あをによし奈良の山なる黒木もち
造れる室は座せど飽かぬかも
造れる室は座せど飽かぬかも
- Roma-ji
-
Aoniyoshi nara no yama naru kuroki mochi tsukureru muro wa masedo akanu kamo
- English Translation
-
Rich in blue-green earth,
from the hills of Nara here,
of unbarked timber
this house has been built, and though
I stay long, I never tire
- Meaning
- This house built of unbarked timber from the hills of Nara: however long I stay, I never tire of it.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Winter Miscellaneous Poems 1638
Headnote: "A poem composed by the Emperor"
The Emperor praises the house built of unbarked timber from the hills of Nara, saying that however long he stays he never tires of it. The note says, "The above, it is reported, was composed at a banquet when the Emperor visited the Saho residence of the Minister of the Left, Prince Nagaya," so it was composed at Prince Nagaya's residence following the preceding poem by the Retired Sovereign.
"The Emperor" in the headnote is taken to be Emperor Shōmu. The author, Emperor Shōmu, was a son of Emperor Monmu and reigned in the Nara period. A devout Buddhist, he built the Great Buddha of Tōdaiji.
The first line, "aoniyoshi," is a pillow word for "Nara."
The second line means "that is in the hills of Nara."
The third line is the same as the third line of the preceding poem: "using logs with the bark left on."
The fourth line also repeats the preceding poem's words, so both poems praise the same house in the same words.
The final line, with the concessive "do" and exclamatory "kamo," praises the host's hospitality: however long I stay, I never tire. Whereas the preceding poem celebrated the lasting prosperity of the house, this one sings the joy of being in it now, so the two poems answer each other.
- Author
- Emperor Shōmu
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Hadasusuki obana sakafuki kuroki mochi tsukureru muro wa yorozuyo made ni
- Next Poem
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Awayuki no hodoro hodoro ni furishikeba nara no miyako shi omooyuru kamo