Thursday, 20 December 2012

Kokinshu #347

Thursday, 20 December 2012 07:17
lnhammer: the Chinese character for poetry, red on white background (Default)
Composed [by the emperor] in the Ninna Era when celebrating the seventieth year of Archbishop Henjô.

    It happens that way --
by some way or another
    time flows ever on.
Oh, would that there be a means
to meet in your eight-thousandth year!

—9 December 2012

Original by [Emperor Kôkô]. The birthday party was held in the Twelfth Month of 885. (Not that it has any bearing on the the sentiment, but both died within five years.) Lost in translation: "happens" is in a frequentive conjugation.


kaku shitsutsu
to ni mo kaku ni mo
nagaraete
kimi ga yachiyo ni
au yoshi mogana


---L.

About

Warning: contents contain line-breaks.

As language practice, I like to translate poetry. My current project is Chinese, with practice focused on Tang Dynasty poetry. Previously this was classical Japanese, most recently working through the Kokinshu anthology (archived here). Suggestions, corrections, and questions always welcome.

There's also original pomes in the journal archives.

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