限りなきおもひの空に満ちぬれば
いくその煙雲となるらん
いくその煙雲となるらん
- Roma-ji
-
Kagiri naki omoi no sora ni michinureba ikuso no keburi kumo to naruran
- English Translation
-
Because the fire
of my boundless love has filled
all the sky above,
how many plumes of smoke
must have turned into clouds?
- Meaning
- The fire of my boundless love has filled the whole sky—how many plumes of its smoke, I wonder, must have turned into clouds?
- Commentary
-
Book Fifteen Love Poems V 971
Headnote: "In the reign of Emperor En'yū, sent to the Lady Shōshō, a consort"
The poem says that since the fire of my boundless love has filled the sky, how many plumes of smoke must have become clouds? Through the grand exaggeration of the smoke of burning love spreading across the sky to form clouds, the emperor conveys the depth of his love to his consort.
According to the headnote, it was sent to the Lady Shōshō, a consort, in the reign of Emperor En'yū. The next poem, 972, is her reply, and the exchange stands as a pair.
The author, "En'yū-in", is Emperor En'yū, a son of Emperor Murakami who reigned as the sixty-fourth emperor and was called En'yū-in after abdicating. He was the father of Emperor Ichijō.
First line, "kagiri naki," means "boundless." It answers the first lines of 942, "kagiri naku," and 978, "kagiri naku," in this book, all singing of a love without bounds.
Second line, "omoi no sora ni," means "the fire of love in the sky," with the "hi" of "omoi" a pivot word joining "hi," fire. It forms an associated word with "keburi," smoke, in the fourth line.
Third line, "michinureba," means "since it has filled."
Fourth line, "ikuso no keburi," means "how many plumes of smoke," with "ikuso" meaning "how many."
Final line, "kumo to naruran," means "must have become clouds," with "ran" the auxiliary of present conjecture. It closes with the exaggeration of the smoke of love's fire filling the sky as clouds.
- Author
- Emperor En'yū
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Nageki koru yamaji wa hito mo shiranaku ni waga kokoro nomi tsune ni yukuran
- Next Poem
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Sora ni mitsu omoi no keburi kumo naraba nagamuru hito no me ni zo miemashi