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.

Friday 25 May 2012

#014 みちのくの

みちのくの 
しのぶもぢずり 
誰故に 
乱れそめにし 
我ならなくに 


Michinoku no shinobu mojizuri tare yue ni midare somenishi ware naranaku ni

Minamoto no Tōru


In Michinoku
they mottle cloth with fern leaves;
but who hides behind
this disorder I'm marked with?
It began with you not I.

(trans. Köy Deli) 
in Michinoku
ferns dye the mottled cloth
who is the cause
for the disorder marking us
I am not the reason 

(trans. Jane Reichhold)


Parsing 


Michinoku no

Michinoko | of
shinobu mojizuri
fern-dyed | irregular patterned cloth
tare yue ni
who | therefore | the reason
midaren somenishi
disorder | to dye/begin
ware naranaku ni
I | be | not | because/the reason 


Crib


Like the irregular patterned cloth from Shinobu, I too am disordered. With whom did this disorder begin? Not I! (It is because of you).

Notes

pivot words

shinobu
n. a dye made from ferns, a fabric printed with an irregular pattern using fern dye; the place name of where such cloth was made;
v. to recollect, remember; to hide; to endure.

some
to dye/ to begin

syntax


ware - I, answers to tare, who. Who is the cause? I am not the reason! (inferring it is because of you).


Michnoku
みちのくの
place name


no
genitive
shinobu
しのぶ
n.
1. species of fern
2. colour of clothing (light green on blue)
3. cloth patterned using a species of fern
4. place name, a region of Michinoku
v.
1. to recollect, remember, to long for
2. to hide; conceal oneself
3. to endure, suffer in silence, to silently bear,
mojizuri
もぢずり
a fabric with an irregular pattern of patches or spots of different shades


tare
who, someone, somebody,


yue
reason, cause, consequently, therefore, happenstance,


ni
case particle indicating reason, the reason is, because of, given that (ので in modern Japanese), because of who (tare)?
midare
乱れ 
disturbance, disorder, unrest, riot, war


some
そめ
dye(ing), print(ing),
そめる
someru – to dye, to print; to begin







ware
I, oneself, ego, selfish, our


nara
なら
to be


naku
なく
not










 

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