Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 90
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
let me show it!
the sleeves of the fishermen
of Ojima
though wetter than wet
do not change color like mine
misebaya na
Ojima no ama no
sode dani mo
nure ni zo nureshi
iro wa kawarazu
見せばやな
雄島のあまの
袖だにも
ぬれにぞぬれし
色はかはらず
Inpumon'in no Taiyu 殷富門院大輔 (ca. 1131-1200)
Matsushima!
only the fishermen
fishing on the shore of Ojima
can have sleeves
as soaked as mine
Matsushima ya | Ojima no iso ni | asari seshi | ama no sode koso | kaku wa nureshika
Matsushima has often been used as a pillow word in waka poetry since the Heian period (794-1185). Minamoto Shigeyuki's poem was probably the first poem written about Matsushima. It is believed he really visited Mutsu Province (the eastern part of the present-day Tohoku Region, including Matsushima), so he may have composed this poem after actually seeing the scenery of Matsushima (generally speaking poets didn't travel a lot outside the capital of Heiankyo and place names were often conceptual, or based on screen paintings).
Notes
- misebaya na: misetai mono desu, "let me show these" - "these" points at the poet's sleeves that have changed color because of her many tears.
- Ojima: "Male Island," one of the larger islands in Matsushima (see below).
- ama no sode dani mo: the sleeves of the fishermen who work at sea and therefore get wet sleeves.
The Poet
Inpumon'in no Taiyu (ca. 1131-1200) was a daughter of Fujiwara no Nobunari and served Princess Ryoshi, the daughter of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, who was called "Inpumon'in". She was a member of the poetic circle of Shun'e (poem 85) and participated in many waka contests. She has 63 poems in the Senzaishu and other imperial collections; a personal collection is also extant.
[Ojima Island]
Visiting
Matsushima, close to the northern city of Sendai, is one of Japan's Three Famous Views. Matsushima means "Pine Islands," and refers to the hundreds of small islands that lie before the coast. The working of wind and waves has kneaded them into strange shapes, on which viewers can freely exercise their imagination. On all islands pine trees cling to the scarce soil in grotesque poses. Unfortunately, mass tourism and commercialism have spoiled the bay. The large temple compound of Zuiganji is the only quiet place in Matsushima - as well as nearby Ojima Island.
Crossing a vermilion-lacquered bridge, one comes to Oshima Island, where 108 rock caves are said to have existed. Although only about 50 remain today, there are many stone monuments that were once stone pagodas for the dead to pray for their rebirth in the Pure Land, as well as other stone pagodas in the rock caves. Many Buddhist names have been carved in the walls, giving the island the sense of a sacred place. A cave is all that is necessary for Zen, and as a bonus nature provides the view of the island-dotted bay, of rocks and pines molded in fantastic shapes, so beautiful that it rendered even Basho (who visited Matsushima in 1689) speechless - the tradition tells that the great poet was so paralyzed by the scenic grandeur that he could not capture it in a haiku. But this is a place of Zen and in the poet's "no-words" all words are contained.
See the Matsushima Kanko website for more information about Matsushima and how to get there.
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).
Photo: Wikipedia
Hyakunin Isshu Index