我妹子が笑まひ眉引き面影に
かかりてもとな思ほゆるかも
かかりてもとな思ほゆるかも
- Roma-ji
-
Wagimoko ga emai mayobiki omokage ni kakarite motona omōyuru kamo
- English Translation
-
My darling's smile,
the line of her painted brows,
float before my eyes,
clinging there, and helplessly
I find her in my thoughts
- Meaning
- My beloved's smile and the line of her painted brows hang before my eyes, and I cannot help thinking of her.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2900
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet sings of the beloved's smile and the shape of her brows floating before the eyes and constantly coming to mind. Concrete details such as her smile and painted brows bring her image vividly to life.
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, "wagimoko ga," means "my darling's."
Line two, "emai mayobiki," names her smile and her painted brows, concrete features of the beloved's face.
Line three, "omokage ni," means "as a vision before my eyes."
Line four, "kakarite motona," means "clinging in my mind, helplessly," with "motona" meaning "for no reason, persistently."
Line five, "omōyuru kamo," means "how she comes to mind."
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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