筑波山深くうれしと思ふかな
浜名の橋に渡す心を
浜名の橋に渡す心を
- Roma-ji
-
Tsukubayama fukaku ureshi to omou kana Hamana no hashi ni watasu kokoro o
- English Translation
-
As deep as the hills
of Tsukuba, so deeply
glad I am indeed —
for the heart you send to me
like the bridge of Hamana
- Meaning
- As deep as Mount Tsukuba, so deep is my joy at the heart you send across to me, like the bridge spanning Hamana.
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 373
Pairing two famous places of the eastern provinces, the poem seems to express joy — deep as Mount Tsukuba — at the heart of someone who reaches across like the bridge at Hamana. With no headnote the circumstances are unclear, but kindness from someone far away is likened to the heart that spans a bridge.
The first line, "Tsukubayama," names a poetic place in Hitachi Province, whose depth leads to "fukaku" (deeply) in the second line.
The second line, "fukaku ureshi to," means deeply glad.
The third line, "omou kana," ends with the exclamatory "kana," with a break after the third line.
The fourth line, "Hamana no hashi ni," names a poetic place in Totomi Province, the bridge at the mouth of Lake Hamana.
The final line, "watasu kokoro o," uses "watasu" (to span), associated with the bridge, for sending one's heart across, giving by inversion the object of joy.
- Author
- Kyōgoku Kanpaku-ke no Higo
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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