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English
Audio: NHK Creative Library
Read by LibriVox volunteer Larry Wilson.
Audio courtesy of LibriVox (Public Domain).
皇嘉門院別当
難波江の
葦のかりねの
ひとよゆゑ
みをつくしてや
恋ひわたるべき
みをつくし
てやこひわ
たるへき
なにわえ
- Poem 88
- 難波江の
葦のかりねの
ひとよゆゑ
みをつくしてや 恋ひわたるべき
Author: Attendant to Empress Kōka (dates unknown)
Source: Senzai Wakashū, Love
- English Verse Translation
- I've seen thee but a few short hours; As short, they seemed to me, As bamboo reeds at
Naniwa; But tide-stakes in the sea Can't gauge my love for thee.
— William N. Porter, 1909
- Modern Translation
- For just one brief night together, like the cut end of a reed at Naniwa — must I go on longing for you forever?
- Commentary
- According to the headnote in the Senzai Wakashū, this poem was composed "at a poetry contest held at the household of the Regent and Minister of the Right, on the topic of a love met at a traveler's lodging." It was written for a poetry contest hosted at the residence of Kujō Kanezane, on the set topic of "love met at a traveler's inn." At the time, the Naniwa inlet flourished as a hub of water transport, bustling with travelers — and home to many courtesans as well. The Attendant to Empress Kōka is thought to have composed this poem with the fate of such women in mind.
- About the Poet
- The Attendant to Empress Kōka served as steward to Empress Kōka (Fujiwara no Seishi), the consort of Retired Emperor Sutoku (Poem 77).
- Attendant to Empress Kōka's Chart of the Heart
-
A chart and a modern-language reflection of the poet's inner feelings.
The Poet's Feelings (A Personal Interpretation)
It was only a single night —
that's all it was ever supposed to be.And yet I cannot stop this longing for you;
I've given myself entirely to this love.
- Poem Illustration
-
This image is based on an illustration from William N. Porter's A Hundred Verses from Old Japan, his 1909 English translation of the Hyakunin Isshu published in England, colorized and reworked using Adobe Firefly (generative AI).