Spin & Discover Kakekotoba!
Poem 88: Attendant to Empress Kōka
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.
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
Commentary
This poem has three kakekotoba hidden within it.
A kakekotoba layers two meanings onto a single word that sounds the same either way.
The first is "karine." It carries both "刈り根" (the stubble left after reeds are cut) and "仮寝" (a brief, temporary sleep).
The second is "hitoyo." It carries both "一節" (the short space between two joints of a reed stalk) and "一夜" (a single night).
The third is "mi o tsukushi." It carries both "澪標" (channel markers) and "身を尽くし" (giving everything of myself).
Must I really go on giving everything of myself, burning with longing for you forever, all because of a single night's brief encounter — as fleeting as the space between one joint of a reed stalk growing in the inlets of Naniwa?
Stringing together words associated with reeds, the poem expresses an aching love that has only deepened since one all-too-short meeting.
Packing so many meanings into just thirty-one syllables is exactly what makes kakekotoba so appealing.
Vocabulary
An inlet in Naniwa (present-day Osaka), where reeds grew thickly.
A tall plant that grows near water.
The stubble left in the ground after reeds are cut down.
A lodging away from home, on a journey.
The space between two joints of a reed stalk.
In waka poetry, sometimes used as a metaphor for something brief.
Because of ~, on account of ~.
A marker post set up in shallow water prone to running aground, showing where the water is deep enough for ships to pass safely.
Must I go on and on longing for you?