MYS IX: 1740

A poem, with tanka, on the lad, Urashima, of Mizunoe.

春の日の 霞める時に 住吉の 岸に出で居て 釣舟の とをらふ見れば いにしへの ことぞ思ほゆる 水江の 浦島の子が 鰹釣り 鯛釣りほこり 七日まで 家にも來ずて 海境を 過ぎて漕ぎ行くに 海神の 神の娘子に たまさかに い漕ぎ向ひ 相とぶらひ 言成りしかば かき結び 常世に至り 海神の 神の宮の 内のへの 妙なる殿に たづさはり ふたり入り居て 老いもせず 死にもせずして 長き世に ありけるものを 世閒の 愚か人の 我妹子に 告りて語らく しましくは 家に歸りて 父母に 事も告らひ 明日のごと 我れは來なむと 言ひければ 妹が言へらく 常世邊に また歸り來て 今のごと 逢はむとならば この櫛笥 開くなゆめと そこらくに 堅めし言を 住吉に 歸り來りて 家見れど 家も見かねて 里見れど 里も見かねて あやしみと そこに思はく 家ゆ出でて 三年の閒に 垣もなく 家失せめやと この箱を 開きて見てば もとのごと 家はあらむと 玉櫛笥 少し開くに 白雲の 箱より出でて 常世邊に たなびきぬれば 立ち走り 叫び袖振り こいまろび 足ずりしつつ たちまちに 心消失せぬ 若くありし 肌も皺みぬ 黑くありし 髮も白けぬ ゆなゆなは 息さへ絶えて 後つひに 命死にける 水江の 浦島の子が 家ところ見ゆ

paru nö pi nö
kasumeru töki ni
suminoe nö
kisi ni idewite
turibune nö
töworapu mireba
inisipe no
kötö zö omopoyuru
midunoe no
urasima nö ko ga
katuwo turi
tapi turi pokori
nanuka made
ipe ni mo kozute
unasaka wo
sugite kögiyuku ni
watatumi no
kamï nöo wotöme ni
tamasaka ni
ikögimukapi
apitoburapi
kötö narisikaba
kakimusubi
tokoyo ni itari
watatumi nö
kamï nö miya nö
uti nö pe nö
tapë naru tono ni
tadusapari
putari iriwite
oi mo sezu
sini mo sezu site
nagaki yo ni
arikeru monö wo
yö nö naka nö
oröka pitö nö
wagimoko ni
norite kataraku
simasiku pa
ipe ni kaperite
titi papa ni
kötö mo katarapi
asu nö götö
ware pa kinamu to
ipikereba
imo ga iperaku
tokoyope ni
mata kaperikite
ima nö götö
apamu tö naraba
könö kusigë
piraku na yume to
sököraku ni
katamesi kötö wo
suminoe ni
kaperikitarite
ipe miredö
ipe mo mikanete
sato miredö
sato mo mikanete
ayasimi tö
sökö nö omopaku
ipe yu idete
mi tose nö poto ni
kaki mo naku
ipe useme ya tö
könö hako wo
hirakite miteba
motö no götö
ipe pa aramu to
tamakusigë
sukosi hiraku ni
sirakumo nö
hako yori idete
tokoyope ni
tanabikinureba
tatipasiri
sakebi sode puri
köimaröbi
asizurisitutu
tatimati ni
kökörö ke usenu
wakaku arisi
pada mo siwaminu
kuroku arisi
kami mo sirokenu
yunayuna pa
iki sapë taete
nöti tupi ni
inöti sinikeru
midunoe nö
urasima nö ko ga
ipedökörö miyu
One spring day
When the haze was rising
At Suminoe,
From the coast set out
The fishing boats,
Rocking as I looked at them, and
Of long gone
Matters did I think:
From Mizunoe
Was the lad, Urashima,
Fishing for bonito,
Fishing for bream his skill;
After seven days,
He went not home:
Beyond the sea-bounds
He went rowing on, and
The Sea-God’s
Divine daughter
By chance
When rowing, he came upon her,
They did talk together;
When with plighted troth
They were bound together
They travelled to the eternal world,
The Sea-God’s
Divine palace:
To the inmost part of
That fabulous hall,
Hand-in-hand
The two went in;
Ageless,
Deathless,
As the years passed
He remained there, but
He was of this world,
The foolish man,
And to his darling
Said,
“For just a while,
I would go home, and
To my mother and my father
Tell my tale;
As quick as comes tomorrow
I’ll return.”
When he spoke,
His wife replied,
“If to the eternal land
You would return again
As now
And would meet with me,
This comb-box
You must take care not to open,”
Many, many times
She told him strictly, then
To Suminoe
He returned, and
Though he looked for his home,
He could not find it, and
Though he looked for his village,
He could not find it;
“How odd!”
He thought upon it,
“I left my house
Some three years back,
Yet there’s no fence, and
How could my house vanish?
This box,
If I open it and have a look,
All will be as before,
My house will be there.”
When the jewelled comb box
He opened but a crack,
A white cloud
Came from within and
To the Eternal world
Streamed away;
He ran after,
Crying out and waving sleeves, then
Threw himself down,
Beating his feet upon the ground;
Suddenly,
His vigour vanished
His young
Skin, with wrinkles covered;
His black
Hair, turned white,
After a while
Even breath faded,
Eventually
Life died;
From Mizunoe
The lad, Urashima:
I can see his home.

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