KKS 17: Difference between revisions
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The other main issue with this poem has to do with its appearance in the ''[[Ise Monogatari#12 | Tales of Ise]]''. Modern scholarship (and even most pre-modern scholarship) is agreed that this is a traditional folk poem or otherwise old composition that was included in ''Ise'' with a constructed story written around it. | The other main issue with this poem has to do with its appearance in the ''[[Ise Monogatari#12 | Tales of Ise]]''. Modern scholarship (and even most pre-modern scholarship) is agreed that this is a traditional folk poem or otherwise old composition that was included in ''Ise'' with a constructed story written around it. | ||
However, 'Ise'' was read by early medieval commentators as true stories about Narihira. The questions about how to fit this into the supposed life of [[Ariwara no Narihara]] are more relevant to commentary on ''Ise'' than this poem (see the Mostow & Tyler translation called ''The Ise Stories'' for more detail). Briefly, this was read as Narihira abducting the [[Nijō Empress]] and bringing her out to the fields. Fujiwara no Norinaga (12th c.) said that this is why the poem is anonymous in the KKS, to hide that scandalous detial. The other question is why the first line reads "Musashi Fields" in ''Ise'' but "Kasuga Fields" in KKS. | However, ''Ise'' was read by early medieval commentators as true stories about Narihira. The questions about how to fit this into the supposed life of [[Ariwara no Narihara]] are more relevant to commentary on ''Ise'' than this poem (see the Mostow & Tyler translation called ''The Ise Stories'' for more detail). Briefly, this was read as Narihira abducting the [[Nijō Empress]] and bringing her out to the fields. Fujiwara no Norinaga (12th c.) said that this is why the poem is anonymous in the KKS, to hide that scandalous detial. | ||
The other question is why the first line reads "Musashi Fields" in ''Ise'' but "Kasuga Fields" in KKS. Musashi Fields is too far away from the capital for the story to be plausible, so an elaborate explanation was devised involving burial mound called "Musashi" in Kasuga field (as revealed in the ''Chronicles of Japan''). Tsurayuki, being learned enough to know about this, knew that the ''Ise'' story actually took place in Kasuga and corrected the record for the KKS. Despite this being more important for ''Ise'' commentary than the KKS, this theory shows up in a number of medieval KKS commentaries. | |||
[[KKS 16|Previous poem]] | [[KKS 18|Next poem]] | [[KKS 16|Previous poem]] | [[KKS 18|Next poem]] | ||
[[Category:Spring]] | [[Category:Spring]] | ||
Revision as of 18:59, 4 June 2026
Text
[題しらず]
[Topic unknown]
[よみ人しらず]
[Poet unknown]
春日野はけふはなやきそ若草のつまもこもれり我もこもれり
|
kasuga wa |
The fields of Kasuga |
Notes
- Like young shoots
- wakakusa no is working like a pillow word here, connecting to the scene of the poem but also adding the idea of freshness and youth. The word tsuma can act as both "wife" and "husband" in older Japanese.
Other sources:
Analysis
Mabuchi(18th c.) gives the reading that is the standard one today: the farmers are going to burn the fields to fertilize the ground, but the poet wants them to wait so that he and his lover can enjoy the field first. Mabuchi notes the old style of the poem and calls it soft and elegant. Other commentators agree that this is an old-style poem, with Kaneko(1927) noting the repetition of the last two lines: an uncommon technique in later Heian court poetry. Kubota(1937) also cites the breaks at the end of the 2nd and 4th lines as representative of older-style folk song poetry.
According to Matsuda(1968), the KKS compilers included the poem here because the burning fields sets the stage for the growing plant shoots in the next block of poems. Originally this was probably a simple folk song, but the Heian poets may have chosen it for its suggestion of the aristocratic practice of picking young shoots at the beginning of spring. There is also a certain similarity between all five anonymous poems from 16-20, which all feel like rustic, simple folk poems. Some older commentaries like Seigi(Kagawa) read this as a Nara court poem, but the folk reading seems more likely.
Man'yōshū 3452, an Eastern "azumauta" poem, has a similar tone:
おもしろき野をばな焼きそ古草に新草交り生ひは生ふるがに
Do not burn the beautiful field; there are old grasses growing among the new grasses.
The other main issue with this poem has to do with its appearance in the Tales of Ise. Modern scholarship (and even most pre-modern scholarship) is agreed that this is a traditional folk poem or otherwise old composition that was included in Ise with a constructed story written around it.
However, Ise was read by early medieval commentators as true stories about Narihira. The questions about how to fit this into the supposed life of Ariwara no Narihara are more relevant to commentary on Ise than this poem (see the Mostow & Tyler translation called The Ise Stories for more detail). Briefly, this was read as Narihira abducting the Nijō Empress and bringing her out to the fields. Fujiwara no Norinaga (12th c.) said that this is why the poem is anonymous in the KKS, to hide that scandalous detial.
The other question is why the first line reads "Musashi Fields" in Ise but "Kasuga Fields" in KKS. Musashi Fields is too far away from the capital for the story to be plausible, so an elaborate explanation was devised involving burial mound called "Musashi" in Kasuga field (as revealed in the Chronicles of Japan). Tsurayuki, being learned enough to know about this, knew that the Ise story actually took place in Kasuga and corrected the record for the KKS. Despite this being more important for Ise commentary than the KKS, this theory shows up in a number of medieval KKS commentaries.
