Kakikumori yūdatsu nami no arakereba ukitaru fune zo shizugokoro naki

English Translation

The sky has clouded,
and evening squalls raise the waves
so roughly around,
the boat afloat in sorrow
cannot find a quiet heart.

Meaning

The sky darkens, and the waves rise rough with the coming evening squall; our boat, adrift and full of sorrow, can find no peace of heart.

Commentary

Book Ten Travel Poems 918

Headnote: "Composed on a boat on the lake, upon hearing it said that an evening squall was about to come."
This is the fifth of a sequence of poems on distant journeys and travel by water. The sky darkens and the waves rise roughly as an evening squall threatens, and the boat afloat on them can find no calm, an unease felt on a boat on the lake. According to the headnote, it was composed on a boat on the lake upon hearing that an evening squall was coming.
The author, Murasaki Shikibu, was a daughter of Fujiwara no Tametoki. She served Empress Shōshi, consort of Emperor Ichijō, and wrote The Tale of Genji and The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu.
The scene is an evening crossing of the lake by boat, on Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province.
The direct occasion is hearing that an evening squall was about to come.
The poem also appears in the Murasaki Shikibu Collection and is regarded as a poem from the journey on which she accompanied her father Tametoki when he went down to Echizen Province.

The first line, "kakikumori," means "the sky clouding over completely." "Kaki" is a prefix that strengthens the verb it attaches to.
In the second line, "yūdatsu nami no," "tatsu" carries both "yūdachi," an evening squall, and the "rising" of waves. The threat of the squall and the waves beginning to swell are laid over one another in one word.
The third line, "arakereba," means "since they are rough." The realis form with "ba" gives the reason.
In the fourth line, "ukitaru fune zo," "uki" carries both "floating" on the water and "ukí," "sorrowful." The particle "zo" gives emphasis and is answered by the attributive "naki" in the last line. After "ama obune" in the preceding poem, a boat is again the subject.
The last line, "shizugokoro naki," means "without a calm heart." The rocking of the boat and the unrest of the poet's heart are laid together. Where 916 delights in sleeping on a boat even if the waves break one's dreams, this poem tells of a boat unsettled by rough waves, setting side by side two contrasting states of mind aboard a boat.

Author

Murasaki Shikibu

Source

Shin Kokin Wakashu

Other