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The Kokiden Girl
The Lady of the Orange Blossoms is Reikeiden's younger sister. Both used to be consorts of the Emperor, but everyone forgot them after the Emperor died. Genji begins visiting them and begins sexual relationships with both, and he notes several times that he's the only man who visits either woman. Later, he groups the Lady of the Orange Blossoms with his other “neglected favorites” and decides to move her into a remodeled mansion with other former lovers.
Lady of the Orange Blossoms Quotes in The Tale of Genji
The The Tale of Genji quotes below are all either spoken by Lady of the Orange Blossoms or refer to Lady of the Orange Blossoms. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Suma Quotes
They lived precarious lives, completely dependent on Genji. So lonely indeed was their mansion that he could imagine the desolation awaiting it once he himself was gone...
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Before leaving for exile in Suma, Genji makes one final visit to Reikeiden and the Lady of the Orange Blossoms, who were lovers of the Emperor and were forgotten after his death. The recognition that the ladies are entirely dependent on Genji's affections reinforces that for women in the novel, male affection and attention are the only currencies they really have access to in any great supply. Because these women have no children, their relationships with Genji are the only way they're able to remain connected to court life and continue to exist as ladies of the court rather than Dolorem et quae. Exe
Channel Buoys Quotes
Though she saw little of him, the lady was completely dependent on him; but she was not of the modern sort, given to outpourings of resentment. He knew that she would not make him uncomfortable. Long neglected, her house now wore a weirdly ruinous aspect.
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After Genji returns from exile, he neglects the Lady of the Orange Blossoms for the most part. Again, when the narrator notes that the Lady of the Orange Blossoms is completely dependent on Genji, it reminds the reader that women in the novel must compete for male attention and affection in order to get ahead in life if they don't already have children that can be used to gain power or prestige. The note that the Lady of the Orange Blossoms "won't make him uncomfortable" suggests that she's much like Murasaki or the Lady of the Evening Faces in that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omn
Her soft voice, trailing off into silence, was very pleasing. He sighed, almost wishing it were not the case that each of his ladies had something to recommend her. It made for a most complicated life.
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During Genji's final visit with the Lady of the Orange Blossoms, Genji laments that all of his lovers have good qualities that keep him coming back for more, despite recognizing that having so many women makes his life difficult. Again, this allows Genji to think of his relationship to his lovers as something where he has little agency or responsibility, as he frames this as being the ladies' fault for attracting him to them in the first place. While this particular passage is relatively mundane, this idea does balloon at various points throughout the novel and gives Genji the justification Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferend
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Lady of the Orange Blossoms Character Timeline in The Tale of Genji
The timeline below shows where the character Lady of the Orange Blossoms appears in The Tale of Genji. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Orange Blossoms
...remember the past together. Then, Genji goes to look in on her younger sister, the Lady of the Orange Blossoms . The narrator notes that because Genji is so beautiful and kind, he succeeds in...
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Suma
...Murasaki, but he understands that taking her would be inappropriate. Genji also worries about the Lady of the Orange Blossoms ; he doesn't visit her often, but he is her only visitor. Fujitsubo also begins...
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Because Genji keeps getting notes from Reikeiden and the Lady of the Orange Blossoms , he decides to spend one final night with the ladies. The narrator notes that...
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...he didn't just go with her to Ise. He also receives comforting letters from the Lady of the Orange Blossoms and Reikeiden, and he sends friends in the city to make repairs to their house...
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Akashi
...doesn't pursue a relationship with her. Similarly, he sends a very short note to the Lady of the Orange Blossoms .
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Channel Buoys
Genji begins to remodel an inherited house for his "neglected favorites" such as the Lady of the Orange Blossoms . The Akashi Lady gives birth to Genji's first daughter, which delights him. He wonders...
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...his other lovers. When the summer rains begin, he goes to visit Reikeiden and the Lady of the Orange Blossoms . The lady is beautiful, and Genji wishes that his lovers had something wrong with...
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