荒れにけりあはれ幾世の宿なれや
住みけむひとのおとづれもせぬ
住みけむひとのおとづれもせぬ
- Roma-ji
-
Arenikeri aware ikuyo no yado nare ya
sumikemu hito no otozure mo senu - English Translation
-
How desolate it stands—
Alas, for how many ages
Has this been a dwelling?
Of the one who once lived here,
There is not even a visit.
- Meaning
- How desolate it has become—alas, for how many generations has this been a dwelling? The one who once lived here does not even come to visit.
- Commentary
-
58. How Desolate It Has Become
A considerate and amorous man built a house and lived in the former capital, Nagaoka.
Beside it was a residence of a prince, where several fairly attractive women had come. Since it was on the outskirts of the capital and felt like the countryside, the man was preparing to reap the rice in his field. Seeing this, the women said, "What an elegant task for such a refined man," and gathered, entering his house. The man fled to the inner rooms and hid.
The poem was composed upon seeing the house where the man lived, implying that no one seemed to reside there.
Even after the capital moved to Heian-kyō, those without particular need may have remained in the former capital of Nagaoka. It is thought that some connected with the court also stayed behind.
The women likely served in the princely household, yet their entering another’s house without leave and declaring it "desolate" suggests a certain boldness.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
- Prev Poem
-
Koiwabinu ama no karu mo ni yadoru chō
warekara mi o mo kudakitsuru kana - Next Poem
-
Mugura oite aretaru yado no uretaki wa
kari ni mo oni no sudaku narikeri