Our long promise will
no more decay than the great
bridge of Uji does—
do not let your heart be stirred
by the side of it you fear
- Meaning
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Our long promise will no more decay than the great bridge of Uji; do not let your heart be troubled by the side of it you fear.
- Commentary
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Part Three: Ukifune
Early in the Second Month Kaoru came to Uji after a long absence. Ukifune, hiding what had passed with Niou, was sunk in guilt, and Kaoru mistook it for the sign of a woman come into her maturity; pleased, he told her that the house in the capital was nearly ready for her. He spoke this poem then. She answered, and her answer carries her uneasiness, which he also failed to notice.
The bridge of Uji was famous as long and old, and served as the figure of a bond that lasts. Kuchiseji, will not rot, belongs with the bridge. "The side you fear" is the anxious view of the matter, and the poem is meant to quiet her. The irony of the scene is that a man telling someone to be easy is talking past a situation he knows nothing about.
- Author
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Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
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Genji Monogatari
- Other
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