Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 63
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
is there any way
to tell you myself
and not through someone else
that the only thing now left
is that I have to give you up?
ima wa tada
omoitaenamu
to bakari wo
hitozute nara de
iu yoshi mo gana
今はただ
思ひ絶えなむ
とばかりを
人づてならで
いふよしもがな
Fujiwara no Michimasa 藤原道雅 (992-1054)
[Michimasa]
The head note to this poem in the Goshuishu says that Michimasa had secret trysts with the former High Priestess of Ise, Princess Toshi (Masako). When her father, Retired Emperor Sanjo, heard of this, he became very angry and had guards posted so that Michimasa could not even visit the princess in secret. This soap opera had certain parallels with the famous affair between Narihira and the Ise Virgin as described in the Tales of Ise and found its way into several (semi-) historical works, such as the Tale of Flowering Fortunes. Just like Narihira, Michimasa had the reputation of a womanizer, which may have been an added reason why the ex-emperor was against the liaison. The Ise Priestess was supposed to remain a virgin, but as Princess Toshi was no longer serving, it was not as great an offense as that of Narihira.
So this is not a poem about a quarrel between two lovers, but one announcing a forced separation, combined with regret that even a last meeting is not allowed. The end was tragic: Princess Toshi became a nun and died prematurely at age 21 (in 1022) and Michimasa's wife left him and married someone else. Michimasa was not a great poet, but the above poem was thought to give a perfect expression to his feelings at the end of the much talked about affair.
Notes
- ima wa tada: "wa" serves to add emphasis to "now". "tada" = the only thing, only this.
- omoitaenamu: "omoi" and "taeyu" have been combined in the meaning of "to give up, to resign." "mu" indicates intention.
- to bakari wo: "to iu hitokoto bakari wo"
- hitozute nara de: "hitozute:" via someone else. "de" indicates a negation.
- iu yoshi mo ga na: "yoshi": means, way. "mo ga na" indicates a wish or desire.
The Poet
Fujiwara no Michimasa was the son of Minister Korechika (Poem 54) and was the nephew of Emperor Ichijo's wife, Empress Fujiwara no Teishi. In his early life he served in several posts, including that of Sakyo no Daibu, "Master of the Western Capital" (chief administrator of the western sector of Heiankyo). After his family was supplanted by Michinaga, he spent the rest of his life in retirement. He has only six poems in the Goshuishu and other imperial anthologies.
[Gate of Kotai-jingu (Naiku, Main Ise Shrine)]
Visiting
Ise Shrine and Ise Saiku. The Saio was an unmarried female member of the Japanese Imperial family, sent to Ise to serve as a Vestal Priestess at the Ise Grand Shrine, a custom which continued from the late 7th century until the 14th century. The Saio's residence, Saiku, was about 10 km north-west of the shrine (the remains are situated in the town of Meiwa, Mie Prefecture - here now also stands the Saiku Historical Musseum). The role of the Saio was to serve as Vestal Priestess at the Ise Shrine on behalf of the Emperor. Three rituals a year were conducted at the Shrine in which the Saio prayed for peace and protection. In June and November each year, she journeyed to the Shrine to perform the Tsukinamisai Festival. In September in ancient Calendar, she performed the Kannamesai Festival to make offerings to the kami of the year's new grain harvest. For the rest of the year, the Saio lived in the Saiku, where she would spend her time composing waka verses, making small excursions in the vicinity and wait to be recalled to Kyoto.
In the Genji Monogatari, chapter 10, Akikonomu, the daughter of the Rokujo Lady, becomes the new Ise Vestal. According to custom, she is confined at the Nonomiya Shrine in Arashiyama for purification, before she can travel to Ise. Her mother is with her (which was unusual) and Genji visits them to say goodbye to his former lover, the Rokujo Lady. After the death of the mother, Genji will become the guardian of the daughter, who eventually will rise to the exalted position of Empress.
In the Genji Monogatari, chapter 10, Akikonomu, the daughter of the Rokujo Lady, becomes the new Ise Vestal. According to custom, she is confined at the Nonomiya Shrine in Arashiyama for purification, before she can travel to Ise. Her mother is with her (which was unusual) and Genji visits them to say goodbye to his former lover, the Rokujo Lady. After the death of the mother, Genji will become the guardian of the daughter, who eventually will rise to the exalted position of Empress.
[Representation of the the Saio
at the Saio Matsuri held on 6/5]
References: Pictures of the Heart, The Hyakunin Isshu in Word and Image by Joshua S. Mostow (University of Hawai'i Press, 1996); One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, by Peter MacMIllan (Penguin Classics); 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); Chishiki Zero kara no Hyakunin Isshu, by Ariyoshi Tamotsu (Gentosha); Hyakunin Isshu Kaibo Zukan, by Tani Tomoko (X-Knowledge); 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).
Illustraion/Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Hyakunin Isshu Index