Composed and presented at the maidenflower [poetry] competition at the Suzaku Palace.
つまこふるしかぞなくなる女郞花おのがすむのの花としらずや
| tuma koFuru sika zo nakunaru wominaFesi wono ga sumu no no Fana to sirazu ya | Seeking a mate, A stag is calling; The maidenflowers, In your field Are blossoming, don’t you know? |
Mitsune
躬恒
Hello — Wonderful website. Many thanks for your hard work! —
I have a question for you. Helen Craig McCullough’s translation of this poem (233) is the following: “Yearning for a mate, / The stag utters plaintive cries. / Is he not aware / That in the field where he dwells / the blossoms are maidenflowers ?” How come you disagree on the person expressed here? In other words, why does she have “is he not aware (…)” while you have “don’t you know (…)”? — Have a Happy Holiday! — Guillaume Leduey