盗人と言ふもことわりさ夜中に
君が心を取りに来たれば
君が心を取りに来たれば
- Roma-ji
-
Nusubito to iu mo kotowari sayonaka ni kimi ga kokoro o tori ni kitareba
- English Translation
-
To call me a thief
is only fair, I confess,
for in dead of night
it was your very heart
that I came here to steal
- Meaning
- It is only fair to call me a thief, for in the dead of night I came to steal your heart.
- Commentary
-
Book Eight Love Poems II 506
Since he came in the middle of the night to steal the beloved's heart, the poet says, it is only fair to be called a thief. Rebuked as a thief for creeping in late at night, he turns the charge aside with wit, saying it was her heart he came to steal.
First line, 'nusubito to', means as a thief.
Second line, 'iu mo kotowari', means it is only fair to say so, the poem breaking after the second line. By inversion the lower verse gives the reason.
Third line, 'sayonaka ni', means in the dead of night, sa being a prefix that smooths the rhythm.
Fourth line, 'kimi ga kokoro o', means your heart.
Final line, 'tori ni kitareba', means since I came to take it, the perfective form of tari followed by ba expressing a cause.
- Author
- Unknown Poet
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
- Prev Poem
-
Kashikamashi yama no shita yuku sazaremizu anakama ware mo omou kokoro ari
- Next Poem
-
Hanaurushi ko ya nuru hito no nakarikeru ana haraguro no kimi ga kokoro ya