明日香川高川避かし越ゑ来しを
まこと今夜は明けずも行かぬか
まこと今夜は明けずも行かぬか
- Roma-ji
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Asukagawa takagawa yokashi koekoshi o makoto koyoi wa akezu mo yukanu ka
- English Translation
-
The Asuka River
in flood I skirted round
and crossed to come here;
truly, on this night at least,
will the dawn not hold away
- Meaning
- I crossed the swollen Asuka River, finding my way around its floodwaters, to come to you; tonight, truly, could the dawn not come?
- Commentary
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Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2859
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
A man who has struggled across the swollen Asuka River to visit his beloved wishes that tonight, of all nights, the dawn would not come. The hardship of the journey only deepens his wish to prolong their time together.
Kakinomoto no Hitomaro was a court poet who served under Empress Jitō and Emperor Monmu. The left note shows that this poem was taken from the Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection, though scholars differ on whether it is Hitomaro's own work or a song he recorded.
Line one, "Asukagawa," is the river flowing through the village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture.
Line two, "takagawa yokashi," means "avoiding the swollen river," describing the hardship of the path to the beloved.
Line three, "koekoshi o," means "since I have crossed over to come," stressing the effort of the journey.
Line four, "makoto koyoi wa," means "truly, tonight of all nights."
Line five, "akezu mo yukanu ka": "nu ka" expresses a wish, "would it not stay without dawning?"
- Author
- Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Collection
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Imo ni koi inenu asake ni fuku kaze wa imo ni shi fureba ware sae ni fure
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Yatsurigawa minasoko taezu yuku mizu no tsugite zo kouru kono toshigoro o