あしひきの山の山菅やまずのみ
見ねば恋しき君にもあるかな
見ねば恋しき君にもあるかな
- Roma-ji
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Ashihiki no yama no yamasuge yamazu nomi mineba koishiki kimi ni mo aru kana
- English Translation
-
Upon the mountain,
foot-wearying, the sedge grows,
never ceasing so,
when I do not see you, how
I long for you, my beloved.
- Meaning
- Like the sedge upon the mountain, never ceasing, how I long for you whenever I cannot see you.
- Commentary
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Book Thirteen Love Poems III 780
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
Taking up the sound of the mountain sedge, the poem says, "how unceasingly I long for you when I do not see you." Through the echo of "yamasuge" and "yamazu," it moves from the preface to its theme, expressing a longing that swells without pause.
First line, "ashihiki no," is a pillow word modifying "yama," mountain, the fourth in the sequence beginning "ashihiki no."
Second line, "yama no yamasuge," means "the mountain sedge of the mountain." The first and second lines form a preface that, by repeating the same sounds, leads to "yamazu" in the third line.
Third line, "yamazu nomi," means "unceasingly," echoing the sound of "yamasuge."
Fourth line, "mineba koishiki," means "longed for when not seen," with "ne" the perfective form of the negative "zu" and "ba" marking a fixed condition.
Final line, "kimi ni mo aru kana," means "such are you," with "kana" exclamatory.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Ashihiki no Katsuragiyama ni iru koto no tachite mo ite mo kimi o koso omoe
- Next Poem
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Ashihiki no yama koe kurete yado karaba imo tachimachite inezaramu kamo