52. The Gossamer-Fly / The Drake Fly(蜻蛉)
Passage
One evening when as usual he was pondering on the strange fate that time after time, with so fatal an issue, had bound his fortunes to those of this one family, that intangible thing they call a gossamer-fly flitted across his path.
“‘Now you are caught!’ I cried, and thought I held it safe. But when I looked the gossamer-fly had vanished—vanished, or never been in my hand!”
Such was the poem that he recited, sitting alone.
Gossamer-fly means mayfly. This creature is born in summer and has a lifespan of only one to two months. In Japan, it is a symbol of fleeting life.
Summary
Ukifune goes missing, and Uji villa falls into an uproar. Ukifune's maidservants believe that she committed suicide by entering the Uji River. Niou and Kaoru each grasp the facts and are overwhelmed with grief. Kaoru later holds a grand memorial service for Ukifune. Eventually, summer comes, Niou and Kaoru become interested in other women, but they cannot forget Ukifune. Kaoru gazes at a mayfly while reminiscing about her.
Comment
Ukifune, shaken between Kaoru and Niou, was the central figure of this story of Uji. This chapter, having lost its center, is dominated by emptiness and a sense of loss.