- Top
- -
- Manyoshu
Shiranui Tsukushi no wata wa mi ni tsukete imada wa kinedo atatakeku miyu
The silk floss of Tsukushi—though I have not yet wrapped myself in it and worn it, how warm it looks!
Manyoshu - Mansei
Okura ra wa ima wa makaramu ko nakuramu sore sono haha mo wa o matsuramu zo
I, humble Okura, will take my leave now. My child must be crying at home—and its mother, too, must be waiting for me.
Manyoshu - Yamanoue no Okura
Shirushi naki mono o omowazu wa hitotsuki no nigoreru sake o nomubeku arurashi
Rather than brooding over things that do no good, it seems better to drink a single cup of cloudy sake.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Sake no na o hijiri to ooseshi inishie no ōki hijiri no koto no yoroshisa
How splendid were the words of the great sages of old, who gave sake the name "sage"!
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Inishie no nana no sakashiki hitotachi mo horiseshi mono wa sake ni shi arurashi
Even the Seven Sages of old, it seems, desired nothing so much as sake.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Sakashimi to mono iu yori wa sake nomite einaki suru shi masaritarurashi
Rather than talking as if one were wise, it seems far better to drink sake and weep drunken tears.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Iwamu sube semu sube shirazu kiwamarite tōtoki mono wa sake ni shi arurashi
Beyond all words, beyond all doing, the most precious thing of all, it seems, is sake.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Nakanaka ni hito to arazu wa sakatsubo ni narinite shikamo sake ni shiminamu
Rather than being a halfway human, I would rather become a wine jar—then I could soak in sake forever.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Ana miniku sakashira o su to sake nomanu hito o yoku miba saru ni ka mo nimu
Ah, how ugly! Those who put on airs of wisdom and won't drink sake—look at them closely, and don't they resemble monkeys?
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Atai naki takara to iu tomo hitotsuki no nigoreru sake ni ani masame ya mo
Even a treasure beyond all price—how could it be worth more than a single cup of cloudy sake?
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Yoru hikaru tama to iu tomo sake nomite kokoro o yaru ni ani shikame ya mo
Even a jewel that shines in the night—how could it equal drinking sake and letting the heart's troubles go?
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Yo no naka no asobi no michi ni tanoshiki wa einaki suru ni arubeku arurashi
Of all the pleasures the world affords, the greatest delight, it seems, must be to weep drunken tears.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Kono yo ni shi tanoshiku araba komu yo ni wa mushi ni tori ni mo ware wa narinamu
If I can enjoy myself in this life, then in the next I will gladly become an insect or a bird.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Ikeru mono tsui ni mo shinuru mono ni areba kono yo naru ma wa tanoshiku o arana
Since all living things must die in the end, while I am in this world let me enjoy myself.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Moda orite sakashira suru wa sake nomite einaki suru ni nao shikazukeri
Keeping silent and acting wise is, after all, no match for drinking sake and weeping drunken tears.
Manyoshu - Ōtomo no Tabito
Yo no naka o nani ni tatoemu asabiraki kogiinishi fune no ato naki gotoshi
To what shall I compare this world? It is like a boat that rowed out at dawn and left no trace behind.
Manyoshu - Mansei