さ衣の小筑波嶺ろの山の崎
忘ら来ばこそ汝を懸けなはめ
忘ら来ばこそ汝を懸けなはめ
- Roma-ji
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Sagoromo no ozukubanero no yama no saki wasurakoba koso na o kakenawame
- English Translation
-
Fine robe's cord, Little—
Little Tsukuba's high peaks,
their jutting shoulders:
if I had come forgetting you,
I would not hold you in my heart.
- Meaning
- Rounding the shoulder of Little Tsukuba's peak, if I had come away forgetting you, I would not keep you in my heart—but I cannot forget.
- Commentary
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Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3394
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Rounding the spur of Mount Tsukuba on his way, the singer says that if he could forget his beloved at home he would not keep her in mind—turning his unforgettable longing inside out with a counterfactual turn of phrase.
It is one of the Hitachi poems. "Ozukuba," Little Tsukuba, is thought to be an affectionate name for Mount Tsukuba, and in this book 3395 and 3396 also begin with "Ozukuba," making three in a row.
The poet is unknown. The Azuma uta are thought to have been sung among the people of the eastern provinces, and they are marked by plain, open-hearted expression mixed with local dialect.
First line, "sagoromo no": "Sagoromo no" is thought to be a pillow word for "Ozukuba," through the sound "o" (cord).
Second line, "ozukubanero no": "O" is an affectionate prefix, and "nero" is an eastern word for peak. The next two poems also sing of Little Tsukuba.
Third line, "yama no saki": The jutting edge of a mountain, its spur, which the traveler rounds on his way.
Fourth line, "wasurakoba koso": "Wasura" is an eastern form of "wasure," and "koso" is a binding particle answered by the perfective "me" in the last line.
Final line, "na o kakenawame": "Kakenawa" is an eastern form of "kakezu," not keeping in mind; "me" completes the "koso" binding.
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Tsukubane no otemo konomo ni moribe sue haha i moredomo tama zo ainikeru
- Next Poem
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Ozukuba no nero ni tsukutashi aidayo wa sawada narinu o mata netemu kamo