Episode 19

A long time ago, a man fell in love with a woman who worked in the palace. She used to be his wife. But after a while, the man stopped visiting her.

They still worked at the same place. The woman could see him, but he ignored her. He acted like she didn’t exist.

The woman wrote this poem:

天雲のよそにも人のなりゆくか　
　　　さすがに目には見ゆるものから　
 Like the clouds in the sky,  
 You are drifting far away.  
 But I can still see you  
 With my own eyes.

The man wrote back:

天雲のよそにのみして経ることは
　　　わが居る山の風はやみなり　
 I stay far away  
 Like clouds in the sky,  
 Because strong winds  
 Blow around my mountain home.

He wrote this because the woman had another man in her life.

 

Explanation: Marriage in the Heian Period

In the Heian period of Japan, marriage was different. It was called kayoi-kon, or "visiting marriage." The husband did not live with his wife. He visited her at night and left in the morning. If he stopped visiting, the marriage often ended.

Episode 20

A long time ago, a man saw a woman who lived in Yamato. He liked her and asked her to marry him. They became a couple.

After some time, the man had to return to the capital, Kyoto. He worked at the palace.

It was March. On the way back, he saw a beautiful red maple branch. Even though it was spring, the leaves looked like autumn colors. He picked the branch and sent it to the woman with a poem:

君がため手折れる枝は春ながら
　　　かくこそ秋の紅葉しにけれ
> For you, I picked this branch.  
> It is spring,  
> But the leaves look like red autumn leaves.

Later, after he got to Kyoto, he received a poem back from her:

いつの間に移ろふ色のつきぬらむ
　　君が里には春なかるらし
> When did the leaves change color?  
> Maybe where you are,  
> There is no spring anymore.

This poem meant the woman was upset. She thought he didn’t love her anymore. She believed he had already grown tired of her.

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**Explanation: The Red Maple in Spring**

Red maple leaves in spring are unusual. Sometimes young leaves turn red, or it can happen when the tree is sick.

Episode 21

A long time ago, a man and a woman loved each other very much. They didn’t think about cheating.

But one day, for some small reason, the woman got upset. She decided to leave. She wrote this poem and left it behind:

いでていなば心かるしと言ひやせむ
　　 世のありさまを人は知らねば
> If I leave,  
> Will people say I have no heart?  
> But no one really knows  
> What our love was like.

She left without saying goodbye.

The man didn’t understand why she left. He had no idea what went wrong. He cried and looked all around, wondering where she had gone.

He said:

思ふかひなき世なりけり年月を
　　　あだに契りて我や住まひし
> Was our love meaningless?  
> Did I waste all those years  
> For something that wasn’t real?

He just stood there, staring into the distance.

He also said:

人はいさ思ひやすらむ玉かづら
　　　面影にのみいとゞ見えつゝ
> I wonder if she still thinks of me.  
> Her beautiful face  
> Keeps coming back to my mind.

After a long time, the woman sent a poem to him. Maybe she felt sorry.

今はとて忘るゝ草のたねをだに
　　　人の心にまかせずもがな
> Even if you forget me,  
> I hope you never plant  
> The seed of forgetfulness in your heart.

The man wrote back:

忘草植うとだに聞くものならば
　　　　思ひけりとは知りもしなまし
> If I ever heard  
> You planted that seed,  
> Then I would know  
> You had once loved me.

They began to send poems to each other again, more than before. The man wrote:

忘るらむと思ふ心のうたがひに　
　　　　ありしよりけにものぞかなしき
> Thinking that you forgot me  
> Hurts even more  
> Than when we were still together.

The woman wrote back:

中空に立ちゐる雲のあともなく　
　　　身のはかなくもなりにけるかな
> Clouds float in the sky  
> But one day they disappear.  
> I feel like I’ve faded away too.

But in the end, both of them married other people. So their love slowly disappeared.

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Next episode:

The Tales of Ise: Episode 22-24

All the illustrations are from illustAC. I have a paid membership and follow their rules, so there are no copyright problems.
The writing is my own English translation of a Japanese story from the 10th century.
Please do not copy or use it.