波の間ゆ雲居に見ゆる粟島の
逢はぬものゆゑ我に寄そる子ら
逢はぬものゆゑ我に寄そる子ら
- Roma-ji
-
Nami no ma yu kumoi ni miyuru Awashima no awanu mono yue wa ni yosoru kora
- English Translation
-
Between the waves,
far off against the clouds,
Awashima Isle,
though we never meet at all,
they pair her name with mine
- Meaning
- Like Awashima, glimpsed between the waves far off against the clouds, she has never met me, yet people link her name with mine.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Thoughts Arising on Journeys 3167
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Thoughts Arising on Journeys"
Leading from the name Awashima to "awanu," not meeting, the poet sings of a girl whose name is linked with his though they have never met. It shows feelings somewhere between bewilderment and lingering attachment at gossip that runs ahead of any real meeting.
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, "nami no ma yu," means "from between the waves."
Line two, "kumoi ni miyuru," means "seen far off against the clouds."
Line three, "Awashima no," means "of Awashima," and the lines up to here form an introduction leading through the sound "awa" to "awanu."
Line four, "awanu mono yue," means "though we do not meet."
Line five, "wa ni yosoru kora," means "the girl whose name is linked with mine," lamenting gossip that arises without any real meeting.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Wagimoko o yoso nomi ya mimu Koshi no umi no Kogata no umi no shima naranaku ni
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Koromode no Mawaka no ura no managotsuchi ma naku toki nashi aga kouraku wa