漂わせる meaning in this context

Question

先ほどまでの憂いは影をひそめ、その仕草に優雅ささえ漂わせる.

The hardships from before hide the shadow, (and through) that gesture give off elegance.

Is this a correct way to understand it?

Is 仕草 the agent?
Is 漂わせる a causative form.

Answer 1

Yes 漂わせる is causative, but, no, 仕草 is not the agent. 優雅さ is the agent (causee). It's because 漂う is an intransitive verb, and when in the causative form, its agent has to be marked with を. その仕草に is just an adverbial phrase that describes where the action (漂う) happens.

Literally:

• 優雅さが漂う = the elegance wafts.
• 彼女の仕草に優雅さが漂う = the elegance wafts around her gesture.
• 彼女の仕草に優雅さを漂わせる = make the elegance waft around her gesture
• 彼女の仕草に優雅ささえ漂わせる = make even the elegance waft around her gesture

(I don't know how to translate this naturally, but I think "her gesture (even) gives off elegance" is basically correct at least as a free translation)

Compare:

• 部屋に花の香りが漂う = fragrance of flowers wafts in the room
• 部屋に花の香りを漂わせる = make fragrance of flowers waft in the room

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おまけ：

• 影を潜める is a fixed phrase which means "to become invisible", "to be less prominent".
• I doubt 憂い can be translated as hardship. 憂い usually is melancholy, depressive mood, etc.