梓弓爪引く夜音の遠音にも
君が御幸を聞かくしよしも
君が御幸を聞かくしよしも
- Roma-ji
-
Azusayumi tsumabiku yooto no tōto ni mo kimi ga miyuki o kikaku shi yoshi mo
- English Translation
-
Of a catalpa bow
plucked by fingertips at night,
like that distant sound,
even so, to hear of you
passing near fills me with joy
- Meaning
- Like the distant twang of a catalpa bowstring plucked at night, even to hear from afar of your royal outing brings me joy.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Love Poems 531
Headnote: "A poem respectfully offered in reply by Princess Unakami, daughter of Prince Shiki"
This poem was offered in answer to the emperor's poem before it. Just as the twang of a catalpa bowstring plucked at night is heard faintly from afar, she says, it gives her joy even to hear from a distance of the emperor's outing. To his words of trust she replies with a modest joy that knows her place.
The author, Princess Unakami, was according to the headnote's note a daughter of Prince Shiki, and apparently served in Emperor Shōmu's inner palace.
First line, "Of a catalpa bow," names a bow made of catalpa wood, leading through the sounding of its string to "plucked" in the second line.
Second line, "plucked by fingertips at night," means the sound of a bowstring plucked at night, apparently reflecting the custom of twanging bows to ward off evil; with the first line it forms a preface to "distant sound."
Third line, "like that distant sound," means even as a sound from afar, the way rumor faintly reaches her.
Fourth line, "even so, to hear of you," names miyuki, an imperial outing.
Fifth line, "passing near fills me with joy," uses kikaku, the nominalized form of kiku, "to hear," the emphatic shi, and the exclamatory mo: how good it is to hear.
- Author
- Princess Unakami
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Akagoma no koyuru umase no shime yuishi imo ga kokoro wa utagai mo nashi
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Uchihisasu miya ni yuku ko o makanashimi tomureba kurushi yareba sube nashi