Spin & Discover Kakekotoba!
Poem 72: Kii of Princess Yūshi's Household
Try to find the kakekotoba hidden in the poem and tap it.
The word you tap will spin right where it is, revealing its two meanings in turn.
音に聞く
高師の浜の
あだ波は
かけじや袖の
ぬれもこそすれ
Commentary
The word "Takashi" is a kakekotoba.
A kakekotoba layers two meanings onto a single word that sounds the same either way.
Here, "Takashi" carries both the place name "高師" (Takashi) and "高し" (well-known, famous).
I will never let the fickle waves of Takashi Beach, so famous by reputation, brush against my sleeves — for if they did, my sleeves would only get soaked.
Layering the place name "Takashi" with the meaning "notorious," the poet declares her resolve to keep her distance from a fickle, unfaithful man.
Packing two meanings into just thirty-one syllables is exactly what makes kakekotoba so appealing.
Vocabulary
A place name spanning present-day Hamadera in Sakai City to Takaishi City, Osaka Prefecture.
In this poem, means "widely known."
Fleeting waves that wash in and quickly recede — a metaphor for a fickle heart.
I will never let it touch me. "Ji" expresses negative intention.
It would be a problem if they got soaked. "Mo koso" is a particle expressing apprehension.