KKS 14

Previous poem | Next poem

Text

[寛平御時后の宮の歌合の歌]

大江千里

うぐひすの谷よりいづるこゑなくは春くることをたれかしらまし

Translation

[A poem at the Empress' Poetry Collection in the Kampei era]

Oe no Chisato

If we did not have the voice (3) / coming from the valley (2) / of the warbler (1) / Who would know (5) / of spring's coming? (4)

Explanation

This poem continues the theme of the preceding ones -- we need the voice of the warbler to truly feel that it's spring (11), but the only flowers in the valley are the caps of the river waves (12). So let's sent the scent of our plums to the valley warblers (13), because who can feel spring without their cry? (14). In the next two poems we will finally have the warblers crying out.

Detailed Notes

大江千里

A number of manuscripts list this poem as anonymous, and a few of these manuscripts read "circumstance unknown" as well. However, the poem appears in Chisato's Kudai waka as well as the manuscripts of the poetry collection.

うぐひすの谷よりいづる

Early commentaries cite a line from the Shi Jing as the source of this idea, which is picked up by later commentators. But as Katagiri points out, the Shi Jing reference is not specific to warblers and the context has nothing to do with spring. He suggests Tang poetry as a more likely source for the image and gives several examples of Tang poems using the image of a warbler leaving the valley in spring.

たれかしらまし

This last line has several textual variations. たれか is いかで ("how") in some texts -- Takeoka suggests this reading sounds more Chinese and thus may fit Chisato's style better. The Shinsen Man'yoshu and the poetry competition texts read つげまし instead of しらまし ("who would tell us" rather than "who would know"). Katagiri agrees with Template:Nativist that つげまし was the original reading, and this poem was placed here in the collection because it has the same feeling as the next few poems. But they later changed つげまし to しらまし to fit better with poem 11.

Analysis

This poem occurs in several old poetic treatises. The Template:Oldest lists it as an example poem for warblers coming from the valley -- this sort of designation confirmed that the image was acceptable to use in later poetry. Template:Oldest gives this poem, and then Shuishu 10 as an example of a poetic imitation:

鶯の声なかりせば雪きえぬ山里いかで春をしらまし

If the warblers did not cry, how would the snow-covered mountain village know it's spring?

Toshiyori and the Template:Oldest take issue with the borrowing but find it acceptable in some circumstances. Finally, the Fukurozoshi identifies the poetic fault (yamai) of the fourth line, because of the repetition of vowels.

Template:Edo considered this poem excellent, at least in part due to the clarity of meaning.

One interpretive question is what the imagined situation of the poet is. Some commentators take the last line literally, that we have a mountain recluse who has no way of knowing if spring has come without hearing the warblers. Others take this as yet another poem about the conflict between the date on the calendar and the actual spring scenery.

Takeoka feels the poem is too conceptual and Chinese-influenced; perhaps fitting for Chisato but not effective overall. In contrast, Template:Modern sees surplus-feeling (yojo) in the voice of the warbler calling up the feeling of spring. Template:Modern also finds an underlying theme that the warbler is crying but the signs of spring are not here.

As the Template:Nativist indicates, this is clearly placed here to provide a continuation from the preceding poem (inviting the warblers with scent). Katagiri sees 12-14 almost like a small story in early spring.

Other sources

• 新撰万葉集２６１. Lines 4 and 5 春者来鞆(ハルハクルトモ) 誰告申(タレカツゲマシ)
• 古今和歌六帖３２・残りの雪・ちさと, ４３９６・うぐいす・千さと. Line 5 たれかつげまし
• 寛平御時后宮歌合２２. Line 5 誰かつげまし. (vs. poem 駒なべてめも春の野にまじりなむ若菜摘みつる人は有りやと)
• 綺語抄　和歌童蒙抄 (Line 5 誰かつげまし)　俊頼髄脳　奥儀抄　袋草紙 (Line 5 いかでしらまし)　[[[八雲御抄]] (Line 5 いかでしらまし)

Previous poem | Next poem