Bitter as I am,
there is no use in saying—
after waves that rose
one upon another, then
drew away and left nothing
- Meaning
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There is no use in my resentment now, in the wake of waves that rose one over another and then drew back and left nothing behind.
- Commentary
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Part One: Momiji no Ga
On a night when Genji was with her, To no Chujo forced his way in, feigning to draw a sword, and there was an uproar. The two men revealed themselves, laughed, and went off together, leaving her alone. The next morning she sent over the trousers and sash left behind on the spot, with this poem. Genji thought the boldness of it hateful, yet remembering her distress the night before he felt sorry for her and sent a brief reply.
"Urami" plays "looking at the bay" against "resentment," and "kai" plays "use" against "shell," so that a bay left without a single shell after the tide goes out carries the sense that resentment gets her nowhere. "Rising one over another" is both waves piling in and two men appearing one on top of the other. For the aftermath of a farce it is a highly worked piece, layered with double meanings, and her cultivation shows here again.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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