高山の嶺行くししの友を多み
袖振らず来ぬ忘ると思ふな
袖振らず来ぬ忘ると思ふな
- Roma-ji
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Takayama no mine yuku shishi no tomo o ōmi sode furazu kinu wasuru to omou na
- English Translation
-
On the lofty peaks
where the deer go wandering,
my companions many,
I came away without a wave;
do not think I have forgotten
- Meaning
- Like the deer that roam the high mountain peaks, I had many companions with me, and so I left without waving my sleeve. Do not think I have forgotten you.
- Commentary
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Book Eleven Love Poems Ancient and Modern I 2493
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Feelings through Things"
The speaker had so many companions, and so many eyes upon him, that he left without waving his sleeve in farewell, and here he assures his beloved that this was not because he had forgotten her. He sees himself, surrounded by fellow travelers, in the beasts that roam the peaks in herds.
This poem speaks through beasts on the high peaks, following the poems on birds. Poem 2485 in this book also has "if I wave my sleeve, as far as it can be seen," sharing the motif of the waved sleeve as a parting sign.
The author is unknown; according to the left note, the poem comes from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection. That collection is thought to contain both Hitomaro's own poems and poems by others that he recorded. Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet active in the reigns of Empress Jito and Emperor Monmu, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
First line, "takayama no": "of the high mountains," opening with a scene of rugged peaks far from any village.
Second line, "mine yuku shishi no": "like the beasts that roam the peaks." "Shishi" refers to deer, boar and other game. The opening through this line forms a preface that, since such beasts travel in herds, leads into "tomo o omi" in the third line.
Third line, "tomo o ōmi": "because my companions were many." The stem of "oshi" (many) with the suffix "mi" expresses the reason.
Fourth line, "sode furazu kinu": "I came without waving my sleeve." Waving the sleeve was a gesture of farewell and love, and the line explains why it could not be done. The poem pauses here.
Fifth line, "wasuru to omou na": "do not think I have forgotten." "Na" is a prohibitive particle, closing with a firm plea to the beloved.
- Author
- Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Omoi ni shi amari ni shikaba niodori no nazusai koshi o hito mikemu kamo
- Next Poem
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Ōbune ni makaji shiji nuki kogu hoto mo kokoda kouru o toshi ni araba ika ni