Even in itself
a parting in autumn is
a sad enough thing—
do not add your crying to
it, pine crickets of the field

Meaning

A parting in autumn is sad enough on its own; do not add your crying to it, pine crickets of the field.

Commentary

Part One: Sakaki

　Miyasudokoro answered his poem with this one. A cold wind was blowing and the pine crickets were crying themselves hoarse; the poem takes the scene straight in. With nothing but regret between them, and the light growing awkward, they parted. Left behind, she could not keep her resolve, and sank into thought over what remained.

　"Okata no" means in general, even at the best of times, invoking the received idea that autumn partings are sad. "Do not add your crying" is a prohibition: do not lay more on top of that sadness. "Matsumushi" also sounds the word for waiting, so the years of waiting can be read into it. She states no feeling of her own and only addresses the insects, and her restraint is entirely in that.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

Even in itself a parting in autumn is a sad enough thing— do not add your crying to it, pine crickets of the field

Even in itself
a parting in autumn is
a sad enough thing—
do not add your crying to
it, pine crickets of the field