ひたぶるに山田守る身となりぬれば
我のみ人を驚かすかな
我のみ人を驚かすかな
- Roma-ji
-
Hitaburu ni yamada moru mi to narinureba ware nomi hito o odorokasu kana
- English Translation
-
Since I have become
one who wholly spends his days
guarding mountain fields,
it is I alone who stirs
others into taking note
- Meaning
- Now that I have become one who does nothing but guard the mountain fields, it is only I who rouse others — no one comes to rouse me.
- Commentary
-
Book Nine Miscellaneous Poems I 334
Now that he spends his days guarding mountain fields, far from the world, no one visits or writes to him; it is always he who sends word and stirs others, the poet says. Overlaying a field-watcher startling birds and beasts onto sending word to remind others, the poem conveys the loneliness of being forgotten.
The first line, "hitaburu ni" (wholly), means single-mindedly.
The second line, "yamada moru mi to," refers to one who guards fields in the mountains, a life apart from the world.
The third line, "narinureba," is a conditional of certainty with the perfective "nu": since I have become so.
The fourth line, "ware nomi hito o," limits with "nomi": I alone.
The final line, "odorokasu kana," overlays startling birds and beasts with sending word to rouse others, ending with the exclamatory "kana."
- Author
- Nōin
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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Ashikare to omowanu yama no mine ni dani ou naru mono o hito no nageki wa
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Mikasayama sasuga ni kage ni kakuroete furu kai mo naki ame no shita kana