Kore ya sa wa kumo no hatate ni oru to kiku tatsu koto shiranu ama no hagoromo

English Translation

Is this, then, the one
at the far edge of the clouds
woven, so I hear—
a robe that knows no cutting,
the feathered robe of heaven?

Meaning

Is this, then, the celestial feathered robe, said to be woven at the far edge of the clouds, a robe that knows nothing of cutting?

Commentary

Book Nine Parting Poems 864

Headnote: "Reply."
This is the second poem of the exchange on Jakushō's departure for China. Likening the clothing that reached him to the feathered robe of heaven, woven at the edge of the clouds and never cut, Jakushō answers the lament of the preceding poem that the day of departure was not known. According to the headnote, it is a reply to the preceding poem.
The author's lay name was Ōe no Sadamoto; after serving as governor of Mikawa he took the tonsure, crossed to Song China, and died there.
The scene is just after Jakushō left the capital for China, and the place is somewhere along his way.
The direct occasion was the arrival of the clothing together with the preceding poem.

The first line, "kore ya sa wa," means "is this, then, that one," the particle "ya" posing a question as the speaker points to the clothing received.
The second line, "kumo no hatate ni," means "at the far edge of the clouds," pointing to a distant place in the heavens.
The third line, "oru to kiku," means "said to be woven." It draws on the lore that the feathered robe is woven in heaven.
The fourth line, "tatsu koto shiranu," takes up "tatsu hi o shirazu" from the preceding poem. Where that poem played on cutting cloth and setting out to lament the missed farewell, this line counters that the robe of heaven is never cut or sewn, so what he has received is a robe that knows no cutting.
The last line, "ama no hagoromo," ends on a noun, naming the robe worn by celestial beings. Answering the question posed by "ya" in the first line, it likens the gift to a robe not of this world and conveys gratitude to the giver. Sharing the pivot word "tatsu" with the preceding poem, the exchange forms a matched pair.

Author

Jakushō

Source

Shin Kokin Wakashu

Other