Shall I praise the hue
of this one morning's little
while, and see in it
a flower that hangs on but
till the dew that settled goes
- Meaning
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Shall I praise the colour of this one morning's brief while, seeing in it a flower that lasts only until the dew has gone?
- Commentary
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Part Three: Yadorigi
Even while the match was going forward, Kaoru's mind did not leave the elder sister he had lost at Uji. One morning, looking at the morning glories in the garden, he spoke this to himself. In the life of a flower that lasts less time than the dew he sees the likeness of one who left the world so soon. After this he calls on Naka no Kimi at the Nijo residence and, by way of the morning glory, tells her his regret.
Oku tsuyu is the dew that settles on leaves and flowers, used again and again as the figure of impermanence. The morning glory, which blooms only for the little while before that dew is gone, he treats as the more fragile of the two. Miru miru is while looking, keeping the act of looking at the flower inside the poem. It is a poem spoken to himself, saying his grief for the dead woman through nothing but the images of the season.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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