White dewdrops—
If they must vanish, let them
Vanish as they will;
Even if they should remain,
None would string them as bright beads.
- Meaning
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The white dewdrops that seem ready to vanish—if they must disappear, let them disappear. Even if they do not fade away, there will be no one to string them as jewels.
- Commentary
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105. White Dew
A certain man said to a woman, “At this rate I will surely die.”
The poem was composed by the woman in reply to the man’s words.
When the man heard this poem, he thought the woman rude, yet his attachment to her grew even stronger.
The man’s words about “dying” mean that he loved the woman deeply and was reproaching her for her cold and heartless attitude.
In response, the woman’s poem suggests that no one would care enough about the man’s feelings to grow close to him.
“To string them as jewels” refers to threading jewels on a cord to wear as an ornament, and serves as a metaphor for forming an intimate relationship.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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