春秋は変はりゆけどもわたつみの
中なる島の松ぞ久しき
中なる島の松ぞ久しき
- Roma-ji
-
Haruaki wa kawariyukedomo watatsumi no naka naru shima no matsu zo hisashiki
- English Translation
-
Spring and autumn
change and pass away, and yet
out in the wide sea,
on the island there, the pine
stands long and unchanging.
- Meaning
- Though spring and autumn come and go, the pine on the island in the middle of the sea stands on, long and unchanging.
- Commentary
-
Miscellaneous Poems 687
Headnote continued from the preceding poem: "Among miscellaneous poems"
Spring and autumn change one after another, but the pine on the island in the sea alone stands long unchanged. Setting the changing seasons against the unchanging pine, the poet finds something constant amid the world's impermanence.
The Ruijū text and the text transmitted by Teika read line 2 as yukedomo and spell line 5 differently; the text transmitted by Teika makes line 3 watatsuumi no, six syllables. The source as displayed also shows yuku tomo in line 2; it is here read kawariyukedomo.
Line 1 means "spring and autumn."
Line 2 means "though they change and pass," adversative.
Line 3 means "of the sea."
Line 4 means "of the island in its midst."
Line 5 means "the pine endures," zo concluded by hisashiki; against the ruined world of the two preceding poems, it sings of the unchanging pine.
- Author
- Minamoto no Sanetomo
- Source
- Kinkaishu
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-
Izuku nite yo o ba tsukusamu Sugawara ya Fushimi no sato mo arenu to iu mono o
- Next Poem
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Toyokuni no Kiku no hamamatsu oinikeri shirazu ikuyo no toshi ka henikemu