ぬばたまの寐ねてし宵の物思ひに
裂けにし胸はやむ時もなし
裂けにし胸はやむ時もなし
- Roma-ji
-
Nubatama no inete shi yoi no monomoi ni sakenishi mune wa yamu toki mo nashi
- English Translation
-
In the jet-black night
we lay together, and since then
with brooding love
my heart has split apart
and never finds an end to pain
- Meaning
- Since that dark night we slept together, my heart has been torn apart with brooding, and the pain never ceases.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2878
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet laments that, ever since the night they slept together, brooding has torn the heart and the pain will not stop. The violent expression of a heart torn apart conveys the suffering of a love that grows only stronger after a meeting.
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, "nubatama no," is a pillow word leading to "yoi," the night.
Line two, "inete shi yoi no," means "of the night we slept together."
Line three, "monomoi ni," means "from brooding love," read "monomoi" in the kana line.
Line four, "sakenishi mune wa," means "my heart, torn apart." Poem 2894 in this book uses a similarly violent image, "waga mune wa warete kudakete."
Line five, "yamu toki mo nashi," means "the pain never ceases."
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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