君を思ふ深さくらべに津の国の
堀江見に行く我にやはあらぬ
堀江見に行く我にやはあらぬ
- Roma-ji
-
Kimi o omou fukasa kurabe ni Tsu no kuni no horie mi ni yuku ware ni ya wa aranu
- English Translation
-
To compare the depths
of my love for you,
in the land of Tsu
I go to see the canal—
is that not what I am doing
- Meaning
- Am I not going to see the canal in the land of Tsu only to compare its depth with the depth of my love for you?
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Love Poems I 554
Headnote: "Reply."
The poet answers that he goes to see the canal in the land of Tsu only to compare its depth with the depth of his love for her. Asked why he goes to Naniwa, he wittily replies that he is going to measure the canal's depth against the depth of his love.
It is a reply to the preceding poem by Tosa. It answers "Naniwa no kata e" in the preceding poem with "Tsu no kuni no horie."
The poet, called "Sadafun," is Taira no Sadafun. A son of Taira no Yoshikaze, he was also called Heichū. Known as a great lover, he is regarded as the hero of the Heichū Monogatari.
The first line, "Kimi o omou," has an extra syllable and means "loving you."
The second line, "fukasa kurabe ni," means "to compare the depths."
The third line, "Tsu no kuni no," means "of the province of Settsu," where Naniwa of the preceding poem lies.
The fourth line, "horie mi ni yuku," means "going to see the canal of Naniwa," comparing its depth with the depth of his love.
In the last line, "ya wa" is rhetorical: "am I not the one?" It has the same form as "hana ni ya wa aranu," which closes 551 in this book.
- Author
- Taira no Sadafun
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Ura wakazu mirume karu chō ama no mi wa nani ka Naniwa no kata e shimo yuku
- Next Poem
-
Ikade kaku kokoro hitotsu o futashie ni uku mo tsuraku mo nashite misuran