草枕仮寝の夢に幾たびか
慣れし都に行き帰るらん
慣れし都に行き帰るらん
- Roma-ji
-
Kusamakura karine no yume ni ikutabi ka nareshi miyako ni yukikaeru ran
- English Translation
-
On a pillow of grass,
in the dreams of my passing sleep,
how many times
have I gone back and forth
to the capital I know so well?
- Meaning
- In the dreams of my brief sleep on a pillow of grass, how many times must I go back and forth to the capital I know so well?
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Travel Poems 534
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed as a travel poem"
Like the preceding poem, composed on the topic of travel. In the dreams of my brief sleep on a pillow of grass, how many times do I go back and forth to the capital I know so well? the poet asks. Though the traveler is far away, in his dreams he returns to the capital again and again, showing the depth of his longing.
The author, "Intendant of the Left Military Guards Takafusa," is Fujiwara no Takafusa, son of Provisional Major Counselor Fujiwara no Takasue. He married a daughter of Taira no Kiyomori and, after serving as Intendant of the Left Military Guards, later rose to Major Counselor.
First line, "kusamakura": sleep on the road, leading into "karine" in the second line.
Second line, "karine no yume ni": "karine" is a brief sleep away from home, taking up the dream of the preceding poem, 533.
Third line, "ikutabi ka": the interrogative "ka" closes with the attributive "ran" in the last line.
Fourth line, "nareshi miyako ni": "nare" means to grow familiar and "shi" is the attributive of the past "ki," "to the capital I was used to."
Fifth line, "yukikaeru ran": the present conjecture "ran," "how many times must I come and go there in my dreams?"
- Author
- Fujiwara no Takafusa
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Tabi no yo ni mata tabine shite kusamakura yume no uchi ni mo yume o miru kana
- Next Poem
-
Itsu mo kaku ariake no tsuki no akegata wa mono ya kanashiki Suma no sekimori