Gathering and prizing
the young herbs from between the
snows of this hill place,
I find I still put my trust
in the growing years ahead

Meaning

Gathering and prizing the young herbs from between the snows of this hill village, I find I still trust in the years ahead of you.

Commentary

Part Three: Tenarai

　The nun's reply. Taking the new year's young herbs as her occasion, she tells Ukifune that her life is still before her. The nun never stopped regretting the girl's vows, and that feeling shows here as well. Ukifune answered that she would live henceforth for the nun's sake, and the two of them settled into an easier relation.

　"Young herbs from between the snows" are the shoots that come up where the snow has melted, gathered on the first Day of the Rat in the new year as a charm for long life. Tsumi hayashi is to gather and make much of a thing. Oisaki is the years that lie ahead. Using the new year's herbs to bless a young person's future, the poem keeps the form of a poem of congratulation.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Genji Monogatari

Other

Gathering and prizing the young herbs from between the snows of this hill place, I find I still put my trust in the growing years ahead

Gathering and prizing
the young herbs from between the
snows of this hill place,
I find I still put my trust
in the growing years ahead