我見ても久しくなりぬ住吉の
岸の姫松いくよへぬらむ
岸の姫松いくよへぬらむ
- Roma-ji
-
Ware mite mo hisashiku narinu Sumiyoshi no
kishi no himematsu ikuyo henuramu - English Translation
-
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
- 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
-
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
- Ise Monogatari
- Other
-
- More than burning coals That cling and burn upon me, What is more sorrow— Is the parting that must be By the shore of Miyakojima.
- From between the waves The eaves of a fisher’s hut On a little isle— Long it has become indeed Since I last met and saw you.
- In close affection you know it not—like white waves at Mizugaki's shore; since ages long ago I began to offer praise.
- Like jeweled vines that wind upon many trees— so it has become; your unceasing heart for me brings no sign of joy at all.