Jewelled thread of life.
したにのみおもへばくるし玉のをのたえてみだれん人なとがめそ
shita ni nomi omoeba kurushi tama no o no taete midaren hito na togame so | Simply beneath the surface Lies my passion, so ‘tis painful— My jewelled thread of life Might snap in tangles and Let no one blame me for it![i] |
Tomonori
[i] A minor variant of this poem, which replaces omeba (feel [passion, so’] with koureba (‘feel love, so’) occurs in Kokinshū (XIII: 677).
Composed when he presented a Hundred Poem Sequence to former Emperor Sutoku.
たつたひめかざしのたまのををよわみみだれにけりとみゆるしらつゆ
tatutaFime kazasi no tama no wo wo yowami midarenikeri to miyuru siratuyu | Princess Tatsuta’s Jewelled hairpin Has threads so frail that Confused do Appear the silver dewdrops. |
Lord Fujiwara no Kiyosuke
A poem from the Poetry Contest held by the Empress Dowager during the Reign of the Kanpyō Emperor.
しぬる命いきもやすると心みに玉のをばかりあはむといはなむ
sinuru inoti iki mo ya suru to kokoromi ni tama no wo bakari aFamu to iFanamu | I have died for love of you, but Might life return? Try, if only as A fragile jewelled thread, and Say that you will meet with me! |
Fujiwara no Okikaze
Zithers 筝
玉の緒はたえしもせぬをひく人もなきことをのみもたるみぞうき
tama no o wa tae shimo senu o hiku hito mo naki koto o nomi motaru mi zo uki | My jewelled thread of life, Stretches on, unending, with No one to pluck it, Simply, a having a zither Makes me desolate, indeed! |
Tadafusa
下にのみ恋ひ渡りしを玉の緒の乱れて今日ぞ人に知らるる
sita ni nomi
koFiwatarisi wo
tama no wo no
midarete keFu zo
Fito ni siraruru |
Simply hidden
Has been my journey of love, and that
My jewelled thread of live
Is tangled today of all
I would have her know! |
Fujiwara no Akinaka
藤原顕仲
Left.
君が世にあはずは何を玉の緒のながくとまではおしまれじ身を
kimi ga yo ni
awazu wa nani o
tama no o no
nagaku to made wa
oshimareji mi o |
My Lord’s reign:
‘Without it, why should,
My jewelled thread of life
Be lengthened more?’ Even for such a thought
Have I no regrets. |
187
Right (Win).
思ふことむなしき夢の半天にたゆともたゆなつらき玉の緒
omou koto
munashiki yume no
nakazora ni
tayutomo tayuna
tsuraki tama no o |
All my thoughts are just an
Empty dream within
The hollow heavens:
Though it endures, let it not!
My jewelled thread of life… |
188
Left (Tie).
たれもこのあはれみじかき玉の緒に亂れてものを思はずもがな
tare mo kono
aware mijikaki
tama no o ni
midarete mono o
omowazu mogana |
There’s none who this
Pitifully short
Jewelled thread of life
A tangle could
Not think! |
125
Right (Tie).
いかゞせむありしわかれを限にて此世ながらの心かはらば
ikaga semu
arishi wakare o
kagiri nite
kono yo nagara no
kokoro kawaraba |
What is to be done?
That past parting was
Our end, yet
Here within this world,
Should our hearts change… |
126
'Simply moving and elegant'