波の上ゆ見ゆる小島の雲隠り
あな息づかし相別れなば
あな息づかし相別れなば
- Roma-ji
-
Nami no ue yu miyuru kojima no kumogakuri ana ikizukashi aiwakarenaba
- English Translation
-
Over the waves seen,
the little island far away
hidden in the clouds:
ah, how I will sigh and grieve
once we have parted ways
- Meaning
- Like the little island seen over the waves vanishing into the clouds, ah, how I will sigh once we have parted.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Spring Love Poems 1454
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "A poem [with tanka] sent by Kasa no Ason Kanamura to the envoy to Tang, in the intercalary third month of spring, Tenpyō 5, year of the Water Rooster," envoy
Just as a small island seen over the waves disappears into the clouds, the poet laments that once they part he will do nothing but sigh. It is an envoy to the long poem 1453, sent to an embassy leaving for Tang China in Tenpyō 5 (733); answering the long poem's prayers for a safe voyage, it entrusts the sorrow of parting to the image of the island.
The author, Kasa no Kanamura, was a court poet of the early Nara period who composed many poems while accompanying imperial progresses.
In the first line, "yu" means "across," presenting a scene seen over the waves.
The second line names a small island visible far away.
The third line shows the island hidden by clouds; the first three lines suggest the ship growing distant while leading into the lament of the fourth line.
The fourth line, with the interjection "ana," cries "ah, how I sigh," and the poem pauses here.
The final line is a supposition formed by the perfective "na" with "ba," meaning "if we part," giving the reason for the lament at the end by inversion.
- Author
- Kasa no Kanamura
- Source
- Manyoshu
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