白真弓磯辺の山の松の色の
常磐に物を思ふころかな
常磐に物を思ふころかな
- Roma-ji
-
Shiramayumi isobe no yama no matsu no iro no tokiwa ni mono o omou koro kana
- English Translation
-
White-wood bow—
like the pines upon the hills
by the rocky shore,
ever changeless in their green,
so unchanging are my thoughts.
- Meaning
- Like the unchanging green of the pines on the hills by the rocky shore, so unchanging is my brooding in love these days.
- Commentary
-
Love Poems 441
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Among poems on love"
As the green of the pines on the hills by the shore never changes, so the poet broods on love without ceasing in these days. The evergreen pine carries his constant love.
This poem was included in the Shinchokusen Wakashū. According to the notes in the base text, the Ruijū and Teika texts differ in wording. Here the base text is followed.
Line 1, shiramayumi, "a bow of white wood," is a pillow word for iso by way of iru, "to shoot."
Line 2 means "of the hills by the rocky shore."
Line 3 means "like the color of the pines," with an extra syllable; the first three lines form a preface leading to tokiwa.
Line 4 means "unchangingly, of things."
Line 5: kana is exclamatory. Following the years of the preceding poem, the pine carries an unchanging length of time.
- Author
- Minamoto no Sanetomo
- Source
- Kinkaishu
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Okuyama no sue no tazuki mo iza shirazu imo ni awazute toshi no he yukeba
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Ashigamo no sawagu irie no ukikusa no ukite ya mono o omoiwataramu