Plovers before the moon.
玉つしま和歌の松ばら夢にだにまだみぬ月に千どり鳴くなり
| tamatsushima waka no matsubara yume ni dani minu tsuki ni chidori naku nari | Tamatsu Isle’s Pine groves at Waka: Not even in my dreams Have I seen such a moon With the plovers calling. |
633
Category Archives: Personal Collections
Kinkai wakashū 632
Snow between the pines.
雪つもるわかの松ばらふりにけりいく世へぬらん玉つしまもり
| yuki tsumoru waka no matsubara furinikeri ikuyo henuran tamatsushimamori | Snow has drifted between Waka’s pine groves[i]— Grown so ancient— How many ages have you passed, O, Warden of Tamatsu Isle[ii]?[iii] |
632
[i] The ‘pine groves of Waka’ (waka no matsubara 和歌の松原) were located in Ise, but Sanetomo mistakenly associates them with Waka Bay (waka no ura 和歌浦) in Kii—hence his reference to Tamatsushima in the poem.
[ii] In this context, ‘Tamatsu Isle’ (Tamatsushima 玉津島) is understood as referring to Tamatsushima Shrine which is located near the coast in Wakayama. One of the deities venerated at this shrine is Sōtorihime-no-mikoto 衣通姫尊, one of the patron gods of waka poetry, which Sanetomo evokes with his reference the ‘pine groves of Waka’.
[iii] See: Kokinshū XVII: 905.
Kinkai wakashū 631
The moon above the shrine.[i]
月のすむ北野のみやの小松原いく代をかけて神さびにけん
| tsuki no sumu kitano no miya no komatsubara ikuyo o kakete kamisabiniken | So clear the moon above Kitano Shrine’s[ii] Dwarf pine groves— Through how many ages Might they have been venerated?[iii] |
631
[i] The topic here, ‘the moon over the shrine’ (shatō no tsuki 社頭月) was a standard one which could be applied to any poem on this theme, but poets usually had a specific shrine in mind when using it—that is, their poems were intended to describe a specific scene rather than a generic one. Sometimes the context would be supplied by the time and place in which the poem was composed: for example, this is one of the topics used in the Sumiyoshi-sha uta’awase kaō ni-nen (‘Sumiyoshi Shrine Poetry Match – Kaō 2’) held in 1170, so all the poems on it can be understood as describing the moon over Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine. Alternatively, the poet could refer to the shrine in the poem itself, as Sanetomo does here.
[ii] This is Kitano Tenmangū 北野天満宮 in the north of Kyoto, dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane 菅原道真 (845-903), as the deity of learning, Tenman Tenjin 天満天神.
[iii] See: 和我伊能知乎 奈我刀能之麻能 小松原 伊久与乎倍弖加 可武佐備和多流 wa ga inochi / nagato no shima no / komatsubara / ikuyo o hete ka / kamusabiwataru ‘My life! / Upon the isle of Nagato / The dwarf pine groves / Have through how many ages passed? / Ever venerable…’ (Man’yōshū XV: 3621)
Kinkai wakashū 630
Written on a folding screen.
すみのえの岸のひめ松ふりにけりいづれの世にか種はまきけん
| suminoe no kishi no himematsu furinikeri izure no yo ni ka tane wa makiken | At Suminoe The princess pines upon the shore Have grown old; Which was the reign when Their seeds might have been a’planted?[i] |
630
[i] See: Topic unknown. 梓弓いそべのこ松たが世にかよろづ世かねてたねをまきけむ azusayumi / isobe no komatsu / ta ga yo ni ka / yorozuyo kanete / tane o makikemu ‘A catalpa bow, / The dwarf-pine upon the rocky shore / Has through whose lifetimes lived? / “That it last ten thousand ages!” / Was with its seed a’planted, perhaps?’ Anonymous (Kokinshū XVII: 907); and: Topic unknown. 我見てもひさしく成りぬ住の江の岸の姫松いくよへぬらむ ware mite mo / hisashiku narinu / suminoe no / kishi no himematsu / iku yo henuramu ‘Even to my sight / Eternal are / Suminoe’s / Princess pines upon the shore: / How many ages have they passed through?’ Anonymous (Kokinshū XVII: 905)
Kinkai wakashū 629
Frost at a shrine.
さよ深けていなりの山の杉のはにしろくも霜のおきにけるかな
| sayo fukete inari no yama no sugi no ha ni shiroku mo shimo no okinikeru kana | Brief night breaks O’er Inari Mountain, and The cedar needles Turn white with frost A’falling![i] |
629
[i] See: Drinking vessels [mizunomi]. いなり山しるしのすぎの年ふりてみつのみやしろ神さびにけり inariyama / shirushi no sugi no / toshi furite / mitsu no miyashiro / kamisabinikeri ‘Mount Inari’s / Symbolic cedars / Carry years’ weight: / The three sacred shrines / Are venerable, indeed!’ Bishop Yūkei (Senzaishū XVIII: 1178); and: On warblers on the road to the barrier, while at the Poetry Office. 鶯のなけどもいまだふる雪に杉の葉しろき逢坂の山 uguisu no / nakedomo imada / furu yuki ni / sugi no ha shiroki / ausaka no yama ‘The warbler / Has sung, yet still / Falling snow / Turns white the cedar needles / On the mount of Meeting Hill.’ The Senior Retired Emperor (Shinkokinshū I: 18)
Kinkai wakashū 628
名にしおはばその神山のあふひ草かけてむかしを思ひいでなん
| na ni shi owaba sono kamiyama no aoigusa kakete mukashi o omoi’idenan | It’s all in the name:[i] This sacred hill’s Hollyhocks were Hung on that day, long ago, that I wish you would remember…[ii] |
628
[i] This poem is built around a play-on-words: the ‘name’ of hollyhock, aoi 葵 or more precisely, afuhi as it was pronounced at the time Sanetomo was writing, was homophonous with afu hi 逢ふ日 (‘the day we met’). Thus, a more accurate paraphrase of the poem’s meaning would be: ‘Today is the Kamo Festival when “day-we-met” flowers are hung around. When you see them, I wish you would remember that day long ago…’
[ii] See: Composed on hollyhocks. いかなればそのかみ山のあふひぐさとしはふれどもふた葉なるらん ikanareba / sono kamiyama no / aoigusa / toshi wa furedomo / futaba naruran ‘Why is it that / Upon divine Kamo Hill / The hollyhocks / Though years do pass, / Have such twofold leaves?’ Kojijū (Shinkokinshū III: 183)
Kinkai wakashū 627
Composed at the same shrine.
あふひ草かづらにかけて千はやぶるかもの祭をねるやたがこぞ
| aoigusa kazura ni kakete chihayaburu kamo no matsuri o neru ya ta ga ko zo | With hollyhocks For a garland At the mighty Kamo Festival Processing, who might that lad be?[i] |
627
[i] See. Topic unknown. ちはやぶるかもの社のゆふだすきひとひも君をかけぬ日はなし chihayaburu / kamo no yashiro no / yūdasuki / hito hi mo kimi o / kakenu hi wa nashi ‘At puissant / Kamo Shrine / Mulberry cord ties up the sleeves / Every day; and of you / There’s not a single day that I think not.’ Anonymous (Kokinshū XI: 487); and: A sacred poem. 銀のめぬきのたちをさげはきてならの宮こをねるやたがこぞ shirogane no / menuki no tachi o / sagehakite / nara no miyako o / neru ya ta ga ko zo ‘With a silver / Hilted sword / A’dangling from his belt, and / Through the Nara capital / Processing, who might that lad be?’ Anonymous (Shūishū X: 583)
Kinkai wakashū 626
Kinkai wakashū 625
The moon above the riverside.[i]
千はやぶるみたらし川の底きよみのどかに月の影はすみけり
| chihayaburu mitarashigawa no soko kiyomi nodoka ni tsuki no kage wa sumikeri | The mighty Mitarashi River has A bed so pure— Tranquil, the moon’s Light shines clear.[ii] |
625
[i] Even though it is not specified in the headnote, the poem makes it clear that Sanetomo is referring to a specific river, the Mitarashi here.
[ii] This poem shows influence from Shinkokinshū XIX: 1889, and also: Topic unknown. まこもかる淀のさは水ふかけれどそこまで月の影はすみけり makomo karu / yodo no sawamizu / fukakeredo / soko made tsuki no / kage wa sumikeri ‘Reaping wild rice / In the Yodo’s marsh-waters, / So deep, yet / Right down to the bed, the moon’s / Light is clear.’ Former Major Counsellor Masafusa (Shinkokinshū III: 229)
