滝つ瀬の渦巻きごとに尋め来れど
なほ尋ね来る世のうきめかな
なほ尋ね来る世のうきめかな
- Roma-ji
-
Takitsuse no uzumaki goto ni tomekuredo nao tazunekuru yo no ukime kana
- English Translation
-
To every whirlpool
of the rapids I have come
seeking refuge, yet
still it seeks me out and comes,
the sorrow of this world
- Meaning
- I have come seeking refuge at every whirlpool in the rushing rapids, yet still it seeks me out and follows—the sorrow of this world.
- Commentary
-
Book Seventeen Miscellaneous Poems III 1239
Headnote: "Topic unknown."
The poet laments that though he came seeking refuge at every whirlpool of the rapids, the sorrow of the world still seeks him out. Even fleeing the world into the depths of the waters, he finds its pain follows wherever he goes.
Following the waterfall poems before it, it brings in the rapids to express a weariness of the world.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known. The text gives the poet as "yomibito mo," but it is treated here as anonymous.
The first line, "Takitsuse no," means "of the rushing rapids." It shares its first line with 1217 and 1235 of this book.
The second line, "uzumaki goto ni," means "to every whirlpool."
The third line, "tomekuredo," means "I came seeking, and yet," with "do" concessive.
The fourth line, "nao tazunekuru," means "still it seeks me out and comes," repeating a verb of the same meaning as "tomeku" in the third line: just as he came seeking, sorrow comes seeking him.
The last line, "yo no ukime kana," is a pivot word on "ukime," both bitter trials and floating on water, overlaying what floats on the whirlpool with the world's sorrows; "kana" is exclamatory.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Imasara ni ware wa kaeraji taki mitsutsu yobedo kikazu to towaba kotae yo
- Next Poem
-
Tarachime wa kakare tote shimo mubatama no waga kurokami o nadezu ya ariken