Ikusa no Oukimi


Mist arrives
And the long spring sun has set,
But I do not understand
The pain of this capricious heart.

From behind,
A thrush cries,
Like a beautiful sash
That hangs in the wind—

A wind that travels
From across the mountains
To carry my distant Lord, the Emperor—
For I am alone both morning and night.

I’ve grown old, I know,
Sleeping on the grass
And traveling to heal myself
at this seaside village.

The girls
Are burning salt from water—
As my feelings burn too,
Away from home.



Original Text

Modern Text

Pronunciation




軍王
軍王
Ikusa no Oukimi



霞立
霞立つ
Kasumi tatsu
長春日乃
長き春日の
Nagaki haruhi no
晩家流
暮れにける
Kure ni keru
和豆肝之良受
わづきも知らず
Wazuki mo shirazu
村肝乃
むらきもの
Mura gimo no
心乎痛見
心を痛み
Kokoro wo itami
奴要子鳥
ぬえこ鳥
Nueko dori
卜歎居者
うら泣け居れば
Ura nake oreba
珠手次
玉たすき
Tama tasuki
懸乃宜久
懸けのよろしく
Kake no yoroshiku
遠神
遠つ神
Totsu kami
吾大王乃
我が大君の
Waga ohkimi no
行幸能
行幸の
Idemashi no
山越風乃
山越す風の
Yasu-kosu kaze no
<>
ひとり居る
Hitori oru
吾衣手尓
我が衣手に
Waga koromode ni
朝夕尓
朝夕に
Asa-Yoi ni
還比奴礼婆
返らひぬれば
Kaera-inure ba
大夫登
大夫と
Masurao to
念有我母
思へる我れも
Omo-eru ware mo
草枕
草枕
Kusamakura
客尓之有者
旅にしあれば
Tabinishi areba
思遣
思ひ遣る
Omoi yaru
鶴寸乎白土
たづきを知らに
Tazuki wo sira-ni
網能浦之
網の浦の
Ami no ura no
海處女等之
海人娘子らが
Ama-otome raga
焼塩乃
焼く塩の
Yaku-shio no
念曽所焼
思ひぞ焼くる
Omoizo yakuru
吾下情
我が下心
Waga shita-gokoro


Translation Notes


A poem made by Ikusa no Okimi, when he traveled with Jyo-mei to Sanuki county.

霞立つ
Mist/haze has come
長き春日の
The long spring sun
暮れにける
Has finished/sunset
わづきも知らず
I [moon/with] know not
むらきもの
Capricious [this word leads (heart)]
心を痛み
Heart pain
ぬえこ鳥
Scaly-thrush
うら泣け居れば
Bottom cry am-doing
玉たすき
Beautiful sash/kimono-cord
懸けのよろしく
Hung just-like [as if in a breeze]
遠つ神
Distant lord [leads to ohkimi(大君)]
我が大君の
Our emperor
行幸の
Imperial visit ’s [the mountain from where he had come]
山越す風の
Mountain cross-over breeze
ひとり居る
Alone being
我が衣手に
My sleeves
朝夕に
Morning night
返らひぬれば
Return (Breeze) comes (to my sleeves) again-and-again
大夫と
Matured man
思へる我れも
(I) recognize myself as (matured man)
草枕
Overnight traveling / sleeping on grass
旅にしあれば
Travel since
思ひ遣る
Feeling send [to heal myself]
たづきを知らに
That do know not [how to heal myself]
網の浦の
Netting ’s bay ’s [in the seaside village]
海人娘子らが
Diver girls are
焼く塩の
Burning salt [boiling sea water to make salt]
思ひぞ焼くる
Feeling burned comes [miss home]
我が下心
My secret-feeling [this is what’s on my mind]

Year: 
2013