梅の花散らすあらしの音のみに
聞きし我妹を見らくしよしも
聞きし我妹を見らくしよしも
- Roma-ji
-
Ume no hana chirasu arashi no oto nomi ni kikishi wagimo o miraku shi yoshi mo
- English Translation
-
The plum blossoms here
scattered by the storm, whose sound
only I had heard:
so I knew you by report,
and how good at last to see you
- Meaning
- You, whom I had known only by report, like the sound of the storm that scatters the plum blossoms: how good it is to see you at last.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Winter Love Poems 1660
Headnote: "A poem by Ōtomo no Sukune Surugamaro"
The poet rejoices at meeting at last a woman he had known only by report, like the sound of the storm that scatters the plum blossoms. Likening the storm, heard but unseen, to a woman known only by reputation, he expresses the joy of finally meeting her.
The author, Ōtomo no Surugamaro, was an official of the Nara period said to be a grandson of Ōtomo no Miyuki. He is said to have married a daughter of Lady Ōtomo no Sakanoue, and he later served as Inspector of Mutsu, among other posts.
The first line names the plum blossoms scattered by the storm.
The second line means "of the storm that scatters them," and the first two lines form a preface leading to "sound." Ōtomo no Murakami's 1437 in this book also sings of the storm that scatters plum, "never let the storm winds from the mountains scatter you."
The third line means "only by report," playing on the sound of the storm and the talk of people.
The fourth line means "you whom I had heard of."
In the final line, "miraku" means "seeing," and with the emphatic "shi" and exclamatory "mo" it expresses the joy of meeting. Owari no Muraji's 1421 in this book ends with the same line, the joy of seeing a girl gathering spring greens, so the joy of seeing someone is sung in the same words in spring and winter.
- Author
- Ōtomo no Surugamaro
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Maki no ue ni furiokeru yuki no shikushiku mo omooyuru kamo sayo toe waga se
- Next Poem
-
Hisakata no tsukuyo o kiyomi ume no hana kokoro hirakete aga omoeru kimi