秋風の吹き裏返す葛の葉の
うらみてもなほ恨めしきかな
うらみてもなほ恨めしきかな
- Roma-ji
-
Akikaze no fukiuragaesu kuzu no ha no uramite mo nao urameshiki kana
- English Translation
-
As the autumn wind
blows the leaves of kudzu vine
and shows their pale backs,
though I blame you, still I find
you are to be resented
- Meaning
- As the autumn wind blows the kudzu leaves and turns them over to show their pale undersides, however much I resent you, I resent you still.
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 823
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
From the scene of kudzu leaves showing their white undersides in the autumn wind comes ura mi, "seeing the back," and thus urami, "resentment": however much he resents, he resents still. The first three lines form a preface, and the repeated sound ura layers endless resentment onto the leaves turning again and again. In later ages, kudzu leaves showing their backs became a standard figure for resentment.
The author, "Taira no Sadafun," is Taira no Sadafun, son of Taira no Yoshikaze of the Kammu Taira line, who rose to Assistant Captain of the Left Military Guards. Also called Heichū, he is known for his love affairs as the hero of the Tale of Heichū.
The first line names the autumn wind, echoing weariness in aki; it follows the akikaze of the two preceding poems.
The second line means the wind blowing the leaves over, showing the white backs of the kudzu.
The third line names kudzu, whose leaves have striking white undersides; the lines up to here form a preface leading to urami.
In the fourth line urami is a pivot word, meaning both seeing the underside of leaves and resentment. Te mo is concessive, and nao means "still."
The last line adds exclamatory kana to the attributive of urameshi: how resentful I am. It repeats the sound of urami in the fourth line.
- Author
- Taira no Sadabumi
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Akikaze ni au tanomi koso kanashikere waga mi munashiku narinu to omoeba
- Next Poem
-
Aki to ieba yoso ni zo kikishi adabito no ware o furuseru na ni koso arikere