Thursday, 28 February 2013

Kokinshu #369

Thursday, 28 February 2013 07:09
lnhammer: the Chinese character for poetry, red on white background (Default)
Kokinshu #369

Written the night of a farewell party at the house of Prince Sadatoki when Fujiwara no Kiyofu was leaving to become Vice-Governor of Ômi.

    Today we part and,
though I think that tomorrow
    we'll meet in Ômi,
it must be that night has grown late --
my sleeves are getting dew-soaked.

—26 February 2013

Original by Ki no Toshisada. The start of an arc of more traditional partings between men, most composed for public occasions. That said, neither the occasion nor appointment are otherwise recorded, but it must have been before Toshisada's death in 881. Pivot-word obscured by modern sound changes: au mi is both "one(s) who meet" / Ômi Province (modern Shiga Prefecture) -- at the time, Ômi's ô was pronounced and written as au. The soaking is clearly meant to be from tears.


kyô wakare
asu wa au mi to
omoedomo
yo ya fukenuramu
sode no tsuyukeki


---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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