いとどしく賤の庵のいぶせきに
卯の花腐し五月雨ぞする
卯の花腐し五月雨ぞする
- Roma-ji
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Itodoshiku shizu no iori no ibuseki ni unohanakutashi samidare zo suru
- English Translation
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In the peasant's hut,
gloomy enough already,
gloomier still,
the early summer rain
that rots the deutzia falls
- Meaning
- Upon the peasant's hut, already gloomy enough, the early summer rain that rots the deutzia keeps falling, making it gloomier still.
- Commentary
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Book Three Summer Poems 178
Headnote: "Composed as a poem on the summer rains when presenting a hundred-poem sequence in the reign of Emperor Horikawa"
Composed on "the summer rains" for the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequence. A peasant's rough hut is gloomy enough already, and now the early summer rain that rots the deutzia keeps falling on it, deepening the gloom. Making use of the word "unohanakutashi," the long rain that rots the deutzia, the poem marks the shift from the deutzia season of early summer to the season of steady rain.
The author, "Fujiwara no Mototoshi," was the son of Minister of the Right Fujiwara no Toshiie. He was ranked alongside Minamoto no Toshiyori in Emperor Horikawa's poetry circle and was the teacher of Fujiwara no Shunzei, compiler of the Senzai Wakashū. His official career was undistinguished, ending at Junior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade.
The last line of this text reads "samidare zo suru," which does not agree with "samidare zo furu" in the reading line. Here the text is followed.
First line, "itodoshiku": "all the more," modifying "ibuseki" in the third line.
Second line, "shizu no iori no": "of a humble person's rough hut." Following "kusa no iori" in the preceding poem, 177, it depicts summer rain on a hut.
Third line, "ibuseki ni": "ibuseshi" means gloomy, oppressive.
Fourth line, "unohanakutashi": the long rain that rots the deutzia. Here the summer rain spoils the deutzia that were sung in 139 through 144 of this book.
Fifth line, "samidare zo suru": "zo" closes with the attributive "suru": "the summer rain falls."
- Author
- Fujiwara no Mototoshi
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Samidare ni omoi koso yare inishie no kusa no iori no yowa no sabishisa
- Next Poem
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Obotsukana itsuka harubeki wabibito no omou kokoro ya samidare no sora