あかなくに雁の常世を立ち別れ
花の都に道や惑はむ
花の都に道や惑はむ
- Roma-ji
-
Akanaku ni kari no tokoyo o tachiwakare
hana no miyako ni michi ya madowamu - English Translation
-
Not having had my
fill, I part from this dwelling
of the geese and go—
shall I lose my way upon
the road to the flowered town
- Meaning
- Having had nothing like my fill, I leave this land of the geese—shall I lose my way on the road to the city of flowers?
- Commentary
-
Part One: Suma
The Consultant answered Genji's poem with this one, saying he had no wish at all to go. Afterward gifts of taste were prepared for the capital, and Genji gave him a black horse in return. Wary of being noticed, they exchanged nothing else beyond a famous flute.
"Aka naku ni" is without having had enough. "The land of the geese" takes up the word used in the retainers' poems and here means Suma. "The city of flowers" is the capital, set against it. That the man who is returning speaks of losing his way turns the journey home into a reluctance to part rather than a pleasure, and the warmth of his character shows in it.
- Author
- Murasaki Shikibu
- Source
- Genji Monogatari
- Prev Poem
-
Furusato o izure no haru ka yukite mimu
urayamashiki wa kaeru kari ga ne - Next Poem
-
Kumo chikaku tobikau tazu mo sora ni mi yo
ware wa haruhi no kumori naki mi zo