身を憂しと思ふに消えぬものなれば
かくても経ぬる世にこそありけれ
かくても経ぬる世にこそありけれ
- Roma-ji
-
Mi o ushi to omou ni kienu mono nareba kakute mo henuru yo ni koso arikere
- English Translation
-
Though I think my life
bitter, still it does not fade
simply at that thought,
and so even as I am
I have lived on in this world
- Meaning
- Though I find my life bitter, it does not vanish just because I think so, and so, even in this state, I have gone on living in this world.
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 806
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
Even if one finds one's life painful, it does not simply vanish, and so the speaker has gone on living in spite of it. At the end of love's grief, the poem shows a resignation that faces a self unable to disappear even when it wishes to. After the question about tears in the preceding poem, it speaks of a life that continues while bearing its sorrow.
The first line, "my life as bitter," speaks of lamenting oneself because of love.
In the second line nu, the attributive of the negative zu, means "it does not vanish though I think so."
The third line, "since it is such a thing," gives an established reason.
In the fourth line kakute mo means "even in this state," and henuru, attributive of the perfective, means "have spent my days."
The last line resolves koso with kere, the perfective of keri, expressing realization: such has been this world.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
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