the past and the present

matter of taste

a tale; a story

freely; as much as one wants

liked, favorite

fondness, favor, favour

like to / enjoy / be fond of

reading / (figuratively) understanding of something, speculation about something

to read (look at and interpret written text) / to read (speak aloud written text) / to infer; to speculate / to count

The Tale of Genji (novel by Murasaki Shikibu)