When she still made no reply, he implored her, ‘Even if you reject me! Anything! My lady!’
否せともいひはなたれずうきものは身を心ともせぬよなりけり
| inase tomo iFiFanatarezu uki mono Fa mi wo kokoro tomo senu yo narikeri |
Yea or nay I cannot clearly say; ‘Tis cruel that To my heart true I cannot be, in this world. |
was all she said, and finished with him.
What’s more, though she did not think very much of it, there was a man who loved her deeply and approached and spoke to her. He sent her letters, and when she made no reply, composed:
山がつはいへどもかゐもなかりけり山びこそらに我こたへせよ
| yamagatu Fa iFedomo kawi mo nakarikeri yamabiko sora ni waga kotaFe seyo |
A mountain woodsman I may be, yet I have no way Through the passes; Even in an echo Respond to me! |
Her reply:
わたつうみとあれにし床をいまさらに拂はば袖や泡と消えなむ
| watatu umi to arenisi toko wo imasara ni FaraFaba sode ya aFa to kienamu |
A boundless main, Storm tossed, you distant from my bed, Now, Were I to sweep it, my sleeve Might float as does the sea-foam! |
When she said this, the assembled ladies thought it most moving.
At around this time, the Consort who had borne His Majesty Princes became ill and all her ladies remained close by to serve her. The first man, using a woman called Ki Kuraudo, sent a message asking her to come out of the anteroom and when she sent back, ‘To a suffering/Spirit will I for a while‘, he composed:
宵のまにはやなぐさめよいその神ふりにし床もうち拂ふべく
| yoFi no ma ni Faya nagusameyo iso no kami furinisi toko mo utiFaraFubeku |
Within the night Hurry and console me! Age old dust Has fallen on our bed? We should sweep it clean! |
Her reply:
我が宿とたのむ吉野に君し入らば同じかざしを插しこそはせめ
| wa ga yado to tanomu yosino ni kimi si iraba onazi kazasi wo sasi koso Fa seme |
Here too, Have I longed for Yoshino; If my Lord were there, Identical garlands Should we wear. |
This exchange occurred as he said he was going for the Yuimae ceremony.
Ise
伊勢
The man said, ‘If you despise me so, then I shall go to Yoshino?’
ひたすらに厭ひ果てぬる物ならば吉野の山に行方知られじ
| Fitasura ni itoFiFatenuru mono naraba yosino no yama ni yukuwe sirarezi |
So completely Am I to be despised- If ’tis true, then On the mount of Yoshino I’ll find a place and tell no one! |
The Posthumous Grand Minister, [Fujiwara no Tokihira] (871-909)
The man’s elder brother said, ‘Why won’t you come to me? Is it that you remember his cruelty?’
ひたぶるに思ひなわびそ古るさるゝ人の心はそれぞ世の常
| Fitaburu ni omoFi na wabi so Furusaruru Fito no kokoro Fa sore zo yo no tune |
Forever Do not grieve over thoughts of that love; Your former Lover’s ways are but Those of this world! |
At around this time, there came a message from the palace of the consort who had borne His Majesty children, and her father said to her, ‘Leave matters alone and go up to the palace! I thought I had sent you into Imperial service. Did I send you to His Lordship? No, I did not!’, and she felt so ashamed she felt she would die.
So, she went up to the palace and, when she was performing her duties, the man sent her many letters suggesting that they meet, but she would have none of it; the man’s elder brother said, ‘Is he now requesting to become your husband? Oh, how immature of him! Think of me, instead!’, but only letters went back and forth between them. They did not meet. While this was going on, the original man heard about how things were. The woman had a beautiful garden before her residence and, as a diversion was twining miscanthus grass around her fingers; seeing this, the first man composed:
花薄我こそ深くたのみしか穂に出でゝ人に結ばれにける
| Fana susuki ware koso Fukaku tanomishika Fo ni idete Fito ni musubarenikeru |
As miscanthus grass Deeply did I Court her; Now, ’tis plain to see that with another Is she entwined. |
When he said to her, ‘I’ve heard there’s something going on,’ she replied, ‘Why should something like that occur to a miserable creature like me? Were it to be anything, I should think it would be with you!’, with such a relaxed air about her that he was deeply moved. However, she would not meet with him and sent him on his way.
On the way back, she lodged at place called Koshibe. Remembering how the temple had moved her, she composed:
見も果てずそらに消えなでかぎりなく厭ふうき世に身のかへりくる
| mi mo Fatezu sora ni kienade kagiri naku itoFu uki yo ni mi no kaFerikuru |
Cut short, I will not vanish into the skies; No end to The loathsome, hurtful world to which I am returning. |
to herself, and shed so many tears she had to wring out her sleeves.