おき明かす露の夜な夜な経にければ
まだき濡るとも思はざりけり
まだき濡るとも思はざりけり
- Roma-ji
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Oki akasu tsuyu no yonayona henikereba madaki nuru to mo omowazarikeri
- English Translation
-
Staying up till dawn
night after night as the dew
settles, I have passed them,
so I never thought of it
as being drenched too soon
- Meaning
- Night after night I have stayed up till dawn, as the dew settles, so I never thought of myself as wet too soon.
- Commentary
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Book Six Autumn Poems II 283
Headnote: "Again."
He says that he has passed night after night staying up till dawn, as the dew settles, and so never thought of himself as wet too soon. Taking up her word "madaki," too soon, he answers that his tears have already gathered over long nights.
The headnote "Again" shows that the poet sent another poem in answer to her reply. From 281 to 284, four poems exchanged between the Minister of the Right, Fujiwara no Morosuke, and Taifu follow one another.
The poet, called "the Minister of the Right," is Fujiwara no Morosuke. The second son of the Regent Fujiwara no Tadahira, he was Minister of the Right when the Gosen Wakashū was compiled. He was called the Lord of Kujō, and his daughter Anshi became empress to Emperor Murakami.
In the first line, "oki" is a pivot word joining "oku," for dew to settle, and "oku," to stay awake: "staying up till dawn." 290 of this book also sets "oki akasu" in its third line.
The second line, "tsuyu no yonayona," means "night after night of dew."
In the third line, "ni" marks completion and "kere" is the perfective form of the past auxiliary "keri": "since I have passed them."
The fourth line, "madaki nuru to mo," means "as being wet too soon," taking up "madaki nururan," the last line of the preceding poem.
The last line, "omowazarikeri," means "I never thought so," with "keri" a sigh of realization.
- Author
- Fujiwara no Morosuke
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Yorozuyo ni kakaran tsuyu o ominaeshi nani omou to ka madaki nururan
- Next Poem
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Ima wa haya uchitokenubeki shiratsuyu no kokoro oku made yo o ya henikeru