That single word you
seem to have left me to trust,
lightly though you meant—
shall I hang it on that sound
without end and weep for you?
- Meaning
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That one word you seem to have left me to rely on, lightly though you meant it—shall I hang it on an endless sound and weep, remembering you?
- Commentary
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Part One: Akashi
Genji asked for at least one phrase to keep as a memento, and sent for the koto he had brought from the capital. When the novice pushed a thirteen-stringed koto through the blind, she too was moved to play, softly, and the quality of her touch surprised him. He said the koto would be a keepsake until they should play together again, and she spoke this poem almost as if to herself. He took it amiss and answered.
"Naozari" is careless, not in earnest. "Tanomeoku" is to leave someone something to rely on. "Hito koto" is one word and one koto together, tied to the instrument at hand. "Ne" is the sound of the strings and also weeping aloud. "Kakete" plays sounding a note against holding someone in mind. Word, sound, and tears run together on the axis of one object, and the poem states the insecurity of the one left holding the keepsake.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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