紀の国の雑賀の浦に出で見れば
海人の燈火波の間ゆ見ゆ
海人の燈火波の間ゆ見ゆ
- Roma-ji
-
Ki no kuni no saika no ura ni idemireba ama no tomoshibi nami no ma yu miyu
- English Translation
-
In the land of Ki,
when I went out to gaze
at Saika Bay,
the fishers' fishing fires
glimmered between the waves
- Meaning
- When I went out to look over Saika Bay in the land of Kii, I saw the fishermen's fires glimmering between the waves.
- Commentary
-
Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1194
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed on Journeys"
Going out to look over Saika Bay in Kii, the poet sees the fishermen's fires glimmering between the waves. Capturing the lights flickering on the night sea, it is a landscape poem full of the mood of travel.
The left note says, "The seven poems above are by Lord Fujiwara; the year and month are unknown." Because of a dislocation in the manuscripts, these seven poems are split between poems 1194 and 1195 and poems 1218 to 1222 in this book, all of them poems of a journey to Kii.
The author, "Fujiwara-kyō," is an honorific title for a senior noble of the Fujiwara clan. He is said to be either Fujiwara no Fusasaki or Fujiwara no Maro, and there is no settled view as to whom it refers. Some think the journey to Kii was made in attendance on an imperial progress.
The first line, "In the land of Ki," names Kii Province.
The second line names Saika Bay, north of Waka Bay in Kii, around present-day Saikazaki in Wakayama City.
The third line, "when I went out to gaze," means "when I went out and looked."
The fourth line refers to the fires fishermen light for night fishing.
In the final line, "yu" marks passage: "seen through the gaps between the waves." Poem 1233 in this book ends with the same line.
- Author
- Lord Fujiwara
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Se no yama ni tada ni mukaeru imo no yama koto yuruse ya mo uchihashi watasu
- Next Poem
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Asagoromo kireba natsukashi ki no kuni no imose no yama ni asa maku wagimo