悔しくも老いにけるかも我が背子が
求むる乳母に行かましものを
求むる乳母に行かましものを
- Roma-ji
-
Kuyashiku mo oinikeru kamo waga seko ga motomuru omo ni yukamashi mono o
- English Translation
-
How it vexes me
that I have grown so old;
my dear husband
seeks himself a nurse,
I'd gladly go to him
- Meaning
- How I regret growing old; otherwise I would gladly go to be the nurse my beloved is looking for.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2926
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
Taking up the joke of the preceding poem, an older woman playfully replies that she regrets being too old to go to him as a nurse. Framed as a lament over age, it closes the exchange with light wit.
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, "kuyashiku mo," means "to my regret."
Line two, "oinikeru kamo," means "how I have grown old," and the poem pauses here.
Line three, "waga seko ga," is a woman's word for the man she loves.
Line four, "motomuru omo ni," takes up "omo motomuramu" from the preceding poem, "to the nurse he seeks."
Line five, "yukamashi mono o," means "I would gladly go," lamenting old age while joining in the joke.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Midoriko no tame koso omo wa motomu to ie chi nome ya kimi ga omo motomuramu
- Next Poem
-
Urabure te karenishi sode o mata makaba suginishi koi i midarekomu kamo