A working space for my notes on Ogura Hyakunin Isshu - a classical Japanese anthology of 100 poems by 100 poets. My thanks to Jane Reichhold and fellow members of the AHApoetry Forum for their encouragement, advice and participation; and also to my fellow fellow members of Eratosphere for their comments and suggestions.

Thursday 19 April 2012

#006 かささぎの

かささぎの
渡せる橋に
おく霜の
白きを見れば
夜ぞ更けにける

kasasagi no wataseru hashi ni oku shimo no shiroki o mireba yo zo fuke ni keru

Otomo no Yakamochi



we can cross
the Bridge of Magpies
when we see frost
pure white upon it
the night has nearly passed

(trans. Köy Deli )
when crossing
the Bridge of Magpies
a deposit of frost
is seen as pure white
the night has grown late 

(trans. Jane Reichhold)

Parsing 

kasasagi no
magpies | of
wataseru hashi ni
can be passed | bridge | locative particle
oku shimo no
deposit | frost | of
shiroki o mireba
white | accusative particle | time-when see 
yo zo fuke ni keru
night | emphatic particle | has grown late

(Tentative) Crib
When I see white frost on Magpie Bridge/(on the magpies that can be crossed as a bridge?), night has grown late.


kasasagi
かささぎ
Magpie(s)

6
wataseru
渡せる
(that can be) passed, crossed, ferried

6
hashi
bridge

6
shimo
frost

6
oku
おく or 置く
To put, place, set, deposit

6
Fuke ni keru
更けにける
to grow late

6
Yo
night

6
Shiroki
白き
White (ness), pure

6

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