訪ふ人も思ひ絶えたる山里の
さびしさなくは住み憂からまし
さびしさなくは住み憂からまし
- Roma-ji
-
Tou hito mo omoitaetaru yamazato no sabishisa naku wa sumiukaramashi
- English Translation
-
Where even the hope
of someone coming to call
has long since been lost,
were there no loneliness here,
how hard this place would be to live in.
- Meaning
- In this mountain village where I have given up hope of visitors, were it not for its loneliness, it would be hard indeed to live here.
- Commentary
-
Miscellaneous Poems 937
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
Were it not for the loneliness of this mountain village, where I have given up hope of visitors, it would be hard to live here, the poet says. It is a paradox: loneliness is the very meaning of mountain life and something precious to the recluse.
The poem is included among the miscellaneous poems of the Shinkokinshū.
First line, “tou hito mo”: even visitors.
Second line, “omoitaetaru”: given up on, ceased.
Third line, “yamazato no”: of the mountain village.
Fourth line, “sabishisa naku wa”: were there no loneliness.
Fifth line, “sumiukaramashi”: mashi is counterfactual; it would be hard to live in.
- Author
- Saigyō
- Source
- Sankashu
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