The
heads of the two men are very close, almost touching, symbolizing their
special intimacy as friends since childhood. Yet we know from the text
that this intimacy is superficial, and that Kashiwagi is holding back from
Yûgiri the secret which has led to his mortal anguish—the secret
of his adultery with Yûgiri’s stepmother, the new wife of Prince
Genji. In their conversation here, Kashiwagi struggles to explain his inner
agony, but in the end he fails, and Yûgiri leaves without comprehending.
So very close, the two men are in the end far apart, and the scene is one
of great sadness.