#020 わびぬれば

わびぬれば
今はた同じ
難波なる
身をつくしても
逢はむとぞ思ふ


wabi nureba ima hata onaji Naniwa naru mi o tsukushite mo awamu to zo omou 

Prince Motoyoshi

in love-sick despair I am drowning just the same; so I pray let's meet though we put our names at stake in Naniwa's troubled tides (trans. Köy Deli)

deeply miserable I'll be wet forevermore at Naniwa Bay I'm useless as a channel buoy so I think we should meet (trans. Jane Reichhold)

Parsing

wabinureba

misery | wet with | since

ima hata onaji

now | from now on | the same

Naniwa naru

Naniwa | (to be) in/at

mi o tsukushite mo

oneself | dir. object | used up | even (if)

|           tidal pole marker           |

awamu to zo omou          

shall-meet | “!” I | think/feel/hope

Notes and Devices

There are some clear links with the previous waka here; in location (Naniwa), and with the topic of a [brief] encounter; an encounter negated in the previous waka (no more meetings) but affirmed here (we shall meet again, despite all the risks). There is also a measuring stick of sorts in both, the segment of a reed at Naniwa in waka 19, and the tidal measuring stake(s) at Naniwa here.

Devises include a two part structure of prologue (jo) and phrase/statement; word association (engo) and pivot (kakekotoba):

みをつくし miotsukushi
= 澪標 water-channel marker (a pole/stake to measure the varying depth of the channel with the tides); and also
= 身を尽くし to exhaust oneself; be consumed

Also possible play/word association with Naniwa written as 'difficult/rough waves' but also marking the topic (wa - topic marker) of 'name/reputation' (na) - so it is name/reputation that is destroyed (rather than life).

The background story is of the love of the prince for a mistress of the emperor, and the great danger inherent should the emperor find out: the wretchedness of love sick separation however, the prince feels is the same as death/ruin anyway, so "let's meet", though it be my ruin, for I am just as wretched without you.

wabi	わび	wretched; sorry; miserable
nure	ぬれ	to be wet; love affair;
ba	ば	conjunctive particle, since
ima	今は	now; at this time
hata	はた [将]	at last; again; indeed;  soon; (near) future; from now on; just about		At least one parody of this poem uses koi/carp probably in association with hata meaning 'grouper' (fish).
onaji	同じ	same; identical; equal
Naniwa	難波	Place name	kakekotoba	pun with 'na' (name, reputation) as topic (wa).
naru	なる	to be in; to be at
miotsukushi	みをつくし [澪標]	water-channel marker	kakekotoba	a stake set up in the water to mark the varying depth due to the tides
mi	み	body; oneself
(w)o	を	particle, direct object; the
tsukushi	つくし	exhausted; used up, depleted; run out
te mo	ても	conj. particle; even if...
awamu	逢は	meet; tryst; date; rendezvous; encounter; brief encounter
to zo	とぞ	fin. emotive particle; with/and I; 'so I'
omou	思ふ	to think; to hope; to feel; to recognise

 

#019 難波潟

難波潟
みじかき芦の
ふしのまも
あはでこの世を
過ぐしてよとや

Naniwa gata mijikaki ashi no fushi no ma mo awade kono yo o sugushite yo to ya

Lady Ise

at Nawina Bay a segment of this bullrush is about as short as the time we've spent alone, and there is no more! n'est ce pas? (trans. Köy Deli)

Naniwa marsh short as segments on reeds our brief passage without meeting in this life is that what you want?  (trans. Jane Reichhold)

Parsing 

Naniwagata
Naniwa | -lagoon
mijikaki ashi no
short | reed | of
fushi no ma mo
nodes | space/time | even (as little as . . .)
awade kono yo o
without meeting | this | life | !
sugushite yo to ya
pass through | want | ! | quotative particle | ?

Crib

Are you saying you do not want us to meet anymore as we pass through this life? not even for as brief a space/time as a segment of reed from Naniwa Bay!

Devices

Kaketoba -- 'ma' is used here as a pivot refering to the short space/segment of bamboo reed and brief amount of time.

Naniwa	難波	Place name
-gata	潟	lagoon, marsh
Naniwagata	難波潟	Naniwa Bay
mijikaki	みじかき	short, brief (space/time)
ashi	芦	reed; bullrush
no	の	genitive
fushi	ふし	knot (in wood); node (of a bamboo shoot)
ma	ま	space; room; time; pause	kaketoba
mo	も	emotive particle; even (as little as... as much as)
awade	あはで	without meeting, a tryst, a date,  rendezvous,	neg. form of ‘au’ 逢
kono	この	this
yo	世	world, generation, age, society
o	を	case particle, direct object
sugushite	過ぐ	pass through
-shite	して
yo	よ	! exclamatory particle
to	と	“...” quotative particle
ya	や	? interrogative particle
yo to ya	よとや	that’s what you’re saying! is it not? n’est ce pas? ne le dira-t-on pas? Is that it?

#018 住の江の

住の江の 
岸による波 
よるさへや 
夢の通ひ路 
人目よくらむ 

Fujiwara no Toshiyuki 

Suminoe no kishi ni yoru nami yoru sae ya yume no kayohiji hitome yoku ran 

at Suminoe bay the waves gather at the shore even through the night it seems you shun being seen and no longer walk my dreams (why do you remain unseen even on the path of dreams) (Trans. Köy Deli )

the Suminoe shore is found by the waves even at night on the pathways of dreams why do I fail to see you? (Trans. Jane Reichhold)

Parsing

Suminoe no 
place name | of 
kishi ni yoru nami 
shore | at | drop by | waves 
yoru sae ya 
night | even | ! 
yume no kayohiji 
dream | of | path 
hitome yoku ran 
glimpse | avoid | why? 

Devices 

1. Jokotoba (preface or prologue which may relate (via metaphor, simile for example) to the following statement – the relationship between preface and statement however does not always, and may not neccesarily , make such sense). Often a statement about the natural world (the waves fall on the shore even at night) followed by a parallel or contra-parallel statement regarding a human condition, situation or sentiment (but can’t get to see me at night even in my dreams). Sometimes a punning word or pivot line leads from the preface to the statement (as here with ‘even at night’). 

2. Utamakura (Intertextual and culturally conventional allusions related to a word, esp., place names). Suminoe beach was famed for its scenic mountain pines, and 'pines' (matsu) as we seen in a previous waka is also a homophone for 'waiting'. So though allusion we get the sense of someone who is awaiting someone, but is denied even a glimpse even in their dreams. 

3. Kakari-musubi (a particle which in association with a predicate form gives a sense of doubt, interrogation, question). 

4. Kaketoba (the word yoru = ‘drops by’ and ‘night’, the middle line as pivot between upper and lower couplets.) 

5. Engo (associated words – kaketoba of ‘drop by’ (yoru) leads to night (yoru) which by association leads to ‘dream’. 

Notes 

As a song of incantation, this waka is said to invoke divinatory dreams. Write it under a slip of paper and put it under your pillow, and recite the song from memory on going to sleep. On the third night you will dream of one whose love is true. 

Suminoe	住の江	place name
no	の	genitive particle
kishi	岸	bank, coast, shore, beach
ni	に	locative particle
yoru	よる	to be due to; to depend on; to gather, to visit, drop in/near/by
nami	波	wave
yoru	よる [夜]	evening, night
sae	さへ	even; even...in addition
ya	や	final or expressive particle expressive of exclamation, irony or rhetorical question.
yume	夢	dream,
kayohiji	通ひ路	a path, route, road, track to go back and forth on, to ply between
hitome	人目	make an appearance, public gaze, glimpse
yoku	よく[避ける]	evade, avoid, avert, ward off, shirk, shun
ran	らむ	aux. verb of speculation, hypothesis, conjecture of cause