他国によばひに行きて大刀が緒も
いまだ解かねばさ夜ぞ明けにける
いまだ解かねばさ夜ぞ明けにける
- Roma-ji
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Hitokuni ni yobai ni yukite tachi ga o mo imada tokaneba sayo zo akenikeru
- English Translation
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To a far-off land
I went to seek a wife,
and the cord of my sword
I had not yet untied
when the night turned into dawn
- Meaning
- I journeyed to a distant land to court a wife, and before I had even untied the cord of my sword, the night was over.
- Commentary
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Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2906
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
This is a humorous, song-like poem: having traveled to a distant land to court a wife, the man finds dawn has come before he has even untied his sword cord. A similar expression, dawn breaking before the sword cord is untied, appears in the song of the god Yachihoko in the Kojiki.
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, "hitokuni ni," means "to another land."
Line two, "yobai ni yukite": "yobai" means wooing, visiting to court a wife.
Line three, "tachi ga o mo," means "even the cord of the sword hanging at my waist."
Line four, "imada tokaneba," means "before I had untied it," right after arriving.
Line five, "sayo zo akenikeru": "zo" is concluded by the attributive "keru," lamenting that the night has ended.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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