老いらくの命のあまり長くして
君に二たび別れぬるかな
君に二たび別れぬるかな
- Roma-ji
-
Oiraku no inochi no amari nagaku shite kimi ni futatabi wakarenuru kana
- English Translation
-
In my old age
this life of mine has lasted
far too long, for now
a second time I've had to part
from you, my lord
- Meaning
- Because my aged life has lasted far too long, I have had to part from you, my lord, a second time.
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Poems of Lament 554
Headnote: "Composed around the time Retired Emperor Kazan passed away"
Composed around the time of Retired Emperor Kazan's death. Because my aged life has lasted far too long, the poet says, I have parted from my lord twice. The first parting was in 986, when Kazan took the tonsure and left the throne, and the second in 1008, when he died; the poem conveys an old retainer's deep lament at having lived long enough to suffer parting from his lord twice.
The author, "Fujiwara no Nagatō," was the son of Fujiwara no Tomoyasu, Governor of Ise, and a younger brother of the mother of Major Captain of the Right Michitsuna. He served Retired Emperor Kazan closely and is also known as the poetry teacher of the Monk Nōin. He is one of the Thirty-Six Poetic Immortals of the Middle Ages.
First line, "oiraku no": "oiraku" is growing old, old age.
Second line, "inochi no amari": "amari," "excessively," modifies "nagaku" in the third line.
Third line, "nagaku shite": "because it was long," giving the reason for the lower verse.
Fourth line, "kimi ni futatabi": "kimi" is Retired Emperor Kazan. The two partings are his abdication on taking the tonsure and his death.
Fifth line, "wakarenuru kana": "nuru" is the attributive of the perfective "nu" and "kana" exclamatory, "I have parted from you."
- Author
- Fujiwara no Nagato
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
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Okureji to omoedo shinanu waga mi kana hitori ya shiranu michi o yukuran
- Next Poem
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Hitokoe mo kimi ni tsugenan hototogisu kono samidare wa yami ni madou to