榊葉の香をかぐはしみ求め来れば
八十氏人ぞ円居せりける
八十氏人ぞ円居せりける
- Roma-ji
-
Sakakiba no ka o kaguwashimi tomekureba yaso ujibito zo matoi serikeru
- English Translation
-
Because the fragrance
of the sakaki leaves is sweet,
I sought it, and came
to find the folk of many clans
gathered in a circle there.
- Meaning
- Drawn by the sweet scent of the sakaki leaves, I came seeking it, and found people of many clans gathered together in a circle.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Kagura Songs 577
The poem says that, drawn by the sweet scent of the sakaki leaves, the poet came seeking it and found people of many clans gathered in a circle. Led by the scent of the sakaki, it depicts people assembling at the kagura and enjoying the rite in harmony. Where the preceding poem, 576, asked about the origin of the rite, this poem sings of the people gathered at the rite now.
This book is devoted to kagura songs, and from its opening poem to 586 come songs sung at the court kagura, with neither author nor headnote recorded. Like the preceding poem, it is related to the torimono songs sung of the sakaki.
First line, "sakakiba no," means "of the sakaki leaves," taking up the same word as the first line of the preceding poem, 576, "sakakiba ni."
Second line, "ka o kaguwashimi," means "because the scent is sweet," with "mi" a suffix expressing cause or reason.
Third line, "tomekureba," means "when I came seeking," with "ba" after the perfective form meaning "when I did so."
Fourth line, "yaso ujibito zo," means "people of many clans," with the binding particle "zo" resolved by "keru" in the final line.
Final line, "matoi serikeru," means "were gathered in a circle," with "ri" an auxiliary of continuing state and "keru" the attributive form of the past auxiliary "keri."
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Sakakiba ni yūshide kakete ta ga yo ni ka kami no mimae ni iwaisomeken
- Next Poem
-
Mitegura ni naramashi mono o subegami no mite ni torarete nazusawamashi o