Plovers before the moon.
玉つしま和歌の松ばら夢にだにまだみぬ月に千どり鳴くなり
| tamatsushima waka no matsubara yume ni dani minu tsuki ni chidori naku nari | Tamatsu Isle’s Pine groves at Waka: Not even in my dreams Have I seen such a moon With the plovers calling. |
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Tag Archives: Waka
Kinkai wakashū 632
Snow between the pines.
雪つもるわかの松ばらふりにけりいく世へぬらん玉つしまもり
| yuki tsumoru waka no matsubara furinikeri ikuyo henuran tamatsushimamori | Snow has drifted between Waka’s pine groves[i]— Grown so ancient— How many ages have you passed, O, Warden of Tamatsu Isle[ii]?[iii] |
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[i] The ‘pine groves of Waka’ (waka no matsubara 和歌の松原) were located in Ise, but Sanetomo mistakenly associates them with Waka Bay (waka no ura 和歌浦) in Kii—hence his reference to Tamatsushima in the poem.
[ii] In this context, ‘Tamatsu Isle’ (Tamatsushima 玉津島) is understood as referring to Tamatsushima Shrine which is located near the coast in Wakayama. One of the deities venerated at this shrine is Sōtorihime-no-mikoto 衣通姫尊, one of the patron gods of waka poetry, which Sanetomo evokes with his reference the ‘pine groves of Waka’.
[iii] See: Kokinshū XVII: 905.
All about waka
Conclusion
住吉の松はあはれもかけやせむ八十過ぬる和歌の浦波
| sumiyoshi no matsu wa aware mo kake ya semu yasoji suginuru waka no uranami | At Sumiyoshi will The pines feel compassion For me? Spending more than eighty years Washed by the waves of Waka Bay… |
Judge
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和歌の浦のしるべとなれる老の浪げに住吉の松も知るらん
| waka no ura no shirube to nareru oi no nami geni sumiyoshi no matsu mo shiruran | To Waka Bay A guide have you become, Washed by waves of age; Truly, at Sumiyoshi The pines will know that well! |
A Servant Girl
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