Had I known that it
was rooted in the hagi
of Miyagi Field,
the dew would not have made a
division in its own heart

Meaning

Had I known it was rooted in the hagi of Miyagi Field, the dew would not have divided its heart at all.

Commentary

Part Three: Azumaya

　The Sakon no Shosho's reply to Chujo no Kimi's reproach. Had he known the girl was of imperial blood, he says, he would not have changed—a convenient claim. With this exchange the match is finished, and the mother takes Ukifune to the Nijo residence. There Niou found her and pressed her, and she had to be moved in haste to a hidden house at Sanjo.

　Miyagino is a place name in poetry famous for its hagi, and the sound miya carries the imperial house. "Rooted in the hagi" is the root of that plant, that is, high birth. The dew is the Shosho himself, and "would not have divided its heart" is to make no distinction. He takes over her hagi and dew properly enough, but his real ground for choosing—rank and money—stands out so plainly that the poem is no defence at all.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

Had I known that it was rooted in the hagi of Miyagi Field, the dew would not have made a division in its own heart

Had I known that it
was rooted in the hagi
of Miyagi Field,
the dew would not have made a
division in its own heart