高麗錦紐の結びも解き放けず
斎ひて待てど験なきかも
斎ひて待てど験なきかも
- Roma-ji
-
Komanishiki himo no musubi mo tokisakezu iwaite matedo shirushi naki kamo
- English Translation
-
Of Korean brocade,
the knot that ties my cord
I never loosen,
pure and patient I have waited,
yet nothing comes of it
- Meaning
- I have kept the knot of my brocade cord tied and waited in pious abstinence, but to no avail.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2975
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
The poet laments that, though the cord has been kept tied and the waiting done in pious abstinence, the beloved has not come. Following "the knot of the sash" in the preceding poem, it sings of "the knot of the cord," continuing the theme of knots.
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, "komanishiki," brocade from Koguryeo, is a pillow word for "himo," cord.
Line two, "himo no musubi mo," means "the knot of the cord," corresponding to "obi no musubi mo" in the preceding poem.
Line three, "tokisakezu," means "without loosening it."
Line four, "iwaite matedo," means "though I wait in purity and abstinence."
Line five, "shirushi naki kamo," means "there is no effect," lamenting that prayers are in vain and the beloved does not come.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Murasaki no obi no musubi mo toki mo mizu motona ya imo ni koiwatarinamu
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Murasaki no waga shitahimo no iro ni idezu koi kamo yasemu au yoshi o nami