Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 27
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
like the Izumi River,
that bubbles and swirls
through the Plain of Urns,
when did I see her
that I should long for her so?
Mika no hara
wakite nagaruru
Izumi-gawa
itsu miki tote ka
koishi karuramu
みかの原
わきてながるる
泉川
いつ見きとてか
恋しかるらむ
わきてながるる
泉川
いつ見きとてか
恋しかるらむ
Fujiwara no Kanesuke 藤原兼輔 (877–933)
This poem makes crafty use of a preface (jo), poetic place name (uta-makura) and pivot words (kake-kotoba) - see the below notes for more details. That is why classical Japanese poetry sometimes defies translation! A more literal translation would be: "The Izumi River gushes forth and flows through the Plain of Urns - its name "Izumi" makes me think of when I saw her ("itsu-mi"), she, whom I love so much."
In Japan the discussion has long been what type of love this refers to: have the lovers met and pledged their love once, only to be unable to meet again, or have they not yet actually met? It seems that Teika preferred that last interpretation.
Visiting
The Kunikyo ruins. The Mika no hara basin, which is surrounded by small hills, used to be home to Kunikyo, a former imperial palace built by Emperor Shomu that stood here between 740 and 744. In unsettled times, the Emperor had abandoned Heijokyo (Nara) and settled in a number of places before deciding on this site. Today, it is a wide, idyllic field with wildflowers located directly north of the nearby Kizu River. You will easily notice the appearance of foundation stones in the field - these are the ruins of the Kunikyo palace. Today, this area has become a public space for the locals - there is not really much to see for the average tourist.
Following the shifting away of the capital in 744, the main palace hall was repurposed as the Yamashiro Kokubunji temple. This temple possessed vast grounds covering an area of about 330 meters north-south and 275 meters east-west. It also boasted a tall pagoda, which was enclosed by a wall, and is believed to have been seven levels high. But also the temple has disappeared without a trace...
About 5 minutes by Nara Kotsu bus bound for "Wazuka-kosugi" from JR Kansai Line "Kamo" station to "Okazaki (Kamo)" bus stop, and then about 10 minutes on foot. Alternatively, about 10 minutes by taxi from JR Kansai Line "Kamo" station.
[The River Kizu]
This poem makes crafty use of a preface (jo), poetic place name (uta-makura) and pivot words (kake-kotoba) - see the below notes for more details. That is why classical Japanese poetry sometimes defies translation! A more literal translation would be: "The Izumi River gushes forth and flows through the Plain of Urns - its name "Izumi" makes me think of when I saw her ("itsu-mi"), she, whom I love so much."
In Japan the discussion has long been what type of love this refers to: have the lovers met and pledged their love once, only to be unable to meet again, or have they not yet actually met? It seems that Teika preferred that last interpretation.
Notes
- Mika no hara: the "Plain of Urns" was the old name for an area around the Izumi River, nor far from where now Kamo Station on the JR Kansai and Yamatoji lines can be found. North of the station (and river) is the spot where Emperor Shomu had set up his Kuni Palace from 740-744 and where he once started to cast the Great Buddha (a project that was later aborted at that location).
- wakite: "to gush forth, to bubble up," but also "to divide" (the Plain of Urns). It is also an engo with the next "Izumi", "spring."
- Izumigawa: another name for the River Kizu in southern Kyoto Prefecture, a tributary of the Yodo River. It originates in Mie prefecture and since time immemorial, rainfall inland and typhoons from Ise Bay have caused the Kizu River to overflow its banks, also in relatively recent times.
- itsu miki wo tote ka: "itsu mita to iu no daro ka?" The first three lines serve as a preface to "itsu miki," "when did I
see" (which with its sound of "itsu mi" again echoes the river "Izumi").
- koishi karuramu: to "koishikaru," "to be lovesick," the conjectural ending "-ramu" has been added.
The poet
The residence of Fujiwara no Kanesuke ("the Middle Counselor Kanesuke") beside the dam of the Kamo River in central Kyoto was a meeting place for literati as Tsurayuki (Poem 35) and Mitsune (Poem 29). His great-granddaughter was Murasaki Shikibu, author of the well-known Tale of Genji (and of Poem 57). It is however not certain whether he really was the author of the present poem: in the Shinkokinshu it is attributed to him, but in the Kokin Rokujo it is listed as "anonymous." Fifty-seven of his poems have been included in various imperial anthologies, including Kokin Wakashu and Gosen Wakashu.
[Site of Yamashiro Kokubunji and the Kuni Palace]
Visiting
The Kunikyo ruins. The Mika no hara basin, which is surrounded by small hills, used to be home to Kunikyo, a former imperial palace built by Emperor Shomu that stood here between 740 and 744. In unsettled times, the Emperor had abandoned Heijokyo (Nara) and settled in a number of places before deciding on this site. Today, it is a wide, idyllic field with wildflowers located directly north of the nearby Kizu River. You will easily notice the appearance of foundation stones in the field - these are the ruins of the Kunikyo palace. Today, this area has become a public space for the locals - there is not really much to see for the average tourist. Following the shifting away of the capital in 744, the main palace hall was repurposed as the Yamashiro Kokubunji temple. This temple possessed vast grounds covering an area of about 330 meters north-south and 275 meters east-west. It also boasted a tall pagoda, which was enclosed by a wall, and is believed to have been seven levels high. But also the temple has disappeared without a trace...
About 5 minutes by Nara Kotsu bus bound for "Wazuka-kosugi" from JR Kansai Line "Kamo" station to "Okazaki (Kamo)" bus stop, and then about 10 minutes on foot. Alternatively, about 10 minutes by taxi from JR Kansai Line "Kamo" station.
References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); Traditional Japanese Poetry, An Anthology, by Steven D. Carter (Stanford University Press, 1991); Hyakunin Isshu by Inoue Muneo, etc. (Shinchosha, 1990); Genshoku Hyakunin Isshu by Suzuki Hideo, etc. (Buneido, 1997); Ogura Hyakunin Isshu at Japanese Text Initiative (University of Virginia Library Etext Center); Hyakunin Isshu wo aruku by Shimaoka Shin (Kofusha Shuppan); Hyakunin Isshu, Ocho waka kara chusei waka e by Inoue Muneo (Chikuma Shoin, 2004); Basho's Haiku (2 vols) by Toshiharu Oseko (Maruzen, 1990); The Ise Stories by Joshua S. Mostow and Royall Tyler (University of Hawai'i Press, 2010); Kokin Wakashu, The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry by Helen Craig McCullough (Stanford University Press, 1985); Kokinshu, A Collection of Poems Ancient and Modern by Laurel Rasplica Rodd and Mary Catherine Henkenius (University of Tokyo Press, 1984); Kokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1994); Shinkokin Wakashu (Shogakkan, 1995); Taketori Monogatari-Ise Monogatari-Yamato Monogatari-Heichu Monogatari (Shogakkan, 1994).
Photos from Wikipedia.