Later, on the second day of the Fifth Month, it appears that everyone, quite losing their composure, decorated their replies extravagantly and even painted pictures beneath them; later, on the seventh day of the same month, because His Majesty sent instructions to the ladies who had been present to compose love poems and attend him, on that day they attended him to present their poems.
ほととぎす待つにつけてもささがにのいづれの世にかしる時ぞ思ふ
hototogisu matsu ni tsukete mo sasagani no izure no yo ni ka shiru toki zo omou
A cuckoo I do await, and yet The tiny crab— On which night is it?— Will know the time, I hope!
Echizen 21
しるし有りてこぬよもあれや時鳥中中かけしくものふるまひ
shirushi arite konu yo mo are ya hototogisu nakanaka kakeshi kumo no furumai
Should there be a sign, Would there really be a night he failed to come, That cuckoo? Truly to be trusted was The spider’s spinning…
In this video I provide some background information on how the old Japanese conducted love affairs, and the role poetry played in them. In addition, I discuss how some of the features of (pre)modern Japanese pose challenges for the translator of waka.
