朝日さす春日の小野に置く露の
消ぬべき我が身惜しけくもなし
消ぬべき我が身惜しけくもなし
- Roma-ji
-
Asahi sasu Kasuga no ono ni oku tsuyu no kenubeki aga mi oshikeku mo nashi
- English Translation
-
On Kasuga's moor
where the morning sun shines down
the dew lies settled;
this self of mine, about to fade,
I do not grieve to lose
- Meaning
- Like the dew on Kasuga Moor where the morning sun shines, this life of mine about to vanish is nothing I would grieve to lose.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3042
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
A woman sings that, like the dew on Kasuga Moor vanishing in the morning sun, she does not grieve over her own life about to fade, so willing is she to give it for love. The image of dew vanishing in sunlight impresses on us life's fragility.
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, "asahi sasu," means "where the morning sun shines," leading to "Kasuga."
Line two, "Kasuga no ono ni," means "on the moor of Kasuga." Poems 3001 and 3050 in this book also feature Kasuga Moor.
Line three, "oku tsuyu no," means "of the settling dew," and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "kenu."
Line four, "kenubeki aga mi," means "my self about to vanish."
Line five, "oshikeku mo nashi," means "I have no regret," saying life itself is not too much to give for love.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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