秋の野に露負へる萩を手折らずて
あたら盛りを過ぐしてむとか
あたら盛りを過ぐしてむとか
- Roma-ji
-
Aki no no ni tsuyu oeru hagi o taorazute atara sakari o sugushitemu to ka
- English Translation
-
On the autumn fields
bush clover laden with dew,
left there unplucked:
its prime, so much to be prized,
shall we let it pass us by?
- Meaning
- Shall we leave the dew-laden bush clover in the autumn fields unpicked, and let its precious prime pass by in vain?
- Commentary
-
Book Twenty Miscellaneous Poems 4318
Headnote: none. Continuing the left note above, this is one of six poems Yakamochi composed while thinking alone of the autumn fields.
Shall we leave the dew-laden bush clover unpicked and let its precious prime pass in vain? The poem regrets the passing of the flowers' prime while he cannot get out into the fields. According to the left note, it is the fourth of the six poems; against the eager "now is the time to go" of the preceding poem, it lays the sigh of one unable to go.
The author, Ōtomo no Yakamochi, son of Ōtomo no Tabito, was at this time Junior Assistant Minister of Military Affairs.
The first line, "aki no no ni," takes up the preceding poem's first line, "akino ni wa," naming the same place.
The second line, "tsuyu oeru hagi o," means "bush clover bearing dew," ou meaning "to bear on oneself."
The third line, "taorazute," "without picking it," speaks of the pleasure of holding the flowers left unfulfilled.
The fourth line, "atara sakari o," uses atara, "regrettably precious": "its wasted prime."
The closing line, "sugushitemu to ka," with the perfective te, volitional mu, and questioning to ka, ends as if reproaching himself: "do we mean to let it pass?"
- Author
- Otomo no Yakamochi
- Source
- Manyoshu
- Prev Poem
-
Akino ni wa ima koso yukame mononofu no otoko omina no hana nioi mi ni
- Next Poem
-
Takamato no akino no ue no asagiri ni tsuma yobu oshika idetatsuramu ka