あしひきの山を木高み夕月を
いつかと君を待つが苦しさ
いつかと君を待つが苦しさ
- Roma-ji
-
Ashihiki no yama o kodakami yūzuki o itsu ka to kimi o matsu ga kurushisa
- English Translation
-
On the mountain, trees
grow so tall that the evening moon
is slow to rise;
"when, oh when," I wait for you,
and how painful is the waiting
- Meaning
- As one waits for the evening moon, slow to rise because the mountain trees are so tall, I wait for you, wondering when you will come; how painful it is.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3008
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
A woman sings of the pain of waiting for her lover, as one waits for an evening moon slow to rise over tall trees. The scene of waiting for the moonrise is overlaid with the heart waiting for the beloved.
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, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word for "yama," mountain.
Line two, "yama o kodakami," means "because the mountain trees are tall."
Line three, "yūzuki o," means "the evening moon, slow to appear," and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "itsu ka to."
Line four, "itsu ka to kimi o," means "you, wondering when." Poem 3002 in this book likewise overlays waiting for the moon with waiting for a person.
Line five, "matsu ga kurushisa," means "the pain of waiting," ending on a noun.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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