住みわびぬ今はかぎりと山里に
身をかくすべき宿求めてむ
身をかくすべき宿求めてむ
- Roma-ji
-
Sumiwabinu ima wa kagiri to yamazato ni
mi o kakusubeki yado motometemu - English Translation
-
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
- 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
-
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.