わたの底かづきて知らむ君がため
思ふ心の深さくらべに
思ふ心の深さくらべに
- Roma-ji
-
Wata no soko kazukite shiramu kimi ga tame omou kokoro no fukasa kurabe ni
- English Translation
-
To the ocean floor
I will dive to learn it,
to set side by side
the depth of the heart
that loves you, and the sea
- Meaning
- I will dive to the bottom of the sea to find out, so I can measure the depth of my heart's love for you against the depth of the ocean.
- Commentary
-
Book Eleven Love Poems III 745
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet says he will dive to the bottom of the sea to compare its depth with that of his love for her. He presses his case with playful exaggeration, as if to say his love is deeper than the ocean floor.
The poet, listed as "Korenori," was Sakanoue no Korenori. A descendant of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, he served as Assistant Governor of Kaga among other posts. One of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals, his "asaborake ariake no tsuki to miru made ni" is included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.
The first line, "Wata no soko," means "the bottom of the sea."
The second line, "kazukite shiramu," means "I will dive and find out," with "mu" expressing intention. The poem pauses here, in inverted order with the lines that follow.
The third line, "kimi ga tame," means "for you."
The fourth line, "omou kokoro no," means "of the heart that loves."
The last line, "fukasa kurabe ni," means "to compare the depths," that of the sea and that of his heart.
- Author
- Sakanoue no Koreyuki
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
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