柴の庵にとくとく梅の匂ひ来て
やさしき方もある住みかかな
やさしき方もある住みかかな
- Roma-ji
-
Shiba no io ni tokutoku ume no nioikite yasashiki kata mo aru sumika kana
- English Translation
-
To my brushwood hut
swiftly, swiftly the plum scent
comes drifting to me:
there is grace as well, it seems,
in such a humble dwelling.
- Meaning
- The scent of plum has come so quickly to my brushwood hut; even this dwelling, it seems, has its touch of elegance.
- Commentary
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Spring Poems 40
Headnote: "When I was staying at a place called Moriyama in Ise, the plum blossoms gave off a sweet scent at my hut"
According to the headnote, this poem was composed when the poet was staying at a place called Moriyama in Ise and the plum blossoms gave off a sweet scent at his hut. He delights that the fragrance has drifted so early into a rough hut of brushwood, unexpectedly lending it a touch of grace.
The plum scent visiting a frugal life is received as a refinement added to the dwelling. The poem records a small joy in a temporary lodging on the road.
First line, “shiba no io ni”: to my hut roofed with brushwood, a line with an extra syllable.
Second line, “tokutoku ume no”: tokutoku means quickly, early, the scent of plum arriving swiftly.
Third line, “nioikite”: the fragrance drifting in.
Fourth line, “yasashiki kata mo”: a graceful side too, in contrast with the humble hut.
Fifth line, “aru sumika kana”: a dwelling that has such charm, closing with the exclamatory kana.
- Author
- Saigyō
- Source
- Sankashu
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