我妹子に衣春日の宜寸川
よしもあらぬか妹が目を見む
よしもあらぬか妹が目を見む
- Roma-ji
-
Wagimoko ni koromo Kasuga no Yoshikigawa yoshi mo aranu ka imo ga me o mimu
- English Translation
-
To my darling girl
I'd lend my robe, at Kasuga's
Yoshiki River;
is there no good way at all?
I long to see my love
- Meaning
- Like the name of the Yoshiki River at Kasuga, where one would lend a robe to one's darling, is there no good way? I long to see my beloved.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3011
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Linking words, from lending a robe to one's wife to Kasuga, and from the Yoshiki River to "yoshi," a means, the poem leads to a longing for some way to meet. Its distinctive feature is an artful introduction built on place names.
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, "wagimoko ni," means "to my darling."
Line two, "koromo Kasuga no," pivots on "kasu," to lend a robe, and the place name Kasuga.
Line three, "Yoshikigawa," is a river at Kasuga, and the lines up to here form an introduction leading by sound to "yoshi," a means.
Line four, "yoshi mo aranu ka," means "is there no way?", with "nu ka" expressing a wish.
Line five, "imo ga me o mimu," means "I want to see my beloved," "seeing the eyes" meaning to meet.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Sahogawa no kawanami tatazu shizukeku mo kimi ni taguite asu sae mogamo
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Tonogumori ame Furu kawa no sazarenami ma naku mo kimi wa omōyuru kamo