萩が花散るらむ小野の露霜に
濡れてをゆかむさ夜はふくとも
濡れてをゆかむさ夜はふくとも
- Roma-ji
-
Hagi ga hana chiruramu ono no tsuyujimo ni
nurete o yukamu sayo wa fuku tomo - English Translation
-
Though bush clover blooms
may be falling in the fields,
through dew and white frost
I will go on, drenched as I am,
even though the night grows late.
- Meaning
- Though the bush clover flowers may be falling in the fields, I will go on, wet with dew and frost, even as the night deepens.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems (Part One)
A similar poem appears in the Man’yōshū: “In fields where autumn bush clover blooms and scatters, come to me though you be wet with evening mist, even if the night grows late.” That poem is from a woman’s voice, whereas this one is composed from a man’s perspective.
It expresses the feeling that neither cold nor the lateness of night matters when going to meet a beloved woman.
The auxiliary “ramu” in “chiru ramu” conveys conjecture, while “mu” in “yukamu” expresses intention. The repetition of the sound “mu” in both halves gives the poem a pleasing rhythm that matches its meaning.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Orite miba ochi zo shinubeki akihagi no
eda mo tawawa ni okeru shiratsuyu - Next Poem
-
Aki no no ni oku shiratsuyu wa tama nare ya
tsuranukikakuru kumo no itosuji