あら小田に細谷川をまかすれば
引くしめ縄にもりつつぞ行く
引くしめ縄にもりつつぞ行く
- Roma-ji
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Araoda ni hosotanigawa o makasureba hiku shimenawa ni moritsutsu zo yuku
- English Translation
-
Into the rough field
when the narrow valley stream
is let in to flow,
by the sacred rope stretched there
it goes trickling on its way
- Meaning
- When the narrow valley stream is led into the rough, untilled field, the water trickles along beside the boundary rope stretched across it.
- Commentary
-
Book One Spring Poems 73
Before the spring tilling, water from a valley stream is channeled into a neglected field. Capturing the fine detail of water trickling along the rope stretched across the paddy, it is a typical Kin'yōshū poem taking rural scenes as its subject. Poems on paddies and seedbeds follow from here.
The author, Tsunenobu, is Minamoto no Tsunenobu. A son of Minamoto no Michikata, he rose to Major Counselor and was called the Katsura Counselor. In his last years he died at his post as Provisional Governor-General of Dazaifu. He was the father of the compiler, Minamoto no Toshiyori.
First line, 'araoda ni', uses araoda, a rough field not yet tilled.
Second line, 'hosotanigawa o', is a narrow valley stream, also sung in poem 4.
Third line, 'makasureba', means when the water is led in.
Fourth line, 'hiku shimenawa ni', uses shimenawa, a rope stretched to mark an area or bar entry.
Final line, 'moritsutsu zo yuku', means it flows on leaking, zo closing on the attributive yuku.
- Author
- Minamoto no Tsunenobu
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
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