Tag Archives: Ōtomo no Yakamochi

MYS XVII: 4011

A poem composed after seeing a hawk which had fled from him, in a dream.

大君の 遠の朝廷ぞ み雪降る 越と名に追へる 天離る 鄙にしあれば 山高み 川とほしろし 野を広み 草こそ茂き 鮎走る 夏の盛りと 島つ鳥 鵜養が伴は 行く川の 清き瀬ごとに 篝さし なづさひ上る 露霜の 秋に至れば 野も多に 鳥すだけりと 大夫の 友誘ひて 鷹はしも あまたあれども 矢形尾の 我が大黒に [大黒者蒼鷹之名也] 白塗の 鈴取り付けて 朝猟に 五百つ鳥立て 夕猟に 千鳥踏み立て 追ふ毎に 許すことなく 手放れも をちもかやすき これをおきて またはありがたし さ慣らへる 鷹はなけむと 心には 思ひほこりて 笑まひつつ 渡る間に 狂れたる 醜つ翁の 言だにも 我れには告げず との曇り 雨の降る日を 鳥猟すと 名のみを告りて 三島野を そがひに見つつ 二上の 山飛び越えて 雲隠り 翔り去にきと 帰り来て しはぶれ告ぐれ 招くよしの そこになければ 言ふすべの たどきを知らに 心には 火さへ燃えつつ 思ひ恋ひ 息づきあまり けだしくも 逢ふことありやと あしひきの をてもこのもに 鳥網張り 守部を据ゑて ちはやぶる 神の社に 照る鏡 倭文に取り添へ 祈ひ祷みて 我が待つ時に 娘子らが 夢に告ぐらく 汝が恋ふる その秀つ鷹は 松田江の 浜行き暮らし つなし捕る 氷見の江過ぎて 多古の島 飛びた廻り 葦鴨の すだく古江に 一昨日も 昨日もありつ 近くあらば いま二日だみ 遠くあらば 七日のをちは 過ぎめやも 来なむ我が背子 ねもころに な恋ひそよとぞ いまに告げつる

opokimi no
topo no mikado zo
miyukipuru
kosi to na ni operu
amazakaru
pina ni si areba
yama takami
kapa toposirosi
no wo piromi
kusa koso sigeki
ayu pasiru
natu no sakari to
sima tu tori
ukagapi ga tomo pa
yuku kapa no
kiyoki segoto ni
kagari sasi
nazusapi noboru
tuyusimo no
aki ni itareba
no mo sawa ni
tori sudakeri to
masurawo no
tomo izanapite
taka wa simo
amata aredomo
yakatawo no
a ga opoguro ni
siranuri no
suzutoritukete
asagari ni
ipo tu tori tate
yupugari ni
ti tori mitate
opugoto ni
yurusu koto naku
tabanare mo
oti mo kayasuki
kore wo okite
mata pa arigatasi
sanaraperu
taka pa nakemu to
kokoro ni pa
omopipokorite
emaitutu
wataru apida ni
taburetaru
sikotu wokina no
koto dani mo
ware ni pa tsugezu
tonogumori
ame no puru pi wo
togarisu to
na nomi wo norite
misimano wo
sogai ni mitutu
putagami no
yama tobikoete
kumogakuri
kakeri iniki to
kaperikite
siwabure tugure
oku yosi no
soko ni nakereba
ipusube no
tadoki o sirani
kokoro ni pa
hisape moetsutsu
omopikopi
ikiduki amari
kedasiku mo
au koto ari ya to
asipiki no
ote mo kono mo ni
tonamipari
moripe o suwete
tipayaburu
kami no yasiro ni
teru kagami
situ ni torisope
kopinomite
a ga matu toki ni
wotomera ga
ime ni tuguraku
nagakopuru
sono potutaka wa
matudae no
hama yukikurasi
tunasi toru
pimi no e sugite
tako no sima
tobitamotopori
asigamo no
sudaku purue ni
ototui mo
kinopu mo aritu
tikaku araba
ima putugatami
topoku araba
nanuka no oti pa
sugime ya mo
kinamu wa ga seko
nemokoro ni
na kopi so yo to zo
ima ni tugeturu
My Great Lord’s
Court is far away;
Deep the snowfall
Here, bearing the name of Koshi
Distant as the skies;
A rustic spot it is, so
High are the mountains, and
Vast the rivers, and
Wide the plains, where
Grass grows lushly;
Sweetfish run
In multitudes in summer, and
Island birds,
The cormorant fishers
Upon the running rivers’
Clear rapids
Shine torches, as
They sail upstream.
Frostfall dew with
Autumn comes, then
On the plains it is that
Flocks of birds do gather, and
Fierce men
All go together, and
Hawks
Are there many, yet
With a speckled arrow tail
My Ōguro, with
Sparkling
Chimes upon his jesses,
Hunting in the morning
Caught five hundred birds, and
Hunting in the evening
A thousand had beneath him;
In every pursuit
None could evade him, and
Flight from my hand and
Returning, too, was easy;
To abandon him, and
Get his like would be impossible;
Such a clever
Hawk, there could never be,
Within my heart,
I thought proudly,
Laughing,
On and on; then
A foolish
Good-for-nothing old man
With word to me
Not one, when
All with cloud and
Rain the day was filled,
Said, ‘I’ll go hawking,’
In name only; then
‘Mishima Plain
we did gaze across, to
Futagami
Moutain, where Ōguro flew, and
Hid within the clouds, and
Went away,’
On his return, he
Coughing said,
To call Ōguro back the trick
He had not, so
Indescribable
Regret I felt, and
In my heart
The flames of indignation burned, and
Thinking fondly of him,
I sighed often,
Beyond all measure, then
Thinking I might find him once more,
On the leg-wearying mountains
All about
With bird nets
I set watchers, and
At the mighty
Gods’ shrines
Shining mirrors
Wrapped in cloth I proffered, and
Made many entreaties;
While I was thus waiting
Maidens
Appeared within my dream, and did say,
‘Your beloved
Hawk so talented, at
Matsudae
Beach does spend his days
Catching gizzard shad sprats.
Passing the shore at Himi,
The isle of Tako
Circling;
In duck
Flocking Furue
The day before and
Yesterday, too, he was.
At briefest
For two more days, and at
Longest
Seven more
Will he spend there,
Then return, your friend, so
With such a heavy heart,
Do not long for him!’
Thus they told me now!

Ōtomo no Yakamochi

MYS XVII: 4007

A poem to lament that his feelings of sadness were proving impossible to abate as the time of his return to the capital grew near.

我が背子は玉にもがもな霍公鳥声にあへ貫き手に巻きて行かむ

wa ga seko pa
tama ni mogamona
pototogisu
kowe ni apenuki
te ni makite yukamu
You, my friend, are
As a jewel;
On a cuckoo’s
Call would I thread you, and
Go clasping you in hand…

Ōtomo no Yakamochi

The above poem was presented by Ōtomo sukune Yakamochi to Secretary Ōtomo sukune Ikenushi. 30th day of the Fourth Month.

MYS XVIII: 4106

A poem admonishment and instruction to Owari no Okui, the Scribe, with tanka.

In the Seven Causes for divorce it is written, ‘Should even one of these occur, it is acceptable. Should none of these occur, a man who casually abandons his wife will be imprisoned for a year and a half.’  The Three Cases state, ‘Even in situations where one of the seven causes occurs, it is not necessary to abandon one’s wife. Violation shall be punished by one hundred strokes of the cane. However, in cases of adultery or infection with disease, divorce is acceptable. The law on Bigamy states, ‘A man who, having a wife, marries another woman in addition, shall be imprisoned for a year. The woman will receive one hundred strokes of the cane. In addition, they shall be made to separate.’ The Imperial edict states, ‘Husbands who are righteous and wives who are faithful shall be granted Our compassion.’ My own humble thoughts on the matter are that these various statements are the cornerstone of the Law which instructs us, and a source of guidance on the path we should follow. Consequently, the path of the righteous husband is to never think of separating from his wife, and to live with her holding all property in common. How can one possibly develop fresh feelings for another woman while fogetting those for a former wife? To that end I have written several poems on the inevitable regret one will come to feel from the distress of abandoning one’s wife. These are they.

大汝 少彦名の 神代より 言ひ継ぎけらく 父母を 見れば貴く 妻子見れば かなしくめぐし うつせみの 世のことわりと かくさまに 言ひけるものを 世の人の 立つる言立て ちさの花 咲ける盛りに はしきよし その妻の子と 朝夕に 笑みみ笑まずも うち嘆き 語りけまくは とこしへに かくしもあらめや 天地の 神言寄せて 春花の 盛りもあらむと 待たしけむ 時の盛りぞ 離れ居て 嘆かす妹が いつしかも 使の来むと 待たすらむ 心寂しく 南風吹き 雪消溢りて 射水川 流る水沫の 寄る辺なみ 左夫流その子に 紐の緒の いつがり合ひて にほ鳥の ふたり並び居 奈呉の海の 奥を深めて さどはせる 君が心の すべもすべなさ

oponamuti
sukunapiko no
kamuyo yori
ipitugikeraku
titipapa wo
mireba taputoku
memo mireba
kanasiku megusi
utusemi no
yo no kotowari to
kaku sama ni
ipikeru mono o
yo no pito no
taturu kotodate
tisa no pana
sakeru sakari ni
pasiki yosi
sono tuma no koto
asa yopi ni
wemi miwemazu mo
utinageki
katarikemaku wa
tokosipe ni
kakusi mo arame ya
ametuti no
kami koto yosete
paru pana no
sakari mo aramu to
matasikemu
toki no sakari zo
pananareruwite
nagekasu imo ga
itusika mo
tukapi no komu to
matasuramu
kokoro sabusiku
minami puki
yukige pa purite
imidu kapa
nagaru napa no
yorupe nami
saburu sono ko ni
pimo no o no
itugari apite
nipodori no
putari narabii
nago no umi no
oki wo pukamete
sadopaseru
kimi ga kokoro no
sube mo subenasa
Since Ōnamuchi, and
Sukunahiko, in
The Age of Gods
It has been told:
Your father and your mother
Gaze on with respect;
When you see your wife and child
So dear it will rend your heart:
In this cicada shell
World – this is how it should be.
So has it
Long been said, so
Folk within this world
Do make their vows:
When the snowbells bloom
In profusion,
With your dearest love,
Your wife,
From morning until night
Laugh, be serious, and
Grieve
While talking together;
If forever
We could be like this –
Only heaven and earth,
The Gods can tell;
As when the flowers in springtime
Will bloom brightly –
We should await
That time of blessing;
Abandoned and
Grieving, your darling,
When will
Your messenger come
Waits wondering,
Sad at heart;
The south wind blows
Snowmelt waters flowing into
The River Imizu:
As foam upon its waters
With nowhere to go,
Does that girl Saburu
Her belt
Tie with yours together, and
As the  grebes
Pair together
At the sea of Nago
To the depths
Does plunge in confusion
Your heart;
Hopeless you are, indeed!

MYS XIX: 4153

Composed on the Third Day at a banquet at the estate of Yakamochi, Lord Ōtomo.

漢人も栰を浮べて遊ぶとふ今日そわが背子花蘰せな

karabito mo
pune wo ukabete
asobu topu
kepu so wa ga seko
pana kadurasena
The folk of Cathay, too,
Drift in their boats
At play, ‘tis said,
Upon this day, my love,
Won’t you wear, this garland, in your hair?

Ōtomo no Yakamochi