And how does the house
that waits for me hear it too?
On this side and that
it sets the heart astir, this
voice of the evening cicada

Meaning

And how does the house that waits for me hear it? On this side and on that it sets the heart astir, this voice of the evening cicada.

Commentary

Part Two: Wakana Ge

　Genji answered the Third Princess's poem with this one. He brings up Murasaki no Ue, waiting for him to come back, and says that his own heart is unquiet on both counts—turning the Princess's reproach gently aside. He went on to Nijo, and the next morning, setting out again, he found Kashiwagi's letter and began to suspect what had passed. From then on he kept an even surface toward both the Princess and Kashiwagi while his manner toward them turned cold.

　"The house that waits" is the place where someone waits for him, that is, Murasaki no Ue at Nijo. "On this side and that" is the double claim on him, Nijo and Rokujo both. "Voice of the evening cicada" takes up her own words, so the exchange is properly kept. He does not meet her complaint head-on; he says that he too is unquiet and moves the subject. Nothing is given offense, and nothing she asked is answered—a poem with a quiet tension in it as the chapter turns toward its end.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

And how does the house that waits for me hear it too? On this side and that it sets the heart astir, this voice of the evening cicada

And how does the house
that waits for me hear it too?
On this side and that
it sets the heart astir, this
voice of the evening cicada