Should one cross the stream
Called the River of Dyeing,
How could it be so
That no color would cling fast
To the person passing through?
- Meaning
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If one were to cross the river called the River of Dyeing, how could it be possible that no color would cling to that person?
- Commentary
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61. The River of Dyeing
When a certain man traveled as far as Tsukushi in northern Kyushu, he heard a woman speaking from behind a lowered bamboo blind in an inner room: "This man is said to be a refined person with many affections, one who loves women."
The poem was composed when the man heard the woman’s words.
The River of Dyeing (Somegawa) flows from east to west between Dazaifu Shrine and Kanzeon-ji in Chikushi District of present-day Fukuoka Prefecture, and is also called Aisome River. Because the woman remarked that he had a reputation for loving women (irogonomi), the man responded by playing on the place name, saying that it was only natural if he had crossed a river that dyes things in many colors.
Even when confronted with a reputation that is not entirely favorable, he answers with a light, joking poem, revealing the man’s composure and wit.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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