
(春の夜、貴方のことが頭からはなれず悶々として眠ってしまったが
そこは夢とも現実とも区別がつかず甘美と不安が織りなす世界、貴方の
姿だけが明滅する光のなかに消えていった)
*うつつ:現実 *思ほへで:分からないで、区別がつかず
*おぼめかれゆく:はっきりしなくなっていく
One of my favourite poets Ariwara-no-Narihira
(825-880) was a
unique poet indeed. The compiler of Kokinshu,
an anthology completed
in 913 criticized him saying "I AMARITE
KOTOBA TARAZU--Too much
purport with insufficient words". Anyway, many
of his poems give us an
impression that he was under the effect of
marijuana or LSD. But the
literary bigwigs in Heian Period apparently did not
rate these poems
highly. In "HYAKUNIN ISSHU--The Hundred Poems by One Hundred
Poets" the editor did not choose one from any of
these poems but
included "CHIHAYABURU....." which
is, in my opinion, not his greatest.
I do not have enough space here to explain
these unique and amazing
poems that are, unfortunately, not very well
known nowadays.
However, some contemporary Japanese
may remember his famous dying
message--"TSUINI YUKU MICHITOWA KANETE
KIKISHIKADO KINOU-KYOU
TOWA OMOWAZARISHIWO".
( I knew this would be the Path I must tread
someday, but never dreamt
this would become the matter of yesterday
or today)