雲のゐる遠山鳥のよそにても
ありとし聞けばわびつつぞ寝る
ありとし聞けばわびつつぞ寝る
- Roma-ji
-
Kumo no iru tooyamadori no yoso ni te mo ari to shi kikeba wabitsutsu zo nuru
- English Translation
-
Where the clouds hang low,
like the copper pheasant
of the distant hills,
hearing you still live apart,
I lie down in my distress
- Meaning
- Like the copper pheasant of the far hills where clouds hang, you are far away; yet hearing that you are still there, I lie down to sleep in distress.
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 1371
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown."
This is the first poem of the sequence on birds and beasts. Though the beloved is far away like the copper pheasant of distant, cloud-hung hills, hearing that the beloved is well only makes the speaker lie down in distress. 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.
The first line, "kumo no iru," means "where clouds hang." Taking up the clouds of the preceding poems, it serves as a bridge to the poems on birds and beasts.
The second line, "tooyamadori no," means "of the copper pheasant of the distant hills." The copper pheasant was said to sleep apart from its mate at night, on the far side of a ridge, and has been sung as a figure for lovers sleeping apart. The first two lines form a preface leading to "yoso" (apart).
The third line, "yoso ni te mo," means "even though far apart."
The fourth line, "ari to shi kikeba," means "since I hear you are well." "Shi" is an intensifier.
The last line, "wabitsutsu zo nuru," closes the kakari-musubi of "zo" with the attributive "nuru." In the same "...tsutsu zo nuru" form as "koitsutsu zo nuru," the last line of 1356 and 1359, it sings of the grief of sleeping alone.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shin Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Nakazora ni tachiiru kumo no ato mo naku mi no hakanaku mo narinubeki kana
- Next Poem
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Hiru wa kite yoru wa wakaruru yamadori no kage miru toki zo ne wa nakarekeru