めづらしき人に見せむと黄葉を
手折りぞ我が来し雨の降らくに
手折りぞ我が来し雨の降らくに
- Roma-ji
-
Mezurashiki hito ni misemu to momichiba o taori zo waga koshi ame no furaku ni
- English Translation
-
To my cherished guests,
thinking I would show them these,
the autumn leaves
I have broken off and brought,
though the rain was falling down
- Meaning
- To show them to my cherished guests, I have come carrying autumn leaves I picked, even though the rain was falling.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 1582
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Eleven poems from the banquet gathered by Tachibana no Ason Naramaro"
The poet says he has come carrying autumn leaves he picked in the rain, to show them to his cherished guests. As host of the banquet, he entrusts to the leaves his care in welcoming his guests. The note says, "The above two poems are by Tachibana no Ason Naramaro."
The author, Tachibana no Naramaro, was a son of Tachibana no Moroe. He later plotted to overthrow Fujiwara no Nakamaro, failed, and was arrested.
The first line, "mezurashiki," means "cherished, admirable," referring to the guests of the banquet.
The second line means "to show them to the guests."
The third line names the autumn leaves picked in the rain.
The fourth line forms a kakari-musubi between "zo" and "shi," the attributive of the past "ki," stressing "I picked them and came," and the poem pauses here.
The final line, "though the rain was falling," names his trouble at the end by inversion. The next poem, 1583, answers from the side of a guest who came wet with showers, taking up these leaves.
- Author
- Tachibana no Naramaro
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Taorazute chirinaba oshi to waga omoishi aki no momichi o kazashitsuru kamo
- Next Poem
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Momichiba o chirasu shigure ni nurete kite kimi ga momichi o kazashitsuru kamo