秋の野の草も分けぬをわが袖の
物思ふなへに露けかるらん
物思ふなへに露けかるらん
- Roma-ji
-
Aki no no no kusa mo wakenu o waga sode no mono omou nae ni tsuyukekaruran
- English Translation
-
Through the autumn fields
I have not parted the grasses,
so why should my sleeves,
as I sink in brooding thoughts,
grow so wet with dew
- Meaning
- I have not pushed through the grasses of the autumn fields—so why are my sleeves wet with dew as I sink into brooding?
- Commentary
-
Book Six Autumn Poems II 316
Headnote: "Composed as an autumn poem."
The poet wonders why his sleeves grow wet with dew as he broods, when he has not pushed through the grasses of the autumn fields. In the form of a question, it shows that what wets the sleeves is not the dew of the grass but the tears of brooding.
According to the headnote, it was composed as an autumn poem. From 313 to 316, poems follow one another that overlay the dew on the sleeves with tears. This poem is the fourth. 222 of Book Five likewise sings of sleeves wet from parting the dew.
The poet, called "Tsurayuki," is Ki no Tsurayuki. A son of Ki no Mochiyuki, he was the leading compiler of the Kokin Wakashū and wrote its kana preface. He served as governor of Tosa among other posts, is known as the author of the Tosa Diary, and is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
The first line, "Aki no no no," means "of the autumn fields."
In the second line, "o" is an adversative conjunctive particle: "though I have not parted even the grasses."
The third line, "waga sode no," means "my sleeves."
In the fourth line, "nae ni" means "along with": "as I brood."
In the last line, "ran" is an auxiliary conjecturing a cause: "why are they wet with dew?" 278 of this book also sets "tsuyukekaruran" in its fourth line.
- Author
- Ki no Tsurayuki
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Asa goto ni oku tsuyu sode ni uketamete yo no uki toki no namida ni zo karu
- Next Poem
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Ikuyo hete nochi ka wasuren chirinubeki nobe no akihagi migaku tsukiyo o