山辺の御井を見がてり神風の
伊勢娘子どもあひ見つるかも
伊勢娘子どもあひ見つるかも
- Roma-ji
-
Yamanobe no mii o migateri kamukaze no ise otomedomo aimitsuru kamo
- English Translation
-
On my way to see
the sacred well of Yamanobe,
divine-winded Ise's
maidens, too, I've come to meet—
what a joy to look upon!
- Meaning
- While stopping to see the sacred well of Yamanobe, I have had the joy of meeting the maidens of Ise as well.
- Commentary
-
Book One Miscellaneous Poems 81
Headnote: "A poem composed at the sacred well of Yamanobe when Prince Nagata was dispatched to the Ise Shrine Palace in the fourth month of summer, in the fifth year of Wadō, mizunoe-ne"
On a journey as an envoy to the Ise Shrine Palace, the prince rejoices that, stopping by to see the famous sacred well of Yamanobe, he has also met the lovely maidens of Ise. It frankly and brightly expresses the delight of an unexpected encounter on the road. It dates from the fourth month of 712, the fifth year of Wadō, and together with the next two poems, three poems stand under the same headnote.
Prince Nagata was a member of the imperial family in the early Nara period whose lineage is unclear. He served as governor of Ōmi and captain of the Palace Gate Guards, among other posts, and died in 737, the ninth year of Tenpyō.
The first line is thought to be a place name in Ise Province. Its location is debated; one view places it around present-day Yamanobe in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture.
In the second line, mii is a sacred spring and gateri means "while, on the way to": "on my way to see the sacred well." The long poem 52 in this book also celebrates the "sacred well" of the Fujiwara Palace.
The third line, kamukaze no, "where the divine wind blows," is a pillow word for Ise.
The fourth line, "the maidens of Ise," uses domo to mark the plural. They seem to be women serving at the Shrine Palace or women of the district.
In the last line, aimiru means to meet, tsuru is the attributive of the perfective tsu, and kamo exclamatory: "I have met them!" Like "that company of maidens" in poem 53 of this book, it praises a land through its maidens.
- Author
- Prince Nagata
- Source
- Manyoshu
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