葦辺行く鴨の羽音の音のみに
聞きつつもとな恋ひわたるかも
聞きつつもとな恋ひわたるかも
- Roma-ji
-
Ashihe yuku kamo no haoto no oto nomi ni kikitsutsu motona koiwataru kamo
- English Translation
-
Like the beating wings
of ducks that fly along the reeds,
only the sound of you,
only rumor reaches me,
yet helplessly I love
- Meaning
- Like the sound of ducks' wings flying past the reeds, I hear only rumors of you, yet I go on longing helplessly.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Expressing Thoughts through Things 3090
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Expressing Thoughts through Things"
Using the sound of ducks' wings flying past the reeds as an introduction, the poet sings of helplessly loving someone known only by rumor. The device of linking wingbeats and rumor through the single word "oto," sound, 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, "ashihe yuku," means "flying along the reedy shore."
Line two, "kamo no haoto no," means "like the sound of ducks' wings," and the lines up to here form an introduction leading to "oto."
Line three, "oto nomi ni," means "only the sound," overlapping wingbeats with rumor in the word "oto."
Line four, "kikitsutsu motona," means "hearing it, helplessly."
Line five, "koiwataru kamo," means "I go on longing," a love for someone known only by rumor.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Tōtsuhito Kariji no ike ni sumu tori no tachite mo ite mo kimi o shi zo omou
- Next Poem
-
Kamo sura mo onoga tsumadochi asari shite okururu aida ni kou to iu mono o