Asagao - Morning Glory

In the Eleventh Month, the festival was canceled. Genji set off for Momozono mansion again. The traffic seemed to be going through the north gate. It would have been undignified for Genji to join the stream, and so he sent one of his men in through the great western gate. A chilly-looking porter rushed out to open it. But the gate was rusty, which gave him great trouble. Genji murmured, " When did wormwood overwhelm this gate? The hedge is now under snow, so going to ruin".

There was a heavy fall of snow. In the evening there were new flurries. The moon turned the deepest recesses of the garden into a gleaming white. The contrast between the snow on the bamboo and the snow on the pines was very beautiful. The flowerbeds were wasted, the brook seemed to send up a strangled cry, and the lake was frozen and somehow terrible. Genji sent little maidservants into the garden, telling them that they must make snowmen. They seemed to enjoy themselves, which was all very charming. At night, Genji confessed to Murasaki his love affairs with various women.