栲衾白山風の寝なへども
子ろがおそきのあろこそえしも
子ろがおそきのあろこそえしも
- Roma-ji
-
Takubusuma shirayamakaze no nenaedomo koro ga osoki no aro koso eshimo
- English Translation
-
White mulberry quilt,
in the wind from Shirayama
though I cannot sleep,
it is good to have my girl's
cloak to keep me warm tonight.
- Meaning
- Though I cannot sleep in the wind blowing from White Mountain, how good it is to have my girl's cloak.
- Commentary
-
Book Fourteen Azuma Poems 3509
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Sōmon (Love Exchanges)"
Though the cold wind from White Mountain keeps him awake, the traveler is glad to have the cloak his beloved gave him. A heart that feels warmth in her gift amid the cold is plain.
It is one of the love exchanges. White Mountain is thought by some to be Hakusan in Kaga. Many words are obscure, and there are various readings.
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, "takubusuma": A white bedcover, a pillow word for "white."
Second line, "shirayamakaze no": The wind from White Mountain, thought by some to be Hakusan in Kaga.
Third line, "nenaedomo": "Nae" is an eastern negative: though I cannot sleep.
Fourth line, "koro ga osoki no": "Osoki" is thought to be an outer robe.
Final line, "aro koso eshimo": "Aro" is an eastern form of "aru" and "eshi" of "yoshi": how glad I am.
- Source
- Manyoshu
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