山里に葛はひかかる松垣の
ひまなくものは秋ぞ悲しき
ひまなくものは秋ぞ悲しき
- Roma-ji
-
Yamazato ni kuzu haikakaru matsugaki no hima naku mono wa aki zo kanashiki
- English Translation
-
In the mountain home,
like the pine hedge overgrown
by creeping arrowroot,
without a gap, without a pause,
how sad is the autumn season!
- Meaning
- In a mountain village, like the pine hedge overgrown with creeping arrowroot, leaving not a gap, autumn is sad without a pause.
- Commentary
-
Book Sixteen Miscellaneous Poems I 1569
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
This is the tenth poem of the sequence expressing personal feelings through the things of autumn. As the pine hedge overgrown with arrowroot in a mountain village has no gap, the poet says, autumn is sad without a pause. The headnote reads "topic unknown," and records nothing of the circumstances of composition.
The author, "Sone no Yoshitada," was a poet of the mid-Heian period. Because he served as Secretary of Tango, he was also called Sotan, and he was known for his fresh poetic style.
The first line, "yamazato ni," presents a dwelling in the mountains far from villages.
The second line, "kuzu haikakaru," means "where arrowroot creeps over." Following the "arrowroot leaves" of 1565 in this book, it sings of autumn arrowroot.
The third line, "matsugaki no," refers to a pine hedge. The first three lines, showing a hedge with no gap because of creeping arrowroot, form a preface leading to "hima naku" in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "hima naku mono wa," means "without a gap, without a pause," overlaying the gapless hedge with unceasing sorrowful thoughts.
The last line, "aki zo kanashiki," closes the kakari-musubi of the particle "zo" with the attributive form "kanashiki." Turning from the preface's mountain scene to the sadness of autumn, it continues the personal feelings expressed through the things of autumn.
- Author
- Sone no Yoshitada
- Source
- Shin Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Shiratsuyu wa wakite mo okaji ominaeshi kokoro kara ni ya iro no somuran
- Next Poem
-
Momotose no aki no arashi wa sugushikinu izure no kure no tsuyu to kienan