沖つ島い行き渡りて潛くちふ鰒玉もが包みて遣らむ
| oki tu sima iyukiwatarite kaduku tipu apabitama mo ga tutumiteyaramu |
“To the offshore isle We go over And dive,” they say; How I want those abalone pearls To parcel up and send. |
A poem composed praying for pearls, that he might send them to his home in the capital, with tanka.
珠洲の海人の 沖つ御神に い渡りて 潛き取るといふ 鰒玉 五百箇もがも はしきよし 妻の命の 衣手の 別れし時よ ぬばたまの 夜床片さり 朝寢髮 掻きも梳らず 出でて來し 月日數みつつ 嘆くらむ 心なぐさに 霍公鳥 來鳴く五月の あやめぐさ 花橘に 貫き交へ かづらにせよと 包みて遣らむ
| susu nö ama nö oki tu mikamï ni iwatarite kadukitoru tö ipu apabitama ipo ti mogamo pasikiyösi tuma no mikötö nö körömode nö wakaresi töki yo nubatama nö yodoko kata sari asa ne kami kaki mo kedurazu idetekosi tukï pi yomitutu nagëkuramu kökörönagusa ni potötögisu ki naku satukï nö ayamegusa pana tatibana ni nuki mazipe kadura ni se yo tö tutumite yaramu |
The fisherfolk of Susu To the great god’s isle offshore Cross over, Saying they’ll dive for Abalone pearls: I wanted many For my darling Wife, who since Our sleeves Parted In her lily seed dark Bedroom with a curtain drawn back, Morning hair tousled with sleep Untouched, uncombed Since I left Numbering the days and months Does grieve, To ease your heart With cuckoo Calling Fifth Month Iris And orange blossom String in these pearls And make a garland for your head: I wrap them up and send to you. |
渡る日の影に競ひて尋ねてな淸きその道またもあはむため
| wataru pi nö kagë ni kipopite tadunete na kiyoki sono miti mata mo apamu tame |
Against the coursing sun’s Light striving I will search Out the pure Way, So that we might meet again. |
Two poems composed when lying in sickness, saddened by the ephemerality of life, and desiring to follow the Way.
うつせみは數なき身なり山川のさやけき見つつ道を尋ねな
| utusemi pa kazu naki mï nari yama kapa nö sayakëki mitutu miti wo tadune na |
This world of ours Is but a passing thing. A moutain stream’s Clean purity in my gaze, I would find the Way. |
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
A poem expressing the feelings of a frontier guard on parting from his loved ones, with tanka.
大君の 任けのまにまに 島守に 我が立ち來れば ははそ葉の 母の命は み裳の裾 摘み上げ掻き撫で ちちの實の 父の命は 栲づのの 白髭の上ゆ 涙垂り 嘆きのたばく 鹿子じもの ただ獨りして 朝戸出の 愛しき我が子 あらたまの 年の緖長く 相見ずは 戀しくあるべし 今日だにも 言問ひせむと 惜しみつつ 悲しびませば 若草の 妻も子どもも をちこちに さはに圍み居 春鳥の 聲のさまよひ 白栲の 袖泣き濡らし たづさはり 別れかてにと 引き留め 慕ひしものを 大君の 命畏み 玉桙の 道に出で立ち 岡の崎 い廻むるごとに 萬たび かへり見しつつ はろはろに 別れし來れば 思ふそら 安くもあらず 戀ふるそら 苦しきものを うつせみの 世の人なれば たまきはる 命も知らず 海原の 畏き道を 島傳ひ い漕ぎ渡りて あり廻り 我が來るまでに 平けく 親はいまさね つつみなく 妻は待たせと 住吉の 我が統め神に 幣奉り 祈り申して 難波津に 船を浮け据ゑ 八十楫貫き 水手ととのへて 朝開き 我は漕ぎ出ぬと 家に告げこそ
| opokimi nö make nö manimani simamori ni wa ga tatikureba papasoba nö papa nö mikötö pa mimo nö suso tumiagekakinade titi nö mï nö titi nö mikötö pa takuduna nö sirapigë nö upë yu namida tari nagëki nötabaku kakozimo nö tada pitöri site asa to de nö kanasiki wa ga ko aratama nö tösi nö wo nagaku apimizu pa kopïsiku arubësi kepu dani mo kötö topisemu tö wosimitutu kanasibimaseba wakakusa nö tuma mo kodömo mo wotiköti ni sapa ni kakumiwi paru töri nö kowe nö samayopi sirotapë nö sode naki nurasi tadusapari wakare kate ni tö pikitödöme sitapisi monö wo opokimi nö mikötö kasikomi tamapokö nö miti ni idetati woka nö saki itamuru götö ni yörödutabi kaperimisitutu paroparo ni wakaresikureba omopu sora yasuku mo arazu kopuru sora kurusiki monö wo utusemi nö yö nö pitö nareba tamakiparu inöti mo sirazu unapara nö kasikoki miti wo simadutapi ikögiwatarite ari meguri wa ga kuru made ni tapirakeku oya pa imasane tutuminaku tuma pa matase tö suminoe nö a ga sume kamï ni nusa maturi inörimawosite nanipa tu ni pune wo ukesuwe yaso ka nuki kako tötönöpete asa piraki wa pa kögidenu tö ipe ni tuge kösö |
My great lord Gave an order that For an island guard I should go; so Trembling as an oak leaf, My honoured mother Her skirt hem Grasped and brushed me down; Ripe as berries on the tree, My honoured father, A rope of hemp, His white beard, With tears dripping, Sadly said, “Like a fawn, You will be all alone, On your morning leavetaking, My sweet child. A new jewel, The year’s length stretches far, And not seeing you, How we will miss you. If only for today, Let me speak with you.” Constantly regretting, And filled with sadness, So, as young grass, My wife and children Here and there All sitting round, As spring birds They moaned; White mulberry cloth Sleeves wet with weeping, They took my hands Saying, “You can’t go!” Trying to stop me leaving, All my little loved ones: Following my great lord’s Awesome order: On the jewelled spear straight Road I set my foot; Through the headlands of the hills Passing, A myriad times Did I look homeward; By distance far From home parted so, As long as I can feel My pain will not be eased, and As long as I do love Will I feel sorrow; Of this world I am a man, so The soul-ending Life to come I do not know; Over the wide sea’s sweep, Following a fearful path From island to island I go rowing across, Around and round; “Until I return again, Safely Let my parents be; Unplucked, Let my wife await me,” To Suminoe’s Mighty god, I make an offering, Speaking a prayer; In the ferry port at Naniwa Floats my boat, Many oars arrayed, Oarsmen at the ready And with the dawn I’ll go rowing out: Tell them that at home! |