七夕に今朝引く糸の露をおもみ
たわむけしきを見でや止みなむ
たわむけしきを見でや止みなむ
- Roma-ji
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Tanabata ni kesa hiku ito no tsuyu o omomi tawamu keshiki o mide ya yaminamu
- English Translation
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Like the thread drawn taut
this morning for Tanabata,
heavy with the dew,
must I end without seeing
any sign of you yielding
- Meaning
- Like the thread strung this morning in offering for Tanabata, bending beneath the weight of dew, must my love end without my ever seeing you yield to me?
- Commentary
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Book Seven Love Poems I 208
On the morning of Tanabata, the thread offered to the Weaver Star sags under the weight of dew, and the poet wonders whether his love will end without his ever seeing the beloved's heart bend toward him. The poem deftly turns a scene from the Tanabata festival into a figure of love.
The first line, "tanabata ni" (for Tanabata), refers to the festival of the seventh day of the seventh month, when threads and the like were offered to the Weaver Star in prayer for skill in sewing.
The second line, "kesa hiku ito no" (the thread strung this morning), together with the dew of the third line, forms the scene of a preface.
The third line, "tsuyu o omomi," uses "o" with an adjective stem and "mi" to give a reason: because the dew is heavy.
The fourth line, "tawamu keshiki o" (any sign of bending), overlays the thread sagging with dew on the beloved's heart yielding.
The final line, "mide ya yaminamu," is a kakari-musubi of "ya" and the attributive "mu," anxiously asking whether it will end unseen.
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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