水無月の土さへ裂けて照る日にも
我が袖干めや妹に逢はずして
我が袖干めや妹に逢はずして
- Roma-ji
-
Minazuki no tsuchi sae sakete teru hi ni mo waga sode hime ya imo ni awazu shite
- English Translation
-
In the Sixth Month, when
even the earth splits apart
under the blazing sun,
would my sleeves dry? never, not
while I cannot meet my love.
- Meaning
- Even under the Sixth Month sun that blazes until the very earth cracks, would my sleeves ever dry? Not while I cannot meet my beloved.
- Commentary
-
Book Thirteen Love Poems III 825
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that even under the midsummer sun blazing enough to crack the very earth, sleeves wet with tears will not dry while one does not meet the beloved. Invoking the fierceness of the heat, it strongly asserts an endless flow of love's tears through sleeves that still will not dry.
A similar poem is included in Book Ten of the Man'yōshū.
First line, "minazuki no," means "of the Sixth Month" of the lunar calendar, the hottest time of year.
Second line, "tsuchi sae sakete," means "so that even the earth cracks," with "sae" additive.
Third line, "teru hi ni mo," means "even in the blazing sun." Following the summer robe of 823, it sings of a midsummer image.
Fourth line, "waga sode hime ya," means "would my sleeves dry? no," with "ya" rhetorical and a caesura here.
Final line, "imo ni awazu shite," means "while I do not meet my beloved," inverted to show the reason for the fourth line.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
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