The cherry I saw
at your house at second hand—
this spring let me go
with no haze set between us,
break it off and wear the spray
- Meaning
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The cherry at your house that I saw only at second hand—this spring let me break it off with no haze between us, and wear it.
- Commentary
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Part Three: Shiigamoto
With spring, Niou sent this to Naka no Kimi. The year before he had only glanced at the cherry in passing on his way back from Hatsuse; this year he would come to it directly. The poem carries a plain suit, and she answered. From this spring the relations between Niou and Naka no Kimi draw noticeably closer.
Tsute ni mishi is to have seen a thing at second hand or in passing, and looks back to the exchange over the cherry the year before. "With no haze between" is directly, with nothing in the way. To break off a flower and wear it is the standard way of suggesting union with a woman. Set beside the careful greeting of the year before, the poem has stepped forward, and his impatience shows in it.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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