天の川川の音清し彦星の
秋漕ぐ舟の波のさわきか
秋漕ぐ舟の波のさわきか
- Roma-ji
-
Amanogawa kawa no oto kiyoshi hikoboshi no aki kogu fune no nami no sawaki ka
- English Translation
-
The Heavenly River,
how pure the river's sound rings;
of the Herdsman Star
rowing his boat this autumn,
is it the waves' commotion?
- Meaning
- The sound of the Heavenly River is so clear—could it be the stir of waves from the boat the Herdsman rows this autumn?
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Autumn Miscellaneous Poems 2047
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Tanabata"
This poem surmises that the clear sound of the Heavenly River may be the stir of waves raised by the Herdsman's boat. Sensing his crossing in the pure sound, it shows a heart glad that the meeting is near. Against the sound of oars in 2044 and elsewhere, this poem catches the sound of waves raised by the boat, changing the kind of sound heard.
The first line, "the Heavenly River," names the river dividing the stars.
The second line, "the river's sound is clear," is hypermetric, and the poem breaks here.
The third line, "of the Herdsman," names the one rowing.
The fourth line, "the boat rowed in autumn," shows the boat of the Tanabata season.
In the last line, "nami no sawaki ka," "sawaki" means commotion and "ka" is a question, closing by surmising what the sound is.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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