Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro

Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro Poems

On the sands of Sanuki's shore
folk gather fine seaweed,
and the eye never wearies of this fair land,
...

By the Karu road,
under the mallard’s flyway,
my love, my sister,
lived in her small town,

and deep desire

to see her filled my soul.
...
...

On the sea at Ômi,
Plovers fly the waves at dusk
And with their cries
My mind is turned
...

Coarse woven cloth
The beach at Fujie:
Catching sea bass,
A fisherman, is that what I'll seem?
...

From uncountable
Ôtsu, she came and,
On the day I met her,
Glanced at her but briefly,
...

On this autumn mountain
Tumbling yellowed leaves
For just a moment
Cease your scattering
...

The sea at Kehi
Appears most tranquil, for
As harvested wild rice
...

To the far-reaching
Heavens has gone
My prince, so
Unaware of passing days and nights
...

A twist of folded grass, your pillow,
The only lodging on your journey;
Whose husband, I wonder?
Though in your land, forgotten
...

By Kara's cape

(what sea-babble Kara hears)
...

Distant as the heavens,
'long lengthy country roads
Filled with feeling have I come
...

Jewelled seaweed,
Province of Sanuki:
Is it your nature that
The sight of you will never sate?
...

I do speak these words, though
They may profane what's holy;
I speak them
Filled with awe:
...

By the sea in Iwami,
On the shore at Tsuno,
There is no beach,
For folk to see;
...

To the summer fields go
The stags, with antlers
Only stubs;
My darling's heart:
...

Wavelets
At Tsu in Shiga, your home, lady,
Your parting path,
Among the river shallows,
...

The waves against the seashore
Rushing to the rocky coast, are the
Folded mulberry-cloth
...

Tis not just today
That we do it:
Of old
The men felt more,
...

Leaving Royal City far behind,
the prince makes for the wilds of Hatsuse
enclosed by rugged hills.
Climbing trackless slopes
...

So many times,
'Won't you come to me?'
I wonder, so
Your messenger:
...

Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro Biography

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (c. 662 - 710) was a Japanese poet and aristocrat of the late Asuka period. He was the most prominent of the poets included in the Man'yōshū, and was particularly represented in volumes 1 and 2. In Japan, he is considered one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals. After the Heian period he was often called "Hito-maru" Hitomaro is famed for his long poems, such as "In the sea of ivy clothed Iwami", "The Bay of Tsunu", and "I loved her like the leaves." 19 of his chōka (or nagauta, "long poems") were included in the Man'yōshū and 75 or so tanka (or mijikauta, "short poems") were likewise selected. Many of his poems were written on the topics of public occasions; such as his "Lament for Prince Takechi", written as part of the mourning ceremonies for Takechi. Other poems were written on occasions in his life when he was particularly moved: parting from his wife, mourning for his wife, or on seeing a corpse.)

The Best Poem Of Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro

On Seeing A Corpse On The Shore

On the sands of Sanuki's shore
folk gather fine seaweed,
and the eye never wearies of this fair land,
a divine land, most excellent, exalted.
Of Iyo's faces it's the one,
as our fathers always said,
for ever perfect—
as earth and sky,
and sun and moon.

And now from Naka's harbor
the ship is under weigh
and over sea I sail
blown by timely breeze towards
the cloudy margin of the sea.
Amid the waters I watch
the ever restless waves,
and on the shore-sands
hear the whitening breakers;
the whale-embracing sea
is vast and awe inspiring.
Now here, now there
I wander with each shift of helm,

and pass many an island
crowding the waters.
Of all islands Samine is fairest,
upon whose pebbled shore I step.
On it I build a scanty shelter,
and gaze around, hearing only
the ceaseless rumble of the waves,
beating on the sandy shore.
I see someone has come to rest
on a couch of rough stones
made by him lying there,
flung prostrate on the beach.

If I knew where his home was,
I would take the sad news there.
If his wife knew what
way to go to seek him out,
she would surely come,
but the sea’s highway she does not know,
and so must wait anxiously,
yearning for his coming home.
His lovely wife is waiting still.

If his wife lived near, on Samine's hill,
she could gather him fresh wild herbs,
for they are growing still.
Upon the shore-sands where the waves
are rolling, ever rolling,
his pillow he has made,
and there has come to rest.

Kakinomoto no Asomi Hitomaro Comments

Fabrizio Frosini 14 August 2016

' When she was still alive ' When she was still alive We would go out, arm in arm, And look at the elm trees Growing on the embankment In front of our house. Their branches were interlaced. Their crowns were dense with spring leaves. They were like our love. Love and trust were not enough to turn back The wheels of life and death. She faded like a mirage over the desert. One morning like a bird she was gone In the white scarves of death. Now when the child Whom she left in her memory Cries and begs for her, All I can do is pick him up And hug him clumsily. I have nothing to give him. In our bedroom our pillows Still lie side by side, As we lay once. I sit there by myself And let the days grow dark. I lie awake at night, sighing till daylight. No matter how much I mourn I shall never see her again. They tell me her spirit May haunt Mount Hagai Under the eagles’ wings. I struggle over the ridges And climb to the summit. I know all the time That I shall never see her, Not even so much as a faint quiver in the air. All my longing, all my love Will never make any difference. [ Kakinomoto no Hitomaro ]

26 0 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 25 June 2016

Kakinomoto no Hitomaro is one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals (Immortals of Poetry) - 三十六歌仙 Sanjūrokkasen - They are 36 Japanese poets of the Nara, Asuka and Heian periods selected by Fujiwara no Kintō as exemplars of Japanese poetic ability.

42 0 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 25 June 2016

Fujiwara no Kintō established the grouping of the Thirty-Six Poetic Geniuses or Thirty-six Poetry Immortals (Sanjūrokkasen) in the ''Anthology of Poems by the Thirty-Six Poets'': Kakinomoto no Hitomaro Ki no Tsurayuki Ōshikōchi Mitsune Lady Ise Ōtomo no Yakamochi Yamabe no Akahito Ariwara no Narihira Henjō Sosei Ki no Tomonori Sarumaru no Taifu Ono no Komachi Fujiwara no Kanesuke Fujiwara no Asatada Fujiwara no Atsutada Fujiwara no Takamitsu Minamoto no Kintada Mibu no Tadamine Saigū no Nyōgo / Kishi Joō Ōnakatomi no Yoritomo Fujiwara no Toshiyuki Minamoto no Shigeyuki Minamoto no Muneyuki Minamoto no Saneakira Fujiwara no Kiyotada Minamoto no Shitagō Fujiwara no Okikaze Kiyohara no Motosuke Sakanoue no Korenori Fujiwara no Motozane Ōnakatomi no Yoshinobu Fujiwara no Nakafumi Taira no Kanemori Mibu no Tadami Kodai no Kimi Nakatsukasa

44 0 Reply
Fabrizio Frosini 20 May 2016

kuni wasuretaru / ie matamaku ni Kakinomoto no Hitomaro (Man’yōshū: 426)

95 0 Reply
Sue Powell 20 May 2014

His best poem, in my opinion, is 'When She Was Still Alive', which is not listed on this website.

2 1 Reply

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