我が命の衰へぬれば白栲の
袖のなれにし君をしぞ思ふ
袖のなれにし君をしぞ思ふ
- Roma-ji
-
Waga inochi no otoroenureba shirotae no sode no narenishi kimi o shi zo omou
- English Translation
-
Now that my life
is waning into age,
it is you, my lord,
whose white sleeves I knew so well,
that I think of most of all
- Meaning
- Now that my strength is fading with age, it is you, whose sleeves I came to know so well, that I think of most.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2952
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
A woman, feeling her life wane with age, says that she thinks above all of the one whose sleeves she has known so long. Among the many poems of young love, this one tenderly sings of affection grown over the years.
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, "waga inochi no," means "my life," a hypermetric line of six syllables.
Line two, "otoroenureba," means "since it has waned," showing an aging body.
Line three, "shirotae no," is a pillow word for "sode," sleeve.
Line four, "sode no narenishi," means "whose sleeves I grew familiar with."
Line five, "kimi o shi zo omou": "shi" is emphatic and "zo" is concluded by the attributive "omou," expressing love for a long-time companion.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Kimi ni koi waga naku namida shirotae no sode sae hichite semu sube mo nashi