At Shiogama now—
When was it that I arrived?
In the morning calm,
Boats that fish upon the sea
Come, I pray, and draw in here.
- Meaning
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Have I somehow come to Shiogama without noticing? In the calm sea of the morning, may the fishing boats come and draw near to this place.
- Commentary
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81. At Shiogama
Long ago there was a Minister of the Left. He built a residence of great elegance near the Kamo River around the area of Rokujō and lived there. At the end of the tenth month of the lunar calendar, when the chrysanthemums were at their height of beauty and the autumn leaves could be seen, he invited imperial princes and held a banquet through the night, enjoying music and drink.
Toward dawn, poems were composed praising the splendor of the residence. A wretched old man who was there crawled about beneath the wooden floor and had the people compose poems. After everyone had finished, the old man finally recited his own poem.
In the past, when this old man had gone to the province of Mutsu, he had seen many unfamiliar and elegant landscapes. Among them, there was no place in all Japan more splendid than Shiogama. Therefore the old man praised the residence of the Minister of the Left by saying, “When did I come to Shiogama?”
Shiogama is a famous poetic place name in Matsushima Bay in present-day Miyagi Prefecture. Today it is known as a fishing port, but originally it was celebrated as a place of scenic beauty. It is also praised in verse such as: “Matsushima—ah! Matsushima, Matsushima!”
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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