桐壺179：(左大臣)「結びつる心も深きもとゆひに濃き紫の色し褪せずは」と奏して、ながはしより降りて舞踏し給ふ。
左大臣は早速歌を返奏する。「左様でございます。たしかにその思いを結び込めて致しましたうえは、元結の濃き紫の色が長く褪せずにいてくれること、若君の御心が変わらぬことを祈るばかりでございます」。こんな歌を詠んで左大臣はやおら長橋から庭に降りて舞踏を奉った。
N君：The Minister returned a poem to Him right away, "Yes, I did. Now that I put my mind into the string as You said, I would like to pray only two things. One is that the deep violet on the string could remain for long without fading away. The other is that his generous heart could also be just as it is." Reciting the graceful poem, he suddenly went down from the stairway of the corridor to the ground and expressed his appreciation with an improvised dance.
S先生：歌の解釈に疑問があります。「若君の御心が変わりませんように」とのことですが、もしかすると若君＝源氏のことを言っているのではなくて帝のことをいっているような気がします。もし帝なら第4文の his generous heart は His generous heart にすべきですね。もう一つ第5文の「やおら」suddenly はちょっとこの場面に合いません。「やおら」を広辞苑で引くと「おもむろに、そろそろ」と出ており「徐行の徐」とのことなので、suddenly ではなく slowly くらいにしましょう。
The minister replied on the spot : "Yes, indeed. I braided his hair with such a wish. I just prayed that Your Majesty's mind will never change as the dark purple of the string will fade away." After chanting this poem, he descended quietly and slowly from a long bridge to the garden and danced to show Him his deepest gratitude.
