梓弓末の中ごろ淀めりし
君には逢ひぬ嘆きはやめむ
君には逢ひぬ嘆きはやめむ
- Roma-ji
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Azusayumi sue no nakagoro yodomerishi kimi ni wa ainu nageki wa yamemu
- English Translation
-
Like a catalpa bow,
in the middle of our course
you stopped your coming;
now at last we've met again,
I'll put away my sighs
- Meaning
- For a while in the middle you stopped coming, but now at last we have met; I will put an end to my sighing.
- Commentary
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Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 2988
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Having at last met again a lover whose visits had stopped for a while, the poet is relieved and resolves to stop sighing. Among the catalpa bow poems, this is a bright one celebrating reunion.
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, "azusayumi," is a pillow word for "sue."
Line two, "sue no nakagoro," from the tip and middle of a bow, comes to mean "partway, for a while."
Line three, "yodomerishi," means "which had stagnated," the visits having stopped like a river's flow growing still.
Line four, "kimi ni wa ainu," means "I have met you," and the poem pauses here.
Line five, "nageki wa yamemu," means "I will stop sighing," expressing relief at reunion.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Azusayumi hikite yuruenu masurao ya koi to iu mono o shinobikanetemu
- Next Poem
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Imasara ni nani o ka omowamu azusayumi hikimi yuruemi yorinishi mono o