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He was convinced that he would never tire of looking at his brother’s calligraphy.
What had long caused her distress was the thought that a woman such as herself, whose lowly status was the one flaw in the carefully polished jewel that was her daughter, should have lived so long.
If only I could have that cat for myself. I wouldn’t be able to tell it all my longings, but it would at least bring some comfort to my lonely life.
It’s unpleasant and offputting enough just to think that a woman of mine would give her heart to another man.
How could the Third Princess ever give her heart to a man like Kashiwagi when she had me for her husband?
Contemplating it now, what a terrifying, wicked thing I did back then.
the setting moon near the rim of the mountains looked so
lovely that it was impossible to hold back one’s tears.
impermanence of life in this world,
It is not proper for one person to be so deeply attached to another—not even to a parent.
he couldn’t remain hidden for long before his fragrance gave him away. He rarely if ever scented
his robes, but he didn’t have to, since the clothes in his chests absorbed his indescribable fragrance.
Niou, who was by nature highly competitive, went out of his way to scent his clothes with the finest perfumes.
In this mutable world, Kaoru mused, am I justified in thinking that simply because I live peacefully in a jeweled
palace, I too am not adrift, subject to the vicissitudes of life? He
When Kaoru’s distinctive scent came wafting in on the breeze, a startled Niou
normally the older Princess would have admired the polished elegance of the calligraphy.
He summoned an attendant of appropriate standing and, ever true to his meddlesome, patronizing ways,
he held back lest he appear weak and sentimental for bringing up his feelings for the late Princess.
In the end, he said very little. Kaoru had spent every day since her passing crying,
an impediment to the old woman’s salvation,
a bond from a previous existence.
Though I wanted to move steadily along the path of devotion and become a holy man, my attachment to my lost beloved led me astray, and I find myself tormented by desire for one lady after another.
