大幣の引く手あまたになりぬれば
思へどえこそ頼まざりけれ
思へどえこそ頼まざりけれ
- Roma-ji
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Ōnusa no hikute amata ni narinureba
omoedo e koso tanomazarikere - English Translation
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Like a great sacred wand,
Drawn by many reaching hands—
So you have become;
Though I think of you with love,
I cannot rely on you.
- Meaning
- Like a great sacred wand that is pulled by many hands, though I love you, I cannot place my trust in you.
- Commentary
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47. Like a Great Sacred Wand
There was a man who wished somehow to make a certain woman his lover. However, having heard that he was reputed to be an unfaithful and insincere man, the woman gradually began to treat him coldly.
This poem was composed by the woman and sent to the man.
A great sacred wand (ōnusa) is used in purification rites, and when the rite is finished, people draw it toward themselves, rubbing their bodies with it to remove defilement.
By likening the inconstant man to such a wand, she takes a cold stance, saying that she cannot rely on him.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
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