筑紫道の荒礒の玉藻刈るとかも
君が久しく待てど来まさぬ
君が久しく待てど来まさぬ
- Roma-ji
-
Tsukushiji no ariso no tamamo karu to kamo kimi ga hisashiku matedo kimasanu
- English Translation
-
On the road to Tsukushi
is it seaweed on the rocky shore
that you're cutting there,
that I wait for you so long
and still you do not come
- Meaning
- Are you cutting jeweled seaweed on the rocky shores along the road to Tsukushi, that I wait so long and still you do not come?
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Poems Lamenting Parting 3206
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Poems Lamenting Parting"
A woman wonders whether her lover is cutting seaweed on the rocky shores along the road to Tsukushi, since he does not come though she waits so long. Taking up the seaweed of the preceding poem, it also hints at anxiety that his heart has strayed on the journey.
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, "Tsukushiji no," means "of the road to Tsukushi."
Line two, "ariso no tamamo," means "the seaweed of the rocky shore," taking up the seaweed of the preceding poem.
Line three, "karu to kamo," means "is it that you are cutting it?", with "kamo" a question concluded by the attributive "nu" in line five.
Line four, "kimi ga hisashiku," means "you, for so long."
Line five, "matedo kimasanu," means "though I wait, you do not come."
- Author
- Unknown
- Source
- Manyoshu
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