家思ふと寐を寢ず居れば鶴が鳴く葦邊も見えず春の霞に
| ipe omopu tö i wo nezu woreba tadu ga naku asibe mo miezu paru nö kasumi ni |
Thinking of home I lie sleepless; The cranes call From the reedbeds – unseen In the springtime haze. |
The above poems were composed by Yakamochi, Lord Ōtomo, Junior Assistant Minster at the War Ministry, on the 19th day.
A poem expressing the feelings of a guard upon the frontier, with tanka.
大君の 命畏み 妻別れ 悲しくはあれど 大夫の 心振り起し 取り裝ひ門出をすれば たらちねの 母掻き撫で 若草の 妻は取り付き 平らけく 我れは齋はむ ま幸くて 早歸り來と 眞袖もち 涙を拭ひ むせひつつ 言問ひすれば 群鳥の 出で立ちかてに とどこほり かへり見しつつ いや遠に 國を來離れ いや高に 山を越え過ぎ 葦が散る 難波に來居て 夕潮に 船を浮けすゑ 朝なぎに 舳向け漕がむと さもらふと 我が居る時に 春霞 島廻に立ちて 鶴が音の 悲しく鳴けば はろはろに 家を思ひ出 負ひ征矢の そよと鳴るまで 嘆きつるかも
| opokimi nö mikötö kasikomi tuma wakare kanasiku pa aredö masurawo nö kökörö puriokösi toriyösöpi kadode wo sureba taratine nö papa kakinade wakakusa nö tuma pa torituki tapirakeku ware pa ipapamu masakikute paya kaperiko tö masode moti namida wo nögöpi musepitutu katarapi sureba muratöri nö idetatikate ni tödököpori kaperimisitutu iya töpo ni kuni wo kipanare iya taka ni yama wo kowsugi asi ga tiru nanipa ni kiwite yupu sipo ni pune wo ukesuwe asa nagi ni pe muke kögamu tö samorafu tö wa ga woru töki ni parugasumi simamï ni tatite tadu ga ne nö kanasiku nakeba paroparo ni ipe wo omopide opisöya nö so yo tö naru made nagëkituru ka mo |
My great lord Gave a dread command: So I parted from my wife, Though filled with sadness; And with a strong man’s Heart steeled myself – That’s what I showed – And when I left my gate, O’er flowing with love, My mother stroked my hair; And, as young grass, My wife held me close; “For you to be in peace, Will I pray, And safely, Quickly return to me,” she said, Her sleeves Wiping away her tears; Swallowing sobs As she spoke; So, like a flock of birds, I could not leave And did delay – Always looking back – Oh, how far Behind have I left my land; Oh, how high The mountains I have passed; Scattered with reeds To Naniwa I come, where On the evening tide Floats my ship; Where in the morning calm We will turn out the prow and row; Waiting quietly, While I am here, The spring haze Around the islands rises and The calls of the cranes Sound sadly; When my distant Home I recall, My bow case Rustling on my back, How I do grieve |
海原のゆたけき見つつ葦が散る難波に年は經ぬべく思ほゆ
| unapara nö yutakëki mitutu asi ga tiru nanipa ni tö pa penubëku omopoyu |
Out across the sea’s Wide sweep I gaze; Among scattered reeds At Naniwa my years I would pass away, I feel. |
The above poems are by Yakamochi, Lord Ōtomo, Junior Assistant Minister at the War Ministry, on the 13th day of the the Second Month.
A private poem expressing my own faint-hearted thoughts, with tanka.
皇祖の 遠き御代にも 押し照る 難波の國に 天の下 知らしめしきと 今の世に 絶えず言ひつつ かけまくも あやに畏し 神ながら 我ご大君の うち靡く 春の初めは 八千種に 花咲きにほひ 山見れば 見の羨しく 川見れば 見のさやけく ものごとに 榮ゆる時と 見したまひ 明らめたまひ 敷きませる 難波の宮は 聞こし食す 四方の國より 奉る 御調の船は 堀江より 水脈引きしつつ 朝なぎに 楫引き上り 夕潮に 棹さし下り あぢ群の 騷き競ひて 濱に出でて 海原見れば 白波の 八重をるが上に 海人小船 はららに浮きて 大御食に 仕へまつると をちこちに 漁り釣りけり そきだくも おぎろなきかも こきばくも ゆたけきかも ここ見れば うべし神代ゆ 始めけらしも
| sumeröki nö t opoki miyö ni mo ositeru nanipa nö kuni ni amë nö sita airasimesiki tö ima nö yö ni taezu ipitutu kakemaku mo aya ni kasikosi kamu nagara wa go opokimi nö uti nabiku paru nö pazimë pa yati kusa ni pana saki nipopi yama mireba mi nö tömosiku kapa mireba mi nö sayakëku monögötö ni sakayuru töki tö misitamapi akirametamapi sikimaseru nanipa nö miya pa kikösiwosu yomo nö kuni yori tatematuru mitukï nö pune pa porie yori miwobikisitutu asa nagi ni kadi pikinobori yupu sipo ni sawo sasikudari adimura nö sawaki kipopite pama ni idete unapara mireba siranami nö ya pe woru ga upë ni ama wobune parara ni ukite opomike ni tukapematuru tö wotiköti ni izari turikeri sökidaku mo ogirönaki ka mo kökibaku mo yutakeki ka mo kökö mireba ube si kamuyo yu pazimëkerasi mo |
An emperor, In a far distant reign, From the blinding light Of Naniwa province, The state, Ruled: Even in our world today, Still the tale is told; The words, fill me with awe: Our divine Empress: At the fluttering Birth of spring, When every Flower blooms with colour; When the mountains Are a rare sight indeed; When the river View is clear and bright; When everything In brilliant bloom Her Majesty saw She was gladdened and Had built The palace at Naniwa, where She rules The four corners of the land; Bringing offerings The tribute boats Ply the canal, Pushed by the currents In the calm at dawn They row upstream and With the evening tide Punt down; As a flock of teal, Rauccously competing, Folk out on the beach, Gaze upon the wide sea’s sweep Where on white breakers, Layer on layer, The little fisher boats Bob about; Her Majesty’s table To supply; Here and there They fish with lanterns; So many, How wide and deep the sea, This extremity Of plenitude: Seeing it, ’tis No surprise that from the age of gods A palace was begun here. |