七夕の飽かぬ別れの涙にや
花のかづらも露けかるらむ
花のかづらも露けかるらむ
- Roma-ji
-
Tanabata no akanu wakare no namida ni ya hana no kazura mo tsuyukekaruramu
- English Translation
-
Is it from the tears
of the Weaver Maid who weeps
at a parting too soon,
that the garland of flowers
too is wet with drops of dew
- Meaning
- Is it because of the Weaver Maid's tears at a parting she cannot bear that even the flower garland in her hair is wet with dew?
- Commentary
-
Book Three Autumn Poems 165
The poet imagines that because of the tears the Weaver Maid sheds at a parting she cannot bear, even the garland of flowers in her hair must be wet with dew. Picturing the heavenly maiden beautifully, he takes the dew on her garland for her tears.
From poem 158 through poem 167 in this book come poems on Tanabata, singing of the yearly meeting of the Herdsman and the Weaver Maid, the custom of lending robes to the Weaver, and the tears of parting at dawn.
The author, Morotoki, is Minamoto no Morotoki. A son of the Minister of the Left Minamoto no Toshifusa, he rose to Provisional Middle Counselor. He is known as the author of the diary Chōshūki and was one of the poets of the Horikawa Hundred-Poem Sequences.
First line, 'tanabata no', refers to the Weaver Maid.
Second line, 'akanu wakare no', means of a parting that comes too soon; like 'the look of reluctance' in poem 163 and 'unsated tears' in poem 167 in this book, it sings of the heart unwilling to part.
Third line, 'namida ni ya', means is it from tears, and the particle ya binds with ramu in the final line.
Fourth line, 'hana no kazura mo', uses kazura, flowers or grasses strung on a cord to adorn the hair, evoking the Weaver Maid's attire.
Final line, 'tsuyukekaruramu', means it must be damp with dew, ramu conjecturing the cause.
- Author
- Minamoto no Morotoki
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Kagiri arite wakaruru toki mo tanabata no namida no iro wa kawarazarikeri
- Next Poem
-
Amanogawa kaesa no fune ni nami kakeyo nori wazurawaba hodo mo fu bakari