あしひきの山の黄葉にしづくあひて
散らむ山道を君が越えまく
散らむ山道を君が越えまく
- Roma-ji
-
Ashihiki no yama no momichi ni shizuku aite chiramu yamaji o kimi ga koemaku
- English Translation
-
On the foot-dragging
mountain's autumn-colored leaves,
joined by drops of rain,
they will scatter on the road
that you must cross, my friend
- Meaning
- To think that you must cross the mountain road where the autumn leaves will fall, mingled with drops of rain.
- Commentary
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Book Nineteen 4225
Headnote: none; the left note reads, "The above poem was composed by the Governor, Ōtomo no Sukune Yakamochi, on the sixteenth of the same month, at a farewell for the Junior Clerk Hata no Imiki Iwatake, envoy to the capital with the annual reports"
Composed on the sixteenth day of the tenth month at a farewell banquet for Hata no Iwatake, a junior clerk going up to the capital as envoy with the annual reports, it thinks of the hardships of his journey over mountain roads where autumn leaves will fall together with raindrops.
Ending the poem nominally with "koemaku" (your crossing) leaves the worry unspoken, as a lingering note. The chōshūshi was an envoy who carried reports such as officials' performance evaluations to the capital.
The poet, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, was the son of the Grand Counselor Ōtomo no Tabito. From 746 he served as Governor of Etchū, living at the provincial headquarters in what is now Fushiki, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. He is regarded as the leading poet of the Nara period and is thought to have played a central role in compiling the Man'yōshū.
First line, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word for mountains.
Second line, "yama no momichi ni" (on the mountain's autumn leaves), shows the leaves coloring the hills along the road.
Third line, "shizuku aite" (joined by raindrops), is hypermetric and depicts leaves falling wet with rain.
Fourth line, "chiramu yamaji o" (the mountain road where they will fall): "mu" is conjectural, picturing the traveler's way ahead.
Fifth line, "kimi ga koemaku" (that you will cross it): "maku" nominalizes the verb, closing in an unfinished form that leaves worry lingering.
- Author
- Otomo no Yakamochi
- Source
- Manyoshu
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