JJapanese

Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 quote about a lover that has moved far away (i.e. to the other side of town)

Dear all,
A few years ago, I was listening to a podcast about “female authors in the Heian period” and the two main topics were obviously Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu. I distinctly remember that during the section discussing The Pillow Book, one of the podcasters read aloud something like this:
“Oh, why has my lover moved to the other end of the world? He is gone and will never return…” and so on.
The podcaster then commented that said lover had only moved up the street some 15 minute walking distance and there was a chuckle.
I was wondering if this is an actual quote and if someone is able to find it for me? I don’t remember the exact quote, nor the gentleman, nor nothing. All I remember is that I think that I used to listen to the podcast a lot because I was working night shifts at a factory, but it’s been like 5 years now and I’m not even sure if the podcast is saved, let alone what sources they used, but iirc they usually had the sources right and I never caught them lying or fabricating evidence, and they had a podcast on the ascent of Everest and I was able to find a verbatim quote that they had used etc., so I think that this quote from Sei Shonagon should be traceable as well?
Thank you for reading

3 comments

  1. I may check my copy of the Pillow Book later and see if I can find the direct quote, but this sounds very much to me like the podcasters are citing a poem out of context. Language about being abandoned, not being able to meet, and general hyperbole about drenching your sleeves in tears and dying from longing are pretty common in waka of the time and are meant to be taken for their emotional value. That said, if this is while she was serving in the palace, it may have more to do with access to the spaces she was in, given that women very rarely are the ones visiting men in the Heian period.

  2. If I’m not mistaken yes something along those lines happens except the whole point of it isn’t the physical distance but the emotional distance between them. Sei has a complicated relationship with a man, and love isn’t ensured, at one point they get angry at each other, at another one she doesn’t know if he likes her etc etc. Anyway it’s a very classic (should I say modern?) feeling for someone in love.

    (And to take things literally when you really *love* someone the slightest absence can be excruciating! + It’s poetry haha)

  3. It’s like when Kramer’s girlfriend moved to Downtown Manhattan instead of Uptown. Hey, Seinfeld ripped that off from the Pillow Book!!

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