心には厭ひはてつと思ふらむ
あはれいづくも同じ憂き世を
あはれいづくも同じ憂き世を
- Roma-ji
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Kokoro ni wa itoi hatetsu to omouramu aware izuku mo onaji ukiyo o
- English Translation
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Within your own heart
you must think that you have cast
the world off for good,
alas, wherever you go
it is the same world of grief
- Meaning
- In your heart you must believe you have utterly forsaken the world, yet alas, wherever you go it is the same sorrowful world.
- Commentary
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Book Ten Miscellaneous Poems II 629
In their heart, the poet says, the person must think they have cast off the world entirely, yet alas, wherever one goes it is the same sorrowful world. To one who believes they have escaped the world, the poem counsels from the standpoint of the Buddha's Law that the world's sorrows cannot be fled, wherever one may be.
Poem 614 in this book thought of one who had turned from the world to take vows, while this poem questions the very belief that one has cast off the world.
First line, 'kokoro ni wa', means within the heart.
Second line, 'itoi hatetsu to', means that you have cast it off completely, using the perfective tsu.
Third line, 'omouramu', means you must think, closing with the present conjectural ramu; the poem breaks after the third line.
Fourth line, 'aware izuku mo', means alas, everywhere, the interjection aware expressing a sigh.
Final line, 'onaji ukiyo o', means though it is the same sorrowful world, the particle o expressing contrast and trailing off to leave a lingering feeling. It is inverted with the lines before.
- Source
- Kinyo Wakashu
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