草分けて立ち居る袖のうれしさに
絶えず涙の露ぞこぼるる
絶えず涙の露ぞこぼるる
- Roma-ji
-
Kusa wakete tachiiru sode no ureshisa ni taezu namida no tsuyu zo koboruru
- English Translation
-
Parting through the grass,
my son's sleeves rise up and bow,
and for the gladness
endlessly the dew of tears
spills down and overflows.
- Meaning
- For joy at the sleeves of my son as he parts the grass and rises and kneels in homage, the dew of my tears spills down without end.
- Commentary
-
Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems III 1731
Headnote: "On seeing Ōe no Takachika, first granted admission to the Courtiers' Hall, go down into the garden deep in grass to make obeisance."
A poem of joy at a son's advancement. For gladness at seeing her son's sleeves as he parts the grass and rises and kneels in homage, the dew of her tears falls without ceasing. According to the headnote, it was composed on seeing her son Ōe no Takachika, first admitted to the Courtiers' Hall, go down into the grassy garden to perform the ceremonial dance of thanks. Whereas 1723 in this book lamented leaving the Courtiers' Hall, here the joy of being admitted to it is sung.
The author, "Akazome Emon," was the daughter of Akazome no Tokimochi. She was the wife of Ōe no Masahira and mother of Takachika, and served Jōtōmon-in Shōshi.
The first line, "kusa wakete," means "parting the grass of the overgrown garden," taking up the "garden deep in grass" of the headnote.
The second line, "tachiiru sode no," is the sleeves rising and falling in the ceremonial dance, performed in gratitude for admission to the Courtiers' Hall.
The third line, "ureshisa ni," means "for sheer gladness," giving the cause of the tears.
The fourth line, "taezu namida no," is tears flowing without pause. The third line has made plain that these are tears of joy.
The last line, "tsuyu zo koboruru," closes the kakari-musubi of "zo" with the attributive "koboruru." "Dew" stands for tears and is an associated word for the "grass" of the first line, laying the dew of the garden over the mother's tears.
- Author
- Akazome Emon
- Source
- Shin Kokin Wakashu
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