- On his way from court to pay one of his calls at Rokujo, Genji stopped to inquire after his old nurse, Koremitsu's mother, at her house in Gojo. Gravely ill, she had become a nun. The carriage entrance was closed. He sent for Koremitsu and while he was waiting looked up and down the dirty, cluttered street. Beside the nurse's house was a new fence of plaited cypress. The four or five narrow shutters above had been raised, and new blinds, white and clean, hung in the apertures. He caught outlines of pretty foreheads beyond. He would have judged, as they moved about, that they belonged to rather tall women. What sort of women might they be Hi carriage was simple and unadorned and he had no outrunners. Quite certain that he would not be recognized, he leaned out for a closer look. The hanging gate, of something like trelliswork, was propped on a pole, and he could see that the house was tiny and flimsy. He felt a little sorry for the occupants of such a place - and then asked himself who in this world had more than a temporary shelter. A hut, a jeweled pavilion, they were the same. A pleasantly green vine was climbing a board wall. The white flowers, he thought, had a rather self-satisfied look about them.,
- "I needs must ask the lady far off yonder,' "he said, as if to himself. An attendant came up, bowing deeply. "The white lowers are far off yonder are known as 'evening faces,' " he said. "A very human sort of name - and what a shabby place they have picked to bloom in." It was as the man said. The neighborhood was a poor one, chiefly of small houses. Some were leaning precariously, and there were "evening feces" at the sagging eaves.
- "A hapless sort of flower. Pick one off for me, would you" The man went inside the raised gate and broke off a flower. A pretty little girl in long unlined yellow trousers of raw silk came out through a sliding door that seemed too good for the surroundings. Beckoning to the man, she handed him a heavily scented white fan. ""Put it on this. It isn't much of a fan, but then it isn't much of a flower either."
- Koremitsu, coming out of the gate, passed it on to Genji. "They lost the key, and I have had to keep you waiting. You aren't likely to be recognized in such a neighborhood, but it's not a very nice neighborhood to keep you waiting in."
- Genji's carriage was pulled in and he dismounted. Besides Koremitsu, a son and a daughter, the former an eminent cleric, and the daughter's husband, the governor of Mikawa, were in attendance upon the old woman. They thanked him profusely for his visit.
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- 六条わたりの御忍び歩きのころ、内裏よりまかでたまふ中宿りに、大弐の乳母のいたくわづらひて尼になりにけるとぶらはむとて、五条なる家たづねておはしたり。
- 御車入るべき門は鎖したりければ、人して唯光召させて待たせたまひけるほどむつかしげなる大路のさまを見わたしたまへるに、この家のかたはらに、檜垣というもの新しうして、上は半蔀(はじとみ)四五間ばかり上げわたして、簾などもいと白う涼しげなるにをかしき額つきの透影あまた見えてのぞく。立ちさまよふらむ下つ方思ひやるに、かながちに丈高き心地ぞする。いかなる者の集へるならむと様変りて思さる。
- 御車もいたくやつしたまへり、前駆も追はせたまはず、誰とか知らむとうちとけたまひてすこしさしのぞきたまへれば、門は蔀(しとみ)のやうなる押し上げたる見入れのほどなくものはかなき住まひを、あはれにいづこかさしてと思ほしなせば玉の台も同じことなり。
- 切懸だつ物に、いと青やかなる葛の心地よげに這ひかかれるに、白き花ぞおのれひとり笑みの眉ひらけたる。
「をちかた人にもの申す」と、ひとりごちたまふを、御随身ついゐて、
「かの白く咲けるをなむ夕顔と申しはべる。花の名は人めきて、かうあやしき垣根になん咲きはべりける」と申す。
- げにいと小家がちにむつかしげなるわたりのこの面かの面あやしくうちろぼひてむねむねしからぬ軒の妻などに這ひまつはれたるを
「口惜しの花の契や一房折りてまゐれ」とのたまへばこの押し上げたる門に入りて折る。
- さすがにされたる遣り戸口に黄なる生絹の単袴長く着なしたる童のをかしげなる出で来てうち招く。
白き扇のいたうごがしたるを
「これに置きて参らせよ枝も情なげなめる花を」とて取らせたれば門あけて唯光朝臣出てきたるして奉らす。
「鍵を置きまどはしはべりていと不便なるわざなりや。もののあやめ見たまへ分くべき人もはべらぬわたりなれどらうがはしき大路に立ちおはしまして」とかしこまり申す。
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- ripozi: rest
- kaŝe: secretly
- strato: street
- vojo: road; sur voje, on the way; 中宿り
- ĉiam: always
- ripozi: rest
- konsoli: comfort
- nustristino: nurse
- bonzo: Buddhist priest
- kaŝi: hide
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