The cord we two together
knotted fast between us—
alone, by myself,
until I see you once again,
I think I shall not loose it.
- Meaning
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The cord that we two together tied, I, alone, will not loosen until I see you again.
- Commentary
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Episode Thirty-Seven: "Unloose not your lower cord"
A certain man met and shared affection with a woman who was amorous and full of feeling.
This poem is the woman’s reply to the man’s, "Other than myself, unloose not your lower cord—the morning-glory that will not wait for evening shade, though it should fade so swiftly," which he composed out of anxiety over her possible unfaithfulness.
She implies that she has no intention of being unfaithful and that he need not be concerned.
This poem seems to take its inspiration from one in Book Twelve of the Man'yoshu: "The cord we two together tied, I shall not loosen alone until we meet again." The original Man'yoshu poem was a vow of innocent devotion.
In The Tales of Ise, the meaning is not greatly different, yet we glimpse the character of the man, who warns the woman likened to a morning-glory against inconstancy.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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