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An example textbook sentence:

かかるついでに、見たてまつり給はむや How about looking at him (Genji) on this occasion?

たてまつる is humble auxiliary, 給ふ(給う) is honorific. Does this reflect a relationship between 3 people, where:

speaker - 給ふ - addressee - たてまつる - Genji

So speaker is both elevating addressee's status with 給ふ honorific while also humbling him before Genji?

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    Looks to me like you have answered your own question. Everything you said is correct.
    – user4032
    Commented Jun 22, 2015 at 14:17
  • I'd suggest adding a Kobun or Genji tag to this question.
    – HizHa
    Commented Aug 3, 2016 at 21:23

1 Answer 1

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Your great, concise description agrees with the following Q&A :

http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1132656341
(僧都が尼君に)「この世にののしり給ふ光源氏、かかるついでに見たてまつり給はむや」 (源氏物語)

ののしる today means "to curse, badmouth, ..." but in Genji's time it meant "to be famous" among other meanings.

This Q&A page also explains the penultimate 「む」

「む」には(1)推量・予想、(2)意志・決意、(3)適当・勧誘、(4)仮定、(5)婉曲という五つの意味がありますが

In this text, it is (3)適当・勧誘 == 適当…[~がよい], 勧誘…[~しませんか]

( One minor point: the addressee 尼君 is female, so the speaker is both elevating addressee's status with the 給ふ honorific, while also humbling [her] before Genji. )

            見たてまつり reminded me of "A cat may look at a king."

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