[10] Shū-i Shū 967.
[11] A sō no koto.
[12] That 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.
[15] The headquarters of the Ladies of the Bedchamber.
[16] An 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?’
[17] The poem referred to is not the famous Lute Girl’s Song, but a much shorter one (Works x. 8) on a similar theme. O-chou is the modern Wu-ch‘ang in Hupeh.
[18] In 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?’
[19] The 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.