思ほえず袖に湊の騒ぐかな
もろこし舟の寄りしばかりに
もろこし舟の寄りしばかりに
- Roma-ji
-
Omoboezu sode ni minato no sawagu kana morokoshibune no yorishi bakari ni
- English Translation
-
Beyond all my thoughts,
the harbor waters surge
within my sleeves;
all because a ship from Cathay
once put in, however briefly
- Meaning
- Unexpectedly, a harbor swells and churns in my sleeves, all because a ship from China put in there, however briefly.
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 1358
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown."
This is the third poem of the sequence on tears and waters. From the slight tie of a Chinese ship putting in, tears overflow until harbor waves churn in the sleeves. The headnote gives no topic, and the circumstances of composition are not recorded.
The author, "Anonymous," indicates a poet whose name has not come down.
This poem appears in Episode 26 of The Tales of Ise, where it is placed as a man's reply to someone lamenting that he could no longer win a woman who lived near Gojō.
The first line, "omoboezu," means "unexpectedly."
The second line, "sode ni minato no," likens the sleeves to a harbor where tears surge like waves. From the river of tears in the preceding poem, the waters of tears widen into a harbor.
The third line, "sawagu kana," ends with the exclamatory "kana," a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "morokoshibune no," refers to a great ship from China. The scene of a large ship raising waves as it enters port is overlaid with the turmoil of love.
The last line, "yorishi bakari ni," means "just because it put in for a moment." Inverted from the third line, it shows afterward that a slight tie gave rise to great grief.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shin Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Makura nomi uku to omoishi namidagawa ima wa waga mi no shizumu narikeri
- Next Poem
-
Imo ga sode wakareshi hi yori shirotae no koromo katashiki koitsutsu zo nuru