Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 72
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
the fickle waves
of the Takashi shore
known far and wide -
I won't let them catch me
and make my sleeves wet
oto ni kiku
Takashi no hama no
adanami wa
kakeji ya sode no
nure mo koso sure
音にきく
高師の浜の
あだ浪は
かけじや袖の
ぬれもこそすれ
Lady Kii 紀伊 (fl. 1061-1113)
A witty poem written at a "love letter" poem competition (kesobumi awase) in 1102 at the time of the Cloistered Emperor Horikawa. Such an uta awase was of course not an actual exchange of love letters, but an exercise in the conventions of courtly love (which never should get too serious). Lady Kii wrote her poem in reply to a poem by Fujiwara no Toshitada (1073-1123), the grandfather of Fujiwara no Teika, which goes as follows:
how I long to tell you
that my secret love is like
the waves of Ariso Beach
driven by the bay-wind
pounding the shore at night
hito shirenu | omoi Ariso no | urakaze ni | nami no yoru koso | iwamahoshikere
This is a poem that is difficult to translate as it contains various puns. "Omoi", love, should be connected to the "ari" of Ariso to make "being in love". Ariso no Ura, Ariso Bay ("Rough Shore"), is a famous utamakura. "Yoru nami", "approaching waves" puns with "yoru", night. So the poet says that he would like to visit his beloved at night "like waves brought by the wind against a rough shore." A rather daring poem, that however also reveals the author's fickleness, leading to the reply where as an image for his insincerity again "waves" are used.
Note how closely Lady Kii follows the texture of the poem by Toshitada, which also contains an utamakura referring to a place at the shore, an image of waves pounding on the shore, a pun on "Takashi" and a pun on "kakeji ya" which refers both to the waves and to her opponent. She deftly tells him that an affair with such a fickle person would cause her much suffering - so her sleeves would get wet because of her tears, rather than by the waves.
Notes
- oto ni kiku: here "oto" means not sound, but "rumor," so "famous"
- Takashi: name of a beautiful beach in Sakai (south of Osaka), an utamakura. Takashi means "tall" and puns with both "waves" and "reputation" in the previous line.
- adanami: unsubstantial, insincere, frivolous；refers both to waves that break in vain on the shore, as to a frivolous person.
- kakejiya: "ji" is a negation. Because the "adanami", frivolous waves, point both at waves and at the courtier she writes this poem to in reply, the double meaning is "I won't let the waves make me wet" and "I won't let you make me cry."
- nure mo koso sure: "mo" and "koso" used together indicates a fear or worry
The Poet
Lady Kii of Princess Yushi's Household (Yushi Naishinno-ke no Kii 祐子内親王家紀伊, fl. 1061-1113), also known as Ichinomiya no Kii, was a Japanese noblewoman and waka poet active in the Heian period. She was a daughter of Taira no Tsunekata and Lady Koben. In Princess Yushi's salon in which she served (Princess Yushi was the daughter of Emperor Go-Suzaku), also the author of the Sarashina Nikki participated ("the daughter of Sugawara no Takasue"). She took part in several uta awase poetry contests between 1056 and 1113 and has a collection of poetry extant. She has 31 poems in the Go-Shuishu and other imperial anthologies.
[Takashi Beach in Izumo Province (now Osaka) by Hiroshige]
"Takashi no Hama" used to be a beautiful shore on Osaka Bay, as caught by Hiroshige in this beautiful print from his series "Famous Views of the 60-odd Provinces." Today, it lies in Sakai City, south of Osaka, and the coast here has been completely built up, while in the bay artificial islands have been created on reclaimed land to house industry, port facilities, and parks. There is nothing to see here, but for completeness' sake herea re the directions. It is a 5-min walk from Takashinohama Station on the Nankai Electric Railway on the Takashinohama branch line (which branches off in Hagoromo). https://goo.gl/maps/YST882dJg3gYNW6g6
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).
Ukiyo-e: Wikipedia
Hyakunin Isshu Index