It is not a hue
that draws the heart to itself,
so why should it be
that I have let my own sleeve
touch this last-picked safflower
- Meaning
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It is not a color that draws the heart—so why did I ever let my sleeve touch this last-picked safflower?
- Commentary
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Part One: Suetsumuhana
Looking at the dated clothing that had come from the lady, Genji let this poem slip almost as a remark to himself. Myobu was in attendance and was mortified to hear it. From this poem the late Prince Hitachi's daughter came to be called Suetsumuhana, and the chapter takes its name from it as well. Genji did not break with her afterward, and went on providing for her.
"Suetsumuhana" is another name for the safflower, so called because the tips are picked for red dye. The point of the poem is that its red is laid over the redness of her nose. "A color that draws the heart" is a hue one is drawn to, and by flatly denying it he also registers his disappointment in the robes she sent. "Letting a sleeve touch" is both touching a garment and entering into a bond. Source of both her name and the chapter's, it is the central poem here.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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