すめろきの神の宮人ところづら
いやとこしくに我れかへり見む
いやとこしくに我れかへり見む
- Roma-ji
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Sumeroki no kami no miyabito tokorozura iya tokoshiku ni ware kaerimimu
- English Translation
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Of our sovereign,
our god, I am a courtier;
like the yam vine,
for ever and for ever
I will return to see it
- Meaning
- As a courtier of our divine sovereign, I will come back again and again to see this place—forever, like the endless tokoro vine.
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1133
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed at Yoshino"
As a courtier serving the sovereign, the poet vows, playing on the name of the tokoro vine, to keep coming to see Yoshino forever unchanged. Speaking as one who attends the imperial progress to the Yoshino palace, he praises Yoshino and pledges eternal service.
It is one of the poems composed at Yoshino, and its last line, "I will return to see it," is, like "come back and see it again" in poem 1100 and others in this book, a set phrase vowing to return and praising the land. The poet is unknown.
The first line, "Of our sovereign," means "of the emperor."
The second line, "our god, I am a courtier," refers to one who serves at the palace of the divine sovereign, meaning the poet himself.
The third line, "like the yam vine," refers to the vine of the tokoro plant and, through the sound "toko," leads to "tokoshiku" (forever) in the fourth line.
The fourth line, "for ever and for ever," means ever more eternally.
In the final line, "I will return to see it," "mu" expresses intention.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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