Tweets From The Pillow Book

Just think, if the author of The Pillow Book were alive today…

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@seishonagon When the ornamental comb one has ordered turns out to be pretty #pleasingthings

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@seishonagon One has gone to bed and is about to doze off when a mosquito appears, announcing himself in a reedy voice #hatefulthings

@seishonagon One has been foolish enough to invite a man to spend the night in an unsuitable place – and then he starts snoring #hatefulthings

@seishonagon One is telling a story when someone breaks in with a detail he happens to know, implying that one’s own version is inaccurate #hatefulthings

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@seishonagon Lying awake at night, one says something to one’s companion, who simply goes on sleeping #embarrassingthings

@seishonagon To have spoken about someone not knowing that he could overhear #embarrassingthings

@seishonagon A man recites his own poems (not especially good ones) and tells one about the praise they have received #embarrassingthings

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@seishonagon A very cold winter scene #thingsthatgainbybeingpainted

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@seishonagon Cherry blossoms #thingsthatlosebybeingpainted

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@seishonagon A large tree that has been blown down in a gale and lies on its side with its roots in the air #thingsthathavelosttheirpower

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@seishonagon The back of a piece of embroidery #squalidthings

@seishonagon Darkness in a place that does not give the impression of being very clean #squalidthings

@seishonagon The inside of a cat’s ear #squalidthings

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@seishonagon The last day of the Twelfth Month and the first of the First #thingsthataredistantthoughnear

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@seishonagon I look for an object that I need at once, and I find it #pleasingthings

@seishonagon Finding a large number of tales that one has not read before #pleasingthings

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I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. These are all quotes from the Ivan Morris translation, written by a woman who lived a thousand years ago.

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Read a novel set in Tokyo…