針袋取り上げ前に置き返さへば
おのともおのや裏も継ぎたり
おのともおのや裏も継ぎたり
- Roma-ji
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Haribukuro toriage mae ni oki kaesaeba ono tomo ono ya ura mo tsugitari
- English Translation
-
The needle pouch—
I picked it up and set it down
before me, turned it over,
and oh, my, oh my, would you look:
patched up even on the inside!
- Meaning
- I picked up the needle pouch, set it before me, and turned it over—and oh my, even its lining has been patched!
- Commentary
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Book Eighteen 4129
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Four playful poems sent by Ōtomo no Sukune Ikenushi, secretary of Echizen Province."
The poet takes up the needle pouch he has received, sets it before him, turns it over, and finds even the lining patched. With exaggerated astonishment, this playful poem depicts him closely examining the gift.
Ōtomo no Ikenushi was a member of the Ōtomo clan who served as secretary of Etchū while Yakamochi was governor there, exchanging many poems and letters with him. At this time he had been transferred to the post of secretary of Echizen.
First line, "haribukuro": a pouch for keeping needles, the gift from Yakamochi. The following poems 4130 and 4133 also begin with "haribukuro," so the word runs through the playful group.
Second line, "toriage mae ni oki": a greatly hypermetric line of nine syllables that packs in at one stroke the motion of picking up the pouch and setting it down.
Third line, "kaesaeba": "kaesau" means to turn over; with the perfective plus "ba," "when I turned it over."
Fourth line, "ono tomo ono ya": thought to be an exclamation of surprise, though there are various views on its meaning.
Last line, "ura mo tsugitari": "tari" is stative, "even the lining is patched." It is a deadpan ending that can be read either as amazement at fine workmanship or as teasing about a worn old article.
- Author
- Ōtomo no Ikenushi
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
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Kusamakura tabi no okina to omohoshite hari zo tamaeru nuwamu mono mo ga
- Next Poem
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Haribukuro obi tsutsuke nagara sato goto ni terasai arukedo hito mo togamezu