深緑染めけん松のえにしあらば
薄き袖にも浪は寄せてん
薄き袖にも浪は寄せてん
- Roma-ji
-
Fukamidori someken matsu no enishi araba usuki sode ni mo nami wa yoseten
- English Translation
-
If there is a bond
like the branches of the pine
dyed a deep green hue,
then even to my pale sleeves
surely the waves will come
- Meaning
- If there is a bond between us like the branches of the pine, dyed deep green and never changing, then surely the waves will come to my sleeves too, pale as they are.
- Commentary
-
Book Thirteen Love Poems V 931
Headnote: "Sent in reply when a message came from Tosa."
The poet says that if there is a bond like the branches of a pine dyed deep green, the waves will surely come even to his pale sleeves. Overlaying the unchanging color of the pine with an unchanging bond, he expresses his hope that if such a bond exists, her heart will come to him as well.
According to the headnote, it was sent in reply when a message came from Tosa. The next poem, 932, is Tosa's reply, taking up the words pine, waves, sleeves and "enishi" to form an exchange.
The poet, listed as "Sadamoto no Miko," was Prince Sadamoto, a son of Emperor Seiwa.
The first line, "Fukamidori," means "deep green," the color of the evergreen pine.
The second line, "someken matsu no," means "of the pine that was dyed, they say," with "ken," a form of "kemu," expressing hearsay or conjecture about the past.
The third line, "enishi araba," means "if there is a bond," with "enishi" joining "e," the branch of the pine, and "enishi," a bond.
The fourth line, "usuki sode ni mo," means "even to pale sleeves," paired by depth of color with "fukamidori" in the first line.
The last line, "nami wa yoseten," means "the waves will surely come," with "ten," the perfective "tsu" joined to the conjectural "mu," expressing a confident guess.
- Author
- Prince Sadamoto
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Me ni mienu kaze ni kokoro o taguetsutsu yaraba kasumi no wakare koso seme
- Next Poem
-
Matsuyama no sue kosu nami no enishi araba kimi ga sode ni wa ato mo tomaraji