春霞井の上ゆ直に道はあれど
君に逢はむとた廻り来も
君に逢はむとた廻り来も
- Roma-ji
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Harugasumi i no ue yu tada ni michi wa aredo kimi ni awamu to tamotōrikumo
- English Translation
-
As spring haze lingers,
from the well there runs a road
straight upon its way,
yet hoping to meet with you
I came round the longer path
- Meaning
- There is a road that runs straight past the well, but I came the long way round, hoping I might meet you.
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1256
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Occasional Poems"
Though there is a road running straight past the well, the speaker came the long way round in the hope of meeting her beloved. The poem shows the touching heart of one trying to meet a lover as if by chance.
It is one of the occasional poems and is regarded as spoken by a woman. "Tamotōri," taking a roundabout way, also appears in poem 1243 in this book. It comes from the Old Poetry Collection. The poet is unknown.
The first line uses "harugasumi," spring haze, as a pillow word for "i" (well), from haze that "lingers" (iru).
The second line, "from the well there runs a road straight," has an extra syllable.
The third line, "straight upon its way," is concessive: "though there is a road."
The fourth line, "yet hoping to meet with you," states her purpose.
The final line uses "tamotōri," the same word as in the third line of poem 1243.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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