近江の海港は八十ちいづくにか
君が舟泊て草結びけむ
君が舟泊て草結びけむ
- Roma-ji
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Ōmi no umi minato wa yasochi izuku ni ka kimi ga fune hate kusa musubikemu
- English Translation
-
On the Ōmi sea
the harbors number eighty;
in which of them
did you moor your boat, my lord,
and knot the grasses there?
- Meaning
- The lake of Ōmi has countless harbors—in which of them, I wonder, did you moor your boat and knot the grasses for the night?
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1169
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
The lake of Ōmi has countless harbors, and one waiting at home wonders in which of them the traveler moored his boat and knotted grasses to spend the night. The poem expresses the aching heart of someone trying to picture a loved one's whereabouts among innumerable ports.
Although it is among the poems composed on journeys, it is spoken from the standpoint of someone at home waiting for a traveler. Knotting grasses was a charm performed to pray for a safe journey. The poet is unknown.
The first line, "On the Ōmi sea," refers to Lake Biwa and has an extra syllable.
The second line, "the harbors number eighty," uses "yaso" (eighty) to mean a great many, and the poem pauses here.
In the third line, "in which of them," the particle "ka" is answered by "kemu" in the final line.
The fourth line, "did you moor your boat, my lord," addresses the traveler.
The final line, "and knot the grasses there?" refers to the charm for a safe journey, closing with the attributive "kemu" in response to "ka."
- Source
- Manyoshu
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