霰打つ安良礼松原住吉の
弟日娘女と見れど飽かぬかも
弟日娘女と見れど飽かぬかも
- Roma-ji
-
Arare utsu arare matsubara suminoe no otohiotome to miredo akanu kamo
- English Translation
-
Hail-beaten Arare,
where the pine groves line the shore
of Suminoe—
with Otohi, maiden fair,
I could gaze and never tire.
- Meaning
- The pine grove of Arare, whose name recalls the beating hail—gazing at it together with Otohi, the maiden of Suminoe, I never tire of the sight.
- Commentary
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Book One Miscellaneous Poems 65
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "When the Emperor journeyed to the Naniwa Palace in the third year of Keiun, hinoe-uma: a poem by Prince Naga"
The prince praises the beauty of the Arare pine grove at Suminoe, gazing at it together with Otohi, a local woman, and never tiring of the sight. In a lilting rhythm that echoes arare ("hail") with the name Arare, it praises the pine grove and the charm of the woman who shares the view as one. Otohi is thought to have been a wandering entertainer of Suminoe, and the poem is believed to have been composed at a banquet during the royal journey.
Prince Naga was a son of Emperor Tenmu; his mother was Princess Ōe, a daughter of Emperor Tenji, and Prince Yuge was his full younger brother. He left poems marked by wit and dignity.
The first line, arare utsu, "where hail beats," is a pillow word for the homophonous Arare.
The second line names the pine grove of Arare at Suminoe, around present-day Sumiyoshi Ward in Osaka. Echoing the "hail" of the first line, it creates a pleasing resonance.
The third line names Suminoe in Settsu Province, modifying Otohi in the fourth line.
The fourth line names Otohi, a woman of Suminoe; to means "together with." She is thought to have been a wandering entertainer who hosted the royal party.
The last line means "I could gaze and never tire," kamo being exclamatory. It is the same as the last line of the long poem 36 in this book, a typical phrase in praise of a place.
- Author
- Prince Naga
- Source
- Manyoshu
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