夕暮れの寂しきものは朝顔の
花を頼める宿にぞありける
花を頼める宿にぞありける
- Roma-ji
-
Yūgure no sabishiki mono wa asagao no hana o tanomeru yado ni zo arikeru
- English Translation
-
What is lonely, then,
when the evening shadows fall,
is a house that trusts
in the morning-glory's bloom—
that, I find, is what it is
- Meaning
- What is truly lonely at dusk, I find, is a house that puts its trust in the morning glory's flower.
- Commentary
-
Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Poems IV 1288
Headnote: "When she was living alone and someone sent to ask how she was, she attached this to a morning glory and sent it."
The poet says that what is lonely at dusk is a house that relies on the morning glory. Overlaying herself, living alone with fragile hopes, on the morning glory that withers before noon, she tells of the loneliness of evening.
According to the headnote, while she lived alone someone sent to ask after her, and she attached this to a morning glory and sent it.
The poet is anonymous and the name is not known.
The first line, "Yūgure no," means "at dusk."
The second line, "sabishiki mono wa," means "what is lonely."
The third line, "asagao no," is the morning glory, which blooms at dawn and withers before noon, a figure for transience. It contrasts in time with "dusk" in the first line.
The fourth line, "hana o tanomeru," means "that trusts in the flower," a fragile hope.
The last line, "yado ni zo arikeru," means "is a house, I find," with "zo" closed by the attributive "keru." It ends in the same form as "hodo ni zo arikeru" in the last line of 1264 of this book.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Gosen Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Suzumushi ni otoranu ne koso nakarekere mukashi no aki o omoiyaritsutsu
- Next Poem
-
Hahasoyama mine no arashi no kaze o itami furu koto no ha o kaki zo atsumuru