Kokinshu 31
Text
帰雁をよめる
伊勢
はるかすみ たつを見すてて ゆくかりは 花なきさとに すみやならへる
Translation
Abandoning the rising (2) \ spring mist (1) \ the departing geese \ are they used to (5) \ the village with no flowers? (4)
Notes
- 帰雁
- This should perhaps be read かへりかり (following other manuscripts).
- 見すてて
- The geese are "abandoning" the rising mist.
- すみやならへる
- や...ならへる(RT) indicates a hypothetical reason for the situation in the first part of the poem.
Analysis
The basic idea of the poem is that the geese are used to living in villages with no flowers. The spring haze indicates to the poet that flowers will bloom soon, but the geese don't care about that (or notice) because they're not used to flowers. Katagiri offers a slightly different reading -- the haze is hiding the flowers, and because the geese aren't used to the scene they don't know the flowers are there.
The poem links to the previous one by also commenting on the departing geese; in this case rather than entrusting them with a message, Ise is sad to see them go.
A thread of comment starting with Keichu and picked up by Takeoka suggest that the "flowerless village" is an image drawn from Chinese sources -- a village that is so far north there are no seasons. The Shinzenshu quotes a Li Bai poem that evokes this northern village.
Kubota and Katagiri think the composition fits the feminine style of Ise. McCullough finds the technique typical of Ise's poetry, with its combination of questioning and personification. Mabuchi found the poem delicate and interesting.
Other Sources
- 新撰和歌３５
- 古今和歌六帖４３７４・かり・伊勢
- 和漢朗詠集３２６
- 伊勢集３０３
- 源氏物語注・早蕨