あしびきの
山鳥の尾の
しだり尾の
ながながし夜を
ひとりかもねむ
LONG is the mountain pheasant’s tail
That curves down in its flight;
But longer still, it seems to me,
Left in my lonely plight,
Is this unending night.
- Kakinomoto no Hitomaro
Comments-
The poem here refers to the bird- 'Copper Pheasant,' which is particularly known for it's long tail. It's tail drags with the frame of it's body like a tree's broken branch.
And this long-long tail reminds me of the endless dragging night that the I have to spend, all alone, in my cold bed, without the warmth of my lover.
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Hyakunin Isshu
Puisi100 poems by 100 poets. Classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese waka (short poems) by one hundred poets. Hyakunin isshu can be translated to "one hundred people, one poem (each)." These poems hold a special meaning to me, and so I dec...
