter the college, he made a trip to France and Germany. During this time he read the works of Anatole France and Heinrich Heine and could write about profound thought in a simple style.

In October 1907 Waley entered Kings College to major in economics influenced by his father but changed his course to classic. He thought the relationship with his friends more important than lectures in the class. He gave up being a fellow of Kings College because of his lost of eyesight of one eye.

At that time Chinese had been studied by Sir Thomas Francis Wade in Cambridge, who initiated Wade system for the first time.

After Waley left Cambridge he traveled to Spain and became acquainted with a French painter, who introduced Waley to a man. The man was a friend of Binyon who was sub-chief of the prints and drawings department of the British Museum. Then Waley did not have any knowledge of the Museum. As Waley was versed in foreign languages including Lain and Greek, he was adopted as research worker of the department.

From the middle of the 19th century through the beginning of the 20th, the number of the Chinese and Japanese collections, for example, the collections of Morrison, Siebold, Anderson and Satow and so on was increasing rapidly. Binyon, chief of the department who played a great role to establish the department of the Oriental antiquities in the Museum assigned Waley to the post. He began to study both Chinese and Japanese, because he noticed that it was essential to have the knowledge of them to make the indexes of their collections. Binyon was not only an ideal boss but also a good friend to Waley for 18 years, which was fortunate for Waley.

In 1918 he translated a hundred and seventy poems from Chinese poetry into English and financed publication of a booklet of 16 pages at his own expense. Waley sent the poetry instead of Christmas card to his friends, Bertrand Russell, Ezra Pound, Binyon, and William Yeats.

Then Waley met three Japanese artists, Yoshio Makino, Yone Noguchi,and Michio Ito. Waley had few English friends who understood Chinese poem and Chinese language. Therefore it was a great pleasure for Waley to talk about Chinese poetry with Yoshi Makino, a painter, who also studied Chinese philosophy and poetry in London.

Yoshio Makino went to America when he was 24,and studied painting under his adversity for four years. Then he moved to London and continued to paint the fog in London in his extreme poverty. Publishing of "Color of London" made him famous and he became acquainted with the people in the high society of London. Shortly before World War 2, Makino returned home in spite of Waley's advice of staying in London and died in Kamakura at the age of 86 in 1956.

There was a man who took up and praised Waley's translation of Chinese poetry. It was Arthur Brook, an art critic. Waley said that he had tried to translate the original poems as faithfully as possible. His gift for poetry displayed through his translation well.

In 1921 he translated about 150 Poems from the Manyosyu, and the Kokinwakasyu. Soon after he turned to thirty, Waley moved to Bloomsbury north of the British Museum, taking 10 minutes on foot and lived at Gordon Square until his death. That year Yukio Yashiro, who visited Lorence Bniyon was introduced to Waley for the first time. At first Yashiro felt that Waley was a queer man but soon they became good friends. At that time Waley fell into love with a woman named Beryl de Zoeta, 10 years older than Waley and lived with her for about forty years. Waley, who was carrying "Kogetsusho", reference book of The Tale of Genji asked Yashiro of many questions.

When Waley was reading part of "Kogetsushu" written by Kigin Kitamura, a Japanese poem in "Suma Akashi" of The Tale of Genji attracted him strongly. He made up his mind to translate the novel from the original. The translation was sure to be a hard work and occasionally he felt depressed. But he was encouraged by believing that The Tale of Genji was among the best twelve novels of the world and the best in Asia.

It was Ichinosuke Takagi, a scholar of Japanese language staying in London that read The Tale of London first after it was published. He and other specialists in Japanese language appreciated Waley's translation of The Tale of Genji. In 1932 Waley completed to translate The Tale of Genji when he was 43.

Waley translated the excerpts from the Pillow-Book of Sei Shonagon in 1928 and the Lady who loved Insects in 1930.

He wrote "The originality of Japanese culture", which indicated that 31-syllable Japanese poem, Noh dance, Japanese novel, Japanese painting and Ukiyoe were the products of Japanese originality, though the influence on Japan by China was not ignored.

Waley was the first Western that read through The Tale of Genji.

Waley said that from "Yadorigi "to "Yumenoukihashi," which were included in the sixth volume were most impressive and successful.

In March 1962 Berly de Zoete died at the age of 82, and after that he resolved to retire from academic life and lived the rest of his life reading Dicken's letters and Andre Gide's diary. He looked much older all of sudden.

One day of May 1963 Waley's diary, letters and manuscripts all were carried away by a garbage collector and all of them disappeared forever.

In February 1966 Waley was heavily injured in a car accident on his way to a place of meeting and then he was told to have got cancer. On June 27 Waley passed away at the age of 76 and was buried in the cemetery of High Gate, where Karl Marx and many celebrities were also buried.

Arthur Waley is one of unforgettable people to Japan.