織女の五百機立てて織る布の
秋さり衣誰れか取り見む
秋さり衣誰れか取り見む
- Roma-ji
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Tanabata no iohata tatete oru nuno no akisarigoromo tare ka torimimu
- English Translation
-
The Weaver Maiden
sets up looms by hundreds strong,
weaving out the cloth—
robes for autumn coming on,
who will take them up to see?
- Meaning
- The autumn robes made from cloth the Weaver Maiden weaves on her countless looms—who will take them up and look at them?
- Commentary
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Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2034
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem wonders who will take up the autumn robes made from the cloth the Weaver weaves on her many looms, and it stands at the head of the Tanabata poems not from the Hitomaro Collection. The Weaver's devoted weaving is overlaid with her thoughts for the Herdsman who will wear the robes. Like 2027 and 2028, it sings of the Weaver's weaving.
The first line, "the Weaver Maiden," names the Weaver Star.
The second line, "setting up five hundred looms," exaggerates her devoted weaving.
The third line, "the cloth she weaves," names the work.
The fourth line, "akisarigoromo," means a robe to be worn when autumn comes.
In the last line, "tare ka torimimu," "ka" is an interrogative particle in kakari-musubi with the attributive "mu," closing with thoughts of who will receive the robes.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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