時つ風吹飯の浜に出で居つつ
贖ふ命は妹がためこそ
贖ふ命は妹がためこそ
- Roma-ji
-
Tokitsukaze Fukehi no hama ni ideitsutsu akau inochi wa imo ga tame koso
- English Translation
-
On Fukehi beach,
where the tide-wind always blows,
I go out and stand,
and the life I pray to keep
is for my darling's sake
- Meaning
- I go out onto the beach at Fukehi, where the tide winds blow, and pray for my life to be spared; it is all for my wife's sake.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3201
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
A man goes out onto the beach at Fukehi and makes offerings to pray for safe travel, saying it is for none other than his wife. Into the act of praying for safety he puts his longing to see her again.
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, "tokitsukaze," the wind that blows when the tide comes in, is a pillow word for "Fukehi," which shares the sound "fuku," to blow.
Line two, "Fukehi no hama ni," is taken to mean "on the beach at Fukehi" in Misaki, Osaka Prefecture.
Line three, "ideitsutsu," means "going out and staying there."
Line four, "akau inochi wa," means "the life I pray to keep with offerings."
Line five, "imo ga tame koso," means "is for my wife's sake," breaking off for emphasis.
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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