うつせみの常のことばと思へども
継ぎてし聞けば心惑ひぬ
継ぎてし聞けば心惑ひぬ
- Roma-ji
-
Utsusemi no tsune no kotoba to omoedomo tsugite shi kikeba kokoro madoinu
- English Translation
-
Though I tell myself
they are only the common words
of people in this world,
hearing them again, again,
my heart is thrown into confusion
- Meaning
- Though I tell myself they are only the ordinary words people say, hearing them again and again has thrown my heart into confusion.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts Directly 2961
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts Directly"
The poet thinks the beloved's words are just the common phrases of courtship, yet after hearing them again and again the heart has begun to waver. It portrays the start of a love in which one is moved despite one's caution.
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, "utsusemi no," means "of the people of this world," opening with the same line as the preceding poem.
Line two, "tsune no kotoba to," means "as ordinary words," an idea akin to "yo no naka no hito no kotoba to" in poem 2888 in this book.
Line three, "omoedomo," means "though I think so."
Line four, "tsugite shi kikeba," means "hearing them again and again," with "shi" emphatic.
Line five, "kokoro madoinu," means "my heart has been thrown into confusion," describing a heart swayed by repeated words of love.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Utsusemi no utsushigokoro mo ware wa nashi imo o aimizute toshi no henureba
- Next Poem
-
Shirotae no sode karete nuru nubatama no koyoi wa haya mo akeba akenamu