ころしても猶あかぬ哉ねぬ鳥の
折ふししらぬ今朝の初聲
折ふししらぬ今朝の初聲
- Roma-ji
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Koroshite mo nao akanu kana nenu tori no orifushi shiranu kesa no hatsukoe
- English Translation
-
Even having killed it,
still I am not satisfied—
that sleepless bird
whose first cry this morning
knew nothing of the hour
- Meaning
- Even killing it is not enough—that cock which crowed this morning, heedless of the hour.
- Commentary
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13 The Cock's Crow
Using the closed direction as a pretext, the prince came by carriage to fetch Izumi Shikibu and they talked in the same secluded place as the night before. At dawn, saying how cruel the cock's crow was, he quietly put her in the carriage and saw her home. On the way he said, "On such occasions, always, always," and she replied, "How could it be every time?" He saw her home and then returned.
The woman is Izumi Shikibu, daughter of Ōe no Masamune and, as the wife of Tachibana no Michisada, Governor of Izumi, mother of Koshikibu no Naishi. The Prince of the Dazaifu is Prince Atsumichi, fourth son of Emperor Reizei, so called because he served as Governor-General of the Dazaifu.
A little later a letter came from the prince: "This morning I was so vexed at being roused by that hateful cock that I killed it. Look," along with this poem written on one of the bird's feathers.
Izumi Shikibu replied with "Ikaga to wa ware koso omoe asanasana naki kikasetsuru tori o koroseba," adding, "So I think; but surely the bird was not to blame?"
The opening lines mean "even having killed it, I am still not satisfied," closing in an exclamation. The daring, playful conceit of claiming to have killed the cock and writing on its feather catches the eye.
The remaining lines name "this morning's first cry of the cock, heedless of the hour," ending on a noun; "heedless of the hour" reproaches the bird for crowing without regard for lovers loath to part. Resenting the cock that announces the dawn parting is a traditional conceit of love poetry, and by exaggerating it playfully he conveys the pain of their separation.
- Author
- Prince Atsumichi
- Source
- Izumi Shikibu Nikki
- Prev Poem
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Asatsuyu ni okuru omoi ni kurabureba tada ni kaeran yoi wa masareri
- Next Poem
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Ikaga to wa ware koso omoe asanasana naki kikasetsuru tori o koroseba