秋の野に妻なき鹿の年を経て
なぞわが恋のかひよとぞ鳴く
なぞわが恋のかひよとぞ鳴く
- Roma-ji
-
Aki no no ni tsuma naki shika no toshi o hete nazo waga koi no kaiyo to zo naku
- English Translation
-
In the autumn fields
the mateless stag through the years
has wondered, "Why is it
my love has come to nothing?"
crying out "kaiyo, kaiyo"
- Meaning
- In the autumn fields, a stag without a mate cries year after year, "Why is my love in vain?" calling out "kaiyo," to no avail.
- Commentary
-
Book Nineteen Miscellaneous Forms 1034
Headnote: "Topic unknown"
Hearing the deer's call as "kaiyo" and taking it as "kai yo," in vain, the poem turns it into a lament for love unfulfilled over the years. It pairs with the preceding poem's pheasant seeking its mate: spring and autumn, pheasant and deer, a call for a mate and a cry of one who has none.
The author, "Ki no Yoshihito," is Ki no Yoshihito. The son of Ki no Haseo, he served as governor of Iyo and Kawachi, among other posts.
First line, "Aki no no ni," answers "Haru no no no" at the start of the preceding poem.
Second line, "tsuma naki shika no," echoes "tsumagoi ni" in the preceding poem, presenting a stag without a mate.
Third line, "toshi o hete," means through the passing years.
Fourth line, "nazo waga koi no," uses "nazo," why.
Fifth line, "kaiyo to zo naku," is a pivot word joining the heard cry of the deer and "kai yo," in vain. Like the preceding poem, it ends with "to zo naku."
- Author
- Ki no Yoshihito
- Source
- Kokin Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Haru no no no shigeki kusaba no tsumagoi ni tobitatsu kiji no hororo to zo naku
- Next Poem
-
Semi no ha no hitoe ni usuki natsugoromo nareba yorinamu mono ni ya wa aranu