かくしつつあらくをよみぞたまきはる
短き命を長く欲りする
短き命を長く欲りする
- Roma-ji
-
Kakushitsutsu araku o yomi zo tamakiharu mijikaki inochi o nagaku hori suru
- English Translation
-
Living on like this
is so good a thing that I—
though the spirit's span
is a brief and fleeting life—
long to have it long endure
- Meaning
- Because it is so good to be living like this, I long for this short life of mine to last a long time.
- Commentary
-
Book Six Miscellaneous Poems 975
Headnote: "A poem by Lord Abe no Hironiwa, the Middle Counselor"
The poem says that because it is so pleasant to be living like this, the speaker wishes even this short life to last long. The headnote gives no occasion, but "like this" points to the fulfilling moment of the present, and that joy becomes directly a wish for long life.
Knowing that human life is short, he wishes to live long precisely because the present is so good; this frank affirmation of life is the heart of the poem. Its brightness lies in the fact that it does not lament the frailty of life but treasures life on the strength of present joy.
The poet, Abe no Hironiwa, was the son of the Minister of the Right Abe no Miushi, and rose to the post of Middle Counselor. He died in Tenpyō 4 (732).
The final line, "long to have it long endure," ends with the same verb, "hori suru" (long for), as "long to see" in 984. It also shares with 985, which asks that tonight's length be joined to five hundred nights, the wish that something short should last long.
The first line, "Living on like this," means "while being thus," with "tsutsu" expressing continuation. It points to the state of the time he is now spending.
The second line, "is so good a thing that I," means "because being thus is good." "Araku" is a nominal form meaning "being," and "yomi" adds "mi" to the adjective "yoshi" to give the reason, "because it is good." "Zo" is an emphatic binding particle resolved by "hori suru" in the final line.
The third line, "though the spirit's span," is the pillow word "tamakiharu," which modifies "life."
The fourth line, "is a brief and fleeting life," refers to the short, limited life of a human being. The line has an extra syllable. Taking up the pillow word "tamakiharu," it shows once more the frailty of life.
The final line, "long to have it long endure," means "I wish it to last long." It closes in the attributive "hori suru" in response to the binding particle "zo" in the second line. Setting "short" against "long," it brings out the wish for a short life to be long.
- Author
- Abe no Hironiwa
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Masurao no yuku to iu michi zo ōroka ni omoite yuku na masurao no tomo
- Next Poem
-
Naniwagata shiohi no nagori yoku mitemu ie naru imo ga machi towamu tame