彦星と織女と今夜逢ふ
天の川門に波立つなゆめ
天の川門に波立つなゆめ
- Roma-ji
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Hikoboshi to tanabatatsume to koyoi au ama no kawato ni nami tatsu na yume
- English Translation
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The Herdsman Star and
the Weaver Maiden meet tonight—
at the river-gate
of the Heavenly River there,
waves, never, never rise!
- Meaning
- Tonight the Herdsman Star and the Weaver Maiden meet—O waves, never rise at the crossing of the Heavenly River!
- Commentary
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Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2040
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem prays that no waves rise at the crossing of the Heavenly River where the Herdsman and the Weaver meet tonight. It shows the heart of an earthly person praying for the safety of the stars' meeting. It uses the same phrase as 2029, "the Herdsman Star and the Weaver Maiden meet tonight," and whereas that poem inferred the meeting from the sound of oars, this one prays for the meeting's safety.
The first line, "the Herdsman Star and," names one star.
The second line, "the Weaver Maiden," is hypermetric, setting the two names side by side as in 2029.
The third line, "meet tonight," names the occasion.
In the fourth line, "ama no kawato ni," "kawato" is a river crossing, where the river narrows.
In the last line, "nami tatsu na yume," "na" is prohibitive and "yume" means never; by inversion it strengthens the prohibition at the close.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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