逢ふことをその年月と契らねば
命や恋の限りなるらん
命や恋の限りなるらん
- Roma-ji
-
Au koto o sono toshitsuki to chigiraneba inochi ya koi no kagiri naruran
- English Translation
-
Since we never pledged
in what year, in what month
we two were to meet,
is it then my life alone
that will set the bound of love?
- Meaning
- Since we never promised to meet in any given year or month, will the end of my life be the only end this love can have?
- Commentary
-
Book Twelve Love Poems II 714
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Composed as a love poem at a poetry contest held at his house when the Hosshōji Lay Priest, the former Chancellor, was Palace Minister"
Composed as a love poem at the same poetry contest at the house of Palace Minister Fujiwara no Tadamichi as the preceding poem. Since we never pledged a year or month for our meeting, he says, will my life be the limit of this love? With no promise of a meeting, there is no end in sight, and the poem laments a love that seems bound to last until his life runs out.
The author, "Fujiwara no Shigemoto," was an official and poet of the late Heian period. Little is known of his career.
Poem 743 of this book opens with the same first line, "au koto o."
First line, "au koto o": "our meeting." Poem 743 of this book opens with the same line.
Second line, "sono toshitsuki to": "in such a year, in such a month."
Third line, "chigiraneba": "ne" is the perfective form of the negative "zu," and with "ba" it means "since we did not pledge."
Fourth line, "inochi ya koi no": "ya" is an interrogative particle binding with "ran" in the last line.
Fifth line, "kagiri naruran": "ran" is the attributive of the conjectural "ramu," concluding the "ya" of the fourth line, "will my life be the end of love?"
- Author
- Fujiwara no Shigemoto
- Source
- Senzai Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Tamamo karu Nojima no ura no ama dani mo ito kaku sode wa nururu mono ka wa
- Next Poem
-
Koiwataru namida no kawa ni mi o nagen kono yo narade mo ause ari ya to