Yume no Ukihashi - Floating Bridge of Dreams

The spring came back to the village in the mountains. Ukifune exchanged poems with the nun to wish her a long life, sending the first spring shoots. A rose plum was blooming near the eaves of her room. Its color and its perfume were the same as they had always been. It reawakened her memories of Niou in the past. She had a girl of lower rank break of a sprig and set down a poem. The writing of poems about her memories became a practice to ease her mind in those days.

The Yokawa bishop told the empress a story of a girl, which Kaoru heard via Kosaisho. On the way home form Mt. Hiei, he visited the bishop. He was confident that the girl was Ukifune. The young brother of Ukifune accompanied him. He introduced this handsome boy to the bishop as a messenger and asked him to write a letter to be delivered to Ukifune.

In the Ono villa, Ukifune was gazing at the fireflies along the garden brook and recalling her memories of the past. Over the valley, one could see a large number of people with their torches. The nun and others came out to the veranda to see them. According to the letter from the bishop, people said it might be Kaoru’s procession. Ukifune tried to put herself into meditation upon the name of Buddha to forget the past.