Gosenshu 5
Gosen wakashu Volume 5: Autumn 1 後撰和歌集巻第五 秋上
The importance of autumn to the waka poets of the Heian period cannot be overstated. The 227 poems in the three autumn volumes comprise nearly half of the seasonal poems, a similar ratio to the KKS. The GSS uses not only the autumn imagery from the KKS, but liberally includes love poems. Many of them rely on a pun with the word aki, which can mean the season of autumn, or a lack of fulfillment. In love poetry, the latter typically refers to the feeling one party has when the love affair is not going well, or the idea that one of the members has become tired of the other. This pun is so common that I will not mention it every time it occurs; it should perhaps be considered as underlying the entire volume.
217
是貞親王の家の歌合に
At Prince Koresada's poetry competition
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
にはかにも風のすずしくなりぬるか秋立つ日とはむべもいひけり
nihaka ni mo Oh how suddenly kaze no suzusiku The wind has changed and become nari-nuru ka Cooler on this day! aki tatu hi to ha No wonder they are saying mube mo ihi-keri That autumn has now started.
- Prince Koresada's poetry competition
- A competition held probably in 892. It seems to have centered on autumn poems, and was a major source of autumn poetry for the KKS. The GSS takes three autumn poems from it.
--
As might be expected from a poetry competition poem, this is a witty poem on the relation of the naming of seasons to the feel of the air. It is reminiscent of SIS 1, where just hearing that it's spring makes you see mist on the mountain. The beginning of the KKS autumn volume also uses the autumn wind:
- 秋きぬと目にはさやかに見えねども風の音にぞおどろかれぬる
- It is not clear to the eye that autumn has come, but I get surprised by the sound of the wind.
KKS 170, by Tsurayuki, is also similar:
- 川風の涼しくもあるかうち寄する波とともにや秋はたつらむ
- The wind off the river is cold! Perhaps autumn has come along with the approaching waves.
Public poems like this are relatively uncommon in the GSS, but as with the spring volume, the compilers begin by introducing seasonal themes through this public, artificial poetry, which will then be followed by examples of its use in occasional or private poetry.
218
題知らず
Circumstance unknown
[Poet unknown]
うちつけに物ぞ悲しきこのはちる秋の始めをけふぞとおもへば
utituke ni All of a sudden mono zo kanasiki I feel sad for no reason. ko no ha tiru Because I think that aki no hazime wo The beginning of autumn, kehu zo to omohe-ba When leaves scatter, is today.
--
The poetry contest poem is followed by an anonymous poem that could be seen as having a love connotation, but is basically just a seasonal autumn poem. Here, the falling leaves, which is the major theme of autumn, is connected to a general sadness. The use of the tochiho (inverted syntax) fronts the sudden feeling of sadness that results.
This poem appears in the Wakan roeishu paired with KKS 169 (see above).
219
物思ふ侍りけるころ、秋立つ日、人につかはしける
At a time she was worrying, on the first day of autumn, she sent this to a person
[Poet unknown]
たのめこし君はつれなし秋風はけふよりふきぬわが身かなしも
tanome-ko-si You I relied on kimi ha turenasi Have now become cold to me. akikaze ha The wind of autumn kehu yori huki-nu Has started blowing today. waga mi kanasi mo I am sad you care no more.
--
After the first two poems introducing the start of autumn and autumn wind, we have an anonymous love poem by a woman who has been abandoned by a man (alternatively, she is using this language to invite him to visit after an absence.)
The bottom part may be based on KKS 819:
- あしべより雲居をさしてゆく雁のいやとほざかるわが身かなしも
- The goose is flying away, heading from the reeds to the clouds above, and I am sad.
Here too, the initial seasonal image becomes a metaphor for the poet's sadness.
220
思ふこと侍りけるころ
At a time when she was worrying about something
[Poet unknown]
いとどしく物思ふやどの荻の葉に秋とつげつる風のわびしさ
itodosiku It adds even more, mono omohu yado no On the ogi plants that grow wogi no ha ni In my worry house aki tuge-turu The sadness of the wind that kaze no wabisi-sa Heralds the start of autumn.
- ogi
- A grass, the "amur silvergrass", that is an autumn image in poetry.
--
Like 219, this is the poem of a woman forgotten by her lover. The autumn wind adds even more sadness to her already sad existence. Perhaps this poem was inspired by the anonymous KKS 221:
- なきわたる雁の涙やおちつらむ物思ふ宿の萩の上の露
- The tears of the crying goose seem to be falling -- the dew on the hagi in the house of worry.
Another source might be SIS 139 by Tsurayuki, composed in 918:
- 荻の葉のそよぐ音こそ秋風の人に知らるる始めなりけり
- People first recognize the autumn wind when they hear it rustling the leaves of the ogi plant.
221
題知らず
Circumstance unknown
[Poet unknown]
秋風のうち吹きそむるゆふぐれはそらに心ぞわびしかりける
akikaze no On an evening when uti-fuki-somuru The autumn wind suddenly yuhugure ha Blows for the first time, sora ni kokoro zo My heart, not for a reason, wabisikari-keru Turns to sorrow as I gaze.
- sora
- This plays on the sky, where the wind is and the poet is gazing, and also sora ni, which means "for no reason", or "restless", among other things.
--
This continues the theme of the autumn wind suddenly springing up, and the connection between the autumn wind, the beginning of fall, and the sorrow felt. By itself this would have no particular love connotation, but given the surrounding poems we may once again imagine a woman who has been abandoned by her lover.
The imagery is probably suggested by KKS 787, by Tomonori (in the Love 5 volume):
- 秋風は身をわけてしも吹かなくに人の心のそらになるらん
- The autumn wind does not split a person in two, but it seems that it makes the heart restless.
222
[Circumstance unknown]
大江千里
[Oe no Chisato]
露わけしたもとほすまもなきものをなど秋風のまだきふくらん
tuyu wake-si Though there is no time tamoto hosu ma mo To dry my sleeves, wet through from naki mono wo Walking through the dew, nado akikaze no Why does the wind of autumn madaki fuku-ran Seem to be blowing early?
--
The surface meaning of this poem is that the poet's robes are wet from making his way through the dew soaked plants, and the cold autumn wind is blowing early (either too early for the season, or early in the morning). The underlying love meaning is after the man has parted from the woman. As he makes his way home through the dew (suggesting tears), he wonders why the woman has already forgotten him (using the usual play on aki mentioned at the beginning of this volume).
The imagery of this poem may be based on SKKS 1374, a reworking of MYS 10.1994 that appeared in the Hitomaro collection of the early Heian period):
- 夏草の露分け衣着もせぬになど我が袖のかはく時なき
- I am not wearing the clothing that I used to walk through the dew-soaked summer plants, so why are my sleeves never dry?
SIS 720, by Taira no Yukitoki, is another similar poem:
- 朝まだき露分けきつる衣手のひるまばかりに恋しきやなぞ
- Why do I long for you already, just in the time that my clothes are drying from making my way through the morning dew?
However, the above poems both express the man's longing to see the woman again, whereas Chisato's poem seems to be wondering if the woman has so quickly forgotten him. This is somewhat unusual imagery, and the Shinsho thought that maybe this was another example of Chisato using a line of Chinese verse to construct a poem. Even in that case, though, the love meaning would still be under the surface.
223
女のもとより七月ばかりにいひをこせて侍りける
This was sent from a woman in the seventh month.
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
秋はぎを色どる風の吹きぬればひとの心もうたがはれけり
akihagi wo When the wind has blown irodoru kaze no Staining the leaves red of the huki-nure-ba Autumn bush clover, hito no kokoro mo I then come to suspect too utagaha-re-keri Your heart will fade and scatter.
- bush clover
- The hagi is a plant that flowers in autumn, and the reddish color of its blossoms was often related to the red color of the autumn leaves.
--
223 and 224 are an exchange between an unnamed woman and Ariwara no Narihira; as is common in the GSS, his name is suppressed in the prose preface here. The image of the falling leaves is often connected to the idea of a man losing interest in a woman, bolstered by the usual wordplay on aki.
This poem is perhaps related to KKS 714 by Sosei:
- 秋風に山の木の葉のうつろへば人の心もいかがとぞ思ふ
- When the autumn wind makes the leaves scatter, I also wonder about the heart of you (my love).
Some alternate manuscripts of the GSS read itu ka to zo omohu ("I wonder when your heart will fade as well") for the last line, making the parallel stronger. The GSS poem uses a different image to suggest that just the beginning of autumn makes the woman doubt Narihira's heart.
This poem and the following are part of Tales of Yamato 160; see the commentary on the next poem for details.
224
返し
Response
在原業平朝臣
Lord Ariwara no Narihira
あき萩を色どる風は吹きぬとも心はかれじ草ばはらねば
akihagi wo Though it comes to pass irodoru kaze ha That wind has blown and colored huki-nu tomo The fall bush clover, kokoro ha kare-zi My heart won't leave and wither, kusaba nara-ne-ba Since it is not made of grass.
- Leave and wither
- This is a very common wordplay with the verb karu, meaning both "wither" and "part from".
--
Narihira's response picks up on the imagery of the woman's -- even if the autumn wind colors the bush clover, the wind of boredom will not cause his heart to wither (and he will not part from her). Hisamatsu Sen'ichi considered this poem simple and direct in its meaning, but skillful in construction.
As mentioned above, Tales of Yamato 160 begins with this poetic exchange. The woman is Lady Somedono, who cannot be certainly identified. The story continues saying that Narihira did in fact stop visiting her, and then after some time asked her to sew robes for him (a common duty of a wife in the Heian period), and a further poetic exchange follows. It is interesting that the next poem in the GSS is about a man who asks a woman he is no longer visiting to sew robes for him. This is perhaps just a coincidence, as Sato Komei has demonstrated that the compilers of the GSS do not seem to have borrowed directly from Tales of Yamato (if it was completed by the time their work on the GSS ended).
225
源昇朝臣、時々まかり通ひける時に、文月の四五日ばかりに、「七日の料の装束調じて」といひつかはして侍りければ
When Lord Minamoto no Noboru was visiting from time to time, on the 4th or 5th of the 7th month, when he sent a message saying "Make some clothing for the Tanabata festivities"
閑院
Kan'in
あふことはたなばたつめにひとしくてたちぬふわざはあえずぞありける
ahu koto ha We meet so rarely, tanabata-tume ni And that, to be sure, is like hitosiku-te The weaving girl's case: tati-nuhu waza ha Sadly my sewing does not ae-zu zo ari-keru Match up to her example.
- Kan'in
- An unknown woman who is also the author of 1175 (where the prose preface says she lived in a mountain village), and some commentaries identify her as the "Lady Kan'in" of Tales of Yamato 45 as well.
- Tanabata fesitivites
- On the 7th day of the 7th month, to celebrate the one day where the celestial Orihime (weaving girl of the poem) can meet her lover Hikoboshi, men would gather in formal clothing, drink, and compose Chines poetry.
--
The Tanabata legend and festival was already a significant poetic trope of the KKS, and it reappears here. Noboru's request was not unusual, as can be seen from the Kagero Diary. There, Kane'ie several times requests clothing from the Mother of Michitsuna, even when their relationship has cooled. Kan'in's bitter response uses the festival's imagery to criticize him for his lack of visits. The poem was either used to refuse the request, or it accompanied the clothing and had the dual purpose of humbling her ability while criticizing Noboru.
The poems from here to 249 are about the Tanabata legend, forming a significant block of poetry in the early autumn season. Many of them are love poems, but even the ones that are not explicitly love poems can have a hidden love as well -- the idea of lovers able to meet only rarely is a common one in Heian love poetry.
226
題知らず
Circumstance unknown
よみ人も
Also the poet
天河渡らむそらもおもほえずたえぬ別れと思ふものから
amanogawa I can't find my way watara-mu sora mo The place in the sky to cross omohoe-zu The Heaven River tae-nu wakare to Though I know that this parting omohu mono kara Is not for ever after.
- sky
- The word sora here refers both to the sky where the heavenly river is, but also a distracted, sorrowful feeling at the parting.
--
This is another Tanabata poem. It can be a poem written in the voice of Hikoboshi (examples of which are found in the KKS), or it might be a poem written by a man leaving his lover in the morning. The tae-nu wakare (literally "a parting that does not break") seems like a contradiction, providing the interest of the poem.
227
七月七日に「夕方まで来む」といひて侍りけるに、雨降り侍りければまで来で
On the 7th day of the 7th month he said "I will come this evening", then it rained and he did not come.
源中正
Minamoto no Nakatada
雨ふりて水まさりけり天河こよひはよそにこひむとや見し
ame huri-te Rain has fallen and mizu masari-keri The water has risen up, amanogawa In heaven river. koyohi ha yoso ni This night I did not think that kohi-mu to ya mi-si I'd long for you from afar.
- Prose preface
- The preface contains nothing indicated when the poem was written or who wrote it, but this is typical of the poem-tale style of the GSS' prefaces.
--
The long series of love poems continues, with another on the Tanabata theme. Nakatada uses the image of Hikoboshi unable to cross the heavenly river to apologize for his own failure to come due to rain. Kifune says that Nakatada knew this was a poor excuse but decided to send the poem anyway because of the imagery of the day, hoping to have some fun with the exchange.
228
返し
Response
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
水まさり浅きせしらずなりぬともあまのと渡る舟もなしやは
midu masari Even if water asaki se sira-zu Has risen so you don't know nari-nu to mo The river shallows, ama no to wataru How can there be not a boat hune mo nasi ya ha To cross the heavenly port?
--
The woman's response rejects Nakatada's excuse, playing on the Tanabata imagery of Nakatada's poem. In Chinese tradition, Orihime crosses on a bridge of magpies to see Hikoboshi. However, the MYS and KKS (e.g. 177 or 212) record alternate traditions where Orihime takes a boat or wades across a shallow portion of the river. Usually it is Orihime who visits Hikoboshi in the legends, but poetry often swaps the roles to fit with Heian customs of men visiting women.
229
七日女のもとにつかはしける
On the 7th day, he sent this to a woman.
藤原兼三
Fujiwara no Kanemi
織女もあふよありけり天河この渡りにはわたるせもなし
tanabata mo Even Orihime ahu yo ari-keri Has a night that she can meet. ama no gaha My heaven river, kono watari ni ha When I look at the crossing, wataru se mo nasi There are no shallows to ford.
--
This is another love poem on the Tanabata imagery. Kifune thinks the context is an upset man sending a letter to a woman who has refused to respond to him. However, the poem appears in the Shuishu (649) as an anonymous poem with no context -- in that sense it could simply be a set poem on the sorrows of unrequited love.
A very similar poem by Emperor Murakami appears in the Shoku gosenshu (916)
- 今夜さへよそにやきかむわがためのあまのかはらはわたるせもなし
- Do I really have to hear about you from afar, even on this night? My heavenly river has no shallows to cross.
230
かれにける男の、七日の夜まできたりければ、女のよみて侍りける
A man who had stayed away came on the night of the 7th day, and the woman read this.
ひこぼしのまれにあふよのとこ夏は打ちはらへどもつゆけかりけり
hikobosi no Like Hikoboshi, mare ni ahu yo no The nights we meet come rarely, tokonatu ha The summer pink bed uti-harahe-domo Though I wipe the dust away, tuyu-kekari-keri It remains sodden with dew.
- Stayed away
- The word karu is used in love poetry to indicate that the man has stopped visiting the woman.
- Author
- Many texts delete "and the woman read this" from the prose preface and add "poet unknown", conforming the preface to a more standard one for imperial collections. The text as given is more typical of poem tales, and these sorts of prefaces show up here and there in the GSS.
- Summer pink bed
- The tokonatu (pink) flower here is used to play on toko (bed). The word has a poetic association with dew, suggesting the woman's tears.
- Wipe the dust
- This is an image of the woman preparing her house for the man's visit.
--
The meaning here is fairly clear; another love poem on the Tanabata theme. The phrasing may come from KKS 188:
- ひとり寝る床は草葉にあらねども秋くるよひは露けかりけり
- The bed I sleep alone on is not grass, but on autumn nights it is wet with dew.
Another poem that mention the pink in connection with the "abandoned love" theme in include one of Yugao's poems in the "Hahakigi" chapter of the Tale of Genji:
- 打ち払ふ袖も露けきとこなつに嵐ふきそふ秋もきにけり
- The sleeves I use the wipe away the summer pink bed are wet with tears, and the autumn, bringing the blowing storms, has come.
Katagiri notes that there is no particular reason why the pink should be used here -- it's a summer image, not one associated with Tanabata, and there is nothing in the prose preface that would indicate its use. He suggests that this may have originally been a poem on a screen painting, with pinks growing near the house. The use of the image is still somewhat incongruous, though.
231
七日、人のもとより、返事に「今宵会はん」といひをこせて侍りければ
On the seventh day, [she] got a response from a man saying "I will come tonight."
こひこひてあはむと思ふゆふぐれはたなばたつめもかくぞあるらし
kohikohi-te With endless longing aha-mu to omo-hu I know that we will soon meet yuhugure ha On this seventh night, tanabata-tume mo Princess Orihime, too kaku zo aru-rasi Must feel exactly like this!
--
The feeling of the poem is clear enough, but the use of the Tanabata imagery does raise a question. Kigin thought that the poem showed the joy of waiting, but this would be out of keeping with the typical Tanabata idea. Kudo thinks that this their first meeting, perhaps also reading the situation as joyful. I think Kifune's idea is more accurate; if kohikohi-te is intended to have a positive connotation, there may be an ironic feeling about it.
The anonymous KKS 176, read in Orihime's voice, is a parallel:
- こひこひて逢ふ夜はこよひあまの河霧立ちわたりあけずもあらなん
- I have longed for this night we can meet -- O heavenly river, do not become clouded with mist!
232
返し
Response
たぐひなき物とは我ぞなりぬべきたなばたつめは人めやはもる
taguhinaki I must have become mono to ha ware zo Someone for whom there is nari-nu beki No comparison: tanabata-tume ha Does Princess Orihime hitome ya ha moru Worry about people's gaze?
--
The man's response says that while she compares herself to Orihime, he can't compare himself to anyone, because Orihime and Hikoboshi didn't have to hide their love like they do.
Kudo doesn't think this response matches very well with 231, and notes that in the Ise Collection this appears as a response to a different poem, by the Emperor:
- 逢ふほどと河をへだてて恋ふるとはたなばたつめに何かことなる
- I stand at the river waiting for our meeting; how is this any different from Orihime?
But 232 seems like a reasonable response to 232, especially if you imagine a context beyond the prose preface given.
233
題知らず
Circumstance unknown
[Poet unknown]
あまの河流れてこひばうくもぞあるあはれと思ふせにはやく見む
amanogawa While heaven's river nagare-te kohi-ba Flows on, if I long for you, uku mo zo aru I'll only suffer: ahare to omohu I want the chance to see you se ni hayaku mi-mu While I still feel love for you.
- flows
- nagare-te indicates the flow of the Heavenly River. It also suggests nagarahe-te, which means a long time passing (Shinsho, Katagiri), and perhaps nakare-te, meaning crying (Kifune).
- mo zo
- This particle combination indicates a guess at a possible bad outcome.
- chance
- se means the shallows in the river to cross, but also an opportunity (to meet). nagaru, uku ("suffer" and "float"), and se are all poetic associations with kawa (river).
--
Although this poem has no explicit Tanabata imagery, it seems to be written in the voice of Hikoboshi, waiting for the chance to cross to see Orihime. The added meaning is that the poet (perhaps a man) wants to see his lover right now, before their love wanes. The web of poetic associations matches with the river imagery.
234
[Circumstance unknown] [Poet unknown]
玉鬘たえぬ物からあらたまの年の渡りはただひとよのみ
tamakadura Our love, like the vines, tae-nu mono kara Does not break apart and yet aratama no Passing the river tosi no watari ha In the passing of the year, tada hitoyo nomi Comes on just this night alone.
- Vines
- tamakadura is a pillow word for tae-nu (not break).
- Year
- aratama is a pillow word for "year". In the MYS version this reads sa nuraku ha ("sleeping in this way").
- Passing
- The watari suggests the passing of time and the crossing of the heavenly river.
--
This is another Tanabata poem, although no explicit tanabata words appear in the poem. It seems to be a variation of MYS 10.2078, which is also said to be a poem on Tanabata. The use of the pillow words fits the archaic nature of the poem.
235
[Circumstance unknown] [Poet unknown]
秋の夜の心もしるくたなばたのあへるこよひはあけずもあらなん
aki no yo no It is clear to see kokoro mo siruku The heart of long autumn nights tanabata no If only this night ahe-ru koyohi ha When the weaver meets her love ake-zu mo ara-nan Could go on without dawning.
--
The meaning of the first two lines is that we can see that autumn nights care for us because they are long, giving us more time to meet our lovers. This poem might also be in the voice of Orihime or Hikoboshi. Kifune says that the technique in this poem lies in the first line, where the "heart of autumn nights" can also be read as a "long heart" -- that is, one that will stay faithful throughout the years. See KKS 176 (given above) for a parallel.
236
契りけん事の葉今は返してむ年のわたりによりぬるものを
tigiri-ken The words that I heard koto no ha ima ha You pledge to me, now I shall kaesi-temu Return them to you. tosi no watari ni I relied on you to come yori-nuru mono wo At least once a year, and yet...
- Relied
- The verb yoru also suggests leaves (the "words") floating nearby.
--
Although tanabata is not explicitly mentioned here, the wording alludes to the legend. Like Hikoboshi, the man has pledged to visit her. Although Hikoboshi at least visits once a year, this man can't even manage that. The term tosi no watari is used in other tanabata poetry.
The first two lines recall KKS 736, composed by Fujiwara no Yoruka as she was returning old love letters.
- 頼めこし言の葉今は返してむわが身ふるればをき所なし
- The letters of pledge you sent me, now I shall return them. As I grow older there is no place for me, nor for the letters.
237
七日、越後蔵人につかはしける
On the seventh day, he sent this to Echigo no Kurodo.
藤原敦忠朝臣
Lord Fujiwara no Atsutada
逢ふ事の今夜過ぎなば織女におとりやしなんこひはまさりて
ahu koto no If the night passes koyohi sugi-na-ba Without us able to meet tanabata ni To Hikoboshi otori ya si-nan I will not lag far behind kohi ha masarite My longing is greater still.
- Echigo no Kurodo
- Unknown, but evidently a gentlewoman in the palace who has a male relative (or husband) serving in Echigo province.
- Hikoboshi
- Although the base text reads 織女, read as tanabata, this most likely refers to Hikoboshi. Examples of tanabata referring to Hikoboshi can be seen elsewhere in this volume. Either Teika did not care about the kanji representation, or he read this as a (jokingly?) braggadacio poem that Echigo herself would feel great longing if she was not able to meet Atsutada that night.
--
This is another in the long sequence of love poems on the Tanabata theme. Kudo sees the interest of the poem in the contrast between otoru (lag behind) and masaru (exceed).
238
七日
On the seventh
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
織女のあまのとわたるこよひさへをち方人のつれなかるらん
tanabata no Even on this night ama no to wataru When Hikoboshi crosses koyohi sahe The Heaven River wotikata hito no You on the opposite side turenakaru-ran How can you still be so cold?
--
By itself this poem should probably be read as one by a man, complaining that a woman he wants to see won't open up to him even on Tanabata. However, in the Atsutada Collection this poem comes immediately after 237. Although the poem is not attributed to Echigo, it can be read as her response to Atsutada's complaint above. The poem also appears in the Asatada Collection, but this is presumably just a copying mistake.
239
七夕をよめる
Read about Tanabata
[Poet unknown]
天の河とほき渡りはなけれども君がふなでは年にこそまて
ama no gaha The heaven river tohoki watari ha Does not have a long crossing nakere-domo But Hikoboshi, kimi ga hunade ha For the launching of your boat, tosi ni koso mate I wait an entire year.
--
This is another Tanabata-themed poem, read in Orihime's voice, with a direct meaning. It is found in a slightly differing form in the Man'yoshu. It is also in the Hitomaro collection, which is mostly anonymous poems from the Man'yoshu. Perhaps working off of this, the SIS and the Wakan roeishu include this poem, attributed to Hitomaro.
Shoku gosen wakashu 207, by Tameie, seems to use this poem as a honka although it's in the Summer volume.
- 天の川遠き渡りになりにけり交野のみののさみだれのころ
- The way across the heavenly river has become long! In the 5th month rains at Mino in Katano.
240
[Read about Tanabata] [Poet unknown]
あまの河いはこす浪のたちゐつつ秋のなぬかのけふをしぞまつ
ama no gaha The waves rise and fall iha kosu nami no Past the heaven river's stones tati-wi-tutu As I sit and stand aki no nanuka no Today, autumn's 7th day, kehu wo si zo matu This is the day I wait for!
- Come and go
- tati-wi refers both to the rising and falling of the waves, and Orihime standing up and sitting down over and over again from expectation or worry.
- Autumn's 7th day
- Since autumn began in the 7th month under the old lunar calendar, this is the equivalent of 7/7 (Tanabata).
--
Like the previous poem, this is a direct, simple poem read in Orihime's voice. A similar poem was composed in 906 by Tsurayuki for a screen painting:
- 秋風の夜の更けゆけば天の川河瀬に浪の立つゐこそ待て
- The night of autumn wind deepens, and she waits, standing and sitting, just as the waves of the Heavenly River rise and fall over the stones.
241
[Read about Tanabata]
紀友則
Ki no Tomonori
けふよりはあまの河原はあせななむそこゐともなくただわたりなん
kehu yori ha Starting from today ama no kahara ha The wide heavenly river ase-na-namu I wish would dry up! sokowi to mo naku As if there were no bottom tadawatari-nan I would directly walk through.
- No bottom
- Rather than "bottomless" this evidently means that there is no water, and thus no bottom. Katagiri interprets as "I wouldn't have to worry about my destination."
--
This is a poem read in Hikoboshi's voice, waiting expectantly for his chance to cross the river. Kifune reads 239-240 as a poem and response by the two lovers, followed by this one from Hikoboshi to finish the small set of poems. It resembles a poem in the Tsurayuki collection:
- 天の川水絶えせなむ鵲の橋もわたさでただ渡りなむ
- If only the heavenly river would dry up! Then I could just walk over without crossing the bridge of magpies.
The fourth line is a bit difficult to understand, and varies especially widely in different sources. The Kokin waka rokujo version of the poem reads yodomu to mo naku (without getting stopped). The Tomonori collection reads either futise to mo naku (without shallows or deep places), or soyomi to mo naku (without anything stopping me).
The last reading also occurs in a number of alternate manuscripts, including Fujiwara no Yukinari's text. Many early commenters expressed doubt over what the correct reading should be here. The meaning of soyomi is not completely certain, although it shows up in a few other poems dealing with Tanabata. On the manuscript that is the base text for this translation, Teika writes "The text of [Fujiwara no] Kiyosuke reads soyomi, but the family manuscript says sokohi. The Ogisho comments on this." The Ogisho simply notes the difference. In the Hekiansho Teika wonders if the soyomi reading might be better, and Tameie echoes this in his own commentary. Teika mentions the soyomi reading once again in notes at the end of the manuscript, showing that the reading of this poem was a problem that he was unable to solve.
As the Shinsho notes, futise is the reading that is the easiest to understand, but it is found in almost no sources.
242
[Read about Tanabata]
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
天の河流れてこふるたなばたの涙なるらし秋のしらつゆ
ama no gaha The Heaven River nagare-te kohuru Flows on and for long she waits tanabata no And this, it does seem, namida naru-rasi Is the tears of the weaver -- aki no siratuyu The white dew in the autumn.
- flows
- nagare-te puns on the flow of the heavenly river as well as "long", and nakare-te (crying).
--
The comparison of dew to tears is well known in Heian poetry, and other poems portray the dew as the tears of geese. In this case, the dew on 7/7 must be Orihime's tears as she waits for Hikoboshi.
243
[Read about Tanabata] [Poet unknown]
あまの河せぜの白浪たかけれどただわたりきぬまつにくるしみ
ama no gaha In heaven rivr seze no siranami The white waves among the shoals takakere-do Where I cross are high tada watari-ki-nu But I have walked and arrived. matu ni kurusimi Waiting is much too painful.
--
This is another poem in Hikoboshi's voice with a simple, direct meaning. It is a slight variant of MYS 10.2085, and perhaps derives from a traditional song.
244
[Read about Tanabata] [Poet unknown]
秋くれば河霧わたる天の河かはかみ見つつこふる日のおほき
aki kure-ba When autumn has come kawa kiri wataru The river mist rolls along ama no gaha The heaven river kahakami mi-tutu Up the river she gazes kohuru hi no ohoki On many days longs for him.
- kahakami
- The role of this word is unclear in the poem. Shinsho thought it a miscopying. Kifune thinks that Orihime is looking up the river where Hikoboshi will launch his ship (then to be carried down the river). Kudo interprets it as the surface of the water.
--
This poem could be in either Orihime or Hikoboshi's voice. Kigin found the scenery evoked by the poem interesting, and Kifune highlighted the drama of the scene, as Orihime tries in vain to spot Hikoboshi through the mist.
MYS 2030 is as follows:
- 秋されば河霧立ちて天の川河に向かひて恋ふる夜ぞ多き
- When autumn comes, she looks towards the river where mist is rising; many are the nights she longs for him.
The GSS poem could be an alternate version of this, but the differences seem too great for that. Kifune suggests it may be a rewriting of the poem.
245
[Read about Tanabata] [Poet unknown]
天の河こひしきせにぞ渡りぬるたきつ涙に袖はぬれつつ
ama no gaha I've crossed back over kohisiki se ni zo The shoals of Heaven River watari-nuru While I long for her. taki-tu namida ni The tears streaming from my eyes sode ha nure-tutu Drench my sleeves again and again.
- shoals
- se here indicates both the shoals of the river that Hikoboshi is crossing, the time when he longs, and the time he was able to meet Orihime.
--
This is a poem in Hikoboshi's voice, as he returns across the river after meeting Orihime -- just as he loves her the most, he has to go back. Compare KKS 182, by Minamoto no Mineyuki:
- 今はとてわかるる時はあまの河わたらぬさきに袖ぞひちぬる
- Now is the time of parting, and before I cross the river of heaven my sleeves are drenched in tears.
Kudo seems to interpret this poem differently, as a love poem where the man has shown up early. In other words, the watari-nuru is not the crossing back after meeting, but crossing to meet. He may take this meaning because the GSS still has several more Tanabata poems remaining, so a poem where Hikoboshi is returning is not appropriate here. This poem appears in different places in alternate texts (after 240 or 243).
242, 243, and 245 all appear in the Tomonori Collection, but this is presumably a mistake by the compiler, who accidentally interpreted the 241 attribution to apply to the next set of poems (some GSS manuscripts lack 244). The influence of this collection was enough for 245 to reappear in the Shin senzaishu attributed to Tomonori -- either because the compilers felt they were correcting the GSS' mistake, or they simply did not realize the poem had already appeared in an earlier collection.
246
[Read about Tanabata] [Poet unknown]
織女の年とはいはじ天の河雲たちわたりいざみだれなん
tanabata no Let us not say that tosi to ha iha-zi This is the weaver girl's year ama no gawa As the clouds rise up kumo tati-watari On the river of heaven, iza midare-nan Come, let us throw away caution.
--
The overall meaning of the poem is clear; the speaker doesn't want to have rare meetings like Orihime and Hikoboshi. He suggests that they throw caution to the wind and meet, not caring about what others think. This would be like if Orihime and Hikoboshi used the cloud cover to meet when it was not 7/7. Exactly what tanabata no tosi means is hard to say, but the intent of the metaphor seems clear enough. Kudo provided Chinese poetic precedent for clouds being associated with Tanabata.
Kifune suggests reading 243-246 as a continuous series of poems between Orihime and Hikoboshi, or 242-246 as a love poem tale by lovers using the Tanabata imagery.
247
[Read about Tanabata]
凡河内躬恒
Oshikochi no Mitsune
秋の夜のあかぬ別れをたなばたはたてぬきにこそ思ふべらなれ
aki no yo no On the autumn night aka-nu wakare wo She parts from him, not fulfilled, tanabata ha Does Orihime: tatenuki ni koso Her thoughts must be disarrayed omohu bera-nare Like her weaving warp and weft.
- Weaving
- The meaning of this symbol is not immediately clear. Most commentaries, pre-modern and modern, take it to mean that her thoughts are in disarray thinking of various things, connecting this to a metaphor of the various colors that make up the weaving. Kifune and Kudo cite poems from Ise and Tsurayuki that support this reading. Katagiri disagrees, saying that Orihime is thinking of the weaving she will have to do throughout the year before she can see Hikoboshi again.
--
The set of poems on Tanabata closes with two by Mitsune and Tsurayuki, plus one by Kanesuke who was often a patron to the two KKS-era poets. This poem, in the voice of Orihime, is about their parting.
248
七月八日のあした
The morning of the 8th day of the 7th month
兼輔朝臣
Lord Kanesuke
たなばたの帰る朝の天の河舟もかよはぬ浪もたたなん
tanabata no On the morning when kaeru asita no Hikoboshi returns on ama no gaha The heaven river hune mo kayoha-nu If only waves would rise up nami mo tata-nan High so that boats could not sail.
- Hikoboshi
- Tanabata seems to be once again used to refer to Hikoboshi, unless Kanesuke was going back to the original Chinese version of the legend where Orihime was the one to visit Hikoboshi.
--
The final group of poems on the day after Tanabata continue. This can be a poem read in Orihime's voice, or it could be the poet himself talking about Orihime's situation.
Kanesuke wrote another poem similar to this one, which was read when various people gathered with the Emperor and read poetry. Perhaps the GSS poem was composed in the same situation. Kanesuke's other poem was eventually included in the last Imperial collection, the Shin shoku kokin wakashu (382):
- 七夕をいだしてのちは天の河浪高きまで風も吹かなん
- After Orihime has seen Hikoboshi off, if only the wind would blow the waves high on the heavenly river!
249
おなじ心を
On the same topic
つらゆき
[Ki no] Tsurayuki
あさとあけてながめやすらんたなばたはあかぬ別れのそらをこひつつ
asato ake-te The door of morning nagame ya su-ran She opens and seems to gaze tanabata ha The weaver, sadly, aka-nu wakare no At the dawning sky, longing, sora wo kohi-tutu After the too short parting.
- Door of morning
- Judging from the use of asato in the MYS and KKS this seems to literally means a door or window that you open upon waking up. But there would seem to be at least the resonance of the pun on aku meaning "open" and "dawn".
--
The GSS positions the three poems in this block as if Mitsune, Kanesuke, and Tsurayuki were sitting together on the 8th day and composing these poems. In the Tsurayuki Collection the prose preface says this poem was sent to Mitsune, and the SIS includes the poem again with that preface. Thus it would seem that the GSS editors deliberately obscured the context to make this poem fit better with the preceding two.
250
思ふ事侍りて
When they had something to think about
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
秋風のふけばさすがにわびしきは世のことはりと思ふものから
akikaze no When autumn wind blows huke-ba sasuga ni Then indeed we discover wabisiki ha What suffering is: yo no kotohari to I think that this is the way omohu mono kara The way the world works, and yet...
- Something to think about
- "Worry" about; perhaps a woman worrying about her age or men not visiting.
- wabisiki ha
- The grammar of the third line has resulted in a number of explanations, but I think Matt Treyvaud and Yoshihiro Mani on the PMJS list for suggesting that the first three lines should all be read as one phrase that describes what is the "nature of the world" (yo no kotohari).
--
After the long set of Tanabata poems, the collection returns to the autumn wind and the sorrow it brings, perhaps as a palate-cleansing introduction to the next block of poems on insects. Although this poem could be taken simply as a poem of worry or sorrow, the prose preface suggests a woman's sorrow from love, and the word yo (world) is often used to refer to relations between men and women.
The sentiment is similar to KKS 777, a poem in the fifth love volume (where the love affairs have ended):
- 来ぬ人をまつ夕暮れの秋風はいかに吹けばわびしかるらむ
- In evening when I wait for him who does not come, how strongly must the autumn wind blow for me to suffer this much?
251
題知らず
Topic unknown [Poet unknown]
松虫のはつこゑさそふ秋風はをとは山よりふきそめにけり
matumusi no The autumn wind which hatukowe sasohu Which invites the first crying akikaze ha Of the bell crickets wotoha yama yori From the Otoha Mountain huki-some-ni-keri It seems to begin to blow.
- Bell crickets
- The term matumusi ("Pine insects") seems to refer to the suzumusi, the bell cricket.
- begin to blow
- Kifune reads some as a pun on "begin" and "dye (the autumn leaves)", but it may be too early in the season for autumn leaf poems, even in suggestion (though see KKS 256 quoted below, which suggests Otoha mountain colors early).
--
The first poem on autumn insects is an anonymous poem that reads like a public style poem read at a gathering or for a contest. The "pine insects" (matumusi) are an autumn image in all of the first three imperial collections. The Shinsho has high praise for this poem, describing a scene where the poet feels the cool of the autumn wind and hears the first voices of the crickets, then looks up at Otoha mountain and assumes the wind came from there.
But why Otoha mountain? One possibility is a pun, with woto (sound) suggesting the sound of the crickets, or perhaps even the 羽 character used to write the mountain's name connecting to the wings of the insects. KKS 256 by Tsurayuki associates the mountain with autumn wind:
- 秋風の吹きにし日よりをとは山みねの梢も色づきにけり
- Ever since the day the autumn wind started to blow, the branches on Otoha Mountain have been tinged with color.
Katagiri has a more intricate explanation -- the term hatukowe is usually used with birds, as in KKS 143 (about cuckoos). KKS 142 has the cuckoos coming from. Under this reading, the GSS poem is a deliberate echo of KKS 142-143, and the mountain that usually provides the cuckoos is now providing the bell crickets. This interpretation may be reaching too far, though.
252
[Topic unknown]
業平朝臣
Lord [Ariwara no] Narihira
ゆく蛍雲のうへまでいぬべくは秋風ふくと雁につげこせ
yuku hotaru Flitting fireflies, kumo no uhe made If you can fly high enough inu-beku ha Even over clouds, akikaze huku to Let the geese in the sky know kari ni tuge-kose That autumn wind is blowing.
- If you can
- besi has various meanings; most translators and commentors seem to take it as a mark of completion or plan, but I prefer the potential reading suggested by Kudo.
--
The firefly (hotaru) is not used in seasonal poetry in the first three collections except here, and in one spring poem in the SIS. The other five uses are all in love or miscellaneous poetry. Its only use in the GSS is in this poem by Narihira, a pre-KKS poet. The Shinsho praises the evocative scenery of the poem: Narihira sits on a cool night, watching fireflies and feeling the cool breeze, waiting for the autumn geese to arrive. "[Narihira's] poetry is peerlessly elegant."
The poem appears in the Narihira Collection with a prose preface that sets the scene in summer, when Narihira is looking at the flying insects. Although fireflies are usually associated with summer rather than autumn, the poem is clearly an autumn poem. This poem is also used in Tales of Ise 45, where this poem is read after a girl dies of love for the hero. The imagery then becomes metaphorical for the girl's soul.
253
[Topic unknown]
よみ人しらず
Poet unknown
秋風の草葉そよぎてふくなへにほのかにしつるひぐらしのこゑ
akikaze no The wind of autumn kusaba soyogi-te Rustles the grass and the leaves huku nahe ni And just as it blows honoka ni si-turu I heard, ever so faintly, higurasi no kowe The voice of the cicadas.
--
The autumn insect poems continue, with the higurasi (cicada), an insect that featured in a few KKS autumn poems as well. The name echoes hi kurasu (the sun goes down). KKS 204 and 205 both seem to furnish imagery or language for this poem:
- ひぐらしのなきつるなへに日はくれぬと思ふは山の陰にぞありける (204)
- Just as the cicadas cried I thought the sun set, since I am in the shade of the mountains.
- ひぐらしのなく山里の夕暮れは風よりほかに訪ふ人もなし (205)
- In the dusk of the village where cicadas cry, there are no visitors but the wind.
MYS 10.2231 is also similar.
- 萩の花咲きたる野辺にひぐらしの鳴くなるなへに秋の風吹く
- In the field where bush clover blooms, as soon as the cicadas cry the autumn wind blows.
This poem has garnered significant praise, with Hisamatsu Sen'ichi including it in both of his selections of Heian poetry. In the Senshaku he praises the scene evoked by the poem, and in the Hyoshaku he notes that the entire poem focuses on the faint early autumn imagery. Kifune also calls it a fitting poem for the "delicate" early autumn. Katagiri sets the scene as the dusk of a hot autumn day, when the cool wind begins to blow.
254
[Topic unknown]
つらゆき
[Ki no] Tsurayuki
ひぐらしの声きく山のちかけれやなきつるなへにいり日さすらん
higurasi no The mountain where one kowe kiku yama no Hears the cries of cicadas tikakere ya Is it nearby here? naki-turu nahe ni Maybe that's why when they cry irihi sasu-ran The setting sun's light appears.
--
The poems on cicadas continue with a poem by a public-spirited poem by Tsurayuki. It seems to be a direct response to KKS 204, although here it's the light of the setting sun that appears rather than the darkness. The poem relies on the same pun with hi kurasi (the sun goes down). Kifune notes that this is typical of Tsurayuki's poetry -- it has a deft technique and construction, but at the same time seems to express the exact scenery the poet is seeing. One can easily imagine the cicadas crying in the light of the setting sun.
Variant Text Poems
V1
Futarashi-bon, between 240 and 241
志しありながらえ遭はざりければ
大政大臣
としをへてあうみぬときはしらたまのなみだもあきぞいろまさりける