恋しきを慰めかねて菅原や
ふしみに来ても寝られざりけり
ふしみに来ても寝られざりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Koishiki o nagusamekanete Sugawara ya Fushimi ni kite mo nerarezarikeri
- English Translation
-
Unable to soothe
the longing in my heart,
to Sugawara,
to Fushimi I came, yet
lying down, I could not sleep.
- Meaning
- Unable to soothe my longing, I came all the way to Fushimi in Sugawara, the place named for lying down, and yet I could not sleep.
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 938
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
The poem says that, unable to soothe my longing, I came all the way to Fushimi in Sugawara, yet could not lie down and sleep as its name suggests. It sings, through a pun on the place-name, of the grief of one who sets out to distract the heart only to spend the night sleepless with longing.
The author, "Shigeyuki", is Minamoto no Shigeyuki, son of Minamoto no Kanenobu, a great-grandson of Emperor Seiwa, and adopted by his uncle Minamoto no Kanetada. After serving as acting governor of Sagami and in other posts he went down to Mutsu and died there. He is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets and is known for the Hyakunin Isshu poem "kaze o itami."
First line, "koishiki o," means "my longing."
Second line, "nagusamekanete," means "unable to soothe it."
Third line, "Sugawara ya," names Sugawara in Yamato Province, where the village of Fushimi lies. "Ya" is an interjectory particle adjusting the rhythm.
Fourth line, "Fushimi ni kite mo," means "even coming to Fushimi," with "Fushimi" a pivot word joining the place-name and "fushi," to lie down.
Final line, "nerarezarikeri," means "I could not sleep," with "re" the irrealis of the potential "ru" and "keri" exclamatory. It laments that despite the name Fushimi, one cannot lie down and sleep.
- Author
- Minamoto no Shigeyuki
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Koishinaba koi mo shine to ya tamaboko no michiyukibito ni kotozute mo naki
- Next Poem
-
Koishiki wa iro ni idete mo mienaku ni ika naru toki ka mune ni shimuran