Emperor Tenmu (d. 686)
Gentle
men have praised
men have praised
With
great and goodly words
great and goodly words
This
gracious field
gracious field
So gorgeously gazed upon
By the good
men here
men here
Original Text |
Modern Text |
Pronunciation |
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大海人
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大海人
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Ooshi Aama no Mikoto
(Emperor Tenmu)
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淑人乃
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淑き人の
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Yoki hito no
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良跡吉見而
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よしとよく見て
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Yoshi to yoku mite
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好常言師
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よしと言ひし
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Yoshi to iishi
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芳野吉見<与>
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吉野よく見よ
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Yoshino yoku mi yo
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良人四来三
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良き人よく見
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Yoki-hito yoku mi
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Translation Notes
A poem by
Emperor Tenmu (d. 686), written when he visited Yoshino
Emperor Tenmu (d. 686), written when he visited Yoshino
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淑き人の
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Gentle/noble people ’s [wise men from the past]
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よしとよく見て
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Well often observed [very carefully observed]
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よしと言ひし
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Good/pleasing said-it-was [found goodness (in
Yoshino)] |
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吉野よく見よ
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Yoshino well observe [“Yoshino” literally means “blessing
field” or “good-luck field”] |
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良き人よく見
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Good men well observe [wise men from this era]
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Yoshio-Nara prefecture, Yoshino Province area.
This poem repeatedly puns with variations of “good,” all beginning with “Yo,” in
line with the literal meaning of “Yoshino,” which is also considered a holy
mountain. In this way, the poem can be considered a kind of playful prayer or
blessing. The extensive use of puns, however, makes it difficult for the
translation to give the sense of the poem in Japanese.
This poem repeatedly puns with variations of “good,” all beginning with “Yo,” in
line with the literal meaning of “Yoshino,” which is also considered a holy
mountain. In this way, the poem can be considered a kind of playful prayer or
blessing. The extensive use of puns, however, makes it difficult for the
translation to give the sense of the poem in Japanese.