つまにおふることなし草を見るからに
頼む心ぞ数まさりける
頼む心ぞ数まさりける
- Roma-ji
-
Tsuma ni ouru kotonashigusa o miru kara ni tanomu kokoro zo kazu masarikeru
- English Translation
-
Seeing the plant
of wordlessness that grows
upon the eaves,
my heart that trusts in you
grows the more by far
- Meaning
- Seeing your wordless reply, like the "wordless grass" that grows by the eaves, my heart that hopes to make you my wife only grows the stronger.
- Commentary
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Book Ten Love Poems II 697
Headnote: "When he first sent a letter to someone, there was no reply; she simply tied the paper in a knot and sent it back."
The poet says that seeing a reply without words, like the "wordless grass" growing at the eaves, makes his hope to make her his wife grow all the stronger. He takes the knotted paper returned without a word as a sign of a bond being tied, and his feelings deepen.
According to the headnote, when he first sent a letter to someone there was no reply, and she simply tied the paper in a knot and returned it. Together with the next poems, 698 and 699, it continues an exchange with the same woman.
The poet, called "Minamoto no Moroakira Ason," is Minamoto no Moroakira. A grandson of Emperor Uda and a son of Prince Tokiyo, he served as Middle Counselor.
In the first line, "tsuma" is a pivot word joining "tsuma," the edge of the eaves, and "tsuma," wife: "growing at the eaves."
The second line, "kotonashigusa o," means "the wordless grass," with "kotonashi" suggesting a reply without words.
The third line, "miru kara ni," means "as soon as I see it."
The fourth line, "tanomu kokoro zo," means "my heart that trusts," with "zo" an emphatic particle.
The last line, "kazu masarikeru," means "grows ever stronger," closing with the attributive "keru" in answer to "zo" in the fourth line, a kakarimusubi pattern.
- Author
- Minamoto no Moroakira
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
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