Even I, seeing it,
Find that long years have now passed—
At Sumiyoshi shore,
That fair pine upon the bank,
How many ages has it known?
- Meaning
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Even I, seeing it, feel that many years have passed. As for the beautiful pine on the shore of Sumiyoshi, how many ages has it lived through?
- Commentary
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117. The Pine upon the Shore
The poem was composed when the Emperor went out.
From the poem, it seems that the Emperor had visited before and held some attachment to the land of Sumiyoshi.
The “hime” in “hime-matsu” is a prefix that usually denotes something small, but here, as the poem says “how many ages has it known,” it suggests a considerable passage of time, making that meaning unsuitable. Instead, “hime” likely conveys a sense of beauty, as in something graceful or fair.
Sumiyoshi refers to the area around present-day Sumiyoshi Ward in Osaka City.
- Source
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Ise Monogatari
- Other
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