Tag Archives: umoregi

Heike monogatari 76

Third Rank Lay Priest [Minamoto no Yorimasa] summoned his retainer, Watanabe Chōjitsu.

‘Take my head,’ he ordered, but overcome with the sorrow of taking his master’s life, Chōjitsu cried, overcome with tears, ‘Such a service is unthinkable. I would only dare to do it afterwards, should my Lord take his own life.’

‘I see,’ Yorimasa replied, then faced the west and chanted the name of Amida Buddha ten times in a loud voice, before reciting:

埋木の花さく事も無かりしにみのなるはてぞ哀なりける

umoregi no
hana saku koto mo
nakarishi ni
mi no naru hate zo
aware narikeru
On a drowned tree
Blossoms flower
Not a one—
To reach the end of life
Is sad, indeed!

With these as his last words, he ran the tip of his great sword through his belly, collapsing over it and died. At such a time, one would not normally be able to compose a poem, but Yorimasa had loved the Way of Waka extravagantly since he was young, so at the last he did not forget it.

Horikawa-in enjo awase 2

The same Major Counsellor, writing vertically upon delicate scarlet paper.

年ふともいはで朽ちぬる埋木の下の心はふりぬ恋かな

toshi futomo
iwade kuchinuru
umoregi no
shita no kokoro wa
furinu koi kana
The years pass by, yet
Without a word, has rotted
The drowned tree—
Beneath it, my heart
Has grown old with love!

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In reply

ふかからぬ水無瀬の川の埋木はしたの恋路は年ふりぬとも

fukakaranu
minase no kawa no
umoregi wa
shita no koiji wa
toshi furinu tomo
There’s no depth to
The River Minase, where
Drowned trees lie—
Beneath, the paths of love
Have grown old in years, and yet…

Chikuzen, Daughter of Prince Yasusuke
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