女郎花なびくを見れば秋風の
吹き来る末もなつかしきかな
吹き来る末もなつかしきかな
- Roma-ji
-
Ominaeshi nabiku o mireba akikaze no fukikuru sue mo natsukashiki kana
- English Translation
-
When I see the maiden
flowers bending in the wind,
even far beyond
to where the autumn wind blows from
my heart is drawn with longing
- Meaning
- Seeing the maiden flowers bend in the wind, I find my heart drawn even to the distant place from which the autumn wind is blowing.
- Commentary
-
Book Four Autumn Poems I 252
Headnote: "Composed on the topic 'Maiden Flowers Yield to the Wind' at the house of the Hosshōji Lay Priest and Former Chancellor"
Composed at the residence of the Hosshōji Lay Priest and Former Chancellor, Fujiwara no Tadamichi, on the topic "Maiden Flowers Yield to the Wind." Seeing the maiden flowers bend in the wind, the poet feels his heart drawn even to the distant place from which the autumn wind comes. Drawing on the tradition of likening maiden flowers to women, he expresses a heart that reaches out even to the source of the wind that sways them.
The author, "Former Middle Counselor Masakane," is Minamoto no Masakane, son of Minister of the Right Minamoto no Akifusa, who rose to Provisional Middle Counselor. He was the father of Minamoto no Masayori.
Where the preceding poem, 251, told of wishing to pick maiden flowers, this one turns its feeling toward the wind that sways them.
First line, "ominaeshi": names the subject, the "maiden flowers" of the headnote's topic, continuing from the preceding poem, 251.
Second line, "nabiku o mireba": the realized condition, "when I see them bend," expressing "yield to the wind" in the topic.
Third line, "akikaze no": "of the autumn wind" that sways the flowers.
Fourth line, "fukikuru sue mo": "sue" is the far place from which the wind comes; "mo" means "even there," beyond the flowers themselves.
Fifth line, "natsukashiki kana": "natsukashi" means drawing the heart, and "kana" is exclamatory.
- Author
- Minamoto no Masakane
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Tsuyu shigeki ashita no hara no ominaeshi hitoeda oran sode wa nuru tomo
- Next Poem
-
Ominaeshi namida ni tsuyu ya okisouru taoreba itodo sode no shioruru