88. An Official of the Dowager Empress Kwōka: Kwōka Mon-in no Betto
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88. An Official of the Dowager Empress Kwōka: Kwōka Mon-in no Betto
88
AN OFFICIAL OF THE DOWAGER EMPRESS KWŌKA
KWŌKA MON-IN NO BETTO
Naniwa e no
Ashi no karine no
Hito yo yue
Mi wo tsukushite ya
Koi wataru beki.
Ashi no karine no
Hito yo yue
Mi wo tsukushite ya
Koi wataru beki.
I'VE seen thee but a few short hours;
As short, they seemed to me,
As bamboo reeds at Naniwa;
But tide-stakes in the sea
Can't gauge my love for thee.
This verse was written some time in the twelfth century; and Naniwa is the ancient name of Ōsaka.
There are several double meanings in this verse lines 2 and 3 can mean either 'one section of a reed cut off between the joints', or 'one night's sleep as short as a reed'. In the fourth line also, miotsukushi means a tide-gauge, as explained in the note to verse No. 20, but the whole line, taken as printed, reads, 'How can I be already tired of thee!' The contrast here is between the length of only one section of a short reed and the long stake set up to measure the rise and fall of the tide.
The illustration seems to show the lady to whom the verse was addressed.
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