The icicles hung
at the eaves where morning sun
strikes have come untied,
and why then should the ice there
stay bound and hold itself closed
- Meaning
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The icicles at the eaves are loosening in the morning sun—so why does that ice stay bound and refuse to melt?
- Commentary
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Part One: Suetsumuhana
On a snowy morning Genji, who had stayed the night, saw the lady clearly for the first time in the full light: thin and tall, with a long, drooping nose reddened at the tip. He was left without words. Deciding all the same that he could not simply abandon her, he looked out at the scene and spoke this poem. She did not answer this one either, and he began preparing to leave.
"Tarui" are the icicles hanging from the eaves. Ice melts where the sun strikes it, but the heart in front of him will not thaw at all, so the outdoor scene and her manner are laid together. "Musubohoru" is being knotted and unable to come loose, and also a heart that will not open. Though the scene comes just after the shock of seeing her face, the poem itself does not reproach her, going no further than regret at a heart that stays closed.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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