Maki I Kami

Kusagusa no uta. Hatsuse no Asakura no miya ni amenoshita shiroshimeshishi Sumeramikoto no mi-yo.

1

Ko mo yo 1

mi ko mochi

fukushi mo yo

fukushi mochi

kono woka ni 5

na tsumasu ko

ihe norase

na norasane

soramitsu

Yamato no kuni ha 10

oshinabete

are koso wore

shikinabete

are koso mase

a wo koso 15

se to ha norame

ihe wo mo na wo mo!

1 mo yo, interjectional phrase of mingled admiration and entreaty.

6 na, herbs. ko, girl, ko in 1, 2 = basket or satchel.

7 norase, honour-causative imperative.

8 norasane, hortative form of honour-causative with particle ne; it implies some degree of respect.

9 A makura kotoba (m. k.) applied to yama (Yamato).

12 are = ware; koso wore, emphatic declarative of woru, be, be in, at, &c.

13 Almost equivalent to 11 oshinabete = oshi nabikasete, causing all to acknowledge my power and protection.

16 se = brother, husband, lover.

17 na here and in 8 = name.

vv. 1-6 lead up to ko the first climax; 7-14 to the second climax; 15-17 to the final climax. 1-6 furnish a good instance of the reversed order of words in the Japanese sentence.

For soramitsu see List m. k.

Takechi no Woka no miya ni amenoshita shiroshimeshishi Sumera mikoto no mi yo.

2

Sumera mikoto no Kagu yama ni noborimashite kunimi shitamaheru toki mi yomimaseru ohomi uta.

Yamato ni ha 1

mura yama aredo

tori-yorofu

Ame-no-kagu-yama

nobori-tachi 5

kuni-mi wo sureba

kuni hara ha

keburi tachi-tatsu

unabara ha

kamome tachi-tatsu 10

umashi kuni so

Akitsushima

Yamato no kuni ha!

6 The logical subject is, I the Mikado.

11 so is, perhaps, oftener written zo.

For Akitsushima see List m. k.

3

Sumeramikoto no Uchi no nu mi kari shitamaheru toki Nakachi Himemiko no Hashihito no Muraji Oyu wo shite tatematsurase tamafu uta.

Yasumishishi 1

waga ohokimi no

ashita ni ha

tori-nade-tamahi

yufube ni ha 5

i-yori-tatashishi

mi torashi no

adzusa no yumi no

nari hazu no

oto su nari 10

asa-kari ni

ima tatasurashi

yufu-kari ni

ima tatasurashi

mi torashi no 15

adzusa no yumi no

nari hazu no

oto su nari!

Tamakiharu 1

Uchi no ohonu ni

uma namete

asa fumasuramu

sono fukakusa nu. 5

6 i, a prefix of which the value is lost.

9 nari here means sound, twang.

12 tatasurashi = tatsuramu.

2 Uchi may = utsutsu, or possibly ude, arm.

For yasumishishi, mi torashi no, adzusa no yumi and tamakiharu see List of m. k. The m. k. it must be remembered are epithets, or expressions in the nature of epithets, only. Thus 7, 8 and 15, 16 are simply double m. k. of nari, indeed nari hazu no is almost another m. k. of oto.

4 fumasuramu = fumamu.

4

Sanuki no kuni Aya no kohori ni idemaseru toki Ikusa no Ohokimi no yama wo mite yomitamaheru uta.

Kasumitatsu 1

nagaki haru hi no

kure ni keru

wadzuki mo shirazu

murakimono 5

kokoro wo itami

nuye no tori

uranage woreba

tamatasuki

kake no yoroshiku 10

tohotsu kami

waga ohokimi no

idemashi no

yama koshi no kaze no

hitori woru 15

waga koromode ni

asa yohi ni

kaherahinureba

masurawo to

omoheru are mo 20

kusamakura

tabi nishi areba

omohi-yaru

tadzuki wo shirani

Tsunu no ura no 25

ama wotomera ga

yakushiho no

omohi so yakuru

aga shita-gokoro.

Yama koshi ni 1

kaze wo tokizhi ni

nuru yo ochizu

ihe naru imo wo

kakete shinubitsu. 5

In the dai the no after Ohokimi is read with yomi … uta. In 3 and 22 ni is rather a verbal form (nu) than a postposition.

8 uranage = uchi ni nageki, inwardly, profoundly, lamenting.

10 kake (kakuru) a verb of wide connotation, fundamentally, hang on or over, suspend, put to, forth or on, [kotoba wo] kake, utter, as here.

18 kaherahinureba = kaherinureba.

19 masurawo is said to be ma-ara shi-wo, right-bold-man, or better (more grammatically) masa (or masu)-ara-wo, which has the same meaning.

22 shi is a particle of emphasis.

23 omohi-yaru, thought-send-away, get rid of (unpleasing) thoughts; omohi, common throughout the Lays, means think, think affectionately or regretfully of, &c.

3 nuru yo ochizu, without missing a sleeping night.

5 kakete = kokoro ni kakete, bearing in mind. shinubu is to love, yearn for, regret. omohi is the more general term, shinubu more special, shitahi, affection, kofuru, kohi, &c., love of men and women. But these connotations are not strictly adhered to.

5

Nakachi no Ohoye no [Afumi no miya ni shiroshimeshishi Sumera mikoto] Mitsu yama no mi uta.

Takayama ha 1

Unebi wo yeshi to

Miminashi to

ahi-arisohiki

kamiyo yori 5

kaku narurashi

inishihe mo

shika nare koso

utsusemi mo

Tsuma wo 10

arasofurashiki.

Takayama to 1

Miminashi yama to

ahishi toki

tachite mi ni koshi

Inami kuni hara. 5

In the dai … meshishi is the participial past form of mesu. Care must be taken to distinguish between this shi and such a terminational shi as narurashi (6), koshi (4).

1 Read Kaguyama ha Unebi wo yeshi to (te) Miminashi to ahi arisohi.

4 Observe the past form in ki.

6 narurashi = naramu, nearly.

7 inishi-he = passed away period, i.e. ancient.

10 A three-syllable verse.

11 supply mono nari.

1 A mistake in the script, it should be Kaguyama.

4 mi, see.

Afumi no Ohotsu no miya ni amenoshita shiroshimeshishi Sumera mikoto no mi yo.

6

Sumera mikoto uchi no ohomahetsu kimi Fujihara no Asomi ni mikotonori shite haru yama no hana no iro aki yama no momichi no nihohi wo arasohashimetamafu toki Nukata no Ohokimi no uta mochite kotowaritamaheru sono uta.

Fuyukomori 1

haru sarikureba

nakazarishi

tori mo ki-nakinu

sakazarishi 5

hana mo sakeredo

yama mo shimi

irite mo [kikazu]

kusa fukami

torite mo mizu 10

aki yama no

ko no ha wo mite ha

momitsu wo ba

torite so shinubu

awoki wo ba 15

okite so nageku

soko shi tanushi

aki yama are ha!

4 ki-nakinu, come-sing-finished, the past in nu.

6, 7 Read as if hana mo sake yama mo shigedo.

10 toramu to mo mizu.

12 ko = ki, tree.

13 momitsu, momi, is red.

16 nageku, naga-iki, sigh, with pleasure or pain.

17 tanushi, tanoshiki.

18 are, ware.

For fuyukomori see List m. k.

7

Nukata no Ohokimi no Afumi no kuni ni kudaritamaheru toki yomitamaheru uta.

Umasake

Miwa no yama

awoniyoshi

Nara no yama no

yama no ma yu 5

i-kakuru made

michi no kuma

i-tsumoru made ni

tsubaraka ni

mitsutsu yukamu wo 10

shibashiba mo

misakamu yama wo

kokoro naku

kumo no

kakusafubeshi ya. 15

6 kakuru, to be hidden.

10 yukamu [mono] wo [omohite].

15 kakusubeshi.

For umasake and awoniyoshi see List m. k.