佐伯山卯の花持ちし愛しきが
手をし取りてば花は散るとも
手をし取りてば花は散るとも
- Roma-ji
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Saekiyama unohana mochishi kanashiki ga te o shi toriteba hana wa chiru tomo
- English Translation
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On Mount Saeki
holding deutzia flowers,
my dearest one—
if I could but take her hand,
let the blossoms fall as they will
- Meaning
- My dear one, holding deutzia blossoms on Mount Saeki—if only I could take her hand, I would not mind if the flowers scattered.
- Commentary
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Book Seven Miscellaneous Poems 1259
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Occasional Poems"
If only he could take the hand of the dear girl holding deutzia blossoms on Mount Saeki, he would not mind if the flowers scattered. It shows a single-minded love for the girl herself, greater than for the flowers.
It is one of the occasional poems. The location of Mount Saeki is disputed. It comes from the Old Poetry Collection. The poet is unknown.
The first line, "On Mount Saeki," names a mountain whose location is uncertain.
The second line, "holding deutzia flowers," describes the girl.
The third line, "my dearest one," refers to the beloved.
In the fourth line, "if I could but take her hand," "shi" is an emphatic particle.
The final line, "let the blossoms fall as they will," picks up the deutzia of the second line and shows that the person matters more than the flowers.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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