The moonlight, going
its round, will come at the last
to shine clear again—
do not gaze on at a sky
where it is clouded a while
- Meaning
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The moon goes its round and will shine clear again at last; do not sit gazing at a sky where it is clouded for a while.
- Commentary
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Part One: Suma
Genji answered her poem with this one, telling her not to grieve: the moon is behind cloud now but will shine clear again. Even as he said it, though, he could see no end to any of it, and remarked that tears do nothing but darken the mind. He left the house in the dark before daybreak.
"Moonlight" takes up her own word and returns it. "Sumu" plays the moon shining clear against living in a place, so that a return to the capital is implied. "Do not gaze at a clouded sky" is a prohibition addressed to the weather, following the pattern of such addresses repeated through earlier chapters. His own hope of coming back is laid over the consolation he offers.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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