むばたまの夜は恋しき人に逢ひて
糸をも縒ればあふとやは見ぬ
糸をも縒ればあふとやは見ぬ
- Roma-ji
-
Mubatama no yoru wa koishiki hito ni aite ito o mo yoreba au to ya wa minu
- English Translation
-
In the jet-black night
one comes to meet the person
one has longed to see,
and twisted thread too is joined:
do we not call both "to meet"?
- Meaning
- At night one meets the person one longs for, and thread, once twisted, comes together: do we not see both as "meeting"?
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems II 521
Headnote: "In answer"
The poet answers that since at night one meets the person one longs for, and thread when twisted comes together, both are things that "meet," and so both are called "yoru." Responding to Korehira's question in the preceding poem, 520, he brings in yet another pair of same-sounding words, "to meet" a lover and "to join" thread, and links the two senses of "yoru." It is a witty answer that meets a question about words with a play on words.
The author, written as "Mitsune," is Ōshikōchi no Mitsune. One of the compilers of the Kokinshū, he is counted among the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets.
First line, "mubatama no," is a pillow word introducing "yoru," night.
Second line, "yoru wa koishiki," means "at night, the beloved," taking up the night side of the "yoru" in the preceding question, 520.
Third line, "hito ni aite," means "meeting the person," a hypermetric line of six syllables.
Fourth line, "ito o mo yoreba," means "if thread too is twisted," taking up the fourth line of the preceding poem, "ito o mo nado ka," and the twisting side of the question's "yoru."
Final line, "au to ya wa minu," means "do we not see them as meeting? surely we do," with "ya wa" rhetorical. "Au" is a pivot word on "meeting" a person and thread "joining."
- Author
- Oshikochi no Mitsune
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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Kage mireba hikari naki o mo koromo nuu ito o mo nado ka yoru to iu ran
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