The jewelled vine whose
strands I trusted would not slack—
and now, past all thought,
it has come away from me
and hangs apart, cut adrift

Meaning

The jewelled vine whose strands I trusted would never slacken has, past all expectation, come away and hangs apart from me.

Commentary

Part One: Yomogiu

　While Genji was at Suma and Akashi the Hitachi Prince's house fell into ruin, and Suetsumuhana lived on in it among the mugwort. Her aunt, now wife of the Dazai Deputy, came to fetch her before going down to the provinces, meaning to make her a servant to her own daughters. When she would not stir, the aunt tried at least to carry off her gentlewoman Jiju. Parting from the woman who had served her so long, Suetsumuhana gave her a hairpiece made from her own fallen hair and a jar of incense, and spoke this poem. Jiju answered.

　"Strands that would not slacken" is a bond that will not break, and "suji" means both a strand of hair and a line of kinship. "Tamakazura" is the poetic word for a trailing vine, naming both the hairpiece and Jiju herself; "slacken," "strand," and "hang" all belong to it. "Kakehanaru" is to be carried far off, joining a vine's hanging to a heart's departure. The hair that is the actual gift stands at the center of the poem, and behind it lies a poverty so complete that not even a robe could be spared.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

The jewelled vine whose strands I trusted would not slack— and now, past all thought, it has come away from me and hangs apart, cut adrift

The jewelled vine whose
strands I trusted would not slack—
and now, past all thought,
it has come away from me
and hangs apart, cut adrift