Hyakunin Isshu, Poem 78
Translation and comments by Ad Blankestijn
(version September 2022)
barrier guard of Suma
how many nights have you been wakened
by the crying voices
of the plovers who visit
from Awaji Island?
Awaji shima
kayou chidori no
naku koe ni
ikuyo nezamenu
Suma no sekimori
淡路島
かよふ千鳥の
なく声に
いくよねざめぬ
すまの関守
Minamoto no Kanemasa 源兼昌 (fl. early 12th c.)
[Awaji Island seen from Suma (with the modern Awaji Kaikyo bridge)]
A poem written on the topic "plovers at the barrier road." By mentioning Suma, the author has it allude to the Suma chapter of The Tale of Genji, during which Genji is in exile. In his case, the voices of the plovers at dawn have a soothing effect. The poem compares Genji to a guard keeping watch at the Barrier of Suma, who is every morning woken up by the cries of the plovers flying over from Awaji Island. The Genji was in the 12th c. regarded as a monument of court culture and poets were advised to study the 800+ waka poems it contains (as well as their specific situations). Kanemasa's poem was appreciated for its refined sadness, which is not uttered directly, but put into the mouth of the barrier guard, and which is given more scope by the allusion to the Genji Monogatari.
Notes
- Awaji is an island SW of Suma. Both are in present-day Hyogo.
- kayou: to go back and forth, to commute. Or in this case it is perhaps more natural to consider the plovers as coming from Awaji Island and passing by the spot where the barrier guard is.
- The call of chidori, plovers, was considered as a rather sad sound. "ni" indicates the reason.
- iku yo nazamenu: "nezamenu" normally means "do not wake," but here all commentators agree that the meaning is affirmative and perfective in the sense of "they have awakened him." The grammatical rationalizations vary.
The Poet
Minamoto no Kanemasa (fl. early 12th c.) was a courtier and poet of the early 12th c. His father was Minamoto no Kanesuke. His date of death is unknown but he was still alive in 1128. He
participated in several uta awase (waka contests) in 1100, 1115, 1118 and
1119 and frequented the poetic circles sponsored by the Cloistered Emperor Horikawa and by the chancelor Fujiwara no Tadamichi. He also
organized a waka competition in 1116. Seven of his poems are included in imperial anthologies such as the Kin'yoshu.
Visiting
To experience the link with Awaji as the plovers do in the poem, you can walk the Maiko Marine Promenade, a walkway under the platform of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, about 50 meters above the water. You get there by elevator from the base of the bridge (Kobe side). The walkways offer a unique view of the Akashi Strait and Osaka Bay (and of course the bridge's interior). On the Kobe side is also a Bridge Exhibition Center. A short walk from Maiko Station on the JR Sanyo Line or Maiko-Koen Station on the Sanyo Railway Line.
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