At Ōyodo’s shore
Where the miru seaweed grows—
Only seeing it,
My heart grows calm and gentle,
Though no words are spoken.
- Meaning
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Hearing that you would go to see the miru seaweed said to grow on the shore of Ōyodo, merely seeing you has already brought calm to my heart, even without exchanging words of affection.
- Commentary
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75. At Ōyodo
A certain man said to a woman, "I wish to take you with me to the province of Ise and live there together."
The poem was composed by the woman as her reply to the man’s invitation.
The poem carries the meaning, "Your words alone are enough for me; there is no need for me to go with you all the way to Ise," and thus the woman declines the man’s proposal.
Perhaps the man, drawn to the peaceful atmosphere of distant Ise far from the capital, imagined an escape there with a woman he favored.
"Naginu" is the completed form of "nagu," an expression associated with the sea, meaning calm or windless waters.
"Katarawane domo" refers to the exchange of tender, intimate words. Both "to meet" and "to converse" are expressions suggesting the sharing of affection and the forming of a bond.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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