The Tale of Genji

is a novel by Murasaki Shikibu

a female writer in the Heian Period of Japan

whose creation was deeply influenced by Bai Juyi's poem

Song of Everlasting Sorrow

and there is an obvious intertextuality between the two in terms of their plots

characters and aesthetic perception. Murasaki Shikibu was very familiar with Bai Juyi's poems

and there are nearly one hundred places in

The Tale of Genji

related to Bai Juyi's poems. Therefore

it can be said that Bai Juyi's poems constitute an important "pre-understanding" for the interpretation of

The Tale of Genji

. By borrowing the tragedy of

Song of Everlasting Sorrow

Murasaki Shikibu was not only eulogizing the poignant love story between the hero and heroine

but also lamenting the changeable world with prosperity doomed to fall.