鶉鳴く古りにし里ゆ思へども
何ぞも妹に逢ふよしもなき
何ぞも妹に逢ふよしもなき
- Roma-ji
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Uzura naku furinishi sato yu omoedomo nani zo mo imo ni au yoshi mo naki
- English Translation
-
Where the quails cry out,
from this village grown so old,
though I think of you,
why is it that there's no way
I can come to meet you, love
- Meaning
- Though I think of you from this old village where the quails cry, why is there no way for me to meet you?
- Commentary
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Book Four Love Poems 775
Headnote: "A poem sent by Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi to Ki no Iratsume"
Though he thinks of her from an old village where quails cry, why is there no way to meet her? he laments. The "village grown old" is thought to be Nara, left a former capital after the court moved.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of Ōtomo no Tabito and a poet thought to have been deeply involved in compiling the Man'yōshū. He later rose to the rank of Middle Counselor.
First line, "Where the quails cry out," is a pillow word for "old village," from quails crying in desolate places.
Second line, "from this village grown so old," uses yu, an old particle of origin: from the aged village.
Third line, "though I think of you," means though I long.
Fourth line, "why is it that there's no way," means why, with zo closed by the attributive in the fifth line.
Fifth line, "I can come to meet you, love," means is there no means to meet, ending in the attributive.
- Author
- Otomo no Yakamochi
- Source
- Manyoshu
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