今よりは逢はじとすれや白栲の
我が衣手の干る時もなき
我が衣手の干る時もなき
- Roma-ji
-
Ima yori wa awaji to sure ya shirotae no waga koromode no furu toki mo naki
- English Translation
-
From now on, is it
that you mean to meet no more,
that my sleeves
of pure white cloth
are never given time to dry
- Meaning
- Is it because you mean never to meet me again that my white sleeves never have a moment to dry?
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2954
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet's anxiety grows: are the sleeves never dry because the beloved means never to meet again? The surmise that tears flow because of a change of heart reveals love's insecurity.
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, "ima yori wa," means "from now on." Poem 2957 in this book opens with the same line.
Line two, "awaji to sure ya," means "is it because you will not meet me?", with "ya" marking a question concluded by the attributive "naki" in line five.
Line three, "shirotae no," is a pillow word for "koromode," sleeve.
Line four, "waga koromode no," means "my sleeves."
Line five, "furu toki mo naki," means "there is no time to dry," the drying verb read "furu" in the kana line. It expresses anxiety in tears that do not stop.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Kimi ni koi waga naku namida shirotae no sode sae hichite semu sube mo nashi
- Next Poem
-
Ime ka to kokoro madoinu tsuki maneku karenishi kimi ga koto no kayoeba