When he came round and said,
"You will ever be my love,"
Giving me a gentle stroke
On the backs of my hands.
(3940)
206
The bloom of the pine
Is never noticed.
I'm a pine flower, too plain
To be seen by the eyes
Of lords who pass by.
(3942)
Ise-no-Ōmitomo
207
Not an islet can be seen
On the vast expanse of the sea,
Far as the eye can reach.
O'er the boundless cobalt blue,
White clouds float in the azure sky.
(1089)
Lady Ishikawa
208
Now that old age
Has reduced me to a crone,
How could I fall
Into helpless love
As a maiden in the bloom of youth?
(129)
Maiden Kamunagibe-no-Maso
Nothing is known about Kamunagibe-no-Maso except the love poems that she sent to Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi.
209
Ever since the day
I met you, my love,
My sleeves have never been dry
Of the tears
Which fill my eyes.
(703)
Kasa-no-Asomi Kanamura
Kasa-no-Asomi Kanamura was a courtier oflower rank.
210
ALL the fields
Are adorned with bush clover
In such gorgeous bloom
That those who pass through
Will be saturated with their scent.
(1532)
Maiden Kafuchi-no-Momoe
Nothing is known about Kafuchi-no-Momoe's life except the two love poems that she wrote to Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi.
211
With delight
I remember the moonlit night
Of our tryst.
I have cherished that sweet time
Ceaselessly to this day.
(702)
Lady Ki-no-Ojika
Lady Ki-no-Ojika was once the love of Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi, but he later broke with her. The following two poems air her feelings.
212
Sunk in black despair,
Now I have no choice
But to Let you have
Your way—you whom I've Loved
As my very Life.
(664)
213
The day draws near
When I must part from you,
To whom I've oft pledged my troth.
I am drowned in bitter tears,
My heart rent with grief.
(645)
214
Bright and clear tonight
Shines the moon in the starry sky.
Within my heart
Blooms a fragrant plum blossom
Which reminds me of your noble grace.
(1661)
Mikata-no-Sami
Shortly after marrying a girl, Mikata-no-Sami fell sick and could not go and see her for some time. Instead, he sent her this poem. One source says that he was once a Buddhist priest but later was given a good post in recognition of his erudition.
215
If tied up, dangle down,
If not tied up, are too Long.
I haue not seen her for some time-
She may have dressed her hair in a
bun.
(123)
The following reply poem by his young wife is charming.
216
They all say to me,
"Now your hair has grown too Long.
Why not put it up?"
Tangled as it is, I will keep it as it was
When it won your praise and caresses.
(124)
Lady Nakatomi
Lady Nakatomi was one of the many women who wrote love poems to Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi.
217
Not till I see you eye to eye,
Resting in your arms,
Will I find ease
From the ardor of this Love,
For which I'd give my Life.
(678)
218
Do not feign Love.
If you have no Love for me,
I shaLL never demand it,
Even though I'm torn
With Longing for you.
(579)
A literal translation of the last two lines is:
Even though I'm distraught with Love
Like the intertwined roots of a sedge.
Nukike-no-Ōbito
Nukike-no-Ōbito was a government official. This poem he sent to his love, whom he later married.
219
My mind and soul
Are exhausted night and day
With Longing for you.
No more can I exist with the pain
Of my poignant love for you.
(1769)
Lady Ōtomo-no-Sakanoue-no-Ōiratsume
Ōtomo-no-Sakanoue-no-Ōiratsume was the eldest daughter of Lady Ōtomo-no-Sakanoue. She married Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi, her cousin.
The poems given here are two of the ones that she exchanged with him before they married.
220
Mighty warrior
'Tis fine how you love women,
But far deeper is
A maiden's tender ardor
For her lover.
(582)
221
The path of Love is the path of thorns
Sharper far than needles,
Sharper far than I can bear.
Better to die and hove no pain
Than to walk upon the thorns of love.
(738)
A more literal translation reads:
Hard and trying is life.
Suffering the acute
And poignant pain of love,
I'm afraid that I shall die.
Ōtomo-no-Sukune Ikenushi
Ōtomo-no-Sukune Ikenushi was a close friend of Ōtomo-no-Yakamochi, particularly when the latter was governor of Echizen Province. They exchanged poems and letters.
222
People rejoice and say
The world is bright.
But you are not here with me—
I'm alone in the dark.
(4074)
Ōtomo-no-Sukune Sukunamaro
Ōtomo-no-Sukune Sukunamaro was the younger brother of Ōtomo-no-Tabito and the father of Sakanoue-no-Ōiratsume. Probably he composed the following poem while he was a provincial governor.
223
The girl hopes to serve
At the royal court.
But she's everything to me.
It will pain my heart to keep her here.
It will break my heart to let her go.
(532)
Ōtomo-no-Yotsuna
Ōtomo-no-Yotsuna, the deputy commander of the Daizaifu (see page 171), composed this poem at a farewell party in honor of Ōtomo-no-Tabito.
224
Brightly shines the moon.
Sweetly runs the crystal stream.
Let those leaving here
And those who remain behind
Enjoy this merry eve.
(571)
Maiden Ōyake
The following poem denotes a girl's genuine love and wish to stay with her sweetheart.
225
It is hard to find the way
In the dark. Await the rise
Of the moon, then depart.
In the meantime, I'll treasure
Your sweet company.
(709)
Sami Mansei
Sami Mansei was a Buddhist priest.
226
Life here may well be
Likened to a fishing boat
Which at break of day
Puts out upon the sea,
Leaving no trace behind.
(351)
Tabe-no-Imiki Ichihiko
Tabe-no-Imiki Ichihiko composed this poem when he was a
ppointed to service at the Dazaifu in Kyushu, putting himself in the place of his love or wife, who was left behind.
227
Mark my words, my dear!
When I'm Left behind,
I'LL have none on whom to Lean
And shall be more grieved
Than a child, crying and
Clinging to its mother's sleeves.
(492)
Tachibana-no-Sukune Fuminari
Tachibana-no-Sukune Fuminari was a court official.
228
The day before yesterday,
Yesterday, and today again
We could meet.
Yet tomorrow all the more
1 shall wish to meet you.
(1014)
Lady Yosami (Wife of Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro)
229
Do not grieve, you say.
If I could foretell the day
When you will return
Or how soon we'll meet again
I would never pine or grieve.
(140)
Footnotes
Man'yō women poets were more daring than later poets to express fiery love.
Probably some misunderstanding between her and Yakamochi was clarified, and she composed this poem.
The literal translation oflines 4 and 5 reads: "When you gave me a pinch on the back of my hand." This act was occasionally done as a sign of friendship, but was considered too weak to be a sign of reconciliation of two lovers. Kissing was not customary in Japan until this century.
She was a lady-in-waiting at court and was loved by Crown Prince Kusakabe and Prince Ōtsu. She was a talented poet, and her reply poem to Prince Ōtsu s poem is No. 16 of this book.
The blossom is that of the ume, which botanically is a variety of apricot but is customarily translated as "plum."
In those days a very young girl had her hair bobbed. When she grew up, she wore it long, and when she reached marriageable age, she either put it up or let it hang down.
When Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro was an official at the government office of Iwami Province, he married the daughter of a country squire. When he left for the central government, she composed this poem. See page 37.
Anonymous Poetry
West Japan
The Man'yōshū has roughly 2, 300 anonymous poems, half the anthology. Most of the anonymous poems deal with the theme of love, and many show excellent work. The direct expression of intense emotion, the subtle workings of sentiment, and the diverse aspects of love claim a universal appeal. There are numerous reasons why so many poems in the Man'yōshū are anonymous. The compilers of the Man'yōshū sought good poems, drawing on various sources, which included earlier collections of anonymous poems.
As was explained in the introduction to the life of Kakinomoto-no-Hitomaro (page 37), good poems by lower-ranking officials and by commoners were included in the Man'yōshū, but generally with no record of their names or biographical data. This is the main reason for the anonymity of so many of the Man'yō poems.
Because court poets were eager to collect provincial poetry and folk songs as sources of poetic ideas, it is highly probable that provincial government offices submitted their own collections of poetry and folk songs to the Imperial Bureau of Poetry.
A Court Lady of Suruga
230
Bitter tears flowed down
My pillow onto the floor,
Till I dreamed I was afloat
On a great river of tears.
So ardent is my Love.
(507)
A Maiden of Hitachi Province
A poem presented by a maiden to a provincial governor who had been ordered to court service. Hitachi is a province in the East.
231
Remember always
There's a maiden in the East,
Reaping, drying, bleaching hemp
In the yard, while in her heart
She pines for her lord.
(521)
232
l never sit before
My old koto to play
But grief consumes me.
I know that my late dear wife
Dwells therein.
(1129)
233
'Tis already daybreak,
Warn the ravens,
And I leave my love's abode,
Yet o'er the treetops of the hill,
Reigns the deathly still of night.
(1263)
234
Clad in hempen attire
Young frontier guards
Go their Long weary way.
Should their shoulder seams come unsewn,
Who would mend or stitch them?
(1265)
235
Happy is the man,
Greatly blessed and enviable,
Who can live to hear
The voice of his beloved wife
Till his jet-black hair turns gray!
(1411)
236
Little did I dream
My dear husband would soon die.
Now how I regret
Sleeping with my back to him
Like bamboo split and turned around.
(1412)
237
If my dear Late love,
With whom I long shared the bed,
Were here with me now,
l would deeply grudge
How short the night seems.
(1414)
238
The crystal stream,
Falling headlong down the cliff
To boulders below,
Forms a glassy pool,
Mirroring the moon's brightness.
(1714)
A Maiden of Harima
239
When you're gone,
Little will I care
For gowns, nor for
My precious boxwood comb
To dress my hair.
(1777)
240
If the dreary fields
Where the mission has to lodge
Should be rimed with frost,
May a flock of sky-bound cranes
Warm my son under their wings!
(1791)
241
If I could be sure
That we'll later meet again,
Though we part today,
Never would I pine,
With my heart rent asunder.
(1805)
242
You are no more seen
Than a shrike which
Passes through the grass,
However often toward your house
I turn my eyes.
(1897)
243
I am so Lost in love
For a lovely girl
With rosy cheeks
That the mellow sky of spring
Written on Water Page 8