妹が目を見まく堀江のさざれ波
しきて恋ひつつありと告げこそ
しきて恋ひつつありと告げこそ
- Roma-ji
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Imo ga me o mimaku Horie no sazarenami shikite koitsutsu ari to tsuge koso
- English Translation
-
Longing for her eyes,
like the ripples in Horie,
"wanting" canal,
tell her that wave on wave
I go on longing still
- Meaning
- Wanting to see my beloved, like the ripples that come again and again in Horie, the "canal of wanting," please tell her I go on longing for her.
- Commentary
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Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3024
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Pivoting on "hori," wanting to see her, and the place name Horie in Naniwa, the poet asks that the beloved be told of a longing that comes again and again like ripples. The wordplay on the place name is its highlight.
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, "imo ga me o," means "my beloved's eyes," seeing someone's eyes meaning to meet.
Line two, "mimaku Horie no," pivots on "hori," wanting to see, and the place name Horie, the canal at Naniwa.
Line three, "sazarenami," means small ripples, and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "shikite," again and again.
Line four, "shikite koitsutsu," means "longing again and again."
Line five, "ari to tsuge koso," means "please tell her I am so," with "koso" expressing a wish.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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