恋ひつつも後も逢はむと思へこそ
おのが命を長く欲りすれ
おのが命を長く欲りすれ
- Roma-ji
-
Koitsutsu mo nochi mo awamu to omoe koso onoga inochi o nagaku horisure
- English Translation
-
Though I go on longing,
it is because I hope
we will meet again
that I find myself wishing
my own life to be long
- Meaning
- Even as I go on pining, it is because I hope we will meet one day that I wish my life to be long.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2868
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
Even in the midst of love's suffering, the poet wishes to live long precisely because of the hope of meeting again. Among many poems lamenting that love shortens life, this one turns hope positively into a reason to live.
The poet is unknown. Book Twelve, titled the second part of "Love Poems Exchanged Old and New," gathers love poems by people whose names have not come down to us, arranged by category.
Line one, "koitsutsu mo," means "even while longing."
Line two, "nochi mo awamu to," means "thinking we will meet later." The words that open poem 2847 in this book are used here as the poet's own hope.
Line three, "omoe koso," means "precisely because I think so," forming a kakari-musubi with the realis "sure" in line five.
Line four, "onoga inochi o," means "my own life."
Line five, "nagaku horisure," means "I wish it to be long," showing that the hope of reunion sustains life itself.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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