Tag Archives: river of tears

FGS X: 961

A love poem, from when he presented a hundred poem sequence.

しられじなおさふる袖のなみだ川したにははやき水のこころを

shirareji na
osauru sode no
namidagawa
shita ni wa hayaki
mizu no kokoro o
No one knows, it seems—
As I wipe away with my sleeves
A river of tears
Beneath it, swift, are
The waters of my heart.

The Regent and Minister of the Right

A kuzushiji version of the poem's text.
Created with Soan.

Teiji-in uta’awase 31

The following poems were not matched for Left nor Right.[i]

Left

あはずしていけらんことのかたければいまはわがみをありとやはおもふ

awazushite
ikeran koto no
katakereba
ima wa wa ga mi o
ari to ya wa omou
Not meeting you, and
Living on is
Impossible, so
Now, will I
Be around much longer, do you think?

62[i]

Right

あふことのかたのかたみはなみだがはこひしとおもへばまづさきにたつ

au koto no
kata no katami wa
namidagawa
koishi to omoeba
mazu saki ni tatsu
Meeting her was
Hard, so my only keepsake is
A river of tears;
When I recall my love for her,
That is first to flow.

63


[i] What Ise means here is that these poems had been prepared for the event, but were not formally recited and judged during the contest as it had to be truncated due to lack of time.

Teiji-in uta’awase 26

Love

Five poems, stopping at five

Left (Win)

なみだがはいかなるみづかながるらんなどわがこひをけすひとのなき

namidagawa
ika naru mizu ka
nagaruran
nado wa ga koi o
kesu hito no naki
In the River of Tears
What sort of water is it
That does flow?
Why is it that my love’s burn
To extinguish is there no one?

Okikaze
51

Right

みをもかへおもふものからこひといへばもゆるなかにもいるこころかな

mi o mo kae
omou mono kara
koi to ieba
moyuru naka ni
iru kokoro kana
Staking my life is
Often in my thoughts, but
Within the fires of love,
Burning,
Does my heart lie!

Okikaze
52

Kanpyō no ōntoki kisai no miya uta’awase 99

Left

人しれずしたにながるる涙川せきとどめなむかげは見ゆると

hito shirezu
shita ni nagaruru
namidagawa
seki todomenamu
kage wa miyuru to
Unknown to all
Beneath there flows
A river of tears;
O, for a dam to halt it, that
I could glimpse her face…

192[1]

Right

もえもあはぬこなたかなたの思ひかな涙の河の中にゆけばか

moe mo awanu
konata kanata no
omoi kana
namida no kawa no
naka ni yukeba ka
Burning, unmatched, are
My multitude of
Passion’s fires!
For into a river of tears
Have I plunged?

Tsurayuki
193


[1] Shokugosenshū XI: 640/Shinsen man’yōshū 227.

Kanpyō no ōntoki kisai no miya uta’awase 91

Left

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

shinuru inochi
iki mo ya suru to
kokoromi ni
tama no o bakari
awamu to iwanamu
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!

Okikaze
176[1]

Right

あかずして別れしよひのなみだ川よどみもなくもたぎつ心か

akazushite
wakareshi yoi no
namidagawa
yodomi mo naku mo
tagitsu kokoro ka
Still hungering for you
When we parted that night, did
The river of my tears
Not in a trickle, but
In a torrent run through my heart?

177


[1] Kokinshū XII: 568; a minor variant of this poem also occurs in Kokin rokujō (V: 3207): しぬるいのちいきもやすると心みに玉のをばかりあひみてしかな shinuru inochi / iki mo ya suru to / kokoromi ni / tama no o bakari / aimiteshi kana ‘I have died for love of you, but / Might life return? / Try, if only as / A fragile jewelled thread, and / Make an attempt to meet me!’

Kanpyō no ōntoki kisai no miya uta’awase 72

Left

霜のうへに跡ふみつくる浜千鳥行へもなしと鳴きのみぞふる

shimo no ue ni
ato fumitsukuru
hamachidori
yukue mo nashi to
naki nomi zo suru
Upon the frost
Treading out tracks are
Plovers on the beach;
With no place to go,
They simply sing!

Okikaze
141

Right

なみだ川みなぐばかりの淵はあれど氷とけねばかげもやどらぬ

namidagawa
mi nagu bakari no
fuchi wa aredo
kōri tokeneba
kage mo yadoranu
My river of tears,
Is fit to drown me in
It’s depths, yet
Should the ice not melt,
No sign will linger on…

142

Love VII: 13

Left (Tie).
聞きわたるありなれ河の水にこそ影を傡べて住まゝほしけれ

kikiwataru
arinaregawa no
mizu ni koso
kage o narabete
sumamahoshikere
Echoes cross
The Arinare River’s
Waters;
Bringing to mind the face
Of the one I would be with…

Kenshō
985

Right.
涙川逢ふ瀬も知らぬみをつくし丈越す程になりにけるかな

namidagawa
ause mo shiranu
miotsukushi
take kosu hodo ni
narinikeru kana
A river of tears:
I know no way for us to meet, so
The channel buoys, my soul,
Are flooded over –
That is how they be!

Nobusada
986

The Gentlemen of the Right state: we are not accustomed to hearing the expression ‘Arinare River’ (arinaregawa), and the ending of the poem is old-fashioned. The Gentlemen of the Left state: ‘are flooded over’ (take kosu hodo) sounds excessively modern.

In judgement: ‘Arinare River’ is unusual, and the final section of the Left’s poem is certainly old-fashioned. The ‘river of tears’’ (namidagawa) ‘channel buoys’ (miotsukushi) do seem to be enduring an excess of water, don’t’ they! The round should tie.