山城の井手の玉水手にむすび
たのみしかひもなき世なりけり
たのみしかひもなき世なりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Yamashiro no Ide no tamamizu te ni musubi
tanomishi kai mo naki yo narikeri - English Translation
-
At Yamashiro,
the jewel water of Ide
I cupped in my hands—
yet the trust I placed in you
has come to nothing at all.
- Meaning
- At Ide in Yamashiro, I cupped the clear, jewel-like water in my hands and made a vow, yet the trust I placed in you has come to nothing at all.
- Commentary
-
122 The Jewel Water of Ide
A certain man made a promise of marriage with a woman. Yet the woman did not keep that promise.
The poem was composed by the man and sent to her, and she could give no reply.
Ide in Yamashiro is a place where clear water flows. As with that pure water, they must have exchanged their promise in a spirit of purity. Yet the woman cast aside that promise without mercy.
The man, in resignation, disappointment, and a sense of emptiness, composed this poem.
- Source
- Ise Monogatari
- Other
-
- Oh, for a hat woven of plum blossoms by the bush warbler— I would place it on the one drenched with rain and send them home in warmth.
- That blossom hat sewn by the bush warbler—no, I have no need of it; place your thought upon me, and I will dry and return.
- Through passing years in this village I have dwelt— should I now depart, will it become even more a deep grass field of neglect?
- If it becomes a field, I will turn into a quail and cry there in grief— would you not come, even then, if only for the hunt?