To strike the bell and
so close the matter would be
more than I can do,
and yet an answer comes hard—
which, to me, makes little sense

Meaning

To ring the bell and close the matter is more than I can bring myself to do, and yet answering comes hard—which makes little sense even to me.

Commentary

Part One: Suetsumuhana

　Since the lady could not bring herself to answer at all, her foster-sister Jiju, waiting nearby, imitated her voice and replied in her place. A young woman with a quick mind, she was trying to cover for her mistress's silence. From the reply Genji at least learned that someone in the house could respond. That night he went in to the lady, and was left at a loss by how little she gave back.

　"Ringing the bell to close it" draws on the practice of ending a doctrinal debate at a service with a bell, standing for breaking off the conversation. "An answer comes hard" is simply reluctance to reply. The poem sets out being caught between the two, and ends by admitting that even the speaker finds it illogical. Though written for another, it names the silent lady's position exactly.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

To strike the bell and so close the matter would be more than I can do, and yet an answer comes hard— which, to me, makes little sense

To strike the bell and
so close the matter would be
more than I can do,
and yet an answer comes hard—
which, to me, makes little sense