我が背子にうら恋ひ居れば天の川
夜舟漕ぐなる楫の音聞こゆ
夜舟漕ぐなる楫の音聞こゆ
- Roma-ji
-
Waga seko ni urakoi oreba amanogawa yofune kogu naru kaji no oto kikoyu
- English Translation
-
For my dearest one
as I sit here longing so,
the Heavenly River—
rowing through the night, it seems,
I can hear the sound of oars.
- Meaning
- As I sit longing for my beloved in my heart, I hear the sound of oars—someone rowing a night boat across the Heavenly River.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2015
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem, in the Weaver's voice, tells how while she longs for the Herdsman in her heart, the sound of oars from a night boat crossing the Heavenly River reaches her. In the sound of the awaited one's boat drawing near is the joy of knowing the time of meeting has come. In 2029 too we find "on the Heavenly River I hear the sound of oars," so the motif of knowing the meeting is near by the sound of oars recurs within the series.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet of the Asuka period, active under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note records that this poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, and it is uncertain whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a poem by someone else that he recorded.
The first line, "waga seko ni," uses a woman's word for her beloved, showing the Weaver's voice.
In the second line, "urakoi oreba," "ura" means heart: as I long within my heart.
The third line, "the Heavenly River," names the river the boat crosses.
In the fourth line, "yofune kogu naru," "naru" is the attributive of the hearsay auxiliary "nari," showing that the rowing is known by its sound.
The last line, "the sound of the oars is heard," closes by entrusting joy to the sound of the approaching boat.
- Author
- Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Waga machishi akihagi sakinu ima dani mo nioi ni yukana ochikatabito ni
- Next Poem
-
Makenagaku kouru kokoro yu akikaze ni imo ga oto kikoyu himo toki yukana