鶯の声に悟りを得べきかは
聞く嬉しきもはかなかりけり
聞く嬉しきもはかなかりけり
- Roma-ji
-
Uguisu no koe ni satori o ubeki ka wa kiku ureshiki mo hakanakarikeri
- English Translation
-
In the warbler's song,
could enlightenment ever
be found and attained?
Even the joy of hearing it
is only a fleeting thing.
- Meaning
- Could one ever attain enlightenment through the warbler's song? Even the joy of hearing it is but a fleeting thing.
- Commentary
-
Miscellaneous Poems 993
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Topic unknown"
Could one attain enlightenment through the warbler's voice? Even the joy of hearing it is fleeting, the poet says, reflecting on his own delight in the lovely song as yet another attachment far from enlightenment. It takes up the warbler of the two poems before.
First line, “uguisu no”: of the warbler.
Second line, “koe ni satori o”: enlightenment through its voice.
Third line, “ubeki ka wa”: ka wa is rhetorical; could one gain it? No; the poem breaks here.
Fourth line, “kiku ureshiki mo”: the joy of hearing it as well.
Fifth line, “hakanakarikeri”: it is fleeting; keri closes with a sigh.
- Author
- Saigyō
- Source
- Sankashu
- Prev Poem
-
Uguisu wa inaka no tani no su naredomo dabitaru ne oba nakanu narikeri
- Next Poem
-
Sugite yuku hakaze natsukashi uguisu ni nazusaikeri na ume no tachie ni