葦引の山下水の木隠れて
たぎつ心をせきぞかねつる
たぎつ心をせきぞかねつる
- Roma-ji
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Ashihiki no yamashitamizu no kogakurete tagitsu kokoro o seki zo kanetsuru
- English Translation
-
In the foot-weary hills
the water under the trees
hidden from all sight
now surges in my heart
beyond all holding back
- Meaning
- Like the water hidden under the trees of the mountain, I have kept my love from others' eyes, but I can no longer dam the surging of my heart.
- Commentary
-
Book Eleven Love Poems I 491
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Likening it to water flowing unseen in the shade of the mountain, the poem sings of a love kept secret that can at last no longer be restrained. The mountain stream hidden among the trees, surging and rushing, is overlaid with the fierceness of a love never shown. From here to poem 494 of this book, poems entrusting love to flowing water follow one after another.
First line, "In the foot-weary hills": ashihiki no is a pillow word for mountains, written in the original with the characters for "reed-pulling."
Second line, "the water under the trees": yamashitamizu is water flowing in the shade of the mountain, a metaphor for a love unseen by others. The "water flowing below" in poem 494 of this book likewise sings of water flowing unseen.
Third line, "hidden from all sight": kogakurete means concealed by trees, and lines one through three work as a preface showing a love kept secret.
Fourth line, "now surges in my heart": tagitsu means water churning and rushing, overlaid with the fierceness of love. Poem 493 of this book begins with the related tagitsu se, the rushing rapids.
Fifth line, "beyond all holding back": seku means to dam water, a word associated with water. The particle zo forms a kakari-musubi with tsuru, strengthening the lament of being unable to hold it back.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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Yūzukuyo sasu ya okabe no matsu no ha no itsu to mo wakanu koi mo suru kana
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Yoshinogawa iwa kiritōshi yuku mizu no oto ni wa tateji koi wa shinu to mo