However, unlike "Genji Monogatari" which begins 'in a certain era,' "Sagoromo Monogatari" begins with 'The springtime of youth does not stop, for it is already around the 20th day of the third month' (Yuhodo Bunko), which is based on a Chinese poem and a famous poem from "Kokin Wakashu" (A Collection of Ancient and Modern Japanese Poetry) and depicts Sagoromo's anguish caused by his unrequited love for his younger female cousin Genji no Miya while being true to reality.
しかし、「いずれの御時にか」で始まる『源氏物語』と違い、「少年の春は惜しめども留まらぬものなりければ、弥生の二十日余になりぬ」（有朋堂文庫）と始まる書き出しは、白居易の漢詩や『古今和歌集』の名歌を踏まえ、従妹源氏の宮への遂げられぬ恋に起因する狭衣の煩悶を描き、現実を意識したものとなっている。