君に恋ひ我が泣く涙白栲の
袖さへ漬ちてせむすべもなし
袖さへ漬ちてせむすべもなし
- Roma-ji
-
Kimi ni koi waga naku namida shirotae no sode sae hichite semu sube mo nashi
- English Translation
-
Longing for you,
the tears I weep
have soaked my sleeves
of pure white cloth right through,
and I know not what to do
- Meaning
- The tears I weep in longing for you have soaked even my white sleeves, and I do not know what to do.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2953
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
A woman laments that her tears of longing have soaked even her sleeves and she is at a loss. Through the classic image of tear-soaked sleeves, the poem shows the depth of love's sorrow.
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, "kimi ni koi," means "longing for you."
Line two, "waga naku namida," means "the tears I weep."
Line three, "shirotae no," is a pillow word for "sode," sleeve.
Line four, "sode sae hichite," means "soaking even my sleeves," "hitsu" meaning to be drenched.
Line five, "semu sube mo nashi," means "there is nothing I can do."
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Waga inochi no otoroenureba shirotae no sode no narenishi kimi o shi zo omou
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Ima yori wa awaji to sure ya shirotae no waga koromode no furu toki mo naki