Gosenshu 10
後撰和歌集 巻第十 恋二
- 恋二] 恋歌二（行）
601
女のもとにはじめてつかはしける
Sent to a woman for the first time
藤原忠房朝臣
人を見て 思ふおもひも ある物を そらにこふるぞ はかなかりける
Seeing the person / the thoughts I think / are there, and yet / empty longing / is transient.
- おもひも] おもひは（八*）
- こふるぞ] こふるは（八*）
- はかなかりける] はかなかりけり（八*)
- 人を見て
- This may mean catching a glimpse of the woman (as is common in monogatari), or it may refer to the couple spending a night together.
--
Tadafusa has either spent one night with the woman or just glimpsed her -- he has those memories, but even so his current position, where he has to long for her with no hope of meeting, is difficult to tolerate. Kifune sees a series of wordplays that conceal a phrase 陽もあるものを、空に...降る.
Other sources:
- 新撰万葉集４５４. Second line 思ふことだに.
- 寛平后宮歌合１６１, anonymous. Second line 思ふことだに. Kudo thinks that this is a separate poem drawn on by Tadafusa, perhaps because Tadafusa may have been too young to participate in this poetry competition (although his birth year is uncertain).
602
壬生忠岑
ひとりのみ おもへばくるし 如何して おなじ心に 人ををしへむ
It hurts me to think alone. (1-2) / how can I / teach you the same heart (4-5)?
- おもへば] おもふは（ハイ・標・新）
- 如何して
- Every other text reads いかにして, so it's likely that Teika intended 如何 to be read as いかに. いかにして....む is "How can I..." or perhaps "I want somehow to..."
--
The prose prefaces in the Tadamine Collection version of this poem give a different possible context; with the context carried over from the previous poem it sounds like Tadamine has only seen or heard of the woman and is now sending a message for the first time. It was common in such introductory letters to already be talking of how much you were burning with love for the other person.
Perhaps this is based on the anonymous KKS 541:
- よそにして恋ふればくるし入れ紐の同じ心にいざむすびてむ
- It hurts me to long for you from afar. Let's pledge our love and be together like beads on a string.
Other sources:
- 古今和歌六帖２６３０・あひおもはぬ. Also ２１３８・ざふの思ひ. First line ひとすれず (only in 2138).
- 忠岑集１５７. Prose preface ある女の、いみじう本意なくはべりしかば(IV) or ある女のいみじう心つよくはべりしかば(II).
603
紀友則
わが心 いつならひてか 見ぬ人を 思ひやりつつ こひしかるらん
My heart / when did it become used to / sending my thoughts to (4) / and longing for (3) / a person I have not seen?
- 見ぬ人を] 見ぬ人の（雲・坊・新イ）
--
Another "first contact" poem, telling the woman how much he has been thinking of her despite not having met.
Other sources:
- 古今和歌六帖２５３２・しらぬ人・友則. Third line 見ぬ人の.
- 友則集３８. Second and third lines いつにならひて 見ぬ人の.
604
まだ年わかかりける女につかはしける
Sent to a girl who was still young
源中正
葉をわかみ ほにこそいでね 花すすき したの心に むすばざらめや
The leaves are young, and so / the flower has not appeared / the susuki / how can we not tie together (5) / the underlying thought? (4)
- 葉をわかみ
- The を...み structure means が....ので.
- ほにこそいでね
- This either refers to the woman who has not yet come of age, or to the man, whose feelings are not yet made known.
- したの心
- This suggests both the bottom part of the plant as well as the author's intentions.
--
This sort of poem could be sent to a girl's parents as part of a politically arranged marriage. However, it may also be that the girl is not actually below marriageable age but just much younger than the author (on the other hand, the Tale of Genji reminds us that a man could take a romantic interest in a very young girl...)
605
人をいひはじめむとて
He talked to her for the first time
兼覧王
Prince Kanemi
あしひきの 山したしげく はふくずの 尋ねてこふる 我としらずや
[the foot dragging] / bottom of the mountain, profuse / with crawling kudzu vine / [like that] I seek for you longing / do you not know me?
- 山したしげく] 山したしげみ（荒・片・新イ）
- 我としらずや] 我としらなむ（堀・坊・新イ）
- あしひきの
- A pillow word for 山.
- はふくずの
- The first three lines are a preface for 尋ぬ, because the vines grow profusely and seek out every place to expand.
--
Kigin suggests that this is a 有心序, where the blindly growing vines represent the poet who is seeking after the woman despite not having any letter or communication from her, and perhaps also the way he is drawn to her. Kifune notes that the はふくず was a symbol of love in the MYS as well, and praises this poem's beautiful sound and evocative scenery.
Other sources:
- 古今和歌六帖３６６０・くず・兼覧
- 新時代別歌合３９・兼覧王. Fourth line うらみてこふる.
606
忠房朝臣
- (no preface)] いとしのびたる人を月日へていひ侍りて（堀・雲・新イ）、年月をへて忍びていひ侍る人に（中・荒・片・承・慶・坊・ハイ・新イ）
かくれぬに 忍びわびぬる わが身かな ゐでのかはづと 成りやしなまし
- 忍びわびぬる] 忍びかねぬる（荒・片*)
- かはづと] かはづに（堀）
