1They were not allowed to leave the palace.
2The bird that sings in Paradise.
3See above p.19.
4In allusion to a boy-prince of seven years old whom the jealous gods carried off to the sky. See theŌkagami.
5Those who stand in a circle round the dancers while the latter change their clothes.
6Reading ‘Sadaijin,’ not ‘Sadaishō.’
7Another illegitimate son of the Emperor; Genji’s step-brother.
8Fujitsubo’s brother; Murasaki’s father.
9Another name for thenadeshiko, ‘Child-of-my-heart,’ see p.58.
10Shū-i Shū967.
11A sō no koto.
12That hate kills is a fundamental thesis of the book.
13‘So withered is the grass beneath its trees that the young colt will not graze there and the reapers do not come.’
14‘So sweet is its shade that all the summer through its leafy avenues are thronged,’ alluding to the lady’s many lovers.
15The headquarters of the Ladies of the Bedchamber.
16An old folk-song the refrain of which is ‘At the melon-hoeing he said he loved me and what am I to do, what am I to do?’
17The poem referred to is not the famousLute Girl’s Song, but a much shorter one (Worksx. 8) on a similar theme. O-chou is the modernWu-ch‘angin Hupeh.
18In the song the lady says: ‘The door is not bolted or barred. Come quickly and talk to me. Am I another’s bride, that you should be so careful and shy?’
19The rank of Empress was often not conferred till quite late in a reign. It was of course Fujitsubo whom the Emperor chose in this case.
20And therefore debarred from taking part in political life.