人言の讒しを聞きて玉桙の
道にも逢はじと言へりし我妹
道にも逢はじと言へりし我妹
- Roma-ji
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Hitogoto no yokoshi o kikite tamahoko no michi ni mo awaji to ierishi wagimo
- English Translation
-
Hearing the slander
spread by people's tongues,
"even on the road,
jewel-spear road, we'll never meet,"
so you said, my darling girl
- Meaning
- Hearing people's slanders, you told me we would not even meet upon the road, my darling.
- Commentary
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Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2871
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
A man thinks of his beloved who, believing slanderous gossip, refused even to meet him on the road. The closing address in a noun carries complex feelings caught between resentment and lingering love.
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, "hitogoto no," refers to the talk and gossip of others.
Line two, "yokoshi o kikite": "yokoshi" means slander that twists the truth.
Line three, "tamahoko no," is a pillow word for "michi," road.
Line four, "michi ni mo awaji to," means "we will not meet even on the road," with "ji" expressing negative intention.
Line five, "ierishi wagimo," addresses "my darling who said so," ending on a noun and leaving feelings somewhere between resentment and sorrow.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Waga seko ga komu to katarishi yo wa suginu shie ya sarasara shikori kome ya mo
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Awanaku mo ushi to omoeba iyamashi ni hitogoto shigeku kikoekuru kamo