How must it be now,
the mountain village in fall
where the stag bells out—
this evening, when the dew lies
heavy on the small hagi

Meaning

How must it be now, that mountain village in autumn where the stag calls, this evening when the dew lies heavy on the small hagi?

Commentary

Part Three: Shiigamoto

　In autumn the Eighth Prince died at the mountain temple, and the sisters were left in deep grief. Hearing of it, Niou sent this poem in condolence. Word came from Kaoru as well, so that two letters from the capital stand side by side and prepare the later course of the story of the Uji sisters.

　The small hagi stands for Naka no Kimi, and the dew hints at tears. Kakaru is both the dew settling and "such as this." The belling of the stag is the standard voice of autumn sorrow, and raises the whole scene of the house in mourning at once. Even in a poem of condolence he likens her to a flower, and his feeling for her is already visible in that.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

How must it be now, the mountain village in fall where the stag bells out— this evening, when the dew lies heavy on the small hagi

How must it be now,
the mountain village in fall
where the stag bells out—
this evening, when the dew lies
heavy on the small hagi