GSIS XVI: 909

When a man came in the middle of the night, he returned home after hearing that she was asleep; the following morning, on learning what had happened, she composed this in response to the man’s explanation.

ふしにけりさしも思はゞ笛竹の音をぞせまし夜更けたりとも

Fusinikeri
sasi mo omoFaba
Fuetake no
oto wo zo semasi
yo Fuketari tomo
‘Tis true I was abed;
Yet if you’d shown some thought,
A bamboo flute,
You would have blown,
Though the night was lightening!

Izumi Shikibu
和泉式部

2 thoughts on “GSIS XVI: 909”

    1. Yes. I think this would be categorised as engo (‘evocative language’) rather than as a pun as such, but the effect is the same.

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