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Secondary sourceBook1925-1933 (translation)

Blue Trousers

Murasaki Shikibu · 1925-1933 (translation)

A chapter from Arthur Waley's 1920s–30s English translation of The Tale of Genji, the novel written by Murasaki Shikibu.

This is a chapter from Murasaki Shikibu's own novel, in the translation that made her famous to English readers.

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About this source

What it is

Blue Trousers is a chapter from The Tale of Genji, the long narrative written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century. This particular text is from Arthur Waley's English translation, published between 1925 and 1933, and continues the story of Genji and the question of his ward Tamakatsura's future.

Why it matters

Waley's translation introduced Murasaki Shikibu's novel to a wide international audience in the early twentieth century and shaped how many Western readers came to view her as a novelist of great psychological depth. It remains one of the most influential English versions of her work, even though it is a translation rather than her original Japanese text.

Look closer

  • How might a translation change the way readers understand a thousand-year-old story?
  • What does this chapter suggest about relationships and reputation in the world Murasaki describes?
  • Why do you think this translation made Murasaki Shikibu famous outside Japan?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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