白栲の袖の別れは惜しけども
思ひ乱れて許しつるかも
思ひ乱れて許しつるかも
- Roma-ji
-
Shirotae no sode no wakare wa oshikedomo omoimidarete yurushitsuru kamo
- English Translation
-
The parting of sleeves,
of white cloth sleeves, is hard,
I grieve to lose you,
yet in my troubled thoughts
I let you go away
- Meaning
- Parting our white sleeves was so painful, yet in my confusion I let you go.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3182
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
Though parting sleeves was hard to bear, the poet, in confusion, let the beloved go. It speaks of regret at failing to hold the beloved back, together with the sorrow of parting.
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, "shirotae no," is a pillow word for "sode," sleeve.
Line two, "sode no wakare wa," means "the parting of sleeves," lovers' shared sleeves separating at parting. The same phrase appears in poem 3215 in this book.
Line three, "oshikedomo," means "though it is hard to bear."
Line four, "omoimidarete," means "in confusion."
Line five, "yurushitsuru kamo," means "I let you go," showing regret at not holding the beloved back.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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Shirotae no kimi ga shitabimo ware sae ni kyō musubite na awamu hi no tame
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Miyakohe ni kimi wa inishi o ta ga toke ka waga himo no o no yū te tayuki mo