na ni shi owaba sono kamiyama no aoigusa kakete mukashi o omoi’idenan
It’s all in the name:[i] This sacred hill’s Hollyhocks were Hung on that day, long ago, that I wish you would remember…[ii]
628
[i] This poem is built around a play-on-words: the ‘name’ of hollyhock, aoi 葵 or more precisely, afuhi as it was pronounced at the time Sanetomo was writing, was homophonous with afu hi 逢ふ日 (‘the day we met’). Thus, a more accurate paraphrase of the poem’s meaning would be: ‘Today is the Kamo Festival when “day-we-met” flowers are hung around. When you see them, I wish you would remember that day long ago…’
[ii] See: Composed on hollyhocks. いかなればそのかみ山のあふひぐさとしはふれどもふた葉なるらん ikanareba / sono kamiyama no / aoigusa / toshi wa furedomo / futaba naruran ‘Why is it that / Upon divine Kamo Hill / The hollyhocks / Though years do pass, / Have such twofold leaves?’ Kojijū (Shinkokinshū III: 183)
aoigusa kazura ni kakete chihayaburu kamo no matsuri o neru ya ta ga ko zo
With hollyhocks For a garland At the mighty Kamo Festival Processing, who might that lad be?[i]
627
[i] See. Topic unknown. ちはやぶるかもの社のゆふだすきひとひも君をかけぬ日はなし chihayaburu / kamo no yashiro no / yūdasuki / hito hi mo kimi o / kakenu hi wa nashi ‘At puissant / Kamo Shrine / Mulberry cord ties up the sleeves / Every day; and of you / There’s not a single day that I think not.’ Anonymous (Kokinshū XI: 487); and: A sacred poem. 銀のめぬきのたちをさげはきてならの宮こをねるやたがこぞ shirogane no / menuki no tachi o / sagehakite / nara no miyako o / neru ya ta ga ko zo ‘With a silver / Hilted sword / A’dangling from his belt, and / Through the Nara capital / Processing, who might that lad be?’ Anonymous (Shūishū X: 583)
