波の音のけさからことに聞こゆるは
春の調べや改まるらむ
春の調べや改まるらむ
- Roma-ji
-
Nami no oto no kesa kara koto ni kikoyuru wa haru no shirabe ya aratamaru ramu
- English Translation
-
The sound of the waves
from this morning especially
rings out like a koto—
is it that the melody
has been retuned now for spring?
- Meaning
- From this very morning the sound of the waves rings out especially clear, like a koto—has the music been retuned to the key of spring?
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Names of Things 456
Headnote: "Composed on the first day of spring at a place called Karakoto"
This poem wonders whether the waves sound especially clear this morning because, with the coming of spring, their music has been retuned to spring. It hides the place name "Karakoto" in "kesa kara koto ni" in the second line and, drawing on "koto" (the zither), uses "shirabe" (melody) to liken the waves to the sound of a koto. Karakoto is said to be a place in Bizen Province. From here the book continues with poems on place names.
The poet, "Abe no Kiyoyuki no Ason," is Abe no Kiyoyuki, a son of the Major Counselor Abe no Yasuhito. He served as Governor of Mutsu and in other posts.
First line "Nami no oto no" means "the sound of the waves," giving the subject.
Second line "kesa kara koto ni" means "especially from this morning," and "kara koto" hides the place name "Karakoto."
Third line "kikoyuru wa" means "that it sounds so," leading to the conjecture about the reason in the lower verse.
Fourth line "haru no shirabe ya" uses "shirabe," a musical key, as an associated word with the "koto" hidden in the second line. "Ya" is an interrogative particle.
Fifth line "aratamaru ramu" closes in the attributive "ramu" in answer to "ya," wondering whether the melody has changed with the coming of spring.
- Author
- Abe no Kiyoyuki
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Ajikinashi nageki na tsume so uki koto ni ai kurumi oba sutenu monokara
- Next Poem
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Kaji ni ataru nami no shizuku o haru nareba ikaga saki chiru hana to mizaramu