霜さゆる汀の千鳥うちわびて
鳴く音悲しき朝ぼらけかな
鳴く音悲しき朝ぼらけかな
- Roma-ji
-
Shimo sayuru migiwa no chidori uchiwabite
naku ne kanashiki asaborake kana - English Translation
-
The plovers at the
water's edge, where the frost bites
cold, cannot bear it,
and the sound of their crying
is sad in the growing light
- Meaning
- The plovers at the water's edge, where the frost bites cold, cannot bear it, and their crying is sad in the growing light.
- Commentary
-
Part Three: Agemaki
Kaoru sent this to Naka no Kimi on a winter visit to Uji. He is thinking of her, left uneasy by the break in Niou's visits, and means to stand by her in her sister's place. By this time Oigimi had already taken to her bed, and Kaoru's days were soon given over to nursing her.
Shimo sayuru is frost at its most bitter. The plover is the winter bird of the water's edge, and its flocking cry stands for loneliness. Uchiwabu is to find a thing hard to bear. Naku, to cry, carries naku, to weep. The winter scene on the Uji river is set down, and in being set down states exactly how matters stand with the sisters.
- Author
- Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
- Genji Monogatari
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