Having grown weary of living,
Now at last, I shall seek
A dwelling in the mountain village
Where I may hide myself,
For this, I fear, is my final time.
- Meaning
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I have grown weary of living in the capital. Now, at last, I must seek a dwelling in the mountain village where I can hide myself, for this may be my final opportunity.
- Commentary
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59. Weary of Living
A man, perhaps frustrated with life in the capital, resolved to live in the eastern hills along the Kamo River, composing this poem with strong intent.
This poem is a more world-weary adaptation of Ariwara no Narihira's verse, recorded in the 'Gosen Wakashū' (Miscellaneous One), which read: "Having grown weary of living, now at last I shall seek a lodging in the mountain village where I may stack firewood." The adaptation emphasizes the speaker’s desire to escape and hide from the world.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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Overgrown with mugwort,
In this desolate dwelling,
What makes it fearful
Is that, even for a time,
Demons come swarming here.
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Had I but heard that you,
In hardship, gathered fallen ears,
In weary distress,
I too upon the rice field
Would have gone to join you there.
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Upon my very self
Dew now seems to fall and rest—
Could it be, I wonder,
Drops from the oar of the boat
That crosses the Milky Way?
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When I breathe the scent
Of tachibana flowers that wait
For the Fifth Month’s time,
It is the fragrance that clings
To the sleeves of one long past.