隠れ蓑隠れ笠をも得てしかな
きたりと人に知られざるべく
きたりと人に知られざるべく
- Roma-ji
-
Kakuremino kakuregasa o mo eteshi kana kitari to hito ni shirarezarubeku
- English Translation
-
A cloak that hides me,
a hat that hides me as well,
how I wish I had them,
so that no one ever knew
I had worn them and come to you.
- Meaning
- I wish I could get a cloak of invisibility and a hat of invisibility, so that, wearing them, no one would know I had come to you.
- Commentary
-
Book Eighteen Miscellaneous Congratulatory Poems 1192
Headnote: "Sent to someone he was secretly seeing"
The poet wishes he could obtain a cloak and hat of invisibility, so that no one would know he had worn them and come to her. The headnote shows it was sent to a lover he visited in secret. Bringing in the imaginary cloak and hat said to make the wearer vanish, and pivoting on "kitari," "came" and "wore," it entrusts the pain of a love that must avoid others' eyes to a wish out of a fairy tale.
The author, Taira no Kinzane, is a person of whom little is known.
First line, "kakuremino," means "a straw cloak that makes the wearer invisible."
Second line, "kakuregasa o mo," means "and a hat of invisibility too," pairing with "kakuremino" in the first line.
Third line, "eteshi kana," means "how I wish I had them," with "teshikana" a final particle of one's own wish. The poem breaks after this third line.
Fourth line, "kitari to hito ni," is a pivot word: "kitari" means "came" and "wore" the cloak and hat. It links through "to wear" with the third line of the preceding poem, 1191, "kitaru kana."
Final line, "shirarezarubeku," means "so as not to be known," with "zaru" negative and "beku" the continuative form of "beshi," giving the purpose of the wish in the third line in inverted order.
- Author
- Taira no Kinzane
- Source
- Shui Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Ayashiku mo waga nureginu o kitaru kana Mikasa no yama o hito ni kararete
- Next Poem
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Kokoro arite tou ni wa arazu yo no naka ni ari ya nashi ya no kikamahoshiki zo