The pond looked vey cool, filled as it
was with blooming lotuses whose fresh green leaves glittered with gem-like
dewdrops.
‘Just
look at that,’ said Genji, ‘when I see water droplets like that, I feel as if
only lotuses really understood what coolness meant.’ Murasaki propped herself up and gazed at the
pond. He continued, ‘Being here, looking
at this garden with you is like a dream.
Sometimes, you know, I feel the sadness of it all is going to kill me.’ There were tears in his eyes – a very rare
occurrence. Murasaki felt sad too, and
sad for him. ‘Life,’ she said, ‘is often
compared to droplets on a lotus leaf, but now I’m beginning to wonder if mine
will last as long as the dew.’
‘Let
me make this promise to you,’ said Genji, ‘we will always be as close to one
another as dewdrops on a lotus leaf – in this world and the next.’
Extract
from Tale of Genji
