我が宿の葛葉日に異に色づきぬ
来まさぬ君は何心ぞも
来まさぬ君は何心ぞも
- Roma-ji
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Waga yado no kuzuha hi ni ke ni irozukinu kimasanu kimi wa nanigokoro zo mo
- English Translation
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At my own dwelling
kudzu leaves turn day by day
more and more to red;
you who do not come to me,
what is it that's in your heart?
- Meaning
- The kudzu leaves at my home are turning color more each day—and you who do not come, what is in your heart?
- Commentary
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Book Ten Autumn Love Poems 2295
Headnote: "Love Expressed Through Autumn Leaves"
This poem presses a beloved who does not visit, asking what he means while the kudzu leaves at home turn more each day. Its headnote is "Love Expressed Through Autumn Leaves." The coloring of the kudzu leaves marks how long the speaker has waited for the beloved's visit. Against the kudzu of the hill turning in 2208 of the miscellaneous poems, this sings of the kudzu at home turning, overlaid with resentment toward the beloved who does not come.
The first line, "of my dwelling," names the place.
In the second line, "kuzuha hi ni ke ni," "hi ni ke ni" means more each day.
In the third line, "irozukinu," "nu" marks completion, and the poem breaks here.
The fourth line, "you who do not come," names the one addressed.
The last line, "nanigokoro zo mo," what heart is this?, closes in a pressing question.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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