白河の流れを頼む心をば
誰かは空に汲みて知るべき
誰かは空に汲みて知るべき
- Roma-ji
-
Shirakawa no nagare o tanomu kokoro o ba tare ka wa sora ni kumite shiru beki
- English Translation
-
The heart that relies
upon the flowing stream
of Shirakawa —
who could ever draw it up
and know it just by guessing
- Meaning
- Who could ever know, by mere guesswork, the heart that relies on the flowing stream of Shirakawa, as if drawing up its water?
- Commentary
-
Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 377
The poet asks who could fathom by guesswork the heart that relies on the flowing stream of Shirakawa. "Shirakawa" suggests Retired Emperor Shirakawa, and the poem seems to express a heart that relies on his favor, through the associations of a river's flow and drawing water.
The first line, "Shirakawa no," names Shirakawa in Yamashiro Province, suggesting Retired Emperor Shirakawa.
The second line, "nagare o tanomu," refers to relying on the river's flow, overlaid with relying on favor.
The third line, "kokoro o ba," singles out the heart with "o ba."
The fourth line, "tare ka wa sora ni," combines the rhetorical "ka wa" with "sora ni" (by guesswork).
The final line, "kumite shiru beki," overlays drawing water with fathoming a heart and closes "ka wa" with the attributive "beki," a kakari-musubi: no one could know it.
- Source
- Shika Wakashu
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