Aya no Tsuzumi
| Aya no Tsuzumi | |
|---|---|
| 綾鼓 | |
| English title | The Damask Drum The Twill Drum |
| Written by | unknown, perhaps Zeami |
| Category | 4th — miscellaneous |
| Characters | maeshite old gardener ai attendant waki court official tsure Imperial Consort nochijite phantom |
| Place | Asakura, Fukuoka |
| Time | 7th century |
| Schools | Hōshō, Kongo and Komparu |
Aya no Tsuzumi (綾鼓, "The Damask/Twill Drum") is a Japanese Noh play by an unknown author, written in the 15th century.
The fact that Zeami wrote a revised version of the play, called Koi no omoni ("Love's Heavy Burden") has led to the speculation that the original play might also be Zeami's.
The word aya means twill, but the first English translation by Arthur Waley used the word damask, and this choice is almost invariably preserved by later western writers. According to Tyler, "damask is far more evocative - and suitably so - in english".
The play, which depicts the tragic consequences of unrequited desire, has been praised as "frightening" and "difficult to forget". It has been translated into English twice, by Arthur Waley in 1921 and by Royall Tyler in 1992.