玉葛幸くいまさね山菅の
思ひ乱れて恋ひつつ待たむ
思ひ乱れて恋ひつつ待たむ
- Roma-ji
-
Tamakazura sakiku imasane yamasuge no omoimidarete koitsutsu matamu
- English Translation
-
Like a jeweled vine,
may you go on safe and well;
like mountain sedge,
my thoughts in tangles, longing,
I will wait here for you
- Meaning
- Please go safely on your way; with my thoughts tangled like mountain sedge, I will wait for you, longing.
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3204
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
A woman prays for the safety of a man setting out and says she will wait, longing, her thoughts tangled like mountain sedge. A prayer for his safety and a resolve to wait are joined in one poem.
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, "tamakazura," a fine name for vines, is taken to lead to "sakiku," safely, with the wish that safety may last as long as a vine.
Line two, "sakiku imasane," means "please be safe," with "ne" expressing a wish. The poem pauses here.
Line three, "yamasuge no," is a pillow word for "midare," tangle, since sedge leaves lie in disarray.
Line four, "omoimidarete," means "my thoughts in tangles."
Line five, "koitsutsu matamu," means "I will wait, longing."
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Misago iru su ni iru fune no kogidenaba uragōshikemu nochi wa ainu tomo
- Next Poem
-
Okurete ite koitsutsu arazu wa Tago no ura no ama naramashi o tamamo karu karu