目かるとも思ほえなくに忘らるる
時しなければ面影にたつ
時しなければ面影にたつ
- Roma-ji
-
Me karu tomo omooenaku ni wasuraruru
toki shi nakereba omokage ni tatsu - English Translation
-
Even if unseen,
I cannot think we are apart;
for there is no time
when you are ever forgot—
your form stands before my eyes.
- Meaning
- Even though we do not meet, I cannot think that we are apart. There is no moment when I forget you; your form rises before my eyes.
- Commentary
-
Episode Forty-Six: "Even if unseen"
A certain man had a most intimate friend. They were scarcely ever separated, but circumstances required one of them to leave the capital and go to the provinces. They parted with deep sorrow and longing.
After much time had passed, the man in the provinces wrote, "Though many months have gone by without our meeting, people in the world say that when one does not meet, one forgets. I am troubled, wondering whether I too have been forgotten."
This poem was composed in reply.
Though they are described as close friends, the tone of the letter and the poem may even suggest a bond akin to romantic attachment.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
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